Not Your Ordinary NESTing
Hinjintetsusou: .Hp/Transformers: introduction into Nest. (Ch. 26: Savior By Nature, HP&Transformers)
0o0o0
"Welcome, Savior, to Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers, or NEST for short." Optimus Prime speaks, aware that he carries within him perhaps the most precious of resources known to the Cybertron-that-was. The Cube he carries, the Mother, the Savior – only one half of the whole Energon Cube. Optimus Prime does not understand, truly how this came to be – the boy, he was in London while the battle was in America. There is something he is missing, and it is hidden in plain sight, if Optimus Prime only knew what he was looking for.
He has other things to think of, for just as he is aware that Harry Potter, the Savior, is most precious to his people, he is not of his people, he is a boy, and human. When Harry puts his hand to the interior look-alike car door handle, Optimus Prime opens the door out; letting the boy leave perhaps the only place on Earth Optimus Prime would feel he was safe.
"For muggles, is this impressive?" Blackbike muses, in likeness to a motorcycle, he is the smallest of the sparklings – but clearly the one with the biggest issues with people. His engine revved in a snarl.
Hogwarts Express snorts, in a bellow of billowing smoke. All along train tracks they had had to travel, it was surprisingly no burden for the train tracks were always where they needed to be – not where they were supposed to be. This is not something that Optimus Prime thought Earth could do, upon Cybertron he would not question it, but here he is not so accepting of the strange. It is suspicious, but humans are notorious for noticing what is happening right in their faces, if it were strange then Harry Potter would say something. That he does not is…comforting, rather then worrying.
Ford Anglia rolls forward eagerly, her sensors taking in all readings of their surroundings and Harry's hand rubs along her hood, soothingly. Knight Bus keeps his bulk between Harry and the onslaught of peering human eyes, clearly uneasy. Optimus Prime had called his people, but there are more humans then there are children of Cybertron.
"I would guess so." Harry answers, and in his own way, defends them. It's said softly enough that the humans do not hear him.
"Hello, who's this? You know the American Government has rules about citizens going into secret security bases – namely, not to let them!" Sergeant Epps was saying, though he kept a smile on his face. It was not in fact reassuring, rather in fact threatening in the way he looked to Harry. Optimus Prime starches out and unfolds his form, and it feels good, to sense with unseen means that the humans are yet uneasy. They should be, they should also be guilty for disregarding respect.
"You're not in America, sir. It wasn't my idea to come here to start with, so I'll just be going shall I?" Harry faces the Epps and his people to speak, addressing his words to the tone rather then the smiling face. Ford Anglia opens her doors – all four – invitingly. To enter, Harry would turn his back on them, and once that is done, Optimus Prime knows they will never undo it. The insult Harry might forgive of his fellows, but his sparklings will not forgive humanity – or them born of Cybertron, not Autobots – not Decepticons.
"This is an unsuitable environment for you, Savoir. A habitable one is indicated with favor and fellowship." Ford Anglia prompts. Still Harry hesitates, eyes scanning the faces he sees. Optimus Prime feels that he is looking for something or someone, and remembers the conversation he'd overheard between Harry and Ford Anglia: a "they", a agreement, and people tend to trust agreements with governments. Harry is looking for someone he knows.
"Potter!" A women is stepping forward briskly from the back, what marks her as strange is the wild pink hair with purple highlights, what Optimus Prime thinks strange is her eyes changing from a alarmed gold to a warm brown.
"Tonks." Harry smiles for her, with a solemn nod. There is grace in it, respect and civility. This is someone to watch for. Blackbike rumbles greeting or warning. Tonks makes no move to step closer to them. Tonks looks to Epps, and makes a shooing gesture. He looks vaguely amused, but Optimus Prime can tell her intent is entirely serious.
"He's right, this isn't America – and this is Harry Potter, a war-hero friend of the Minister's and other sorts of people that are in high governmental places, important people that like, the media will be on us like fleas to a dead dog if you stink this up for us – they won't like to hear him refused hospitality, as that Ford Anglia said. Might even get you kicked out of Europe that kind of rudeness will." Her smile is entirely sincere. Optimus Prime notes that this is a female that is predatory, "scary" intimidating, as Epps gives up with a nod, his lips pressed in a line.
When the people back off, Tonks doesn't hesitate to encircle Harry in a hug - Optimus Prime wonders at the important people she so lightly mentioned, wonders if she is one of them. "I heard from Hermione, congratulations on getting the Unspeakables to give up their idea of studying your Mysteries – knew you'd win it. What are you doing out and about; we thought you'd get out of here, disappear in order to see the world?" Her eyes flick to the sparklings, amused.
Optimus Prime listens keenly, and knows he is not the only one.
"Do you find NEST suitable?" Harry doesn't answer her, not in the way she's wanting.
"It's alright, keeps me out of trouble – because we're too busy keeping things from troubling them." Them could mean "muggles" or could mean whatever government force Tonks works for. Optimus Prime can hack a database in a blink of an eye, and he knows that the government she works with is not one which keeps computer records.
"I think I'll call it home." Optimus Prime scans the sparklings, Blackbike shudders and shifts his shape into someone all too human looking. A man with black hair and stormy grey eyes, who's hands fold into his robes as he strides to keep pace with Harry and Tonks. Harry stands between them, and Tonks does not quite dare look to him.
Tonks blinks quickly, pale and sad looking – the face that Blackbike wares is familiar to her. He, in fact, shares her features, as if they are family. Ford Anglia shuts her doors, firmly and Optimus Prime reads that she is pleased rather then disappointed. Knight Bus settles beside her, watching and waiting as if he's good at it, a sentinel: but his speed as Optimus Prime well knows is formidable.
"You're sure?" Blackbike asks, eyeing his surroundings and clearly unimpressed.
"I'm sure, Black." At that Hogwarts Express lets out a loud blast, as if a cheer for homecoming at NEST. The black train transforms then, shifting and shaping, until it's almost unrecognizable, an old castle with towers and spires and a look both magical and forbidding.
"Yeah, that's real subtle." Black says with a roll of his eyes: but Tonks and Harry look fondly to it, as if its home – and perhaps it is.
0o0o0
(Yes, Hogwarts Express = Hogwarts. Perhaps not the Hogwarts, or perhaps yes - but what else would Hogwarts Express be? I couldn't help myself, and yes Blackbike just took the shape of Sirius Black.)