"Alright, Thunderhoof, let's try walking. Careful now!"
"Blades, stop babying the 'Con."
"If memory serves me right, Bumblebee told you not to refer to him as Con, Heatwave!"
"I'll get around to it! Eventually."
"How's about yous two agree to disagree and move on?" Thunderhoof snapped, steadying himself on his pedes by leaning against the medical slab he's been stuck on for nearly a week.
"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," Boulder answered sheepishly in place of his brothers.
"Hey, it's not my fault that Heatwave doesn't listen!" Blades exclaimed.
"I do listen!" Heatwave retorted. "It's just a matter of whether I like it or not, and I still don't like any of this!"
Thunderhoof tuned-out the quarreling bots as he focused on his footing, putting one ped in front of the other and gradually moving away from the berth. It was strange, standing once again after all that time on his aft. He nearly forgot how good it felt to move around, how he could control his movements without being restricted to one little area. The only downside is the small twinge of pain from his injured hoof, though it is far less excruciating than it was back on the beach.
"Eyo, what?" Thunderhoof said, slightly startled by his suddenly obstructed vision. He reached up, grabbed whatever was on his faceplate, and lifted it away.
"Oh."
It was Steeljaw's daughter. The pup's optics widened and blinked, clearly taken aback by the unanticipated action.
"What were yous doin' up here, hm?"
Thunderhoof didn't expect Steeljaw's daughter to actually answer, but she did, in a manner of speaking; she just pointed to Thunderhoof's antlers with an outstretched claw.
"What, you find 'em interestin' or something?"
Steeljaw's daughter smiled and bobbed her helm, ears giving a little bounce.
"Eh, at least yous seem to understand what I'm sayin'. . ."
Thunderhoof looked around the adjoining room and spotted a large bench – one meant for their kind – in a corner and decided that it would be as good a place as any to sit down and have a chat with his charge. Granted, it'll mostly be one-sided, as the Cervicon is the only one of the two who can talk, but if Steeljaw's daughter is already understanding speech, then it's only a matter of time before she starts talking back.
"In that case, let's lay down a few rules…"
Thunderhoof strode over to the bench and took a seat, placing the pup on his knee joint.
"Rule number one: DO NOT touch the antlers! Capiche?"
Steeljaw's daughter tilted her helm. That's it. No expression to work off of.
"Why yous lookin' at me like that?"
"Maybe she doesn't understand what the word capiche means."
It took Thunderhoof a few too many seconds to realize that somebody else answered him, and that he wasn't imagining the voice coming from Steeljaw's daughter. He recognized who spoke, though.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to check-in," Cody apologized, careful not to squeeze whatever he has in his hands as he shifts under Thunderhoof's gaze.
"Don't know why you would," Thunderhoof huffed, rolling his shoulders. "It ain't like I'm goin' anywhere anytime soon. I'm stuck here till things at home go back to normal."
"You mean when your not really traditional family is reunited?"
"Yeah, that."
Scratching at his plating brought Thunderhoof's attention back to Steeljaw's daughter. She was kneading his knee and looking pleadingly between him and Cody.
"You want down," Thunderhoof said, phrasing it as more of a statement than a question. His answer came in the form of an eager whine.
"Alright, alright, calm yerself, bitlit."
"How come you call her bitlit?" Cody asked.
"Just another term for sparkling that stuck for some reason."
The moment Steeljaw's daughter was free of Thunderhoof's hold, she rushed Cody and started peppering him with hugs and kisses – or more appropriately in canine terms, licks and snuggles.
"Whoa! Hey! It's good to see you, too!" Cody exclaimed, trying to keep his balance with a small mechanical wolf that is the size of an actual Earth wolf attacking him with affection. It's when he holds an arm up that Thunderhoof sees what he's been holding all this time.
"What yous got that she's so interested in?" Thunderhoof asked.
"Uh, just my breakfast burrito."
"Organic food…"
Thunderhoof stopped, thinking over his unfinished remark. Something stuck out to him. A fact he couldn't gloss over since he first learned about it.
"Ah, actually, that makes sense."
"How does a robot wanting to eat human food make any sense?" Kade asked, both him and Cody's other two siblings trailing just behind…
And all with their own breakfasts' in-hand, which quickly caught the pup's optics. She ran over and started giving them the same treatment she bestowed upon Cody not even five minutes earlier. The older siblings, too, held their food out of reach.
"I understand the curiosity, but biologically speaking, you can't ingest anything organic," Graham said. "At least, that's what the bots told us."
"And then the rest of Griffin Rock when they kept sending us gift baskets full of food," Chase said, joining the group.
Thunderhoof lifted an optical ridge.
"It's a long story."
"Not really," Chief Burns chuckled from beside his partner. "We had a problem with a whole other species of extraterrestrial that landed on the Island a couple years back. The bots had to drop their cover in order to save everyone. After some convincing, the locals agreed to keep our secret…"
"And many of them went overboard with their gratitude," Heatwave grumbled, the other three mechs having adjourned from their argument.
"At least they were thankful and not trying to run us off the Island," Blades replied.
"They couldn't even if they tried!"
"Some certainly have the means, but only a few were capable," Boulder pointed out, rubbing his arm to calm his nerves.
Thunderhoof would have laughed if the mood hadn't shifted after what the green mech said.
"Another long story?" Thunderhoof asked instead.
"A bunch," Graham said, suddenly taking interest in the floor.
"Listen, Thunderhoof, there's no doubt that, normally, you can take care of yourself…" Chief Burns sighed. "However, this arrangement isn't under normal circumstances. You could get into some serious trouble if you're not careful. Believe it or not, there are people out there – human beings – who are capable of dealing with Cybertronians."
Again, Thunderhoof would have laughed if everyone hadn't been this seriously serious.
"Meaning they can catch me and hurt me and such?" Thunderhoof asked. Reluctant agreement was his answer.
"Ah, whatever. Let the fools try. I'll make 'em regret it."
"And the pup?" Heatwave asked.
"Like I said…" Thunderhoof grinned and punched his fist into his palm. "I'll make 'em regret it. Besides, it ain't like any of 'em are around right now."
"This is serious, Thunderhoof!"
"I hear ya, I do, but unless I actually see it with my own two optics, I ain't gonna believe it."
Heatwave's fists clenched tightly by his sides. His team-mates noticed and decided to step-in before things got worse.
"So, uh, circling back to that whole interest in human food," Blades awkwardly segwayed.
"Oh yeah, you never answered my question!" Kade exclaimed, completely unfazed by everything going on around him.
Thunderhoof blinked, questioning for the two dozenth time why these humans were so different compared to the ones he's met. Regardless, he has taken a shine to this group, specifically Cody and his father. They were bold yet cautious, two things Thunderhoof is willing to give them credit for.
Intrigued, he forces his processor to store away his earlier thoughts for a later date and decides to indulge the humans' curiosity.
"I don't know all the details, but remember that associate of mine I mentioned? Well, yous see, him and his mate developed some sort of tolerance for organic matter…" Thunderhoof pointed to Steeljaw's daughter, who was wandering around the bunker and smelling everything. "And I'm guessin' they passed it onto her."
"Wait, so you guys can have babies?" Kade asked.
Based on the humans' bewildered reactions, Thunderhoof quickly deduced that the Autobots didn't go into much detail regarding their species' biological history.
The Rescue Bots themselves…
"No, we don't!"
"Not that I am aware of."
"Apparently."
"Really, we can?"
"It's complicated," Thunderhoof vented. "It ain't exactly common knowledge for the everyday mecha. From what I heard, the Colonies are more experienced on the subject."
"The Colonies?" Dani repeated, a questioning glint lighting her eyes.
"Around the beginning of the War, and even before then during the Golden Age of Cybertron, bots moved off-world to live on other planets, and those planets are called the Colonies," Heatwave explained.
"Each one is unique and attracts a certain kind of bot," Boulder adds. "Take Blurr, for example. He came from Velocitron, also known as the Speed Planet."
The humans nodded, taking in all the information being dumped on them.
Funny how the Ex-Con, the supposed enemy, is the one who brought to light information that the Autobots' humans should already know.
"Okay, I'm getting things so far, but what does that have to do with babies?" Kade asked.
"It's basic biology, Kade," Graham said, then proceeded to explain. "The Cybertronian species originated on their home planet of Cybertron. When things started to change, members of the species had to move and subsequently settle on other planets where they believed that they would have a greater chance of survival. Once in a different environment, they had to adapt to their changes, eventually replacing old, unessential traits for something new, something specialized."
"Uh, Graham, no offense, but short version?"
"Basically, the Colonies are individual habitats housing subspecies who had to adapt to their new environment after branching off from the main Cybertronian line."
"So you're saying it's a possibility that some bots can reproduce?" Dani asked.
"Unless there's something else…"
"Yous actually ain't wrong," Thunderhoof admitted, shaking himself out of the shockingly impressed stupor he fell into while listening to Graham's explanation. The looks of surprise sent his way were quite amusing to observe.
"Although, I don't know where my associate or his mate came from."
"But you assume they must be from one of the Colonies, or spent a lot of time there, based on their tolerance of organic matter?" Graham asked.
Thunderhoof nodded, then jumped when the alarm started blaring.
"Huh, I was wondering when that was going to go off. Let's go, team!" Chief Burns ushered.
"Thanks for the talk, Thunderhoof!" Graham said.
"Later, Thunderhoof!" Cody said.
If the retreating Rescue Bots said anything, Thunderhoof didn't hear them. He was more focused on the fact that the humans were paying him positive attention and thanking him for the morning talk.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Boulder came back over and handed Thunderhoof a data pad.
"To keep you from getting bored while we're out. I hope you like it."
The green mech turned and joined his team on the elevator up to the garage, leaving a stunned Thunderhoof behind. The Cervicon blinked a couple times, then looked down at the unexpected gift. He thumbs the smooth edge of the device before turning it on. An image pops-up on the screen, confusing Thunderhoof. It takes a hot minute for him to understand and laugh.
"Of course."
He repositions himself on the floor and leans against the bench, one leg outstretched. He rolls his shoulders and lifts the data pad closer to his faceplate. He presses a button and the screen flashes white for a second. Just as text appears, so too does a thought.
A realization, more like.
Where is Steeljaw's daughter?