Mikaela POV
While Autumn was taking lessons from the Twins, I told mom what I wanted done and she readily agreed. She used her com system to contact Bee, so he and Sam could use the ground bridge to go get some things for me. She had also sent a few messages to the other femmes so that some preparations could be made.
When Autumn finished her lessons, she walked over to us with a wide smile on her face.
"Very well done Autumn, very well done!" Mom told her with a light smile. "You do realize that they will eventually have you driving a course in reverse don't you?"
"What? But I can't… I don't know…" Autumn tried to protest with a stricken look.
"Don't worry about it! They will show you what to do. When they get done teaching you how to drive, you'll be so good at it that you could almost be in recharge and still make it around a track perfectly. They are going to teach you to be one of the best!" Mom told her sincerely.
"Are… are you sure?" Autumn asked hesitantly.
Yeah, Autumn still has a long way to go as far as her self-confidence is concerned, but she's slowly getting there.
"Of course I'm sure Autumn! When it comes to driving and racing, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are the best bots in existence. Now it is true that there is one bot who is a lot faster than they are, but he isn't anywhere near as skilled as they are! That's why Prowl called in his favor with them. He knew there is no one better! You'll never be as fast as they are, but they will teach you to be as skilled as they are!" Mom said with a gentle smile.
Autumn POV
I know that Mami means it. I can feel it. I like driving, and learning how to drive better is a lot of fun. Sideswipe, the red Lamborghini, leads me around the course that they've picked out for the day, showing me what I need to do, and Sunstreaker, the gold Lamborghini, follows me and tells me what I need to do. Every time I drive with them, it's a different layout. Sunstreaker said that it's so I won't get used to doing certain things at certain times by memorizing one track.
Sunstreaker even makes sure that I get to have some fun during my lessons with them. I don't know of anyone else who would tell me to do a bunch of donuts in one direction, and then do some in the other direction. Sunstreaker does though. He tells me to see how small I can make them, or try and make figure eights out of tire marks. He said that he might even have me try to write my name.
I was smiling when I turned to look back at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. I was really looking forward to my next lesson from them. I know that Sunstreaker is always angry, but unlike Ratchet, I've never seen him hit anyone. He's never yelled at me, or threatened to hit me, but I've never seen him smile either. I know there's a lot of bots who don't like him or his brother, but I'm not one of them. I always have a lot of fun when I take lessons from them. It's almost like they aren't lessons at all.
Mikaela is standing on the ground beside Mami with her arms crossed and smiling up at me. It kind of looks like she is waiting for me to do something, but I'm not sure what that is.
"So… am I riding with you, or someone else?" Mikaela asked me.
"You can ride with me, but you'll have to tell me where I'm supposed to go." I answered.
I am a little confused. Mikaela is acting like she's sure I'm going to want to go with her. I guess she thinks that I'll like where she wants to go. That's when I realize that she had asked me if she was riding with someone else. That means others are going with us… wherever it is. I'm not about to trust someone else to drive my sister around. She's flesh and blood and she can get hurt a lot easier than I can.
"You'll be following Mom up to the cliffs. Oh, and the other femmes are coming with us." Mikaela told me with her eyebrows raised.
"Okay." I answered before I dropped down into my alt mode. I opened both of my doors, and Ravage got in my passenger seat, while Mikaela got in my driver's side.
Mikaela's smile nearly stretched from one ear to the other when I asked her to drive. She gave a loud whoop when I started up my engine. She let out an evil sounding laugh while she peeled out. She was working my clutch, gas pedal, and gear shift like she was born doing it.
"Looks like the human needs some driving lessons too." Sideswipe called out loud enough for Mikaela to hear it.
"Oh really? Driving lessons? Me?" Mikaela demanded in an aggravated tone. "I don't think so!" She added in a growl.
The next thing I know, Mikaela has whipped around and is going down the tarmac in reverse! She's not driving slow either, she has my accelerator pressed to the floorboard. Then she was drifting around the hangar and skidding sideways to slide to a stop next to Sideswipe, and she did the whole thing in reverse!
"Not bad for a 'squishy', wouldn't you say?" Mikaela demanded with a smirk.
"Who taught you how to drive?" Sunstreaker growled.
"My father… when we were running from the cops after stealing cars like you!" Mikaela retorted with a malicious grin.
"In that case, give the Princess there a few pointers." Sideswipe shot back.
"There are no other cars like me!" Sunstreaker rumbled angrily at the same time.
Mikaela just laughed and stepped on the gas. Going forwards this time. She easily caught up to Mami and the three femmes. I knew that we were heading up to the cliffs, and that was a place that I liked. It seemed like something good always happened to me whenever I went up there.
Chromia POV
Arcee, Elita, Kinetica, and Autumn were following me as I headed up to the cliffs. I went to the exact same spot we had camped at the last time. There was even some firewood left over from the last time. Mikaela wasted no time in getting a large fire set up and going. Elita placed two cubes for each of us near the fire to warm them up a bit. It was very clear that two of them were for Autumn because of the different color. Kinetica surprised us by transforming into her Dominator form, and Mikaela promptly went in. I was surprised by that, but when she came out with her bikini in hand, Autumn gave her a strange look.
"Hey… Mom's just holding on to stuff for me. I'll be out here with you gals the whole time. Whether I'm changing, or sneaking off behind a tree. The only time I'll be going inside, is to get something." Mikaela told us with a shrug.
"I thought Mami even has a nice big warm bed for you." Autumn said softly with a confused expression.
"She does… but if I sleep in that bed, then I'm not out here under the stars with you, now am I?" Mikaela answered.
"No, I guess not." Autumn answered in that same soft voice. "We're spending the night out here?" She added in surprise.
"Actually Autumn, we'll be spending two nights out here! Instead of just a 'Girl's Night', we are going to have a 'Girl's Weekend'! No males or mechs to bother us, no lessons, no responsibilities, no nothing!" Kinetica said in a kind voice but stern tone as she resumed her standard mode.
"You don't see any paperwork do you? That's because I won't even be making any reports to the Whitehouse! The President can Kiss Off! I'm spending some time with my family!" Mikaela added with a smirk.
There was now a seriously shocked look on Autumn's face as she stared down at Mikaela. "But… but he's important!" Autumn protested.
"So're you. You're here; he's not. So guess who comes first? That's right, you heard me, right now you are more important than the President of the U.S.A.!" Mikaela shot back with a smirk.
Autumn looked as if Mikaela had wound up and hit her. Ravage simply sat back and watched everything, while Kinetica started chuckling.
"Your sister has spoken Autumn, and I don't think she's joking either." Kinetica said with a smile.
Autumn had a slightly worried look on her face as she thought about that. Personally, I have to say that what Mikaela just said, should be something of an ego booster for Autumn. That is something I can definitely approve of! It will help instill some confidence back into the young femme, which she is certainly in need of.
Mikaela has said that she doesn't know a lot about how to help Autumn, but what little she does know is put to use with no hesitation at all. It seems that she wants to help Autumn as much as the rest of us, although her motive for doing so is something I still don't know. One thing I do know, is Autumn is now one of us. She might have been born a human, but she is a Cybertronian now, and that means that she is entitled to receive the best treatment we can possibly give her. The issue on the other hand is that she's being allowed to do a lot of things that wouldn't even be considered for an actual sparkling of her age.
Kinetica POV
When Mikaela emerged from my alt mode, she was holding her swim suit in her left hand. There was a short discussion about the camp out before Mikaela told Autumn that she was important. Obviously, Autumn doesn't believe that yet. She will eventually, because others along with myself will make sure of that.
"Autumn… I have told you before, and I will tell you again… you are the reason I am here! Without you Autumn… I couldn't be here! You are important. Whether you believe it or not, you are important to me, to your sister, and you are important to every bot on this island." I told her seriously after I transformed back into my standard mode.
"How can you be so sure of that?" Autumn asked in doubt.
"Because I am here." I answered simply.
"I actually hadn't planned on arriving for another several months, if not a year. You needed me to be here now, and that is why I am here… for you!" I said seriously, as I took Autumn's face in her hands to look her in the eyes.
"The reason that I was going to wait is because it would have meant less stress on your systems. I could have worked on my frame a little each night, allowing you to retain more energy and build up some reserves so that when I transferred myself, it wouldn't deplete you as much as it did. You are far more important than those plans, Autumn." I told her.
"Autumn, you know that the Autobots are at war with the Decepticons, correct?" Chromia asked her.
Autumn looked over at Chromia and nodded her head in confusion.
"Soundwave was one of the first bots to become a Decepticon! He was one of those in command as well. There are so many bots that are scared of him, that no one wants to fight him without some kind of back up. He walked away from an important position, Autumn. He walked away from respect, prominence, power, and prestige all because he believes that you are more important than what he had." Chromia told her earnestly.
"That's why he gave Ravage to you Autumn. Because he feels that you are important enough that you should always be protected! He made sure that Ravage will do that for you." I added.
"But he scares me so much he gave me nightmares! Why would he want me safe?" Autumn asked.
"Because it's like we said… you're important." Mikaela answered simply as she started to undress.
"Autumn! Your sister has said everything that needs to be said on that subject. If you have any other questions on that matter, please review your sister's last comment."
It's obvious that Autumn cares about Mikaela a lot, because she kept a sharp watch on the girl while Mikaela changed and then led all of us down hill to the beach. Elita laid out several tarps for us to lay on. I handed Mikaela a large towel for her to lay on and she smiled in thanks. I waited until she had the towel laid out before I spoke.
"Mikaela… I want you to come over here so I can put some tanning oil on you. I also want to remove your cast for a little while." I told her.
"You better not do anything to risk breaking that wrist again!" Autumn declared firmly.
"Hey, you don't have to worry about that one. All I plan to do is lay on this towel and soak up some sun." Mikaela answered with a relaxed smile.
I have to approve with how easily Mikaela brushes off any anger directed towards her from Autumn. I know that Autumn only uses a stern tone or gets angry out of concern. I suspect that somehow Mikaela knows it too.
Mikaela POV
I walked over to Mom and held out my right arm while she cut my cast off. As soon as she did that, she started rubbing me down with a lot of tanning oil. The medium SPF rating on it means that I will get a tan, but I won't be getting a sunburn while I do it.
I notice that Autumn is keeping a sharp watch on me as I walk to my towel and lay down. I get down on my stomach and look around at the others. Autumn is getting down to soak up some sun, and Ravage is already laying down on a tarp of her own.
"Now this is how to relax!" I said with a sigh.
"I completely agree with you Mikaela. Doing nothing like this is very relaxing!" Elita smiled.
"Did we really come out here for a full weekend?" Autumn asked me.
"Yes Autumn we did. I planned the whole thing! Why do you think Mom had my tanning oil, bikini, and beach towel? Why do you think Elita has plenty of energon for everybody? You told me you wanted to do another 'Girl's Night', so we went one better and decided to have a 'Girl's Weekend'!" I told Autumn with a smile.
"You did this for me?" Autumn asked in a shocked tone.
"No… we did it for all of us including you! Even Ravage is taking advantage of the chance to relax, which means you should too!" Arcee replied quickly.
Autumn smiled brightly at me and laid her head down on her arms to relax. It didn't seem to take very long for Autumn to fall asleep. As soon as she did, Mom got up and went over to her.
I watched as Mom knelt down and put one hand on Autumn's head before closing her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Chromia demanded.
"I am removing some of the memories Autumn has, while enabling her to recall others. She does not need to remember seeing her mother get beaten to death while she was standing just a few feet away. She will remember that her father murdered her mother, but she will not remember watching it happen while crying and tearfully begging her father to stop." Mom answered firmly.
I know that Mom is serious about this and I can't blame her at all! From what I understand, Autumn was only four when she saw that happen. Mom's right… Autumn doesn't need to remember that.
"I am enabling Autumn to remember every good memory she has of her human mother. At the same time, I am making sure that she can't recall ever seeing her mother beaten even though she will know that it occurred." Mom added.
"Are you certain this will have no damaging effects on Autumn?" Arcee asked in concern.
"I am positive of it. Autumn loves her human mother with a strength that few can even imagine. Rose Michelle Mondschein is a woman that Autumn can barely remember yet still loves fervently! Before she came to this island, a very few memories of her mother are the only pleasant moments in her mind! Autumn deserves to have more of those memories, and I am happily giving them to her." Mom told Elita.
"I love Autumn and she knows that I love her. She is able to feel that love through her spark, which is something she so desperately craves. Right now, Autumn is so desperate to feel loved that she will do almost anything to hold on to that feeling." Mom started to explain.
"That's why she seems so obsessive about keeping me safe!" I exclaimed as the truth of things hit me.
"Exactly! By getting hurt in Autumn's defense, you proved to her that you care about her. By refusing to refuel until after Autumn had done so, and acting in her immediate defense during her dreams, Ravage has also proven that she cares about Autumn." Mom replied.
"How exactly has Ravage proved that?" Arcee asked interestedly.
I started paying closer attention because I really want to know since I only get to see Ravage getting cuddled and held all the time.
"First you need to understand that Ravage is just as intelligent as you are. She knows what a holoform is, and a few days ago she was circling Ironhide's holoform menacingly instead of his actual frame. She knows that Autumn is afraid of Ironhide, so she went through the motions of presenting a viable threat. Injuring a holoform will not cause any actual damage and Ravage knows that. Ravage was only acting like that for Autumn's benefit. Ravage has defended Autumn in her nightmares about her father. Thanks to Soundwave, Ravage was also in those nightmares. She chose to interpose her body between Autumn and her father. Although she was unable to know Ravage's thoughts, Autumn still knew that Ravage chose to protect her while getting damaged in the process." Mom answered firmly.
"What I am doing right now is removing all but two of Autumn's horrible memories. The two memories that she will retain, is the time her father stabbed her, chained her up and drug her into the woods to smash her head with a rock and leave her there."
I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering what's going through Mom's head right now. I don't think that's a memory Autumn should keep.
"I am letting her retain that memory because when she returned to consciousness, is when she saw Bluestreak for the first time. I will also allow Autumn to recall being chained to a pole in her room after being stabbed, starved, beaten and raped many times. I am only letting her remember a few moments of that state before she saw Ironhide's holoform break the door down. Tonight, when she dreams about that moment, she will realize that froze in horror for a brief instant as that look crossed his face. Then he became enraged and freed Autumn. She will remember that, and think about it tomorrow. She will see the look of horrified sadness on Ironhide's face for just an instant, but it will make a large impression on her. Those are the only two memories that she will be able to recall in detail. The rest of her bad memories of her father will be reduced to mere facts. She will be able to remember that she hated him because of what he did to her. She will remember that she was beaten regularly. She will not recall being beaten, insulted, or injured, only that she was." Mom explained.
"So it'll be like remembering something out of a history book or something?" I asked in clarification.
"Yes Mikaela. Autumn will be able to recite the facts but not the details, because she will no longer remember them." Mom said to me.
"You haven't even been online for ten days and you're already trying to make Autumn's life better." I stated.
"No matter how much I would like to, I can't change her past Mikaela. The only thing I can do is add or remove some of her memories of it. She will remember that her father was a good man once, he must have been or Rose would never have fallen in love with him. She will recall their wedding photo and wonder what happened, but she will never wonder about her mother again because I am returning almost all of those memories to her." Mom said in a kindly tone.
I know she means it. I can't help but think it's a good thing too, because I can hear it in Autumn's voice. Whenever she talks about her biological mother, her voice goes soft, and she gets this dreamy look on her face. Say what you want, no one can deny that Autumn loves her mother.