Hasbro owns Transformers and the name Xanthium, Lego owns Bionicle and the names Jala and Ketongu, and Galem owns Tali, Ava, Amber, Iris, Diego, Alyan, Adhira, Valera, and Kasar.
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Chapter 38: Home Visit 2/3
Tali smiled as she got off Ops' vehicle form and waited for him to transform. Looking over at the two story mansion she called home, she smiled more at the thought of finally showing him around. She could only imagine how he was going to react when he saw the five lavish bedrooms, two and a half marble baths and a pure white balcony outside the second floor that made the house look like it came from the Victorian era.
"Here we are. This is my house."
Ops blinked rapidly as he gave the mansion a look over. "Wow". Ops simply commented, making Tali giggle. Ops gazed thoughtfully at the exterior as he added: "You know, I could definitely see living here with you. Even raising a family".
With the military funding they would be earning yearly for their services and plenty of space on the inside, there was a major possibility of raising a family here. Plus Ops wouldn't mind the move as he loved Tali very much and he could visit his parents often, also because of the pay. 'Maybe in a few months my parents will finally stop complaining about having no grand children'. Normally Ops wouldn't cave to something like that, nor was he exactly caving as he did want kids with his fiance. However his brother was not too good with the ladies so he was their only chance at the moment.
At hearing Ops talk about having children with her, Tali felt her face heat up til she was positive that it was the same shade as a ripe cherry. "You know what, I was thinking the same thing." She smiled, leading him up the steps to the front door, images of their future family dancing in her head.
Meanwhile, Ops took a long and deep breath as he realized what he had just said. 'Seriously Ops'? He thought. 'I know we've been engaged for almost a week, but is now really the best time to talk about raising a family? There is a war/rescue mission happening tomorrow and the Makutacons are still going to be out there, and we may be on the run after this, so if we do raise kids, it might have to be in the forest as they will find out where we live'. Then another thought occurred to him.
"You sure"? Ops decided to ask her.
"Yes, I'm sure. Why?" Tali looked at him, confused at the unsure tone in his voice.
Ops looked down at his feet. "I don't know, you think I'd do good as a parent"? Before Ops could say anything more, the sound of a joyful bark caused him to jump in surprise.
"I think so, and so does someone else." She giggled at his reaction before turning to the door and continuing in a baby voice. "Or maybe you're just happy to see me, aren't you," she opened the door, smiling brightly, "Lhikan?" Immediately, a large ball of golden fur shot out and ran around and between the couple barking for joy before jumping up on Tali. "Hey, Lhikan!" She laughed, trying to hug her squirming golden retriever. "Did you miss me?" Lhikan barked in response and cried happily against her legs, making her kneel down to pet him.
Ops smiled and chuckled as he leaned down next to the retriever. "Hey there Lhikan"., he kindly greeted with a slightly babying tone.
Pausing at the new voice, Lhikan turned to sniff his offered hand. Deciding that this newcomer was friendly, and seeing that his owner was comfortable with him, he nuzzled his head into Ops' hand.
"He wants you to pet him." Tali giggled.
Ops gladly obliged and stroked his servo across the top of his head with a growing smile. "Aw, you are so LOVABLE". Ops told the dog, once again in his babying tone.
After letting Ops pet him a while longer, Lhikan stepped back, shook himself, nuzzled Tali's leg, and then returned to Ops for more petting.
"He is, isn't he?' Tali smiled lovingly. "Lhikan is a very sweet, loving and loyal dog. Even as a pup, he never left our side wherever we were, except for school." Tali's smile saddened a little as she remembered all the times Lhikan played and hung around her and Gahu. Their dad had given him to them for their fifth birthday, and they had been inseparable ever since, until they went to Uni and couldn't take him with them. That had been the saddest day for all of them.
Ops's expression saddened instantly at the mention of Tali's deceased brother as the guilt began to sit back in. Ever since he had first joined the team, Gahu had been kind to everyone and selfless in battle whenever someone was in danger. it still saddened Ops that he hadn't done the same when he felt he should have, otherwise Tali wouldn't have lost a sibling whom she evidently shared fond memories with. Ops nearly shed a tear. 'Why didn't I save him'? He thought as he shook a little in his sadness.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tali asked, seeing the tears forming slightly in his optics. It confused her. Had she said something wrong to upset him? Lhikan had noticed the change of the atmosphere as well. Settling calmly between the couple, the dog tilted his head to side as if asking what was going on.
Ops gazed sadly up at his fiance. "When you said 'we', it reminded me of Gahu". He told her. Then looking at Lhikan: "I didn't know how many people Gahu was being taken from that day".
Ops had felt guilty enough knowing Tali and the Turaga Nuva missed him, but to know that a hesitation of action also took him away from a dog whom had known him since he was a puppy really hit him. He wasn't even entirely sure if Lhikan understood what he was saying, but he wouldn't blame the retriever for being mad at him if he did. Even now Ops couldn't bear to look at Lhikan, not wanting to see the surely hurt or sorrowful expression on his face. Ops had already seen Tali and her family mourn, he didn't want to witness anymore emotional hurt.
As if he could read Ops' thoughts, Lhikan walked over to him, placed a paw on his knee and pressed his nose on his cheek lovingly as if telling him everything was alright. Tali smiled at this, knowing that Lhikan was comforting Ops even though the dog had no idea of the amount of guilt he had for the death of her twin. For all the dog knew, he was still mourning over Gahu's loss and wanted to help him.
Ops' look of sorrow began to fade a bit after that. "But, it's good to know how many people Gahu knew". Ops said as he pet Lhikan again. Then with a smile: "And even more so to know how many love him back and still love him".
Barking as if in agreement with Ops, Lhikan nuzzled his hand once more before walking over to Tali and began pulling on her hand.
"What is it, Lhikan?"Tali asked, tilting her head in confusion at her dog as he kept tugging persistently. With a bark, Lhikan let go and ran into the house, pausing halfway in the hall and barked again, looking between them and the back door, tail wagging excitedly. Tali's eyes widened as she realized that her retriever wanted them to spend some time in the back garden. It would be far better than sitting on the front porch. "Oh. Alright, we're coming."
Ops grinned and chuckled at this as he followed Tali inside. The attitude of this dog was very childlike and it made Ops happy to watch. It had also reminded Ops of a Bible verse concerning being like children. A concept of which Ops totally agreed with as children tended to believe what they heard without doubt and in result gained a determination to keep believing no matter what. Even to this day it was the kind of faith that he wanted to keep up, even in moments like the ones before where they had to plan to go fight the Makutacon armada and have faith that God would help them prevail.
Lhikan sat watching them approach at the back door. Smiling, Tali unlocked and opened the sliding glass door, letting the golden retriever bolt through the garden heading straight towards the white, picket gate at the edge of the forest. "Lhikan, slow down!" Tali laughed , shaking her head fondly at her dog who barked in response and took to chasing after the grasshoppers by the fence.
Ops laughed with his fiance as he also ran in, coming to a halt as he noticed and marveled at the garden. As Ops gazed across the large field, he noticed two rows with walk in fences separating sections in both rows, one for flowers and the other for fruits and vegetables. In the flowers section were roses, lilies, golden rods, rhododendron bushes, sunflowers, geraniums, hydrangeas, daisies, asters, and mums. In the fruits and vegetables section were blackberry bushes, strawberries, grapes, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, oranges, watermelons, carrots (which gave Ops the idea to teasingly call Tali carrots every time she would go in there), lemons, limes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and at the end an apple and banana tree.
"Did you plant all of those"? Ops asked while still blinking ans gazing in amazement.
Giggling at the awe on his face, she spun a little as she entered the garden. "Most of them. Mom started it and then I helped out. Both of us added new flowers here and there until," she swept her arms wide, smiling, "this is the result."
Ops smiled at Tali. "It's beautiful".
"I agree". a male voice called to them.
Both turned to see a Ta-Toa with a blue and red color scheme, white hands, and a Rannu helmet. The figure continued to approach with a kind smile as he greeted: "Hello to you Ops, and again to you, Tali.
Ops blinked in surprise. Though he was surprised to see this male in the garden, he didn't at all feel threatened by him. Nor did he feel the need to be cautious around him. Instead he felt a massive wave of calming in his spark, a feeling he only felt when the Holy Spirit spoke through him, except now He was telling him to remain calm and to not be weary of this Toa. Because of this reassurance, Ops did not hesitate to let his guard down, though he was still confused as to who this person was.
"Who's..."
"Shalom!" Tali grinned brightly with joy. "It's so good to see you again!"
Ops blinked rapidly. "No way, THIS is Shalom"?
Shalom smiled at Ops's reaction and gave him a nod. His smile remained as he looked to Lhikan and kneeled down as he called: "Hey buddy, come here! let me see ya"!
Looking up at the familiar voice, Lhikan bounded over, barking happily at Shalom and begging to be petted. "He missed you, Shalom." Tali laughed, wondering why her dog hadn't done that with her.
Shalom gladly pet the dog, scratching behind his ear a bit as he replied in a babying tone: "Yeah, I've missed this big guy too".
Lhikan pants happily as Shalom pets him.
Lhikan panted happily, clearly melting against Shalom, loving the scratching he was getting. Tali chuckled and rolled her eyes at her dog before focusing on their guest. "So what brings you here, Shalom?"
Shalom smiled up at the two as he rose back up onto his feet. "I come bringing good news. But you must not tell anyone else".
Ops nodded. "Sure thing". Seeing as this guy was Shalom, a chosen minister to preach the news of Jesus to the helpless, there was no reason for Ops not to trust him. If God had trusted him so long ago to lead an army of violent soldiers to Christ, and still trusted him to spread the message today, there was no reason for him not to. He even had a family with children who were all ministers in a single church. Considering how disciplined they were, perhaps Ops would ask Shalom for parenting tips when the right time came.
"Alright." Tali nodded her agreement, her curiosity of what news Shalom was going to tell them causing ideas and guesses flying around her head like bees.
"Paradox, Billy and Outilisa are about to make a massive comeback, and Xanthium is currently in possession of one of the most powerful of Cybertronian relics". Shalom explained.
As to why Shalom knew about these things, it was because of God's magnificent power revealing to him visions of the future as well as the past to help people convert to their loving Father in Heaven. To give examples of God placing his hands in peoples lives to help them when they most needed it. The first thing he referred to, he saw as proof that God would answer the prayers of the Toa, Autobots, Matoran, Turaga, and Toabots for victory against the vengeful Makutacons. From what he had been shown, he could see that Paradox loved The Lord with all of his liark for he had been shown him meditating and praying, not only for himself, but also for the other Toabots suffering in the prison, and for everyone in the world, including the Makutacons, to come to Jesus to worship and praise him, so their hearts would be opened to unconditional love. For this, Shalom sent a quick prayer of thanks for the approaching victory of the Toabots and for placing such a faithful servant on this earth.
Tali frowned a bit. "The first part I can count as good news. The second part, not so much."
Ops nodded in agreement as he added: "What does he have"?
"The key to vector Sigma".
Ops's optics widened at that detail. "That's worse than when Insidious had the Requiem Blaster".
"Oh no." Tali muttered in horror. If she remembered correctly, and she knew she did, according to the legends, the Key to Vector Sigma could not only unlock the vast secrets and history of the ancient Cybertronians but could also be used as a weapon to turn all organic life into metal, thus destroying all organic life, such as the humans and Bionicles.
Shalom nodded. "From what I was told, Xanthium plans to use the key on the planets core, he already has an armada drilling a large hole and if he gets the key magnetically into place, he'll turn the planets core mechanical. Along with the rest of the world".
"Ending all sentient life". Ops added. Then turning to his fiance: "He wants to start his own Armageddon".
Though the plan was definitely insane, it would do the trick in ridding Earth of all Bionicles and humans, leaving only the Transformer race to stand against him. Knowing the fact that the Bioformer min was bulletproof, they would probably have to leave as well, just like the Bioformer race had years prior. They Makutacons would still have to scour the universe to find any organic foods, but he was positive that wouldn't stop their anger.
"Why? Why would he do such a thing?" Tali couldn't understand it. While on one hand, such an evil scheme would work, it did not change the fact that the Makutacons were also Bioformers and therefore half organic themselves. Killing off all organic life would destroy them as well.
"He says he does it out of revenge, but he is also doing all of this out of his jealousy of his brothers". Shalom responded. "He wants to feel in charge, it's why he agreed to lead the Toabots. But soon, he thought it wasn't enough and found himself wanting it all. Indeed, it would destroy all Bioformer life, but he plans to escape before the key fires into the core, and be one of the remaining Bioformers. He may even try it on Mars where the other Toabots are. But I doubt it will work. As long as God is on our side, all evil schemes will fail".
Tali nodded at his reminder. 'That's right. God promised that no weapon formed against us shall prosper.' She smiled to herself as she felt a warm calm drive out the fear. Letting out a deep sigh, she let herself relax, refusing to dwell on those thoughts and focus more on His promises. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something bump her hand. Looking down she saw Lhikan nuzzling it and whining softly. Kneeling down, she smiled encouragingly as she hugged him and rubbed his head. She knew Lhikan could sense the seriousness of the conversation and had felt the fear coming off her earlier. So she continued to comfort him, letting him know she was okay.
Noticing the dogs whining as well, Ops got on his knees and comforted Lhikan as well, whilst also reminiscing on what had happened so far. God had helped them through much since the formation of the Toa team he had joined. They had fought Teridax, Rahkshi, Skakdi, Matoran rioters, and now the Makutacons, and won despite the odds. Though they were considered to be the best of Toa and Autobots, it was only because of the paths God had set before each of them, leading them to a growing relationship with him through Jesus Christ and through that each victory. As long as God was on their side, no evil would prevail against them or anyone who loved Christ with all of their hearts in this age or in the ages to come.
"And there's something else, it's about Killer". Shalom added.
Blinking in surprise, Tali looked up at her friend. "Killer?" What about Killer? Was...something going on with him?
Shalom nodded in response.
"What about him"? Ops asked. "Is this gonna be like, his last stand"? After all he had done, Ops had to admit he kinda wanted that.
Shalom shook his head with a joyful expression. "Not in THAT sense".
Tali frowned. 'Huh? What does that mean? "Not in that sense? What could he...' Tali's eyes widened as it began to make sense. Could he mean...Killer's last stand...as an enemy? The smile on Shalom's face made the hope in her heart grow to the point the she was grinning. "Are you saying he's...?" She wanted to hear him say it before she let go of her excitement.
"From what The Lord showed me in a dream, I believe Killer is starting to see the error in his ways, finally realizing that he's been doing the wrong thing". Shalom responded. "And he's starting to regret all of his past actions against us, for he is starting to recognize that they are really actions against Christ. Because of this, he will soon turn away from anger and hatred, and return to love and mercy".
It was almost hard for Ops to believe. 'Killer, the guy who tried to kill us not too long ago, is actually changing'? Seeing as it was a vision gifted to Shalom through Christ, it was definitely true. Ops blinked for a moment then, wondering why this would surprise him. Bart Miller's, the lead singer in the band MercyMe, dad was abusive and he had been changed by God into a faithful and loving Christian, something Bart had thought to be impossible. It had also been the reason he had written the song: I can only imagine. God had also changed Paul, a man who had tried to kill all the Christians, into a disciple. If God had managed to change those people, of course a change of heart in Killer was possible.
Tali let out a joyful sigh of relief as she silently praised God for this.
"Oh yeah, don't tell THAT to anyone either". Shalom added in a matter of factly tone.
"We won't." Tali giggled before falling seriously silent. She really didn't want to mention this but Shalom was his friend too so, she had to tell. Chewing her lip a bit, she stuttered, "Shalom...Alyan….he..." Her voice trailed off, the words getting stuck in her throat.
Shalom placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll find his way soon".
Though he had not received a vision on Alyan, he had known the Toa of stone for long enough to know that he would never want to stay with the Makutacons if he was thinking clearly. Whatever had happened prior had really affected him and had therefore altered his sense of judgement and making of wise decisions. With that in mind, though he would still pray for his healing and reconciliation with his friends, Shalom believed that Alyan would come back, and that he would regret what he had done, and in that way truly gain forgiveness.
Tali nodded quietly, hoping beyond hope that Alyan will come back.
Noticing the pain in her eyes, Shalom lowered his head and make a quick prayer for Alyan, requesting that Alyan would return home to his family and friends. All of whom he knew loved him very much no matter what he did, as he knew a family would normally. Immediately after ha had finished his prayer, the phone in his pocket vibrated. With a chuckle. he placed the phone to his ear and answered: "Hello"? He smiled in response to the female vocal on the other side of the call. "Oh hey, yeah. I'm alright. The Lord just sent me out to say some things". A few seconds passed before a chuckle escape his lips. "Alright, I'll be home soon". He looked to them with a smile as he hung up. "It's my family, I've gotta go".
"Alright. It was wonderful seeing you again, Shalom." Tali smiled warmly and chuckled as Lhikan barked and nuzzled Shalom goodbye.
Shalom smiled lovingly at Lhikan. "Alright, one last pet". After petting the retriever, he gave everyone a loving smile and left, praying that they would receive victory and give the glory to God for the victory and that they would continue to live their lives in faith that God would care for them as long as they had faith in The Lord who saved their lives on the cross long ago for their eternal freedom.
Ops waited for the Toa to be out of view before asking Tali: "So, should we get ready for war once we're done out here"?
Tali nodded. "Yeah, I think we should." As she looked up to smile at Ops, something over his head caught her eyes. confused a bit, she tilted her head back more to get a better look before rolling her eyes in recognition. "Of all the places..." She muttered in disbelief before attacking Ops with a kiss on the cheek, leading to Lhikan letting out a whimper before quickly laying down and covering his eyes with his paws in embarrassment.
Ops blinked a bit in surprise and confusion, before then smiling at Tali and gladly returning the , he sent a prayer of thanks to God for leading them together into each others arms. Ops had been suffering for so long with guilt and despair and had prayed for God to take away the memories. But instead God gave him a greater mercy, and sent him a woman to marry and love for the rest of his life. A woman who loved him for who he and not for his relations to Optimus, whom was a member of the Turaga council which would mean financial support to any woman whom would seek to take advantage. But Tali wasn't like all of those other women. Tali cared more about him than she did for money, and she loved God more than him, which he loved sincerely. Tali had also been there for him when he had awoken from another nightmare from those gruesome memories, to hug and comfort him and to reassure him that what happened wasn't his fault. Ops still had doubts on that, but he still felt relaxed around her enough to sleep sweet dreams for the rest of the night.
Ops blinked in confusion then as he noticed Lhikan in his embarrassed state.
"What's HE worried about"? Ops asked his fiance.
"Look up." Tali pointed above their heads with a smirk , directing Ops' attention to the evergreen arch dotted with clusters of little, white berries.
Ops blinked in surprise, clearly having not seen it before. "Oh". He replied simply.
Ops blinked in surprise once more as it began to snow. He knew it was mid-january by now, and he never even bothered checking the weather most days, but it still surprised him a bit. It also worried him as they were going into battle tomorrow against the Makutacons. 'As if things weren't bad enough with them being practically indestructible'. Ops thought. Now they had to worry about slipping and falling on ice at the wrong moment. Maze, Amber, Z, Turaga Jala, and probably Tali wouldn't have to worry about that as they could either resist or control ice to a certain extent. But the others weren't exactly the most careful in a battleground like that. Ops immediately sent another prayer to God, asking for protection from the buildup of ice surely to come.
With a smirk, Ops told Tali: "Maybe we should pack more than weapons for this battle".
"I agree." Tali said as she watched a snowflake melt in her outstretched hand. "Let's head back inside. Lhikan!" Her call was answered by two eager barks before her dog bounded into the house, the two of them following after, wondering what would happen during this upcoming battle. Both knew for a fact that Killer would change sides, as Shalom had told them, and that Xanthium would attempt to use the key to vector sigma for it's secondary function. They also knew that Paradox, Billy and Outilisa weren't dead and were about to come back to help them fight. As to what would happen after that, they didn't know. But regardless of their odds, they would fight as hard as they could in order to spare the world from the Makutacons, and their vengeance.
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Biomarvel740: Carrots is a reference to Nick's nickname for Judy from Zootopia (Owned by Disney). I can only imagine is a song sung by Bart Millard and his band MercyMe. The movie an amazing true story of redemption, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Galem: Cool! I should check it out sometime.
Biomarvel740: I'll show it to you sometime. :)
Galem: sweet!
Biomarvel740: (Smiles at Galem's happiness, looks to the readers) What did you all think of the chapter?
Galem: please a review or pm either of us if you have any questions.
Biomarvel740: We thank you all for reading, and continuing to read-
Galem: and please...
Biomarvel740 and Galem: Have a God-blessed day! XD :D
P.S. I apologize for the wait but I'm currently working a new job at UPS so I'll be pretty busy but I'll try to work on BF2P2 as often as I can. I thank you all again for reading the chapter, and blessed be! XD
