"I can't believe you're doing this," Mikaela giggled as the Optimus fixed the last bit of scratches in her armor, painting over them with tact and precision. Mikaela sat with her back to her, her door wings twitching occasionally, but not enough to make him mess up.
Already, she was antsy and restless, eager to get on the road, even if Starscream hadn't returned her comm. Maybe he was busy, she had told herself. Maybe he had things to do and people to see, things that – if were ever to come into contact with Megatron's callous and terrorizing demeanor – would probably earn him his wings super glued to his aft.
The thought was funny and Mikaela found herself snickering.
"What's so funny?" Optimus asked, stopping his work to brush his cheek against Mikaela, the one simple contact sending jolts of electricity coursing down her frame. Mikaela shrugged her shoulders, toying with the grass.
"Just thinking of when Ratchet fell into those power lines."
Optimus was silent for a moment, and then, seeming to recall the events, laugh.
"Yes," he said, going back to work painting a long gash on her shoulder armor. "That was a sight. I did feel bad for laughing, though."
"We all felt bad. Well….not really, but inside we all felt bad," Mikaela chuckled. "I do remember that. Especially when you stepped on Sam's birdbath."
"Oh…" Optimus groaned.
"Or when Mojo pissed on Ironhide's foot."
Another groan, but Mikaela could tell that Optimus was trying not to laugh. He finally put down the brush and said, "Finished. You need to let it dry for just a moment."
"Yeah," she twisted her shoulders, stretching out limbs that had been forced to sit motionless for hours. She snuggled closer to Prime, feeling his hand on her thigh, the contact suddenly not a foreign as it had been just a few days ago.
She had gotten used to it. To the touching, the occasional kisses and the fact that they had tried to push themselves before, had tried to rekindle some old flame, but had never gotten far. As in, that far.
"I hope this dries in time," Mikaela said. She looked at Optimus, making her eyes as wide and pleading as possible. "I was going to go out for a while. You know, stretch my tires…or…yeah, something like that."
"Out for a drive?" Optimus raised one fine optics ridge, and then tapped his chin with his finger. "Alone?"
Mikaela thought for a moment. It was highly likely that Starscream wouldn't return her message, which meant she would be going alone to a Brotherhood of man rally full of Cybertronian haters.
"I'll bring Trina, if she wants to go."
Even then, Mikaela didn't think Trina would comply. She had already been dragged through the streets with a rope tied around her ankle once, and Mikaela was pretty sure she wouldn't want to get near a Brotherhood rally ever again.
Oh well. It was worth the try.
"I suppose you two girls could have some bonding time," Optimus shrugged. "As long as you don't get into any trouble."
"You're the boss, boss," Mikaela scooted closer, and then closer, his strong arms sweeping her into his lap. His lips touched her cheeks hesitantly, and then he seemed to give in and nuzzle her throat.
It was like what she and Sam used to do. But better.
"You smell nice."
"Very romantic, Prime," Mikaela whispered against his audio receptors. "You have pretty eyes." He laughed, his chassis rising and falling, and Mikaela slid off his lap. "You have a nice laugh, too."
"So I've been told," he smiled. "And you…you're gorgeous. As always."
"Flatterer."
"You're intelligent. Very intelligent. And brave," he rested a hand against Mikaela's back. "As a soldier should be."
"I'm not a soldier, Optimus. She may have been….but me?" Mikaela scoffed. "I'm, like, a matchstick and you're…like…an atom bomb or whatever."
"That's not always a good thing."
"How? Being powerful seems like the perfect…." She trailed off, hating herself for even thinking about it. "Oh, yeah."
"Power corrupts and destroys," Optimus leaned his head back and looked up at the blue sky. "Many members of my race have learned that the hard way."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Optimus glanced at her, sadness flickering in her deep blue eyes. Mikaela found herself resting her head against his shoulder, feeling the warmth radiating off him, hot as the sun.
It always seemed as if the mood had been set and the time had been chosen for Mikaela to bring her up. She always hated herself for asking questions, always hated herself for bringing up the name as it she cooed it in her head, constantly begging her to do this and that. Mikaela was tempted to just go in there and yank that part of her mind out. Hand it over to Megatron personally.
I will not let you take over.
Just wait and see.
Roadrunner had disappeared for a while, but ever since Mikaela's meeting with Starscream, she had been back in Mikaela's head, whispering to her. Shutting her out was as easy as when she had managed to shut out Sam's final words, the words he said before he had left her.
I can't do this, he had said, and Mikaela could remember the hurt and anger and pain that had overcome her spark.
She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts, Roadrunners voice slinking back into Mikaela's subconscious. She went back to focusing in Optimus, tall, regal, beautiful Optimus who loved her for her.
"You were going to ask a question?"
"How did you know?"
"I know that look," Optimus said. "You always get that look when you're about to ask a question. Go on, ask."
"Who killed her?"
Correction: who killed me.
Mikaela felt the urge to slam her head against the wall, the voice sneering in her head. Optimus gripped arm as Mikaela gritted her dental plates together, squeezing her optics shut.
"Damn….she's still in there…" Mikaela shook her head, noticing Optimus' worried expression and saying, reassuringly, "I have her under control. Don't worry about it."
Optimus seemed reluctant, but finally, he nodded.
"Who killed her…." He bit his lip plates. "Arcee."
Mikaela was motionless.
Pompous little Autobot fragger!
"Shut up…" Mikaela clenched her fist. "Before I hurt you…."
She shook her head when hurt washed over Optimus' features, and she raised her hands in a placating gesture.
"Not you. Her."
"Ah," he nodded. "Do you need to see Ratchet?"
"No," Mikaela got to her feet, shaking her head the whole time. Partly for confirmation that, no, she wouldn't see Ratchet because he would make a bigger deal out of it than necessary, and to partly try and shake Roadrunner out of her head.
"I gotta go talk to Trina," Mikaela leaned down and kissed Optimus' cheek. "Thanks for painting my armor."
And then she was gone.
"This is a dumb idea."
"Yes. That's why we're doing it."
The Brotherhood gathered on Saturday, huge masses of humans usually rallying in front of the Capital or the National Mall or somewhere near Washington. But today, Fisher had a change of heart, and they were rallying at the Brotherhood HQ. News vans from almost every network crowded the parking lot, shielding Mikaela's alt mode from prying eyes.
Already, she had activated her holoform. Wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a sweatshirt, she had tried to make herself as unrecognizable as possible. Even if Fisher himself hadn't seen her human form, there was no doubt that at least a few of his followers had.
Trina was dressed the same, looking even more different that Mikaela. Her 'drag through Washington,' as Ironhide had dubbed it, had attracted a lot of unwanted attention.
"What if we get caught?"
"Then I deactivate my holoform, come in, and bust us both out," Mikaela nodded. "You really think Fisher is going to make a scene in front of all the news teams?"
"Um…Trina cocked on hip to the side, patting Mikaela's hood. "Yes. He's Caine Fisher. Attention is his oxygen. He needs it, or else he'll bloat and die."
Mikaela shrugged, and then lowered her voice, looking up for a brief moment. Starscream had denied her request for a chaperone, and now she was stuck with Trina. Not that she didn't like Trina, no, she loved Trina, but Starscream was a little more adventurous.
And a little better at using force when things got messy.
"What if they have energon detectors?"
"N.E.S.T are the only ones authorized to use energon detectors," Mikaela said. But, then again, if they had Barricade on their side….
She shook her head. If Barricade was even here, her sensors would be ringing off the charts. Roadrunner's internal programming had been designed to scope out fellow Decepticon signals automatically. Unless Barricade had suddenly decided to join the bot's, then there was no hiding from her.
"We're getting in, and then getting out, Trina," Mikaela hissed. "I swear. No nitpicking or piddling around. We just listen to Fisher spew shit, and then we leave."
"But it's the shit he's spewing that I'm most worried about," Trina grumbled. "He so much as disses the Autobots, you're going to have to hold me back."
"Then you might as well stay here, Trina. Because dissing the Autobots is all he does."
Trina was silent. Then, her lips pulling into a thin line, she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head. Mikaela did the same.
"Let's do this."