Chapter 155
-0-Autobot City, Mars
He transformed at the gate then walked inside with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They veered off to look for Bluestreak but he was headed for Med Bay. Today was the big day. Today was the day that the Seekers would join the world outside of their hatchling pod.
He nodded to mechs he knew, smiled as little younglings ran past playing some kind of game and as he finally reached Med Bay, walking past shops and work spaces filled with civilians doing needed and necessary things, he almost felt like he was back in Iacon for a moment. Entering, he met with First Aid for another update.
They'd hooked the sensor network of the hatchling pod up to Teletraan III, the supercomputer than ran Autobot City. It sent the information generated to Teletraan II, the supercomputer that was the heart and soul of the Diego Garcia Ops Center. It was then routed to his desk computer in Med Bay. He was as versed in the hatchlings as if he'd been here all along. Caught up, he walked to the nervous group huddled around the incubation pod.
Starscream sat in a chair wringing his hands. Standing behind him, Thundercracker and Sky Warp waited anxiously. Less anxious but more uneasy and wary, Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust sat or stood nearby.
Ratchet knelt down before the pod to check the dials. Then he smiled at Starscream. "You look ready."
"I am," Starscream said. "It is time."
"Yes, it is," Ratchet said rising again. He moved the pod toward a berth that had been laid out for the hatchlings once they were lifted out of the fluid bath that was their home. Ratchet checked his equipment and the ample supply of warmed towels that were waiting. There was a warm bath basin that had circulating water. It would be where they would go once they were lifted out. It would soothe their way into the world. He looked at the nervous group. "Come closer. You should see everything. It's wonderful."
Starscream arose with tense excitement. They brought his chair as all six of them came closer. Starscream sat down and clung to Thundercracker's servo, his eyes never leaving the pod. As he sat he began to sing softly a song for infants that was designed to comfort.
Sky Warp knelt down beside him to listen, his gaze fixed on the infants who were large and active. As Starscream sang they slowed their movements until they were quiet and ready for transfer into the world they would call their home.
Ratchet waited until they were quiet then lowered the lights, punching in the code for the hatch to open. It did and the aroma of energon, a rich nutrient bath that was their home for a decaorn filled the room. It was sweet and soothing, intended to grow them and give them comfort. Then with soft gloves slipped onto his servos to protect the babies, Ratchet reached down into the mixture and found a hatchling. He stroked its wings, gently caressing it, then felt the snap of the umbilical that had anchored him to the device and fed him over the decaorn.
He slipped his servos gently around it to lift it up as energon cascaded away from its tiny form. Holding it up and face down, energon poured out of its mouth, a slight cough expelling the last of it. Ratchet patted its back making sure it was cleared out. Then turning to the bath, he lay it into the swirling warm water. The hatchling became cleaner and cleaner until its markings could be seen. He rubbed it gently with his gloved servos, getting it as shiny as a new penny. It was the one that bore Starscream's colors. It was tiny and looked at Ratchet with red optics, its little arms moving as its tiny servos clenched into fists.
Washing it off, dribbling water over its little face to gauge its reaction, Ratchet lifted it out to place it on a heated towel. He patted and bundled it, checked it over with a scan and a visual, then held it out to Starscream. The expression on the Seeker's face was stunning to Ratchet and he wondered if his own had been similar.
Starscream reached out to gently take it, looking at the little mech before holding it against his cheek. He had stopped singing, then he began again, telling it in their own way that they were welcome and loved.
With a big grin, Ratchet turned back to the process, pulling out a tiny blue and purple mech and one that was blue and white. He wrapped them after their bath and gave them to Thundercracker and Sky Warp. He sat on the edge of the med berth as he watched the happiness that had settled onto the group. A quiet joy seemed to suffuse everyone and it muffled the greater world outside the doorway.
Paused in the doorway nearby watching silently, Ratchet's own trine stood.
Bluestreak stepping away to walk in quietly and kneel down beside Starscream. He smiled as he looked at the infant, reaching out to hold the Seeker's little servo. "He's so pretty, Starscream." Looking at the others he smiled again. "They all are."
"Seeker infants are especially pretty," Starscream said proudly. "They're among the most beautiful infants in the universe."
"I can see that," Bluestreak said wholeheartedly. "May I show them to my trine mates?"
They looked at the big mechs in the doorway, two of the biggest enemies they'd ever incurred and the coneheads were clear in their reaction what they would say. However, Starscream, ever the iconoclast nodded then carefully lay his infant into Bluestreak's arms.
Bluestreak rose gently, then smiled at the twins. "Come and see this baby," Blue said kissing the Seeker on its tiny forehead.
The two glanced at Ratchet who nodded. Entering, they gathered around Blue to look at the tiny bundle in his arms. Blue who smiled at Sunstreaker offered the infant and with a momentary hesitation Sunny took him, cradling him gently.
"He's so small," he said grinning at the baby. "Hard to imagine you were ever this small, Starscream."
"Hard to imagine a lot of things," Starscream said distractedly. "Who could have imagined this moment? Ever?"
"No one," Sideswipe said. "Maybe it's about time."
"Maybe," Starscream said in quiet agreement. "Maybe it is."
For too short a time they quietly enjoyed the sacredness of the moment, then they handed the infant back to Starscream. Stepping to one side, the three of them watched as Ratchet checked each baby, told them how to care for them, attached feeding tubes to all six of them as per the instructions of Starscream, then assisted the trines in gathering up the infants to go home to the barracks beyond. They walked out slowly, Starscream in the middle, then headed down the corridor to their home.
Ratchet stood in the doorway watching them go, then grinned at the trine still there. "I think I'll follow them. You never know. There might be a mini-con lurking and if they were stupid enough to do anything now I don't think with two Seeker trines protecting their hatchlings that there would be two molecules left if they did."
The twins grinned, following Ratchet as he walked ahead of them. The Seekers made it to the barracks and went inside with Ratchet following. While Ratchet was inside, the three walked to the bench and sat with Bluestreak between them.
The gunner placed his servo on Sunstreaker's chest. "How do you feel, Sunny?"
Sunstreaker shrugged. "Same as ever."
Bluestreak nodded. "Only two and a half decaorns. I can't wait."
Sideswipe nodded as both of them watched Sunstreaker anxiously. "Neither can I. I see Orion and now these babies … the younglings back home … I can't wait to see our little sparkling. I can't wait to see how cute his little wings will be."
"It will be fraggin' cute. Those wings? There will never be wings like that ever, anywhere," Sunstreaker said.
Bluestreak hugged him. "No, there won't. Never, anywhere."
Even Sunstreaker had to smile.
-0-Lydia Nast
She woke up that morning, walking downstairs in her dressing gown. Her children were heading off to high school and they drove themselves. Breakfast, a ritual begun and ended with a prayer was finished up and a listing of after school activities between the small family group outlined. She kissed them goodbye as they left, driving off in expensive cars to their private Christian high school.
She watched them go, then went inside to instruct two maids and her cook about the day's activities. Going upstairs, she chose her garments and showered. Dressing and doing her daily grooming routine, she eventually walked down the stairs to the living room. Mail was stacked on the table so she perused it, frowning again when there was nothing from her husband. There were adverts, a letter or two from college friends, confirmation of the Ladies Retreat her church annually presented and a number of correspondences for her husband.
She put them aside and walked to the doorway, pulling out her jacket as she gathering her purse and cell phone. Stepping through the kitchen, she passed her staff to enter the garage. Sitting down in her BMW, she exited then pulled out into her driveway. A short spin to the street led to the highway as she drove onward toward town. Behind her, life went on as usual.
-0-On the way back later that same day
"I really liked the little Seekers," Sideswipe said sitting across from Ratchet next to his brother as Cosmos jetted back to Earth.
"I love infants period," Ratchet said. "Those little Seekers are the first I've seen since I was young."
"It's a good thing," Sideswipe said. "I hear that Starscream wants to send a message like Prime did. I hear he wants Prime to help send it."
"Optimus has agreed," Ratchet said. "I'll let him know when we get back that he can. Starscream is probably up to it by now."
"How's he doing?" Sunstreaker asked. "He doesn't seem to be the same mech."
"He isn't," Ratchet said. "He had a lot of processor damage from beatings from Megatron. Some of it's slowly rewiring and some slowly compiling. How much of some things he'll get back, I don't know. The others are worried. They dislike the loop he's in, the one that tells him Megatron will come and kill him no matter what. They asked if I could do something about it."
"Can you?" Sideswipe asked.
"Not in his condition. He's a miraculous set of rewires and shunts. If I try to meddle in what he has going on now I could do something really bad to him. We have to let his processes continue and see where they end. When they can't repair, they'll stop. Then we can do something. Right now, he's slowly rewiring. I want that to continue."
Sideswipe nodded. "I'd rather be dead than be like him."
"Yeah," Sunstreaker said.
"You were almost like him more times than I can tell you. I almost couldn't repair you a few times. That's what happens to you when you act before you think," Ratchet said.
They both grinned at him.
-0-Lydia Nast
She drove to her hair appointment and got a manicure and pedicure. After that, she did a little shopping, finding a scarf that was particularly attractive. Leaving Hermes, she drove to the restaurant where she would meet her two sisters, her three best friends and two sisters-in-law for their weekly brunch. Brenners was crowded but they kept a table and found themselves deep in conversation about all the things that wealthy church-oriented women talk about. Three hours would pass before she would leave to drive to her husband's office.
-0-Diego Garcia
He walked to Ops Center, the twins on his heels. Bluestreak wouldn't be coming home on rotation for another three orns. Moping about it, they stuck to Ratchet teasing, joking and generally being over-sized adolescents bugging their genitor which if one thought about it for a moment or two fit all three to a tee.
Entering Ops Center, Ratchet and his entourage walked to the command table to halt before Prowl and Prime who were conducting business from the big table. It was getting to be a habit. So was the little black and yellow sparkling perched in Prowl's lap.
Glancing up, Orion held out his arms so Prowl reluctantly surrendered him.
Ratchet grinned at Sunstreaker. "Notice where this sparkling was. Expect to find yours there most days."
They grinned.
"There's three new Seekers in the world and Starscream says he's ready to make his call."
"Are they as cute as I've heard?" Prowl asked a smile on his lips.
"Cuter," Ratchet replied.
Prime grinned. "We will have to send something to them. I do not know what it will be but there must be something that Seekers give each other at a hatching."
"I'll look it up and send it," Prowl said.
"Won't be long now," Ratchet said affixing Sunstreaker with a smirk. "You'll have to make appointments to see your sparkling. Sort of like Ironhide and me."
Prowl grinned. "If you're trying to make me feel badly you're not going to succeed. I'm guilty as charged."
-0-Lydia Nast
She left her husband's office and drove home, parking in her garage. Walking inside, she dropped her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, then looked at the headlines of the newspapers laying out. The staff had left earlier, their days off always on her girls day out. She stood in the silent house, then walked to the stairs. Halfway up, the phone rang. She paused, debating letting it go to the service but changed her mind. She walked back down, pausing to reach for the phone.
-0-Ops Center, Diego Garcia
Red Alert who was monitoring the various players involved in the conspiracy frowned. He listened again, then ran a diagnostic on the link. It was what it was, so he caught Prowl's optic. Prowl listened to Red explain, then he checked the data himself. For a moment, he considered the possibilities, thinking about it from one end to the other. Then he walked out, heading for Optimus's office.
-0-Med Bay
Ironhide who was making his rounds minus his sparkling made his way to Med Bay. Entering its well lit and spacious confines, he noted that Sideswipe had Orion and Sunny was getting a checkup diagnostic. "How did it go?"
"Three adorable little hatchling Seekers," Ratchet said with a smile.
"I can imagine Starscream is one happy slagger."
"He is. So is the trine. The other trine? Moody slaggers each one of them but Starscream's trine, they're happy," Ratchet said pulling each of the plugs in Sunstreaker. "You're good to go, Sunny. Everything is right on schedule."
"And when is that? When is this … over?" he asked slipping off the berth.
"Two decaorns. Twenty days."
"I won't be able to help get Shockwave."
"Absolutely not," Ratchet said. "Even if I said you could Prowl won't allow it. By the way, how did he get the sparkling?"
Ironhide grinned. "Got within range. Prowl's grabby."
"I noticed," Ratchet said. "Mech needs a sparkling."
"He's got four. A normal person would think that's enough," Ironhide said affixing his sparkling with a gimlet optic. "Mechs oughta get their own sparklings if they want one."
Sideswipe who was holding Orion stuck his lower lip out. "Aw. Poor thing. I think you're so cute when you pout, Ironhide."
"That's no way to talk to yer genitor," Ironhide said taking Orion as Sideswipe handed him over. He grinned at his sparkling and his sparkling grinned back. Tucking him into the crook of his arm, he sat back on a med berth completely contented.
"You're such a sparkling," all three of them said together.
He grinned.
So did Orion.