Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Just the plot and OCs.
It's been too long you wonderful readers. I'm sorry.
But have a chapter. Because you people deserve it.
Chapter 32
Something was banging rather loudly on something else that sounded suspiciously like their door, but considering it was still the wee breams of morning Ironhide was pretty sure he was going to murder whatever it was that was making that Primus damn noise.
With a groan and a growl the massive ebony mech twisted to look over his shoulder, blinking his optics to clear the recharge from them all without letting go of the waking femme and youngling that were wrapped in his arms, to glare at the door across the room.
"Hide?" Mia mumbled tiredly as Bee shifted, rolled, wiggled, whined once and then burrowed back into the warmth of the femme's plating. "What is it?"
"Somebot with a death wish." The weapons specialist rumbled as another round of heavy knocking came followed by a voice that there was no mistaking.
"Hey! You Ironhide! Is you and her Mia and him Itty Bitty awake yet?"
Ironhide groaned again only to glance back from the door when Bee popped up right, suddenly wide awake, with a curious look on his faceplate.
"Swoop?" He chirped as the knocking started up again.
"Swoop it's before fraggin' dawn! Go back to your damn berth!" Ironhide yelled scooping up the wiggling youngling and pulling him back between him and his mate from where he had started clambering up the thick plating of the mech's chest. The pups curled at the end of the berth stirred. Echo lifting her slim head while Scout snarled as he burrowed his own thicker head into the sides of Chromia's legs pulling his front paws over his audios as he did.
"You Ironhide awake?" Swoop's cheery and far too awake voice called from behind the door.
"No!" Hide hissed. "Go away."
"If not awake then how me Swoop talking to you?"
Chromia couldn't help but laugh lightly while Bee started giggling as well. Ironhide shoved them both back into their pillows, wrapping them back up in his thick arms, and huffing toward the door.
"Go back to your fraggin' berth you over grown flying techno-lizard!"
"But me Swoop need him Itty Bitty."
Bee popped back up despite the heavy hand trying to keep him down. "Need me?"
"What the pit do you need him for before dawn!?"
That was followed by a twitter of laughter that should not have come out of a mech Swoop's size, and yet it did. "It's surprise. But need him Itty Bitty's help."
"Me wanna help." Bee bounced on the squishy surface of the mates' pillows, grinning up at the tired faceplate of his powerful sire. A sire that glared back at him and poked him back down to his pillow.
"No." He huffed, plopping back down himself. That tactic didn't work out all that well for all that long though. For denying Bumblebee something he wanted?
Ha.
Yeah right.
Might as well try and color the sun blue.
Which was why the tiny yellow ball of protoform slipped right on up through Ironhide's fingers and scampered up his arm only to have a loud, gruff rumble echo through the plating before he was snapped up again and brought around to the narrow optics of his guardian.
"Mechling," Ironhide warned, but Swoop cut him off.
"Me Swoop promises it not bad. It a surprise and me Swoop need his help! Him Wheeljack said me Swoop could ask. Nothing gonna happen. Him just sorta be there. Me need him Itty Bitty's input. Please! Please, please, please!"
"Please, please, please!" Bee joined the chant while he wiggled around in Ironhide's grip making Chromia laugh while she reached out to snatch the mechling from her mate.
"Hey!" Hide snapped, but Mia waved him off and carried the mechling to the door hearing the sounds of the pups jumping off the berth and trialing after her yawning. Keying in the code she watched the door swish away to the grinning faceplate of the youngest ancient.
Those bright red optics shimmered when they met the baby blue ones that belonged to the little yellow creature that had his arms stuck out in front of him grasping at open air with wiggling fingers for the flier to take him while his pups padded out of the room and wondered around Swoop's feet. Mia went right on smiling at the antics—ignoring the growling going on behind her—handing over the mechling to the careful, slim claws on the Dinobot who was about to tuck him into the crook of his arm when Bee let out a squeak.
Swoop stilled, instantly afraid he might have hurt him somehow—the sound drawing Hide off the berth—but Bee only twisted back just enough to lean back. Swoop kept inching forward with his hands unsure of what the mechling was doing until he had the tiny yellow form right before Mia's faceplate. That was when Bumblebee bent forward and pecked a kiss onto Chromia's cheek winning him a purr, a pulse of undying love, and a kiss between his antennas in return.
Pulling back with a fit of giggles that was not in any way interrupted when he smacked his palm to his lips than pulled it back down and blew a kiss Hide's way as the mech stopped at Mia's shoulder. The powerful warrior smiled back at him before his optics cut to the Dinobot and the expression hardened.
"Just what the pit do you need him for anyway?"
Once he had Bumblebee safely tucked to his chest where the little mech went to running his fingers along the grooves in his old armor the flier answered him. "It surprise."
"Yes," The ebony mech rolled his optics. "So you yelled through the door, but what do you want him for?"
"Input." Swoop countered.
The Weapons Specialists narrowed his optics. "You're not going to tell me are you?"
Swoop shook his helm with a grin, than whirled around and went off down the hall at a prance that the pups had to bound to keep up with and made Bumblebee fall into another fit of giggles. "Me Swoop have him back before dinner, and me Swoop make sure he fed rest of orn. See you later!"
The pair of creators leaned out the doorway to their room watching the Dinobot prance away with the thing both of them held so dear in their spark. With a heavy sigh Ironhide leaned against the door, keeping his optics on the funny group two half in recharge pups, a mech out of his time, and the last youngling on their planet made as they turned the corner down the hall and disappeared. It was then that Mia's hand laid against his arm drawing his deep optics back to her.
"What's the harm of him playing with Swoop? The Dinobots have already proven they'd look after him."
The thick armored mech snorted, looking away for a moment but there was no hiding anything from a sparkmate and eventually he let out a defeated sigh. "After last night I just wanted to keep him close this morning. He's too clever for his own slaggin' good. I just want him to stay a youngling as long as he possibly can."
The blue femme leaned into the larger mech's side. Tucking herself into his plating in a way only one who had been for a long, long time really could. Resting her head against the powerful mass that was his chest she linked their fingers together and squeezed.
"You cannot change the pit that is going on around him, Hide."
"No." He agreed. "But I can beat it back with a hammer for as long as I possibly can. He's the only real light any of us have left. You know that. I can't let that dim. I can't, Mia."
"You don't have too." She squeezed their linked fingers just a bit harder. "Protect him, Hide. Protect him like we all will, but we can't keep him locked in this room forever."
"I can't lose him." Hide whispered.
"He's not going anywhere, Hide." She promised him, before a mischievous gleam came to life in her optics. "When do you have shift this orn?"
"Not until fourth shift." He said, looking down at her slightly confused by the quick change of direction in the conversation until she saw that gleam. That look he knew very well.
"Well than," She purred, trailing a finger up the middle of the mech's chest before she stepped away with a grin over her shoulder as she swayed to the berth. A smirk danced up Hide's lips as he turned, locked the door behind him, and followed after his mate.
"So what is we doin'?" Bee asked from his perch around the back of the Dinobot's neck as they pranced down to the Dinobot's bay.
"We is gonna make awesome thing me Swoop saw on interstellar thing him Wheeljack was messing with other orn." Was the answer from the cheery Dinobot who while he spoke pulled a cube—a relatively large one compared to what Bee was use too—of energon out of subspace and brought it up to hold it before him. The mechling just squinted at him though, leaning around the side of his head to peer down at the bright red optics.
The cube was bigger than him. Just how did Swoop expect him to take that?
The look and the pause seemed to confusion the Dinobot making him pause in the hallway to twist a bit more to gaze back at the mechling.
"Him Itty Bitty not hungry?"
Bee smirked. "That bigger than me."
It seemed to accrue to the large mech than and he pulled the cube back down with a soft "Oh," He then shrugged, tossed the cube back into subspace, and went back to prancing toward his quarters. "Me Swoop get you smaller thing once get there. Okay?"
"Whatever," Bee shrugged as well with the funny motion of moving with the mech's shoulder. He didn't mind. He was along for the ride. Wherever the ride was going to take him this orn.
And the ride took him straight to the Dinobot's hanger and all of the rowdiness it entailed. When Swoop breezed into the huge open space he had to all but flap out of the way when Slag and Snarl went pretty much somersaulting by the door, locked together in a snarling play fight that had them crashing into the other wall.
The sudden blur of movement startled both pups enough that Echo yelped and leapt back behind Swoop's legs but Scout bristled, flaring his sharp plating letting out a hiss that resonated a pitch that had everybot in the room stopping and clutching their audios.
"Fraggin' make little black thing stop!" Sludge whined, if the sound akin to thunder rumbling could be compared to whining, shaking his head back and forth at the sudden sound.
Considering Bee wasn't too happy about the sound either it wasn't half a nano before he clamped down on the bond that linked him and the mech pup and gave it a harsh yank to express just how much that sound hurt. Scout cut off in an abrupt grumble of sound, swinging back around to look apologetically up at the little mech. Bee huffed at him, antennas and wing appendages pinned back. The look was gone rather quickly though. It was hard to stay mad at a pouting pup.
It was even harder to stay mad when he turned and found a room full of some of his favorite bots.
"Hey bots!" He grinned while waving wildly to the room. The collection of massive creatures that were arranged around the room in various shades of boredom perked up at the sight of what the youngest of them had brought home. Grimlock had been lounged back in his berth tracing the lines of tiles on the ceiling. The eldest brother had been bored yes, but content in listening to the sounds of his brother's just be around him. That and Scorn had been propped up against his bent at the knees legs using him as a chair of sorts while she typed at a datapad Wheeljack gave her. The tri colored mech was trying to get some information out of her about the Ring she had been in and all she could remember about how she got there, but since Scorn wasn't all that keen on talking about it they found it was easier for her to type it in short burst than have to try and explain it all at one time.
So that was what she was doing this morning between using Grimlock's wide knees as a pillow and watching Sludge mess around with the giant metal ring thing him and Swoop were working on. As normal Slag and Snarl had been competing in something, this time it had been the Dueling Cards Wheeljack made them that could fit in their massive hands. However, as per normal with those too it turned into a friendly round of trying to knock the slag out of each other.
In the middle of ignoring all of that the femme ancient and the king ancient failed to notice the youngest of them slip from the room. Though he was back now and he'd brought that tiny bundle of adorableness with him.
So Grimlock figured he couldn't scold his youngest brother for skipping out without mentioning it this time. Not when that beaming smile was shot his way and grabby hands were made for him as he heaved his mass up and across the room to pluck the tiny creature from his brother's claws and bring him up before his visor—resting in his upturned palm—while the mechling giggled, latched onto his noseplate, and squeezed tightly. It really was—besides his fingers—the only part of the massive mech the youngling stood a chance of having any real kind of decent grip on. It was an odd hug sure, but Grimlock wasn't complaining.
"What Itty Bitty doing down here so early?" The King rumbled after Bee let go and he was allowed to pull the little mech forward so that he could actually look at him.
"Swoop came to get me." He explained. Though that did little to really answer Grimlock's question so as Scorn plucked the mechling from his hand and went about snuggling herself Grim settled his focus onto his grinning brother while the pups wound about the gigantic feet of the circle of ancients.
"Why you Swoop go to get him Itty Bitty?" He asked.
"Remember? Him Wheeljack said could."
"Me Grimlock not say could." The larger mech pointed out with an optic ridge raised over his visor. To that the youngest Dinobot wilted a little. He didn't stay that way long though because Scorn slapped Grimlock over the back of his helm with a harsh grunt.
"Oh you Grimlock get over yourself," She rolled her optics, ignoring the snarl from the larger mech and the laughter that went up from the others while she took the giggling mechling over to the mess of tools and parts that Sludge and Swoop were constructing into whatever it was they were trying to do. The two mechs trailed after her looking more like happy puppies than the two black static-hound pups that actually were.
"You Scorn not boss around here." Grimlock growled to her retreating back, but the smile that was thrown over her should made it hard for the large mech to stay snarling at her. This was already becoming something of a problem for the King.
Well, not really a problem but . . . it was interesting to say the least. He'd never truly had a bot around him that questioned his orders or thoughts that he didn't want to bash into a wall because of it.
It certainly was different.
But an okay kind of different.
At least so far it was.
So with a huff and a roll of his optics behind his dark visor Grimlock trailed over after them all. He couldn't help it. The youngling's laughter was infectious, Scorn was rather hard to deny when she smirked like that, and Swoop was his youngest brother—besides the Itty Bitty—it was hard to tell him no too. And being that it was still far too early in the morning to give a slag about much of anything right now.
He might as well humor them.
"What is this?" Bumblebee beeped in Scorn's hand when the huge femme set herself down on one of Sludge's scraped together work benches. Once she was situated the youngling was allowed to scamper into her lap and settle down to lean forward, watching Swoop plop down in the middle of Sludge's table while the other mech leaned on the other side on the table. The other three brothers spread out around the strange little work area.
The question made Swoop giggle a quiet sound as he yanked out a large datapad from subspace presenting it to Bee who quickly latched hold of it only to find out he had no idea what he was looking at. His plump little lips took on something of a pout as his head tilted to the side.
He didn't have the slightest hint of an idea what was scribbled in diagrams all over this screen. "Me not get it."
This just seemed to amuse Swoop even more though. "It diagram."
Bee rolled his optics. "Me know what diagram is. Me not know what weird circle thing is with strange stuff in middle."
"Him Wheeljack said it something from that Earth planet him been studying." Sludge supplied though an answer Bumblebee could not find there which was why he looked back to Swoop.
"Him Wheeljack call it a Trampoline."
Head tilting even more to the side Bee's lips mouthed; vocal processor, tongue, and lips trying to figure out how to form those strange syllables strung together.
"Tram-am-tra-po . . . ." He trailed off with shake of his head. "Me can't say it."
"It gonna be a really big bouncy thing." Swoop simplified. "Big and strong enough that us Dinobots—even him Sludge and him Grimlock—jump on it."
"Me Sludge finally gonna fly!" The larger brother bounced and clapped like a sparkling, effectively shaking the whole hanger and almost sending Bumblebee falling to the floor had Scorn not been quick enough to scoop him up and bring him back up. The startled click that left him through earned a snarl from the eldest Dinobot and a smack to Sludge's bent head.
"Not make such fraggin' stupid decisions." Grimlock boomed. "Could hurt Itty Bitty than him never get come back and stay with us Dinobots."
"Me Sludge sorry." Sludge whined.
"Him not mean too Grimlock." Bee peeped up through Scorn's claws that were still wrapped around him.
"Not matter." The King snorted out a thick vent, the hot air wafting down to Bumblebee. "Have to be more careful."
"Him Grimlock right," Scorn suddenly spoke up. "Have to remember you Itty Bitty very small. Very breakable. Can't treat you like not. Us ancient bots very, very big. Not built to handle delicate."
And now the femme was agreeing with him . . . .
What?
Grimlock's head hurt.
"But me is okay." Bumblebee tried to remind them by maneuvering his way out from between Scorn's long claws and wiggling until Swoop carefully plucked him up and brought him up to where he was still cross-legged on the table. "See. Me is fine."
Grimlock gazed hard through his visor, but eventually accepted the little mechling's words and nodded. Allowing Swoop and Sludge to go on with their game.
Swoop took the nod for the permission it was and went back to trying to explain what this big bouncy thing was going to be. An explanation that lead to Bumblebee situated in the middle of the giant mess of long poles, tarp, fabric, and springs with a screw driver that was twice as big as he was trying to figure out how to make it work for him. Not really something all that easy to do with a tool that was that much bigger than him. There were no youngling sized things around the Dinobot hanger though so he was trying to make it work.
Swoop had been trying to help, but when somehow one of those long poles ended up getting catapulted rather near his head Grimlock decided the youngling was staying in his lap for the rest of this project. Considering Sludge was now creating a rather vibrant arch of melted metal and sparks with an arch welder as he grafted the large curved legs of the frame together Bee was pretty sure that was an okay idea. Grimlock was staying on the floor so he could still attempt to make his own little piece work so Bee was accepted to it. That and because every now and again the large mech's hand came up to block a shower of burning hot red sparks that would have otherwise hit him.
He'd seen Ratchet ream out Jacky enough times to know that hot metal sparks to protoform were not a good idea. He was having fun though, and between all the Dinobots he knew nothing bad would happen to him so that was how he twiddled away the breems of the morning. Trying to help, not really doing much helping, but trying all the same while this huge thing went up in the middle of the Dinobot's hanger. Even when it was something of a weird thing. It still looked to be something fun once Sludge and Swoop figured out how to string the stretch mesh they'd made together through the springs and circle.
It really was a rather interesting mess the two crafty ancients had gotten themselves into, and while they'd lost the focus of two of their brothers—Slag and Snarl really didn't care for making much of anything—Scorn was still leaning against the table watching as well as Grimlock sprawled out on the floor with the mechling in his lap while the last spring snapped into place. An action that made Swoop jump up and down like a bunny of some sort around the room. Considering he didn't shake the whole hanger like Sludge did Grimlock didn't really mind all that much.
Bumblebee thought it was hilarious.
"It's done!" Swoop sang as he bounced around in circles. "Us actually did it!"
"What talking about," Sludge snorted. "Of course us did it."
"Can play on it now?" Bee peeped from Grimlock's knee while his pups lay there on the floor around the massive mech watching with curious black optics. Bumblebee's excited scamper was cut short when once again a powerful clawed hand scoped him up and brought back against a thick chest.
He huffed at being caught, tilting his tiny head back to pout up at the huge mech.
"Ah, Grimy."
"Might not be safe for you Itty Bitty. You Itty Bitty know what him Prime do if Itty Bitty got hurt with us?"
"Forget what him Prime do. Me Snarl more worried about what her Mia do." Said mech put in.
"Me Slag with that one." The other brother piped up.
Now that Bee had to giggle madly at, because yeah. If there was one bot around there that should be feared when it came to his well-being and the lack of care that was taken in that regard. One might think Ironhide was the most feared with his bigness and his cannons and his attitude, but the truth was Chromia was the scary one.
"Me Scorn think one of you all should try first. Than if it not crash to the floor than Itty Bitty can try." Scorn offered.
"Me Grimlock agree."
"Me Sludge try it!"
No further prompting or discussion when into the act and before Bumblebee had a clue what happened the entire bulk that was the massive ancient was twisting his huge mass up on the center of the mesh center, but he didn't stay there for long.
Because the bounce that met him sent him flinging straight up into the air with a whoop and a twist that had Bee's neck as well as Grimlock's craning back to watch him . . . crash right into the ceiling.
Huh.
Maybe they should have seen that coming.
Of course the crash was followed by Slag and Snarl keening over in laughter, Scorn dropping her helm into her hands, Swoop peering up at his brother's rather large aft dangling down from the ceiling, Grimlock falling backward with a groan, Bumblebee blinking in shock, and then Wheeljack sprinting in with a test tube in one hand and goggles over his optics frantic about who was dead now only to skid to a stop when he saw what had happened.
"Oh damn." He muttered before opening up a comm link with Ratchet only to get his audios almost blown out with shriek of something that sounded along the lines of 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN ANOTHER FRAGGIN' FLYING DINOBOT?!'.
"Now that's something ya don't see every orn." Jazz chuckled from his place leaning in the hall—because being in that door or anywhere around it at the moment was a hazard to any onlookers' health as of late—peering down the way at the chaos that was going on in the Dinobot hanger. Chaos that insisted of Ratchet, Arcee, half the Aerialbots, Wheeljack, and the rest of the Dinobots trying to figure out a way to pull Sludge's very large aft out of the ceiling.
His comment made the little yellow mechling in his grip flap his wings to the best of his ability in a positive manner that Prowl was teaching him.
"And tell me again how this happened, Lil' Bee."
"Them making bouncy thing that me can't say." Bee offered.
"Bouncy thing?"
"Yep."
"What kind of bouncy thing?"
"Circle thing. Springs, poles, mesh. It was really cool. Me wanted to try it."
"I don't think ya really need to be tryin' it."
"But it look fun."
"Yeah," Jazz nodded. "It probably did until it got Sludge stuck in the ceiling."
About than a bellow of anger, annoyance, pain—one of them or all of them, Jazz didn't know—echoed from the hanger followed by a string of cursing from Ratchet that had the saboteur laying a clawed hand over Bee's head to cover his audios as he spun away from the mess that was getting worse when Ratchet took to throwing things at Wheeljack for letting them build something like this in the first place and Grimlock took to pulling Aerialbots out of the air because of who knows why. Bee really didn't need to see this, or hear it. He could find something else to occupy the mechling with this orn. For his playtime with the Dinobots seemed to have come to a close.
"But what about after they get Sludge out of the ceiling?" Bee asked as Jazz made his way up a few flights of stairs to take them up to the officers workstations. He had an idea of how to entertain Bee for a while.
"After they get Sludge out of the ceiling Ratchet is probably going to tear the bouncy thing to pieces, and most likely throw that at somebot too. Which means it might be better if you just come hang out with me and Prowler for a little while. How does that sound?"
"But," Bee whined. "Me wanted to play on bouncy thing. It made Sludge fly."
Jazz sighed.
Why did the Dinobots have to make all their lives so freaking difficult?
Okay, so maybe it wasn't just the Dinobots, they were just trying to relive stress Jazz understood that and they were going about it better than some, but still. There were some things that did not need to be allowed near younglings. Whatever the intentions were.
It didn't help that even mellow, go with the flow, easy grinning Jazz got a little nervous when Bumblebee was left alone with just the Dinobots. They'd already proved where their sparks lay. They'd proved they were here because of him, and they really weren't a danger to him. At least not on purpose, but the problem was there was the accidents that were what worried them. Bumblebee was small compared to even him. Compared to the Dinobots . . . well Jazz was pretty sure those bots had nanites bigger than Bee at this point.
That was a scary thought when it came to adding in just how breakable Bee was and how trouble just seemed to follow him around. That was why Jazz had decided it was for the best if he just slipped in to get the youngling and his pups and take them to do something else.
Which was what he was doing as he reached the bridge floor where all the offices were located with two black pups trailing along after him and a youngling gazing out the passing windows at the world outside.
"Yeah Bee I know," Jazz snickered at the comment and the younglings undying wish to fly. It made the silver mech wonder in a way that never really made it to the forefront of his processor just what was in the little mech's coding. Just what his lineage was that gave a little grounder a wish for the sky in a way no grounder ever really should. His two sets of growing wings added another set of questions that none of them really knew how to go about thinking of. Grounders had doorwings. That wasn't really all that weird. Lots around here did, but it was the winglets that posed the most curious thoughts. Because those weren't doorwings.
They were wings. Wings that would never grow into use of any real kind.
And that was odd for a grounder.
Then again, there was a lot about Bumblebee that was sort of . . . odd.
They all loved him anyway.
"I know ya do mechling." Rubbing affectionately at his antennas, rounding the last corner between them and their destination. When Bee realized what door they were headed for he perked up in Jazz's hand turning to shoot a smile up to the grinning silver mech.
"Prowl wanna play?" He questioned excitedly.
"I don't see the harm in askin' do you?" Jazz purred back when they reached the door. Lifting his free hand to key in the code he knew by spark. The door swished away reveling the two tone Praxian buried behind a stack of datapads just as was about normal. He was keying away at something on his monitor, only glancing up with half his attention when he heard the door open. There were only few that would enter his office without permission and one was already here.
That was when Jazz noticed the grayish silver form of Bluestreak curled up in one of Prowl's chairs. He was turned around, to glance over his wing looking as if the door opening had cut him off mid-babble—which it probably had—though his open mouth formed a grin when he saw who it was that had decided to join them.
That and because at the sight of him Bee about hopped out of Jazz's grip trying to get to him.
"Blue!" He chirped happily, wiggling and squirming as a laughing Jazz tried to keep a good enough grip on him so he wouldn't go crashing to the floor. The saboteur quickly stepped across the room, mindful of the pups that were hopping around his feet and headed for Blue. The static-hounds liked Blue just about as much as they liked him.
"Hey Bee," Blue grinned happily, taking the wiggling youngling from Jazz's hand and bringing him around to rest in his cupped hands against his chest when he suddenly found himself with a lap full of two pitch-black—one highlighted in white—pups perched in his lap. "And hello to you two too."
He was answered by three sets of resonating loud purrs before he was snuggled into and the young creatures settled down against his plating and he purred back while he glanced between Jazz and Prowl.
"Hey Jazz," His sky blue optics twinkled brightly at the silver mech as he swung himself up to perch on the edge of Prowl's desk, not even bothering to worry about the long look that was shot his way from the SIC.
"Afternoon Blue," He grinned back.
"Jazz," Prowl drawled in a slightly annoyed tone. "Would you please remove your shiny aft from my desk?"
Jazz glanced back his way with a fake gasp and a twinkle of his own in his visor. "Whatcha doin' lookin' at my aft, Prowler?"
At that Blue—if it hadn't of been for his lap full of small purring little ones—would have probably fell out of his chair laughing. Somehow, he managed to restrain himself by some miracle of Primus, even if with the affronted shocked look Prowl sent Jazz's way after that comment made him tilt his head back snorting around his laughter while his wings quivered and flapped with amusement behind him.
Prowl just took to glaring at the silver mech that was cackling like mad at the end of his desk resisting the urge to stand up and smack him off the furniture. Such would not be a very good example for the mechling though and since the tiny yellow creature was already giggling and purring in Bluestreak's hands.
"Jazz," He rolled his optics. "Act your age."
"Where's the fun in that?" Wiggling his optic ridges over his visor rim Jazz kept on laughing, taking up a whole other song of it when the Praxian rolled his optics once again, shook his helm, and went back to his reports. "Ah come on Prowler, don't be like that."
"I am busy, Jazz."
"Ya got time for Blue."
"Blue is not be inappropriate in front of the youngling."
"The youngling hasn't the slightest clue what we're talking about, he's too busy finding your reactions funny to worry about what I'm saying."
Blue was wiggling his fingers around letting Bee latch hold and tug, hug, and twist as he giggled but he put his two cents in. "He has a point, Prowler. You have been in a mood. Come on, lighten up. Everything will be okay. No bot plans like you do. Your plan will work. I know it will, and then everything will be okay."
"I will lighten up as you both wish when we have the mech who posted the bounty in stasiscuffs. When there is no longer a price on his head" Prowl retorted, not looking up from his reports.
Jazz sighed, resting his chin on his palm while his elbow propped against his knee. The stress radiated from his best friend in waves not mentioning how it screamed from his wings. Appendages that normally he kept as controlled as the rest of his emotions, but here in his office with only Bluestreak and Jazz to see him the wings shown just as brightly as the emotion any optics could convey. The worst part of it was that Jazz didn't know what to say to it.
Normally he could talk Prowl down a bit from his emotions he refused to admit bothered him, that he locked away so he wouldn't have to struggle with them, but he wasn't sure how to do it this time. Because he wasn't all that fond of this plan. That and he knew there was more to this than Prowl worrying he might be wrong.
He could see it.
It was the reason Blue was here.
Jazz didn't need to ask.
He knew his friend that well and Bluestreak was far easier to read. Prowl's processor was still hung up on the time of orn that it was.
His spark was still rolling with an ache that none in this room could truly help him with. They could try, they did, but the truth was bonds never really healed. They got better with time, but for a lose like the one that lived in the SIC's spark there would always be a sting.
Smokescreen was not a bot Prowl's spark could forget let alone stop missing.
For that matter the same could be said for Jazz. He missed that tri colored hothead as much as any of the rest of them. Especially around now, but unfortunately the truth was none of them could afford to be hung up on those they had lost right now. There was too much of a chance of losing what they had now. It might have been a backward thought, it might hurt them all a whole lot more than some might expect, but it was the truth. War did not leave much room to mourn the dead. If one mourned to long they'd find themselves dead just the same.
Jazz wasn't sure if it was his tribal upbringing that let him think this way. If that was what gave him the ability to put the hurt down and move on. To let it fuel him when he thought of it instead of letting it drag him down.
He ached, sure.
He missed his carrier, he missed Shatterproof and Foxtrot, he missed his hounds, he missed all the innocent and happy faceplates he'd met over the vorns. He miss the laughter that bubbled between the trio of mechlings that use to dictate this little family's lives. He missed . . . pit . . . there were parts of them that even missed . . . well Megatron. Or at least Megatronus. Much like he was sure Optimus did. Like Ratchet did. Like Ironhide did. Like the femmes did. Like Magnus and Hot Rod did. Even Prowl did. Those of them that had really know the warlord before hate and pain pushed him too far too fast. Made him desperate and in turn made him dangerous.
Jazz knew it was a pointless pain.
Much as they all did.
Megatronus was gone.
He was dead.
Only Megatron was left.
Megatronus was never coming back no matter how bad Jazz knew Optimus ached for one orn to be able to somehow wake his elder brother back up. There was too much energon on all their hands for any of it to ever be put down now. The only way this all would ever end was when one side finally wiped the other out or one yielded.
It was a notion that made Jazz shudder deep down inside. A truth that he didn't talk about.
For Jazz was supposed to be the optimistic one. He was supposed to the be the one with the easy smile. The one that could find shelter in any acid storm, but it was a front. His family knew that, but they also knew that they needed it just as bad as he did. The same for Sideswipe.
The crimson warrior was the same as he was.
The happiness and humor they strive for was a way to fight off the demons that lived in their processors, and for Jazz it was a way to pretend that the world around wasn't falling more and more into a picture of everything he'd run from a long time ago. For Iacon had claimed to be so far above what it was he came from the place this war had lead them back to was no different than the Tribes that tore each other to pieces over food, land, and differences.
It was no different than this damn civil war, only at least the tribes had had the decency to not destroy everything they were fighting for in the process.
"What do you mean Sludge got stuck in the ceiling? How the pit did his big aft get to the ceiling?" Hammerdown questioned as he cocked back the hammers of his blasters and took another shot at the flashing targets across the range. He obliterated both of them with practiced ease than looked back to the shorter grayish silver Praxian that gazed through his rifle scoop standing beside him.
The younger mech didn't answer him for a moment. His whole focus locked on the shot he was lining up. His wings screaming his one way thinking, Hammer knew enough about wings to know that. Than the mech squeezed his trigger and the head of the target at the other end of the range blew off with a digital bang.
The large dark blue mech chuckled.
"Damn, Blue, remind me never to piss you off."
To that Bluestreak finally lowered the rifle and smirked up at the much bulkier mech. "Oh come on, Hammerdown. We both know who is the real dangerous one here. You're a freaking walking brick wall. No offence. Please don't take offence to that. I didn't mean it bad. I mean, you're built a lot like Ironhide is. And he's terrifying we all know that. But I called him a brick wall once and he shot at me. Now he wasn't meaning to hit me, but it still made him mad. I figured it was best to just—"
"Blue," Hammer cut in with a roll of his optics while he leveled his guns with his next target. "It's fine."
"Oh." Bluestreak's wing wagged happily. "Okay. Thanks. I didn't mean to babble again."
"I'm use to it." Hammerdown snorted.
"As are we all." Prowl muttered in good spirit, grinning minutely at the fake pout that set into both Bluestreak's wings and his lips before the Praxian took up his own stance and fired off a few shots.
"Hey," Blue shrugged. "At least I keep all you mechs entertained."
"It's true, Blue." Jazz smirked from where he sat cross-legged on one of the tables at the firing line with two bored pups and a riveted youngling in his lap. A clawed hand was rested over the little mech's head to help cover his sensitive audios from the ongoing blasts. However, Bee had grown up around the sounds of warfare and the truth was the little mech really didn't even flinch at the fire of a blaster—maybe it was because he used Hide's cannons as a pillow, who know—and he was far more interested in watching the three mechs never miss than he was the datapad in his lap of his math lesson that he was behind of that Prowl had reminded him of.
Really?
Math?
At a time like this? Please.
Bee wasn't doing math.
Watching things get blown up was far more exciting. And what was even cooler about all of it. Jazz and Blue actually convinced Prowl to get his aft out of his office and come down and have some fun with them. On top of that Hammerdown was here.
Bee's orn just kept getting better and better.
Scout and Echo were more than a little board, but they would get over it, and Bee wasn't all that worried about it. Watching the big mechs shot was far more entertaining. He didn't even mind Jazz's hand covered his audios. It was nothing compared to being allowed in the shooting range. Sure, he couldn't play with anything and Jazz would take him straight back to Mia or maybe even 'Lita if he so much as tired to sneak out of sight in a dangerous room such as thing, but it was still a lot of fun. Even if there was no mischief for him to get up too.
"Yeah I know." Blue grinned smugly, lined up another shot, and clipped off another digital 'Con head. "Now if only the real deals would stand this nicely still."
"Yeah," Hammer snorted. "Wouldn't that make our lives easier if they all just lined up to get shot."
"I'd have a damn near perfect record I do think if that were the case." Blue agreed.
"Unfortunately, it is not." Prowl's left doorwing twitched. "And neither is this the topic for youngling audios."
Blue and Hammer quickly looked over to the right when they remembered what was situated in Jazz's lap. Bee waved back at them as chipper as ever and hardly paying attention at all about what was really being said, but still Prowl was right.
"Opps." Blue's wings lowered slightly. "Sorry Prowl."
"Just remember your surroundings." Was all else Prowl said on the matter before he fired of another clip of perfect shots. Hammer couldn't help but whistle at the show of marksmanship from the two tone mech.
"Pit Prowl," He laughed. "I think I forgot just how much of a damn good shot you were."
"Well it's not like we see him out there shooting with us all that much." Blue put in.
"True." Prowl nodded stiffly even if a small grin played on his lips. "I do not often find myself in the position."
"That doesn't mean Prowler ain't one pit of a shot." Jazz added. "Mech was the one that taught me how to aim a blaster."
"Really?" Bee piped up looking between the two friends.
"Yeah Lil' Bee," Jazz nodded. "I didn't have the slightest clue in pit how to shot a gun when I met Prowler. Not really. Mech had to teach me."
"Why?" Bee tilted his little head.
"There were no guns among the tribes." Jazz explained, but he left out the added bit of most bots among his breed preferred to take each other apart like animals. At least, that was the way the civilized had seen them. Jazz had always thought there was a bit more art behind being skilled enough with a frame to defended yourself instead of some gun that robbed energy from either plasma stores or plasma packs. It was the reason Jazz hardly used the weapon tucked away in his subspace. Call it old habits die hard or whatever, but Jazz would always feel safer with his frame's skills than he would some blaster he could lose.
"Really?" Another tilt of the head, only this time it was the other way.
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Well partly because most of the tribes didn't have the ability to make them."
Some did. Ironhide's did. But than again, Ironhide's cannons were a part of him. Sure they were added hardware but that added hardware had been added to him before he and his sparkling brother were saved by Crosshairs all those vorns ago. He was hardly in his second frame when those cannons became a part of him. They might as well be part of his protoform.
They were an extension of himself.
His spark energy powered those powerful weapons.
That was something completely different from a blaster.
"But most tribes just didn't like them."
Bee thought this was an interesting thing to say. "Me not really sure why like guns. Me mean, well . . . me get why need guns. Me like Hide's cannons, them cool. But not really understand why have to have guns."
Some of the ease faded out of the room as once again a youngling's innocent viewing of the world knocked them all down off their perches of rationalization. Of what their lives were now and woke them back up to the fact that these guns they were playing with into front of a youngling were not like any toys he would comprehend.
For they weren't toys.
To soldiers they were life.
To a youngling they were hard to understand.
"Well," Jazz drew the word out as his hand rested atop the mechling's head went to petting lightly at his little antennas. More as a method to calm Jazz than the mechling who wasn't bothered at all.
"Me get what they do." Bee cut in before Jazz could try to go about explaining to him that guns were protection. Because he understood that. Really, he did. "Not what meant. Me just . . . well me not know. Don't matter don't guess." He decided to change the subject. "Jazzy, me hungry."
That seemed to jar Jazz enough that he let a long sigh rattle out his vents before he nodded slightly. "Alright Bee, let's go find ya something to eat."
Afternoon faded into evening and evening found Bumblebee curled up on a rec room couch. Echo was sprawled out behind him as a pillow and Scout was draped beside him as an armrest while the three of them watched some nature something about some creature he wasn't all that sure what was. A big cube of energon sat in his lap and a straw stuck in his mouth as he sipped away happily trying to figure out what he was looking at.
So far he wasn't sure.
It was interesting though, and considering everybot in here was busy watching Mia, Elita, and Cee play C-Ball against Hide, Optimus, and Ratchet Bee was sort of left to his own devices.
He was supposed to be in recharge.
Considering his recharge time was three breems ago and he slipped off in a doze of sorts about that time a little while ago on this very couch with this straw stuck in his mouth he was pretty sure they all thought he was. Which was funny, because who could 'charge with that noise going on. He'd never seen Optimus play C-Ball and he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed too. Funny enough. But he didn't really mind. Most of his family was piled up in this one rec room, whooping, and cheering, betting, and caring on. He didn't need to be able to see over the back of the couch to feel the happiness that was flowing in the sparks around him.
That and this weird nature program were more than enough to keep him content and quiet curled up between two warm and happy static-hounds. If the grown bots wanted to be grown bots for a while when they thought he was in recharge that was fine with him. He understood that sometimes he just didn't get what it was the adults did. And he was fine with that.
For they didn't know most to the time just how much he really did understand, though maybe that was a good thing. After all, they did tend to look at him funny when he started saying some of the stuff he could feel and hear.
Sipping quietly at his energon watching these big grey things walk across a dusty expanse of landscape Bee was slipping further and further back into a tired daze when something out of place registered in his spark. He straightened like something poked him in the back, making both Echo and Scout lift their heads to look at him curiously, but Bee's attention turned inward. The talented ball of life inside his chest flaring and searching out the strange presences it caught hold of in a flash of something that wasn't supposed to be. Or at least not something he'd felt before.
Another moment of searching and he realized it wasn't something it was somebots.
Antennas perking up straight in the air and wings flaring out in a movement that he hadn't yet developed enough sensory inputs to make much use of, but now that the appendages were there it was something of a instinctual thing he couldn't help. It was his spark that was doing the feeling though. Searching and reaching until he found those two different spark signatures again.
The ones that were on the ship.
He blinked for a moment, confused, because he didn't understand what he was feeling. He didn't know these sparks and yet at the same time it felt like he did. Really much so it did. They felt familiar in a way he didn't quite know what to make of.
He wanted to figure it out though.
Looking over his shoulder to the couch back and the bots he couldn't see on the other side his mouth opened, the words to call to his guardians and caretakers halfway up and out his vocal processor before something else in his spark burned harshly and he gasped as the sound cut off and he was left doubled over clutching at his little chest. Scout and Echo were up in a breath, both sniffing and nosing at him with soft quiet whines that couldn't be heard over the laughter and the music. Optics wide, slightly scared and confused, Bee was whining himself only to stop when a strong feeling curled up in the center of his chest and voice he'd only ever heard in his dreams echoed from some place deep inside of him.
"Your curiosity is a strength, my Young Spark. Do not deny it."
Bee's wings sagged down behind him in confusion, but his optics dimmed a little when he recognized the tone.
"Friend?" He echoed back the only way he knew how to return this weird voice that wasn't really a voice with a sound that wasn't really a sound. It was all feeling and energy and things that Bee didn't really know what were. He just knew it was there.
Scout and Echo were still pushing and prodding at him trying to get him to answer their inner voices. Bumblebee realized that meant that they couldn't hear this voice that he could. Sending a quick feeling that between the two of them that he was fine Bee felt them calm though they were still confused as he turned his focus back inward when the voice spoke again.
"Ah, so you remember me. Good." It—he—purred.
"Me 'emember. Me just not understand."
"All in due time, my Young Spark." His friend returned. "For now my little one you must not tell your family what you feel."
"What?" He blinked.
"You feel something you do not understand, don't you?"
"Umm . . . yeah."
"Other than me."
"Yeah. Again."
"Well than go find it, Young Spark. After all, you are you."
He scrunched up his little faceplate, confused, but as suddenly as the feeling and the voice returned to his consciousness it was gone. Bee could almost feel it slip from his spark and he clutched at it. Desperately, not sure why but suddenly feeling like he needed it and wanted it to stay close where he could feel it.
It was gone though.
His quiet pulse of "Friend?" was not answered and he was left there sitting on the couch with his pups on either side of him looking with bewildered expressions.
"Bee?" Echo pulsed strongly as if she was still trying to get his attention.
He answered her with both a pat and a soft. "Me is okay."
"What that?"
"What wrong?"
Both of them questioned on top of each other making his already confused spark quiver a little before he shook off the weird tingles and the grasping for something that was gone so that he could focus better on the two before him and the two that were somewhere on this ship.
"We gotta go." He told them softly, looking over his shoulder again to the bots in the back of the room that he couldn't see. Than to the door in front of him that was propped open so the music and the laughter could flow throughout the ship.
"Go?" Echo asked surprised. "Go where?"
"Me feel something." He replied.
"On ship?" Scout's interest peaked, audios tilting forward and dark optics sparkling.
"Yeah." Bee nodded to the mech pups enthusiasm. "Let's go find out what is."
"Them family gonna get mad." Echo reminded with a swish of her tail and a huff toward the back of the room.
"Them think in recharge." Scout argued. "Not even know we is gone."
Me hope so. Bee muttered to himself.
Because they would be mad when they looked up and he had vanished again, especially if what he was feeling really was bots on this ship that weren't supposed to be here. The thing was though, what he could feel didn't feel bad. He wasn't scared of what he was feeling.
Then again, the last time that happened his 'new friend' turned out to be a mean bot that his family didn't like. Bee still didn't understand how that worked, for the strange robo-cat like mech hadn't hurt him. Hadn't even tried too, but when he fell out of that air vent his whole family had a conniption fit.
But then there was his Friend that spoke in his dreams that was now suddenly in his awake processor. Bee had a feeling that that was one of those things he just shouldn't try and mention to Hide or Ratchet or any of the others. So maybe it was better to just listen to the voice. It hadn't pointing him wrong yet.
It took him back to his family from the dark place after that virus-viper bit him. It hadn't lied to him. At least not that he knew of.
What would it hurt if he did what it said? What was the worst that could happen?
Ten klicks later and Bee was perched on Echo's shoulders as she and her brother pranced on along down the halls following Bee's spark. So far they were on the lowest level of Eternity making their way down to one of the hangers near one of the guarded gates. Bee knew somebots were on shift. There was always somebot on shift, but so far no bot had noticed him or the two that he could feel. So he was just going to go on doing as he was told.
Sneaking out of the rec room was as easy as it ever was for Bee. No matter that there were so many in there. None of them had been paying him any attention so he and his pups just quickly vanished. It wasn't hard.
Far from it really.
It was almost too easy.
Bee didn't question it though. He, Echo, and Scout, just kept their audios perked. The pups knew now that he was following his spark to somebots that weren't supposed to be here. It had Scout on edge; plating pinned tight and fangs flashing as he sneered around every corner. Echo was just curious though.
Bee himself, wasn't all that worried about what they were headed toward. He didn't think the Friend in his spark was going to take him some place he shouldn't go or to somebot that would hurt him. Besides, he was too curious to be worried that much about it. Which was why the bounced down the last bit of steps down one last hallway and turned a corner with little heed to what they were going to run into.
Well.
That is until they ran into it.
Scout turned the corner in front of Echo and Bee only to slam hard into something on the other side and go bouncing back. Than Echo was there standing beside her sprawled out brother that was shaking his head back and forth quickly trying to clear his processor from the ringing that now lived there. Bee however, sitting atop his pup's shoulders was staring straight up into the faceplates of two he didn't know yet were eerily familiar.
For a moment a set of deep cobalt blue optics and bright neon blue stared back at two sets of black and one set of baby blue until Bee tilted his head to the side—antennas flickering and wings shifting—letting out a soft.
"Hi."
The sound of his voice startled the two large mechs, but Bee didn't really pay much attention to the look that was shot between them. He was too busy taking in the familiarity of their faceplates and their frames.
The one on the right was a large tri colored mech. A pearl white color splashed and highlighted in neon shade of red and blue. It was the elegant wings that hung high behind his back colored in those red and blues, the deep red chevron that swept back tall and proud from his forehead, and the faceplate that seemed so much like some mech he knew well that was the most striking though. The same could be said for the other mech. He was a rich red, black stripped and thick along his chest, legs, and arms. He was huge. He was tall sure, a bit taller than the other bot, but it was his bulk that had the most impression. He was built thick and strong in a way he knew some other bot was. It was the faceplate that spoke the most though. The familiarity in the shape, the planes, and the all of it.
They looked so awfully familiar.
Just as the spark that now he could sense pounding strong and fast in their chest, burning so powerfully strong that he could feel them easily with little effort. Especially, now that they were beating right here in front of him.
He was about to search a little deeper. To figure out how it was they looked and felt so much like bots he knew when the red one spoke.
"Well," He rumbled in a baritone that had both pups pressing together and backing up slightly, but Bee kept them where they were. "This is different."
"That it is." The tri colored, smaller mech agreed in a light voice that was smoother and easier. With a flap of the wings behind him and a tilt of his head he slowly started to kneel down.
Scout flared his plating, backed his audios, and hissed dangerously while Echo backed up behind her brother. Bee swatted them both though, too caught up in glancing between those optics and feeling their sparks to really let himself worry about the fact that one of these mechs he had no idea who was now knelt himself down in front of him staring at him with a rising smile.
"I didn't figure you'd come to us." He almost purred to Bee.
"I didn't figure that bastard was telling the truth." The other commented. "He really is a youngling. An actual youngling."
Another ball sank into a pocket with a loud clank and the pretty faceplate that sank the shot glanced up with a smug grin to the towering red and blue mech that was faking a glare down at her.
"You mechs don't pick up your game you're going to lose." Elita purred.
Optimus huffed. "Oh just take your next shot."
That sent the on lookers—well most of them—into a fit of laughter. Sideswipe even went so far as he scramble away from the table clutching at his sides like being near any longer was going to suffocate him or something he was laughing so hard. The red mech was ignored for the most part as he walked around heaving cool air into his vents trying to get a hold of his laughter before something wrong caught his optics.
His laughter cut off in a harsh sound as he quickly walked to make sure. Looking over the back of the couch a heavy sigh left him as he thumped a hand hard down on the back of the couch. That action got a bit of attention, a few glancing back his way only for the whole room to focus in on him when he turned around and huffed.
"Where the pit did the mechling go now?"
Bee tilted his head while his pups rumbled out low warning sounds. The tri colored mech didn't seem to mind them at all as he stared down into Bee's optics with that warm smile.
"You are a little thing aren't you?" He asked with humor in his voice.
Bee just flickered his antennas. He wasn't sure what was going on so he fell back on what he did know. "Hi." He almost clicked the sound out.
This seemed to amuse both the mechs.
"Hi back Pip Squeak." The red one snorted. "What ya doin' alone?"
"Me not alone." Bee shrugged, pointing to his pups.
That got a laugh from the pair.
"No I suppose you're not."
"Slag." Jazz drawled, hopping off the end of the table he was perched on. "He's gone again?"
Sides looked back to the empty couch than nodded. "Unless Mirage taught him how to turn invisible than yeah."
"I can't teach anybot to turn invisible." Mirage rolled his optics. "It's a mode."
"Sarcasm mech," Hammer laughed.
"Damn sneaky little thing." Hide sighed, laying his pole down about to head off to go and track his mechling down this time before Jazz spoke up.
"Oh you bots keep playing. I'll go find him. It's late, he's tired, he couldn't have gone far." He waved them off.
"I must go relieve Red Alert anyway," Prowl pushed himself from his chair and went to follow the saboteur. "I'll help you look."
"I'll come, wait for me." Blue called as he ran after them.
"Who is you?" Bumblebee tilted his head the other way. Antennas and wings flickering with interest as he gazed up at the pair of mechs.
The tri colored one glanced over his shoulder to the larger red mech before he grinned even wider back down at Bee.
"Names Smokey," He said. "And this over grown walking arsenal is Rider. What's your name?"
Bee blinked again, confused. Because why did that sound familiar too?
"Me Bee." He replied. "Bumblebee. And this Scout and Echo."
That chevron caught the light of the hall and threw a beam of light as this Smokey grinned, scooting a bit closer even if the pups growled at him.
"We've heard a lot about you, Bumblebee." Smokey went on.
"Really?" Bee questioned.
"Oh yeah," He nodded. "Came an awful long way to meet you."
"You did?" The little mechling was surprised by this. "For me?"
"Among other things." Rider grunted. "But mostly you, yeah."
"Why?" Bee really had no idea what was going on here. What was he missing?
"Because we're bounty hunters." The tri colored mech smiled, reaching out to pluck the little mechling from his perch on his pups, not evening caring when they both huffed and growled lightly following after him confused since he kept sending them a sense of 'calm' as he found himself in the hands of the mech as he stood straight up keeping the little mech in his hands as he stared down at him.
"And there is quite the price on your head Pip Squeak." Rider finished, crossing his strong arms over his thick chest. That was when something shattered when it crashed to the floor snatching all their optics up to find the two very shocked forms they knew well frozen in place with another they didn't know behind them. But neither Smokey nor Rider looked much further than the stunned, stalled faceplate of the mech that dropped the datapad to the floor with a shatter.
A beaming smile, one that was as smug and angry as it was amused, lit up Smokescreen's faceplate as he gazed back into those cool—widened in shock like he'd never seen—blue optics that belonged to a mech he'd been hiding from for a very, very long time. Swallowing the wash of emotions that attacked his spark, cupping his hands around the mechling that was in his hands the younger Praxian snickered to hide the ache in his chest.
"Hi ya, Prowler, long time no see."
He didn't even blink, he didn't even breath, there was just a sort of gasp that left the elder brother's lips before he tilted backward and would have crashed to the ground had the grayish-silver Praxian behind him not caught him.
Well, that was fun.
Looking forward to what you guys think. ^-^
-Jaycee