Arcee POV
I followed Kinetica as she walked out of the medbay. Autumn smiled brightly as she watched were she was being taken. Her left arm cradled Ravage, and I still find it hard to believe that anyone could actually like that Cybercat! Autumn isn't just anyone though. I've come to see and understand that having Ravage with her is helping her mental stability. That's not an easy thing to admit. I don't like it that Ravage is needed by Autumn, but at the same time… I'm glad the Cybercat is here and willing to help her.
There were several other bots trailing along behind us as we left the hangar system. Mostly, it's a set of hangars that are joined together to provide us with space out of the elements, but this space doesn't always give us the amount of room we need. I guess Kinetica agreed with me, because she took Autumn outside where she stopped for several moments.
At first Autumn merely relaxed in Kinetica's grasp, but then she began to look at the bot worriedly.
"Mami?" Autumn asked plaintively. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Autumn. I am using my comm system to access a few networks so I can gain my alt modes." Kinetica answered softly.
"Mami's getting her alt modes." Autumn whispered to Mikaela.
"Wait… alt modes?" Mikaela demanded hoarsely.
"That's what she said." Autumn replied with a shrug of her left shoulder. "So now we just wait till she's done and we get to see what she picked."
"I chose several things Autumn, but unfortunately… I'm going to have to put you down to activate those alt modes." Kinetica said as she bent down to place Autumn on her feet.
Autumn stepped back a few paces, and Kinetica transformed. I swear my jaw dropped open when I saw what she changed into. It was a huge truck looking thing that was actually somewhat similar to Optimus, except that this had a back end to it that was almost like an SUV as well. As long as a human bus, but it was based on an eighteen wheeler!
"What in the name of Primus is that?" I blurted out in surprise.
"This is called a 'Kenworth Dominator'. It is jokingly known as the biggest SUV on the planet… although this particular model is set up as an RV." Kinetica replied smugly.
That was when the femme started transforming again. This time, I was able to recognize one of the human helicopters. This was a Chinook tandem rotor CH-47. A very large helicopter with a lot of lifting power! After that she transformed into an A-10 Thunderbolt which is also called the 'Warthog' by many of the humans. That type of aircraft is well known to have a large payload capacity and a serious amount of firepower.
I admit it… I was stupefied when she began to change again! Only this time she changed into a tank! It is an M1-A1 Abrams tank that is quite large and has excellent armor and mobility.
"I can't change into my last alt mode on dry land, but I don't think I'll need it anytime soon, so I can do without trying it for now." Kinetica said as she transformed back into her root mode and stood up.
"Mami's alt modes are huge!" Autumn whispered in awe.
Mikaela started snickering. "Go big or go home! Mom went more than just big!"
"Well it's not like I'm small enough to be a Ferrari like you, Autumn." Kinetica said in a cheerful tone.
It was true… but then Kinetica is not a small bot! I couldn't help but notice that each of those alt modes are very powerful. With the sole exception of the seeker mode, each one is powerful enough to lift or move the others.
That was when Autumn began looking at Kinetica strangely. "What's wrong Autumn?" I asked her.
"I don't see any of the vehicle parts. The doors of my alt mode become my doorwings, but there's nothing on her. She's just a kind of light purple and white color, but there's no sign of her alt modes." Autumn said with a frown of confusion.
"That's because I have many alt modes, so the parts that would indicate them are stored in my subspace compartments… just like your mirror." Kinetica said easily.
Autumn looked down at her left arm for a moment before she looked back up at Kinetica. "Oh."
Suddenly Autumn twisted her head to look at Mikaela. "Have I showed you the mirror Bluestreak gave me?" She asked excitedly.
Mikaela POV
I couldn't help but hear the excitement in Autumn's voice when she asked if she'd shown me her mirror. I didn't see why she'd get so hyped up over a simple mirror.
Autumn happily reach over to her upper left arm, flipped the armor out and reached into her arm! Then she pulled out the mirror. Now I could see why she was so excited by it! It was only a hand mirror for a human. Meaning it is my size and I'd be able to use it with no problem. The thing is… that mirror would cost a fortune! Silver with a ton of brilliantly glittering sapphires around the edge and in the handle, I knew it had to have been seriously expensive! I couldn't help but let out a soft drawn out whistle.
"Autumn… that's beautiful!" I whispered softly.
"I know! I can't believe that Bluestreak would give me something like this… but he did!" Autumn squealed happily.
"Mikaela… just to let you know… both Autumn and Bluestreak are Praxian framed. Praxians are heavily attracted to shiny objects. The shinier it is, the more they like it. They like shiny things so much that they use them as mating gifts. That mirror means that Bluestreak gave Autumn the equivalent of an engagement ring with a four carat diamond in it." Mom said softly.
Now my jaw did drop open! Seeing something like that is one thing, but knowing what it means? That is something else!
"Wow!" I said softly. "So when are you two getting married… or whatever?"
"We already did. We Spark Bonded…" Autumn told me quietly, "but they took that Bond away from me!" She added in a wail of despair.
Kinetica stepped up to Autumn and I fast, I mean it was almost an instant kind of thing. She reached out and grabbed Autumn's face in both hands and forced Autumn to look up at her.
"Autumn… you need to relax. Bluestreak loves you, and so do I. If Ratchet hadn't removed that Bond when he did, I would have removed it last night when I came online. Look at your sister… she's older than you are and you don't see her getting married do you?" Kinetica asked in a reasonable tone.
Autumn shook her head, and I felt that I should reinforce what mom was just saying. "Sam and I haven't even talked about getting married! That's a huge step Autumn. Before you even think about something like that, you need to make sure you have a good education to fall back on if he can't support you. What if you have to support him? What then? How do you plan to manage that?"
"I don't think either one of us thought about any of that stuff!" Autumn whispered softly with a look of shock.
"So what were you thinking about?" I asked her.
"I was thinking about how much I love him." Autumn answered honestly. "I loved him even before I knew he was a bot."
"He also loved you at that time Autumn. He loved you far too much to lie to you, and that is why he showed you what he is after he was specifically told not to." Mom said softly.
"He didn't get in trouble did he?" Autumn asked worriedly.
"Autumn, the only thing Bluestreak received because of that was a lecture. Optimus never even raised his voice at Bluestreak." Mom answered easily.
"Good. I don't want him getting in trouble for me." Autumn replied.
Mom let out a musical sounding laugh. "Bluestreak only got a lecture that didn't even last half a bream. You've gotten worse from Ratchet, so don't worry about it. Besides, it's over with."
"Okay Mami." Autumn said with a smile. "So what do we do now?"
"Well, right now, I'd like for Mikaela to take a look at the interior of my Dominator alt mode so she can tell me what she wants changed." Mom answered with a smile at both of us.
"What do you mean, what I want changed?" I asked in confusion.
"I mean exactly that." Mom answered cryptically. "I intend for Autumn to recharge with me, and I want to provide you with a place that is a bit nicer than the trailer you shared with your aunt. So I want you to tell me what you want changed."
Autumn started giggling as she reached up and grabbed me before placing me down on the tarmac. Mom looked down at me and smiled before she changed back into that giant SUV looking thing.
I don't know what I was thinking as I stepped up to the open door and climbed up inside. What I do know, is that I felt like I had just walked into a mansion! A soft leather couch and table greeted me, before I saw the kitchen. There was a side by side refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, a stove with four burners and an oven, a dishwasher, built in coffee maker, and a decent sized pantry. The bathroom had a nice shower that had three regular heads to it and a hand held unit as well. Then there was the bed room. My God! That just has to be a full sized bed! There's a night stand on each side, a good sized closet, a chest of drawers, and a huge flat panel TV that has to be close to sixty inches complete with built in surround sound through out the bed room!
"Kinetica… this is incredible!" I whispered in awe.
"Mikaela, I want you to call me 'Mom', okay?" She responded. "Now… is there anything you want different?"
"Unh uh… this is… this is beautiful! I swear won't tear it up." I said as I tried not to start crying.
The whole setup was unbelievable… and it was for me! That's what is really so hard to believe. She did this strictly for me so I'd have a nice place to stay. I have no idea why she would do this, but… wow! This is nice! I am still pretty stunned when I step outside.
"Well? What's she like inside?" Autumn asked excitedly.
"Honestly? I've been in bigger places, but I've never been in anything nicer." I answered a little breathlessly.
Autumn smiled as she picked me up and put me back on her left shoulder.
Agent James Slovakia POV
I walked into my office this morning after a three day weekend and booted up the computer only to find hundreds of e-mails waiting for me! I am completely flabbergasted as I stare at my inbox in shock! I open the first e-mail to see that the IP address, the physical address, full name, photo, physical description, phone number, e-mail address, and cell phone number is all in the e-mail. Then there are a number of files on the computer listed as well.
The problem is, the e-mail states that all of the listed files are illegal pictures of minors. That means this information is about a pedophile. It explains why I received this e-mail. The weird thing about it is at the bottom of the e-mail though.
We are Anonymous. Anonymous is Legion. We are everyone, and no one. We are your mother, your father, your brother, or your sister. We are your cousin, your neighbor, or the kid down the street. We are your worst enemy, and your best friend. Anonymous never forgives. Anonymous never forgets. Anonymous always delivers. Expect us… We are coming.
That message was giving me a serious case of the chills! I know what the hacker group Anonymous usually does. They are responsible for a great many illegal activities, and yet while what they actually did was illegal, the reason for it was not. They've exposed banks that cheated their customers out of money, and many other things. The strange thing about the group is that they claim to help the downtrodden and the oppressed, and that is what they do. While their reasons are moral and just, the means are against the law. The funny part is, Anonymous has caused a large number of white collar criminals to get convicted, but the way they do it is still against the law. I know of more than a hundred warrants that are only lacking a name on them.
Almost all of the rest of the e-mails are the same. Hundreds, no… thousands of e-mails, each containing all of the necessary information to obtain a search warrant and get a conviction. All of them contained the same message from Anonymous. Apparently Anonymous has decided to go after pedophiles with a vengeance. I don't know why, but I certainly won't argue with it. Then, there are the other e-mails. They list specific websites… illicit websites that cater to child pornography. Those need to be shut down ASAP!
I got on the phone and started talking to several other agents. This is going to be a massive undertaking, one that involves law enforcement agencies across the nation. For one-hundred and seventeen thousand, two-hundred and thirty-eight suspects, this will need to be a coordinated effort.
Prowl POV
As Kinetica left the rec room with Autumn in her grasp, I signaled to Optimus that I needed to speak with him. This is a matter that I believe is very important… especially now that Starscream has a pending arrival.
I followed the Autobot Leader to his office. Once the door was closed, we each sat down facing each other.
"It should concern you to note that I have recently been detecting a massive amount of radio transmissions. These transmissions are being directed to the orbiting communications satellite where everything is then disbursed through the human's internet. I have been unable to ascertain the nature of these communications, but I have been able to determine the source." I told Optimus gravely.
"What type of communication are we talking about?" Optimus asked me.
"Unknown. However… I do know that so far, there have been no incoming transmissions at this time, everything has been outbound. The alarming aspect is that it is Soundwave who has been sending these transmissions over the past four hours." I stated.
Optimus narrowed his optics and nodded seriously. I can see that he is deeply concerned about a possible breach of security.
"Have any of the computers on this base been compromised?" Optimus asked sternly.
"Not to my knowledge, no." I answered.
:Optimus Prime to Soundwave… I need you to report to my office immediately.:
I waited in silence for several minutes before the large mech entered. As soon as he did, Optimus spoke.
"Soundwave, it has been brought to my attention that you have recently begun to send signals of some kind. Why?" Optimus said firmly as he got right to the reason for the bot's presence.
"Designation Soundwave aware of illicit activities potentially harmful to human sparklings. Sparkling Autumn while human was subjected to one of them. Sexual encounters and manipulation of human sparklings will no longer be tolerated. Pertinent information regarding 117,238 offenders transmitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for prosecution." Soundwave stated calmly.
"Am I to understand that you are assisting human law enforcement officials in this matter?" I demanded.
"List of offenders sent, previously unknown to human law enforcement. Search for further violations of this nature continues." Soundwave replied evenly.
"I do not know if the human authorities will be able to use such information immediately, because of their laws and procedures. However, I will not ask you to stop trying to help them in this way, because I too find such behavior abhorrent. The other issue is that you should have told either myself or Prowl about what you were doing, so that no one would be alarmed by unknown signals. Many Autobots would be very uneasy about that with Starscream coming soon. Unfortunately, he knows about Kinetica, and that might pose a serious problem." Optimus stated.
"Negative! Allspark Kinetica adequately defended by herself and others. Possibility of Allspark's capture… non-existent."
"Then you are also convinced that Kinetica is the Allspark?" Optimus asked seriously.
"Affirmative. Identity of Kinetica, unquestionable. Decepticon forces, insufficient to pose any threat to new embodiment of Allspark." Soundwave stated calmly.
"Are my audio receivers functioning correctly? Did you state unequivocally that even if all of the Decepticons were to attempt to capture Kinetica, that they would be unable to do so?" I demanded in surprise.
"Affirmative."