TFP: Youngling
Ch.29~ Responsible
I watched as Arcee drove in, wait where was Jack? She transformed and stretched a bit then put a servo over her face. Getting off my crate I walked over and grabbed her hip, she looked down at me and rubbed my helm.
"Where's Jack?" I asked.
"Guess we took him home late a few too many times, his mother grounded him. So, he's home-bound for a bit." She explained I nodded as she patted my helm.
"Why do you look upset?" I continued.
"She thinks I'm just a motorcycle he bought, so he'll get in more trouble if she finds I'm not there." She stated, "Not like I can stay put for a few weeks."
"What if it just looked like you were there?" I stated, she looked down confused. "Like the holograms we use when we're out alone, then it'd look like you're there all the time."
"That's a great idea, but I don't think we can do that." She stated, "The holograms can only work when powered by us, not like we can make them portable."
"What if we made mine look like you?"
"She'd see your alt-mode though."
"Oh…"
"It'll be alright Star, I'm sure it'll be pretty easy, his Mom is pretty routine."
"But I want Jack to come back sooner."
"Then I'll just have to do my best to be there when I can."
(Later)
"Carrier is it possible to make a hologram that would make my alt-mode invisible and disguised as something else?" I asked he looked up from the project he was working on.
"Well technically, but that would require you to also have a cloaking modification program. Wait. Why are you asking this?" Carrier stated looking at me suspiciously.
"Big Brother Jack is grounded and he'll get more in trouble if his Mom notices Arcee is not parked at home. I thought we could make a hologram of her alt-mode and I could park there for her." I explained, he reached up to rub his chinplate.
"Well I guess we could do that; it would give Arcee more time to patrol…"
"It's only for a few weeks."
"Well…"
"Please Carrier."
"Alright, and I can give you a sensor to notify you when to go. I don't want you sitting there all day and night."
"Thanks, Carrier!"
I hugged his pede, he chuckled and patted my helm. Hope this will get Big Brother Jack back sooner. I miss having him come over to the base.
(Jack's POV)
I pedalled fast toward home, Arcee was busy and couldn't come, but she said Star had a plan. I really hope Mom doesn't think one of my 'new' friends parked their 3-wheeled motorcycle in our garage. As I got home, I saw Mom standing outside. Here it comes.
"I made you some dinner, your favourite tofu, but I have to head back in. Keep this up and you'll be ungrounded in a few weeks." She stated I nodded as she got in her car and left.
Opened the garage door I saw Arcee parked in her spot, but she said she couldn't come. Then I heard a giggle and Star's alt-mode appeared next to like it blinked into existence. I pushed my bike in as I watched Arcee's alt-mode blink out of existence.
"How did you do that?" I questioned; Star transformed a big grin on her face.
"I got a cloaking mod installed and changed my hologram into Arcee's Alt Mode and set it to appear next to me. Carrier helped me out." She chimed; Ratchet was helping me out. "Oh here, this is a sensor, put in where your Mom parks then I can come anytime you need me."
"Wow, this is fantastic. And Ratchet's okay with this?" I quizzed taking the sensor it was thin but looked sturdy.
"Uhuh, he made the sensor, this way Arcee can focus on patrols." She replied I guess that's how he'd reason it. "Your Mom seemed pretty worried about you."
"Yeah, I want to tell her but you know…"
"Know what?"
"You guys are kinda classified info."
"Oh… You should eat the food she made, I'm gonna bridge back. Don't forget to place the sensor."
"I won't, thanks Star."
"No problem big brother Jack, I want to have you coming back to base as soon as possible."
"Same here."
(Later)
"Hey Star, did Mom not get home yet?" I asked Star transformed turning off the cloak and hologram.
"No, but someone dropped off a package for you. I bridged early, Arcee said she's usually here around the same time." I replied, he went over and opened the envelope. He dumped what looked like a phone of some kind, the screen buzzed to life.
"Hello, Jack." The device greeted, wait, that voice…
"MECH?" I stated, I heard the man chuckle.
"Now if it isn't the little bot who stormed into my base, Arcee not there with you." He stated this was the man behind tearing Breakdown apart…
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"Well I was actually here for the boy and Arcee, but seems you'll have to do. You see I'm sure he's wondering where his mother is…" the man continued, I need to contact base.
'Carrier…' I began then a pain shot through me steaming from my audial sensors.
"Star!" Jack cried, I felt him place a hand on my helm.
"Did I forget to mention this device scrambled your signal and your brain." He stated, I reset my audial sensors and glared at the device.
"Now I need you two to follow the map on this device here, it will lead you to our meetup location. Do try and hurry." He finished, I glared at the device.
"What do we do?" Jack questioned.
"I'm setting a message on my datapad to be sent, I'm going to leave it here and we head to the meeting area. The others can track me by my signal." I stated, typing the message to the bases computer I set it on a timer then transformed.
"Star this is insane, I can't just lead you into this it must be a trap."
"Sitting here won't help, we need the others and the only way this will send is if that thing is nowhere near it."
"Sometimes I forget you're too smart sometimes."
He climbed on and I let him drive me toward the mapped location, I really hope my datapad message will reach base. If not then I am really gonna have to find a way to contact the others and get Jack and his Mom back home safe…
(Ratchet's POV)
I heard a ping, a message appears on the console, not what could this be. Looking I saw it was Stargazer's datapad, was she sending me another cute thing she found online? Opening the message, I looked at it confused. 'MECH Trap Send Help Track Me' it read, I read it again my spark sinking.
"Oh, sweet Primus…" I muttered; I activated the comms to the others. "Everyone, head back to base, we've got trouble.
(Stargazer's POV)
"Now who would you be?" the Decepticon femme quizzed leaning over to put a finger to my cheekplate. "A youngling, my, my, aren't you a darling."
"I'm Stargazer, who are you?" I replied, she smirked she looked like she might eat me.
"Arachnid, now I was hoping to get Arcee but seems you fell into this trap. I do need to start my collection again. Jack and Stargazer let's play a game; I'll give you till Midnight to find Jack's mother. If you rescue her in time, I will let you go and if not… Well, I'm sure you already know." She replied the others would take longer than that to get here. "Hurry up times a wasting."
"You don't scare me," I stated, grabbed Jack I turned and raced away.
"Star be careful, that Con is insane." Jack explained, "Me and Arcee destroyed her ship when she landed here. She literally filled her ships with heads."
"It'll take them time to get here, we have to find your Mom, if we do, I can buy us more time."
"I'll help too."
"She probably thought to only hide your Mom somewhere you can't reach, so she must be up high."
"There, she's up there!"
"Help!" she cried, I set Jack down and jumped up grabbing onto the raised walkway and began to pull myself up.
"Don't worry, I'll get you down." I soothed, she turned to me looking terrified.
"One minute." Arachnid stated, I spun to see her looking down at me from higher up on the scaffolding.
So, she was ready to jump me as soon as our time runs out, I let go and dropped back down and lifted Jack up. Too bad for her, I have something to counter her. Hard to hit what you can't see, activated my cloak I ran toward the scaffolding and jumped up. She shot something where I had been as I used a bar to swing up and kick her off her perch.
"Well aren't you a crafty one…" she muttered and spit something, I barely dodged and saw the metal melt next to me. She can spit acid!?
I climbed up silently as I could as she scanned for me; seems this was her kind of thing. I'm glad Carrier went overboard as always; this cloak also masked my heat signature. Getting up higher than her I activated my blaster and shot down at her she began to dodge looking to get up to me. I kept up my firing until I saw her ready to leap up, as she did, I jumped down away from her and landed on another catwalk of some kind.
She was scanning for me again, soon she'll try to predict where I'm moving and stop relying on her optics. But I have to drive away she may go after Jack and his Mom. I have to think of something, how can I keep her distracted… She said she was hoping for Arcee, I smirked and cleared my vocalizer.
"Picking on a youngling," I stated imitating Arcee.
"Arcee!" she exclaimed looking around confused I took aim and fired at her before moving my position. "Where are you?!"
Climbing up so that I saw higher than her, she looked hysterical looking for Arcee. She must really have it out for Arcee, have to be careful what I say. If I say too much, she'll realise it's a ruse.
"Over here," I called using my imitation she turned up to me.
Quickly I jumped kicking her in the helm, she reached to grab me but just missed. Landing I saw her drooling acid, she must be pretty angry. I hope she gets worse when she's angry, she launched down and I rolled out of her path. I went to jump but I felt her grab my pede and I hit the walkway.
"Arcee I have your little feme!" she cried lifting me up.
"Do you?" I stated, aiming my blaster I shot her servo which made her drop me and I raced away.
"Oh… Ahahaha! You're really clever using Arcee's voice to distract me." She stated scrap she figured that out pretty fast. "Who can else you imitate?"
I saw her lean over the railing as I slipped down and began to crawl into a smaller space in this area. I'm running out of time; I can't hide from her forever. Please, everyone, hurry up, I felt my servo shake as she looked around for me.
I heard something, I onlined my optics I didn't realise I offlined to see Sides flying toward us. He landed on Arachnid's backstruts and began to bend her extra extremities. I looked down as saw Sunny transform and aim his blaster up. Sides, Sunny they were here!
"Mom, can you raise your arms," Jack stated, I looked up to see his Mom was still trapped in her web-like prison.
"I'll help," I called, crawling up turned off my cloak and ripped the stuff from the walkway it stuck to.
Setting her on the walkway and pulled a scalpel from my subspace and cut her free. She got up and look at me backing away a bit, I backed up as Jack be a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him; this must be scary for her. I must be scary too…
"Mom that's my friend Stargazer." He soothed, she looked to me confused.
"I'll get us down, can you two grab onto me?" I offered, she nodded and they both grabbed on then I began to jump down.
I heard something else, looking up I saw helicopters, not cons, must be Fowler. Landing down I watched as she scanned on of his copters and then transformed flying off. Guess this was enough to scare her off, I set Jack and his Mom down and ran over to hug Sunny's pedes.
"We were the closest, you did good sis." He praised, he crouched down and pulled me into a hug. "It's okay, you can cry now."
I felt tears build up and I leaned into his chassis as I began to cry. He rubbed my backstruts and I clung to him, I did realise how scared I was. They way she looked at me it was so much like… Like back on the ship, the way Megatron looked at me… I never want to see that kind of look again…
(Ratchet's POV)
"Carrier!" Star cried as she ran through the bridge.
I caught her as she clung onto me crying, I saw the twins walk through they both looked upset. I held Star close as she sobbed, I never thought sitting in a garage would lead to this. Seems MECH is even more under-handed then I first thought.
"It's alright." I hushed rubbed her backstruts. "You were so brave, don't worry you're safe now."
"It was just like…" she began then broke into harder sobs.
"It's okay… I've got you; I won't let anything happen to you again…" I soothed; I won't lose her…
(Later)
It was late, Orion had gone to speak to Fowler about all that happened and investigate the area MECH had used to plan this out. I could tell this was hard on him, the way he carried himself was heavier now. The involvement of Miss Darby and targeting of Jack. Then having Stargazer be the one that fell into the trap was all too much.
"We should probably have Miss Darby come to our base," Optimus stated, I nodded turned from the console.
"I agree, given what happened we cannot keep our identities from her any longer," I affirmed, I walked over to him. "Stop looking like that. We couldn't have predicted this."
"I wish our war did not affect the beings of this world." He muttered, I hugged him.
"You're too big sparked, you are not responsible for what the Decepticon's do or insane humans." I soothed; I felt his servos wrap around me. "Now come on, I can tell you're tired. We can deal with this after some recharge."
"I believe you might be right, old friend." He stated I let out a soft chuckle.
"Everyone knows now, no need to be so formal, silly mech." I teased, he smiled down at me as we pulled apart.
"Habit." He replied, I smiled and leaned up to kiss his chinplate. "I could get used to this."
"Come on, time for bed." I hummed and reached to grab his servo.