Oh My PRIMUS! The last time I updated this was before Charticon! SCRUD man. Now I can say I am going to TFCon in October since it is coming to Charlotte. Anyone else going to that? If you are, send me a message on my facebook page and we can try to meet up or something. Oh, and who is watching Robots in Disguise? I ADORE that show, as well as Rescue Bots. They had a musical episode of Rescue Bots, I do not know what else you want with life other than that. You do not need anything More Than That, haha used fanfic title. Okay, on with the fic, and as promised, I will never give up on it until it is over. Have fun reading and please review.
I do NOT own Transformers
THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW; ARCEE, IRONHIDE, AND CHROMIA
Arcee sat among her teammates, listening to them process her data and make plans. Usually intelligence meetings bored her beyond imaginable, but for the first time in forever she was actually interested and attentive. Her emotions were no longer in control, and having her processor sit back at the controls of her mind was as refreshing as it was energizing.
Who knew detaching myself from what's around me, tuning out intense feelings, could feel so good. Maybe that is how my father survived when he thought we had not. Maybe that is what I should do from now on.
"So, are you sure he is in a desert?" Ironhide asked, raising an optic ridge. It's not like the weapon's specialist didn't trust his commander's offspring, but he was always skeptical about Decepticon acquired Intel. It could always be a trap.
Arcee rolled her optics. "That is what Starscream said, and you know how cocky Screamy is. He did not think I would escape. There was a sense of certainty in his voice that makes me positive that his data is correct. Besides I could feel it…don't you believe me?" Her voice dropped to a whimper at the end of the question.
Ironhide clasped his arm around her shoulder plating, chuckling, "Of course…just testing your confidence."
Chromia laughed at their interaction. Arcee was like her sister, and Ironhide was her perfect brother in law.
"Haha, yeah whatever 'hide. I say we start in the Sahara and check every other major desert. If we still do not find bucket head, search parties should be sent to places such as Kenya, Australia, and the Middle East. Those places do not seem desolate enough for a Decepticon base but are scarcely populated towards the middle of each country. That would make the perfect cover up." Airreon suggested, smiling.
"Hiding in plain sight," Chromia added. They all nodded in agreement.
"But the Sahara is a big place, we will need to split into teams to search the whole thing," Ironhide noted, shifting his weight from one ped to the other.
"Yeah I know," Airreon replied, "I was hoping to lead team A into the northern portion of the desert. Ironhide, you and Chromia could lead team B in the east, Optimus will lead team C in the West, and Sideswipe will command team D, obviously the southern Sahara."
Chromia playfully pushed her friend, "Oh so now you want to lead? What changed?" she questioned.
Airreon giggled, "Well kind of, it would help me learn to take my rightful place as leader in the future." Her gaze turned to Ironhide, making her optics big and pleading. "Maybe you could convince Daddy to let everyone report to me."
He rubbed her helm, "That's what friends are for." Then the weapon's specialist pulled Chromia by his side and kissed her. She seemed surprised at first but gave into the kiss.
"Alright you two, I am going to go coordinate the teams and such. Don't get too crazy while I am gone," Airreon laughed, waving to her friends, who only broke the kiss momentarily to wish her farewell.
Leaving the dark room that was the meeting area, the young Prime smiled widely. Things were really starting to turn in her favor. Maybe Primus is watching over me. She mused, making her way into the main room. Hopefully my father his awake, then we can go over my plans and finalize them.
Upon reaching the Autobots' living area, however, the first thing that caught her optic was Bumblebee, sitting off by himself. Immediately her spark began to beat faster, causing feelings of love and guilt to wash over her entire frame.
Arcee growled. For the first time, she felt hatred towards these sensations. They always came about at the worst times, leaving her helpless or out of control. Ugh, she mentally groaned, but she couldn't let that show anymore. She had to put on a straight face.
"Hey Bee," the purple fembot chirped politely, moving his direction.
The yellow mech's optics lifted and seemed to smile in the way that always made Airreon melt. She had to bite down hard to keep her newfound professional composure, but the enthusiastic and cheerful vibes that radiated off him kept trying to rip it apart, wanting her to fall into that state of admiration and gooey affection like she usually did.
"Hello, Hello," his radio sang lines from a popular Beatles song called Hello, Goodbye.
On the inside, Airreon's processor was screaming 'Oh Primus you are adorable!' but the only thing that came out of her mouth was "cute," said with a sarcastic tone. Seeing the slightly hurt look on her mech's face made her cringe but she continued to just push it aside. "Ironhide told me you were getting a check up with Ratchet this morning. Are you alright?" She asked casually.
Bumblebee nodded vigorously, not wanting her to think he was injured. "Yeah…Ratchet says…nothing is wrong….I am feeling….a leg pain but….it just must be what Sam calls….a growing pain….nothing big."
Arcee raised an optic ridge. "But Bee, you have already reached your full height," she pointed out skeptically.
The scout shrugged, "Either way….it doesn't hurt…that bad….it should go away…within the Earth hour."
"Good. Well, I have-uh-officer stuff to take care of. Planning an attack and such, but you understand right?" she asked, but before he could respond she answered for him, "Good, well I guess I will see you later." With that she took off to go see her father talking to Epps across the room.
Bumblebee was taken back. Had she just blown him off? For work? This was completely unlike her, she was usually above that. She had said that he was more than a scout to her and he believed her.
I hope being my girlfriend is still just as important to her as being a Prime. He thought. Immediately after the thought crossed his mind the Camaro hit himself. How could I think such a thing? Of course she still loves me! I just need to have faith. Whatever happens is all part of Primus' plan…I hope.
WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS; BUUMBLEBEE'S POINT OF VIEW
After weeks of torture I am finally alone in my quarters. I put my helm in my servos and sigh. A hive of thoughts are just buzzing around in my CPU, and I do not know how to handle it. Sam was right, being young is hard, but as he always said, "Letting it out is the best medicine." So he suggested that I start a diary. I do not see the point in it but I might as well try it out. So here is what is bothering me:
Dear Diary,
Something has changed Airreon. This isn't the normal kind of change either, like an upgrade. No, it is more of a change in personality. She just isn't acting herself, and I get the odd feeling that she knows that. Her aurora is always tense, as if she is forcing herself away from me. In my spark, however, I know she still loves me. Her optics still shine at me the same way they always have, except now they seem a little heavier.
My problem is that I don't want to confront her about it. She has been through enough in the past few months and an added pressure from me won't help anything. Also, in her defense, she has really tackled her newfound responsibility well. Optimus should be very proud. On the other servo, even Optimus knows that working without a break for extended periods of time is bad for a bot. He experienced it first servo, and we all mourned for his pain.
My little Airreon hasn't been out to see the stars since, well before my leg started to hurt when she was healing herself. I do not believe any of the other bots have noticed yet, but I sure have. I always wait for her by the patio, but she never shows.
Despite her being nowhere to be found when I need her, I also doubt she is getting decent recharge in that time. She is always the first one up and the last to shut down. She puts on a good façade but we both know that I can see through it.
I am just a worried about her, and maybe a little too much, but rightfully so.
Most of all I miss her. I miss her gentle touch and warm embrace. I miss that enchanting smile and angelic giggle or hers. I miss her stubbornness and ferocity. I even miss her kicking my aft at basketball.
Ironhide and Chromia aren't helping either. They have become really open about their relationship, and it is uncommon for their giggles to not be echoing through the halls. They literally spend every waking moment together. Not that long ago Chromia moved into to Ironhide's quarters. If they have not spark bonded yet I foresee it in the near future.
I know what Optimus would say: For a team to reach its full potential there is no room for jealously among peers.
But I cannot help it! Cybertronians are not like humans. When we fall in love it is absolute. Minimal dating is involved. We know when we have that special connection with another, there is no maybe, and it causes us to crave a spark bond. This feeling, however, can be more dangerous than war. A bond allows those involved to feel each other's emotions, to communicate on a whole other level. You share happiness and joy, yet also pain, both physical and emotional. The death of another can be felt, leaving an absent feeling in the spark. It is not uncommon for the mate of someone who has passed to go insane. In extreme cases, when love runs deep and is destined to be, one can feel the other to a minimal degree even before the spark bond.
I have that connection with Airreon, I know! My love for her is eternal, it always has been. I am going crazy not knowing what she is feeling; not being able to communicate through a bond. I cannot explain what is wrong with her and it is more agonizing than anything I have ever known, even more so than that fragging sore on my leg which still has not gone away.
Speaking of, I have gone to see Ratchet about it several times, believe me, but each time he finds no flaws, nothing that could be causing friction or discomfort. I swear on the life of Primus if I go to see him again about it he will hit me upside my helm with an actual ratchet. Every day it keeps getting worse though.
I go to see Ratchet with something he just thinks is in my head, meanwhile Arcee is running around, still wounded from her encounter with Starscream, and no one bats an optic, though I am sure Optimus has tried to talk to her. Prime, however, has never been demanding with his daughter. He does not let her run crazy, but like a very wise father, he wants her to learn for herself about what is right and wrong. She needs to experience that there are consequences for our mistakes and I agree. He did the same with me and, in my personal opinion, I do not think I turned out that bad. Some even go as far as to call me a quite decent or classy mech, but that could be just Sam -
Just then I was broken from my thoughts by the grand sound of my clock. It was Sam's idea to install it in my room, so I could better familiarize myself with human time. It is a good thing too. I guess I will have to finish my personal rant later, if I am not at the meeting room in five minutes I bet Arcee will kill me. It is another one of her all important meetings.
So I slowly jump down off my berth, the impact sending shots of pain up my leg and into my hip joint. It had been doing that all week, and it was really getting old. Then, I pulled myself out my quarters and into the main room. It was almost completely quiet, except for the hushed bickering of a few humans.
Great, I am going to be the last one at the meeting. She is going to love that.
The doors to the meeting sanctuary slide open with a loud hiss, drawing a lot of unwanted attention towards me as I entered.
"Sorry," I mumbled, keeping my helm down, optics on the ground. Arcee only glared at me, burning metaphorical holes through the back of my armor.
"So, what's this all about?" One of the twins inquired, bring the focus of the Autobots away from me and back on Airreon and her father.
Ironhide huffed at his impatience, but my girlfriend placed a comforting servo on him that all but said 'easy Ironhide.' Internally I couldn't help but laugh. Our old weapons specialist hasn't changed much since he first arrived on Earth.
"Tomorrow we will start a series of Black Ops that should help us to pinpoint Megatron's location. Intelligence tells us that he is in one of Earth's deserts. Due to the face that the Sahara is one of Earth's more formidable deserts we have decided to investigate it first. This sandy region, however, is very vast, even for our standards, and therefore this mission will require all of our efforts. I have broken our team down into 4 separate squads, each with the purpose of searching a particular sector of the Sahara." Airreon paused to in case one of us had a question. For a split second she made eye contact with me, but then quickly looked away, gathering herself up once more. As much as I did not enjoy her being overly serious all the time, her professional side is quite attractive.
She took one more moment to ex-vent before continuing. "So here are the groups: The Delta team, which will be assigned to the southern desert area, will include Sideswipe as the leader, Sunstreaker, Skids, and Mudflap. The Charlie team, made up of Optimus, Elita, and Ratchet, will investigate the Western Sahara," her gaze shifted to her best friend; "Chromia, you and Ironhide will solely make up the Bravo team in the East. Finally, I shall lead Bumblebee and Mirage as the Alpha team into the northern portion of the desert. Que, you kill stay here and keep watch over the base and…."
Admittedly, I zoned out for the rest of the briefing. After that it wasn't much more than a Q and A anyway, but still. It bobbled my mind. She actually put us in a team together. I surely thought that she was trying to cut ties with me. That is the amazing thing about Airreon, just when you think you have her figured out she does something completely unexpected. Us, together, alone in the Sahara…well, excluding Mirage. Maybe this will give us the chance to reconnect, allow me to see if I can get her to confess what is bothering her.
I guess we will have to wait and see.
THE NEXT DAY; THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
It took several military cargo aircrafts to get all the Autobots into the Sahara, but by noon the next day it had been done.
Many of the humans were not filled in on the matter, nor were any invited on this particular mission. As Optimus had put it: The desert environment is too harsh for human involvement, and I refuse to put at risk human lives. Who knows how long we could be out there? I will report regularly to you, but you may not accompany us.
Figures he would say as such, still, he had a point. To the disappointment of Lennox, NEST concurred with the Autobot leader and agreed to sit this one out…for now.
Each team had its own aircraft…except for Delta team which had two. The crafts would land them near the outer tip of their designated search area. From there they would work their way in until all four groups met up again, unless something happened in between start and finish.
Naturally, they were permitted three full days to complete the task and would meet up on the fourth morning…despite the objections of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who claimed they would need more time for cleaning sand out of their circuitry each night.
Eventually NEST would have to learn to ignore their ridiculous requests.
Within the Lockhead C-130 Hercules designated to be Alpha team's transport vessel, an atmosphere of awkwardness was forming.
Even in car form, one could tell that Bumblebee was watching Arcee, who was parked some distance away and facing another direction. Mirage steadied himself in alt mode near the young Prime and scout so he could keep an optic on both. No one was speaking.
After a few hours as they neared the predetermined coordinates within the north Sahara, Epps spoke up. This was his last trip as a NEST operative…or at least a NEST ground solider. He would still be at a base of operations, just not one as…how to put this, active.
"Be prepared for drop out," he announced before making his way over to Optimus' daughter, and his own very close and personal friend.
"Hey," he said softly to her vehicle form that immediately revved up and turned towards him at the sound of his voice.
"Greetings Robert!" She replied, letting the first hit of enthusiasm slip from her vocals in weeks.
He chuckled, leaning on her hood. "You ready?" he asked.
Arcee internally smiled, "I am as ready as I will ever be. Thank you for assigning me this job Epps. It has given me a new refreshing drive, purpose."
Epps unexpectedly frowned. "Just, promise me you won't take this job too seriously," he sighed.
"I do not—" The Prime was cut off.
"What I mean is, being in the military, part of something bigger than yourself, is a wonderful feeling, but only if we stay focused on what truly matters: those we love. They should be our drive, our purpose. Do not get that confused," the man lectured her like a father, his voice comforting yet firm.
Arcee cringed. She felt her spark twinge with a hint shame. "Epps…I-" She began, attempting to admit her mistakes, but faltered. "Uhh thank you," she finished, not showing the anger that she felt for being unable to tell him.
He rubbed the top of the El Camino, "I am proud of you Arcee. Never forget that. Now get ready for the drop…and be careful."
On the inside Arcee wanted him to kiss her again, to feel that buzzing from his fleshy lips, however, he walked away and she would just have to deal without. Besides, that would just play with her emotions, and if there was anything she didn't want, it was that!
Suddenly, the unmistakable screeching signaling the Autobots to prepare for the jump overtook her audio receptors. The hatch to the C-130 opened and a strong gust of wind blew through her open windows, refreshing all her systems.
It was now or never.
Heavily ventilating, she urged her tires to begin to roll towards the exit, past Bee, who she could feel waves of worry from, until she was free falling in the sky.
At first, the young femme was terrified. With an energon curdling shriek, she transformed into bot mode, flailing her limbs. Airreon was not a flier and she knew she never would be as she was not meant for this kind of activity. After a few seconds, however, her vocoder went silent. The Prime's brilliant blue optics went from being the size of heavy duty tractor tires to being lightly closed and she enjoyed the fall.
The Earth's atmosphere, or the mix of mainly nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and argon that the humans referred to as air, was quite soothing, in its own forceful way. It held her up, tracing her plating like the careful digits of Bumblebee, yet kept shoving her downward. It filled and refreshed her systems each time there was even the slightest gust of wind. The world around her was flooded with the sound of static, and yet she had never experienced something so serene.
Suddenly Arcee heard a high-pitched whirl from her mech friend that let her know he was experiencing the same thing she was.
She laughed and deployed her parachute. It had felt like forever to her, but after being in the air for only a few seconds the ground force was already coming in fast.
It was not long before Bumblebee and Mirage caught up with her and did the same. Both mechs were smiling widely, except while the red bot stayed silent, the scout looked over at his group leader and let out a loud, "YEEEHHHAAWWW!" That couldn't help but to make her laugh, again.
Soon the soft, shifting sand of the Sahara was below all six peds of Alpha team and they were ready to explore.
The enthusiastic mood Arcee had been in while sky diving, however, had been evaporated by the hot desert sun. Her serious phase returned once more as they started their mission.
Despite this, though, Bumblebee had seen her fun side return, and it gave him hope that it would precipitate within her shortly…or at least that was the bit of hope he clung to for now.
NIGHTTIME WITH THE BRAVO TEAM; THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
The first day had gone by with relatively no action whatsoever. The weapons specialist and his femme friend had scanned the boundless sandy region for several groons, or hours, on end to no avail.
Still, it was only the first of three days, but the action craving couple just were not designed for this kind of…well…scouting.
"UGH this is torture. Why would the Decepticons be hiding out here? Not even the carbon based life forms of this planet seem to consider this place the smallest bit of formidably hospitable," the gruff Topkick complained, looking over at his mate, who wore a face of sarcastic shock.
"Not true!" She exclaimed, her face twisting back into a sassy smirk, "I do believe I picked up a small insect the humans call a scorpion several minutes ago."
Ironhide crossed his arms and sighed, "You know what I meant Chromia."
The blue femme walked over to her lover, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder plating. "It will be over soon. This is for Airreon. Besides, it wouldn't be so boring if you had let us practice battle moves while searching," she inquired, playfully pushing 'Hide at the last statement.
"I did…" he began, trailing off at the memory of what happened. This would be one of those moments Chromia would never forget.
"Until you failed to take in the fact that the ground is made of the shock absorbing sand, landing you flat on your back while trying to attempt your famous 'blast the ground front flip'" She replied with a crackling laugh.
"Hey!" He called out, "You may think it is funny, but I am going to have to be cleaning sand out of my back for months."
The motorcycle rolled her optics, looking away, "Uh huh, we'll see about that."
"Don't doubt it." He shot back.
Arcee's best friend twisted around and placed her head on the mech's chassis, thoroughly enjoying their play-fights. They always really brought out the true chemistry between the two, and with each snarky comeback one gave, the more love it caused the other to feel. "Hey darling, how about we stop for the night." She suggested with a purr.
She could feel the frown he wore in response to her request even though she was not looking at his face. It was unlike the blue femme to take any sort of break. "What? But then we will be behind!" Ironhide said, his tone of voice demanding an explanation.
A smile lightly tugged on the corners of Chromia's faceplates as she leaned into him more, listening to the strong pulse of his spark pumping energon continually through his body. "Oh, we'll catch up. Besides, you seem tired. Don't you think you need a break?"
She cuddled up to him and he just melted, "I guess so," her lover replied, sitting down in the sand and allowing the blue femme to crawl into his lap. Ironhide kissed Chromia's helm and from then on, as the sun when down, the temperature between the two only grew hotter. They tangled their limbs in a mechanical mess. Their optics were closed, and yet, their servos seemed to know exactly where they were and what they were doing.
A long time passed like this, even for Cybertronian standards, and they were still far from resting.
As night fell, only the brilliant glow of two sparks leaked into the darkness. Humans saw the Cybertronian spark as nothing more than a life force, or a battery if you will, but if they ever had seen a raw spark, especially now under the night sky, the humans would understand what a it truly is. All the stars in that Sahara night sky combined couldn't outshine the exposed sparks of the couple. Their sparks danced and fluctuated. They sang and fed off of each other. And as Ironhide lowered his mate down towards his open chest cavity, their two sparks licked and kissed each other. Their sparks seemed to interface with each other as the couple had earlier until they could not get any closer.
Until they became one.
A spark bond was a mystical power even Primus could not explain. It was the two life forces, the souls, emotions, and feelings of two individuals merging to create ond love split into different bodies.
For a moment, the wires around each spark chamber hooked up to the free wires of another. This could only happen perfectly when Cybertronians were made for each other, and this was one of those moments. Suddenly there was a burst of blinding light, followed almost nothing but a light glow from each.
Chromia lay on Ironhide's chest, both of their spark cavities closed, yet neither were the same as they were before. The bright blue optics of the newly born sparkmates bore into one another, pure bliss emanating from them.
The gruff mech was the first to speak. "now I am never going to get all that sand out," he joked, yet his voice a smooth and gentle, softer than it had ever been before, and Chromia could not only hear his happiness, but for the first time in her life could literally feel it inside of her, causing her spark to soar, rejoicing in a way it never had before.
Likewise, Ironhide could feel how happy she was, only making the happiness between them grow more.
"You are the worst," Chromia laughed, placing both servos on his cheek plates and tenderly kissing her mech.
He moaned into the kiss, the hot metals on their lips seeming to melt together. When the two finally pulled away, the taste of the other still lingered on them. Ironhide smiled, "And you bonded with me anyway."
"Indeed I did, and no time could have been any better. Out here, alone in this beautiful Earthly landscape, I would have died if we waited any longer. Being here with you there was no doubt in my mind that you were the one," Chromia replied, a poetic tone to her vocoder.
"Beautiful Earthly landscape is a stretch. Every since I met you I have seen nothing that even compares enough to be called beautiful."
"You are such a sap!" She cried, playfully hitting him.
"Yes, but I am your sap now," he added, nuzzling her.
The two stayed in their position for quite some time until finally falling into a nice recharge, together as one.
MORNING OF THE FOURTH DAY WITH ALPHA TEAM; THRID PERSON POINT OF VIEW
The next few days passed uneventfully for all groups; just a lot of sand and not a single sign of a 'Con to be found. In the early hours of the fourth day, Arcee sat, knees to chassis, watching the stars as they began to fade into a purple and pink sunrise.
She only was able to obtain an hour or so of recharge and had been watching the shifting sky ever since. Sighing, the young Prime looked back at her two friends who she assumed to be recharging. It had been too long since she spent time with either outside of missions and meetings. She missed the laughs they used to share, and she missed the warm feeling 'Bee gave her and all those nights on the roof. The pain of having to try and cut off her emotions from him was too much to bear, and she felt like offlining. She was satisfied with her work, but it just wasn't enough. She loved him, plain and simple.
At least this way I can't hurt him or anyone else with my carelessness. I need to be the leader they deserve.
Airreon turned back towards the sky, now dominated by the sun. She considered waking the others, but her need for a quiet moment alone was greater than her need to wake them. Besides, watching them nap was cute, or at least watching Bumblebee was in her opinion.
Bumblebee was in alt. form. It was not uncommon that the Transformers rested in the vehicle mode, since it was easier to get comfortable and stay unnoticed when they were cars and other things of that nature. Through his vision sensors linked to his windshield, Bee's optics followed the purple Prime carefully as she turned away, face towards the rising sun. He had been like this for several Earth hours, awake that is, although he dared no move, fully aware that Arcee was watching over them like a Sheppard.
She should have been recharging. Being without energon for three days, while not a detrimental experience, did involve the conservation of energy, thus, forcing recharges at sundown. It was a human tradition they had all grown accustomed to anyway.
In that moment Bee sharply corrected himself. He should not mentally chastise Arcee when he himself could not power down his systems. Not that it was his fault. Recharge eluded the yellow scout, and when he attempted a manual override, his body rejected the request, not an uncommon occurrence with Cybertronians whose troubled minds started to affect their systems. Long ago, a rumor had it that a bot named Tailgate actually received verbally degrading damage reports due to his own self loathing. It goes away, but only once the problem is resolved, and that that problem was Airreon.
The wheels of his Camaro form shifted slightly to turn his frame towards his femme, or at least he hoped she was still his femme.
Like tunnel vision, his focus was on her light and her light solely. It was then that Bumble noticed how much Airreon truly looked like Optimus, and now more than she ever had before. She was strong, stoic, protective…and alone. She had been left behind on Cybertron and did not get to see the way her father grieved and fought to avoid pain. Maybe if Elita and Airreon had been there, it would not have been an issue.
Personally, Bee fully supported his commander's decision to leave the fembots, for their own protection and the future of the race, but watching him experience the agony leadership bore on the shoulder plates of those who had it was painful.
Now that Optimus' daughter was growing into his peds, so to speak, the weight of Cybertron had shifted to her as well and it was finally apparent that she was trying to deal in the same way Optimus originally had: through separation.
The scout vented and quietly transformed, making sure not toe disturb Mirage, who never had an issue recharging. He walked towards the prime's motionless frame, thinking she had not heard him when, without moving a digit, she asked "How long have you been awake Bumblebee?"
The yellow mech jumped a bit, but quickly relaxed, placing his four fingered servo on the small shoulder plating of his femme friend. To his surprise, Airreon flinched, pulling in her EM field, but soon after regained her composure to appear relaxed as well.
"Just woke up from recharge," Bee answered, earning a low toned "Hrmm" in reply, a clear indication that she knew he was lying. He sat down west of her, mimicking the position her purple frame was in: knees to chassis, servos back behind him to support his body weight. Airreon still had a slender body that could easily collapse in to get into the small ball-like shapes that comforted her, such as how she was now. "I would ask the same thing…but you didn't…did you?" He pieced together.
She shook her helm. "Despite our recharge cycles being set on light in case of sudden alarm, I feel as if it is my responsibility to keep watch. Besides, I was not tired, nor are my energy levels low enough for it to be necessary," she spoke, suppressing a yawn.
Bee looked her straight in her deep blue optics with his large ones and raised an optic ridge. She sighed, her EM field expanding a bit. "Bee, I-" she started, but stopped moving her servo next to his, "I miss watching the sunrise," she finished lamely, the most emotion she had expressed in a while.
"I'll be there whenever you need me" he replied with a radio track. She knew he meant to spend time with like this, anything from sunrise comfort to sunset cuddling. She smiled, allowing her EM field to warm like the sun and brush against his.
Surprised by the jolt of warmth he felt nuzzling his EM field, he turned toward her, closing the gap between their servos. For a second, their optics locked, the light of them coming together, shimmering against any chrome detailing or exposed protoform.
And that was when it happened.
A rocket exploded between the sand of where the couple was and Mirage's resting alt. form, which was pushed into the air by the force of the blast. Jolted awake, he transformed during the free fall down, landing flat on his red metal back.
"What the-" he screamed.
All Autobot helms turned to the sky where the projectile originated. There was a brigade of 3 'cons: Starscream, Laserbeak, and a new con who they would later learn to be called Space Case.
Airreon jumped up swiftly, as did her partner whom she them moved protectively in front of, taking on a stoic look that cascaded over her entire form.
Bee went to place a servo on her should plating from where he stood behind her, but she immediately shook it off, almost as if she was tempted to tell him to back off, any trace of an open EM field gone.
"Aww, are you and your mechling having a domestic squabble?" mocked Starscream, "Pity, you two were so close the last I saw."
"AGRAHHHHH!" She yelled, aiming a set of heat seeking missiles up at the cons, who retaliated by shooting flares and did not get a scratch on them.
"Touché. Did I hit a sensitive spot, and I am not talking about with my weapons?" he fired back using his null ray and ordered the other two to take on their guests. Space Chase went after Mirage and Laserbeak Bee.
After a few minutes of fighting, the Decepticons had landed and locked in servo to servo battle. All of them except Laserbeak that is, who continued to fly around Bee like the pest he was. The scout looked over at Airreon, who was holding off rather well against the Decepticon air commander. Then his attention turned to the grunting sounds of Mirage. Turns out Space Chase was quite the formidable opponent. Bee used his plasma cannon and then ran to help him.
"Trade?" he asked Mirage, who was relieved at his sight. The two then teamed up, trading partners occasionally and doing their worst.
Airreon swung her blade at the chassis of the seeker, just barely missing him. Screamer sneered, going to hit her with the blunt side of his null ray. The two had been carrying on like this since he landed. Finally, Arcee transformed, trying to drive him away from the others, and it worked. Starscream did in fact follow her, but there was no clear place for her to transform.
'Scrap' She cursed mentally, trying to maneuver to give herself a safe place to transform, since that was when they were most vulnerable, especially with the air advantage the cons had.
Thinking she was safe, three quarters around a sand dune, Arcee transformed. Unfortunately, she was not as safe as she thought, for as she transformed, blasts from her opponent can raining down, one tearing through her left leg hydraulic, which was still weakened by her previous injury and less than perfect medical care. Now it was sparking, almost starting a fire that would burn her own life blood. Wires were contorted and leaking many different colored fluids and she cried out in pain.
Meanwhile, Bee suddenly collapsed where he was, also in pain in his leg hydraulic. 'What happened?' he thought when he heard a scream. "Airreon!" He cried, attempting to get up, when Space Chase stepped on him and held a blade to his throat.
"Goodbye Scout!" the new con spat, when, without warning, projectile from a barrage cannon crashed through one of his wings.
Only one bot had that caliber weapon.
Bee turned to the north, where the shot came from, to see Optimus and the others running in. Apparently they had gone looking for them when they were not at the meeting place that morning.
Hearing the commotion, Starscream, too, looked towards the sound. Noticing Optimus Prime and the other bots, he engaged his thrusters.
"Decepticons RETREAT!" he ordered, flying off, leaving an injured Space Chase to rely on Laserbeak to temporarily be his other wing, as they followed the second in command in running away.
"Cowards!" Ironhide called after them, shooting aimlessly into the sky for emphasis, but stopped as soon as he heard Optimus speak.
"Where is my daughter?" He asked, looking about. Failure to pinpoint her visually made his spark begin to simulate the energon running within him to pump faster, chemicals similar to human adrenaline pulsating through him.
Hearing his, many of the Autobots scattered to search, but only a minute passed before Elita found her behind the dune, sparking and in agony.
Ratchet was not far behind the female commander, his usual grumpy self. "Airreon," He started sternly, "I cannot believe you! Always getting into trouble. Look at what you've done to yourself," he gestured to her leg and crossed him arms, before bending down to get a better look.
The young Prime rolled her optics and managed a smile through the pain, "Always so gentle doctor. Can it be fixed?"
"Can it be fixed? You question my ability?" He replied, offended. Arcee giggled and remained quiet as Ironhide came to pick her up. She would need help back to the aircraft waiting for them.
Bee too needed help. He rest one arm over Sunstreaker and one over Sideswipe as they helped him limp back. He did not have any physical signs of trauma, but something must have happened, and ironically in the exact same place as that of his femme friend.
THE NEXT DAY: BACK AT BASE AND IN THE MED. BAY; ARCEE'S POINT OF VIEW
Ratchet was able to patch me up by the end of that day, and with much more precision and care than when I had tried to do it with my powers, which he did not forget to lecture me about. Sometimes I think that I am just as much his daughter as I am Optimus'.
I had many visitors to check on my health, none of which held the incident against me. While it was irresponsible of me to try and take on Starscream alone, they did admit that separating myself from the others so Starscream could not target them was a noble, although stupid, thing to do and a sign of good leadership skills.
They also came to in to let me know that they were going to start investigating other deserts. It took some thought, but they interpreted the Decepticon attack as nothing more than a cheap ploy to make us thing the cons were based in the Sahara, with their random presence and all, but that they really were most likely somewhere else. Idiot cons never thought we would think about it. Too bad Bee and I had to get hurt for us to figure it out.
Bee…he was finally recharging in the medical berth next to me. They tried to numb the area that was causing him injury but it kept on stimulating his pain receptors. Turns out it was not his body that hurt at all. Well, it was, but what he felt was my own pain. The bond we share is apparently so strong that he can feel my pain through his spark. Weird huh? Eventually I should be able to feel him as well, even without a spark bond, or so Ratchet says and he is usually right. It kind of scares me.
Ratchet gave us both the clean bill of health, although he wants me to stay and take today off, so I am, like it or not. Bee decided to stay too, and he even invited me to take Sam home with him tomorrow, since he completed his human training and because by then we should be allowed out of the base for non strenuous activities.
I do not know what to do! Going with him on the trip will allow us to reconnect, like that morning in the Sahara, but that opens up all my emotions that I shouldn't have. I-I love him, but if I do not focus on my leadership I could end up leading us all into danger. I did not want to hurt Bee, although I guess I already have done that both physically and emotionally. I am so confused!
And with that thought my father walked him.
"Hi Daddy!" I chirped in a whisper, as not to wake Bee.
"Airreon, dear, we have something that we need to talk about," he replied, sitting down next to me on the berth, legs hanging over the edge.
I mimicked his position and looked him directly in the optics. "What about?" I asked.
By the way the great Optimus Prime momentarily shifted uncomfortably, I knew what he was going to say before it came out of his vocoder. "Bumblebee, and your feelings for him."
I sighed, "Father I-"
He interrupted me, something he never does unless he has something very important to say. "Airreon, I know that you two like one another, and I whole-heartedly approve, but I also know that things between you two have been difficult lately. You have been closing yourself off to him, and quite frankly, to all of us." He paused and I slumped over, ashamed. Father put an arm around me before continuing, "I know not why you have done this, although I can make a guess, having once done something similar in my past. It is with my previous experience in such situations that I have come here to give you advice: To be a successful leader one must have emotions and deal with them and grow from them. A true leader lets their heart guide them. Think about that." He kissed me sweetly on the top of my helm, "And no matter what happens, I will always love you," he finished, getting up and leaving out the entrance to the medical bay.
Great, now I feel confused and guilty.
But then it clicked. Embracing love is what makes us Autobots and not Decepticons. We are more than just machines and it is what makes us stronger. For lack of a better term, it makes us human.
I smiled, probably in a goofy way. When Bee woke up, I would agree to his invitation to join in on dropping off Sam. After all, I do like adventures, even those in the spark.
FINALLY! 7,500 WORDS LATER HERE WE ARE. INTENSE, RIGHT? I HOPE IT WILL NOT TAKE ME AS LONG TO POST THE NEXT CHAPTER, WHICH SHOULD BE SHORTER. DID YA'LL GET MY MTMTE REFERENCE? OH AND DO YOU HATE AIRREON YET? PLEASE REVIEW, I'D LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK. KNOWING THAT YA'LL STILL LIKE MY WRITING IS WHAT KEEPS ME GOING, ALBEIT SLOWLY, BUT IT KEEPS ME WRITING NONETHELESS.
UNTIL NEXT CHAPTER,
SHEABEE PRIME OUT!