Chapter 107
-0-January 3rd
The plane set down, the ramp doors lowering as vehicles and people vacated, walking and rolling down from the big vehicle. They were returning from vacation out in the world. The sun was warm, temps in the eighties and the rain showers that were part and parcel of this time of year had returned. Nearly ninety degrees everyday, the low temp at night only a couple of degrees less coupled with high humidity and soft breezes made things sticky for humans.
Autobots were less affected.
Lennox traveling from California, a 14 hour time difference from Diego was shot. They'd ridden together, Lennox and Epps changing military transport, sometimes on standby until they reached RAF Mildenhall where they'd rendezvoused with Graham. At that point, they had flown together the rest of the journey to the tiny atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Walking out, their eyelids weighing several tons apiece, they bumped into Sideswipe, himself out sunning in the warm and humid. He transformed and drove to them opening his doors. Smiling, they climbed inside and settled back, their gear stored in his trunk.
He closed his doors, clicked on his belts and took them on a terror ride around the base at speeds in excess of common sense. Roaring around the merc barracks about three times, he drove to their own and parked, opening the doors wide at last.
They sat a moment gathering their wits then climbed out to retrieve their gear. Lennox grinning in spite of himself patted the red Lamborghini. "Thanks, Sides. That was fun."
A fat chuckle greeted him then the Lambo laid a patch as he revved up, tearing out toward the beach.
Epps rubbing his stomach shook his head. "I could have used that in high school. I could have used it to be cool draggin' around in a frickin' Lamborghini, but not today."
Graham grinned. "I could use some Alka Seltzer."
"You and me both," Epps said picking up his gear.
Lennox following laughed with amusement at the pair. "You two have just announced that you're old."
They entered their barracks and the door slammed behind them as the base went about its business once more.
-0-In Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
They got a new message from the shuttle and Springer read it with deep interest. There were five Autobot soldiers with the twenty-seven civilians. They were now within reach of the garrison so Springer put out a call to Prime. As he waited he wondered who it was and what new skills would be brought by the traumatized civilians in their care. It would be good. They would be safe here, no longer wandering lost and it would be one more piece of the shattered glass that was Cybertron recovered and put back into place.
-0-In Ops Center, Diego Garcia, Earth Garrison
Prowl got the message and read it as excitement and expectation brewed inside himself as well. :Prowl to Prime:
:Prime here:
:I'm sending you a message from Springer: Prowl said.
A momentary pause to send and it was received.
:I have it. Will be there in a nanoklik: Prime rose and handed T-Bar to Bumblebee who with Judy Witwicky had the watch with the younglings that day. He kissed his kids and the little femme who'd taken a shining to him and walked out, moving swiftly to the Ops Center. Walking to Teletraan II, he stood beside Prowl and opened a channel to Springer. "Prime to Springer."
:Springer here:
"I got your message. I am going to scramble the Aerialbots to go find them. They sound like they could use medical and fuel support as well. Make sure that First Aid goes and we will cover medical from here with Ratchet, Wheeljack and Cosmos."
"Affirmative," Springer said.
"Tell Kup he has command. I want you to lead the expedition. You are going to be leaving the solar well and going out into free space. There could be Decepticons out there and I want someone who can fight them off in charge."
:Affirmative:
"I will get a crew together and send them out with the Aerialbots. Expect to be picked up in a joor. Keep in constant touch," Prime said. "Prime out."
:Affirmative. Springer out:
Prowl turned to Prime and looked up. "Who do you suppose the Autobots are?"
"I do not know," Prime said. "But I do know that our people are coming and we have to help them get here."
Prowl agreed. "I'll let Ratchet know." He walked to the comm station as Prime considered the new need to meet. Sitting down to get the ball rolling, pressing buttons to alert those in play, he gathered together his architectural and construction mechs and set them a new task. Build more shelters for the new mechs and femmes coming in. They would go out with the Aerialbots, the two that were in Diego and join the rest on Mars to work through the day and night to make new quarters ready.
-0-Far away
They received a message, a faint one, and felt a joy suffuse them that was hard to describe. They discussed it, pressing the vessel forward into the darkness, heading toward light and protection as well as assistance and freedom among their own kind.
-0-Sideswipe and Sunstreaker
They mustered their gear as Bluestreak helped them then hustled to Sky Dive pausing before the ramp. Kissing Bluestreak, taking their gear, they loaded up with Hoist and Grapple as the door closed behind them. The big jet bearing a Cybertronian shuttle mode gathered its power to leave. It began to move forward. Joined by Air Raid, Silverbolt, Fireflight and Slingshot, they taxied down the strip then flew off together one after the other.
-0-New soldiers
They'd come the day before, some of them from signatory nations and a few from the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. Walking to the obstacle course, they watched as Bluestreak, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hurried to an Aerialbot. They watched as after kissing one Autobot, two others climbed aboard to fly off into the sunshine with four others.
Graham walking among them as he checked his iPhone for messages noticed their astonishment and smiled. It was going to be one of those days.
-0-At the N.E.S.T. Administration Center, "The Cheerful Femmes of the United States Armed Forces™" greeted their leadership upon their return ...
"And we danced and sang 'Auld Lange Syne' and it was so much fun."
"They had a HUGE bonfire and it was filled with chemicals that made it light up as it burned, sort of like a Christmas tree."
"The fireworks were AWESOME! You should have been there, Major."
"The younglings are SO cute. We got to hold them and play with them. You should've been there for Christmas. It was so much fun. Silverbow just LOVES her bear and she carries it now and lets her fathers have the cup. It's progress don't you see? We even get to take care of them an hour a week while their dads work. And Sunny and Sideswipe told us if we ever needed anything, ANYTHING, they would be there in a moment. Isn't that just GREAT, Sergeant?"
"Did you know that Wheeljack and Perceptor have a thing? They're just sooo cute. Both of them are such gentlemen and they're just so sweet to each other its like watching your granny and grandpa taking care of each other. I tell you, Major, I get tears in my eyes just watching them."
"You really missed a lot of fun. How about making get togethers a recurring thing? Maybe a beach party and barbecue on the ends of months. It really raised my morale. What do you think?"
"That's a great idea, Terri! I'll talk to Bluestreak. I think Bluestreak is the best one to talk to. He's so cute and young and he's Prowl's son. He can clear it with the Autobot leadership. I think that the Prime would like get togethers that build morale."
"I think that would be awesome. We can party on the beach. Did you know that they actually built up a part of their beach just for us, Major? They did it so we can be in the mix but not squished. I love the Autobots."
"I do, too. I think we need to plan for Valentine's Day. Maybe Perceptor and Wheeljack will have an announcement. Wouldn't that be awesome? Did you know that they can make treats out of energon? Maybe I can make a heart shaped mold and they can make treats for the party."
"I want in."
"Me, too!"
They gaggled together, then left for lunch leaving Will Lennox, Niall Graham and Robert Epps standing in the middle of the room with all their words and responses still in their mouths as they stood flat footed. They were overrun, unable to get one word in sideways against the femme/mech tsunami that greeted them as they came inside.
"Welcome back, Major." Epps grinned.
"Welcome back, Sergeant." Lennox said with a grin.
"What he said," Niall Graham said with a chuckle.
-0-Far away
They were tracking a bogey, a shape that was paralleling them as they journeyed onward. Their leader, his optical ridges forming a frown composed a message.
"Incoming," was all it said.
-0-Four joors later at the Oort Field
They received the message and stepped up, flying at the top of their range, a feat made possible by their recuperation and recovery at Diego and Autobot City. They'd been repaired and refueled, rested and recharged, some of them for the first time in eons. Flying the short jolts between Mars and Earth allowed them to be up to this moment and as they streaked away from the solar well of their new home system they had only one goal in mind.
Save the shuttle at all costs.
-0-At the obstacle course with the New Guys™
They worked, trained and ran around. It was hard work in the sunlight but they did it, then took a rest for a short time in the humidity and heat of the day. Gathered around Graham they began to ask The Questions.
"Who were the Autobots that we saw getting on the plane?"
"That was the Lamborghini twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. The Autobot that didn't go was Bluestreak."
"What was that, uh, kissing about?" another asked. "I watched when their ambassador was questioned but he wouldn't talk about that sort of stuff. Said it was taboo. What's the deal?"
"The deal is," Graham explained calmly, "we're on their turf, too. They live here, have an embassy and they're who they're supposed to be here. Their relationships are what they're supposed to be for them. The hardest part of this that you might have to figure out is that they're NOT us. They aren't metallic humans. They have similarities but they're totally different.
"They're their own mechs and its going to surprise you how many things they have in common with us as well as different. Don't apply your own ideas of what's right and acceptable to them. The rules for us aren't rules for them and vice versa. They didn't come from here, they aren't us and those things don't apply. As alien as they may seem to you, that's how alien we seem to them.
"But get this straight. They always, ALWAYS are professional and courteous to us. They never fail to be. And I wish I could say that the reverse was true."
It was silent a moment.
"How do you stand being around all these sweet rides and not want to jump into one and tear off?"
Graham smiled remembering the morning. "It isn't easy," he said.
As they sat around in the shade resting, the Autobot training specialist came into view, walking toward them with his usual savoie affaire. They stared at him in awe, twenty-five feet of hulking menace, armed to the teeth, yet possessing a face like a satanic Kewpie doll. There was no way that anything they'd seen before in picture and television that could prepare them to see him in the flesh or metal so to speak.
He walked toward them like a metallic Tyrannosaurus Rex, the most physically intimidating and obvious warrior on base.
Graham stood with a grin and waved. He walked forward, stepping into Ironhide's servo to rise up to where the behemoth could see him eyeball to optic. They talked a moment then Ironhide put him down. The two waled back to the soldiers who stood respectfully and silently.
Graham reveling in their unease and open-faced awe did the honors. "This is Commander Ironhide of Praxus, personal bodyguard to the Prime of Cybertron, the Autobot Army's weapons specialist and the most kick ass Autobot in the known universe."
Ironhide glancing down with a grin shook his head in agreement. "Boo-yah," was all he said.
No one else could speak for a moment, the charisma of the moment was so overwhelming, then they did what everyone did when they had access to the big mech. They asked question after question after question after question after question ...
-0-Far away
They were closing on their target, pushing themselves to the limit, shrinking the gap between the shuttle and themselves. Going at this rate they would take two full Earth days to be within strike range. They prayed to Primus, all of them, that the shuttle would be alright and the suffering Cybertronians inside would survive whatever might be following them.