Chapter 86: Regrets
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"Are you out of your mind?! Not only do you two leave the base with neither my knowledge or permission but you sneak off in the middle of the night to have 'fun'?!"
Bee and I stood nervously in front of the furious Prime with our held down in shame and our arms pinned to our sides. I tried not to make it noticeable but my body was beginning to shake from fear and my lip trembled as I struggled to contain the tears that threatened to fall.
I glanced up and cringed.
I had never seen my father look so angry. I've seen him annoyed, disappointed and even saw sorrow cross his features a few times but never anger. And I wish I hadn't.
The way his optics narrowed and stared you down like you were his worst enemy, his nose scrunched slightly as a deep frown pulled down on his lips....it was truly terrifying and it made me want to run away and hide.
And the worst part was that he was angry at me.
"What if something had happened to the either of you? Did you bother taking your own well-being into consideration? What if you both were captured by Decepticons? If I hadn't known of this incident now then I certainly wouldn't have known what had happened if I found you two missing in the morning."
::Well I-::
His harsh gaze snapped over to Bee. "Not a word." He growled out causing the smaller mech to squirm and shut off his radio.
"For now I want you two to return to your quarters until morning. If you either of you decide to disobey me and attempt to leave your quarters again I will make sure you regret it. Am I clear?"
::...Yeah.::
"Y-Yes sir." I mumbled softly.
He nodded and pointed in the direction of our rooms.
"Go."
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"Liza."
I opened my eyes and there I was standing in the middle of a dark void.
I'm back.
"Hello?" I received no response but my ears quickly picked on the approaching footsteps behind me.
"Grandpa." I greeted the large mech with a smile but instead of returning it with a smile of his own a stern look took place on his features. He remained silent as he stepped forward and stared me directly in the eye.
"G-Grandpa?" I felt intimidated by his expression and I couldn't do anything but squirm under his gaze.
"Is s-something wrong?"
He remained silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke in a low tone.
"I am disappointed in you, Liza."
Oh. My mouth opened to question him until I realized he was talking about the events that happened tonight and probably watched everything go down through my eyes.
My head lowered in shame and I fiddled with my thumbs to avoid his optics. "S-Sorry."
He frowned. "Your actions were completely reckless and foolish. You could've been injured or even captured by Decepticons. You were aware of the dangerous possibilities yet you disobeyed not only your father but myself as well. We warned you multiple times to be wary of the Decepticons yet you chose to go out on your own despite our warnings."
Tears began to sting the back of my eyes. "I'm sorry, grandpa. I-It won't happen again. I promise."
"It better not." He replied sternly and hooked his fingers under my chin, forcing me to look at him. "If you dare disobey any Prime other than myself or Autobot that has given you orders then you will answer to me. Understand?"
I nodded as a few stray tears slid down my face. "Y-Yes sir."
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"Liza wake up"
My eyes shot open to meet my father's holoform standing over me.
I raised a hand to wipe the sleep from my eyes. "D-Dad?"
"Get up." He ordered firmly as he pulled the covers from over my body.
I frowned and held back a yawn. "Why so early?"
"I wanted to have a discussion with you and Bumblebee about last night's events in my office."
"But," I glanced towards the little sunlight peeking through my window. "Can it wait? It's early and-"
"No," He cut me off with a glare. "It is not up for discussion. I expect you in my office in the next ten Earth minutes."
I watched the Prime turn and head for the door. "B-But I-"
"You don't want my help getting there Liza." He stated in a dangerous tone as he exited the room, leaving me alone in silence.
I remained frozen in my spot for a few seconds before l launching myself off my bed and dashing into my closet, nearly falling on my face in the process.
"He could've at least said good morning." I quickly switched out of my pajamas into a casual attire before darting out of my room with one shoe on my foot. My legs carried me through the large hallways at a fast pace though I could've reached my destination much quicker if I had been in my bot form. I ignored the odd looks from soldiers as I skipped awkwardly down the corridor attempting to put on my other shoe.
"Oh man." I came to a complete stop in front of my father's office door and suddenly wished that I had went a slower pace or taken a longer route. Maybe I could just turn around and stall for time...or have an angry Prime searching for me in the next few minutes.
Or just...follow the rules.
Hesitantly, I maximized and raised my fist towards the metal door and knocked softly hoping that it wasn't heard by any Cybertronian audios.
"Come in, Liza."
Unfortunately, things don't like to go Liza's way.
The door slid open with a soft swish and I forced myself to step inside, cringing slightly at the tension that filled the room. "Liza."
I looked over and shuffled nervously on my feet as I stared into steely blue optics of the Prime on the other side of his desk. One hand rested in his lap while he set the other under his chin and rubbed the bottom of his face with an almost emotionless stare. It was almost like he was trying to read my mind or something.
With a small gesture of his head, I maneuvered around the large chairs and took my spot in front of the Prime beside Bee who was already present in the room.
I glanced over at my brother to see him in the same position as myself; his hands were tucked behind his back and his optics refused to leave his feet.
The floor did seem like the most interesting thing in the world at the moment. Better than a look that could literally kill.
"So," My father started in an almost serene tone, his optics flicking wildly between the two of us. He fell quiet for a few seconds before he spoke again.
"Either of you care to explain what happened last night?"
His expectant gaze landed on me, but my lips failed to sound any words. He did the same to Bumblebee but he couldn't seem to find an answer either.
"Very well." He went silent once again as he leaned forward slightly with his arms folded across his chest.
"Liza?"
I flinched. "Um...y-yes?"
"Look at me." Reluctantly, my gaze shifted to meet his stern optics.
"Why did you leave the base?"
I looked away, unsure of how to answer. "...."
"Liza." His voice boomed like thunder. "I demand an answer."
I began to shift nervously on my feet. "W-Well..um...I-I don't...have an explanation."
"You don't have an explanation?" He drawled with a raised optic ridge.
My mouth opened and closed as my brain rambled for an answer. "I-I mean...I just thought that m-maybe..." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I shook my head to unscramble the words in my mind and took a deep breath before continuing again.
"I-I was just a little upset with you the other day and I...didn't want to be treated like a child anymore. I thought maybe I could handle myself."
"Hm." His solid gaze lingered on me for a few seconds before he turned his attention towards Bee and repeated the same question.
It was then I took the time to realize how much dad and grandpa Trion looked alike.
"And Bumblebee why did you sneak off base?"
His doorwings lowered and he shifted nervously. ::I..had too. It was the only way. Couldn't let him out of my sights.::
"You went after Liza without informing me of the situation?"
Bee nodded and whirred softly. ::Sorry...just got carried away.::
"So you left the base in the middle of the night and if I recall our conversation from last night you did it for 'fun'?" He clarified.
I held my head down in shame as he continued to lecture us.
"I am sorely disappointed in the both of you. Not only did you disobey my rules but you also put yourselves at risk of being attacked by Decepticons. What if you were captured and all of your communication links were disabled? You'd have no way of alerting us that you were in danger or in need of assistance. You could've been injured, tortured or even killed!"
Tears began to slide down my face, but I refused to wipe them away as I allowed his words to soak in. "D-Dad...I-I'm sorry!"
::It won't happen again...promise!::
"Y-Yeah," I nodded my head frantically, agreeing with my brother. "It won't happen again. We're sorry!"
He straightened in his seat and fixed us both with a stern gaze. "I know you are but poor decisions lead to awful consequences and you both must be punished for your actions."
Great.
"For the next two Earth weeks, you are banned from television, video games and you are confined to base and you are not to leave unless there is an emergency or you are given permission. Am I understood?"
::Roger.::
I nodded along with Bee. "Yes sir."
"Good." He sighed before slumping slightly in chair and reaching out for us. "Come here."
I hesitated before walking around his desk behind Bee. Our father stood from his chair and towered over us before pulling the both of us into a strong embrace.
"Daddy?" I whispered, confused at his sudden change in demeanor.
He smiled and wiped away a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. "I love you both and care for you deeply. I would hate for something terrible to happen to the either of you when it could simply be avoided by abiding by my rules that are set to protect you. I hope that I don't have to use other methods to have you obey me."
A child's shout filled the room. ::No!::
He chuckled and rubbed the top of Bee's head earning a loving whir from the Camaro. "You are my children." He then laid a kiss on top of our heads before pulling away.. "And since you wanted act like a child last night, I am willing to treat you like one, so..." He pointed to the corners of his office.
::But dad!::
"Ah! I don't want to hear any argument coming from either of you. This a part of your punishment." The Prime turned us around and gently urged us towards the wall, but I refused to go down without a fight.
"But dad we're in your office! Someone could come in and see us!"
"I said I don't want to hear it."
A fight he clearly won.
I huffed and faced the corner with a pout.
I'm too old for a timeout. Totally unfair.
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