A/N this may be the longest I haven't uploaded, maybe as well as that time of the first four episodes of season 3 but with Christmas coming up I've been doing a lot of hours at work and of course I keep going out into the world as well for some reason :P but I hope you can forgive my tardiness, so this chapter I feel runs very slow maybe because of how long I took to write it but I hope you like it anyway.
but with most chapters I'm trying to keep it to the series as in without a consistent focus, such as Dark Energon, Then MECH, Then Synthen, Then Unicron, Then Relics, Then the Omega lock, Then Dark Mount, Then Predacon bones and so on, the same sort of theme I do with Ellen. this time I'm playing around with Dark Energon it should be fun when I get to the movie itself.
So thank you for suggestions and I'll see if I can fit others in as well :) anyway enjoy the chapter.
Persuasion
She looked to his chest to be sure he was breathing, and started to nudge him with both hands, "Agent Fowler, are you alright?" the grunted snoring he did was a quick confirmation that he was alive as she ran to the other side of the room, "Bulkhead." She called at him as he mumbled something inaudible, she made a frustrated grunt as she ran to Smokescreen and climbed up on his knee, "Smokescreen." she looked around, "Urgh, come on wake up." She said making a heavy shove on his face.
"Ratchet we require immediate transport back to base." Arcee voice was heard from the console.
"Immediate?" Ellen muttered about to step down.
"Huh?" Agent Fowler said sitting up from the floor, "Stewards there's a man on the wing of this plane!" He rambled as Ellen blinked dumbfounded at him falling back on Smokescreen as she lost balance.
"Ratchet do you read?" Arcee said again.
"Arcee?" Bulkhead said completely conscious as he slightly winced.
"Bulkhead." Arcee said not expecting his voice as the bot himself looked around the hangar. "Is everything alright?"
"Wake up blue footed boobie, there finally got to say it." Ellen said casually in Smokescreens face.
Smokescreens optics came online almost immediately though the repercussions hit him hard, holding his head as he looked at Ellen with an unsure expression, weakly smiling he took hold of her as he found his feet, "I'm alright." He said placing her on the table beside him, "hey I thought I told you to stay?"
She shrugged. "You're not the boss of me." she teased.
"He's...he's gone." Bulkhead said as Smokescreen and Ellen listened in to the obvious scenario they should have been focusing on.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Arcee questioned.
Bulkhead exasperated, "Soundwave...Soundwave took him, his scrapyard droid Laserbeak found our base, freed him and-" he started to explain.
"Just bridge us back, Now!" Arcee told him realisation hitting her as Bulkhead found his feet, his balance disorientated as he frustrated how agitated he was that he wasn't able to stop Soundwave not even able to put up a decent enough fight.
Ellen looked to her arm, "I didn't hit him hard enough." She said clenching it.
"Hey it's not your fault. I should have had a cleaner shot." Smokescreen said lightly patting her back.
"Smoke." She said slightly warningly to the gesture she mistook as patronising.
"Sadness with sadness equals happiness." He jested as he scratched his head, "I er, started reading one of your school books." he grinned shoving her lightly instead.
She expressed annoyance though shrugged it off as she instead retaliated. "You can read?" she jested weakly.
"Haaa-" Smokescreen started, preparing for a long comeback.
"Hey!" Bulkhead called, "The others are passing through now and we have to be ready with orders and what to do next." He scolded though only because he was unsure and could only think of what had happened.
Ellen's shoulders tensed as she sighed, "Right, gotta stop making stupid jokes at inappropriate times." She scolded herself, Smokescreen frowned slightly before looking at her and again lightly nudged her, she smiled lightly at him as she shoved his hand away, "don't get me into trouble." She mock scolded.
"It's not the end of the world to loosen up." He said before producing an open palm. "Come on, we need to be ready like he said." He stated seriously as she looked to his palm a little unsure to begin with then stepped lightly into it. He walked her over as the others came through the bridge swiftly. Smokescreen set her down as they expressed solemnly to the returning bots. Magnus was the first to ask.
"How was Laserbeak able to discover our location?" he questioned in the three's direction as they looked shameful without answers.
"I'm taking blame for this one." Fowler called brushing his suit down as he raised a hand to confess. "The buzzard must've followed me back from my previous destination, and to think folk would be able to leave there doors unlocked at one point."
Optimus stepped forward as he had been making his own quick analysis, "The Decepticons, as well as the location of our previous base, must also hold several locations of your government's base of operation and from previous engagement, a profile on Agent Fowler." he said.
"Soundwave used his own Groundbridge and dragged Ratchet away while he was out cold." Ellen called before ducking her head.
"We were out cold." Smokescreen realised with guilt that she was alone and conscious with the hostile Con.
"Out cold or not, I don't need your diabetes Smoke." She told him as he expressed a questionable look. "Besides worry more that Agent Fowler was hit."
"Well, yeah but-" He scratched the back of his head, "Your, you know-" he started awkwardly.
Ellen shook her head slightly as she looked Optimus over, some black gashes left on certain parts of his plating, "That's not your average metal burn from your average projectile, what happened to you?" she called to him.
He raised a hand, "The damage is minimal, but I am not the main focus, right now we need to reserve that for the scene." He told her as she nodded mumbling.
Ultra Magnus noticed the stillness during this moment as he vented frustration of how unproductive they were, "Scan the area, search for any signs or evidence that could link us to Ratchets capture." Magnus ordered brushing a flat palm across open air to mark that order.
Optimus looked at Ellen his optics pinpointing certain areas as he did to Agent Fowler. "I'm fine." She said thumbing over her shoulder, "And Agent Fowler is too I think maybe a small concussion, who knows internal bleeding?" she shrugged to purposely provoke him.
"I'm fine as well Prime." Agent Fowler argued from afar putting the fire extinguisher to one side though he slightly cringed to the concerned overlook the Prime had given him. "We're more durable then you think." He added matter of fact.
Optimus slowly nodded to Agent Fowler of his welfare nonetheless, "I'm glad my leg luckily didn't break again I landed in a different angle when Soundwave threw me off." Ellen casually said checking her leg.
"You engaged the enemy?" he asked as a personal kind of protocol.
She averted her eyes to the ceiling having expected the usual tone. "Yes Sir. Yeah it was stupid but fire extinguishers are only good for two things putting out fires and attaching it to your computer chair and pretending to use it as a spinning jet pack, so question Agent Fowler for that." She pointed consistently towards Agent Fowler before she shuffled her feet as he merely nodded to her statement and typical behaviour, "I had to try…for Ratchet." She said meekly. "You still never answered me though, what happened to you?"
Ultra Magnus, Arcee and Bumblebee were checking for signs on the scene as Bulkhead and Wheeljack check there computers for any record or any scans. Smokescreen like the others was checking the area also, he was looking in a general area as he searched anxiously for it, his face turned solemn as he looked upon a small piece of metal that lay under the med table as he picked it up. He turned as he gave it to Arcee who stood beside him. "Here." He said.
She examined the small piece of metal. "A wing? Did you do this?" she said as everyone stopped to acknowledge this as they multitasked with their own assignment.
"Peeled some paint off Laserbeak, if I was a better shot Ratchet would still be here." Smokescreen told her.
Magnus approached them having checked how Laserbeak had made his way inside, "Chin up soldier, we've combed the entire floor. For the moment that remains our only clue." he reassured him.
"Nothing in the Groundbridge log. So they did use theirs." Bulkhead confirmed for them.
"Why take Ratchet prisoner but leave these two behind?" Arcee questioned.
"If Megatron intends to hold our medic hostage, I find it curious that he has made no demands." Magnus added.
"It would stand to reason that Ratchet must possess something that the Decepticons want." Optimus theorised.
"Well whatever the Cons are after Ratchet won't give it up." Bulkhead stated clashing his palms together. "Right?"
"Right." Smokescreen said.
"Either way I have a sudden urge to punch something in the throat…" Ellen started threateningly.
"Easy now, we need to focus on solutions." Magnus said.
"Well, what does he not have?" she questioned as she started counting her fingers, "They have their army, there resources most of which are stolen, most of the relics, Synthetic Energon, there scientists already to figure it out-" she stopped mid-sentence, "That is…they, try to? Knockout didn't really have a great grasp on it." she said as glances were exchanged.
"Perhaps it is beyond their own comprehension without the original theoriser." Magnus then said.
"So, bucket head is after Ratchet for his technobabble?" Wheeljack questioned.
Smokescreen gave Ellen another light nudge, "You see? You did get something from your 'Adventures on the Nemesis'" he reassured.
"Meh, not really." She replied as he face palmed.
"Oh come on, I can never win with you." He muttered.
"Wait, wait. You mean the Synthen formula?" Arcee said pinching her forehead.
"But then again." Smokescreen shrugged, "Why would the Cons need the artificial stuff if they already control most this planets Energon reserves?" he questioned.
"Greed, what else?" Bulkhead said.
"If Megatron is truly rebuilding the Omega lock, as Ratchet surmised, Synthetic Energon might be a necessary component." Optimus said.
"It's stability is off the charts." Ellen stated.
"Maybe they thought Ratchet had completed his work." Arcee told her.
"I'd hate to be the one to bring lightning to a thunderstorm, but there's one thing we're all ignoring." Agent Fowler said. "If the Cons found Ratchet here, they know the location of this base."
Everyone thought into it with realisation glancing over the fact as their minds focused solely on Ratchet. "Then let's figure a way to not let it end like it did our last base." Ellen said. "I'm tired of the constant fear the Decepticons always bring with every encounter." She added hitting a fist into her palm, "So, it would most likely be an attack from the air…led by Starscream." She started as she nodded to the group twitching her fingers for some encouragement, though she was only greeted with expressions and empty silence that questioned her behaviour, and her face turned pout like "come on, I'm starting a Mexican brainwave, work with me here." She told them.
Arcee let her optics wander into thought as she looked to the other bots before she finally went with it and sighed, "Who would not destroy the entire area to reserve ammunition." she added in understanding.
"Thank y-ouu." Ellen emphasised. "Heh, A-Arcee." She added somewhat unknown that Arcee knew what she was doing.
Smokescreen clicked his fingers, "how about a decoy? They know our address so they'll be looking for the right door number, we're in hangar E so." He started as he thought more into it. "Give the hangars a repaint."
Ellen thought into also as she shuffled her feet turning suddenly bashful mainly because of what she was going to admit with authority figures present, "I-In school if I ever got an F I would add another line to the bottom to make it an E, it was still a pretty bad grade but it was better than an F. I could just do the painting." Ellen openly admitted nervously as she avoided eye contact.
Smokescreen brushed a finger over another finger in her direction, "Ooh shame." He teased.
"Cheating has its advantages." Wheeljack added smugly folding his arms.
"As does mutual thinking." Magnus said to Optimus intrigued to the quick summarise of analysis and idea.
"Let's stop playing a game of team work and graffiti a dud hanger already!" Fowler called. "I'll make the necessary evacuations and formation teams. Prime, you bots can just continue your search for Ratchet we will handle this." He said taking his phone out as he made his way downstairs.
Smokescreens shoulders slumped slightly as he watched the man exit the building, "So all we have to do is make an F look like an E?" he said. "It's simple, but I was hoping to do more to help."
"Fowler means that if even one of us is seen during the fight, they will figure out we knew they would be coming, stay hidden and our 'fake' deaths should be believable." Arcee told him as he murmured something with a tone of doubt. "You've helped enough." She reassured lightly placing a hand on his arm.
"Thanks, Arcee." He said appreciatively.
"I need black paint." Ellen only said slightly robotically, walking out the hangars exit as Optimus followed her with his optics until making it a physical action, just before briefly looking over his shoulder as Magnus was discussing the monitor router.
She had made her way to the back where a supplies shed always resided, behind her was Hangar F. she listened to those recognisable footsteps as Optimus stood beside her the both of them exchanged glances before looking up to the hangar as anything inside the building was moved alongside groups of soldiers, some who were half dressed and changed as they moved. "Are you following me?" she finally asked him with slight amusement in her tone.
"It would be worth less time if I gave you a certain imitation of height, then for Agent Fowler to find a suitable device." He explained looking to the letter that identified the hangar.
She folded her arms, "Ironic that you're doing all the small jobs recently, well besides fighting and saying 'it would stand to reason' heh." She said as she raised a finger, "But one moment, I still need that paint." She said jogging off into the maintenance shed that stood alone as a sort of outcaste from the main hangars.
Optimus watched the soldiers, despite their focus most could not help but at least glance up at him, some going from a strong upper body posture to a slumped posture to how they looked in comparison to him. Noticing this he attempted to suit himself to a more 'casual' stance.
Ellen had come back with the paint she had to rough up a bit to get the lid off as it hadn't been used in months, "found it, there was a few in there including the metallic grey but I can't even see-" she stopped as she watched Optimus shift in a consistent pattern, "what are you doing?" she asked slightly disturbed. "You're not sick are you?" she added seriously.
He stopped in his current position, one hand behind his back as he was very much leant back on the heels of his feet, the other hand on the back of his head. Without answer he merely took to his original stance, "We need to do this swiftly." He told her.
"U—huh, sure." She said suspiciously as he presented his open palm for her, when lifted to the appropriate height Ellen lay a hand on the letter as she made an invisible outline with her finger then started to paint that outline, "I need this to be perfect." She said placing pinched fingers under her chin and pinching them together.
"As long as it resembles the correct symbol it should be enough to deceive them." He said as she made an 'hmm' sound as she stuck to concentrating.
The paint had ran down the brush to her fingers as now and then she would place a finger to her chin or forehead even lean her cheek into her palm of course leaving a mess, "Needs to be a bit longer, all that doodling in school and I can't even paint a square." She said examining the large letter. He looked over her face it didn't help that she had a concentrated expression with the patches of black paint on her.
Shaking his head to her untidy look he thought to ask, "Have you reconsidered your decision?" he said regarding the shard of Dark Energon.
Her shoulders slumped, "Dad, not now. I don't want you or anyone else coming across it." She said.
"That is not what I was referring to. What do you intend to do with it?" he asked firmly.
"I don't know, touch it?" he adopted a frown to the unbeknownst and somewhat lazy tone. "I just want to see what happens, it might be different when I hold it with the right hand."
"That was a rather vulgar and brief description, and is not reassuring nor is it convincing." He stated.
She sighed heavily, "I am taking it seriously you know, I can't multitask between painting and keeping up a professional dialogue." She said.
He made a murmuring sound dismissing it, "Then if your theory is correct what if you saw something that did not want to witness? What if it was just another way of deceiving you? Direct exposure despite what you say may be different, it has been proven to kill."
She stopped painting as she was at a road block, "I think the bad things I see are sourced from Unicron, the things that are symbolised as objects which in the end have a better outcome is a source of Primus." She said closing one eye tightly to somehow summon brain power though ignored the part of possible death. "It might be different though, maybe clearer because…when…Unicron was…" she sighed. "I can't explain it very well, might as well talk of sparkly talking ponies."
"You try to find a solution in anything, perhaps even common granite." He said lightly.
"You're damn right I'd use a rock if it was a solution." She added before crossing her legs, "I need help, I'm trying to explain myself but I can't explain mystical bullscrap." She said swaying.
"Perhaps you simply cannot find the words." He said lightly as he helped her, "The Dark Energon that was awakening, was only an aura rising from the Earth, and this would be direct contact with a pure source granting you an unnatural ability to sever the order of time and space." He stopped as he looked at her lightly.
"Er…yeah." She said blankly. "You, believe me then?" she asked hopefully.
"It is not unheard of." He said with thoughts of Megatron, then sighed heavily, "I find my options limited to take action, at these bleak times we should be unified not divided." He said as she painted. "I fear for your safety, and health."
She stopped painting leaving the brush to stay against the wall, "That's independent thinking for ya, something most parents fear I hear." she said. "I tell ya, you were landed with the 'Jynx' kid." She sighed, "I don't take risks like this usually, not ones that put others in risk anyway, and…I have no clue to the outcome. You weren't exactly a hundred percent when you used the Matrix on Unicron, and when I was scared for your wellbeing I couldn't do anything about it, like so many times before." She said looking at the letter she had finished. "How's that look?"
"More than adequate little one." He said quietly.
She looked at him suspiciously, "Hmm." She hummed fondly shortly after.
"Do not use my own choices against me Ellen, I do not wish to remind you more then once." He then said. She felt a slight shiver from the sudden wind that came in as he cupped his hand slightly to be a wind guard. "If you had your over wear." He added.
"Hmm, winds from the east?" she casually noted, her face fell as she started to repaint her letter instead of letting herself get frustrated, "I don't mean to." She said referring back to his original comment. "But it doesn't matter what argument you have, we all have to do what we can in this team, that's the way of it." She argued as he thought in that for a long moment. She curiously blinked at him, "What's that? Is that the sound of a strain on the old processor like a scratched disc in a video game console?" she interrogated.
He looked slightly annoyed as his optics were focused on straight ahead of him, "I am not discussing principles at this time." He said defending himself.
She laughed at his cover up, her laugh was light hearted and soft. "Mmm, what a weird laugh. Sounds kind of familiar though, an old laugh. You know I've noticed that people can change in so little time, and there are those who remain the same." She said pretending to be interested in the paint pot. "But what's left behind, you gain something instead like debating skills." She grinned as he averted his optics upwards. "I am practically through the rite of passage and am taking care of myself. Except for nutrition, that…that needs work." She said.
He smiled gently, "it has been a long while that you have been able to take care of yourself, even more so when Megatron returned." He said with a hint of pride in his tone.
"I guess it's like nature, when you're faced with a threat you have to force yourself to adapt and to compete, I love cruel irony." She sighed with sarcasm.
"Taking care of you is a role I no longer hold. Now I only oversee your studies and any inappropriate behaviour in our base that I can have control over." He told her.
She slightly scoffed, "Not only that right? I mean come on that sounds really depressing the way you say that." She argued anxiously.
"Of course I mean more." He slightly chuckled, "Though human behaviour suggests that you strive towards your adult stage as I have observed on numerous occasions."
She sat herself down as she crossed her legs swinging back and forth, "Mmm, yeah but we only say that because we want to feel in control of our own lives, question the boundaries that are set for us and go beyond that, we like a lot of freedom at this point." she murmured.
"That is a believable statement." He noted looking to the skies with concern.
"But, as much as the responsibly is nice some things you still like to be liable to, like a lift to school and the odd occasion of being woken in the morning and…you know, the company is nice despite being 'old' company." She then turned frantic, "Th-That is I mean, 'experienced' company, not Ratchet experienced but still pretty ol-experianced! Kind of jumped the gun there, but then tripped and got shot." She wiped a hand over her brow.
He placed her on his shoulder as folded his arms, "Perhaps from your perspective, however, I myself have been in company of someone older then this planets very existence, someone who I owe my own growth to." He stated lightly before falling grave.
She placed a hand on the tip of one of his fingers, "I'm sorry. I bet you would've wanted to see him at least one more time and I don't mean as some spiritual…well you know what I mean." She said rubbing her wrists, "When someone is there for most your life and then suddenly gone…you miss them." She said softly. "You miss them."
"I miss many." He said. "But, they are at peace, without the differences, but together as one." She made an uncomfortable murmuring sound. "Still sceptical?" he asked her sympathetically.
"A little. I mean I like talking to you and I'll miss that. As well as the occasional argument." She said. "It's kind of like when we were in the Shadowzone, we could see you, hear you, but you couldn't and we couldn't touch you." She said as he nodded. "You understand right? Not being able to know where someone has gone or can't see them." she added with slight frustration before exhaling, "Sorry I've kind of gone back to that subject again, I'm not afraid of the loss, but despite what It is, it's sad to be separated." She placed a hand on his arm to make a point.
He raised a hand to poke her in the chest, "I will never be gone. Just as many others are never gone. We were strong, to accept those friendships."
"Your right." she said fondly, "But even when explained, it's still depressing." She said leaning her chin in her hands. "You've had so many close calls."
"As have you. and our friends." He noted, "The lifestyle that you have been subjected to, always at risk of harm…even faced with it. Despite our extra precautions, when you lost your original arm, trauma to the head when Unicron was intent on destroying you." He looked to one side, "when mistaking your signature with my own. Silas, Emotional trauma, your involvement on Dark mount as well as the outcome of further injury, lost to the Nemesis Warship and now Dark Energon."
She patted his head, "It's because the universe is so jealous it can't handle me, but it can just keep throwing adversity at me despite the everlasting mental torment, in the end it'll all work out." She bowed her head, "Living can be just as scary as death." She admitted. "You know, even though we're still able to talk like this, I feel as though I'm moving farther away from you." She stated solemnly.
"That is the way of it. Eventually you see your own path ahead of you, and only your path." She swallowed a lump in her throat as he watched her take in that reality, "that is to say, eventually, you leave the one who taught you to pursue your own journey." He attempted to tone done the realism.
"That's alright Dad, I know what you're trying to say." She said. "I'd still feel lonely without you, I talk to Jack about personal things, I talk to Magnus about well whatever judgemental flaw I can make about him, well that and maybe some ideals, I talk about different things with different beings but you, I ask questions I'm not sure the answer to, that's how I'm able to talk to the others in the first place. I..." She said slightly blushing.
"That is not all my doing, you have your own understanding of the world." He corrected.
"Maybe..." She scratched her head, "Well, if any case I...I'm-I'm terrible at this. But you've always protected me, be it Decepticons or the world itself, even when I say I can protect myself and refuse whatever concern you may have. In truth I would feel pretty vulnerable without you." He looked at her with sympathy. "What? I-I'm not completely hardcore."
"But you are correct, in that you can protect yourself from your own world now. But understand that, despite my role of caring for you that is near flourishing, I still need to keep you safe from the dangers of my world and that your choice to use Dark Energon, it unsettles me that Unicron could extend to a part of you I cannot reach." He said the intensity in his optics showing clearly.
"But it's not something from your world is it?" she said to him. "Just saying, but you know everything up until now, things make a lot of sense. We're like a unified race, well it's comforting to me I like the idea that Earth and Cybertron were meant to meet up." she started to kick her feet back and forth out of nervousness, "I still like the idea of a human, Bot partnership, I don't care if it's laughable, I mean dude, Alien Robots that's appealing to any audience."
"I do not recall any other who know of those thoughts to find it amusing." He said.
"Well actually Its only you and Ratchet. But then there's the cons." she said unfocused at that point, "and i mean as in the bad points not the dudes who can just suck on it, like for one thing the two beings Primus and Unicron are polar opposites, is that the same for us? And are we parasites or actual creations of Unicron? A-And our creation itself, it was an accident? If that's the case do we even have a pur-" she stopped as he stared at her.
"One question at a time." he said.
she scratched her head, "I can look into this later." She then turned her head clasping her hands together in a pleading manner, "please." she begged. "Can't you just say yes?"
"You ask of me too much." He said regrettably.
She slightly made a soft hissing laugh, "And that's why your damn kid is running w-ild." she joked, "Well, admittedly it's more fun that way." She sighed, "I don't want to be spiteful in using your own actions and words against you to back up my argument, but it's hard not to."
His expression turned intense, "If anything were to-"
"Then you can destroy it." She quickly fit in, "It's one of those times you know that it will work without prove just a little, trust. Something I have trouble with myself and don't even deserve from others but…just."
He scanned her face, the disappointed expression that came frequently when she asked him of something that he knew he had to deny, and lowered his head as he made a soundless sigh, "No…It is regrettable that I deny permission rather than grant It on more than a few occasions." he gave a solemn bow. "Sometimes to protect those around…You have to ignore feelings but risk hurting someone in the process."
She sighed as he let his optics dim and seemed to have accepted rejection. "We'll find Ratchet won't we? We found you and Smokescreen got off the Nemesis himself." She then said.
"We will." He said as he started to head back to their own hangar. "And do not interrupt." He added as she lightly scoffed.
She then looked to behind her, "Erm, are you going to set me down now? My legs and other things are asleep." She asked starting to paw towards the ground.
"No." he said only. "You mentioned earlier about modifying low grades?" he added with suspicion.
She scratched the tip of her nose, "Heh, yeah well I only did that twice. Couple bad terms and with all the- you already knew didn't you?" she stated flatly barely forming words with her mouth.
"Between a thick chemical ink and a thicker compromise, yes. The advanced biology of my optics were not even needed." He said tapping his helm.
"See that's my conscience deliberately doing that." She argued pointing a finger to the sky to make it fact, then rolled her eyes as she leant onto his helm brushing a hand over it before sitting back up again. "Now to the real hangar E, that is what's going to be F, but this is now E…Screw it I'm-I'm confused." She said changing subjects quickly.
"Hmm." He mused to the overlooked gesture before grabbing her attention again. "Ellen."
"Yes? I'm talking too much aren't I?" she said swaying back and forth.
"You will be alright." He told her gently.
Her mouth turned slightly crooked, "You sound so sure." She said meekly.
"You have endured hard." He argued.
Her eyelids dropped to being half closed, "how do you know that just means I could break any moment?" she said with that sound of realism in her tone.
"That is entirely up to you." He told her without tone.
She looked to the floor as she watched his steps, "I have had a lot of moments where I nearly have…" she cringed, "lost it. Completely. It's just a fine line that. Mentality, you could be the soundest person but it could easily come push to shove."
"And when is does?" he questioned pushing her a little.
"I realised, I have a lot to live for." She said before shutting her eyes, "My life, doesn't end…with you." She said. "at the scrapyard, Darkmount. I'm not going to think like that again."
He nodded, "And in saying that, I hope I have given you that strength to stand alone by leaving a part of myself. But it is for you to make up for most of it."
She inhaled though it was a little struggling, "I think I can do that." She said quietly, leaning back onto his helm.
"You think?" he inquired.
"Alright, I know I can do that." She said with sarcasm.
"Leave no room for doubt." He told her.
she made a soundless chuckle, "Dad, don't make me create a joke from that."
The militants were on high alert, as weaponry and planes were readied up for any attack that would inevitably fall on that area, both hangar letters were changed and Fowler sighed, "All aerial search patterns are coming up empty." He said.
"No comm link chatter either." Arcee said coming from her post at the computer.
"And no ground activity, it's a little too quiet out there." Wheeljack said.
"If the Decepticons no longer seek Predacon bones, or Earth technology. There is no activity to track." Optimus said.
"So until Megatron makes a move, we're in a holding pattern." Bulkhead said.
Magnus looked to his 'claw', "Ratchet didn't think this hand he had built for me was good enough. But I'll tell you what isn't truly good enough. Giving up. We have no choice but to play this old school, split into teams for maximum coverage." As Magnus finished that sentence a security alarm boomed throughout the hangar for the warning of hostile intruders. There bases location was lit up with flashing red lights of the hostile incomers.
"We have incoming, a whole fleet full!" Agent Fowler informed as the others looked above them, Wheeljack deployed a primary weapon.
"Back to your stations." Magnus said. "The humans will handle this."
"Right." Ellen said walking towards the hangar entrance in putting herself in that category.
"Experienced militant humans. You are still classed as a civilian." He called as she stiffened.
"Ah yes the ranks of society, well I tried." She said peering around the hangar entrance anyway feeling like a kid in candy store, "check out our guys in those F-16 fighting falcons." She said watching them fly into the air, "nice precision there, I'd sure like to see one of them just leap out of the cockpit with a knife in his mout-hey." she said flatly her vision suddenly being blocked by her guardians foot. "I have enough restraint as it is, but you can only push a person so far." She moaned winking to him.
"Yes, but your interests are on a higher scale of risk." Optimus told her.
"Stay away from the perimeter." Magnus scolded also as Optimus mustered her inside.
"I choose a bad time to be a curious human girl huh?" she whispered to him continuing to be unwillingly moved.
"One of many 'traits'." He quietly told her, keeping her close.
"Air covers holding…for the moment." Agent Fowler said from his position at the computer screens as the others tried to listen out for any change.
"I hope my square pays off." Ellen said, looking to the ceiling.
Optimus made a hushing motion as the whole hangar was deathly silent, "Here they come." Fowler said as a sudden thunderous explosion was heard as the ground shook under their feet, barely moving the bots out of balance though Fowler held onto the railings for support.
After a moment passed, all that was heard was a slight muffled crackling sound that was guarded by their own hangar and the sound of aircrafts landing outside hopefully being their own.
"Is, that it?" Smokescreen asked.
Agent Fowler raised a hand as he watched the hostiles move out of radar, "give it a moment." He said reaching for his phone waiting on his own terms, "Alright, let's put a damp towel on that pan." He said into it.
"Dad, FYI, I'm going outside." Ellen said thumbing over her shoulder.
"Nothing rash." He told her.
She stopped as she thought into it, "a burning hangar…" she thought as she felt sudden anxiety, "You sure the building was evacuated?" she asked almost jogging to the entrance. "Maybe someone didn't get the heads up." She suddenly became fixed on that comment and the targeted hangar.
"There are given disadvantages with this newly acquired frame." Optimus noted to himself as Magnus glanced at him.
Then sighed frustrated as he started quick pacing towards the entrance after her, "The option of a brig still stands!" he called.
"That was a weird change." Smokescreen said beside Optimus.
"Her Creator." Optimus started, "perished in a fire, a building very similar to this very hangar."
"Oh." He said slightly surprised. "I guess she didn't just appear out of nowhere, creator huh? Is human existence similar to ours like, er our maker?" he asked.
"In some perspective. Humans similarly to us do not come from one source alone." he explained.
"Where do they come from?" he asked.
Optimus let his optics slowly wander, "an explanation for another time Smokescreen." He said placing a hand on the bots shoulder. "For another time." Something about his tone had gotten Smokescreen more curious about the subject.
"Can I guess?" he asked with rising excitement and Optimus looked lightly at him.
Outside was the sound of crackling fire as well as a rising voice of questioning, "Sir. Sir. Empty building right sir, sir?" Ellen continued frantically questioning the men who were putting out the fire, "I know you can hear me, I can see your ear lobes twitching, I can go all day man, all day." She walked into him as he stopped.
"The building was empty, now please stand back the air is still roaming with-" the man stopped suddenly as he looked somewhat awed as Ellen tilted her head.
"Well, maybe not people but I think I buried a few cans in there to keep them cool and- are you trying to drown me out when you look like- Commande-errrrr!" she cried getting grabbed by the scruff of her shirt collar.
"My apologize…" Magnus said looking down on the man for any identification, "Service human, continue at your post." He guessed stepping to one side.
Ellen made herself swing back and forth, "whatever we had, it's gone now, you lost a friend." She said as she grinned at his stern expression, "Hey, you forgot the formalities that guys the Captain." His expression remained the same, "come on, give me a smile mister sourface." She said pawing at the air in his direction, "Hey, want to hear the time the rest of the bots got condemned for something they didn't do? I had to go all the way up to POTUS before-"
"Refrain the 'chit-chat'." He said swiftly. "You express more words then necessary, and with said topic if this were the old ways I would have restrained you in a less uncivilised manner."
She brushed her hands off, "Fine, it's a boring story anyway, it's not like I played brawl with him after, met his dog, got a tidy little profile pic as well, before being tackled to the ground by these seven beefed up guys, I think I was only conscious for three seconds they landed on me that hard, then found myself in federal prison two days after but-." She stopped as the fire caused her to become almost hypnotised as she watched the blaze. The other bots coming into their view from the side of the hangar.
"It worked, who knew." Bee was the first to express. "But I think the human soldiers have ALL put us on their list." He added with a low pitch.
"Seeing the hangar burn like this." Ellen started grimly to the sight of the black smoke "Just…" She stopped as Magnus lifted her into a cupped hand as he looked down. "Bad memories." She shrugged and flashed a brightened expression for reassurance.
"I understand." He said.
She rubbed her face as she watched the fire-fighters, "Good formation from our fire warriors though, heh fire warriors I want a petition for that." She stated resting her head into her hands.
"Indeed." Magnus said nodding. "There formation is purposed to smother the oxygen that feeds the flames."
"Your right, and look, there footing is in perfect timing with each other, communication is constant and it's like there mind melded basically in technical terms there a perfect unit." She said.
"Exactly." Magnus finished.
The two suddenly froze as Ellen made a hoarse uncomfortable cough, "Er, I mean, you…suck?" she attempted to keep up appearances before the two just looked to the side making awkward gestures.
"Mess hall sure is a mess." Smokescreen said as Ellen turned back to her usual tone.
"Check out 'Legendary Wit' here." She jested to herself as he lightly glared at her making playful death threats with hand signs.
"We are fortunate the Decepticons can be fooled by a simple paintjob." Magnus said looking down as Ellen rolled her eyes.
Back at their posts, Wheeljack passed the small fragment of Laserbeak's wing as something caught his optic. It was placed on what Ratchet used as a workbench, at first he thought it was a glitch of his own vision, but he approached it to prove his own sanity. "You moved, I know you did turkey shrapnel." He said threatening the inanimate object, he then deployed his weapon as he nudged it, a small judder and twitch produced a grin from him. "What do you know, this chipped wing is still emitting life signs." he muttered to the closest bot listening.
"You're not equipped with a scanner." Arcee said as the group took notice.
"Don't need to, I poked it." He said seriously.
"Anyone of us any good at analysing?" Bulkhead asked anxiously.
"Gadgetry sure, analyse no. The Doc was the only one with the skill in that area." Wheeljack said picking up the wing.
Optimus looked to the human seating area, just how it looked from the previous base, table, couch, TV, video game console, empty soda cans. "There is another." he said. "One whose contributions to this team has always been of great value."
"Raf." Bee lightly confirmed before falling a little low to the realism that he'd have to found out of Ratchets capture.
"It's like five in the morning." Ellen said looking at the time on screen, "Whoa…it's five in the morning. Aw well, I can catch up."
"I'll make a subtle way of contact." Agent Fowler said activating the Groundbridge as some raised an eyebrow at him.
"Subtle?" Ellen said with her hands on her hips. "Sure as subtle as a train wreck…on a boat." She added as Agent Fowler came downstairs straitening his tie before Ellen placed a hand on his chest making a 'Pshh' sound. "Hold up, I'll go. This calls for sensitivity not professionalism or authority." She said.
"No authority huh?" he questioned ironically rubbing the part she poked out of soreness, "But are you sure?" he said as she was slightly disturbed by the tone of his voice. "I mean when I was Rafs age but twelve inches taller and in this heat I barely wore anything to be-"
"Whoa-Whoa-Whoa! Keep that to yourself breezy, you just contact Jack and Miko." She protested as she shuddered. "U-Urgh, that imagery is going to haunt me for years." She declared ignoring her surroundings as she headed for the Groundbridge.
When going through the portal she was greeted by darkness, allowing her eyes to adjust for a moment she dug around in her pockets, "please don't say I left it on my jacket." Ellen thought digging deep she expressed relief as she pulled out a mini torch on a key ring, she looked around and she was relieved about Fowlers skills with a Groundbridge, as she knew she was in Rafs bedroom to the general theme of it and that she left a couple of her school books here one time and they remained at the side of his computer.
"I need to wake up Raf in a manner that he is used to." She thought as she knelt down to his bedside, he was laid on his back as she rested a hand on his shoulder then with the other hand pinched the bridge of his nose firmly as Raf started spluttering and coughing as he woke up,
"A-Alex? Urgh…stop doing that already, I have-" he groaned swatting the air.
"Raf. It's me Ellen, I'm saying my name just in case the whispering raspy sound of my voice is a little disturbing." She said.
"Ellen?" he questioned confused in his half-awake state, he suddenly sat up quickly tightening his covers, "E-Ellen?!" he tried to confirm as quietly as he could, "you're in my room, at night, my sisters don't even come in my room at this time…" he said clutching his covers.
"Why?" Ellen asked curiously oblivious.
"I-I'm, not dressed, not really." He squeaked that breaking voice of his at a see saw angle.
That image came up again of Agent Fowler, "Please, for the love of fudge tell me you're at least wearing underwear?" She begged.
"W-Well yeah, why-"
"Right that's good enough for me, going commando. Right gotcha." She said nudging him, "but before I wait cautiously in the hallway, we need you at base, short notice I know but we need you."
"B-Base?" he questioned rubbing his eyes.
"I'll explain when we get there" she said as he looked at his half asleep state just about trying to process everything thrown at him. "I'm sorry for waking you, get yourself ready alright?" she said gently as she stood up, "I'll wait in the hallway."
"Ellen." Raf started warningly, "M-My Mom."
She placed pinched fingers on her forehead as she thought into it. "Oh yeah. I know the legends Raf, frankly a woman with two eyes in the front and two in the back fascinates me but also terrifies me, I kind of want to fight this woman." Raf looked on blankly, "don't worry, I'll tread the hallways like Spiderman at a Super Villain convention." She said turning the rotator light switch to a dim setting.
With about ten minutes in the hallway and a few finger taps on the door for her to come back in, the two were back in his room again. "Okay, I'm ready." He said allowing his phone to produce a low glowing backlight.
"Can I use that for a minute please?" she asked.
"Sure, but why?" he asked.
"I'm calling base, I er, forgot mine." She said her eyes wandering as he looked at her suspiciously but thought nothing of it only that she probably covered the fact that she lost it in saying she forgot it, she tapped away at the screen as she noticed Raf was rubbing his eyes again. "Want me to throw a bucket of water in your face?" she asked.
"What? No." he emphasised defensively suddenly awake.
She make a hissing laugh through her teeth, "Only teasing Raf I think I'd put your body in a state of shock if I did that." She said putting the phone to her ear, "Ellen to base, we need a bridge please." She placed a hand on the phone, "It sounds pretty dumb when I say it."
"Ellen, what's going on?" Raf asked turning stern.
"In a minute, it'll be better to get to hear it as a group I-" she looked around his room as she spotted something that made her eyes widen, "Dude no way. Is that the original CGI model they used for the series?" she awed.
Raf frowned confused as he looked where she looked, "e-er yeah, my Dad won it at an auction- s-sorry can we talk about…" he trailed off for her to get his point.
She pulled herself away from the fan world as she rubbed her face, "Right-right. Sorry, let's go." She said before clicking her fingers, "Wait, laptop." Raf pulled his bag strap to tell her that he was all set.
"Let's roll." He said.
Back at base, without much being revealed a table was placed on the floor as well as a chair by Agent Fowler, though got Miko and Jack to move the table, "Alright." Ellen started clasping her hands together as she hissed through her teeth, "Ratchet…was taken by Soundwave." She started off with to allow the usual reactions.
"Hold on." Fowler interrupted, "I'm the government official."
Ellen flashed him a glare, "U-huh well go tell them because if they have a problem with this being an 'unofficial' report and informative discussion they can take it up with me." She stated looking to behind as she produced a thumbs up at Ultra Magnus before looking back Fowler. "Self-confidence jerk lessons." she told him quietly.
Fowler let his form stiffen and his eyes avert to the side as he was thoroughly confused, "You, have enough confidence." He merely said.
She clasped her hands again to finish the conversation, "Now. We have evidence of the scene but you're the better forensics team, that's you, Raf." She said.
Before Miko and Jack could speak up Raf called out to drown them out, "Wait. You're serious? Ratchet, he's really…?" he said horrified as Ellen stopped walking to place a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll get him back." She quickly reassured.
"So, this all lies on me?" he said as Jack comforted him as well at that point.
"No, you're not doing this alone, we're a team." Jack said.
"Just do what you can." Ellen told him. "You sure you don't need that bucket of water?"
He sighed, "I'll do my best." his expression turned firm, "Where's the evidence?" he questioned seriously.
"Here." She said being handed the wing by Fowler.
He picked it up and observed it for a long while making murmuring sounds, "Hmm, I need something to receive the electrical current." He said putting it down besides his laptop.
"How about, er, crocodile clips? They, receive a temporal electrical…current, right?" Miko said as the group of humans blinked at her. "I'm not stupid you know." She huffed heading to get said cables.
Jack knelt down slightly to look at his computer screen, "At least you have a desk. More comfortable to work at." he said to Raf.
"So, no pressure huh?" Raf lightly commented sarcastically as he got to work setting up the appropriate programs as Miko returned with the cables. He took them from her and hooked the input, then the clips to the wing, he was silent for a while as the group only heard the numerous key taps he was performing.
"We thought you might be the best one for an analysis, in Ratchet's absence." Fowler broke the silence putting his arms behind his back.
"It's trying to communicate with the Warship." Raf said.
"That was a fast analysis." Ellen said.
"How do you know?" Miko asked leaning on the table.
"It's telling us." Raf said showing her the screen as he continued to type.
"Obviously." Ellen shrugged as though that was one of life's basic facts, as the three watched him from behind.
Jack scanned what was coming up on screen, scrolling down was lengths and lengths of symbols, "Er, Raf. That's Cybertronian code." he said.
"Wait, first Raf understands Bumblebee. Now he reads Cybertronian? Are we sure he's not some kind of alien?" Miko questioned.
"Soon he will turn against his human masters." Ellen grimaced.
"I've been learning for a while, in between stuff when Ratchet had time to teach me." He said he stopped typing as his voice slightly became shaky at that last point.
"Hey Raf." Jack started sympathetically, laying his hands on his shoulders, "we'll bring him back."
"As a promise." Ellen added.
"If it's the last thing we do." Miko finished.
"If it's talking to its Momma, can we triangulate the signal?" Fowler asked.
"To a shielded Warship?" Magnus said.
"If the Transponder were still attached to Laserbeak, we could follow it." Arcee said.
"Maybe we should give it wings." Wheeljack suggested.
The bots looked to each other, "we could use spare parts from the machine shop." Raf added hopeful.
"Then let's do it, for the Doc." Wheeljack said determined.
Ellen found herself looking at the group of Bots as she looked to the foreground far to the back as Optimus was at the control panels still monitoring despite it being very quiet out there. She started to walk in that direction, "Still trying huh? The efforts nice." She scratched her head, "We er, have a plan." She said thumbing to behind her.
"So it seems." It said turning around as he watched the group on the other side of the room focused on new events. "Now that the others are pre-occupied, perhaps this is the best time to dispose of the contents." He said to her.
"Oh." She said, "Sure. Come on, I'll…I'll give it to you." She added walking off as he followed, "I should have went for the Immobiliser." She muttered going to a certain part of base, "Starlight." She muttered looking her robotic form over, left on the med table out of the way. Something Ratchet built for her without being told to. She then turned to the back of the railings as she got on her knees scratching an arm out to a gapped area dragging her jacket out and opening it to reveal the small shard though almost the length of her arm in scale.
"Ellen, Rafael is our best source to find Ratchet." Optimus reassured as she stared at it.
"Yeah, I know." she said flatly.
"The shard." He said.
"Right." She replied about to fold the jacket over it again, before looking at it. "We've both seen pain, and fear." She then said casually. "What's a little more." She said to him.
"It is not something to become accustomed to." He scolded.
She let go of her jacket as she stared at the shard, it was so unknown to her not just alien but beyond that.
"Ellen…" Optimus said noticing her unsettling focus. Her eyes slightly widened as her fingers followed towards the shard. She heard Optimus call out something but was only muffled as her fingers like a magnet to an opposite pole clamped around the shard and a spasm of images flashed at once as well as the sound and voices that followed it felt like hours to her in that moment though realistically seconds, she pulled back, feeling a sort of electrified current shoot through her entire body as she felt slightly sick.
"Good grief." She said as the shard made a sparking hissing sound. She was forcibly spun around by Optimus who only had to tug on her shirt. "I'm fine- I'm fine! I just saw dinosaurs our dinosaurs that's all, maybe Earth history that's weird." She sighed trying to think.
Optimus looked to the shard that was making that current sound of hissing, "I want to try again, hold on a little longer." Ellen said with built up excitement. "I saw history, things that we're still trying to understand how thing were formed and lived."
He shook his head sternly, "No. it is too dangerous." He told her placing a hand around her as she dodged it, looking to the shard as she took a hold of it again. "Ellen no!"
Like a video recording that was being speeded forward, her head burned with what she received, but she held onto it, "v-voices...faces...a lot of faces…is Ratchets there?" she muttered worried as the images continued like a telescopic view when zooming inward at a rapid speed. But there was no way she could control it, it gave what it wanted to show. She groaned suddenly almost gasping for breath as she started to panic. "N-No…get away." She muttered as another flash was produced a barren land with glowing purple optics in the shadows, another vision with a falling purple orb, then a sound of hissing, like whispers like the emptiness before the universe had ever come into existance. Then her head begun to burn, but she held on, her hand was magnetised to the shard as more was shown.
She was shown the Predacon, standing figures, as silhouettes only. An aura of purple again tightly wrapped around a planet but it was in shadow.
Then what was shown as a glimpse into the future she was now shown a possibility, a million voices again, human, or perhaps not. A low cackle of a combined voice, "St-Stop…" she said wearily. "Stop I-It please…" then she heard laughter…not evil, those millions of voices…were speaking as though were at a social gathering and there was relief but it was clouded and even more a sudden voice was heard almost piercing her mind. "W-Wha-...w-who?"
"I am watching you…" she heard the voice was barely translatable, shrouded but the sound of it was clear, deep in baritone but greater in scale, something that made her feel truly mortal. "I can see you, this universe will be dark before your blood runs cold…"
From Optimus' perspective it was a quick event, she stood there but was fitting, her eyes were rolled back and her nose dripped a thick line of blood, she suddenly snapped her eyes open to the present time as she was pulled from its firm hold it had on her again what felt like hours were mere seconds.
"Ellen…" Optimus asked her as her face went pale her pupil's small alongside challenged breathing, "Ellen, what is our current location?"
Her eyes started to blink, "A-An old...An old radio station that was converted into...some kind of government surveillance base, f-five miles from the outskirts of Jasper." She said holding her head, "I'm fine. I-I'm fine."
"That remains to be seen." He started sternly, "Why did you-?" he started to say but unable to finish the sentence.
"I'm Sorry." She said sadly, "I really am. I just- it just." She stopped as she rolled up her jacket angrily, "get rid of it." She told him.
"Put it down." He told her as she did though looked on confused as he stood up whilst holding her then deployed his primary weapon as he shot at the shard that burst into tiny particles and those particles evaporated to the intense heat of his projectile. "Are you feeling any different?" he then asked.
"I don't know, but it worked in a sense." She started. "I'm seeing a lot of bad sides of things, of course I would, I'm remembering when you said that Unicron is the incarnation of destruction, it makes sense. At least…at least it's a warning in some form." She covered it up again, "but Ratchet wasn't in any of them. But I never saw a bad outcome for him, I hope this things not screwing around with me."
"Ratchet?" he said.
"I thought I could…find out if-" she admitted.
"What happened?" a voice asked as a barrage of feet were heard. Optimus stood up straight as he saw the group of bots, Arcee was at the front of the group glancing at the area expecting another intruder, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus with charging weapons at there command pointing them steady in various directions. "Optimus?" the voice belonging to Arcee asked.
Ellen rubbed her head as she looked to him, "I was…er…"
"'Starlight' had brought back a 'stowaway'-" Optimus started.
"That was tracking us." Ellen interrupted.
"I felt something emanate from Starlight a foreign signature, during her absence on the Nemesis it was placed inside the arm compartment. With previous captors escaping they used this at there advantage." he said bowing his head, "a possibility of how our current base was discovered." he said looking down at her. "But is now terminated."
"Ratchet never detected any security breach on the robotic form." Ultra Magnus argued.
"The scanning setting were set to a specific priority despite the usual protocol to expand to all areas." Optimus said to him before looking to the floor to a quiet cough.
"I'm guessing this tracker was some kind of attack droid?" Jack said making a slight gesture with his eyes to Ellen who swayed around in Optimus' grip barely staying conscious.
"Whoa." Smokescreen said staring at her, "Someone's had too much high grade."
Ellen tried to focus her vision as she pointed a drooping finger around, "i'm...s-fline." she looked down four humans, "Just a little, dizzy." she then frowned, "Hey, your supposed to be helping Raf. good grief does every tree have to make a sound in a forest?"
"That, doesn't even make sense." Jack noted.
Optimus turned to Ultra Magnus, "The situation is normal." He told him as Magnus nodded.
he lowered his weapon finally as he turned around back to where he was previously monitoring at. "Alright, it was only a minor disturbance, back to your posts." He called to the bots.
Despite the curious looks that were received in the end they did so despite the questions on there mind, but can be asked later. Optimus waited a moment before asking, "What was it you witnessed?"
She stared at him for a long while as she fell pale again. "I-I can't say for sure, it's like I've been given a thousand pictures at a really bad angle, and I'm trying to identify each one." She then sat herself down. "But I also heard things." She shuddered, "I-I heard…things."
"Are you sure? In your disarrayed state."
"I don't know. It might be, before you pulled me away I heard relief, that kind you make when you know that everything will be fine at the end. And then…I thought I saw, you." She turned away from him. "And...the others then...the incarnation of creation." She spoke sadly, "I don't understand, I saw light but that turned clouded then it turned dark and then…" she dug a fisted hand into her head, "what does it mean?" she frustrated as he set her down.
"We cannot turn back time now. But try not to understand what they symbolise." He told her. "I know you will."
"G-Give me a second my head is spinning. When, when we get Ratchet back would you feel better that he give my head an examine?" she said tiredly.
"Are you alright?" he asked kneeling down with a catching hand ready.
She sat herself on the floor, "Heh, you say that more then you roll." She jested.
"I wish you had not done that, I thought I had known all your behavioural patterns." He shook his head lightly, "Still a small notion of being unpredictable."
She smiled, "I'm fine. Really. Just feel a little different." She said standing up.
"Different?"
"I don't know." She shook her head, "Dad, I'm very scared for everyone's life right now because of those images but I don't know why. It just seems impossible to me and yet there it is." She leant her head up against the wall.
"You doubt your own comprehension." He said to her.
She shut her eyes as she mumbled, "Well maybe I'm that guy who if someone tells me the Earth is flat, screw you I'm getting my own answers and just take a boat out." She rambled as he noticed a slight quiver in her lips. "Translation; if I could ask the source, I would." She said.
He shut his optics with an amused sigh, "To avoid prolonged points, to see it is to believe it." he told her as she made a nervous laugh, "it is the experience to discover."
"So maybe we should continue to look for Ratchet." She said standing up as she found her ability to walk straight. "I'm a crazy nut aren't I?" she sighed pinching her forehead.
"I will observe you." He told her.
She rolled her eyes grinning, "No deep staring though, I'm a little self-conscious." She said. "Basketball is still on though right? And remember I don't mean specifically now, just…sometime." she asked. He didn't answer as she took that as confirmation as he followed her, "Do you think I should specify it? what I saw?" she asked him.
He looked to in front of him, "What will be, will be. We cannot change what our own choices decide for us, it could result in a greater consequence."
"A greater consequence?" she said.
"Visualise this, you are walking the path in front of you, until you come across two different paths which by whatever choice is made will ultimately change your life and others around you." He said describing it with hand signs. "What you decide to change may ultimately be a consequence on someone else. For them to take the place of another."
"You mean like if I saw Magnus lose his hand but when trying to avoid it someone else could've got injured?" she said.
"Perhaps even fatal." He said.
"So that was a waste of time." She noted disappointedly.
"But ultimately we do share one same knowledge of the future that we all share the same fate, despite our physical forms, organic or cybernetic we are luminous beings in soul." He said.
"Yeah thanks Yoda, I know you trying to reinforce this but the supernatural just creeps me out." She rested her head in her hand, "I hope it didn't seem like I was taking the easy way out by doing that." She said.
"Taking a physical hold on Dark Energon." He reminded her. "You could have perished." He added in a low tone.
"Hmm, I wouldn't want to decide one life over another, or, who gets hurt." She rubbed her arm, "how would you know if you had done the right thing?" She sighed.
"A question i am very familiar to." he said.
"I'm going to see how Rafs doing." She said shutting her eyes like she was in pain. "Oh and, you owe me a new jacket." She joked weakly to her evaporated clothing. "And I still miss my motorcycle."
Raf and Wheeljack were using the large worktop Ratchet would use with modifications in general, Ellen couldn't see what was up top, even attempting futile tippy toeing. But turned her footing to the many stairway to get a better height. She kneeled up against the railing as she tried to control her stress levels, long deep breathing with shut eyes. Just so Optimus couldn't feel that sense of anxiety she was trying to hold back. It was black and white what she saw, but she felt for certain that she was going to face adversity another few times at least. "What does it mean? why can't it be stopped?" she thought.
All those metaphorical images and words just confused her. But there were others things too. And at some point she swore that she was seeing through someone else's perspective because her vision was a light violet colour and perhaps for a brief second saw Ratchet but she felt she couldn't think about it at that moment in fear she may bring upon a panic attack.
So she watched Raf and Wheeljack working on the flight project though slightly her eyes adjusted to the foreground. "He's more focused then he is playing video games." Jack said almost coming out of nowhere in her perspective, "you know without that zombie look in his face." He jested.
"Mm. Yeah." She said her heart expressing how startled it was by his presence, "Ratchet means a lot to him, especially him. Coming from a big family and the youngest at that, attention is spread amongst them in small portions. Plus Raf has that older brother who is always in trouble so there's a big chunk of attention there." She said.
"He's very to himself when he talks of his family isn't he?" Jack said. "But you know Ratchet means a lot to all of us." He told her.
She nodded slowly, "Yeah, you just don't realise it until he's gone. I always thought for years that Ratchet just never liked me, but looking back now I think he was trying to help me." she said, "Ratchet was mostly to himself a little anti-social but he had his moments, maybe that's why I kept trying. Like when I begged Dad for a domestic furry brother or sister of the animal kingdom."
"And in your language you mean a pet?" he joked.
"Sure in 'society' terms, but yes a pet." She bounced a fist off the railings, "Ratchet got me a tamagochi. He argued that it was to stop all my whining but then I never moaned to him it was always to Dad and where no one could hear about it. Why would he go through all the effort?" she said with amusement.
He slightly snickered, "Wow, you even had a stand in for an actual pet." He said.
"Nuts to you." She said shoving him.
"The frequency modulator keeps shorting out." Raf called frustrated from the table, he was leaning on his knees as he worked from his computer.
"Easy champ." Wheeljack told him holding a relevant piece to the project. "Let me try uncrossing some wires." He said.
"Now there's something you don't see every day." Smokescreen noted alongside Bulkhead and Arcee.
"Jackie wasn't always a loner you know." Bulkhead told him. "Being a Wrecker was all about the team." He said and in finishing that sentence a clank sound was heard as Jack and Ellen cringed to the action Miko had performed.
"Y-ep, ep, ep, ep." Raf said in the same style as Ratchet. "Miko! I needed that!" he complained.
"I was trying to tighten up that thinga-ma-jig." Miko said trying to contribute.
Ellen held a hand on her chest as she gripped Jacks shoulder, "Jack, I'm scared." she grimaced with fear before calling to Raf with a fake grin. "Hey Raf I don't think it works the same if you're like twelve and full of hope and expectation, you kind of lack that life experience and disappointment Ratchet has."
"Very reassuring El. Rafs probably just displaying a type of resilience?" Jack said lifting shrugged arms.
"Pfft. P-lease." Raf scoffed.
"That's it, go to your room!" Ellen blurted pointing upwards as Jack took a hold of her hand and brought her arm down. "No, similar generation to mine is going to end up a bitter old man by the time he's twenty one, not in my house."
"Ellen-Ellen." Jack repeated frantically as she whipped her head around. "Calm down, One. This isn't a house. Two. Raf hasn't got a room here as well hence reason number one. And Three, on occasion you sound fifty yourself as well as a bit of a loon." She made a slight scoff sound to back up his statement as Jack looked over to the other side of the railing to Agent Fowler brushing a hand through his hair, Jack started to move in closer.
Ellen watched him move all of a sudden, as he moved toward Agent Fowler. "Hmm, that's nice." She noted lightly going back to her own thoughts.
"Agent Fowler. Everything alright?" Jack asked.
"Just preoccupied." Fowler told him. "Thinking about the close calls we humans have had with the Decepticons lately. Smack down by Soundwave, Stuck in Knockouts trunk with your Mom."
"The what-what-what on the what now?" Ellen questioned from her spot dumbfounded and listening in apparently.
"Moving on." Jack said quick to not make the conversation awkward.
"The uncomfortable reality is, the bots might not always be here. And even if they are, they can't be everywhere at once. As we've learned." He said staring intently at the Apex armour. "This armour, is the only thing that stood between Miko and that Predacon. The reason she came back without a scratch. Cybertech like that could be what we need to get our agents on the frontline a fighting chance. Agents like…maybe you one day." He said to Jack.
"What?" he said.
"You'll be of age soon. And your Prime material son. Your Mom thought you might be a good fit, seeing how you've been a little wishy-washy with your plans." He said.
"Wait. You've been talking to my Mom about me?" he asked.
Suddenly a flying object came at them as Agent Fowler tackled Jack to the ground, "Clusters Moustache!" he exclaimed as Ellen shimmied to the right to let the flying object pass.
"Sorry Agent Fowler." Raf said.
"I think I need to change my star spangled shorts." Fowler said wearily.
"I'm still fine tuning Chips remote." Raf explained.
"Chip?" Arcee said.
"Cute." Ellen giddily said.
"So we're going to let this doo-hickey fly back to Con central." Smokescreen started.
"And lead us right to Ratchet." Jack finished. "Sounds like a plan."
Ellen looked to the small droid then to the apex armour, "Hmm, a skin textured technology that protects the wearer, that would be handy." She then looked to across the room, "Ratchet can't fix it up, I'll have to do it myself."
10/11/13 A/N seeing visions of the future...just a waste of time OR IS IT? O_O well we'll just have to see ;) yeah i know very cliché but i'm going to have fun with it ;D ooh this fic is almost coming to an end, but i'm still working on Ellen's Origin story building up to Transformers Prime more drama with lessons in life then anything but with a mixture potential death scenarios and revelations.
and yes i did in fact get Smokescreen to ask Optimus where humans come from, i couldn't resist ^^;
Ha, Agent Fowlers a Ghostbuster :P ...sorry it was just really distracting watching Ghostbusters the other day and...also Starship troopers Ha Ultra Magnus was all I could I hear in that movie O_O so much mind blown-ness.
on an end note please Read, Review, Fave or Follow and suggestions are always welcome, (in fact I've made a 'to do list' so not to forget and look like a jerk -_-) and also 'forgiveness please for such tardiness with my updating Y_Y
being remembrance day we had our one minute of silence, not much to ask once every year but you still get the random blurters -_-
well, good health everyone