Chapter 81
-0-Autobot HQ, Earth
Prowl walked back to Ops Center when he heard the voices of Graham and Lennox calling to him. Comming Prime for guidance and getting it, he waited. They walked inside and stopped before him looking up at his impassive face, his bright red Chevron slightly less so for some reason. "Captain Lennox and Lieutenant Graham."
"Prowl," Lennox began, glancing back as the jets and Cosmos lifted off, "What's up?"
"Up?" Prowl asked,
half feigning confusion.
"Where's everyone going?" Lennox asked as he clarified his comments to a sometimes very literal being.
"They're on an exercise," Prowl responded.
"What kind? I'm asking because we might be able to combine our teams if its possible. It might benefit both of us, perhaps," Graham asked, noting a certain unease in the posture of the normally preternaturally calm figure of the S.I.C.
"We're doing drills around the solar system," Prowl lied. He considered it wasn't necessarily a lie. They were going out to enhance existing sensors and place more on the planets and asteroids of the solar system. "We want to enhance the sensors of the early warning system and place more as well as run sweeps from Mercury to the Oort Field."
Lennox grinned. "I know you're doing that but I'll tell you, Prowl, it never gets old to hear you say it."
Prowl smiled a slight smile. But he added nothing more.
"Will Optimus be back today or is this a multi-day experience?" Lennox asked, studying the expression on Prowl's face. Practice made Prowl more accessible to him. He'd some with the taciturn Autobot and found chinks in the normally unreadable figure's facial composition.
"Optimus will be gone for two solar days," Prowl said. "I'm sorry that we didn't list this on the duty schedule. It rather came about in discussion but if he's needed he will come back. If you send your inquiries to the Ops Center, we'll dispatch an Aerialbot or Cosmos to bring him back."
"That'll be fine. We don't at the moment have anything today but the weekly N.E.S.T.-Autobot Staff Meeting is tomorrow morning."
Prowl thought a moment, then shook his head as his optics shuttered slightly. "I'm sorry," he said. "I forgot. I believe that unless you have a vital need that we postpone that meeting until Wednesday morning." He considered his schedule. "I see nothing preventing it being held then."
"Of course," Lennox said, his eyes widening at the slip on Prowl's part. Prowl forgot things like he, Lennox could fly. It wasn't possible and he could see with a flick of his eyes that Graham was caught surprised as well. "That'll be fine. I guess we better go."
Prowl nodded, hesitated slightly, then stepped back and away to head toward Ops Center. He disappeared around the corner.
The two soldiers watched silently then looked at each other with surprise. Then they began to walk back to their own office in the N.E.S.T. Barracks across the way.
-0-Autobot City airfield and Space Port, Mars
Springer watched them unload, directing the new arrivals from Earth to tasks and toward newly made temporary roads to The Fortress beyond. As Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walked toward him, he pulled them aside and began to tell them what he wanted them to do.
-0-Prime
He walked out of Ops Center then looked downward. Standing before him, three little mechs were looking up at Prime with unblinking optics. Rambler who held a servo of each of his two brothers looked at Prime quietly.
Prime smiled, noting the battered paint schemes of all three younglings. "You have washed."
Rambler nodded. "Yes," he said quietly. "They let us wash and we came here now."
Prime glanced around for a supervising adult. There wasn't one. "You need to recharge. Let me show you where you can." He stepped out, then waited for them to follow. Rambler tried, tugging his younger brothers to come along. They tried to follow but Spirit stumbled from weariness. Prime scooped him up, the little mech's arms going around him again.
He looked at T-Bar who was standing beside his brother, his helm bent and resting on his little servos. Prime bent down and scooped him up as well. The little mech cuddled against Prime's chest, his servo resting on the Matrix chamber. "Can you walk, Rambler?"
"I think so," he said, leaning against Prime in utter fatigue.
Prime shifted T-Bar, then bent down to scoop up Rambler who lay his helm on Prime's shoulder. Prime walked toward Med Bay as the little younglings fell into a light recharge by the time he arrived. It was quieter, the worst was over and when Ratchet saw Prime, he dropped a tool he was holding to walk over to take Rambler into his arms. He hugged the youngling, then walked into the back room.
Prime followed.
They put the youngsters down on a pile of blankets stacked in the back. Covering them with another one, they turned to go.
"Sir?"
They turned back to look at Rambler who'd pulled his little brothers to his chassis. The younger mechs were undisturbed in their recharge.
"Rambler?" Prime replied softly.
"What happens to us now?" he asked painfully. His expression was deeply fearful.
Prime thought a moment, then he walked over to sit down and lean against the wall. "I will stay here until you fall into recharge. Then you will recharge completely safely because Ratchet," he said, pointing to the big mech in the doorway, "Ratchet will look after you."
"And when we wake up again, will you still be here?" he asked as a tear slipped from his optics.
"I will," Prime said softly as he wiped Rambler's tear away. "Recharge now. You are in the middle of the Autobot Army."
"No one can hurt us there, right?" Rambler asked as lay back wearily. His optics never left Prime. "You're our Prime."
"I am," Optimus said quietly. He pulled blankets up and tucked them around the younglings then glanced at Ratchet who was leaning on the doorjamb watching them. Prime shook his head as an expression of utter despair crossed his face for a second.
Ratchet walked up then squatted down. "I can watch them when they're in recharge."
"You need to rest, too. Three decaorns and you will be a patient in your own Med Bay," Prime said quietly.
"I know. But I'll stay here. When they're in recharge, let me know and you can go and do what you have to do."
Prime nodded as his fingers stroked Rambler's helm. "How is Copper?"
"He's off the critical list," Ratchet said. "He'll make it but it'll be a long recovery."
Prime nodded, smiling at last. "But he will make it."
Ratchet smiled back. "He will."
-0-In a room off the Med Bay
They carried in heavy boxes and went back for more equipment, setting it up on the tables that were there. Throwing tarp-like mats on the floor, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe nodded to Springer who had helped them set up. Turning with a grin on his handsome face, he left them to fetch something and someone. As they waited, the twins pulled bottles and tubes out of the boxes.
When Springer returned, he had five youngling mechs and the sole orphaned femme in tow. He had them sit on the chairs by the door. Taking the femme's hand, he walked with her to Sunstreaker who looked down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Springer knelt next to the little femme, placing his arm around her. "Silverbow, this is Sunstreaker. He's going to help you."
She looked up at him, then moved back into Springer's arm fearfully. Springer looked up with a frown. "Retract your blades, Sunstreaker."
Sunstreaker jolted. He looked at Sideswipe then both retracted their blades. Sunny pulled up a chair and sat, bringing himself closer to the tiny femme. Reaching out, he held out his servo, his expression softening into something not often present on his helm, gentle kindness and empathy.
She reached out hesitantly, glancing at Springer.
Springer nodded as she walked closer, looking up at Sunstreaker with frightened optics.
Sunstreaker swallowed hard then lifted her into his lap to run his fingers over the scrapes and scratches on her thin little arm. "This won't take much to fix," he said squeezing her shoulders gently. He set her back on her peds once more. "Stand right here and let me see what we can do about this. When I get done you're going to be the prettiest little femme on the whole slaggin' world."
With that, he picked up a sander, set it at the softest grit possible and began the delicate task of replacing the little femme's green and pink paint scheme.
Springer watched then nodded to Sideswipe. He reached out to bring a solemn faced little mech to him to repair and repaint.
Sideswipe smiled at the child and began.
-0-Five joors later
Prime walked out of the temporary barracks for bachelor adult mechs and slowed to look down. Standing in front of him were three little mechs. He smiled and knelt. "I thought you were in Med Bay."
"We were. But then a big yellow mech came and got us. He did this for us, he and a red one." Rambler turned slowly, self-consciously happy with the glowing red and white paint scheme that now covered him.
His brothers were looking at Prime with shy smiles, Spirit's servo rubbing the paint job on his chassis with his digits as if in awe that it was so pretty and all his.
All three mechs were white and red. All of them positively glowed they were so shiny. Then Rambler dropped T-Bar's servo, raising his shoulder as he turn slightly so Prime could see. On his shoulder and on the shoulder of the two other mechs was the cat-like face of the Autobot insignia. It was tiny, just their size, reddish and glowing. "See what he did for us? Sunstreaker made us Autobots, too."
Prime smiled then gathered them into an embrace. "He did," he said softly. "He sure did."
-0-N.E.S.T. Barracks, Officer's Office complex
Graham and Lennox filled Epps in as all of them sat together waiting for dinner and an evening of cards with civilians and sailors who were part of their 'mixed' crew. It was hot, the schedule had been fulfilled so they kicked back in the air conditioned office.
"I've never seen Prowl like that," Lennox said. "He looked sick and upset."
"How can you tell?" Epps asked.
"You can if you look enough times. He was uncertain and oddly tense. He actually couldn't contain it," Graham said.
Lennox nodded. It was silent a moment, then Lennox shook his head. "I have a few questions for the meeting Wednesday."
"I do, too," Graham replied quietly.
-0-On the way to Ops Center
Prime slowed, noting a line of mechs and three femmes bearing sparklings sitting and standing outside of a room near the command center. He walked to the door, nodding and smiling at the individuals waiting who looked at him with something akin to worshipful awe. He walked inside, watching as Sideswipe painstakingly detailed a mech that was covered in patches and welds, new armor and plating added to places that hadn't seen the proper attention in a long, long time, if ever.
Sunstreaker was working on an older mech, one who was appreciative and whose optics never left Sunny's servos, watching every movement and application as if savoring it.
The twins glanced up smiling at him with a shake of their heads. "Springer."
Prime grinned with pleasure and gratitude. "Good." He walked closer to look at the older mech's paint job. "This looks good."
"It's the first time in vorns and vorns that anything was done to my paint scheme, sir. I'm so grateful. It feels so good to be clean. It feels good to have my dignity back," he said, swallowing hard as his optics watered.
Optimus took his servo and squeezed it. "It is our great honor."
The older mech looked at him with emotion. "Thank you."
Prime nodded. "You do not need to thank us. You are with the Autobots now and you are home."
The older mech swallowed his emotion. "It's been a long hard journey."
"When you are able, I want to hear it. Are there others out there?" Prime asked.
The mech nodded. "More than you can imagine," he said with a whisper.
Prime squeezed the older mech's servo. "Let the mechs here take care of you."
The old mech smiled, then glanced at Sunstreaker. "I'd like an Autobot designation on my arm, too. If you wouldn't mind," he asked falling back into uncertainty.
Sunstreaker looked up at him, staring at the little elder for a moment before smiling slightly. "Slaggin' right."
Prime grinned, too.