Chapter 33

-0-Shortly after the Senior Autobot Staff Meeting

They drove across the tarmac toward the Embassy, two black SUVs, one following the other. The sun was hot and the Rec Room they were heading for was filled with off duty Autobots. The huge hangar that was the entrance of the Autobot HQ and Embassy had its doors opened wide during the day and most nights. The main floor was filled with tables and chairs, energon dispensers lined one wall while entertainment equipment filled another. Near the back of that open space was the main two lane road led to the living and storage areas on the floors below.

Mechs hung out there, this area that was their common room. It had once been the main room of a storehouse complex that'd held all of the thousands of things necessary to running a base like Diego. Some of the area was used as repair stations for vehicles and thus, a lot of elbow grease had gone into turning the place into a home. The know how of a species for creating spaces for their own use over millions of vorns on millions of places, both long and short term had been essential to creating what was essentially a consulate for the bots.

Ops Center and the Med Bay occupied the back part of the underground facility's first floor. The walls were thick and strong, the ceilings of the entire place never less eighteen feet nor more than thirty-nine feet high. Taller mechs like Optimus, Springer and Ironhide had to lower their helm in some places but those places were very few.

It was ideal.

The SUVs drove with confidence and were spotted about halfway across the tarmac. The Autobots inside, those lounging outside and in the doorway were already told that these humans were off limits. The Aerialbots even knew what Prime had ordered and that it would be a personal offense against his authority to do less than obey. No one wanted a dressing down from Prime, not even the Wreckers.

Springer who was sitting near the door as he played cards with the twins and Kup noticed them first. Rising to stare as they came closer, he considered the negative potential of the moment. They didn't slow down and it appeared that they were going to drive right inside. He glanced at Jazz, himself rising to watch. "Better get Prime. I'll block their path."

Jazz nodded as the two mechs parted, each going their own way.

Springer walked calmly past tense mechs, all of them stilled by the effrontery of the humans and their lack of options about it. He stood at the doorway motioning the mechs outside to come in. They did, obeying the Wrecker who had been point man on the problem from klik one. He stood in the doorway, waiting calmly and when the SUVs kept driving, he stepped in their way causing them to pull up.

Everyone outside who were lounging around to watch caught the subtext and began to gather to watch as others joined them, some driving to go somewhere and others driving up to join them. A sizable group gathered past the demarcation lines of what was Autobot sovereign territory and the rest of the base. It got quiet right away.

Springer stared down at them, twenty-five plus feet of green and yellow ferocity, cool optics and a lifetime of hard fighting and play behind him. Springer was part of a tradition that kept Prime awake at night, the last go-to mech, the last line of defense, the enforcer. The Wreckers were legendary and two of the most renowned, Springer and Kup were here protecting the Autobots as they always had.

None of the humans in the cars knew that. They just saw a gigantic green and yellow robot towering over them, his big peds stepping up to block their path.

Jase Daniels considered this, then climbed out to look up. He wasn't afraid of Springer and didn't even bother to hide his contempt and anger. "Hey, we need to see your leader, Optimus."

Springer heard his impertinent remarks as his helm tilted slightly. He stared at the little organic, reading in his intuitive programming a deep abiding dislike for the man and all he stood for. "He's called Prime by the insects. Call him Prime, insect."

Daniels frowned slightly. The deep voice of the robot sounded surprisingly harsh for what he perceived to be a reasonable moment and request. Behind him, peering out of the vehicle with an indeterminate expression on his face, Todd watched warily. The night before had shaken his manhood but he was recovering as anger building up inside of him all night became more and more intense.

"You bringing him back?" Springer asked with a smirk as he glanced toward Todd. "We tossed out the trash. We don't want him back."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe rolled up behind giving him back up, their seven foot swords slipping in and out of their sheaths as they stared at the humans with scary expressions on their faces.

Springer was aware of it and knew the twins wouldn't do anything that he didn't order. He wasn't afraid of their presence at this flash point moment. He knew their quality. Unlike, he thought, these little insects.

Their 'quality' was something less, indeed.

"Who? Todd?" Daniels asked as he glanced back to the SUV. He shook his head at Todd as an angry expression formed on his face. Todd slipped back inside the car and closed the door. Daniels turned back, looking up at Springer with gathering impatience. He was used to getting his way. That much was evident. But unfortunately for him, his kind of attitude and entitlement was something all of them knew too well and hated with a deep and abiding passion.

Typical high caste behavior, Springer considered.

"We wish to see the Prime. We would like you to move and let us in." His body language was tight, his tone short and his impatience visible.

"No can do," Springer said in a deceptively calm voice. His optics never left Daniels even as he was aware of the individuals in both SUVs. "This is diplomatic space and you can't come here unless you're invited."

"Then invite us. Please," Daniels added as his irritation began to rise inside of him. It was an unaccustomed sense of frustration at being denied something he wanted that suffused him. This robotic fucker was going to be trouble, he considered.

Springer pretended to be thinking about it. Then he simply said, "Nope."

Snickers and laughter filled the hangar as the Autobots chuckled over the human's discomfiture. They'd gathered at the door, a row of massive mechs of all manner of shape and size. They were heavily armed, it seemed, all the time. Some of them had weapons that never disappeared while others made them appear out of thin air. He had no idea that they carried them here in more open display because some of them didn't feel welcome.

Force of habit.

Then Optimus Prime walked into the Rec Room moving through his troops toward the hangar door with a grim-faced Prowl and Ironhide in tow.

-0-In Med Bay

"It serves you right."

"I thought you were laughing at me when I said I was sorry."

Ratchet turned around to look at the forlorn youngling mini-con sitting on the med berth, his door wings drooping so low as to be flat on his back, his optics filling with coolant. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was a pugnacious kid, heavy emphasis on kid. Ratchet replayed the moment then shook his head. It would seem that they were. "We laughed at the glyphs, you little glitch, not your efforts. We know your worth, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee lowered his head as he rubbed his face with his servos.

Ratchet, his deeply hidden, deeply closeted but all encompassing good heartedness bubbled up in the well pit of aggravation called his spark He walked to Bee and embraced him. Bee sniffled, then hugged him back as Ratchet swayed and held him. It had been a long two days.

-0-At the hangar doors

Prime pinged Springer acknowledging his situation assessment and moved to stand with him, sensing on the edge of his processor that other vehicles were careening over, these filled with allies, Graham, Lennox and Epps. He looked at Daniels, taking in his slender form, glasses and oddly experience-free complexion. He didn't look like he had ever frowned let alone acquired lines denoting effort, failure and learning of life's great leveling lessons. Even Daniel's bow tie irked him. "You wished to speak with me."

Daniels looked upward and once more assimilated the discombobulating experience of talking to such a huge figure, one that was alien to their world and experience. This fucker was a truck and a being of some kind. It threw Daniels off trying to figure out what he was expected to deal with here. What wasn't hard for him was the contempt he felt having to deal with a truck like he was someone of consequence. "I do. We were driving over to speak to you before this person blocked us."

"Mech."

He looked at Springer who hadn't stopped staring at him with contempt. The cold menace in Springer's voice was only matched by the cold menace in his optics. "What?" Daniels asked.

"Mech. I'm a mech, not a person."

Prime watched as Springer sparred, the human becoming flustered and irritated as he did. Good information, he thought. The ice cube could be thrown off his game.

"Whatever. I don't mean to be rude," Daniels began before Springer cut him off again.

"You were. Rude," he replied.

Prime waited, absorbing the human's personality and all his tells with the soft touch of Prowl's servo on his arm comforting him. On the other hand, Prowl's atomic fury about the human and his lack of respect was also comforting, oddly enough.

Daniels stared at Springer, then Prime with an expression of irritation. "Look, can we talk? I have some concerns about a couple of things and the treatment of one of my men was also a problem for me."

The Autobots were silent, their optics moving from Prime to Daniels to Springer and back to Prime. There was enough fire power in that room alone to wipe out Diego Garcia in nanokliks, yet the human pushed his aggressive personality, talking to their Prime in a wholly unsatisfactory manner. They were all to the last mech deeply offended and their ire was rising.

Prime was aware of it, too, even as they conveyed their contempt to Daniels in the Cybertronian way with silence and strong looks of disgust. It was doubtful that Daniels understood their actions and meaning.

"I will speak to you," Prime said. "Outside."

"I was thinking a chat in your office, just the two of us," Daniel said, smiling without the emotion touching his eyes.

"I was thinking we could stand outside. Prowl, Ironhide, Jazz and Springer could be with us. And those people," Prime said nodding in the direction of the hangars nearby. Daniels and his men glanced behind them, then turned around to watch as hummers drove swiftly up and stopped.

Behind them, pulling up and piling out, Epps, Lennox and Graham moved past the SUVs to stand next Prime and his people. "Optimus," Lennox said as he glanced at Daniels. He, Epps and Graham moved next to the mechs.

To go inside the Embassy.

That move was not lost on Daniels as he looked at the soldiers with a cold expression. "We don't need the soldiers." He looked at them with anger. "I'm the liaison to the Autobots. You have nothing to do with that and it wouldn't take a lot of effort to get command of the mission from you. It would do you well to understand the chain of command here."

Lennox bristled. "Try, Daniels. You're going to find we have friends, too."

Prime watched the exchange between the humans. He shook his head. "Those are the conditions of a meeting. Accept it or not. I am busy."

Daniels, outgunned and out numbered, agreed. "Very well." He walked back past his car slamming his hand down on the hood of the SUV that had brought him in deep irritation. He began to walk forward onto the tarmac, glancing over his shoulder as he did. "Tell me when," he said with a slight tone of condescension in his voice.

"When you get to New York," Lennox said loudly as he shook his head in disgust.

Prime looked down at him with a faint grin. "Why stop there?" he said.

Lennox grinned back.

Then Springer, Ironhide, Jazz, Prowl, Prime and their allies, Epps, Lennox and Graham stepped forward to meet their enemy together.

-0-Elsewhere

Arcee in alt robotic mode stood with her new friend, an Air Force Sargent by the name of Cindy Ducket. They'd met when Arcee was sunning herself near the enlisted men's barracks in her Cybertronian vehicle mode. Other human femmes were there and she'd felt a longing for female company. It had been a long time since she'd been with her team. They were still on their way in the vast universe. A number of the women seemed to want to come over but only one did, Cindy Ducket. They had talked, finding many points of commonality.

Arcee had also found out Cindy liked them, that she spent time watching all of them to understand who they were and that she thought Optimus Prime should run for President. Arcee also found out that the regular soldiers, sailors, airmen and women were fed up with the civilian liaisons and that the inclusion of the mercenaries into one of the best secured installations on the planet was not only deeply insulting but professionally disgusting. Some of the soldiers, sailors and air force personnel on the base had served with them in other theaters. They were loathed.

When Cindy would jog in the early morning before the sun was too hot, Arcee would go along with her, riding slowly along in alt robotic mode, her angular beauty interesting to the mechanic. They had much in common and Cindy shared her personal details as well. Her mechanic husband was stationed in California, not too far from Mission City oddly enough and her two children were dear to her heart.

They were simpatico.

By the end of the first week that Arcee was here on the Earth, Cindy had become more than a friend. She had become an ally. She had made the call to Epps, Lennox and Graham about Daniels' plan to speak with Optimus and they were there because of her.

It would not be the last one she made.