Elita POV
I looked over at Autumn sadly. Until Kinetica explained it in such detail, I didn't understand just how much my Sparkmate frightens Autumn. What I find almost impossible to comprehend is why she is so frightened of him. I think it's time I find out.
"Autumn… exactly why are you afraid of Optimus?" I asked her firmly.
"Be… because he's big, powerful, and every one has to obey him." Autumn answered softly.
I can tell she's nervous and even frightened just by talking about this, but she needs to learn that she doesn't have any reason to fear that bot.
"If that's the case, then why aren't you scared of Mom?" Mikaela in a serious tone.
"Mami would never hurt me because she loves me." Autumn replied with more confidence than I'd yet heard from her.
"But she's even bigger than Optimus. If you were sitting on Optimus' shoulder, and I was sitting on yours, Mom would still be bigger! So why not be scared of her too?"
I can see that while Mikaela is being very serious in questioning Autumn, and that she isn't trying to be cruel about this either. That is when I notice that Kinetica has tilted her head and is also listening intently to Autumn's answer.
"Because Mami loves me, and everyone still has to mind Optimus."
"So? You have to mind Mom. I have to mind Mom. Since she's the Allspark, even Optimus has to mind Mom! Everybody has to mind Mom!" Mikaela retorted quickly.
"But Mami is… is Mami. She loves me." Autumn protested.
Ravage huffed and left Autumn's lap while shaking her head.
"I agree with you Ravage! That was really weak; I can come up with a better answer than that in my sleep!" Mikaela grinned at Ravage before turning back to Autumn and raising an eyebrow. "Try again."
"I don't know!" Autumn wailed before she huffed and hung her head in a pout.
Ravage turned to look at Mikaela and snarled loudly while shaking her head again.
"Yeah, I'm not too happy with that answer either." Mikaela said while shaking her head. "You're gonna have to do better than that. You really need to. You know Mom's listening… right?"
Autumn looked over at Kinetica with a stricken expression on her face. Kinetica is watching Autumn with a sort of expectant smile. It's clear that she's not angry at Autumn. She's simply waiting for something.
"See Autumn? Mom is proof that just because someone is 'large and in charge', doesn't mean you have to be scared of them." Mikaela said candidly.
"That's very true Mikaela." Kinetica said before turning her head back to Autumn. "You should listen to your sister on that one Autumn. It's true that Optimus is bigger than you are, but then most of the bots will be. Optimus is larger than you are, I'm larger than he is, and Primus is much larger than all of us put together! You… have… no… reason… to… be… frightened… of… us…!" She finished clearly.
"Are… are you sure?" Autumn asked plaintively.
"Autumn… Ravage is a Decepticon. She and Optimus have fought before. She has tried to kill Optimus quite a few times now. If Optimus were someone you should be afraid of, wouldn't he have killed Ravage when she hit him a few days ago?" I asked her. "Instead of trying to kill her, he wanted to know why he was being attacked. That should tell you that he isn't mean the way you think he is."
"I'm meaner than he is!" Mikaela blurted out with a frown. "And you know it!"
"You're not mean anymore." Autumn protested softly.
"Autumn… Ravage has missiles, fangs, claws, and who knows what else. So if she and I were able to team up to start beating on Optimus, without him doing anything to us, then he can't be mean like you think!" Mikaela said sternly.
"What?" Autumn said as she looked back and forth between Mikaela and Ravage.
"Don't ask 'what'! You saw us do it!" Mikaela shot back instantly.
"I saw it… but… I didn't think about the missiles and stuff."
"Well don't you think you should? You've given Mikaela a second chance, you're giving Ironhide a second chance, doesn't Optimus deserve at least one chance?" Kinetica asked lightly.
That was when Ravage huffed loudly and crawled back into Autumn's lap. Autumn looked down at the Cybercat and started to pet her before looking up at Kinetica.
"Yes." Autumn whispered.
"Okay… that expression has to go!" Mikaela snapped at Autumn.
"What do you mean?" Autumn asked Mikaela.
"You're sitting there looking like someone just ripped your heart out and stomped on it a few times before shoving it back in your chest." Mikaela replied with a frown. "We're not saying that you have to give Optimus a chance, but Mom thinks he deserves one, and so do I, so it would be nice. Besides, I know you'll like him!"
"How can you know that?" Autumn demanded plaintively.
"I know that, because Optimus is a nice guy. He's easy going and a breeze to get along with. I don't know about you, but I've never seen him get mad!" Mikaela said casually.
"I don't think I've ever seen him when he's mad either." Autumn said softly.
"That's because he hardly ever gets mad!" Mikaela snapped. "Look… I know you've heard about people who have a 'short fuse', well Optimus has a very long fuse!"
"What do you mean?" Autumn asked in apparent confusion.
"What I mean, is that I didn't even see Optimus get mad when he was fighting Megatron to the death. If Optimus was gonna get mad, I think that would do it! Megatron was trying to kill him, and he still didn't get mad!" Mikaela answered firmly.
"That's a very good point Mikaela! Optimus was very determined in that fight, and he was certainly stern, but he wasn't angry." Kinetica added casually.
"He can still break me real easy." Autumn protested.
"Yes Autumn, he could. But why would he want to?" Kinetica asked casually.
"Huh?" Autumn voiced in surprise.
I saw Mikaela put a hand over her mouth as she smothered a snicker. I couldn't blame her. That last question had been so articulate.
Chromia POV
"Why would Optimus do something like that?" Kinetica clarified calmly.
"Why did my… Sire do the things he did?" Autumn asked softly.
I saw Kinetica, and Mikaela both wince at that question. I'm sure I did along with Arcee and Elita, because that question hurt!
"I honestly don't know Autumn." Kinetica answered sadly.
"Because your father was a fucking bastard, that's why! People like him are the reason abortion was invented, and he is the reason it was legalized! I want you to forget about him Autumn! The world is better off without him!" Mikaela snapped vehemently.
I was very surprised to see Mikaela act this way, because I had only seen this side of her when we were in Autumn's mind.
"If you ever want a replacement father, then ask Optimus. He'll make a good one! He's not gonna get mad and come at you with a belt because you didn't smile the way he wants you to. He might get disappointed in you, and he may act a little stern sometimes… but if I had to pick someone else to be my dad… it'd be him." Mikaela told Autumn earnestly.
"You really mean that… don't you?" Autumn demanded with a frown.
"Yes Autumn, I do." Mikaela answered. "Look, I'm sorry for flying off the handle like that, but you need to see the truth. The truth is that Optimus is a really nice guy. I know you'll like him, because he's nothing like you think."
"Can you promise me?" Autumn asked plaintively.
"I'll do better than that. I'll say that everyone here will make that promise." Mikaela said with a confident smirk.
"Normally, I'd get irate about someone making a promise for me… but that promise… is one that I will agree to!" I told Autumn.
"I can agree to that promise as well." Elita said calmly.
"As can I. In fact… only a total slagger wouldn't make that promise to you." Arcee added with a smile.
Autumn was looking around at all of us, but Kinetica was looking at Autumn and smiling expectantly.
"Don't even think about asking me if I would make that promise, because you already know the answer to that." Kinetica told Autumn firmly but with a smile.
"Now let me ask you something Autumn… do you really think Optimus would have tried to give you almost five ounces of gold if he was mean?" Kinetica asked gently.
Mikaela lowered her make shift chilidog while she gave Autumn a strange look. "Someone tries to give you several thousand dollars in gold, and you think they're mean? Come on Autumn! You know better than that. I know you aren't stupid; maybe a little crazy with some of those fights you got into back in school, but not stupid."
"He's still huge!" Autumn protested in a pout.
"So?" Mikaela retorted without any hesitation. "So's Mom."
"Yes, I am. I'm even bigger than he is." Kinetica said smiling.
"But… but Mami won't hurt me." Autumn protested.
"And neither will Optimus!" Kinetica said firmly.
I saw Autumn look up at Kinetica with a doubtful expression on her face. Having been told that she didn't trust authority figures was one thing, but now I was seeing it for myself.
"You promise?" Autumn asked softly.
Whatever Kinetica's response was, had to have been conveyed by her spark bond with Autumn, because nothing was said aloud. The next thing I know, Autumn is in Kinetica's lap and hugging her tightly. Autumn's expression had instantly changed to one of extreme happiness. Ravage had been dumped on the ground by Autumn's exuberant lunge to Kinetica, and was now looking at Autumn with a silent snarl on her face. That concerned me.
"Sorry Ravage. I think that might be something you just have to get used to." Mikaela said wryly.
Ravage turned to face Mikaela and shook her head violently. Mikaela shook her head and laughed at the Cybercat. "I guess you don't want to get used to that, do you?"
Ravage shook her head again, just as violently as the first time. It was clear that she did not like being treated in such a fashion.
"I am truly sorry Ravage. I really should have warned you before I did that." Kinetica apologized sincerely.
Ravage huffed, shook her head and went to sit down right next to Mikaela, who put her left arm across the shoulders of the large Cybercat.
"You just stay over here with me Ravage. Us smaller types have to stick together and make sure we don't get smushed." Mikaela grinned.
Ravage made a series of strange huffing sounds before starting up a rumbling purr that could felt just as much as heard. It was clear that for some reason… Ravage liked Mikaela!
I can't blame the Cybercat for liking Mikaela. That human is someone who can be a very staunch friend. She is someone that doesn't quit no matter what odds are against her. That is something I can readily respect!
"Hey Mom!" Mikaela called out suddenly. "Can Autumn eat another chilidog?"
"Yes… she can. If she drinks plenty of fluids to wash it down." Kinetica said clearly.
"I got her covered on that one! I'm ready for it this time." Mikaela grinned.
I watched as Mikaela got up and walked over to her ice chest with a smirk. She reached in and pulled out two one gallon jugs with a tan colored liquid inside.
"I know you have eight of those in the fridge of my RV mode, but I didn't know about those two. What's in them?" Kinetica asked.
"Mocha Starbucks!" Mikaela proclaimed proudly.
"Two gallons of Starbucks coffee?" Autumn exclaimed in surprise. "Wait… Mami said you have eight more of those… why?"
"Five gallons for today… and five gallons for tomorrow! I hooked you up on this one." Mikaela answered smugly.
"That's a lot of coffee!" Autumn whispered in awe.
"Yeah! It is! If I drank all this… I'd be so hyper I could fix Cybertron by myself in a couple days." Mikaela answered wryly.
Kinetica started laughing. It was a strangely musical sound. Autumn had told us that Kinetica has the same voice her human mother had, but I didn't understand why it meant so much to her… now I do! "First… you aren't physically able to drink that much of anything! Second, if you could drink that much, that level of caffeine would kill you."
"If I could drink that much of anything I'd be pissing non-stop for a couple days!" Mikaela snorted sarcastically. "I'm not stupid enough to even try."
Arcee POV
Kinetica gave another laugh. "Do you think you could make it to the base, or would you be squatting behind a tree for that long?" She teased.
"Out here?" Mikaela scoffed. "I'd be stuck behind a tree and my legs would go numb long before I got done! Then there'd be the lake of pee for me to deal with next time we come out here." She added sourly as she finished making a chili dog.
"Come and get it Autumn! I got your chili dog ready." Mikaela grinned.
"Autumn… after you eat that chili dog and drink your coffee, I want you to have a cube of energon. Your power level is now at 80 percent, and I do not want it getting any lower than that!" Kinetica said firmly.
"Okay Mami." Autumn said as she crawled out of Kinetica's lap.
Autumn went over to where Mikaela was sitting down near her pile of coals and retrieved her chili dog. She popped the chili dog in her mouth and smiled as she chewed.
"Here. Drink this." Mikaela instructed easily as she handed Autumn one of the one gallon containers.
"Where did you get this?" Autumn asked with a frown as she accepted the container.
"It's a one gallon Hawaiian Punch jug that got washed out and filled with a bunch of Starbucks that I got from the rec room." Mikaela answered with a grin.
"You did all that just for me?" Autumn asked in surprise.
"All that? You act like it was super hard for me to ask one of the Base cooks for some one gallon jugs. He asked me what it was for, and when I told him, he even washed them out for me. All I had to do was pour in the coffee and bring it out here!" Mikaela shot back.
"Technically… I brought those out here." Kinetica interjected with a smile.
"True. All I did was fill 'em up and load 'em up." Mikaela replied with a shrug.
"Now that you know that there was no real effort involved, you can drink up." Kinetica told Autumn.
Autumn undid the lid and put the jug to her mouth and in mere seconds, half the jug was gone.
"Oh that is so good! Thank you for giving that to me." Autumn smiled at Mikaela.
"You're welcome, but it's not like it cost me anything. I might have ticked off a few of the soldiers though." Mikaela answered with a shrug.
"How? What'd you do?" Autumn promptly asked.
"I emptied the cooler of all the Starbucks. They weren't happy about me doing it either." Mikaela said as she shrugged and grinned.
Autumn frowned at Mikaela and her optics narrowed dangerously. "You'll be staying with me when we get back. They'll beat the crap out of you, and you know it!"
"Autumn do you know what they did when I told them who all this was for?" Mikaela asked casually.
"No, and I'm not sure I care." Autumn said as she continued to frown.
"They helped me fill the jugs!" Mikaela smirked. "I've talked with the people on the base. No one has a bad thing to say about you because you avoided bothering anyone! You have been nice and polite to almost everyone on this island. From what I've found out… the only person who didn't like you was Galloway. Mom got rid of him, so no one has to deal with him anymore."
"Yes, I got rid of him all right, and I got you to replace him! So tell me Mikaela… does that count as a win?" Kinetica asked a bit smugly.
"From my point of view… it counts as an Epic win! What am I going to do with a quarter million dollars a year? You've given me a fantastically beautiful place to live, and Autumn lets me drive one seriously gorgeous car… so what do I need all that money for?" Mikaela asked with a shrug.
"Clothes, jewelry, makeup and food." Kinetica replied instantly.
"I'm not buying that much food! Me and Autumn both would get so bloated we couldn't move!" Mikaela snapped with a shake of her head.
"What about clothes, and jewelry then?" Kinetica teased. "Don't you feel like wearing diamonds and furs?"
"I'm not going around looking like a stuck up snob!" Mikaela shot back.
"You're not a snob." Autumn said with a frown.
"You're right, and I don't feel like dressing that way either." Mikaela said angrily. "I don't want people taking one look at me and thinking I'm a snob!"
"I'm not suggesting that you dress like a snob, Mikaela, but it never hurts to look classy." Kinetica said candidly.
"Dressing with a little class, I can handle, but I'm not a snob, and I refuse to look like one." Mikaela answered.
Kinetica merely chuckled at that response.