Fic: Smoke and Mirrors, Secrets and Lies 14/?
TITLE: Smoke and Mirrors, Secrets and Lies, part 14
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
WHO TO BLAME: Sapphire! It only took one weekend to work this out, two weeks later the story was written out as a rough draft. Darn bunnies!
Bella had grabbed some food and ventured down to the medical area where Raoul and Drift were. She had no idea why Raoul didn’t explore the base. It was such a fascinating place. She had talked to so many mechs and the human personnel, she had spent time with her Uncle Bob, who was base commander, and she had gotten a small sight-seeing tour outside from Arcee.
Now she walked into the large room Ratchet only used for treatments and waved a bag at Raoul. “Food. Come eat it while it’s hot!”
He opened the bag and smiled widely at her. “You’re a life-saver!”
“You have legs. You can walk,” she remarked as she sat next to him. “The mess isn’t that far away and even you could figure out the markings on the wall.”
Raoul shot her an evil look. He spread out the fries, liberally dumped mayo and ketchup on them, and bit deeply into his burger.
“Raoul believes I need a bodyguard.” Drift gave his friend a smile. “He won’t understand that my neutral status allows him to leave me on my own for a while. Especially for a shower and some sleep.”
Bella wrinkled her nose. “You haven’t even showered yet? Ugh, Raoul!”
“So, how are you and your Dad catching up?” Raoul changed the topic.
“It’s been…interesting.”
He leaned forward, looking interested himself. “He’s your real dad?”
“Yes. Eric is my step-dad. Will Lennox was declared dead when I was around six. No one knew that he’s still alive. Big national secret and all.”
Drift hummed. “With what happened to him, I believe it would be for the best. He absorbed a part of the Allspark and his skin reflects that. He would always stand out. I don’t want to speculate about what powers he might have gained.”
“Well, he has some.” Bella shrugged. “I guess there’s more, but he won’t tell for now.”
“National secret,” Raoul nodded, eating some chips.
“He hasn’t aged at all. He’s like frozen,” Bella went on. “It’s so weird! He looks like the man on the family pictures from fifteen years ago, but he’s not the same guy.”
She suddenly looked at Drift, a frown appearing on her forehead.
“Do you think humans are attractive?” she asked.
Drift blinked slowly. “Come again?”
“Would you be able to… bond to one of us?”
Raoul stared at her, open-mouthed, burger in hand. “What?! Bella, what kind of question is that?!”
“While I think you are a fascinating species, we Cybertronians don’t connect to each other or another species like you would.”
Bella chewed on her lower lip. “But if a human could bond…?”
“But you can’t, Bella,” Drift insisted.
“Just imagine we could,” she repeated.
Raoul looked back and forth between them. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No. It’s a valid question,” Bella said.
Drift leaned forward. “The way you ask, you are aware what a bond means?”
She nodded.
“Then you also know that it involves two sparks. Humans have no sparks.”
Bella played with the paper bag she had brought the food in.
“What troubles you?” Drift wanted to know.
“Nothing. No trouble, really. I’m just trying to come to terms with a few things.”
Drift didn’t push any further, but Raoul looked like he was bursting with questions. The arrival of a man in a uniform didn’t let him. He was maybe in his late thirties, blond, with close-cropped hair. He smiled at the three friends.
“Mr. Vega, Ms Sheppard, Drift. My name is Major Trent DeMarco, second in command of Nevada base.”
Bella got up and politely shook the man’s hand. “Uncle Bob told me about you. And my dad.”
“So I heard. I’m here about a few bureaucratic matters. Since this is a top secret operation you stumbled into, signing non-disclosures are mandatory.” He smiled briefly. “Even if they come after the fact.”
Bella nodded. Not like anyone would actually believe her.
“You think I’d blab about this after knowing about Drifter for ten years?” Raoul asked.
“Like I said: bureaucracy,” DeMarco only replied. “Second, Ms Sheppard and Mr. Vega have been issued special passes.” He held up two credit card-sized pieces of hard plastic. “They work as emergency caller IDs, identify you as a VIP to military installations, and when swiped through a phone, connect you with Blaster.”
“Who?”
“He’s the communications specialist maintaining orbit around Earth.”
Raoul took the card and turned it over between his fingers. “What? No transporter? Holographic projection? Battle armor hidden inside?”
DeMarco chuckled. “We’re working on that. Now, Ms Sheppard, Will told me you’re thinking about moving back to LA or Las Vegas. When you have reached your decision, let me know. We’ll take care of that.”
“Autobots do U-Haul?” Raoul asked sarcastically.
“It helps to have an independent source of income,” the Major dead-panned.
Bella chuckled. “Okay, I’ll let you know.”
“Good. Now, for the non-disclosures…”
Thirty minutes later they were alone after having signed their names a hundred times or more. At least it had felt that way. Drift was giving Raoul pointed looks and only when Bella promised to stay with the Neutral did Raoul agree to a shower.
Ratchet didn’t look amused to see them in his medical area when he walked in just after Raoul had left.
“Why are you still here again?” he asked, though not as unkindly as he could have.
“We’re waiting for Raoul. He went to shower.”
“Finally!” the medical officer muttered. “I was thinking he followed a religion I hadn’t heard of yet.”
Bella smiled and even Drift seemed amused.
“You can move freely throughout the base,” Ratchet pointed out. “Without a bodyguard.”
“It wouldn’t be helpful for his health if I leave now before he returns,” Drift replied. “I also would like to know he is asleep in his bed before I venture out alone.”
“He is protective,” Ratchet agreed. “All right, you can wait here, but I want you gone the moment he comes back. This isn’t a recreational area and you are not my patient.”
Bella had watched the exchange with barely hidden amusement. “He’s… got interesting bedside manners,” she remarked when the medic was gone.
Drift shrugged. “But he has a point.”
“We could leave a note for Raoul and leave…”
“It would give him a heart attack.”
“He’s young. He’ll survive,” she said with a straight face.
Drift gave a whirr of laughter. It drew a brief glance from Ratchet, but the medic didn’t stop them from leaving after they had made up a note for Drift’s driver.
Shaking his head, Ratchet continued to check his instruments.
* * *
Lennox was with Ironhide and anyone who knew about them would realize that this was a private moment. Which was the reason why they were in private quarters, away from prying eyes, and the door was locked. To an outsider with no knowledge, it looked like Will was simply sleeping.
He was sleeping, but he was inside the black Topkick, on a reconfigured seat that now looked like a queen-sized bed, the windows were blackened, and he was watched over by a hardlight holoform. Ironhide was trailing his holoform fingers over his partner’s naked back, tracing the permanent matrix tattoo, following the intricate whorls and swirls. They rippled under his touch and his holoform was at the receiving end of pleasurable little shocks.
Lennox finally opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes holding a blue shimmer that was in contrast to the hard pinprick light that usually came forth when his temper got through. Ironhide leaned over him, resting a hand on the other side of his partner’s body, gazing into the familiar eyes.
“Slept well?”
Will turned fully on his back and smiled. “As always.”
Ironhide playfully followed a string of writing that crawled over Lennox’s chest. The hybrid let his eyes droop a little, clearly enjoying it. Humans were tactile creatures, Ironhide knew, but his bonded reacted more when it involved the Allspark code. Not that it didn’t affect the mech less. There was no way he didn’t enjoy it.
“Ratchet reported that your daughter and Drift left the medical area,” Ironhide murmured, playfully following the runes that seemed to play with him.
“Huh. Raoul?” Will asked, voice very relaxed.
“Ratchet hopes he will sleep now. Jazz will keep an eye on the Neutral.”
“Already accepted that he is one, Hide?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“Even you can learn?” Will teased.
Ironhide rumbled and Lennox laughed. He caught the wandering hand, the runes coalescing where their fingers entwined. It gave Ironhide almost a headrush.
Will pulled him closer and he slid to lie more fully on the hybrid’s body, more runes touching him. Lennox rolled them around and Ironhide splayed his fingers over his partner’s back, feeling the matrix code like he was reading Braille. He would never tire of this. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experience and probably ever would. This human was the most amazing thing in the universe.
“I can learn,” he whispered.
Will smiled. “Yeah. I noticed.”
The Prime glyph seemed to pulse and the headrush turned into a sudden dislocation of all thought as energy coursed through him.
* * *
Raoul did fall asleep. He had dried himself off after the shower and had just sat down for a little rest… and woke ten hours later, naked, lying curled up on his bed.
Damn!
He dressed in a hurry and nearly bowled over a soldier outside his quarters.
“Mr. Vega,” the man - Summerland, as his name tag said - greeted him. “Good evening.”
“Evenin’,” Raoul muttered, turning to go.
“Ms Sheppard asked me to inform you of her and Drift’s whereabouts,” the solider said, unimpressed.
“Bella?”
The man nodded, not moving a muscle.
“Where is she? Where’s Drift?”
“Both Ms Sheppard and Drift are in the library.” The soldier made an inviting gesture. “I’ll accompany you to them. Ms. Sheppard asked me to tell you that she has dinner ready when you’re awake.”
Raoul grumbled a little, but he followed Summerland.
The library turned out to be mech-sized and filled with differently sized screens, as well as a few holo-projectors. Drift was standing next to a large holo-projection of a planet that, Raoul suspected, was Cybertron. Bella was at his side, clearly fascinated.
“Raoul!” she greeted him, smiling. “Finally awake?”
He shot her a dark look, then walked up to the projection. 3-D, massively detailed, and amazingly life-like.
“Cybertron?” he asked softly.
“Yes. My home,” Drift confirmed.
Bella stuck a breakfast burrito under his nose, followed by a mug of steaming hot coffee. “You’ll need it,” she only commented. “This is so amazing!”
Raoul bit into the burrito and washed it down with coffee. Summerland had disappeared, but there was probably a guard outside once more. Oh well…
Right now this was a lot more fascinating.
tbc...
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
WHO TO BLAME: Sapphire! It only took one weekend to work this out, two weeks later the story was written out as a rough draft. Darn bunnies!
Bella had grabbed some food and ventured down to the medical area where Raoul and Drift were. She had no idea why Raoul didn’t explore the base. It was such a fascinating place. She had talked to so many mechs and the human personnel, she had spent time with her Uncle Bob, who was base commander, and she had gotten a small sight-seeing tour outside from Arcee.
Now she walked into the large room Ratchet only used for treatments and waved a bag at Raoul. “Food. Come eat it while it’s hot!”
He opened the bag and smiled widely at her. “You’re a life-saver!”
“You have legs. You can walk,” she remarked as she sat next to him. “The mess isn’t that far away and even you could figure out the markings on the wall.”
Raoul shot her an evil look. He spread out the fries, liberally dumped mayo and ketchup on them, and bit deeply into his burger.
“Raoul believes I need a bodyguard.” Drift gave his friend a smile. “He won’t understand that my neutral status allows him to leave me on my own for a while. Especially for a shower and some sleep.”
Bella wrinkled her nose. “You haven’t even showered yet? Ugh, Raoul!”
“So, how are you and your Dad catching up?” Raoul changed the topic.
“It’s been…interesting.”
He leaned forward, looking interested himself. “He’s your real dad?”
“Yes. Eric is my step-dad. Will Lennox was declared dead when I was around six. No one knew that he’s still alive. Big national secret and all.”
Drift hummed. “With what happened to him, I believe it would be for the best. He absorbed a part of the Allspark and his skin reflects that. He would always stand out. I don’t want to speculate about what powers he might have gained.”
“Well, he has some.” Bella shrugged. “I guess there’s more, but he won’t tell for now.”
“National secret,” Raoul nodded, eating some chips.
“He hasn’t aged at all. He’s like frozen,” Bella went on. “It’s so weird! He looks like the man on the family pictures from fifteen years ago, but he’s not the same guy.”
She suddenly looked at Drift, a frown appearing on her forehead.
“Do you think humans are attractive?” she asked.
Drift blinked slowly. “Come again?”
“Would you be able to… bond to one of us?”
Raoul stared at her, open-mouthed, burger in hand. “What?! Bella, what kind of question is that?!”
“While I think you are a fascinating species, we Cybertronians don’t connect to each other or another species like you would.”
Bella chewed on her lower lip. “But if a human could bond…?”
“But you can’t, Bella,” Drift insisted.
“Just imagine we could,” she repeated.
Raoul looked back and forth between them. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No. It’s a valid question,” Bella said.
Drift leaned forward. “The way you ask, you are aware what a bond means?”
She nodded.
“Then you also know that it involves two sparks. Humans have no sparks.”
Bella played with the paper bag she had brought the food in.
“What troubles you?” Drift wanted to know.
“Nothing. No trouble, really. I’m just trying to come to terms with a few things.”
Drift didn’t push any further, but Raoul looked like he was bursting with questions. The arrival of a man in a uniform didn’t let him. He was maybe in his late thirties, blond, with close-cropped hair. He smiled at the three friends.
“Mr. Vega, Ms Sheppard, Drift. My name is Major Trent DeMarco, second in command of Nevada base.”
Bella got up and politely shook the man’s hand. “Uncle Bob told me about you. And my dad.”
“So I heard. I’m here about a few bureaucratic matters. Since this is a top secret operation you stumbled into, signing non-disclosures are mandatory.” He smiled briefly. “Even if they come after the fact.”
Bella nodded. Not like anyone would actually believe her.
“You think I’d blab about this after knowing about Drifter for ten years?” Raoul asked.
“Like I said: bureaucracy,” DeMarco only replied. “Second, Ms Sheppard and Mr. Vega have been issued special passes.” He held up two credit card-sized pieces of hard plastic. “They work as emergency caller IDs, identify you as a VIP to military installations, and when swiped through a phone, connect you with Blaster.”
“Who?”
“He’s the communications specialist maintaining orbit around Earth.”
Raoul took the card and turned it over between his fingers. “What? No transporter? Holographic projection? Battle armor hidden inside?”
DeMarco chuckled. “We’re working on that. Now, Ms Sheppard, Will told me you’re thinking about moving back to LA or Las Vegas. When you have reached your decision, let me know. We’ll take care of that.”
“Autobots do U-Haul?” Raoul asked sarcastically.
“It helps to have an independent source of income,” the Major dead-panned.
Bella chuckled. “Okay, I’ll let you know.”
“Good. Now, for the non-disclosures…”
Thirty minutes later they were alone after having signed their names a hundred times or more. At least it had felt that way. Drift was giving Raoul pointed looks and only when Bella promised to stay with the Neutral did Raoul agree to a shower.
Ratchet didn’t look amused to see them in his medical area when he walked in just after Raoul had left.
“Why are you still here again?” he asked, though not as unkindly as he could have.
“We’re waiting for Raoul. He went to shower.”
“Finally!” the medical officer muttered. “I was thinking he followed a religion I hadn’t heard of yet.”
Bella smiled and even Drift seemed amused.
“You can move freely throughout the base,” Ratchet pointed out. “Without a bodyguard.”
“It wouldn’t be helpful for his health if I leave now before he returns,” Drift replied. “I also would like to know he is asleep in his bed before I venture out alone.”
“He is protective,” Ratchet agreed. “All right, you can wait here, but I want you gone the moment he comes back. This isn’t a recreational area and you are not my patient.”
Bella had watched the exchange with barely hidden amusement. “He’s… got interesting bedside manners,” she remarked when the medic was gone.
Drift shrugged. “But he has a point.”
“We could leave a note for Raoul and leave…”
“It would give him a heart attack.”
“He’s young. He’ll survive,” she said with a straight face.
Drift gave a whirr of laughter. It drew a brief glance from Ratchet, but the medic didn’t stop them from leaving after they had made up a note for Drift’s driver.
Shaking his head, Ratchet continued to check his instruments.
* * *
Lennox was with Ironhide and anyone who knew about them would realize that this was a private moment. Which was the reason why they were in private quarters, away from prying eyes, and the door was locked. To an outsider with no knowledge, it looked like Will was simply sleeping.
He was sleeping, but he was inside the black Topkick, on a reconfigured seat that now looked like a queen-sized bed, the windows were blackened, and he was watched over by a hardlight holoform. Ironhide was trailing his holoform fingers over his partner’s naked back, tracing the permanent matrix tattoo, following the intricate whorls and swirls. They rippled under his touch and his holoform was at the receiving end of pleasurable little shocks.
Lennox finally opened his eyes and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes holding a blue shimmer that was in contrast to the hard pinprick light that usually came forth when his temper got through. Ironhide leaned over him, resting a hand on the other side of his partner’s body, gazing into the familiar eyes.
“Slept well?”
Will turned fully on his back and smiled. “As always.”
Ironhide playfully followed a string of writing that crawled over Lennox’s chest. The hybrid let his eyes droop a little, clearly enjoying it. Humans were tactile creatures, Ironhide knew, but his bonded reacted more when it involved the Allspark code. Not that it didn’t affect the mech less. There was no way he didn’t enjoy it.
“Ratchet reported that your daughter and Drift left the medical area,” Ironhide murmured, playfully following the runes that seemed to play with him.
“Huh. Raoul?” Will asked, voice very relaxed.
“Ratchet hopes he will sleep now. Jazz will keep an eye on the Neutral.”
“Already accepted that he is one, Hide?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“Even you can learn?” Will teased.
Ironhide rumbled and Lennox laughed. He caught the wandering hand, the runes coalescing where their fingers entwined. It gave Ironhide almost a headrush.
Will pulled him closer and he slid to lie more fully on the hybrid’s body, more runes touching him. Lennox rolled them around and Ironhide splayed his fingers over his partner’s back, feeling the matrix code like he was reading Braille. He would never tire of this. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experience and probably ever would. This human was the most amazing thing in the universe.
“I can learn,” he whispered.
Will smiled. “Yeah. I noticed.”
The Prime glyph seemed to pulse and the headrush turned into a sudden dislocation of all thought as energy coursed through him.
* * *
Raoul did fall asleep. He had dried himself off after the shower and had just sat down for a little rest… and woke ten hours later, naked, lying curled up on his bed.
Damn!
He dressed in a hurry and nearly bowled over a soldier outside his quarters.
“Mr. Vega,” the man - Summerland, as his name tag said - greeted him. “Good evening.”
“Evenin’,” Raoul muttered, turning to go.
“Ms Sheppard asked me to inform you of her and Drift’s whereabouts,” the solider said, unimpressed.
“Bella?”
The man nodded, not moving a muscle.
“Where is she? Where’s Drift?”
“Both Ms Sheppard and Drift are in the library.” The soldier made an inviting gesture. “I’ll accompany you to them. Ms. Sheppard asked me to tell you that she has dinner ready when you’re awake.”
Raoul grumbled a little, but he followed Summerland.
The library turned out to be mech-sized and filled with differently sized screens, as well as a few holo-projectors. Drift was standing next to a large holo-projection of a planet that, Raoul suspected, was Cybertron. Bella was at his side, clearly fascinated.
“Raoul!” she greeted him, smiling. “Finally awake?”
He shot her a dark look, then walked up to the projection. 3-D, massively detailed, and amazingly life-like.
“Cybertron?” he asked softly.
“Yes. My home,” Drift confirmed.
Bella stuck a breakfast burrito under his nose, followed by a mug of steaming hot coffee. “You’ll need it,” she only commented. “This is so amazing!”
Raoul bit into the burrito and washed it down with coffee. Summerland had disappeared, but there was probably a guard outside once more. Oh well…
Right now this was a lot more fascinating.
tbc...