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Catherine was beginning to regret having used her powers to bring her phone to life.
With a sigh, she turned away from the wall-side of her bed and found the blue optics of Teletraan staring at her with determination while its speakers wailed an ungodly sound that apparently passed for an alarm. Adding fuel to the fire, the little bugger was flashing the time on its chest-screen, which was at an even more ungodly hour of five in the morning. Of course, she couldn’t really be mad at the little guy. For one, he was adorable and would shut down the alarm as soon as she looked at him, and two, she had told him to do this for the rest of her stay at the Lennox’s. He was a good little drone thing.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m up, I’m up,” she grumbled, rolling out of bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She messaged her neck next and shoulders, too, trying to loosen up the sore muscles. They weren’t as bad as they had been after yesterday, thankfully, and she knew they would feel better once she was done with today, too. She just had to get moving into the routine. Luckily for her, the laziness had no chance of acting up with her little alarm clock ready to blare at her if she even so much as looked back towards the soft, comfy mattress.
With another sigh she stood up and began her morning preparations, Teletraan scurrying after her. Like she had for the past week and a few days, she slipped on her workout clothes and shoes and tied her hair back, putting it out of the way. She splashed her face a few times to help wake up before setting Teletraan into her short’s pocket and heading downstairs where Lennox would already be waiting. She knew Sarah and Annabelle were still asleep so she made sure to creep down the steps so as to not wake them, and then carefully close the back door. As always, her “commander”—she wasn’t sure if she could get used to calling him that—stood with his hands on his hips, already fitted in his NEST workout gear. He gestured with his head for her to follow, and they were off.
The jog was a lot longer now, ranging at about ten miles. The first six were a breeze after a full week of running the blasted trails, but the last four always strained her, and it didn’t help Lennox made her increase her pace at that time. She was getting better, though. Or, at least, that’s what she figured when she found she could keep up with Lennox better and better each day. Granted, he could have been taking pity on her too, but she preferred to think the former. If there was any good part, it was that their land had a great jogging view and the sun didn’t come up until after they were done. The little things just made it all the less tiring.
“Sore today?” he asked her after they had finished and she was holding her hands up on her head to help the breathing.
“A little,” she replied and lowered her arms now that she was almost back to normal. “But it’s fine. It’ll be gone by this evening.”
“Good. Now get going on the pushups and crunches while I get the horses ready,” he ordered and spun towards the barn. She held in her sigh, remembering his warning although her joining NEST was official now, and lowered to the ground. The post-jogging exercises were her least favorite part, especially since he’d increased their amount after she had come to stay here. All she had to say was that her arms and stomach had better be incredibly toned after all of it or she would be pissed. And their horses better be incredibly happy because she was grooming and cleaning them even with her sore arms and a burning stomach.
I swear to God if there are horses on the island I am going to go Godfather on a certain someone’s ass! She grumbled as she finished up the last of her pushups and went into crunches. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the horses—Lennox was just being a turd for making her do the work. He knew very well it was his job, and even his wife had told him it was his job, but he was being a sneaky bastard and making her do it while Sarah was asleep. She hadn’t said anything namely because he had oh so slyly mentioned her “membership” to NEST. While she knew he wouldn’t just suddenly take it back, he could make it as awful as he wanted being the Commander. While he was a kind man, she wouldn’t put it past him to take it up. He could be a real turd sometimes.
"He’s going to be the perfect dad for Annie,” she chuckled aloud after her last crunch and stood to brush off the dirt. She wasn't lying either; Lennox had already taken up the fatherly role for her, and she couldn’t have asked for anyone better. Still, there was a limit to how much of a jerk she wanted in a father, and Lennox was always precariously close to crossing over that line.
“So who’s up first today?” she called out to her “foster-father” as she stepped into the barn not far off from the house. Already the brown-haired man had everything out, with only the horse missing, and her answer came soon after in the form of a black-coated beauty.
“’Old Blacky, that’s who,” Lennox replied, patting the horse on the neck before hooking him up to the ropes on the walls. “You’ll take out Rocky-Road, then Captain Pepper, Al, and Wilson.”
“While you go and play with your ‘adult toys’, right?” she smirked, letting the black gelding scent her hand and then rub his nose affectionately. She knew all them now, and they had become accustomed to her, too. They were kind of like the little rascals she used to have as pets, only much bigger and pickier. Blacky especially, being the eldest and thus the most prestigious and deserving of special needs.
Lennox gave her a look, “You won’t let that go, will you?”
“Nope. And I cannot wait for the day I tell Annie. She will destroy you.”
“Yeah, you’re not going to be allowed near the baby anymore.”
She smirked, “Except you have no say in that matter. Sarah won’t allow it. Even if you try to send me away to NEST forever she’ll make you bring me back with you on vacation time.”
Will Lennox sighed in defeat, recalling very well the dinner conversation where his wife had demanded in a not-so-subtle way that Catherine was not to never return again and have fun with Annabelle or Mrs. Lennox herself. The redhead in question was delighted, and not only because her tormentor was being put in his place, but because the woman had said so with love and made her feel like she was part of their family. Even little Annabelle seemed to have taken a liking to her, if only because she kept her company—or entertained her depending on how one looked at it—when both parents needed a break. All in all, it was a godsend and Catherine loved every bit of it. The workout not quite so much, although she did enjoy it to some extent. It gave her good bonding time with Lennox, after all.
“Anyways, just hurry and finish, then wash up and come inside. Sarah will have breakfast ready as usual and then Ironhide will drive you out to the shooting range,” he responded, patting Blacky on the neck one final time before stepping out of the barn and rounding the corner, taking him out of sight. Catherine watched until he was gone and then turned back to the large quarter horse, which stared at her expectantly and flicked his ears and tails as a sign of being on the verge of impatience.
“Looks like we both got a good thing here, huh?” she smiled, stroking his nose again. “And I got even more coming my way. Now, let’s get on to your pampering, shall we?”
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-O-
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“You’re leaning forward too much,” Ironhide’s voice boomed through her earplugs, and she lowered her weapon to look up at him. “Tilt back by a few degrees and your aim won’t be off.”
She nodded, “Got it. Need to stop doing that…”
Catherine set her legs firmly, keeping her back straight, and then raised the gun’s scope to her eyelevel. With the butt resting comfortable and securely against her padded shoulder, she called for the release, and the two pigeons fired. She went for the left one first, tracking and then bursting it apart with a single shot, and then followed after the other to do the same in mere seconds. Success was in the bag; she lowered her weapon, the round over, and turned toward the towering, black Autobot for her evaluation.
“Forty out of fifty—better than yesterday,” he hummed, but she could sense he wasn’t completely pleased. She shared the feeling, having hoped to reach fifty by now, but she'd continued to have some small issues with keeping everything just right. Yesterday it had been her trigger finger being too hasty, and now it was her position. She supposed the only good news was that the enemy was not the size of a clay pigeon. Granted, she didn’t actually plan on fighting a Decepticon if she could help it—the thought just didn’t sit right in her stomach. It was more instinct than anything else, but she trusted her instincts for the most part and so went with it. However, she wasn’t going to let herself be defenseless. If she wasn’t going to kill them, she would at least keep them away from her long enough to get away.
“Is the gun maybe too big for me? It doesn’t really feel like it, but maybe, and that can be a problem,” she hummed, looking over the black-colored weapon in her hands.
“The weapon belongs to Lennox, so it is possible. I’m sure he’ll provide a more suitable one once we arrive at the base.”
“That’d be good,” the redhead nodded as she walked over to the table set up under the roofed shed. “By the way—when are we finally going to leave? It’s already been almost two weeks now, and Lennox said ‘soon’.”
“Prime has said there are still minor things to be finished, but we should be able to leave within another one of your Earth weeks.”
“I just hope you’re right… Anyways, where’s Sideswipe? It’s time for the paintball session,” she frowned, not spotting the silver Autobot anywhere. He was usually on time for the second part of weapons practice. Although it involved her playing tag with him in an attempt to paint his armor in a lovely neon pink, he enjoyed it. She knew it was because he was so damned good at dodging despite his size, and because he loved taunting her about it. Jerk.
“I’m here, I’m here,” the ‘jerk’s’ voice rang up from behind the shed and a few seconds later his wheeled feet appeared. “Commander Lennox needed some help.”
“Oh, well, that’s cool then. Anyways—hurry up and get on out there so we can get started. We need you to look pretty for Annabelle tonight,” the redhead grinned, and Sideswipe smirked challengingly.
“Lucky for me her favorite color is silver then,” he purred back and started rolling out into the field before Catherine could reply. The redhead frowned, beaten, and snatched up the second weapon—an NEST-style paintball gun—and then some extra ammo, which she slid into their designated pocket on her vest. Before she could venture after, Ironhide stepped closer, both the sight of his gigantic foot and the vibration of his step catching her attention.
“Teletraan says good luck and that I’m needed. Sideswipe will bring you back this time,” he stated, and, after she nodded back, he transformed and took off. She, meanwhile, silently thanked her little phone back at the house—the little guy’s audio receptors didn’t like the sound of gunfire all that much—and sauntered out down to the field. ‘Obstacle Course’ was a better term for it, as the spot was crowded with old buildings from where the original barn and farm-house had been. Lennox told her they built the present main house once the land was expanded because this one was too far from the main road. However, it served as a good place to relax or hold parties so it was never taken down. Now it was used for training, as the buildings were good cover to hide limber Autobots not wanting to get plastered with pink paint, and simulated actual battles better than trees.
She couldn’t see the Autobot, and hadn’t really watched where he’d gone, but that’s where her powers came in handy. She once thought maybe it was cheating, but the Autobots could detect the enemy in a somewhat similar way, so she was more than happy to use her “sensor”—as she put it—to pick up on Sideswipe’s emotions and track him down. He hadn’t figured out how she did it either, and she didn’t think he knew how to shut off his emotions completely, so it was a wonderful asset for discovering Autobots hiding behind the old horse barn.
It was a shame he had the same edge on her; able to detect her approach as she tried to silently creep into one of the stalls and fire at him through the window. He laughed while he dodged, and she grumbled under her breathe as she chased after. He also had the edge in speed, even over the other Autobots, and was happy to lazily sway back and forth going backwards from her mockingly.
Screw waiting, she growled and raised her weapon up as she ran. She fired, but missed even though the Autobot hadn’t quite expected it. He didn’t expect the next shot either, and this time she surprised even herself by timing it just right so that when he moved she followed and fired to the spot where he was going to be. He let out a yelp of surprise as pink paint splattered all across his shoulder. He stared with disbelief, mouth agape, and then glared at Catherine, who made a victorious fist pump and stuck out her tongue.
“Last shot you’ll get!” he called out and sped off faster than ever. Her fist pump died instantly and she sighed, shoulders sagging. She’d already done her jogging for the day—she didn’t need another ten miles! The bastard wasn’t going to let up, though; especially not after he’d been so cocky and his pride was harmed now. There was no point in sitting still, though. He was probably hiding somewhere and wouldn’t let her get near ever again. It was going to be a miserable hour, but it was only an hour. After that she would finally be done with her physical exercises and could go back inside. From there it would be liaison lessons with help from Sarah and Lennox. That was a little tedious, but at least not as tiring nor as aggravating as the physical training.
She cursed aloud when her next round of fire missed completely, the Autobot swerving out of the way and toward a new hiding spot. Well, she at least had the one shot, which was pretty good considering she rarely ever hit him dead on or at all. Now he was being serious, though, which meant her job was all the harder. At least it was fun, in a way, which helped her hour of tag-and-missed-shots pass by fast enough so that she didn’t need to complain about how annoying it was getting.
She was definitely tired as the hour finished up, and was more than happy to return her gun to the shed and plop down into one of the fold-out chairs they had set up there. She could not wait to get back to the house and shower and get into some normal clothes that didn’t involve working out. All she needed was for her ride to be ready, and luckily for her, he was up on the hill with her. She waited for a few more moments before pushing herself up, closing up the shed, and walking over to his wheeled feet.
“Alright, let’s head back. I’m beat,” she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked up at him, taking note of the miniscule splotches of paint scattered on the edge of armor, but only taking pride in the direct hit she’d gotten on his shoulder.
“Fine by me. Need to get this slagging paint off anyways,” he grumbled before transforming into his vehicular form. She held back a snicker, but not her smile as she spotted the pink stain was on the driver’s side door—bright and perfectly visible for all to see. Now she was definitely proud of her shot. Sideswipe was not amused, and showed it by slamming the door shut behind her a little too quickly and bumping her side.
“Oh, don’t be such a baby. It’ll come off,” she scoffed at his wheel as he began the short drive back.
“Why do I have to be the target anyways? Ironhide would do just as fine!”
“Because he said so and you have to do what he says?” she offered, and his engine rumbled unhappily. She raised a brow, smiling playfully. “What? You getting too scared to fight me now after one little direct hit? I thought you said were the ‘best’! I guess I heard wrong.”
“Please. Me scared of you? I could just be using my time for better things.”
“Like getting your ‘aft’ handed to you by Ironhide? I’m sure he’ be happy to take up that offer. Besides, I don’t need a pansy for a training partner,” she replied, folding her arms in a haughty manner.
“’Pansy’ am I? Is that why you only got one direct hit?”
“It’s called being nice.”
“Oh, is that so? Well do me a favor and don’t hold back so I can show you just how bad you really are.”
“Oh, I’m ‘bad’ alright. Bad-ass.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Kitty Cat,” he purred, and she could sense his smirk as she scowled.
“Don’t call me that! It’s Catherine to you, mister!” she barked, jabbing a finger at his radio.
“Yeah, maybe if you can actually win against me, but seeing as that’s never going to happen,” he replied, trailing off in a way that she didn’t like. Seconds later his radio came to life playing the “kitty cat” song, only it was repeating “I’m a kitty cat” over and over. Catherine let out a wail as she attempted to shut off the radio, but the silver Autobot was not to be thwarted. The redhead eventually gave up and leaned back into the seat with her arms folded and eye glowering.
“I hate you,” she growled. Sideswipe only laughed, and she was glad they would be home in about a minute or so. Not that she was confident she could stand listening to the song for that long, but it would be the silver mech’s fault if she assaulted him. Jerk would get what was coming to him.
Luckily for both parties, it took less than the expected time to come up to the house, so Catherine was spared too much annoyance and Sideswipe was spared a damaged interior. He played smart, too, and let her out as soon as he pulled to a stop and shut off his radio while she stalked away.
“Have fun with the boring stuff,” he called out, still with a tease in his voice.
She turned, flipping him the bird, “I hope the pink stains.”
He’d learned what the gesture—and many others— meant, and so laughed when she spun around to go back inside. She kept her grumblings to herself in the event Annabelle was nearby, wide awake, and susceptible to learning words she shouldn’t. Fortunately, Sarah and Lennox weren’t in sight, so she moseyed on upstairs to take that shower she was dying to have. She was all too happy to be rid of the dirty clothes, and let the hot water soothe her aching muscles and clean the sweat off. It was also wonderful to finally put on some old shorts and a plain T-shirt rather than her under-armor workout gear, which had become like a second skin these days. There was Teletraan, too, whom was very happy that she was back and able to give him attention.
“Hey little guy,” she cooed as she picked him up and let him settle onto her shoulder. As always, he nuzzled her affectionately and made his “purr-like” sound made of odd clicks. He was like some kind of cat or something, and he was just the cutest thing for it. “You do okay without me? Didn’t get into any trouble did you?”
Teletraan chirped and shook his head, showing off an innocent smiley face on his screen. Of course, she already knew he wasn’t a trouble maker. She had made sure he knew not to cause any, and the little guy had listened to her very well. He always seemed rather intent on not disappointing her, doing everything she said almost exactly, and sulking when he got anything wrong. It was like he was a little kid, and sometimes the thought bothered her—if he was acting like a kid to her and only her… did that make her his mom? Sure, she brought it to life, but she couldn’t really think of herself as its mother. It just felt weird.
“Good boy. Any messages or updates?”
Again Teletraan shook his head. Besides having someone other than the computer to play Scrabble, the little drone was good for updating her on any of her websites since he could access the Internet with ease, and she never missed a message with him around. Not to mention he could send messages to the other Autobots through that communication link channel of theirs—she still wasn’t sure on how it worked exactly—and let them know something she or anyone else wanted to say when far away. It was pretty cool and made things a lot more convenient.
“Let’s get down to liaison school then. I want to get done with today before dinner this time,” Catherine smiled, stroking the little phone-drone’s head affectionately. It chirped with delight and let her set him into her pocket where it would stay resting—or that’s what she figured—until she had time for him again. She then made her way back downstairs where she found Lennox already in the study across the hallway with her books and papers already out. Annabelle was crying in the baby room, and Catherine had a feeling Sarah was in there and would be for a while. She could tell Lennox shared a similar sentiment with the pained grimace that appeared on his face at the same time his baby’s wails increased in volume. Catherine spared him any more agony by closing the doors and shutting out most of the noise.
“Geez… What’s Annie crying about this time? She was fine this morning.”
Lennox ran a hand through his hair, “Ugh. I have no idea. Sarah said maybe it’s gas, but I don’t know. Not the baby expert over here.”
“Well, that just means you get to be my teacher, right? Granted, that might not be much better,” she grinned, taking her spot in the chair next to him.
“Oh, no. It’s definitely better. You don’t cry every five seconds. The worst is that this stuff is so damned complicated I’m not sure I can actually help.”
“Just be glad you don’t have to learn it. It makes me wish I had chosen to be a soldier instead,” she frowned, sticking out her tongue for emphasis as she picked up one of the thick stacks of paper of her topic. “I mean, just look at this! All about one thing, too. How do any countries manage to have even one liaison?”
“Beats me. I’m just a Commander.”
She gave him a look, “Yeah, thanks, Commander. Well, it’s what I gotta do, and I’ll have more time and better experience gain at NEST I’m sure. By the way—how’d you guys manage to get the President and Senate to accept my application, anyways? That’s how they get chosen, I’m pretty sure. I think.”
“Well,” he began, rubbing the back of his head, “that’s actually an ambassador you’re talking about. You’re just a liaison, so it’s different. You’re also the Autobot’s liaison, not the United States, and, frankly, the Autobots are aliens so I think different policies might apply.”
“Huh. I guess that makes things easier then,” she hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Her musing was interrupted, however, as Lennox dropped a small booklet in front of her.
“Here’s the next chapter of psychology. You’re going to have a test on Friday so get studying while I compile some quizzes.”
Catherine stared at the booklet for a few seconds before sighing and picking it up. She once thought High School was difficult, but this teaching-with-Lennox made it look like pre-school. She’d already had to take three exams to test her retaining skills for the information that wasn’t just on Psychology, but Business and Communications and all kinds of subjects, and then the two adults would constantly put her into situations requiring her to use her skills. That had gone horrible the first week without knowing anything at all about the job, and this week wasn’t all that much better. The many quizzes everyday were murder, too, but it was all part of what she had to do. If she wanted to stay as a liaison and with the Autobot she needed to know it, and this was a good way although it was torturous. Of course, that was school, right?
“Am I going to have to have the same schedule at NEST?” she asked half-way through a page, sparing her foster-father a glance. “Y’know, waking up at 5, workout, shooting practice, and then liaison lessons?”
Lennox leaned back, “You’ll wake up at the same time, but I think we’ll spread out what days you train with what. Probably this stuff for four days, physical for three.”
“Who’s going to teach me, by the way? Like, are you going to do the physical training and someone else do the other stuff?”
“I plan to keep you in my group so you’ll be with me, Epps, and the other guys you met and talked to after Mission City. I figured it would be better if you were with people who knew you, and none of them remember your age so it works out fine. So far, I’m thinking the liaison training will be with the Autobots. Ironhide said Prime and Jazz already have everything you need to know downloaded and plan to teach you everything you need to know about them, too. However, the General will have the final call, so you might end up with an actual person instead.”
“Huh. That sounds pretty nice, actually.”
“And if you want to make it happen, you better keep studying,” he hummed, gesturing at her booklet, now close to being set down on the table. She pouted, but brought the material back up. Lennox kept his eyes on her, making sure to point at the booklet whenever she tried to look away. She would go back quickly, as if it were definitely not an attempt to be lazy about her studies and not wanting to figure out the many terms of psychology. Her attempts were only lessened when Sarah finally came in, Annabelle apparently appeased, and took up keeping an eye on her, too. She silently cursed their good parenting skills, and also thanked them for it. Although it was keeping her doing something boring, she knew it was because they cared and wanted her to do well and, frankly, it was a fun game to play.
When it came time for the quizzes the fun died down some, as both foster-parents were brutal when it came to asking questions. Oh, it would start out easy, but as the questions went by they only got harder and harder until she was wondering what the hell they’d even said. They liked to pull tricks on her, too, and Sarah was a master at that. It made Catherine wonder if she really was a teacher for elementary school kids, because she could outwit any college student. Lennox did his fair share, too, but both of them knew his wife was the one who was most wicked.
Thankfully, she was able to get through it with her mind intact and passed most of the quizzes according to her teachers. There were still many flaws, but nothing another ten reads through her booklet couldn’t solve, and she would have plenty of time at NEST so she wasn’t too worried. Besides, her stomach was hungry and it was time for dinner, meaning any lessons were put in the back of her mind in favor of the hamburgers that were to be served for dinner.
“Alright, you stay here and finish up reviewing with Sarah and I’ll get the grill going,” Will grinned after their meal orders were given, and left the two women alone. While the redhead read through her review, the blonde-haired woman shuffled together all the papers into neat piles and made sure to set tomorrow’s on top.
“You’re doing a good job,” Sarah smiled, pulling Catherine from her review.
“Oh! Thanks. It’s actually hard to remember everything, especially when you’re the one testing me.”
The woman laughed, “Yes, well, seeing as you’re determined to go through with this, I’m going to make sure you make it all the way. It was the same for Will when he said he was going to join the army. I made sure he got his workout here on the ranch.”
“Thanks again for all that. And I’m sorry if it makes you upset,” the redhead replied softly, but the blonde-haired woman waved her off.
“Oh, I was at first, but Will told me what you said to him—you may be sixteen, but you’re capable of deciding things for yourself. You’re not a little girl anymore, and, well, I’m not your real mother so I can’t ground you for life.”
“Apparently you can make me wish I hadn’t taken up this job, though, right?” Catherine chuckled, and Sarah grinned back slyly.
“Now what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t?”
“But I thought you weren’t my mother?”
“I’m not your real mother, but you are underage and you live under my house, under my care. That automatically makes you my foster-child until you become an adult.”
Catherine’s smiled as the woman finished tidying up the papers and stood up. She said nothing as she moved around towards the door. The redhead kept her smile though, feeling what she knew was the kind of love a child should have for their parent. It was a warm, tender feeling; one which filled her with happiness and made her feel wanted.
“Thanks,” she said just as the blonde-haired woman opened the door. Sarah turned to look back at her and smiled back softly. Then she was gone to either help her husband or tend to Annabelle. Catherine returned to her review, still smiling, and it was suddenly much easier to read through it.
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-O-
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“Well, well. Still have the balls to come and join me tonight,” Catherine snorted as the blue glow of Sideswipe’s optics blocked her view of the stars.
“Who said I came to join you? Our spots just happen to be right next to each other. You humans can be so arrogant,” he snorted back and set himself down beside her. It was a clever comeback, but she wasn’t fooled. Of course, she expected him to come anyways. They always went out to watch the stars at night before heading to bed. She wasn’t really sure how it started, but he just kind of kept coming every night and she’d grown to expect it. Not that she minded; she liked having someone to talk to while looking up at the stars even if that someone was a jerk at times.
“I see you managed to get the paint off,” she hummed. “Which is a shame, really. Annabelle would have loved to see you colored hot, neon pink and anyone on the roads would be a lot happier… until they crashed from laughing so hard.”
"Yes, well, you know how I love to torment and disappoint people,” he replied back haughtily.
“You never fail me.”
“That’s because I never lose.”
She looked up at him, but he was still watching the sky, “You know what? I’m not going to get onto that one.”
He knew what she meant, and she suspected that was why he didn’t say anything back. That or he figured he’d won and didn’t need to say anything at all. Whatever the reason, they settled into the routine silence that accompanied them for a few minutes before one of them decided on something else to talk about. Sometimes it was some snarky comment or jibe at one another, but they had managed to talk about actual, real things and had genuine conversations. He acted older then, but he always made sure to get some immature, witty comment in just to irk her. She was fine with it to be honest. She would never admit it, but she enjoyed every moment. It reminded her a lot of times she used to have—times she dearly missed. Maybe it was selfish or silly or cruel or whatever anyone might want to call it, but she wanted it, so she was going to keep it as long as she could, however she could.
“Hey, Sideswipe,” she called out, and the silver Autobot finally looked down at her. “Do…Do you have family?”
Sideswipe looked away silently, and she sensed a strange mixture of emotions come from him. It made her regret her asking as she caught onto the sorrow swirling in it, but then it suddenly settled and he looked back at her.
“A brother. My twin, Sunstreaker.”
“Oh… Is he…”
“Dead? I don’t know. He might be out there, though. Others have received the message, so maybe he’ll get it, too,” he replied somberly, optics gazing out among the stars, searching.
Catherine followed his gaze, although she wasn’t sure what she was expecting to find.
“He probably will. I mean, if he’s anything like you then he’ll make it. You always say how you’re too stubborn to die, right?”
Sideswipe chuckled, looking down, “Yeah. He’s stubborn like me.”
The silence dawned again, and it was thicker than before, mixed with guilt and awkwardness. Catherine let her eyes wander up to the stars, though she stole glances at Sideswipe whenever she felt a fluctuation in his emotions. They were muddled, which had become common these days, and she couldn’t always make much of it. He was generally good at controlling it and clearing it away, but tonight she had a feeling it would last for a while. Her question would make it so, and for that she was sorry. She only became more remorseful as the silence continued, and, after what felt forever, she decided she needed to maybe apologize.
Sideswipe beat her to it as he suddenly spoke up, “Hey.”
She leaned up as he looked down at her and tilted her head curiously.
“Do you… make things like that drone a lot? Like, is it easy?”
“Well, Teletraan was easy to make, but that’s because he didn’t need a lot of energy. Bigger things need more, and there is a limit to how much I can take,” she replied, turning up her palms to stare down at them.
“So can you make a Cybertronian like the original Allspark?”
She shook her head, “Or, well, I don’t think I can. I don’t really know how I got Jazz to come back to life, and I can’t or don’t know how to make a real spark. I can heal very well, though.”
“Oh,” was his only reply, and there was a sense of disappointment. Again, silence, but Catherine wasn’t going to let it last for much longer as she realized she would have time to speak now.
“Hey, um,” she began, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry, by the way. About the whole brother thing, I mean. I, uh, didn’t mean to—“
“It’s fine. I know you didn’t. And sorry about asking about the Allspark, too, I guess. I was just curious.”
“It’s fine. I guess don’t worry about it then? For both of us?”
“Sure. Let’s just talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
He hummed, “I guess… explain the whole ‘Twilight’ obsession thing to me?”
“Want to have your CPU explode?” she grinned.
“Challenge accepted?” he grinned back, although not very confidently.
“Let’s do this.”
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