Chapter 78
-0-At Autobot HQ, that night
Ironhide sat nearby waiting for Ratchet who was debriefing with Prime and Prowl, going over the hearing together. He was pondering the information that Weaver had displayed and the comments that he'd made about himself, Ratchet and the youngsters. It burned in his tanks and he wanted to find Weaver to shake him until he spilled the name of the source that was here, giving away secrets and half truths to the cowardly little fragger from Texas.
Ratchet rose to walk toward him as behind him Prowl and Prime leaned together to discuss some more things. When Ratchet reached Ironhide, he held out his servo to pull the bigger Autobot to his peds. "Let's go," Ratchet said with a grin. "My peds are killing me."
"I'll rub them," Ironhide said walking with Ratchet toward their quarters, his servo invariably resting on Ratchet's back. They paused along the way, talking to this and that Autobot. By the time they reached their quarters they were ready to be alone. Entering, they wandered about getting ready for recharge and when they lay down together they'd lost a lot of the tension that battles always bestowed upon them. It was quiet as Ironhide took Ratchet's servo to squeeze it. "You were good."
"Thanks," Ratchet said. "Sorry I couldn't tell them what a sexual volcano you are but I had to observe the proprieties."
Ironhide smiled. "Too bad for them."
"Yep," Ratchet said with a grin.
"We have a mole besides our mole, unless that one is feeding images out of here, too," Ironhide said.
"Prime feels its the mercs. They've been doing this for a while. He and Red have caught them sending to Weaver and Nast," Ratchet said.
"Oh," Ironhide said. "I can imagine the younglings are going to be wanting to know who it is. They were laid out in public like sacrifices."
"They were, sacrificed, that is. The Weavers and Nasts of this world don't care who they harm as long as they get what they want."
"Then we make sure they don't get it," Ironhide said, his voice filled with steely resolve.
Ratchet turned over to snuggle against him. "I agree."
"How's the sparkling?" Ironhide asked.
"Spritely," Ratchet said. "The blast startled him."
"Is that bad?" Ironhide asked with alarm in his voice.
"No," Ratchet said. "He's just noticing the world outside of my spark chamber."
Ironhide raised up as Ratchet rolled over onto his back. Ratchet looked up at Ironhide in the dark with night vision. "Show me," he said softly.
Ratchet released the catch and the door slid back, the metal folding back to reveal the spark and sparkling inside.
Ironhide with awe reached in and touched both, the sensation of being one mind with Ratchet filling him for a moment. The sparkling's energy tingled against his fingers, a sense of delight suffusing Ironhide from the small life. He looked at it with wonder, then touched the catch, the doors closing to a seamless seal. He looked at Ratchet then leaned down to kiss him softly. "Thank you."
Ratchet savored the soft kiss. "You're welcome."
Then Ironhide shifted to pull Ratchet into his arms, holding him as he considered the sparkling that would be his in only four decaorns. He could hardly wait, he thought, as he slowly drifted into recharge.
-0-Senior Autobot Daily Staff Meeting, the next morning
They gathered and debriefed, going over the evidence that pointed to Decepticon involvement. Red Alert attended to lay out the paper trail he'd gathered from three days before the bomb went off until just before the meeting. Nast was a part of the incident, emails between him and High Flyer proof.
"He wants something that High Flyer can arrange," Red Alert said. "He wants Arcee and he wants Springer. He thinks that High Flyer has contacts with the Decepticons. He has no idea who he's dealing with, the fragger."
"Amazing," Prowl remarked as the door opened and Jazz came in, his expression grim.
"Check this out," Jazz said, turning on the monitor in the corner. A press conference was going on and Weaver was decrying the presence of Autobots on the Earth, using the bombing as evidence of the folly of allowing it.
"This is the usual thing he does," Prime said, glancing at Jazz. "I expected it."
"Hold on," Jazz said. "Wait until you see who's with him."
The camera lingered on Weaver for a moment then he paused his spiel a moment to look to the right of himself. Theodore Galloway was standing there with a grim expression on his face. "I'd like to introduce National Security Administration member Theodore Galloway. He has an announcement that he'd like to make. Theodore," Weaver said moving aside as they shook hands.
Galloway moved to the microphone. Cameras went off like crazy, then died down. Galloway spoke. "This morning, I tendered my resignation to the President saying I could no longer support the policy of accommodation with the Autobots after the incident at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. I don't believe its sound, safe or effective.
"As of today, I'm no longer a member of the administration. I do intend to announce my candidacy for the Senate, seeking a seat from the state of Virginia. I feel so strongly about this that I'm preparing to fight the continued alliance of our country and the Autobots in the Senate. I believe it's time to revisit the treaties and other accommodations we've made with them."
At this point, the media began to ask questions and his answers were a rehash of his usual 'objections' so Jazz muted the screen.
They looked at Prime who was leaning on his elbow, his helm resting on his servo. He looked at the screen for a bit, then looked at his team. "You know, I really do not like that man," he said as the room erupted in laughter.
Jazz smiled. "What do you want us to do, Optimus?" he asked.
"Trace his money. It will be interesting to find out who will finance his campaign. Keep the tracers on his communications and start building a map of his life, his associates, the works. Just like Nast and Daniels. It all leads back to Starscream," Prime said grim faced and angry.
"And the best part, Prime, is that neither of them know that," Ratchet said.
"When Starscream seeks what he wants, they'll know," Jazz said grimly.
"And we better be waiting," Prime replied quietly.
-0-Med Bay, later
Bluestreak walked in looking this way and that to spy Ratchet in his office. Walking to the door, he rapped on the doorjamb.
Ratchet startled, then looked up. "Blue. What ya want?"
"I wanted to talk to you about things, personal things, Ratchet," Blue said hovering in the doorway.
Ratchet divining Blue's reasons grinned. "Come in and close the door."
Bluestreak did.
-0-The twins
They rolled to the firing range, taking their time passing the merc's barracks. Those slaggers weren't out so they hung around to scan the barracks and the area around it as they wasted time waiting for them to show themselves. They didn't.
"Fraggers can't be counted on to show their faces," Sunstreaker said as he rolled back past the barracks. "Fraggers!" he shouted. His optics never left the building as they passed by.
Sideswipe who was glaring as well continued toward the hangar with his brother as he seethed over the invasion of their privacy by Weaver and the treachery of the mercs. He didn't know which he hated worse.
The mercs standing inside watching through a window relaxed slightly as they left. The two nightmares of their existence had passed by and it was clear that they were looking for them.
Todd turned to Lawrence and punched him hard.
Lawrence glared at Todd. "What was that for?"
"For aggravating them. They're homicidal as it is and you're aggravating them. They're going to kill someone and I don't want it to be me."
"Those fuckers are under orders to leave us alone," Lawrence said as he looked out once more. "Their boss told them to."
"Have you obeyed every order you ever got?" Todd replied as he reached for a beer in the cooler.
"Doesn't matter," Lawrence said. "I'll get what I want, then no one can tell me what to do ever again."
Todd stared at him a moment, remembering the big black Autobot who came for them. There wasn't anything that they did that could save them from his ire. Now they were taunting the two most dangerous Autobots in the garrison. He considered for the first time asking to be relieved and sent elsewhere.
-0-Med Bay
"How do you know?"
Ratchet considered Blue's question. "I guess you think about it and if it fits you, you do it."
"But Ironhide ..."
"He'd never be a carrier. I've always known that."
"Your prank war..."
"It was half for the fun of it, half to make sure that Ironhide was good with sparking and getting him to commit to a sparkling. I knew it would be me. Ironhide is a wonder of the universe, a mech's mech. I don't mind being the one."
"But Sunny and Sideswipe ... they automatically assume it'll be me."
Ratchet nodded. "Then you need to work that part out before you bond. That's what a pre-bond is for, Bluestreak. To work out the stuff that matters because once you do it you can't undo it."
"I know," Bluestreak said as he considered his options. "I think it might be a good idea for you to tell me how to prevent sparking. Until we figure this out or I get used to the idea of maybe being a carrier, I don't want to spark."
"The twins … how do they feel about sparklings?" Ratchet asked as he began to gather the hardware and software to prevent sparking in a carrier.
"They haven't said." Bluestreak's expression hardened. "I think it's time I found out."
Ratchet smiled. "Good," he said simply.
-0-Outside the Rec Room
Bluestreak stood in the sun absorbing rays as he absorbed a new software program that operated the small shunt fitted into his critical energy port that disallowed excess energy to surge and form a sparking. It was innocuous but secured in place and would prevent Bluestreak from becoming a carrier unless it was removed by a medic like Ratchet.
The twins rolling up brightened at the sight of Bluestreak, then leaned in for a kiss and hug. They got it but they also noticed agitation. "What's up, Blue?" Sideswipe asked.
Blue looked up at them, the two both twenty-five feet of warrior, fearless and fearsome. He at a 'mere' twenty feet found himself dwarfed around the two of them, once again having to marshal his focus as his basic good nature often led him to table what he wanted to do or say in favor of getting along. "I want to talk to both of you about something."
"Sure," Sunstreaker said glancing at Sideswipe.
They followed Bluestreak toward the beach. They stepped over the fence, walking to the place they always sat and when they did Bluestreak turned to them, swallowing his urge to run. "I want to know why you think I should be the carrier if we spark."
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker glanced at each other as communications flew over their link.
Bluestreak watched them knowing that was happening and frowned. "Well?"
"Because I can't," Sideswipe said with a shrug. "Can you, Sunny?"
"No," Sunstreaker said with a frown. "I can't. I never thought I ever could and I can't. Why, Blue?"
"The other night you just assumed I would do it. I would be the carrier."
"Well, we can't. We're front liners, Bluestreak. We have to fight and we don't take a back seat when we have to go to battle. How can we do that when one of us is sparked?"
"What about me? I'm a warrior, too," Bluestreak replied.
"We never said you weren't," Sideswipe said raising a servo almost in self defense. "I just think if you want a sparkling you can't count on us being the carrier."
Blue stared at both then asked the big question: "'If *I* want a sparkling'? What about you? Do we have sparklings or not?"
It was silent a moment.
"I think so," Sideswipe said glancing at his brother.
Sunny shrugged. "I never gave it any thought because I never felt we'd ever have a chance to be genitors. I don't know what I think."
Bluestreak rose from the rock he was sitting on then walked to the shore for a moment before coming back. "Well, you better figure out what you want because in about four decaorns we're getting bonded. I don't want to do that if you don't have an answer for me."
"What answer do you want, Blue?" Sunstreaker asked.
"An honest one, Sunny," Bluestreak said as he began to walk away.
They sat on their rocks watching him go silently.