Chromia POV
Kinetica smiled as she stood up and walked back to her tarp and lay down. That was when I noticed that Ravage had watched the whole thing. I know I don't like or even want to admit it, but I can have no doubt that Ravage will protect Autumn against anyone.
The seven of us lay on our tarps… or in Mikaela's case, a large towel, and soaked up the sunshine. It really is a beautiful day, and the local weather predictions are excellent for this weekend! Something that's really nice is that the local temperature is cool enough for Mikaela to thoroughly enjoy herself, but also warm enough that she's perfectly comfortable. Today just has the perfect weather for a human to sunbathe in!
All of us had been simply lying down and enjoying the sun for about an hour when the ground suddenly lurched beneath us.
"What was that?" Autumn demanded in fright as she jumped up.
No sooner had she finished speaking than the sound of a loud explosion rumbled past us. The noise was incredibly loud and very disturbing because we were so far away from the Base that it had actually taken some time for the sound to reach us. That we still felt ground vibrations from this distance was quite alarming. That it had come from the Base was clear, the question was… what had happened?
"Everyone can relax. That was just Wheeljack. The Base is still standing and everyone is fine." Elita told us.
"What do you mean 'that was Wheeljack'? What'd he do? Explode?" Autumn demanded worriedly.
"No Autumn, Wheeljack didn't explode, but one of his experiments did. Now come on… you should be used to that by now." Elita answered cheerfully.
"Why should I be used to something like that?" Autumn asked worriedly.
"Wheeljack makes almost everything he tinkers with explode. As long as he's been here you should be used to that by now." Arcee said in confusion.
"That's the second explosion since I got here!" Autumn protested.
Arcee and Elita both looked over at me with wide optics. I'm sure that mine were just as wide.
"Wheeljack went more than four months and only made one thing explode?" I exclaimed in shock.
"That's actually pretty amazing because I remember explosions being at least a weekly occurrence. It was usually more often than that." Arcee stated in admiration.
"Maybe Autumn's like a good luck charm for him or something." Mikaela said with a shrug.
"He didn't seem like the type to blow everything up when I talked to him." Autumn said softly.
"Well… he doesn't blow up everything he makes… just most of it." Arcee replied sardonically.
"Are you sure he's okay?" Autumn asked worriedly.
"Wheeljack is fine Autumn! Apparently, all he did was singe his paint. Although how he managed that when we could feel that blast from way out here is something I can't figure out." Elita answered with a shrug.
That was when I received a com update on things, and my optics shot wide in surprise. "Apparently, Wheeljack is working on a type of force field and he was testing out a prototype." I told everyone calmly.
"Well… if he plans to make a force field, then I might have to give him a few insights on them." Kinetica said with a grin.
That's when Autumn raised her hand to her face to smother her giggles.
"Okay Autumn… what's so funny about this?" Mikaela demanded.
"Mami knows all about force fields!" Autumn said with a laugh.
"Yes I do." Kinetica said with a light smile. "Although… I should probably suggest an inertial nullifier to Wheeljack if he is going to continue with this line of research."
"Why is that?" Elita asked interestedly.
"Because kinetic energy is still transmitted through the energy field as so clearly demonstrated by feeling that explosion from here." Kinetica replied.
"So if someone is using a force field without some type of inertial nullifier, then they'd still be injured by a detonation against that field?" Elita asked in clarification.
"Oh yes. When Autumn fell off her berth in the medbay, the impact of the floor against my force field would have broken most of the bones in her body if I hadn't also nullified the inertia as well." Kinetica explained.
"Wait a minute! Those berths aren't high enough to cause injuries like that! Break her legs maybe, but not a lot else." Mikaela blurted out.
"Mikaela… you need to understand something. Autumn was severely malnourished when she got to the base. Because of the way her father starved her, Autumn's bone structure was far more brittle than normal! Which means that fall could even have killed her." Kinetica replied seriously.
"Mami protected me so I wouldn't get hurt." Autumn said factually.
"Yes, I did. I still am even though there are others who are just as determined to do the same." Kinetica said with an easy smile.
"There are?" Autumn asked with a touch of surprise.
That look of surprise shouldn't be there! Autumn was told more than a week ago that she had quite a few friends. Obviously, those friends would try to keep her from harm. Apparently, she still doesn't believe that for some reason.
"Oh yes Autumn… like I've told you before… there's not a bot on this island who doesn't want you safe. Granted, the younger twins have some very selfish reasons for it, but they still want you safe. There are even quite a few humans who want you safe. Your sister is only one of them!" Kinetica told her with a smile while still laying on her front.
"Mom's right you know. I know a lot of soldiers that don't want to see you suffering." Mikaela said easily.
"You mean it?" Autumn retorted quickly.
Her tone was sincere when she asked that question. I really don't like seeing her like this. There seems to be no confidence at all. That will change! There are too many individuals involved in this for Autumn to remain like this.
"Sure do!" Mikaela replied with a smirk. "Now… since we're all up… why don't we build some sand castles?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me. What do you say Autumn?" Arcee asked.
"Okay." Autumn responded with a nod.
Arcee POV
Elita started getting some things out of a subspace compartment and passed them out. Proportionately sized equipment for building sand castles and other things were handed to each of us. Autumn's bright smile upon receiving the pail and shovel was spark warming. She immediately started putting them to use. No one teamed up this time. Chromia built a large portrait of Ironhide. Elita made the face of Optimus, while I built a large Autobot symbol. Mikaela sculpted a very large turtle, while Kinetica built an image of a bot that I didn't recognize.
I saw Kinetica look over at what Autumn was doing and watched as a pained expression crossed her face for a brief instant.
"What'd you build Autumn?" Mikaela asked curiously.
"It's me giving my human Mami a flower. That's the last thing I remember about her. I know she was killed right after that, but I don't really know anything else about it." Autumn replied softly.
That was when I realized that even though she no longer remembered seeing her mother murdered, she still recalled the beginning of the incident. For Autumn to continue to dwell on it, means that the woman meant a lot to her.
Then Autumn started looking around at what everyone had made. "Who's that Mami?"
"This is a very small image of Primus. He's a whole lot bigger than I am!" Kinetica smiled.
"He can't be that much bigger than you!" Autumn said with a hint of a pout.
"Actually Autumn, his alt mode is an entire planet!" Kinetica said smugly.
"A planet?" Mikaela demanded in disbelief. "Come on… you're joking, right?"
"No Mikaela, I'm not joking at all. Primus and his brother Unicron are the two biggest transformers in existence."
"They're as big as the whole world?" Autumn asked softly.
"Earth would actually be nothing more than a fairly small moon for one of them. Each one is nearly the size of Saturn." Kinetica replied.
"Jeeze! And here I thought you were big!" Mikaela said in shock.
Autumn was looking at the ground and surroundings that included the sky. Finally, she looked up at Kinetica with fear in her eyes.
Kinetica stepped over to Autumn and picked her up to hold the little femme against her side. "Autumn, you don't need to ever be scared of Primus! He'll end up as a very good friend of yours. He's a very kind, gentle, and generous bot who will like you a lot if you two ever meet."
"You've met Primus?" Chromia demanded in shock.
"Of course I have!" Kinetica stated. "He is my creator after all."
"Autumn? Do you know who Primus is?" Elita asked in a neutral tone.
"Isn't he like God or something?" Autumn asked uncertainly.
"Yes, Autumn. He is. However… you should know that he has never taken his anger out on those who are weaker than he is! If he were the type of being who would do that, Shockwave would not have survived the beginning of this war! Primus would have killed him instantly, but he simply doesn't do things like that." Kinetica answered easily.
I couldn't help but gape at the bot. Knowing that she is the Allspark is one thing… but to actually know Primus? That's the kind of thing that shorts out one's ability to think. The humans would say it's mind blowing! I agree with them, because it has certainly blown mine.
"Well I don't know about anyone else here, but I'm getting hungry." Mikaela said as she changed the subject.
"Energon and wafers sound pretty good right now." Autumn agreed readily.
"Then we certainly need to get you some, now don't we?" Chromia asked cheerfully.
"Please?" Autumn asked hopefully.
"Please nothing! With a power level of 81%, you're getting some energon whether you like it or not." Kinetica stated firmly. "I will not have you dropping into stasis because your reserves are too low!"
"Yes Mami." Autumn said meekly.
"I'm not your father Autumn! I will make absolutely sure that you are fed when you need it! Understand?" Kinetica lectured in a firm but gentle voice.
Autumn smiled then. A brilliant smile that even lit up her optics. Bluestreak was right; Autumn does have a beautiful smile. She got up and went over to hug Kinetica. Apparently, Autumn has been without anyone to care about her well being for far too long.
Kinetica stood up while cradling Autumn against her left side. She smiled down at Autumn before running her right hand along Autumn's cheek.
"Come on Ladies. The fire should be burned down to coals by now; so it will be perfect for cooking." Kinetica told us.
Elita and I gathered the tarps, while Mikaela grabbed her towel and the somewhat smaller tarp that Ravage had been laying on. Together, we all made our way up the slope of beach and went to our little camp.
Kinetica was right. There were just a few flickers of flame, but mostly coals that were good and hot. Kinetica set Autumn down and looked at Mikaela sternly.
"Okay Mikaela, I need you to come over here and let me put a cast back on that arm for you." Kinetica instructed.
Mikaela simply smiled and walked over to hold out her arm. I couldn't help but notice that Autumn watched the whole thing intently. It only took a few brief moments to put a new cast on Mikaela's arm. When she was done, Kinetica transformed into her Kenworth Dominator alt mode. Mikaela went in and quickly came out again with some pans and other stuff to cook with as well as a small ice chest of food to cook.
"Hey Autumn! Have you ever had a chili dog?" Mikaela asked as she looked up at the femme.
"No, but I've seen people eating the ones from Sonic." Autumn answered with a shake of her head.
"Well this won't be like the ones that Sonic makes because they use actual hot dog wieners, and I won't eat those things, so I use a sausage link instead. It still turns out really tasty though. Come on… you cook the sausages just like you did the kielbasas, and I'll warm up the chili." Mikaela told her.
Autumn was almost grinning as she put four sausages on the two rods to cook them. She sat down and held those over the coals of the fire while she watched Mikaela.
"Don't even try to get close enough to that fire to cook in a pan! It's hot enough to cook you just by being close to it!" Autumn warned Mikaela firmly.
"Tell me about it!" Mikaela said sourly. "I'll have to get a long branch and scoop out some coals to cook on."
"I didn't think of that. That's a really good idea, because then you won't have to stay close enough to those coals to get baked." Autumn stated with a frown of surprise.
"Autumn… you'll have to get used to the fact that your sister isn't stupid!" Mikaela told her with a snarky grin.
"Good! I don't want to lose my sister anytime soon." Autumn replied sullenly.
"What a strange coincidence, because I don't feel like dying anytime soon." Mikaela shot back sarcastically as she picked up a branch about seven feet long to use for gathering some coals.
Kinetica POV
Mikaela didn't say anything as she scraped some coals away from the fire to cook on. It didn't take her long to heat the chili, so she started making chilidogs in minutes. She put some shredded cheese on the first one and offered it to Autumn.
"Here. Try this, I think you'll like it." Mikaela said with a grin.
Autumn took the chilidog, put it in her mouth and was able to chew once before she froze with a look of total surprise on her face.
"Autumn? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Mikaela asked in concern after Autumn hadn't moved for a full minute.
I knew that there was nothing wrong with Autumn. She was simply very surprised by how good the food tasted! Having never sampled such a thing before, she was stunned by the flavor of it.
"She's just fine Mikaela. Just really, really surprised right now." I told her while trying not to laugh.
I knew that the cause of this situation was absolutely nothing to laugh about. Autumn's reaction however, was funny. Being frozen stiff by a wonderful flavor that came from something so common should not have happened. Yet it had. For something as simple as a chilidog to taste so good that it caused Autumn to actually freeze in wonder at the flavor, is only further proof that Autumn's father was beyond cruel.
"Wow!" Autumn finally exclaimed. "Mikaela that is incredible! Those things are just so good! How come you don't eat those all the time?"
"You're kidding me… right?" Mikaela asked with a very doubtful expression.
"Of course not! Those are great!" Autumn replied almost instantly.
"Autumn… chilidogs are cheap food. Yeah, they taste pretty good sometimes, but it's not something to eat everyday. There's better food out there." Mikaela answered skeptically.
"Seriously?" Autumn asked in a tone of doubt.
"Yes Autumn… seriously!" Mikaela said sternly before she started again in a much gentler tone. "Look… Ratchet told me that you had way too much going on to realize what kind of food you've been getting. So it's no surprise that you don't remember any of the things you ate here on the base. None of that matters anymore. I'll make sure you get to sample the good stuff!"
Autumn smiled at her sister before she put four more sausages on the rods to cook. She was grinning into the embers that still had small flickers of flame as she cooked those sausages for her sister.
"Okay… " Mikaela began suspiciously. "What are you grinning about over there?"
"I like this." Autumn answered.
"What's that? Being out here, cooking over an open fire, or hanging with friends and family?" Mikaela question.
"All of them!" Autumn stated firmly.
"Good!" Chromia said suddenly. "It means that we know how to get you to relax now."
"What do you mean?" Autumn asked curiously.
Elita got a sad smile on her faceplates as she looked at Autumn. "I don't know if Ravage can read doorwings or not, but the rest of us do know how to read doorwings Autumn. This is the most relaxed you've been since we got here."
"Ravage is fully capable of reading doorwings, but she doesn't bother with that skill, because her sense of smell is much more reliable." I replied easily.
"What do you mean?" Arcee asked me interestedly.
"Simple. Bots such as Prowl are usually able to conceal their emotions by keeping their doorwings still. Even when they do, Ravage can still smell their emotions!" I answered with a smirk.
"So when Autumn's doorwings are unable to display all of the emotions she's feeling, Ravage still knows what's going on in her helm?" Chromia demanded.
"Absolutely. Because she used to be fully human, Autumn has much more emotional intensity than a Cybertronian. What I mean by that is a human's emotions are many times stronger than a Cybertronian's. The flip side of that is Cybertronian physical sensations are much more intense than that of a human." I began to explain.
"Although Autumn now has the intense physical sensations of a bot, she still has the emotional intensity of a human as well. This means that she can… and often does, experience a great many conflicting emotions at once. Her doorwings couldn't possibly display everything Autumn is feeling. Ravage is able to smell each and every emotion that Autumn is experiencing at any given instant. That means that even when Autumn can't determine every thing she's feeling, Ravage can!" I continued.
"That's just more of a reason to love this kitty!" Autumn exclaimed as she snatched the Cybercat to her lap for a cuddle.
"So compared to a human, how intense are a bot's physical sensations?" Mikaela asked curiously.
"Every thing is much more intense for Autumn now Mikaela. When she was flesh and blood…"
"You mean when I was human." Autumn interrupted softly.
"You are still human Autumn, because you aren't completely Cybertronian. I made sure of that when I changed you." I told Autumn firmly before turning back to Mikaela.
"When Autumn was flesh and blood, a cut on her finger would rate a two or three, on a scale of one to one-hundred. Now? That same cut would rate a twelve or fifteen. The other side of that is Autumn's emotional intensity. The most extreme rage a bot can feel would only be annoyance to Autumn." I said to Mikaela.
"So when Autumn is scared of something?" Chromia began.
"If you were to experience Autumn's fear… of say… Optimus. Then you would likely be paralyzed with terror." I answered candidly.