Chapter 19

[girloz14]

Typewith: http://typewith.me/petpettheShocky



Yst is enormous, and made almost entirely of labyrinth-like libraries and datastorage facilities that have completely captivated Perceptor. Optimus is entirely unsure if they will manage to wrest the sciencebot away from the planet anytime this vorn.

Streetwise is amusing himself with slipping ancient literary erotic files into Perceptor's science stack. He enjoyed the reactions Perceptor gave when he made it halfway through one of the files before realizing it was nothing but filth.

The sciencebot slips into the seat next to him, glaring at the other carbot, and murmurs, "You're a much better behaved companion than he is at the moment."

Optimus snorts, continuing to look through his genealogy texts, "I'm glad to know I'm trusted not to try to get you revved."

Perceptor flickers his optics at him, "Aren't I pretty enough to have you try, Optimus?" The mech leans his head on Optimus's shoulder, "I guess I'll just have to content myself with Streetwise, 'Jack, and Red. Oh woe is me."

He's just going to take that as a joke, since it is incredibly hard to tell with such a flat and monotone voice.

"If I have to work to get you revved, it isn't worth the effort," he says mildly, pushing Perceptor away so he can reach for the next datapad. He is trying to see if he can't find any living members of Ultra's family to invite to their bonding ceremony. The public part that involves feasting and celebration and lots of sculpted crystal centerpieces, at least.

Streetwise drops on his shoulders, "Working on getting your partner revved is part of the fun. You must be incredibly boring in the berth."

He pushes the bot off, "You're not who I'm trying to impress, and Ultra has no problem with me."

Streetwise looks like he's going to protest when Sari shows up and taps the carbot on the back, "You shut your face and stop harassing them. Be glad that Cyclonus and Thrust are too busy right now for me to tell them to deal with you."

Thrust and Cylconus are interfacing nearly nonstop now, fueled up with their recent sparkbonding, It makes them insufferable when they are forced in public for too long, because they sneak off to interface at the slightest chance.

Optimus is sure that he will not behave so shamefully with Ultra Magnus. He has dignity, and he won't allow his beloved to spread him out over his desk and frag him where anyone might walk in, no matter how much Ultra might beg for it.

He returns his focus to the datapad before he can let his processor wander to having Ultra use his spark repeatedly.

Sari sits next to him, looking at the pad he's holding in his servos, and tilts her head thoughtfully. "Allspark says you aren't going to find what you want in this one." She pushes him a different one, "But this will help. It also won't tell me what you're doing. Should I be worried?"

"No." Optimus doesn't want to explain what he's trying to find. If he can't find any bot, he doesn't want anyone to know that he was looking at all. It would only end in tears for everyone involved. Better that he doesn't drag them all in to the hunt. "I am only doing research. Thank you for the datapad." He opens the files and begins to scroll through them, hunting for any record of Ultra's family. He had already known that it would be difficult. Most Magnus's have their family history well-hidden to protect them.

But just by being him, he can get access to information no one else can. He's high enough up that no one will think he's going to do something horrible with the trail of information. Especially since it is well known they're bonding.

He's glad that the Allspark is hiding it from Sari, though. It makes it more of a personal gift if he does all of this himself, rather than her asking the Allspark and it telling her if they're bonded to a bot and how to get there. It can't really track a bot down any other way, though. Not unless it is a bot with an Allspark shard stuck in it.

It depresses him how he hadn't been able to get the bots out of the Decepticon base that had been experimented on by Scalpel. The Doctor had taken to seeing just how late a bot could be brought back with a shard in them. The results were... gruesome to say the least.

A few had survived. One had survived with their sanity mostly intact, but the others . . it had been a kindness, removing the shards from what was left of them. Even if it had hurt his spark to do so. No bot deserved to be forced to continue on the way those bots had. To have their consciousness repeatedly pulled away from the Well . . it was beyond unthinkable.

He wasn't sure how Starscream and the clones survived it, save that they did not have their shards removed, and then forced back into their armor shells over and over.

He shoves the thought away. There's no sense dwelling in the past when it has been finished for awhile now.

He returns his focus to the datapads, only looking up whenever Sari hands him a new one or a cube of energon is pressed into his servos.

It is several megacycles later that he's traced together a very fragile line to follow back. He thinks they're on ... Haydon IV.

He almost stops searching right then. He had sworn to never return, and he has no intention of breaking that vow. He will not go to that planet ever again, and doesn't care what is on it. There could be a perpetual motion machine there, and only he could collect it. He still wouldn't go.

But . . .

This might be his only chance to find Ultra's family. Or at least provide closure and let Ultra know they are offline, if he can discover that instead.

It looks like he will be returning to that cursed planet again. Fragging fate hates him.

Optimus places the datapad on the table and offlines his optics. At least it appears that his family is in one of the better districts. Not the wealthy ones, but not the industrial slums where Optimus grew up.

A cold comfort.

He is touched lightly on the arm by a tiny servo, and he forces himself to relax. "Yes, Sari?"

She rubs his arm soothingly, "Are you okay? You're shaking."

He takes a deep vent of air and says, "I may have found what I'm looking for."

She looks at the datapad curiously, "What's on Haydon IV? And why would you be upse-" She tilts her head, optics flashing blue with an information dump from the Allspark, and when she returns to herself, she hugs him. "It was an accident, you know. Your creators were willing to take risks so you could get a better life. They'd be proud of you for how far you've gotten."

"I like to think so," Optimus murmurs, "but they did not get to see me enter the Academy." He ducks his head, "I suppose that's good, as they did not see me leave it in disgrace, either."

Sari pets his shoulder, "Hey, don't be like that. They'd be happy to have spent more time with you. Just like . . just like my dad would have wanted more time. But things happen, and it's okay." Another hug, "Why do you want to go there? Do they have a gravesite or something?"

He shakes his head, "I don't even have the gears that I should have since they were smelted down in a unsafe work area. They fell in and no one even bothered trying to save them I have nothing to remember them by aside from sparkling memories. I hate this planet."

She hugs him, and he tugs her close to his chest to return it. She pets him softly, "You don't have to go, you know. I'm sure whatever you found there isn't worth digging up such terrible memories of the place."

He moves the datapad so they both can look at it easier, "Ultra may have family there, Sari. I don't want to just leave them if I can help it. What if they don't know and want to meet him?"

"They don't know that they have Ultra fragging Magnus as a relative? I find that kinda unlikely." Sari scoffs and waves a servo, "But if you want, we can go there. I doubt any bot there remembers you after so long, so we don't have to meet any of them." Sari pats his head, "I can even make you super shiny and make sure we stay away from the areas you hate."

Seeing as he hates the entire planet, that would be rather difficult.

He rubs his optics tiredly, "I guess we could take some of the space bridges there if you're willing to go on the vacation."

She smiles, "Sure. I already went through all the other ones I was planning on going to this time. Now we're just waiting for Cyclonus and Thrust's mad need to 'face to get over with. I'm not dealing with them in my house." She pauses, "That and Grapple to finish getting healed. He's almost there, but not quite. I'm sure going to Haydon IV will kinda help. It won't take too long, even though we're so far away. Bulkhead being part of the spacebridge engineers and crew really helped bring up more."

He was exceptionally skilled at constructing and linking the bridges. With that 'femme' of his.

"Then we will go to Haydon later, after we manage to pry Perceptor away from his datapads."

Sari makes a face, "No worries about that. He's over a few floors up being 'faced by the whorebot. Who somehow convinced him it would be hot to do it in a library. Fragging pervbot."

He sighs softly, "How did that happen? It is against the rules."

She makes a face, "That's most likely why it happened. Making prostibot more insistent. I'm kinda hoping the jerk gets banned from returning."

He sighs, "Not happening when he came on planet with you, Sari."

She crosses her arms, "I hate that."

Optimus hides a smile of amusement. "You poor thing. I'm sure they'll finish soon, and we can get going." He tucks the datapads into one of the collection bins for the drones to put away after bots use them. He's certainly not the kind of bot to leave them laying scattered all over the place. "Did you want to get a bit of energon at the shop before we leave?" he asks Grapple, who is busy skimming a datapad on construction practices.

The cranebot looks over at him, and nods, "Sounds good to me. I could do with some fuel, and I wouldn't mind trying whatever local blend they have here."

Sari makes a face as she sits on his shoulder, "It isn't nearly as good as the stuff on the ship, or so the Allspark tells me. And this is a purely robotic planet with no organic stuff for food at all. I'm not really inclined to stay."

Her pouts at her, "But I like plainer energon, Sari. You know this."

She crosses her arms, "You'll just get stuck in your room for even longer if you do."

"I'm going to be stuck there anyways. It's going to read my unhappiness as an illness and make me stay there for ages. I might as well enjoy the energon I drink before that happens."

Sari scowls at him. "Fine. Get yourself locked in forever. I can override it and make it let you out at Haydon, if you're trying to avoid going all passive-aggressively."

He makes a face, "I hate that planet."

She pats him on the side of the head, "I know." She leans against him, "Put me on the floor, I'm gonna go have Afterburner come down to help me break up whorebot and Percy."

He does as she says, and sighs, "Just try not to hurt Streetwise too badly."

She scoffs, "He'll just get cooled down. No damage at all."

Wincing, Optimus does not envy Streetwise such a fate. It will likely hurt very badly, but cause no damage to his spark. "I'm not sure Perceptor will appreciate Streetwise's spark suddenly going icy cold, Sari."

Sari sticks out her glossa, "Whatever. He'll have to deal with it, and maybe it'll teach him that Streetwise needs to start following rules if he wants to be a guardbot."

He's pretty sure that Streetwise has no actual intention of becoming a guardbot. Just like he's sure that Sari knows it, and is punishing the carbot for not following the only real condition she had for the bot to stay with them. He's not going to get in between them, though. Afterburner is happy enough to do it for him, and he's glad to be less one responsibility.

He waves a servo at her, "Have fun." She nods, and he takes Grapple's arm, walking out of the building. "Do you know where the shop is?"

"Over to the left, a floor down, I think," Grapple says absently, still skimming his pad. "I didn't really pay attention to the maps. But the layout of the place means there should be either a shop or an information desk down there, so we'll find out one way or another."

He continues to lead the mech through the place, stopping Where he was told, and spotting a energon shop. "Any specific type that you'd like?"

The mech shakes his head, "Nope. I'm pretty good with anything. Something with crystals would be nice, but I'm not really picky."

He nods, walking to the counter, "Like metal flake?"

Grapple shakes his head, "Not with the crystals."

The service droid gives them a mechanical smile, "How may we serve you this sol?"

Optimus studies the menu. "One regular energon and one house crystal blend, please. Add a rust stick to the crystal blend if you have them." He waves off Grapple's attempts to pay, and swipes his credit pad. "I have credits to waste, and I offered. You can buy some other time."

Grapple looks like he's about to protest, but stops when the energon is handed over. He gives the cranebot the cube, and walks over to a table. When they sit down, the mech murmurs, "Any reason why you hate Haydon so much? If you don't mind telling me?"

He's not getting into this. It isn't something he has any interest in talking about. "Ask Sari." He changes the subject, "You feeling better? Spark no longer feel so very torn?"

The mech accepts the new topic farly easily, "Still hurts, but not nearly as bad as when Sari first got to me. I'm going to be ready for work soon enough."

"I'm happy for you." Optimus tips his energon cube at Grapple. "But don't force yourself to go back too soon. It won't be any good for you."

Grapple arches an optic ridge. "You're a hypocrite, Optimus. You would go to work with one of your arms missing, half of your team offline, and a planet destroyed. Don't council me on when I should go back to work."

He does have to admit that's true, but, "You still need to pace yourself."

Grapple raises an optic ridge, "Says the bot that I've been told went out with a missing arm to go fight Decepticons."

He waves a servo, "I had to do it. No one else was available for that battle. I was a distraction, and everyone got out unhurt."

"I heard that the seekers kept trying to snatch you during that fight," Grapple arches an optic ridge again, much higher this time, and Optimus wonders who the frag at Headquarters is leaking his mission reports. "I bet you were the perfect kind of 'distraction' for them."

He chooses to take the innocent interpretation of that. "Yes. They abhor bots without some measure of symmetry."

The mech snorts, "Right, 'pretty Prime'. That's absolutely the reason."

He blushes, "I'll have you know that I wasn't even aware of that title for me until recently. That had nothing to do with my decision to fight with one arm."

Grapple taps him on the servo, "So you say. But I'm not convinced you couldn't have realized all the seekers were after you."

He could either admit to the truth-that he was so innocent to such things that he had not noticed-or he could claim he had used it to his advantage, which was a lie, and a shameful manipulation of the enemy as well.

"They're Decepticons." He isn't interested in interfacing with Decepticons.

Grapple chuckles softly, "Most bots overlook that at the offer of seekers."

He gives the mech a flat look, "I'm not most bots." He turned Starscream down repeatedly, and had only opened up when he was at his lowest point. He's thankful that the bot was either so distressed at how he was acting or thought it wasn't a challenge that the offer was refused. He most likely would have stayed with the bot for all time if that had happened.

Optimus was nothing if not loyal to the core. No bot would ever see Optimus cheating on or turning away from a lover unless that bot became someone completely different than the bot he committed himself to. Even then, Optimus woiuld try to stay true to him. Or her.

He still longed for Blackarachnia, but his spark knew now that she did not feel anything for him. That the best he could hope for from her was neutrality.

Even if it hurt to think that.

Grapple looks at his energon, "You know, if that is supposed to be worse than what you get from your dispenser, what have you been getting?"

He sighs softly, "I'm getting something that is almost, but not quite, high grade. All the dispensers do that to me now. Sari walks by them and they spontaniously upgrade. What I now consider plain is actually really fancy. It is kind of depressing. I was used to far worse."

The cranebot gives him an odd look, "Is that why you hate Haydon IV so much?"

"No." The energon deprivation was never an issue. Had he been truly needy, Optimus could have gone to a strip club and worked there instead, making far better credits than the factories provided. He'd had better morals and willpower, though, and had managed to avoid them. Mostly. "Will you be returning to work for the hotel corporation?" The bot was good enough to start his own business, with the right initiative.

Grapple nods, "I'm under contract. I really shouldn't have left for this long, but when the Allspark High Priestess tells you to come with her so she can heal your broken spark, you don't refuse. And a broken sparkbond is one of those things they would let me out of contract for anyway. They're paying me really well, and I'm having fun, so I don't want to break it, anyway. This really helped. A few decacycles with Sari means I'm back on my peds so much faster."

"How long are you contracted to work for them?"

The empty cube gets placed on the table after Grapple finishes it, "Another five vorns or so. Four if I can get the upgrades finished sooner, and get the expansion to the hotel built in time. But I doubt I can get it done in four. Not by myself. Or with the other bots they contract to offer help on various parts."

Optimus makes a comforting noise. "I'm sure they'll give you more help after this."

Grapple waves a servo, "That isn't a problem. I need to have workers that know what they're doing and why. Better for me to do it with a small team. We don't mind working the extra vorn to get it done. The estimate I gave was more like ten vorns, anyway. Getting it done in less than that makes me look better, and I was figuring in sparkbreak just in case, as well. This puts me on the same scheduale I had if Ho-Hoist was still with me." Optimus pretends not to notice the hitch as Grapple mentions his lost bonded, and the mech continues, "So I'm doing so much better than I had thought."

Optimus finishes his cube, and stands up, "Well, you're welcome to stay with us longer if you need to."

"The offer is kind, Optimus, but I don't think it will be necessary." Grapple smiles, the expression faint, but honest. "I need to learn to be on my own again. Maybe try finding a bot that Hoist's spark finds suitable. I know he didn't want me to spend the rest of my vorns alone."

Optimus covers one of Grapple's servos with his own. "I hope you find such a bot, Grapple. When you feel the time is right, you should go to Sari again. When you find that bot."

Grapple nods thoughtfully, "Priestesses are good at finding a bot that matches a bot."

He helps the mech up, "One of the reasons Priestesses are so treasured in additon to all the other reasons."

The cranebot gives him an odd look, and he tilts his head at the various bots watching them who were listening in to their conversation. The bot realizes what is going on and nods, voice going slightly stilted, as if reading off a script, "A won-der-ful rea-son why Sari is so great."

Optimus shakes his head a little. Grapple is obviously not used to having to act for a crowd. Optimus is well-versed in watching all he says and does in public. "Yes. She is unlike all the Priestesses who came before her. As the Allspark's daughter, she has better access to its powers, and has a strong consort to balance her. I think she will last a very, very long time."

Grapple gives him a confused look, "Afterburner's a strong consort?"

He shrugs, "He's a Decepticon leaning neutral racecar. And very devoted. She'll be fine." He takes Grapple's arm, "But we took long enough, time to see if she's stopped scolding Streetwise for wanting to keep 'facing Perceptor."

The mech follows after him, "I've noticed something. You keep calling him Perceptor. Is there any reason you dont' call him Percy? He let's me do it. Pretty much everyone but you calls him that."

"He has told me in the past that he prefers to be called Perceptor. I try to honor that, even if he clearly tolerates being called Percy by other bots." Optimus does his best to respect a bot's wishes, even if he doesn't understand them sometimes. At least he understands wanting to be called by one's designation. While he does not mind being called 'OP' by Jazz, or the occasional and creative butcherings of his name that Sari does to tease him, he prefers Optimus.

He never wants to be called Orion again.

He hopes none of the bots he once knew see him on Haydon IV. He would be very likely to punch a bot right in the spark. Straight through the armor. Without even thinking.

It... really isn't the best thing to do.

He won't be acting very polite there as it is. He just hopes he doesn't act too much like Sentinel when he visits the planet he hates so very much.

He will do his best to be as formal as possible. If he falls back on diplomatic protocol coding, he may seem cold and distant, but he won't be arrogant. He hopes Ultra's family does not turn out to be one of the factions that fought against the improvement of the industrial sector. He's not sure what he'll do if they turn out to be of the group he hated most.

Grapple leads him off to a room, and Sari is sitting on top of Streetwise as the bot is cursing. She has her arms crossed and doesn't look the least bit sympathetic, "If you had kept your fingers off, this never would have happened. But nope, you had to keep pushing your luck. You lose use of your spark for the next day."

He looks down at the carbot curled up on the floor, and asks, "Was this really necessary, Sari?"

She kicks the bot under her, "Yes. The fragger told me, to my face, that he had no intention of quitting being a prostibot. Then went on to grope Perceptor."

Perceptor crouches down, forestalling another kick by catching her ped, and he looks at Streetwise. "We will not keep you if you are a prostibot, Streetwise. If Red Alert and Wheeljack like you, we may take you as our berthbot, but even then we will expect you to work at least two sols each decacycle, to bring in enough credits to buy yourself energon."

Streetwise is too busing cursing and clutching at his sparkplates to say anything. Afterburner picks Sari up and kisses her softly, "Shall we leave, then? If he wants to come, he can make it back to the ship on his own."

Perceptor straighten up, "We can't jus-"

The racecar lifts a claw to forestall more talking, "We will walk in bot mode, and he can catch up in vehicle mode. If he wishes to follow, he has your frequency, and I'm sure you'd be willing to tell him where we are."

Perceptor glances at them, and then back at Streetwise. "We will catch up to you together. I doubt he has ever had his spark treated this way before. I do not want him alone."

Sari makes a disgusted noise, "He'll just play you. He doesn't really respect you, Percy."

A soft ex-vent, and the sciencebot kneels back down, "We barely know each other, Sari. Respect must be earned. Nevertheless, I cannot leave him here."

"Softspark," she mutters, and kicks Afterburner's shoulder, "Let's get going."

Optimus considers staying as well, but he understands where she's coming from. She had only one thing she'd really asked for Streetwise to do, and the carbot had spit at it. He's not very sympathetic to the mech's plight. Sari just doesn't want Cybertron to take one look at Streetwise's profession and declare that she was just going around and recruiting more bots to be prostibots. They're going to look at Afterburner like that if Streetwise doesn't clean up his act.

He doesn't want to think about what she'll do if they call her consort a whorebot, but he knows it won't be pretty.

He walks with Afterburner out of the building, Grapple in tow, and murmurs softly, "What if Streetwise doesn't recover in time for Perceptor to return to the ship?"

Sari crosses her arms, "Percy has enough money to take a ship and a space bridge. He'll even make it back to Cybertron before us."

Optimus looks away as they walk. He doesn't want the sciencebot to have to leave, but at the same time, he doesn't want to bring more bots to Haydon IV. If they happen upon bots who remember him, he wants as few witnesses as possible.

That is the life he wants left behind him, and each bot that knows about it is one bot that might bring it up later on and force him to remember his miserable time. Even if he does try to stay positive about it most of the time. It was hard, but not as hard as it could have been. Other bots have had it worse.

Afterburner moves Sari from his shoulder to his arms, holding her against his orange chest. The mech murmurs softly, "We should remind Streetwise why he was allowed at all. He seems to have forgotten."

She curls up against her consort, "No. If he couldn't remember one simple thing, he shouldn't be allowed in at all. I can't have him do this. It is too soon and he's too stuck on the spa planet's ways. He may have gotten away with a lot because of being the most requested bot and a neutral or whatever, but he can not do that with us."

"He won't be staying with you, Sari," Optimus reminds her. "I think any bad reputation would move on to Percy and Red Alert, and it is . . . acceptable, for a femme to acquire a berthbot like that. Perhaps not the most admirable of ways, but acceptable. She has a very high status, so most bots won't even gossip about it much."

Sari shakes her head, "No. If he continues to insist on being a whorebot, and he goes to Cybertron with us, I will not be able to stay there. It may have gotten better since moving into a ninjabot neighborhood, but there are still bots that ask my price when I'm jsut walking down the street. I will not let that continue. I know what I'm supposed to do now, and I may not be able to stop the Allspark from cursing every bot on cybertron except for special cases."

He has to ask, "Special cases?"

She gives him an unhappy look, "Sparklings, sparkbonded bots, virgins, and ninjabots. Ultra would be cursed, and I'd have a difficult time taking it off."

Optimus is terribly distressed by the way his own faction treats Sari. "I ask that you offer them one more chance. When they see you with the sleipnir, there won't be any bots capable of denying your status as a Priestess. Even those with the greatest doubts will have to admit it, and then . . they will treat you with the respect you deserve." He clasps servos with her, "Autobots are good bots, Sari. They just . . we have prejudices. I am sorry."

She cuddles into his fingers, "They're people. I know. I get that. There are lots of bots that aren't dicks. That's why I don't want to curse the planet. It would be a thousand times worse becuase it's Cybertron, too. That's the Allspark's home, and it doesn't like the idea of it, either."

He feels a bit better at that, and nods. "Just give them a chance."

She pulls away, cuddling closer to Afterburner, "I still won't let Streetwise fuck it up. If he insists on remaining a prostibot, I don't want him on the ship."

"I will have a discussion with him, Sari." Optimus isn't looking forward to it, but he's willing to give the bot one more chance. He understands that in Streetwise's culture, there is nothing wrong with being a prostibot. Especially one so skilled and respected. He must be informed that Cybertron is different.

"Thanks." Sari sighs. "We'll let them get on the ship. If he doesn't change his ways, he's getting left behind. Period."

He looks behind them, "On this planet, or just on a different one?" If he remembers right, prostitution is illegal on the planet.

She shrugs, "Depends on how well he makes his case. If he does nothing but be insulting, I have no problem kicking him out with his stuff and telling him to make his own way."

From how Perceptor heaps praise on the bot, he doubts Streetwise will be stupid enough to insult her after such a demonstation of her power. Streetwise didn't seem the type to insult any bot, just because he was a bit too classy of a prostibot to do so. One did not get well-liked by clients if you were catty and unpleasant.

"It's good to give him one more chance," Optimus praises her, pleased that she is at least willing to set aside her instinctive dislike of the mech. Even if she wants to make him go away, she's willing to let Optimus convince the mech to take up a more reputable career. He would only need to work a few sols each decacycle. He knows the science trio would support him as long as he was working occasionally.

She sighs softly, and nods, "Whatever. I'm mainly doing this for Percy. He really likes Streetwise for some reason."

Afterburner kisses her, "If he refuses, then he refuses. It is out of your servos at that point. We can not have him shredding your reputation, my Priestess."

She relaxes in the mech's arms, optics going dim, "Not right now, anyway."

Afterburner kisses her softly again, and stops, looking up at the ship. The racecar makes a face, "You two," the bot points at Grapple and Optimus, "we're going to our room. You do whatever the frag you want."

Optimus keeps from rolling his optics, "I'll tell you how the conversation with Streetwise goes. If it doesn't turn out, I'll com you. If it's fine, I think we'll all just leave."

Sari nods, "Sounds good to me." She snaps her fingers, making the door to the ship open, and they all head on in.

Optimus isn't really looking forward to the coversation, but he is going to have it, regardless.

He vents a long-suffering sigh and turns back towards the hotel, hoping to meet Streetwise and Perceptor midway. If he had to trek all the way back, then it was going to be an even more difficult conversation, as that meant that Streetwise had not yet recovered from Sari's punishment.

Of course, his hopes were crushed brutally, because Streetwise was still curled up on the floor of the hotel room, Perceptor kneeling beside him to try and soothe the pain in his spark away. Sari was new to her powers, and Optimus wonders if she's done more harm than she intended, or if Streetwise is trying to get as much sympathy as possible.

He kneels next to Streetwise as well, patting the bot on the side softly, "Is he not getting better?"

Perceptor makes a distressed sound, "He's cooled to the point of damage. I can not fix him. I put a datapad to try to make it so it hurt less, but it broke the pad, and plunged him even colder. I don't know what to do."

He pulls Streetwise up, throwing the mech's arm over his shoulder, and having Perceptor take the other one. "Do you have a heating blanket? That may help, and we can take him to Sari. She may not have realized how badly hurt he is."

Perceptor rubs a servo on Streetwise's face, a soft and caring gesture that Optimus hadn't even realized the carbot was capable of. "I... I do. It just won't fit around him very well."

"It just needs to wrap around his chest." Optimus presses himself up against the carbot, letting his frame warm up the chilled metal of Streetwise's. Normally, a bot this cold is in danger of offlining, but Streetwise seems nowhere near it. Cold, and in exceptional pain, but online.

Perceptor pulls out a tiny heating blanket and wraps it around the mech's chest, the ends just barely meeting. He has to pin it in place so it will stay tucked around the chest armor and not fall down. "I . . am not sure what we should do if Sari intends for him to suffer this way."

Perceptor cuddles against Streetwise as they walk out of the room. Optimus continues to help support, and murmurs softly, "There are more blankets on the ship. He can get warmed up there. He can walk. Bots with a spark cold enough to feel it against the servo are normally grey by now. He should just need to be heated up."

Perceptor looks calculating, and Optimus belatedly realizes that he's just gotten better at reading the sciencebot, rather than the bot getting more expressive. "Do you think rubbing his spark will help?"

He shakes his head. "Not when the Allspark High Priestess is the one that did it. That's likely to damage him even more."

They carefully walk him back to the ship, and lay him out on the medical berth, shooing the medical drones away from him. Perceptor hovers over the bot, curling against him to try and share his heat with Streetwise while the mech whimpers softly, optics dim with pain.

"I will be back with Sari," Optimus promises. He has to believe she didn't intend to hurt the mech this much, or he will be finding willing racecar mechs and dragging them in front of her to fend off the madness.

He reluctantly makes his way to her room, knocking at the door. He knows what they're doing in there, and he doesn't want to interrupt. The door is opened, and he's plowed into by Loki, who sits on his chest possesively, and growls at Afterburner, who is standing above him, looking amused. "Did you need something?"

He pushes the sleipnir off of him, making a face, "Streetwise is badly damaged. I want to know if Sari meant for him to be hurt so badly or not."

Sari peeks from behind the racecar's leg, frowning, "What do you mean hurt? He should have had Percy fix his spark already. Or if Percy didn't do that, then the drive back would have fixed it."

The long, soft strands of fur on the sleipnir's tail brush back and forth along Optimus's armor, and he's sure the beast is trying to dust him more thoroughly, though it cannot remember why it wants him marked that way.

"His spark is cold enough that it is causing damage to the surrounding circuits and wires. Perceptor's attempt to fix it only increased the damage and the cold."

Sari makes a distressed sound, "That isn't supposed to happen at all! It was just supposed to remind him to calm the fuck down!" She tugs on Afterburner, and her consort picks her up with ease. "We need to get to him. We'll go to the hote-"

He shakes his head, "Medical bay. He's in the medical bay right now. We were hoping the walk would help."

She curls against Afterburner as they head there, "I was angry at him, but I don't want him damaged."

"You aren't used to your powers," Optimus reminds her. "He appears to be at no risk of offlining, though he is in rather serious pain."

She makes a distressed noise, and hides her face against Afterburner's armor, possibly ashamed by her mistake. Optimus lets them in to medical bay, and gets Perceptor to move off of the mech so Sari can see him. She gets down on the medical berth and stares at him with unhappy optics. "I . . oh, Primus, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Perceptor gives her a flat look, not saying anything, but Streetwise gasps in pain as she pets his helmet. "H-hurt."

She charges up her servo, removing the pin from the small heating blanket. "You need to open up so I can see what I can do to fix you. I'm going to have to be extra careful. Allspark says I may end up marking you."

Which is something no one wants.

Streetwise's optics flash in pain, a dim and hurt light. "Do it," his voice is weak, and slightly staticked.

She hovers her servos over his spark, and slowly allows the blue energy to reach out and envelop it. Streetwise gasps, but his pained whimpers stop, and the tension drains from his frame until he's relaxed on the medical berth. Sari's expression has grown almost . . hungry, and Optimus reaches out to press a servo to her shoulder to draw her back to them. "Is he healed now?"

She blinks at him for a moment, then shakes her head to clear it, "Yeah. He's fine. He just needs to stay still for a bit." She turns to Perceptor, "You." She shakes a finger at him, "No 'facing him for the next sol. If you hadn't messed with his spark's heat, he'd be completely recovered. I know you wanted him safe, but you should have commed me and asked me if I wanted him so hurt. I most likely would have told you to do what you did, but have warned you away from messing with his spark directly."

Perceptor stares at her blankly. "He was suffering. You caused that suffering. It is not wise for a bot to contact an angry priestess to request that the suffering stop. They tend to make it worse as punishment for the interruption. Especially if you were interrupted during your time with your First."

Sari makes a soft, sad noise. "I'm not like those priestesses. You know that, Percy."

Perceptor sits on the medical berth, petting Streetwise on the helmet softly, "You were acting like them, Sari. I could not know how you would react to me asking you to remove a punishment. You do not like Streetwise, and I get more and more nervous the longer you are only with one consort."

She looks down, looking hurt, "You're my friend Percy. Or, I'd like to think you are. I try not to be terrible or let the Allspark control me. You need to tell me if I'm out of line. What if I suddenly decide that I need to go to Velocitron? I'll have to have someone remind me that it is a terrible idea. I don't want me to ruin everything."

Afterburner pulls her against him, "I would remind you, Sari. You don't need to worry about that." He kisses her with more tenderness than Optimus had realized the bot was capable of. "I know you don't want to end up with dozens of consorts."

She curls up and whispers something in his audio, and Afterburner nods. Sari turns to them, "We're gonna go back for some . .. recharge. I'm sorry about Streetwise, Perceptor. Just . . please let him know that I'm not going to tolerate him being a whore. My reputation on Cybertron can't handle that."

Perceptor cuddles against Streetwise, nodding. "I can do that." The sciencebot pets the carbot softly as Sari leaves before looking at Optimus, "You go back to your room, I can take care of him. You may want to lock Loki up in a spare room."

Optimus hadn't even realized the sleipnir was cuddling against him, licking and nibbling at his leg armor. Pushing the creature away, he makes a face at it. "I wish it would stop doing that."

"At least it's not trying to eat you any more, Optimus," Sari says, before giving Loki a stern look that has the sleipnir grumbling and getting up on its peds, reluctantly moving away from Optimus. "I'll lock him up in a room with some energon treats."

"Thank you, Sari," Optimus replies, stepping away from the sleipnir when it gives him a longing look with its eerie blue optics.

He watches it leave, and Perceptor presses a small kiss to Streetwise's mouth. "He's looking a lot better now."

Optimus glances at the carbot, and is glad that Streetwise is recharging, even if his plates are open. "Do you need help taking him to his room?"

Perceptor shakes his head, pushing the plates closed and putting the small heating blanket over the other mech, "No. I'm fine here. You should go talk to Ultra. He'll be glad to talk to you."

It's going to be very difficult to hide the fact that he's looking for Ultra's family. He wants it to be a surprise, if he manages to find them. Optimus vents a sigh and waves a farewell at the other mechs as he makes his way back to his room, which promptly locks him inside with an angry, discontended beep. "Yes, yes," he says in the vague direction of the doors, "I know. I'm all over the place with my readings. You try spending time around a sleipnir and see how you feel afterwards."

It just beeps at him again, and he sighs. He has plenty of time before he should com Ultra, so he takes advantage of that by going to the washrack. He takes his time to clean all the dents off of himself, and shining himself nicely. When he's finished he feels a great deal better, glad for the lack of sleipnir dust all over his frame, and no lubricants from the thing's nibbling and licks.

Sitting on the chair in front of the console, he keys in Ultra's frequency, and smiles when it is picked up instantly. "Hello, beloved. How was your sol?"

His intended makes a face, "One of the seekers found a minibot that Shockwave once held captive. Ramjet had thought that Furao was Bumblebee."

"How did that go over?" He doesn't imagine it went well. Furao had all but vanished after they had rescued him at the end of the war and Shockwave had bribed and threatened the officials to keep himself out of prison.

"It went," Ultra answers, tone grim. "He was not happy to be found. He was especially not happy that Ramjet has become infatuated with him. The seeker does not want to let him go."

He groans, imagining how badly that will end. "Did you remind him he has Windburner?"

Ultra shakes his head, "No. I'm not exactly welcome in seeker flock business, Optimus. I'm not yet bonded with you, so I only have the barest of bare ability to step in. If Furao was actively complaining, I could, but the mech is not precisely arguing about it. He just grumbles angrily under his venting about not wanting to be near Shockwave."

Optimus can understand that sentiment. "Well, Ramjet is one of the ones that can actually stay far away from Shockwave, if that helps."

"It might," Ultra reaches out to touch the screen. "How long before you return to me, Optimus?"

His spark aches, and he touches his fingertips to Ultra's. "I am not sure, but it should not be too long. I think we are visiting only one or two more planets, and then coming back to you." He leans in, lowering his voice, "I have missed you so much, beloved. My spark longs to join with yours in our bonding ceremony."

Ultra smiles at him sadly, "And we have so very long until then."

He is tempted, horribly tempted, to tell his beloved that Sari is going to shorten it, but he doesn't want her to get angry. He knows she is doing that because she knows how much he wants this. He keeps silent on it. "I know, Ultra. We just need to be patient. When we can, we will have our blessed little sparklings." He smiles shyly, "How do you think they'll be blessed?"

Ultra hums thoughtfully, "Well, Sari likes just blessing bots randomly. I imagine that ours will be more than just twins and our single mech because of that. Do you think they'll have paint on their plates?"

He frowns, thinking about it, "Maybe, but I bet not. She doesn't like having bots insult her about it. I wouldn't be surprised if one of our sparklings is a triple-changer somehow. She loves triple-changers."

"She also loves racecars and cyclebots, but if our sparklings come out in either of those modes, bots will get suspicious," Ultra teases. "They'll wonder if you were interfacing Prowl or Rodimus." Optimus would never interface a teammate, and he barely remembers Rodimus. He'd only met him in passing a few times, and he knows the mech is still in the hospital being treated for a severe case of cosmic rust when they hadn't had a dose of the cure with them at the time.

He leans forward, "Not if it is our twin femmes that are those models. They will think you were 'facing someone during the ammesty when you were not." He smiles shyly, "They will know I did not because Sari will make sure to have that crystal that glows when one of the bonded is a virgin."

Ultra chuckles, "Then I'd have to be very public during the decacyle, so they know I was true to you."

"Bots will still gossip," Optimus says, but he's smiling. "They would wonder which ceremonial guard or councilmech you had given in to." Even he has to admit that the ceremonial guards are chosen more for their pretty frames than their guarding skills, though they are all competent enough fighters if backed into a corner.

It was a running joke in Autobot culture that the only ceremonies the bots were effectively guarding were fertility festivals and interfacing rites. It was a large part of why Optimus had refused to consider that path, even when Sergeant Kup had mentioned it in bootcamp.

Ultra smiles, "Well, we have a chance of one of our sparklings being a flier type, anyway. Not a seeker, thankfully. But a flier all the same."

Optimsu blinks at Ultra, confused at that, "What?"

His intended gives him a hesitant look, "One of my creators was a jetbot. I haven't ever made that information a secret. I thought you knew."

He gives his intended a surprised look, "No. I didn't know." None of the genealogy he had been looking at mentioned model type. It hadn't even been something he considered.

Ultra freezes, giving him a nervous look, touching the screen, "Does... does this mean you don't want to bond with me? I know it is a big thing to not know, but I hadn't thought it was important."

"No, no," Optimus rushes to reassure him. "It doesn't matter to me. I even," he blushes, "I like the idea that our sparkling might know what it's like to fly. I enjoyed the wing mods more than I should have." His beloved chuckles, and Optimus continues, "And I wouldn't mind him or her being a cyclebot either." He knows he has a few in his far distant past.

Ultra smiles, "I'm glad, love. I'd hate to lose you due to me just not realizing you would want to know what models my creators were."

He smiles, shaking his head, "I wouldn't do that. I love you. I'd be with you even if both of your creators had been Decepticons and you onlined with red optics."

His intended chuckles, "I onlined before the Decepticons were formed, Optimus. And blue is my natural optic color."

Optimus gives him a coy look, and then touches his sparkplates lightly. "I was onlined with clear sparkplates. I hope that doesn't bother you at all, that I am not in that model any longer. If you aren't bothered by that, why would I be bothered by your past?"

Fingertips press against the screen again, "You tempt me far too much, Optimus. I do not know how I am supposed to resist you sometimes."

He blushes, dropping his servo and looking away, "It is hard not to try to sneak off on one of the shuttles on the ship to just leave theough a spacebridge to get back to you. But I know better than that. I'm going to be returning to you soon enough, and I look forward to it."

Ultra leans forward, "I do, too. You will be at my side soon enough, and I will be happier than I have been since before you left the planet."

They touch across the screen, and Optimus wishes he was able to feel his beloved this way. Comcalls are a poor excuse for actual contact. "I want you to pick out some crystals for the garden we will have," he changes the subject away from his longing. "Pick something nice. I want them to work with the crystals I've selected.

Ultra Magnus shakes his head, "I suppose I will avoid lacewing, then."

Optimus frowns, "Lacewing is not something you want with sparklings around, Ultra."

The other mech smiles, "I know, love. You have several varieties of cora you're bringing home. We'll be growing those. Sari said she got gold cora of all things. I've never gotten any of that to grow."

Optimus shifts a tiny bit in the seat, "She said that they'll grow really well when we have our sparklings. I'm not sure why that is. Does cora crystal like sparklings?"

"Cora crystal reacts negatively to most other types of crystal being grown around it," Ultra explains. Most cora farms grow it exclusively, and isolate each type from the rest, unless it is being grown for recreational purposes. If you aren't farming it, then you aren't bothered that you crystals are growing half as fast as they could." The bot pauses, and looks at him significantly, "It is said that they grow many times faster around crystal bots."

He looks at Ultra for a long moment, then asks softly, "You think they're going to be crystal? I don't want them hurt." Not only would their sparks be showing all the time, the bots are notorious for having frames that crush at the slightest touch. Most become prostibots beause that's the only way they can afford the special nutrients that are needed for their frame.

"We won't let our sparklings be hurt, Optimus." Ultra Magnus looks distant, "When I was very young, there was one Allspark blessed crystal mech alive. He had no problems with his armor strength at all. The problems come when bots try to breed for that trait, or when it comes as a random mutation in the CNA. Then it tends to weaken the armor."

Optimus touches his sparkplates dubiously, unsure if he wants a sparkling that goes around with their spark exposed at all times. It would be terrible for the poor thing.

His expression hardens, "I'll love them even if they're all crystal sparklings. No matter what."

"Of course we will, Optimus," Ultra agrres, voice soothing. "I will love them, as well. They'll never want for love."

He smiles, "Good. I don't want the news to insult them, either."

Ultra nods, "I grew up in a time where sparklings of your model type didn't have to have the metal backing to cover their spark, Optimus. I don't think that there is anything terrible about sparklings like that. I'll make that fact very clear to the newsbots, and it will very likely encourage bots that have the weak armor that they don't have to be prostibots. Skyshot did very well as a sniper."

"Skyshot was, and most likely still is, less than stable in every possible way," Optimus points out, and Ultra inclines his head in agreement. The minibot may not have chosen to be a whorebot, but he certainly wasn't suited to normal work either. "If we have crystal sparklings, I'm making sure we have their code checked regularly for possible defects. I won't let a sparkling of mine get damaged because of our negligence."

His beloved laughs softly, "Of course, Optimus. It isn't like Ratchet would let us get away with not taking them to him, anyway. He takes this sort of thing very seriously."

He nods, "Ratchet really does. I'm a little surprised that Arcee hasn't been trying to spark with him. If they're having trouble, I'm certain that Sari will gladly bless them. Same with any other bot in the family."

Ultra presses a servo to the screen, "I know, my love, I know. We'll see how it goes."

"I hope we have the healthiest sparklings alive," Optimus murmurs, because sick sparklings are always sparkbreaking. "We'll spoil them, I'm sure." Bots always spoil sparklings, especially if they are first sparklings, and there are not many in the family. And Ultra has already proved that he has no willpower when it comes to a sparkling's demands.

Ultra smiles, "We will." His love tilts his head, "And how was your sol? You didn't tell me."

Optimus makes a face, rubbing his sparkchamber unconsciously, "Sari decided to punish Streetwise for wanting to be a prostibot, since she had informed him that he wasn't allowed to be one if he's coming with us." He pauses a bit for effect, "She went overboard on the punishment."

"Is everyone alright?" Ultra asks with some concern, likely thinking of past priestesses.

He nods slowly, "Yes. They are now. Sari is upset, and I doubt Streetwise will do more than raise his voice at her to avoid upsetting her for a while. I think Perceptor is a bit shaken as well, though it's still so hard to read him."

Afterburner had simply stood at Sari's back and offered her his support, but it's likely very hard for the mech to protest anything she does as First.

Ultra taps his fingers on the com console, "Is she going to take this to spark, and hold back on punishments? Or do you think she won't?"

He frowns at his intended, but realizes his mech has to ask. Ultra wasn't there to see her reaction in person, and if Sari is too dangerous, she can not be allowed back to Cybertron other than to gather her things and sell her house.

"She was horrified she went so far. She told Perceptor that he should have informed her, and was upset when we hadn't until Streetwise was in the medical bay."

"It was bad enough that he was sent to the medical bay?" Ultra sighs, "Optimus, you know I have to bring this to the council."

"The council that does not believe she has the powers you will be informing them that she has begun to abuse?" Optimus snorts, "Yes, beloved. Go ahead and tell them all about the ways she is abusing her powers."

Ultra rubs the back of his helm sheepishly. "I have to do it whether they believe or not."

He waves a servo dismissively, "Then tell them. They'll get to think that she's terrible, and likely take it as a reason to get rid of her sooner. She's planning on leaving Cybertron as soon as our bonding is over, anyway."

Ultra looks hurt, "She does? I had thought..."

He rolls his optics, "No, love. She really doesn't like Cybertron all that much. She's only there because we're there. She's going to leave as soon as she can."

"I knew she was unhappy there, because of the reactions of bots, but with the sleipnir, and the more visible signs of her power, bots on Cybertron will respect her more. They will believe she is the priestess and act accordingly." Ultra vents, "I hope she chooses to stay a bit longer, so we can show her the best of what our bots can do, and not just the worst of it."

Optimus gently chides his beloved, "Even if they accept her as priestess, Cybertronians are prejudiced against organics, and she does not intend to hide her organic half just to make them feel more comfortable."

Ultra flinches, just a tiny bit, "I really wish they weren't. If I could, I'd make it so everyone at least visited an organic planet for a stellar cycle or two. Preferably a vorn or three."

Optimus shakes his head, "But it doesn't work like that. I do get the impression she'd be moving to an organic planet, though. If they wanted a blessing, they'd have to travel there to visit. No way to get out of it if they want to ask for the removal of a curse or get a blessing."

His beloved sighs, "Priestesses always hated being harassed for too many blessings, and liked hiding off on their own planet when not hunting for consorts. It is just that Cybertron was that planet they hid on."

"Will she," Optimus swallows nervously, "do you think she'll take the Allspark with her?" The High Priestess had the right to take the Allspark wherever she pleased, so long as the Allspark allowed it, and the Allspark rarely protested anything its favored bots did. If Sari removed the Allspark from Cybertron, that meant that Optimus and Ultra would have more difficulty in the future, sparking with each other.

Ultra hums thoughtfully, optic ridges furrowed, "I'm... I'm not sure, Optimus. You know her far better than I. Do you think she will?"

He bites his lower lip worriedly, "I really don't know. I'd like to say no, but it is her choice if she does. I'm not sure how anyone would react to that. Cybertron only just got the Allspark back from when we sent it away. I'm fairly certain no one would be happy about it leaving."

Optimus wonders if begging Sari would work if she decides to take it away, and then shakes his head, trying to clear his processor.

"I-" Ultra is interrupted by a com call, and he presses his fingers to his temple, optics narrowing in concentration. "I am speaking with Optimus right now, Cliffjumper. Can it wait until-" he blinks, "the delegates arrived already? They weren't due in until tomorrow. Can't you just put them in a suite and-" Ultra looks disgruntled, "No. If they requested prostibots you shouldn't try and find some in the city directory."

Optimus rubs his optics, "You go take care of that, love." He presses his fingers to the screen. "I love you."

Ultra looks at him regretfully, "I love you, too. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Optimus." His intended reluctantly hits the diconnect, leaving him alone in the room.

Alone except for Aquafire.

... And Loki.

Optimus glares at the sleipnir, "How the Pit did you even get in here?" The virgin eating creature just slinks to his side, leaning on his legs and licking him hopefully. He sighs down at it irritably, "I don't even know why I asked you."

It flicks its tail at him and leaves a thick coating of dust on his thigh. He vents, and makes a note to inform Sari that her pet needs to have its dust removed already. A long, thin glossa flicks out to taste the dusty patch, and Loki makes a happy sound, identifying the taste of its own dust on him.

Sleipnir were not intelligent creatures at all.

Beautiful. Eerie. Very dangerous.

Not intelligent.

Another flick of tail and his other thigh has a matching dusty patch, which Loki 'notices' a klik or so later, investigating with his glossa again.

Not intelligent at all.

He prods it in the head, and Loki makes a sound that Optimus supposes is a laugh for a sleipnir, and his servo gets licked. He makes a face, wiping the lubricants off on Loki. "You're disgusting." He puts a servo to his temple, "Grapple?"

The sparkbroken bot answers almost instantly, "Yes, Optimus?"

He pushes Loki away, "Do you know where Loki is supposed to be? He somehow got into my room."

He can almost see the cranebot's shrug, "Not a clue. Want me to take him out? He's dumb enough to think I'm a virgin and loves following me around."

"He's not bothering me too much." And the dust doesn't feel bad on him, though the lubricants from its glossa are quite irritating. He wonders idly if bots in the long distant past considered using sleipnir dust as an additive to paint. It shimmers nicely when it's coated on thick, though it is largely invisible in smaller amounts. "But I wouldn't mind you taking him away. I would like to get some recharge. Assuming you can convince my door to open."

"I'll see if I can. If not, we'll talk to Sari. Loki shouldn't be in your room, anyway. The coding may run out, and that's just not safe for either of us."

He nods, pushing the stupid creature away when he's licked again. "You're right. Just try the door, you should be fine. I'm not sure if you'll be able to get out, so don't walk in if the door opens."

"That's what I was planning."

He has to wait a full breem before Grapple arrives, and the mech manages to get the door open. Loki stands up on shaky legs, turning his head between Optimus and Grapple, torn in his decision on which 'virgin' to 'protect.' Eventually, Loki settles down at Optimus's peds, curling himself around them with enough force and weight to trap his peds in place.

He frowns at Loki, "Get off. Go follow Grapple." He makes shooing motions with his servos, "See the nice tasty bot over there? Go."

Loki curls against him even tighter, all eight legs clicking into place around him, and the sleipnir starts to growl lowly at Grapple.

He groans loudly, "I think we have to get Sari. This isn't going to stop unless she's here." He tries to move his peds, and almost falls over. "And I can't do anything with him here."

Grapple bites his lower lip, looking back at the door, then steps in, kneeling on the floor next to Loki, the door snapping shut firmly behind him. "Get off him, Loki. We need to go back to Sari."

Loki licks Grapple on the face, then makes a disgusted noise.

It immediately forgets that it disliked the taste, but he licks Grapple a second time, and makes the exact same disgusted sound when he does it. Grapple sighs. "He does that every time he follows me around. Stupid beast."

Another lick, and another noise of complaint.

No wonder the sleipnir prefers Optimus, who must at least taste pleasant, even if the sleipnir is stupid enough to think that Grapple is a born-again virgin who will suddenly turn delicious overnight.

He tries to shift his peds, and glares down at the creature when he still can't move. "You get to com Sari about this."

Grapple glares at him, "Why can't you?"

He's not interrupting her and Afterburner. "I commed her when Streetwise was hurt. Your turn."

Grapple's glare intensifies, "She considers you one of her surrogate creators."

"All the more reason for it to be you. Nothing worse than being interrupted by a com call by your creator, or so I'm told."

Perhaps it would be best not to call at all. Just in case . . . just in case she is busy with her lo- with her First Consort. He shakes himself, trying to dispel the image of Sari doing things with any bot.

Grapple refuses once more, "No. I'm not risking upsetting her. Not after what she did to Streetwise. You can call her, or we can stay here and be licked to death by a stupid sleipnir that has forgotten that it eats virgins."

He nods, "Well, it is obvious what we do, then."

Grapple nods, "I'm glad you agree."

Then they both say at the same time, "You com her, and I watch you do it."

They glare at each other for a long moment, and then Grapple looks down at Loki, who has somehow managed to lock them both together, rather than just Optimus. "I don't think we're going to get free."

Grapple pushes at one of the legs, and Optimus complains, "I'm certain his legs didn't have this many joints and hinges before." Or tiny latches that have hooked into his armor seams to keep him from pulling the legs off of him. "I think we should advise that Sari have these little hooks removed. They could be dangerous if he breaks through his coding." Not that he really expects the sleipnir would. Not when it was Allspark-reinforced code.

Grapple shivers, "This must be how they subdued their . . prey."

He pokes the thing in the head, "It is very likely." Which is horribly creepy, but he tries not to focus on that. "How do you think we get free?"

Grapple wiggles a leg, and Loki gasps, standing up, and twining around them both like a overly enthusiastic cybercat. The cranebot smirks, "That. I'll just be goi-" When the mech tries to walk away as he talk, they're both shoved on the berth by the sleipnir. "Frag."

Optimus groans irritably, trying to pull away, only to get caught back in the latches, arms pinned at his sides, "I can't even get to my com. Can you?"

"No," Grapple complains, and then they're pressed together on the berth, latches and legs shifting around them to hold them in place. Their sparkplates are very carefully kept apart, likely so they could not try and sully themselves so they would no longer be edible for a normal sleipnir. Loki is likely just going on instinct at this point.

Optimus vents a sigh, "We'll hope Sari decides to come looking for us tomorrow morning, or else we're going to be trapped with Loki for a while." He hopes the sleipnir will let go of them when it recharges. Then he can try restraining it so it is on one side of the room, and they on the other.

Grapple sighs as well, "I think we'll just have to try recharging like this, then."

He shifts uncomfortably, more irritable than usual, "I wish it hadn't even come in. I don't even know how he did this."

The cranebot shrugs, settling in for a long night, "Who even knows? We'll just make the best of it, or not do well at all."

He sighs softly, "I guess."

They fall into recharge after a very long time trying, and the last thing Optimus remembers is a tail flicking against him.