Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.
We all already know that.
Holy Primus guys, do you know what last week was? It was the one year anniversary of the first chapter I wrote for this whole crazy mess. And I forgot!
But I remembered now, so in honor of a year of baby Bumblebee you guys get another chapter. Because you are awesome and so is he.
And not to mention that this is one of those chapters I've been dying to write and I just couldn't keep it any longer. So here you go. Hope you enjoy it.
I did. :)
Chapter 23
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Which was why Sideswipe was currently peaking around the open door to the rec room with a slight fear deep inside that it was highly likely that Sunstreaker, the pups, and Bee might have possibly killed each other.
It didn't really feel like his brother was dead—considering he was still breathing and all—but then again they'd been in there for joors and it was so fraggin' quiet that the red mech was absolutely positive something most have happened. Because sure Sunstreaker was never all that loud unless he was mad, but Half Pint was almost never quiet.
Not when he was painting that is.
He was almost always giggling about something or another, or asking Sunny question after question about this that and the other. So for the mechling to be silent was weird. Then add that on to those pups of his and it was just downright scary.
Because those little pest never hushed up.
Ever.
They were always making some sound or another. Something they were all trying to get used to and had Wheeljack absolutely fascinated. Which was never a good thing, if you were to ask Ratchet that is.
The CMO wasn't all that big on Wheeljack having anything to do with the static-hounds, but the inventor had made a valid point the other night. As the pups matured so would their vocal processors and sooner rather than later the Autobots were going to have to find away to work around the sound the hounds could make that disrupted radio waves. At one time there had been inventions that had been able to work around the hounds' noises, but that knowledge had been lost when the tribes fell.
And somehow Sideswipe figured Wheeljack wasn't going to be getting the information out of Hide or Jazz. Mostly because the red warrior was pretty sure Ironhide didn't know and Jazz didn't want to talk about it. Even if it was him that brought the things home.
There . . . was still a lot of that that hadn't been explained to Sideswipe.
For now though none of that was really on the warrior's mind. He was too busy trying to figure out whether or not he was gonna have to go find Ratchet. However, when he peaked around the corner to find his older brother and his younger brother cross legged on the floor with a paint brush each and a rainbow of paint cans all around them as they sat side by side with the two quietly recharging pups laying not far from Bee's right as the two bots worked together on the lower half of the mural that Sunstreaker had promised the mechling what seemed like vorns ago they would get to work on.
Sides couldn't hide his smile.
Especially when his twin shoved a hand mentally at his smug faceplate.
"Get lost." Sunstreaker rumbled over the bond, not even looking up to acknowledge his brother was there. Since Bumblebee was far too entertained with his painting to be pay attention to much else, the tiny yellow thing didn't know he was there and the pups were dead to the world. So all Sideswipe did in return was stick his tongue out at his brother through the bond before slipping away as quietly as he had appeared.
If Sunny and Bumblebee were gonna spend the orn trying to finish that mural Prowl had promised them the ability to paint then it only made sense for Sideswipe to find some entertainment for himself.
With a wicked grin he skipped off in search of the required items.
"I had a thought." Jazz strolled through the sliding doors of the main meeting room to find Prowl and Prime turning away from the monitor they had been watching. Both of them lifted an optic ridge at their flashy sliver brother that was wearing that smile of his that usually lead to trouble, and after the static-hounds both the second and first of the Autobots were kind of done with his mischief for a few decacycles at least.
"Oh?" Optimus rumbled as the shorter mech closed the distance between them and hopped up to place himself on the monitor desk between them before he went to swinging his feet back and forth as he looked at both of them.
Oh yeah.
Jazz was up to something.
Again.
"Yep." He grinned.
"And what is this thought of yours?" Prowl crossed his arms, his doorwings wiggling high behind his back. "And what are we going have to do to make it not go horribly wrong?"
"Awe Prowler," Jazz snorted. "Come on now. Have a little faith."
"The last thought you had was to bring those pups home."
"Which turned out to be a good thing!" Jazz shrugged playfully. "They love him, he loves them, Wheeljack is obsessed with them, the Dinobots think their cute, and so far nobot that hasn't had it comin' hasn't gotten bit. I'm pretty sure that marks an accomplishment."
"And that's how you're going to go on defending this to me?" Optimus snorted with a smile of his own.
"Yes." A short nod.
"Has nothing to do with your tribe or what you came from?"
"Nope." That was a lie, but no bot was going to call him on it so what did it matter? If Hide didn't have to talk about it then he didn't have to talk about it. That was the way he was going to go on thinking about it.
Even if that was hypocritical to most things he made Prowl and even Optimus do when they didn't want to talk about the past.
It was different though . . . .
Iacon and Praxus were far from the wilds of the tribelands, they always had been. And there were some things that were just better left dead behind them all. Even if their brothers knew the truths . . . for both tribal brats had told them the truth long ago . . . it just wasn't something they could easily discussed.
Not that anybot who had survived this long had a single secret hidden within that was easy to discuss. There were none left among the race of Cybertron that didn't have ghost in old hidden shadows of their sparks. Everybot had that stroll down memory lane that they were terrified to venture down.
Some more so then others.
Jazz had done enough reminiscing not many orns ago when he'd blown the shooting range apart. He was done with the whole concept for a while. The past was better left in the past.
"Alright Jazz," Optimus sighed, offering his own shrug. He would not press his friend when he knew better. There were times to press because the need to heal was there, but there were also times that it was better to step off and let bots handle themselves. Jazz was a talented trickster, and there were times he could fool everybot—even himself—and sometimes that was what needed to be allowed to happen. Even if Optimus wished the silver mech along with Ironhide would come to turns with the fact that none that they trusted gave a damn that they came from the Sea of Rust.
It didn't matter.
Not to their family.
Not hardly anywhere anymore. There were so few of any breed left . . . it just didn't really even cross many minds now. They were all just soldiers and survivors now. Nothing more, nothing less.
"What is this thought you had then?" The massive red and blue commander questioned.
"I think its pre-tribal." Jazz answered, his smile falling off as a seriousness too over the flashy mech.
Both the Prime's and the SIC's optics flashed.
"Pre-tribal?" Optimus blinked, tilting his head to the side. "What do you mean pre-tribal?"
"There is nothing pre-tribal, Jazz." Prowl said.
Jazz snorted. "Now you know as well as I do that's not true. Of course there was something before then."
"Nothing recorded." The two tone mech replied. "Nothing that we know of."
"But there was something before Cybertron fell into the chaos that ruled the tribal period. It's what the myths talk about. The ones like those that talk about the Guild. They're there just most of them have been forgotten. The tribes never cared to keep track, but the ancient languages and stories those were kept by the clan from the high crystal forest that later became the tower nobles because that tribe wasn't like the others. They'd never cared for the wars the others ragged. They studies those tales that were lost to all of us after the first fell. Right Optimus?"
"The stories tell of the ancients that came before the tribes yes. The first sons and the council after Primus went dormant. At least those are the things Sentinel taught me. The story of the first Primes and the first age of Cybertron. But there was much of it that was lost even to him and the others. Like you said, the tribes didn't really care for history. Much of it all was lost. Mainly just the old sparkling tales remain." He nodded.
"Just like the Guild." Jazz leaned back on his hand. "We all thought they were a sparkling tale. Now . . . well they ain't."
"What is your point, Jazz?" Prowl's doorwings twitched. "What does this have to do with decoding those messages?"
"It has everything to do with them." The saboteur threw his hands in the air. "That's what its written in. I figured it out. The old language. The language of the Primes. And last time I checked there is on bot left alive that knows how to read it. I can't decode what I can't read."
"Then what were you so happy about?" Prowl snapped, beyond frustrated with all of this. Those stupid messages were still coming, and they still had no idea from where, who, or why. It was starting to become the slightest bit more then annoying. "You just said you can't decode it. How is that a good thing!?"
"I can't decode it." Jazz stressed. "But the upside is at least now we know why and what it is."
"How is that better? We still don't know what it is we can't read it."
"That's the point."
"How is that the point?"
Jazz rolled his optics. "The point is none of us can read it let alone write it, and neither can Megatron."
And it was then that understanding dawned on them. Everything that had Jazz so perky made sense.
He had figured it out. They might not be able to decode it, but that also meant that Megatron couldn't write it and neither could any of the rest of his little twisted followers either. Soundwave was a very talented mech, but not even he could code what he couldn't read. That could only mean that these messages were not a game from Megatron. They were not him trying to build some trap.
And that was certainly something to be optimistic about. Even if it didn't explain who or where the messages were coming from at least now they knew it wasn't Megatron. They had enough to worry about of what the tyrant could be up too, and why he seemed so damn interested in Bumblebee.
The question was still there though.
If it wasn't the Decepticons playing with their minds in a language now proved impossible to read but small bits and pieces in the beginning. . . then what was it?
"At least that means it's likely we can rule out Megatron." Optimus nodded slowly, his thick arms cross over his chest as he ran over the list of possible reasons and bots in his head. So far there wasn't much to go on. Who could be trying to get a hold of him in a language he couldn't' read? Who would be coming home? No bot had left.
It didn't make any sense.
"I guess that is an upside." Prowl sighed. "But it does not solve the problem of we do not know what is happening."
"Oh come on, Prowler." Jazz huffed. "We haven't known what was happening in vorns."
Optimus chuckled sadly. "He has a point."
"And so do I." Prowl retorted. "I need more information then what we have to formulate any kind of response let alone defense. I do not like unknown variables, Optimus."
"I know my friend." The massive mech smile slightly, lifting a hand to rest it on his might-as-well-be brother's shoulder not letting go until the high and tight doorwings hanging behind those overstressed shoulders sagged down behind him as he let out a breath trying to relax. Not something that Prowl did all that well. "And we will figure it out. At least now Jazz knows what it is written in."
"Yes," Prowl ground out. "A language none of us can read. That is very helpful."
"Hey at least I can start trying to figure out a way to translate it now." Jazz snorted.
"How Jazz?" Prowl pressed. "How will you translate it? There is nothing for you to go on."
And that was when a comm link ping beeped into all their processors. The three mechs paused, casting a look around before—slightly hesitantly—Prime answered the linked channel ping.
"Swoop?" The mighty mech questioned.
"Hi you Prime." The slightly airy voice answered. "It me Swoop."
"Yes Swoop," Optimus had to suppress a smile at the beast mechs youngling like attitude. It sure was true that the youngest Dinobot really must have never truly grown up. "I'm aware it is you. How do you have this channel?"
"Me Swoop figured out you Autobots comm links. Him Wheeljack was takin' 'bout it. Me got curious. So me start figuring. And now me figure it out!"
"Very clever of you, Swoop." Jazz didn't hide his chuckle. He liked the flier. He was sweet in a world that had long since lost most of its kindness. They all needed a little bit more of his easy attitude. It was that attitude that let him get along so well with Bumblebee. The youngling and the beast mech had a lot in common.
"Yeah, me thought so." Swoop was giggling, though the mechs weren't sure if it was the conversation or something else.
"Swoop," Prowl spoke up. "Might I ask why you are contacting us? Just a test or do you need something?"
"Oh," The mech really was laughing now. "Me Swoop need something."
Well it wasn't often any of the Dinobots asked for anything. So what could be up?
"What do you need?" Optimus questioned.
"Well really me think it him Sideswipe that really need help." The Dinobot corrected. "Him is kinda sorta stuck to the ceiling and them Slag, Snarl, and Grimlock are trying to beat him with a pole."
And with that lovely little bit of info Prowl groaned pinching his noseplate between his fingers, while Jazz started a bout of hysterical laughter, and Optimus let out a sigh caught between both of his seconds' and thirds' reactions. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know how it was the crimson warrior had managed to get himself in the position of being stuck to the ceiling getting beat with a stick, but it was probably best that somebot got down to wherever it was he was at before Sunstreaker figured out the Dinobots were trying to beat his younger brother.
"You Prime want me Swoop to comm him Ratchet? Cuz Grimlock is going to get his sword."
Oh slag.
Uh . . . they should probably stop that.
"No, no wait Swoop don't let Grimlock get his sword!" Jazz rushed trying to rein in his laughter.
There was a snort from the flier before he asked in a very flat tone. "You Jazz really think me Swoop can keep him Grimlock from doing what he wants?"
Good point.
Swoop was the youngest and the smallest of the beast mechs, and while that made him the favorite of the brothers it also meant that yes they would do pretty much anything for him, accept listen. Because Grimlock didn't really listen to anybot when he wanted to do something.
"Swoop can you please just stall him until we get to your location? Where are you mechs by the way?" Prowl asked.
"The shooting range. Him Ironhide said we could. Well really him Wheeljack asked him Ironhide if we could and him say no and then him Ratchet threw a jackhammer at him. Him then said we could come play."
"Damn how did we miss all of this?" Jazz laughed.
"Don't encourage this." Prowl pleaded.
"I'm not." The silver mech smirked. "If I was encouraging it I would have said it over open comm. I didn't do that. But I can. Do you want me to encourage it, Prowler?"
"I'm going put you on janitor duty for a dozen decacycles."
"And now I'm gonna mute it."
"We'll be there in a klick, Swoop." Optimus ignored his officers and went back to talking to the Dinobot. "Please stall your brothers as long as you can."
"Okay. Me try. But really it him Sideswipe's fault they swinging at him. He the one that dropped out the ceiling and dumped the glitter paint all over Grimlock's head."
Damn.
Somebot really was going to have to save Sideswipe.
Well, this was probably going to end up being one of those ideas that he should have not done.
SWISH!
"Stop it!" Sideswipe hissed as he balled upward trying to get away from the swinging metal poles that were trying to bash his head in. He really hadn't meant to paint Grimlock! That wasn't part of the plan! And neither was getting tangled up in the wiring of the lights in the shooting range ceiling when he fell out of the repair shaft.
It all just kind of happened.
Which was something that happened to the crimson mech a lot . . . .
For now though Sideswipe wasn't all that worried about how his masterful plan to rig the shooting rang to rain blue glitter paint down on the next bot that flicked on the lights had gone horribly wrong. Mainly because the plan failed when he was up there in the crawl between spaces and he had somehow managed to fall through taking all his paint with him. Which just so happened to land on Grimlock of all mechs.
Sigh.
This was just not turning out to be his orn.
"Smash him Grimlock!" Slag all but sang as he danced around the form of his older brother who was currently trying to get the smaller flier that was wrapped around his torso to let go.
"You Swoop get off!" The leader of the Dinobots hissed as he paused in his swinging at the glitch that fell and dropped paint on him to look down at his youngest sibling.
Swoop was having none of it though. Clinging tightly, the slim limbed flier shook his head back and forth and forth and back as he clung. He'd told the Prime he would stall Grimlock, and being an annoyance of dead weight was really the only thing he could come up with that might save the red warrior that was dangling from the rafters.
"Get OFF!" Dark visor flashing, Grimlock dropped the pole he'd been swinging and latched onto Swoop's shoulders. Not too tightly—he didn't want to hurt the lighter built mech—and went to yanking, but Swoop was stronger than his lanky frame led to believe. And he was just as or perhaps more stubborn as his oldest sibling. So the yanking kind of turned into the massive mech spinning around a circle growling as he pulled and pushed at the other mech who just clung on tighter. Claws on both his hands and feet finding grooves in the armor that surrounded him letting him hold even tighter.
Which in turn made Grimlock all the more frustrated.
Letting out a roar the massive mech gave a pulse of warning over the sibling bond that linked them all together before the whirling of a very powerful transformation sequence started.
And Swoop decided then that it would probably be a very good idea to let go.
With a startled squeak the flier sprang away flipping through air as he started his own transformation into alt mode. By the time Grimlock roared into his other form, massive head, neck, and tail shaking then lashing as he snarled with exposed optics flashing Swoop was just about clear. His older brother's powerful jaws snapped closed, smashing jagged fangs together into empty air of the place the winged brother had just been. Because now Swoop was up and twisting through the air of the range, flapping higher and higher with a teasing squawk to his older brother who missed him.
The giant t-rex mech roared into the air over his head, jumping up off his powerful clawed feet and snapping. Very close to where Sideswipe was dangling since now the huge beast mech was pretty much as tall as the shooting range. Just shy a few handful of feet or so.
That was when Sideswipe kind of began to panic.
He might have also squealed like a sparkling when those rows of jagged fangs snapped down hardly a centimeter from his sensitive audio horns. Then he might have also went to wind milling the air trying to get some kind of way to not be hanging upside down and in very easy eating distance from the massive, not very happy at the moment, monster that was Grimlock.
"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" He pleaded as he flailed, trying to haul himself back up by the cables all over him when the mech crashed back to his feet, his brothers laughing, and Swoop circling closer for some reason. Though at the moment Sideswipe was only pay attention to the bunching of strong muscles in the beast mech's legs as he made for another jump, a dark kind of playful laugh echoing through his hugeness that was still slightly glittery with the paint that had gotten dumped on his head.
Sides went back to flailing, the fear that in his processor quite justified to him, because even if Grimlock wasn't made enough to kill him . . . probably . . . possibly . . . maybe . . . that was what Sides was hopping anyway; that didn't mean the mech wouldn't chew on him for a while though. The beast mech didn't fear Ratchet enough to not cause some serious damage for the failed prank.
And it would probably take much more than his pissed twin to save him from those sharp fangs.
So he was perfectly alright with flailing upside down and pleading for his life now.
Yep.
Fine with it.
His pride was not hurt at all.
Nope.
"I'M SORRY IT WASN'T ON PURPOSE!" And some of that panic might have been picked up by the mech that was connected to him by being the other half of who he was.
Halfway through a purple brush stroke of a space cloud Sunstreaker paused. A pulse of actual fear shooting through his spark, but it wasn't his own. Straightening from his crouch beside the wall, the mechling, and the snoring pups the big golden mech turned his focus inward trying to figure out what was bothering his twin.
What he found was a bit of stupid foolishness turning into slight panic.
Sideswipe had gone and done something to get himself in trouble again.
The golden frontliner bit back a sigh.
So far he couldn't feel any pain so that probably meant it was either yet to come or his younger brother was just over reacting. However, as often as it was that Sides' little best laid plans came back to bit him it wasn't often he let his fear of getting his aft kicked for it slide over to Sunstreaker. It probably wasn't on purpose, but if he was in a situation where he was desperate enough to let it happen that usually meant either somebot was in need of a golden fist to the face and/or Sunstreaker was going to have to go and save him from his own idiocy again.
This time the mech didn't bite back his sigh.
Because really, at this point in his life he'd come to have just accepted that his brother was a moron—he loved him despite the fact for whatever twisted trick of Primus—and that was never going to change. And Sunstreaker having to go get Sideswipes' accident prone aft out of whatever fire he'd fallen into this time was never going to change either. The golden mech told himself it was because if the glitch got himself in trouble bad enough that Ratchet, Prime, Prowl, or Hide finally just went ahead and put him out of his stupidly that he'd take the older twin with him.
But really, deep down, Sunny knew it was because he loved the glitch too much to let him get too hurt.
However, that most certainly did not mean he wouldn't let him suffer for a while. He guessed somewhere inside he was kind of hoping one orn that Sides would get smacked in the head hard enough for it to jar in some sense, but that wasn't very likely to ever happen. Which was why with a slight shake of his head the bright mech quietly placed down his paint brush drawing the attention of the tiny yellow thing that was perched beside him painting a brick of a shaded sidewalk. He had already managed to get paint pretty much all over him and that meant that it would be Sunstreaker that was going to have to go about getting the little mechling clean, but the big golden mech wasn't all that put off by the idea. They'd both been enjoying the quiet orn together working on the mural. Sunny wasn't going to get to bent out of shape about having to clean him before he went back to Hide tonight.
"Sunny?" Bee chirped, watching the much bigger mech push himself up off the floor and make a very robo-cat like stretch before he shook out his bright armor looking back down to Bumblebee. With a flash of that handsome half smile of his the big mech bent down to pluck Bee off the floor.
The little mechling gave a happy squeal to being brought up to rest against the warrior's chest, but once there he realized that he was dirty.
With a gasp he pushed back. "Sunny wait!"
The frontliner stilled by instinct, having grown use to life with a tiny youngling running about under foot and snapped his gaze back to Bumblebee with a curious tilted of his head as he stared down at the little mechling.
"What's wrong?"
"Me dirty." Bee mumbled as she tried to wiggle his way out of Sunstreaker's grip without smearing paint all over him. He knew better then to dirty Sunstreaker's finished. Only idiots did that.
However, the actions and words just got a quiet chuckle from the frontliner before his fingers curled up to tighten around Bee's wiggling until the mechling still in confusion and looked up into those dark blue optics of his.
"It's fine, Half Pint. We're both going to have to have a wash later anyway."
Bee blinked. "So . . . not care me get you dirty?"
Sunstreaker shrugged.
It was his idea to paint with the youngling, and besides it was hard to get mad let alone stay mad at Bumblebee. So what was the point? He'd just go save his stupid brother and then he'd take himself and the Half Pint down for a good scrubbing.
"It's fine." He repeated as he gathered their supplies and tossed them into subspace, the movements waking the snoring pups who looked up at him in confusion before they noticed where their master was and hopped quickly to their paws to begin milling around the frontliner's feet waiting to follow wherever it was they would go next.
Sunstreaker would never admit it, but the pair of pups were kind of starting to grow on him. It was reassuring to watch the way they were looking after Bee. Especially the larger mech pup. Scout was most certainly a dominant personality compared to the much more laid back and easy Echo. It was no secret that as the pups grew alongside the mechling the bond that had already been forged between them was only going to bloom and grow until it would be nothing in the world for the hounds to do anything and everything at Bumblebee's side. They would be his until their dying orn and they would protect each other as was the way of a pack.
For the mechs that lived with that consent fear in the pit of their tanks about just how much of the world was out to get their precious little mechling it was something of a relief to see how much he meant to those sharp fanged and clawed creatures. Scout was always looking out for Bumblebee, even from his own family. The other orn Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had been sparring in the shooting range when Bluestreak—who had had Bee and the pups that orn—had come in to show the mechling the basics of sharp shooting. Somehow throughout the events of soldiers at play Bee had ended up where he shouldn't have been and almost got a battle axe dropped on his tiny head. If it hadn't of been for Scout's quick feet he would have too.
It were those little things that were starting to prove that maybe Jazz hadn't lost his damn mind when he brought the pups home. Maybe they weren't such a bad idea after all.
For even after Scout snatched him up and out of harm's way and the caretakers around him had noticed what almost happened the dark black pup has hissed and swiped at all of them from where he'd hidden himself, his sister, and his new brother under one of the range tables refusing to let any of them near him or even Bee out when he went to trying to do so until Optimus and Ironhide came to fetch him.
Only for the guardian and the Prime would Scout release his hold on the mechling's scruff bar and only to them would he let the little youngling go for the rest of the night as he spent it circling, and hissing, and biting, and clawing anybot that got too close. A rather upset Bluestreak and twins had had to deal with the guilt and the glares the mech pup shot their way for a good many joor until Bumblebee and Echo finally seemed to have somehow convinced Scout that the mechs weren't purposely trying to offline Bee.
It wasn't really a bad thing though that the mechling had a new body guard.
Because those pups were going to grow, from what Jazz was saying a lot, and they were growing to grow fast. Much faster than Bumblebee was going too, and before too long the Autobots were going to have two very large and very dangerous new resources who's whole worlds were going to revolve around the youngling.
So far, nobot was really finding much reason to complain about that.
With a snort at the idea of the trouble they were going to cause as they grew though, Sunstreaker was halfway through done throwing things in subspace when a rather devious little laugh stopped him and he looked down just in time to watch Bee smack his currently very grey paint covered palm right down in the center of Sunstreaker's chest.
And all the warrior could do was blink in shock.
Giggling like mad Bumblebee spread his dirty fingers and smacked them against Sunstreaker's armor again before turning his big baby blue orbs up to smile at his large older brother. "Said could get dirty." And then he went back to smacking paint hand prints all over the mech's chest while Sunstreaker fought back the twitch that had settled into his left optic.
This might be a longer orn then expected.
Sideswipe was going to be a life size Dinobot chew toy in three, two, on—HOLY FRAGGIN' PRIMUS!
What had been his very up close and personal meet and great with Grimlock's fangs had suddenly become the crimson mech hanging from Swoop's talons as the flier latched hold of his dangling form and yanked him up out of reach with a playful squeak. Gasping in shock with the sudden vertigo that came with changing position so swiftly Sideswipe might have slightly begun wind milling again as he found himself still very much wrapped up in electric wiring only now he had the pterodactyl's talons trying to hold on without causing pain to his thick shoulder armor while the flier cackled overhead to his snarling and glitter covered oldest brother and at that point Snarl and Slag were rolling over each other laughing.
"YOU SWOOP PUT HIM GLITCH BACK!" Grimlock roared, but that only made Swoop twitter in amusement.
"Me Swoop can't." He replied as he flapped lightly, hovering in mid-air with a flailing Lamborghini in his grip.
"YOU SWOOP DO AS ME GRIMLOCK SAY!"
"Swoop!" Sideswipe pleaded over the larger mech's roaring, looking up to the youngest Dinobot that may or may not might just have—for some unknown reason—saved his life. "Mech, I'll get you anything you want. Highgrade, medical tools, anything just please don't let him eat me!"
There were tons of ways Sideswipe figured it was highly likely he was going to die, but getting gnawed in half by Grimlock was not the one he really wanted to go out to. His preferred option was showy ball of fire. Blaze of glory and all that.
Not that he was ever going to tell Ratchet that.
That would be a very bad idea.
When the flier started laughing at him it was slightly confusing though. Those bright red, open and curious optics flashing with amusement. "Him Grimlock not eat you—"
"OH YES WILL!"
"Him just wanna chew on you for while. Maybe pull few arms or legs off. Nothing very much bad though." Swoop finished cheerfully ignoring Grimlock and all his ragging and the slight look of confused horror that may or may not have taken over Sideswipe's faceplate. "Not worry though. Him Prime said not let him Grimlock chew on you Sideswipe. So me Swoop save until him Prime get here."
Well . . . thank Primus for small miracles . . . he guessed.
Still doing his absolute best to ignore the playful twittering of the youngling that was still finding it to be a needed action to massacre his ever thinning patience Sunstreaker stalked down the hall. However, that was proving a bit easier said than done because Bumblebee deemed it his new favorite past time to swirl his still sticky paint covered hands all over the golden mech's finally polished chest.
And if Sunstreaker were not the amazing big brother that he was he would have been throwing quite the fit about it by now.
However, he was the greatest brother in the history of brothers—in his totally and completely bias opinion—and for now he was ignoring the twitching that had come to life in his left optic and the feel of the slowly drying paint that was messing with his nanites. Because it was making Bumblebee happy. So he could put up with it.
At least he was pretty sure he could put up with it.
The little mechling then dug his tiny fingers into a groove in the warrior's chest and poked the sticky fingers into his protoform.
His optic twitched.
Maybe not.
Turning another corner, the last one before the shooting range, the golden mech's attention was taken by the noise of what sounded like a rather pissed off Grimlock and a laughing Swoop, and that might have also been the sound of his twin caught somewhere been laughing and crying. Once again Sunstreaker bit back a sigh. Because if he didn't it was going to turn into a growl.
And he'd been having such a quiet orn.
With a roll of his optics he quickened his steps a little for it was then that Bumblebee and the pups seemed to notice the sounds as well. The youngling's antennas perked up as he twisted from smearing his sticky fingers trying to figure out what it was he was hearing while Scout let out a rather annoyed scoff from his places beside Sunstreaker's feet while Echo just shook her head and padded on. He was fully expecting the curious tilted of Bee's head before he turned those big optics back up at him in question, and the frontliner was about to tell him that it was nothing more than his idiotic brother before a few mechs turned the corner at the other end of the hall and Sunstreaker found himself looking at the rather surprised faceplates of the massive red and blue commander, the black and white SIC, and the silver master saboteur. All of whom sort of stopped dead as they turned the corner and just stared at the sight of a less than perfect form of Sunstreaker who glared back at them in return. With a snarl of a huff he strolled the last few yards between himself and the door behind which all the chaos could be heard and growled out as the optics before him rested on the paint covered youngling and the very youngling sized hand prints that had come to life all over the normally pristine kept mech's chest.
"Not a damn word."
And with that he swung to the left, slammed a foot into the door, and kicked it open only to come a stop only able to stare alongside the Prime, the SIC, and the master saboteur at the utter disaster that was the shooting range with the massive form of Grimlock spinning around in a circle snapping and roaring like a rather scary turbo-hound chasing its tail. Only that the of his tail he was chasing was a bright crimson frontliner caught somewhere between hysterical laughter and tears. Swoop was dive-bombing his oldest brother clawing and peaking at him and Slag along with Snarl at that point where rolling around on the floor laughing so hard they were no longer making a sound . . . and possibly weren't breathing.
It was to that sight that the four mechs, the little yellow youngling, and the two rather confused looking pups just kind of stood there and stared at them all for what had to be at least ten or more klicks before any in the room even realized they were there. And that only happened when Grimlock's fangs snapped down just behind Sides' flailing feet and while the red mech was looking back and screaming when he caught a glimpse of his brother.
He figured then would be a pretty could time to start pleading for his life again.
"SUNNY! HELP!"
However, Sunstreaker just stood there blinking rather blankly for a few more nanos. He seemed perfectly content to just stand there holding a mechling that was beginning to vibrate with laughter against his chest. Though the simple truth of the matter was, it didn't really matter what Sideswipe had done now to deserve the King of the Dinobots wrath. If the massive mech chewed his brother in half that would make Sunstreaker's life very complicated.
Because he'd die.
So with a heavy sigh the frontliner let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a snarl before he pulled a still laughing Bumblebee away from his chest.
"Hold this." He muttered under his breath before dropping the mechling in the hurriedly stretched out palm of the Prime before he turned back to the whirling, roaring, pleading, and laughing center of the room with an even louder snarl. "SIDESWIPE YOU ARE SO FRAGGIN' DEAD!"
He might have, kinda, dropped his weight forward and bull rushed Grimlock then. Though who he was adamant on offlining when he slammed his whole weight into the off balanced weight of Grimlock's leg sending every one of them crashing and rolling across the shooting range, it really wasn't clear.
"Idiots. Surrounded by idiots." Bumblebee bit back his giggle while Scout glared over his shoulder as he kept Bee safely between his outstretched front paws, with his much larger head resting on the little mechling's shoulder. Those glittering black optics of his were narrow and not the slightest bit amused as he stared across the bay to the argument and smacking that was going on between the CMO and the latest group he had deemed too stupid to not have some sense beat into them.
It was safe to say that Ratchet had not been the slightest bit please when Prowl called him on the comm a few klicks ago and asked him in a very dry and tired tone that if he wanted Grimlock and the twins to live to see another sunrise he should probably come and save them from each other or leaking out.
Ratchet had taken a surprisingly long time . . . .
But he did get down there to help Optimus, Jazz, the called for help Wheeljack and Sludge who had been in the lab, and eventually even Ironhide because Grimlock was covered in glitter and, well, he wasn't really happy about it.
It all turned out okay though. However, there was sort of a crowd in the medical bay now. Which was why Bee was even there, tucked safely between his pups, watching the big bots across the room bicker and snap at each other while Ratchet went about trying to fix the group of 'foolish glitches' as he kept calling them.
The whole process seemed to annoy Scout. Bee new very well that the larger pup didn't like the medical bay to begin with because of all that had happened there when he and Echo first came to this crazy place Bee called home. He was working on making Scout not hate it so much, but with Scout things were very set in stone once he formed an opinion of it. Echo was the exact opposite. She was far more laid back then her brother. Which was probably why the little femme pup was perched on the side of the berth beside them, her huge audios tilted forward and her big black optics fully focused on the stuff that was going on across the room.
Every once and a while she'd flick an audio back at Bee and ask a question about this that and the other, and most of them Bee could answer. Ratchet might not believe it but he did listen when the medic talked . . . most of the time.
"Them not so bad, Scout." Bee argued, leaning back against the mech pup's chest and snuggling in.
Scout just snorted, his audios—which were pinned back to his head—twitching down to lay flatter as he contemplated just biting them all and taking Bee elsewhere. If Echo would back him up the pup would. However, his sister wasn't going to do that and he couldn't leave her there by herself so unfortunately that option was out.
He huffed about that only to have Echo's tail smack him across the flank. "Him right. Lighten up."
"You lighten up." He snapped back.
"Me not need to."
"Me not care!"
"Me think both you need just hush." Bee snapped, glaring between the two siblings now halfway to growling at each other. If they started that the whole chaos across the room was going to come to a screeching halt and all attention would be on him.
He really didn't want that. Because then he'd have to figure out a way to explain the fact that he could talk to his pups. Which was something he was beginning to figure out wasn't normal. He'd always wondered about it when he had Risk, but it wasn't until now that he was a bit older and able pay a bit more attention that he realized his whole family treated the pups as if they couldn't think for themselves let alone know what was going on around them. And it wasn't that they thought they were stupid it was that they just didn't know any different. They were treating them like scrap rats and glitch mice that didn't have sparks capable of doing such things as bots.
They were wrong though.
Scout and Echo had sparks just like the rest of his family, and he could talk to them just the same—if not easier—then he could to everybot else. He'd yet to figure out how to make all of them understand that though.
"AND YOU!" It was in that point of the conversation that the rather loud and more than a bit annoyed medic swung on Sunstreaker. Who may or may not have been sulking in the corner with a dent in his side and shoulder. He could have and should have come out of Grimlock falling on him much worse than that, but sometimes that insane amount of luck that seemed to just ooze from Sideswipe translated over into his brother every now and again. At least that was how Sunstreaker was defending it this time. "JUST WHAT THE PIT WERE YOU THINKING?!"
Sunny just shrugged.
Ratchet snarled. "Sunstreaker."
"Somebot had to save the fool."
"So you tackled Grimlock!?"
"It worked ou—OWW DAMN YOU!" Well now he had one more dent to be pissy about.
"Get your shiny, stupid, glitched, troublesome aft out of my medical bay!"
"But what about the dents!?"
"I said GET OUT!" Sunny actually ducked that screwdriver coming for his head as he bolted across the room which was more than could be said for Grimlock when he started laughing. Ratchet somehow managed to smack the massive mech and chunk another something at Sunstreaker at the same time while he kept yelling. "AND TAKE THAT LITTLE MESS WITH YOU AND CLEAN HIM THE FRAG UP!"
Bumblebee's high pitch giggle was cut off by a spray of cleanser to his faceplate that left him sputtering and laughing since Sunstreaker only kept it there for half a nano before pulling it away again replacing it with a nuzzle as he balanced the squirming mess of protoform against his neck while he cleaned himself and Bumblebee. Sunstreaker was not going through the process of having to try and wash Bee and then keep the little troublemaker busy while he washed himself so the easiest solution was to wash him while he washed himself. Which meant that he was now standing in the last cubical in the row of washracks with two pups bouncing around his feet purring a sound that almost sounded like laughter as they played in the bubbles and cleanser that was raining down around them as they splashed around.
When he first carried the mechling into the cubical he—lightly—kicked the two annoying shadows out, but it only took one rather heated glare from Bee before the massive warrior sighed and just cracked open the door again to let them in. They weren't proving to be too annoying, not that he was every going to admit that he kind of thought they were cute though.
For now he was too busy nuzzling into Bumblebee's tiny form covered in bubbles with a purr. A purr that Bee echoed as he snickered and nuzzled back into the thick cables of the warrior's neck before sneaking out little grasping fingers to snatch the scrubby cloth from Sunstreaker. Clutching it to him Bee scrubbed it all over his bubble covered self and then took his shared bubbles and proceeded to smear them all over Sunny's faceplate.
With a snort the golden mech pulled back with a chuckle of his own, blowing off the bubbles as he rolled his optics.
"Knock it off." He rumbled playfully, flicking him between his big baby blue optics. All that got him was another splash of the bubble covered rag to the middle of his faceplate. With a fake growl he snatched it back and popped the mechling atop the head with it. He went to laughing again as he buried himself back into the softer cabling of the mech's throat.
Sunstreaker just shook his head with a small laugh as he went back to trying to get all the paint off him and Bee while Bumblebee seemed far more interested in burrowing into Sunstreaker, or throwing more bubbles at both the warrior and pups that were running around the slick floor.
"We gonna finish painting, Sunny?" Bee chirped as he wiggling against the mech's neck.
"Yeah Half Pint," He answered. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Wanna." Bee bounced.
"Alright, alright. I've got shift tomorrow morning, but after that I'm all yours. That is if Ratchet hasn't killed the moron that I call a twin brother and I go with him by then."
Bee snickered again and pressed himself closer to his big golden brother. "Me save him Sideswipe from Ratchet." He promised making Sunstreaker snort out a chuckle. "Just so we can finish picture though."
At that Sunny threw his head back laughing.
Primus he loved this little pest.
"Gah, why the frag—I hate it!" Tossing the data pad across the bay Jazz flung himself back onto the medical berth behind him and fumed to the wall. Something that made the gathered Dinobots, the red twin, and the medic glance up in confusion while Prime and Prowl just sighed.
"Him Jazz hate datapads?" Swoop questioned as he plucked up the thing Jazz had thrown from where it landed next to him.
"No Swoop," Jazz huffed as he pouted with his arms crossed over his chest. "I hate what is on the datapad."
"Still can't make it out, huh?" Ratchet mumbled as he welded Sideswipe's shoulder armor back together. The red mech was doing more fidgeting under the poking then he was sitting still so the medic was doing more smacking upside the audio horns then he was doing fixing.
It was a vicious cycle.
"No." Jazz seethed. "How am I supposed to translate something I can't read?"
"That's why you're the best hacker in the universe, Jazz." Sides offered.
Said best hacker in the universe only glared.
So Sides tried for a reassuring grin. "You'll figure it out, mech."
"Yeah," The saboteur snorted. "After it drives me glitchy."
"Well you were already glitchy so . . . ." Crimson shoulders shrugged only to get smacked upside the head. "OWW!"
"Stop moving that damn shoulder!" Ratchet hissed at him. "How am I supposed to fix your stupid aft when you keep undoing the welds!?"
"You're the one that keeps hitting me!" Sides barked.
And the argument went on again like it always did when the CMO was pissed about the red twin hurting himself stupidly again, but by that point one mech in the medical bay was no longer paying any of them any more attention. Bright red optics focused and narrowed on the data pad between his long thin claws. Swoop titled his head back and forth to the contraption before figuring out how to slide a digit across the surface to get it to unlock. When it lit up the flier let out a quiet, happy sound and a wide grin drawing the much larger form of Sludge—who was leaning on the berth beside his little brother—to lean over and focus in on the screen too.
The two beast mechs drew no other attention though as the two leaned together and stared down at the strange twisting and spiraling glyphs on the screen. For a long moment Sludge just stared unsure of what he was looking at, but Swoop, just one glance to his little brother and Sludge knew that Swoop knew what he was looking at.
The larger mech let out a soft pulse to get the younger mech's attention but Swoop just clicked softly and tilted his head the other way, his optics scanning over the screen in rapid movements.
He . . . knew . . . what some of it said . . . .
"You Swoop okay?" Sludge questioned over their sibling bond, drawing the attention of his other three brothers who quickly looked up from where they'd been watching Ratchet and Sideswipe snarl insults at each other and not really meaning a word of it. All three sets of dark red optics settled onto their youngest sibling with confusion and mild concern. No petty bickering between any of them like what had happened with Swoop trying to do as the Prime told him and keep the red mech that amused them all in one piece after he slagged off Grimlock was going to change the protectiveness the older four felt for the youngest and the smallest.
"What wrong with you Swoop?" Grimlock pulsed in question when the smaller mech didn't answer Sludge.
Pulling the data pad closer to his faceplate Swoop answered without really paying much attention. "Me Swoop fine."
"Then what doin'?" Slag huffed.
At that Swoop glanced up to the four sets of optics that were watching him. "Me know what some it says."
All that got him was a round of blinks before Grimlock mumbled out loud. "Really?"
That drew the attention of all the mechs in the room who thought the big beast mech was questioning the medic's threat of melting the red frontliner down and turning him into a table.
"What?" Ratchet asked.
Casting his visor covered gaze that way Grimlock snorted. "Not you Ratchet." And then turned his focus back to Swoop. Who was still pretty much ignoring them all as he looked over the symbols. Some of which were making sense in his processor.
"Some it." Swoop answered his brother as he twisted the data pad to the side and then the other so that the symbols would turn and he could get a better look at them. It might not make sense to others, but what little reading Swoop had learned somewhere had never been all that standard. After all, mechs like them who couldn't remember who they were or what they came from, didn't question the few things they could grasp hold of and remember. For Swoop that was some things he could read. He didn't know why or how, but over the vorns the brothers had come across cave paintings and such in their wondering and some of the strange glyphs and symbols painted on the walls that had been left behind there by the ancients.
And Swoop could read some of them.
None of them understood it. It was just something that was.
However, none of the Autobots knew that, or really knew what was going on. All they saw was the flier tilting himself and the data pad Jazz had thrown back and forth as if he could make some sense out of it out?
Jazz's visor flashed before he flung himself off the berth he'd sat on and practically flew across the room so fast he startled the much larger form of Sludge so much he almost fell back over the berth. Swoop hardly even looked up though as the smaller silver mech yanked himself up onto the berth beside the flier staring in something that looked like excitement, mixed with hopefulness, mixed with the dread of not wanting to get hopes up too high.
"Swoop?" The silver mech questioned, making the flier blink up and realize that he was suddenly sitting beside him. Tilting his much larger head the flier stared down at him in question.
"What you Jazz want?"
Jazz shuffled closer as the other mechs did so as well. "Can . . . ." Damn he was terrified to get his hopes up. "Can you read that?"
Swoop blinked before it accrued to him that Jazz couldn't and didn't know that there were some things like this that the youngest Dinobot could read. Oh. Well. He should probably fix that.
"Some it." He replied, and it looked like Jazz might fall faceplate first to the floor. So Swoop flung out a clawed hand to steady the mech as he stared dumbly for a moment before with a snarl he smacked himself rather hard above his visor.
The beast mech startled, but didn't let go.
"Really?" Optimus breathed out walking closer to the flier as Prowl did the same, Ratchet stopping lecturing Sideswipe, and Sides sitting up straight on the berth he sat on while the other Dinobots stared.
Swoop just nodded, looking back to the data pad.
"Primus I'm a glitch." Jazz seethed, half to himself half out loud.
Why!?
Why!?
Why hadn't he stopped to consider for a moment that the mechs that were from the time period this stupid text was written in might know something about how to read it!?
"Swoop," Jazz spun on the flier making him lean back slightly to take him in. "What can you read of it? What does it say?"
Turning back down to the data pad Swoop lifted a claw and pointed out a few symbols. "Not all of it me Swoop understand. Just small bits. This one, this one here, it mean home one before it not really translate to us speak but it mean close to on way." He drug his claw down the sprawling text. "This one mean found and this mean lost, but me can't figure out what found and what lost. Don't know what that symbol mean. But think means bringing back what was found that was lost. Then rest of it me not really know. Might figure out if looked more, but hard to read. Very fancy talk."
Jazz was nodding along to what the flier was saying, the mech having figure out way more then what Jazz had been able too. Everything he was saying was pretty much going along with that first message they'd gotten what seemed like so long ago.
Scooting forward again Jazz lifted a silver claw and pointed to the bottom of the screen. "What about this, Swoop? Do you know who signed it?"
Because there was a designation sighed at the bottom of the screen, whoever wrote it having wanted to be known, only they couldn't figure out how to read it to find out who that bot might be. He watched through wide hopeful optics making his visor shine extra bright as the beast mech tilted his crested head and looked hard at the twisting symbol at the bottom of the screen.
The flier hummed thoughtfully for a long few klicks, ignoring all those that had suddenly seemed to swarm around him as he gazed down at the screen before he huffed slightly.
"It not go over into us speak well." He mumbled.
"But you know what it says?" Jazz pressed.
Swoop nodded. "Mostly. It mean . . . ." The tri colored flier glanced around trying to figure out the word he needed to make the others understand what he was reading. He just didn't really know how. "It mean . . . not real?"
It was a question by the end of it and Optimus, Jazz, Prowl, Ratchet, and Sideswipe glanced at each other in confusion before looking back to the youngest of the five Dinobots.
"Not real?" Sideswipe titled his head.
"Like that." Swoop sighed. "But not it."
"I'm sorry Swoop we don't understand." Prowl said softly. "Can you try again?"
Letting out a huff at not being able to get what he wanted across Swoop growled under his breath for a few klicks, thinking it over hard trying to rack his processor for something that would make the other mechs understand what he was trying to say.
"Umm," He started again. "It mean like . . . oh what word . . . uh . . . illusion. Yeah. It mean like illusion."
"Illusion?" Jazz repeated.
Swoop nodded swiftly. "Yeah. Illusion. That not what it is, but it close."
"Illusion." Prowl looked between the other mechs. "What could—"
And suddenly the whole room came to a screeching halt.
Optimus' optics cycled wide, Jazz went ram rod straight, Sideswipe gasped, Prowl's doorwings flared up high behind him, and Ratchet just went still. All of them though stared at the flier who looked back at them the same single thought flying between them all, and yet all of them unable to utter the single word. Too afraid as to being wrong, or . . . of maybe not being wrong.
That is until Jazz swallowed down the lump in his throat and whispered out. "Swoop . . . is it . . . does it . . . does it say Mirage?"
The flier's optics flashed in excitement. "Yeah! That it! It says Mirage!"
Well now, how's that for a cliff for ya?
Hee-hee.
Oh it gets even more fun from here.
So come on guys tell me what you thought. I want to know who thought they were right and who thinks they know what's gonna happen next. So leave me a review please. You all know how much I love you for them!
-Jaycee