Chapter 132
-0-Night the day before
They sat together on the floor around a big coffee table playing cards and bullshitting. It was the night before battle and everything was in place. The intel collection was arranged. Anyone who would shoot had their assignments and placements. No one had faltered as they'd run the drills in the cabin. Lennox who was now a budding if somewhat inept skier was falling in front of the rental house Shockwave was now ensconced in with regularity.
The day before, a couple of large trucks and trailers had driven to the house to drop off a number of items. One notable one was a large wooden crate without markings. The other was a large truck, a big heavy duty Ram Charger. Several other cars had arrived and when the delivery trucks left and the night was falling, the truck and cars transformed. They moved into the house taking up the garage with the doors closed tightly.
Ironhide reported the situation with embellishment by the various bots and soldiers who had been gathering intel that day and felt the signal for go was going to be given. Nast would be flying to Aspen in Springer. The triple changer had come to Earth and studied the schemata for a small private jet. He'd assumed it and flown about the Indian Ocean learning its kinks.
Optimus would arrive on Silverbolt off loading at the Denver Airport and from there drive down to Aspen with Colonel Fulton as a passenger. The Colonel who was incensed with Nast had asked to be a part of the mission and was welcomed.
Silverbolt had already landed in Denver when Ironhide reported and Springer would take off in the very late evening to arrive in Aspen on time. He would wait at the airport to take Nast back barring catastrophe. He would also provide firepower if things went south.
It was all covered.
-0-Diego Garcia
Inside Man walked around the base working off a good dinner. He'd been working long stretches and the kinks were taking their toll. Outside in the warm air, the waning sun overhead, he watched as some of the Aerialbots and a new jet taxied toward the hangars for pick up. Some of the Autobots were going somewhere. He moved to a parked jeep to lean against it, waiting to see who was going.
The Embassy was quiet, the light inside illuminating groups of Autobots sitting here and there, some playing games, some energizing, most of them chatting. It was comfortable and he felt it again, the need to go inside and hang out. But it wasn't possible so he stood where he was and waited, leaning against the jeep as he watched the stars come out overhead. As he lounged, movement drew his eye. He saw several individuals walk out and head toward the jets.
One of them was a human, someone with a big hat on his head. He couldn't be determined as Inside Man wondered who he might be. Obviously, he didn't want to be seen. The human soldier with him was a special ops medic he'd seen around. They entered the green and yellow jet which turned around to move away, jumping into the air without a runway. It disappeared swiftly and was gone from view in seconds. He marveled at that once again as he saw others leaving as well.
Optimus Prime walked out followed by Prowl. He paused as they talked together. Then they kissed, a sight he'd become accustomed to among the bots, those in pair bonds and those in relationships of other kinds. There was even a rumor that a trine was here as well. Prime walked to the big Aerialbot that he recognized as Silverbolt. He wondered again about sentient aircraft and what it would be like to have a jet at your disposal twenty four/seven. It must be nice to be Prime, he thought.
A jeep careened around the corner and pulled up at Silverbolt as Colonel Fulton got out to join Prime on board. The hold hatch closed and the big jet rolled a short ways, then moved upward into the air effortlessly. In seconds it, too, was gone. He watched as Prowl watched, then Prowl turned to go back. He watched the big mech which to him was a beautiful exotic sight.
Prowl slowed to a stop a moment, then turned to look his way. For a moment, the big police bot stared then he walked back inside, his wings flicking with an incomprehensible motion.
He watched the tall bot, aware that he was smart, damned near invincible as a strategist and Prime's bond. He decided that he was glad he wasn't on that bot's shit list.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that he already was.
-0-Autobot City, Mars
He sat on the steps watching the sun set as behind him the bustle of a city with military and civilians bled out into the night. It was enough to remind him of memories of life back home when they had one. Cybertron was gone and he was here. This wasn't a bad place. Laughter drifted out and he knew who was making it. Mini-cons having a night of it.
He sat on the steps looking at the faintly flickering light of Earth and wished he was there. He wished he was with Bluestreak and his brother. But it wasn't to be. He was doing Sunny's rotation and he had to stick it out. A footfall behind him dragged him from his morose reverie and he looked up to see the merry optics of Kup greeting him.
He sat and handed Sideswipe a bottle. "Drink it, youngling. You'll feel better."
"I won't, but thanks, Kup," he said taking a big swig. "This tastes awful."
"It does," he said chuckling for a moment. "Wheeljack makes better. He makes some of the best high grade around."
"He does. Either that or I'm just used to it." Sideswipe said. He grinned. "What are you so happy about?"
"Oh, just the idea of this place. Gives me a good feeling knowing that sparklings will be born here. Your sparkling."
Sideswipe's optics narrowed. "My sparkling?"
"Sunny. He's sparked. You do know that don't you?" Kup asked.
"I do but no one else was supposed to," Sideswipe said frowning deeply. "Sunstreaker didn't want it out."
"Well, it is," Kup said. "Everyone knows."
"Oh great," Sideswipe said as a ferocious anger and an emotional outburst flowed over his bond link. Sunny and Bluestreak also knew now. He took the bottle and drank deeply wishing he were home once again.
-0-Med Bay
Ratchet finished toweling off his sparkling, patting him as they played boo with the towel, the intergalactic game all infants know from birth. He grinned, picking up the little baby to look at him with a suffusion of love. "Your old father wishes he was here. I can guarantee it."
Just then the door opened as Sunstreaker walked in followed by Bluestreak. He was enraged and began to pace back and forth.
Ratchet holding his sparkling with towel walked closer, looking from one to the other. "What's up?"
"Everyone at Autobot City knows," Sunstreaker said. "Someone told them. You told Magnus. Who told everyone else?" He came to a stop in front of Ratchet as fury radiated off his body.
Bluestreak looked at Ratchet with worry. "Who would have told them, Ratchet?"
"I didn't," Ratchet said shifting his sparkling to the other side. "Magnus wouldn't have told anyone."
"Then who?" Sunstreaker asked as he returned to pacing once again.
"Why in the frag do you care, Sunstreaker? You're sparked. You have one of these coming," Ratchet said holding up his son. "Why do you care if other people know about this?"
He stopped pacing to look at Ratchet with an unreadable expression. "I care because I'm a warrior. Because I'm a front-liner. Because I built my reputation one battle at a time."
"And you think being a carrier takes away from that?" Ratchet asked quietly.
"I do," Sunstreaker said.
"Didn't you hear a word Ironhide said to you?" Ratchet asked as he shook his head in dismay.
"I'm a warrior. I'm not a carrier."
"Then you should've been more careful. Your trine tried to help you but you didn't listen and now you have to face the music. I don't understand how you feel the need to fight this. You'll be getting one of these," Ratchet repeated holding the sparkling up.
Orion looked at Yellow Face, his optics narrowing at the intensity of the emotion surrounding him.
Sunstreaker looked at the infant, studying his little face. "I didn't want this, Ratchet. I'm not cut out for it. I can't stand mechs talking about me like I'm a weakling."
"You think this is a weakling thing to do?" Ratchet asked as he passed the sparkling to Bluestreak. "Come in here." Ratchet gestured to his office.
Sunstreaker, hesitating, then walked inside.
Ratchet followed him and closed the door pushing the youngster into a chair. He sat in another one staring at the Lambo whose anger suffused him. "I wish I could tell you what an honor this was for me. Maybe you think its a lesser experience but this moment having that little sparkling, that's the greatest creative act of my life. You should understand creation. You're an artist. This is a creative act, Sunny. You should know better than this."
He looked away. "I can't stand them talking about me like this. I'm used to being talked about. Some of them are jealous. I know I'm beautiful, Ratchet," he said matter-of-factly as he looked at Ratchet with all seriousness. "I know I'm fraggin' good at the things I choose to do. I'm an artist. I can fight better than anyone. I'm more beautiful than almost anyone I've ever seen. That's what I know. I'm what I can do. What I've achieved. I've made myself a place where I fit and no one challenges me. No one."
Ratchet nodded. "You're all those things, Sunstreaker. No one takes that away from you."
"This does. I can hear them laughing. Sunstreaker's sparked. He's a carrier."
"And youare," Ratchet said. "You're sparked. You're a carrier."
His expression turned to poison as he looked at his servos.
"What do you want to hear, Sunny? That you're less because of this? That all you did means nothing because you have the luck to be sparked? If you want me to agree with you, I won't. You've held my son. My baby. Not one of those glitch heads in the garrison on Mars can say the same thing. I can say I have a sparkling and I did all the hard work. Frag 'em. Frag 'em all what they say and what they think. They don't have a sparkling. They don't have a mech or a femme. How sad and sorry they are."
Sunstreaker sat a moment brooding deeply, then he relaxed slightly, hanging his head in his angst. "I can handle being mocked by people who are jealous. I've lived with that all my life. I just hate being mocked for things I can't … I can't control."
"You can't control what other mechs think. You can only worry about the ones that matter, like Bluestreak and Sideswipe. They're so miserable now. Look at him," Ratchet said glancing at Bluestreak on the other side of the door window.
Sunny turned his head to look into the miserable optics of his bond.
Blue nodded, his chin quivering as he swayed side-to-side holding Orion.
"He looks great holding a sparkling. Pretty soon because of you, Sunstreaker, he'll be holding yours and Sideswipe's and his own." He looked at the Lambo. "Don't you find that wonderful?"
For a moment Sunstreaker stared at Bluestreak then all the fire left him. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his helm in his servos.
Ratchet squeezed his arm. "You're the bravest mech in the garrison and the colony, Sunstreaker. I wish you could know that."
Sunstreaker didn't speak but he looked at Ratchet with miserable optics. "I don't feel it, Ratchet."
"You are," Ratchet replied.
"How do you know that?" he asked his optics searching Ratchet's face.
"Because before you sparked, I was the fraggin' bravest mech in the garrison and the colony." Ratchet smiled then squeezed Sunstreaker's arm.
Sunny sat back, grinning faintly. "I don't want to go to Mars."
"You don't have to," Ratchet said. "You get to choose, Sunstreaker. Its your choice, you, Sideswipe and Bluestreak. And its clear to me that they just want you to be happy."
Sunny nodded. "I'm trying."
"I know," Ratchet said.
"I want you to do this … this thing," he said a flash of distaste overcoming him for a moment. "Here. You and me, here."
"I'd be profoundly honored, Sunny," Ratchet said smiling broadly. "You and me."
Sunny nodded then sat up, rubbing his face with his servos. He stared at the floor then rolled his helm, relieving tension in his neck. "Can I hold Orion again?"
"I never thought you'd ask," Ratchet said rising to open the door.
Bluestreak gave Orion to Ratchet and Ratchet gave him to Sunny. The Lambo and the sparkling looked at each other. Then Orion reached out to pat Sunny's chassis with his tiny servos. He chirped as he looked at Sunny, almost as if he could see he needed cheering up.
Sunstreaker grinned the faintest of grins then leaned down to kiss the little infant.
"We get one of these?" he asked glancing at Ratchet for a second.
"You do," Ratchet said as he sat back down at his desk, pleased with the picture before him.
"I can't wait, Sunny," Bluestreak said leaning down to kiss Sunstreaker on the helm. "He'll be beautiful."
Sunny nodded as he stared at Ratchet. "He will," he said quietly. "He will."
Ratchet smiled. "With his parents, how could he not be?" he said.
Sunny looked at him with the faintest of grins. "Yeah. Fraggin' yeah."
-0-Autobot City, Mars
He could feel the tension ease up and the conversation between him and Bluestreak let him know that Sunny was okay. Ratchet was fraggin' awesome, he thought as he leaned against Kup, the two of them over energized at last. Behind them inside the building, laughter and conversation spilled out. As they sat in the cold night, mechs began to come out, some to catch the air and others because they had to sober up away from the hootch inside. Some of them joined Kup and Sideswipe on the steps, chatting together as long time friends and comrades of many battles. Some didn't because they were glitch heads and hadn't learned their lessons earlier.
Gears stumbled out pausing on the steps as he stared at the sky. Stars dotted the firmament and the night was quiet. As he stood there swaying from too much hooch, a Seeker walked past pausing a second to glance at them, then moving onward. Gears, his usual pissy paranoia coming to full flower called out to the Seeker, stumbling down the stairs as he did. "Come here!" he said repeating himself and as he stumbled down he stepped on Sideswipe's servo.
Sideswipe cried out and rose up, all twenty-five feet of inebriated Autobot menace coming to the fore immediately. He looked down at the small figure of Gears with wrathful optics. Anyone more normal, anyone more sober would have backed away. This was no mere aggravated Autobot he'd injured. This was one of a special set, split spark twins, front-liners extraordinaire, someone who enjoyed playing jet judo in the atmosphere with Seekers. Gears looked up as Sideswipe looked down. Then Gears found himself airborne landing in a heap near the gate.
For a moment it was silent, then the Seeker was back, looking at Gears laying on his back struggling to get back on his peds. The Seeker, Starscream looked at Gears like he was noticing at a stain on his ped for the first time. "What did you want, worm?"
Sideswipe watching Starscream smirked at the big mech's unbeatable disdain.
Gears sat up, then looked up, jolting at the sight of Starscream leaning over him. "What the frag?" Gears said staggering to his feet.
"You wanted me, worm. What the frag do you want?"
"Uh, I …" Gears sputtered.
"I thought so," Starscream said. "Complete fool." He began to walk away when Gears got his bearings back.
Gears moved forward, grabbing Starscream by his wings.
Starscream halted, screaming out in pain, then turned around to slap Gears across the courtyard. He landed against the steps bumping his helm against Kup.
Every Autobot on the steps rose up, suddenly serious and focused.
Starscream, fluttering his wings in pain looked at them defiantly.
Sideswipe who was standing with the rest looked at the mood of the crowd and the fact that Starscream was alone. He looked at Kup as Kup looked at him, then both nodded. As one, the two stepped over Gears who was struggling to rise again and walked to Starscream, turning to join him against all the others with one of them on each side.
The two sides stared at each other, then Kup laughed loudly. "Come on, ya fraggers! Come and get some if you got the bearings!"
And they did.