CHAPTER 11
Nerves and Annoyances

The first day that Mark woke up, he almost had to do a double take. For a moment, he nearly forgot where he was, but realization soon settled in. He sighed quietly, and snuggled deep into his soft mattress. It had worked, it had actually worked, and now he was living with the Autobots. On one hand, it felt strange, but on another, he loved the feeling. After he had buried his head into his pillow again, he heard the door slide open, and soon found a finger caressing his back gently. "Mark, time to get up, youngling." Hound told him quietly as Mark shifted, and pushed himself into a seated position "I'd let you sleep a little later, but if ye sleep any longer yer liable to completely sleep through breakfast." He noted.

"What time is it?" Mark murmured.

"Ten o'clock." Hound replied, his optics baring down on him "How'd ye recharge? Yer bed comfortable enough?"

"Perfect." Mark replied, climbing from the bed "I don't think I've ever actually slept in a bed that comfortable since..." He paused just short of talking about his old life "So, breakfast, I guess it's in the mess hall again, right?" He asked, as Hound inclined his head "I should get going then."

Hound stepped aside, and turned around, allowing Mark to dress quickly and privately. "You should hop in the shower." Hound reminded him.

Mark gave Hound a look, rolling his eyes. It was clear that Mark hadn't expected him to take to his fatherly role so quickly. But Hound intended to do completely right by Mark, and that meant keeping an eye out for things like this. "I'll go and shower after breakfast, Hound. But I'm not going out into a base in my pajamas." He replied honestly "I promise."

"Alright, I guess you have a point." Hound replied "I've yet to get my morning energon either since I've waited for you." Mark smiled slightly at that "And I'm hungry."

Mark followed Hound out to the mess hall quietly. As they walked, he couldn't help but notice the warm look in Hound's optics, and the smile on his face that signified how happy he was. And Mark had to admit, he was happy as well, very happy. Being around Hound made him feel warm and welcomed, something that made him happier than he could imagine. "Hound?" Hound looked down as Mark spoke up again "How are we going to call each other to other people, just so I know what to say?"

"Well, I figured it would be easiest to call you my ward. Since I doubt you're ready to be called my "son" yet." Mark nodded, it would be a little bit before he was ready for that, as much as he wished that weren't the case "Whatever you want to call me is really up to you. "Foster Father", "Caretaker"..." He suggested.

"Foster father works." Mark replied with a sigh "Caretaker just sounds kinda... Awkward."

Hound knew that this was all the nerves in Mark talking. And they were nerves that he would probably have for the next few weeks. He needed to get used to having Hound as a foster father, and Hound likewise had to get used to having him as a foster son. As they stopped in front of the doors to the mess hall, he smiled warmly. "Just relax, youngling." Hound chuckled "Everyone here knows about this, it'll be a long while before you even have to worry about that." He paused a long moment "So why don't we come inside and get something to eat." He motioned to the doors "We can't wait much longer after all."

"Alright, you're right." Mark threw up his hands in defeat "I need to calm down."

As they entered the mess hall, Mark took as much food as he could. Grabbing some scrambled eggs, bacon, and several pieces of toast which he licked his lips hungrily at as he took a seat and Hound brought up another, Autobot-sized one beside him, holding his own morning energon. "I hear the breakfast here is actually quite good." Hound noted as Mark began to dig in, giving a thumbs up of approval "You seemed to like the supper last night too, so I see that won't be a problem."

"Hey, Hound." Mark's head shot up as an African American man approached "Is this the kid?"

"That would be him, Robert." He nodded at the man "Mark, I'd like to properly introduce you to one of my closest friends." He explained, motioning forward "This is Robert Epps, former Air Force, now one of our chief liaisons to the government." Mark took the man's outstretched hand "Or at least, he has been for the last three months or so that we've been operational again."

"It's good to finally meet you, kid." Epps told him with a wide smile "Hound's told me a lot of good things."

"Nice to meet you too." Mark replied as Epps took a seat in front of him "So..." He began awkwardly "A liaison to the government, huh? That must be pretty cool..." He told him calmly.

"You're right, he is shy." Epps smirked at Hound.

"I am not!" Mark replied "Just around new people... Or people I don't know."

"Don't worry, give it about a month, we'll break you out of that." Hound snorted at Epps's wise comment, and crossed his arms with a nod "In the meantime, you got anything to do while the big guy here goes to work?" He questioned, Mark shook his head in response "Good, because I could use your help today, if you don't mind."

"Robert..." Hound warned.

"It's nothing serious, Hound."

"What do you mean you could use my help?"

Epps was silent for a moment, he crossed his arms and locked eyes with Mark. "Look, things since Hong Kong? Aren't as fine as we want the general public to think." He then added "Your dad and Attinger were big government assets, and one was killed by a civilian. And the other by... Well, the boss bot himself." He then added "Not everyone is as willing to trust the Autobots as much as they used to be still."

Mark raised his eyebrow. "How can I help with that?"

"Sit in on a meeting, and talk about your time with the 'Bots before you came to NEST." Mark was silent at that "I think that your relationship with Hound could help ease at least some tension here." Mark bit his lip "I know, I'm sorry to throw this on you your first day. But I didn't know you were coming around this time, and when I heard-."

"Robert, maybe another meeting." Hound held up a hand "Mark needs time to settle in..."

"I'll go."

Hound looked at Mark with an expression of disbelief, though the boy caught his look with a smirk. "Look, we need the government to trust you guys, Hound." Mark replied "I just got here, I don't want to get kicked out within a month of showing up." Hound frowned a bit, knowing Mark made a point "Count me in."

Mark hoped inwardly that this would go okay.

...

Mark felt like a fish out of water in the large conference room filled with people he didn't know. Most of them were officials, but some at the long table inside NEST's meeting room were merely representatives. He stuck close to Epps, and was quiet, sometimes fidgeting with the tie he hadn't worn since his father's funeral, with today being the exception. Finally, one of the men on the far right cleared his throat. "Now that we have handled most of our business, might I ask who the young man is?" Mark's head shot up in surprise "Are they hiring right out of high school these days?"

Mark's eyes retreated to Epps, who gave a wink before turning to the rest. "Gentlemen, this is Mark Savoy..." He introduced "And I brought him here because I realize that for some people... This whole re-alliance with the Autobots isn't sitting well." He then added "Between Chicago and Hong Kong..."

"How is this boy going to change our minds?" One asked, crossing his arms "Is he another Witwicky kid?"

Mark frowned, he'd heard that name before, during the broadcast of what happened in Chicago. He knew very little of him other than what he'd heard the Autobots talk about, which mostly was that he lived somewhere in New York and had once been Bumblebee's partner. "Sorta..." Mark replied sheepishly "But... It's a little more complicated."

"Mark currently lives under the care of the Autobots." Many of the dignitaries straightened at Epps's statement "He only just got in last night, but... The story goes back further than that, right Mark?" Mark nodded quietly "I'm sure you all guessed by his last name, but he's the son of the head of Cemetery Wind, James Savoy... Someone who dedicated his life to searching out and destroying the Autobots."

"What's he doing here then?"

Mark shifted in his seat slightly, clutching his pant legs. "I was on the run, and Hound... Kinda found me here in Texas when I was in-between cities." Mark explained, looking between them "He uh... Took care of me for a while, and I spent some time with the Autobots before things kinda went to hell..." He explained, leaving out details on that last part "Which is kinda why I'm here now-."

"And this is supposed to tell us what?" A man questioned cooly.

"That the 'Bots aren't going to hold what Harold Attinger did against us. So we shouldn't hold what they did to him in Hong Kong against them." Epps spoke for Mark, his eyes locking with the official that had spoken "I think that we should reinstate more NEST bases around the globe and fully re-integrate the Autobots into our society." he began.

"Yeah, seriously." Mark brought up "What's stopping you guys? They saved all of our asses in Hong Kong and they're the most gentle giants I've met." He paused a moment "Well, except Crosshairs, he's kind of a crab, but the point is-."

"You want to do all of this..." Another official spoke "On the words of a ten year old-."

"Fourteen." Mark replied.

"Fourteen year old boy?" The man replied "They could have brainwashed him for all we know. Until the Autobots fully prove they won't turn against us, we can't risk re-opening more NEST bases of operation." He then added "They're lucky we are allowing this base to be re-opened." He then added "And what's more is we don't have that many Autobots to begin with..."

"More are coming though..." Mark explained "They were talking last night..." He then gritted his teeth a bit "And don't call me brainwashed like that. Hound cares about me, they all do." He crossed his arms "Just because you don't like them doesn't mean you can turn them into monsters." He added cooly.

"You're biased."

"And you're a dick." Mark shot back.

"Alright, that's enough." Epps countered, putting a hand on his shoulder "Mark, you can go now."

Mark's eyes narrowed at the man in front of him, definitely not happy. But Epps's eyes said it all, if Mark was kept in the room, this argument would only escalate. "Yeah, run along, Mark." The man spoke as Mark stood to his feet and started for the door calmly "Let the big boys talk."

"Mr..." Mark turned his head to eye the man.

"Coulton. David Coulton."

"Mr. Coulton, if you just spend some time with them, you'd see what I mean." Mark replied "You're wrong about them. Their trust might be a little wavered because of the crap our government did to them." He added coldly "But they aren't like that."

And with that Mark was out the door, closing it loudly behind him. David looked at Epps with a roll of his eyes. "You're grasping at straws with that one." He told him calmly "Next time, try to find a more charming liaison." He joked.

Mark resisted the urge to flip the man off as he heard that through the glass door. But simply settled for storming his way back to the Autobots side of the base, he definitely needed to cool off now.