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One week later and it was time to go.
Catherine wouldn’t admit it, but she was nervous. She really shouldn’t have been—Lennox had been training her well, and so had his wife—but she was. Yes, she could keep up with the exercises and was doing well enough in her liaison lessons, but could she really keep up with actual soldiers who had been fighting and training much longer than she had? The anxiety was mounting, and although it wasn’t going to keep her from going, it did make the heat of unease well up in her stomach and tie knots into it.
Sarah didn’t make it any easier either, being unusually silent and ignoring of the redhead during breakfast. If she did speak, the comments were short and sometimes sharp. If Catherine hadn’t known any better, she might have been hurt, but she could see in the blonde woman was just upset and the attitude was just a way of keeping her emotions in check. The redhead went along with it, not saying anything back besides the bare minimum needed, and continued to go about her day preparing.
She didn’t have to exercise, which was wonderful, so she had plenty of time to pack everything Lennox said she could bring. It wasn’t much—namely just her workout clothes, a few civilian clothes, her more “professional” clothes which Sarah had bought for her, and then she was allowed her laptop and music. The rest of her things she was to keep in her room at the house, which was to be another reason for her to come back during vacation time. She was going to bring Teletraan as well, but that was a given. Ratchet wanted to see him, too, according to what Ironhide told her. When she’d finally opened up her messaging system last night she’d found the docbot had left her similar messages. There were some from Jazz and even Bumblebee, as well, but she decided she would answer them when she got to NEST.
There were a few other messages, like those from her parents. Teletraan had shown he’d received calls, but hadn’t answered them just as she’d asked. The messaged were deleted almost right away. Whatever was in them—even if it was an apology—she didn’t want to hear it. She also noticed a lack of messages from a certain someone, but she quickly shook the name from her head.
That name was better off remaining in the darkest and farthest reaches of her mind.
Once she had finished and brought everything down, Lennox called her out to help pack the guns and some of the NEST gear they would be taking with them. The bulk of it was Lennox’s, as hers was going to be at the actual base, but some of it was old armor of his that managed to fit so it automatically became hers. Ironhide was to be their driver and cargo carrier, but that wouldn’t be until they’d finally said their good-byes to Sarah and Annabelle.
It was a bittersweet parting, particularly with Lennox and Sarah. Catherine stood off to the side, watching as the man touched his wife’s arm gently and spoke in soft whispers that she couldn’t make out. The two smiled sadly, but sincerely, and though Sarah’s eyes watered, she didn’t breakdown as he kissed her on the lips and then held her tight. They stayed like that for a good long while, neither really wanting to let go, but in the end it was his wife who pushed away first, motioning for him to get going. He grinned with a touch of humor before kissing her once more and then stepping over to his baby girl, lifting her up, kissing her on the forehead, and telling her he’d be back before she knew it and that he’d bring Catherine and Ironhide with him. The redhead couldn’t help but smile and feel her own eyes tearing up a little.
Then it was her turn and she walked up to Sarah who looked at her, arms on her hips, in that motherly kind of way that made it seem like she was wondering what to do with the redhead. Catherine wouldn’t have been surprised if the woman suddenly asked that, but she ended up embracing her tightly, kissing her forehead, wishing her good luck, to call, and to come back whenever she wanted. She would always be welcomed here, and if she ever needed her husband to be put in his place the redhead just had to call and there wouldn’t be any more problems. Catherine laughed at that, and thanked her, saying she would, and that she would be careful. She picked up Annabelle next, whom giggled and tried to grab at her ponytail, which had become a favored from of play among them. She would miss the little girl and told her so, and asked her not give her mother any trouble—she should save it her for her meanie of a father. The baby just giggled, and then squealed with delight when their noses became pressed together.
Catherine then moved over to where Lennox stood with a waiting Sideswipe—already transformed and ready to go—and both watched as Ironhide crouched low beside Sarah whom had taken Annabelle in her arms. The giant gazed fondly down at the baby and held out his finger to her, which was grasped playfully at. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he bade good-bye to the woman, who in turn asked him to keep both the redhead and her husband safe. He nodded, giving his word, and then moved away to transform. He rolled up next to Lennox and Catherine, whom chucked their belongings into his truck bed, and then opened his doors for them. The two paused to wave once more at the blonde-haired woman before settling into their seats.
Then they were on their way, and while for Lennox it was just another long, temporary leave, for Catherine it was leaving a world that had abandoned her once and also the first steps into a new one where an unknown future awaited. Normally it would have frightened her to tread so carelessly into such waters, but this time she was only a little nervous. She did not shy away, for she could only see happiness before her.
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-O-
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“Alright, listen up, Catherine,” Lennox began sternly, locking eyes with the redhead sitting next to him on the NEST plane. “We’ve gone over it before, but I have to remind you again: you can’t let anybody know you’re not really eighteen. Everyone on base except for you, me, and the Autobots thinks that’s your age, and if they found out you’re not there could be trouble. Now, Optimus and Jazz will already be out there waiting to ‘escort you’ since you’re their liaison, so hopefully you won’t have to deal with too many of the other guys. However, once you’re settled into your quarters we’re going to have a meeting with General Morshower to make you ‘official’. It’ll mostly just be us talking about your duties, but he might ask you questions, too. He won’t override my decision, so just keep calm and you’ll do fine. “
“Got it,” she nodded.
“You’ll have to call me ‘sir’, by the way. I am your superior here and the others will view it as ‘favoritism’ or just bad if you call me ‘Will’ or something informal when on the job. Off duty time is fine, but on-duty has to be ‘sir’.”
“Got it, sir!” she saluted and he grinned back, swatting at her arm. He knew she understood, though, so he said no more as he leaned back into his seat. Catherine laughed a little and let her eyes wander to the wall separating them from the Autobots in the drop hanger. She could have been back there with them—they weren’t up high enough to need oxygen—but both she and Lennox thought it was for the best. She regretted it a little bit in the beginning, having wanted to talk with the two of them, but when she remembered they were tied down—for their safety, of course—she had a feeling Sideswipe would be too grumpy to talk to. She would listen to him rant and laugh at him for it later.
She hoped they were comfortable, though. Her posterior had fallen asleep at one point and her back wasn’t particularly happy about their seating arrangements, so she could only imagine how the Autobots felt, especially when they apparently received more of the turbulence. The only good part was that it was almost over—not even ten minutes ago the pilots had mentioned they’d be at the base in about fifteen minutes.
The thought coming back to her, she was reminded how her anxiety earlier had long since transformed into excitement, and it made her giddy with the need to squeal with delight. She was finally going to be able to stay among the Autobots! She was going to be a part of their world! She was going to be a part of something amazing and life-changing! How could she not be excited? Everything just had to go well, and with Lennox confident, her chances were looking good.
“So, Lenno—er sir. Do you know any of the new Autobots besides Sideswipe?” she asked, the thought suddenly coming to mind.
“Not personally, no, but I do know their names and what to know about them. You’ll get to know them, too, after the meeting with Morshower,” he replied, but then suddenly grimaced and leaned towards her. “Er, well, actually I’m going to give you a heads up: the Twins are really, really, really annoying.”
“Uh… Oh. Um. I can… I can handle ‘annoying’?” she hummed, raising a brow. “How, uh, annoying?”
“You’ll find out.”
And now I’m starting to worry. “I see… By the way… Uh, do all the Autobots know about, uh, that thing of mine?”
She had leaned in to speak at a whisper at that point, so he did much the same, although played it off as if he were just shifting position to put his elbows on his knees. His eyes glanced briefly over at the pilots, but they were busy working the controls.
“Only the ones involved in Mission city,” he replied softly. “Whether or not the others will learn is up to you and Prime. I’ll trust your judgment on it—it’s kind of out of my hands either way.”
“Well, I don’t mind your judgment since I trust it. I think maybe I should tell to those Prime thinks are okay if he hasn’t already. They’re bound to find out anyways, right? No humans, though.”
“Right. On both, I mean. No one besides me. I’ll do what I can to keep the others from getting curious.”
“Thanks, Lennox. Er, ‘sir’,” she smiled and he clasped an arm around her shoulders with a chuckle.
“You’ll do just fine.”
“Lennox, sir, we’re approaching the landing pad. Make sure your seatbelts are fastened,” one of the pilots suddenly spoke up. Lennox pulled his arm away and used it to check her straps, tugging on them. When she gave him an inquiring look he told her the sea breezes could be a little rough on the base. She asked no more and let him fiddle with her straps and then his own before she grasped at her seat just in case. It turned out not to be needed as the landing and breeze wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be. There was a bit of shaking and bumping as the transporter plane lowered and then hit the ground. The final jerk as they hit was the worst, but it was only for a moment. Then their straps were being unbuckled, and the sounds of creaking gears lowering hanger doors and the slowing whirr of a jet engine thundered through the walls of metal contraption.
She followed Lennox out through the cabin’s doors, grabbing their bags and hopping down the one-foot drop onto the cement floor. While the brown-haired soldier moved off towards the lowered hanger ramp, her eyes roamed across the golden sand and out onto the sea that went on forever until it touched the blue horizon. The sky was cloudless, letting the sun shine brightly down on her, warming her skin through her clothes, and she noticed it was a lot hotter than back home. The scent of salt water filled her nose, and the sound of the waves was growing in strength as the plane engines continued to power down. It was beautiful, and she had to wonder how this could be a military base—it was more like a vacation spot!
“Catherine!” Lennox called out, and she turned to find the man waving at her. She strolled over, still eyeing the scenery, but became distracted as she realized he wasn’t alone. Not only had Ironhide and Sideswipe already transformed, but Optimus Prime and Jazz were there, too, standing proudly in the sunlight. Prime was just as she remembered him—tall, proud, noble, and looking badass with his blue-with-red-flames paint job. Jazz, however, was a wonderful surprise. While he was still the same height, his silver armor was gone and replaced with a pure white color matched with a large, single, dark blue racing stripe along the center of his chest that had more stripes of lighter color on top along with the number four. His helmet had also turned a shade darker, and his visor was now blue instead of black. She couldn’t help but marvel at his new décor, and he knew it too by the way he grinned like he was hot shit, which he was, of course.
“Prime! Jazz!” she shouted happily and would have raced over to them, but their meeting was meant to be diplomatic. There were also some other soldiers around, so that would have looked a little odd. They luckily didn’t mind her shout and neither did Lennox, but she recovered well enough by remaining by her commander’s side as they calmly walked over.
“Greetings, Lennox, Catherine. Welcome to Diego Garcia,” Optimus smiled down at them. “Allow us to escort you inside.”
They nodded, no time for personal talk, and followed after with Prime and Jazz in the lead, the other soldiers covering the sides, and Ironhide and Sideswipe taking up the rear. She let her eyes wander around a bit more, mostly taking in the sight of the large, gray, metal building. It was huge and long, and looked like it was maybe two or three stories tall. She wondered how much they fit in there and assumed the answer was “a lot” since it was for both Autobots and humans. When she looked back towards the landing area, she finally spotted the open hangar doors and could see other aerial vehicles inside along with workers.
She would have looked longer, but they were coming to the open cover area that she assumed was either the main entrance or the back one. There were more soldiers around here—some men, some women, and she could already see more than one race. They were also from more than one country, or they had to be by the occasional thick, legitimate accents, actual, fluent foreign languages, and the different flags shown on their shoulders. The sight sparked a happy thought, knowing it wasn’t just one country, but many from all over the world that were contributing to the coalition.
“And this is where we part ways,” Lennox suddenly stated and stop to pivot on his foot so that he faced the redhead directly. The others in their group stopped as well and turned towards the two of them. “I’ve got to meet with the General before you, so go ahead and go on with Prime. I’ll see you at the meeting.”
She nodded, and he left with the other human guards right on his heels. He looked very professional and in-charge as he walked, which placed in her a mixture of respect and humor. It subsided as Prime called out for her to follow, and she did. He explained how the left side of the base was the humans’ domain, and the right was for the Autobots. Either race was allowed on both sides, but they generally stayed in their respective areas. That worked perfectly for Catherine. She wouldn’t have to be so formal with the Autobots with humans not around and she wouldn’t have to worry her powers being known so easily.
They stopped early at her room with the promise they’d give a proper tour of the base after the meeting, which was apparently to occur in thirty-or-so minutes. She agreed of course, and they let her enter, their group going off to do whatever it is they wanted. The room was cozy enough, though hardly compared to the one back at the ranch. There was a single bed attached to the gray walls covered with sheets, a blanket, and a nice pillow. She did have her own bathroom, fitted with a shower, toilet, and sink and mirror combination to boot. She even had a dresser and a desk for her things. Pleasantly surprised, she decided to wait on unpacking and tossed her bag carelessly onto the bed. From her pocket she pulled out Teletraan who had been very obedient and not made a move or a peep the nearly eight-hour long trip. Now that she'd finally removed him, he took it as a sign to transform and chirp at her.
“We’re home, little guy. You’re going to finally meet some people like you! Ratchet will have a field day, too, but not quite yet. Mind waiting in here for a few more hours? I promise to pay extra special attention to you later,” she smiled, stroking the little drone’s head softly. His blue optics brightened as he beeped and showed a thumb-up on his chest screen. She gave her thanks and let him settle down onto her bed, reminding him to hide if anyone beside her would come in. He agreed again and settled back into his phone form on the green sheets. She waved him good-bye and headed back out.
Jazz was waiting for her, and the grin on her faced widened tenfold. He grinned back and held out his hand, which she all but scrambled onto. The moment he brought her close enough, she latched her arms around his face armor in the best form of a hug she could give to a Cybertronian, causing the mech to laugh.
“I see ya missed me, yeah?” he rumbled as she finally released him.
“Hells yeah! It’s so good to finally be back with you guys!” she replied proudly.
“It’s good ta have ya back with us, too,” he began, but then his smile lowered and his voice softened. “I’m sorry, shorty. I wasn’t there for ya when I shoulda been.”
She smiled back, touching his thumb which had come up to console her. Had he been human it would have been something akin to a hug or a shoulder clasp, but the size difference made it difficult. She understood, though, and squeezed his metal digit back.
“It’s okay. Really, it is. I… It… It kind of needed to happen, and it’s probably best no one was there to prevent it,” she sighed, memories beginning to wander back to that day a little before she stopped them. She shook it off and looked up with a humor in her expression. “If it helps, Sideswipe was a good backup for the aftermath. Not that he compares to your skills, but he did alright. Ironhide helped, too. Anyways, things will be a lot better now that our dynamic duo is back together, so let’s not worry about it alright?”
“Ya got it, shorty. You’re the boss. Well, one ‘o them. Kinda,” he winked, and she raised a brow. “You gunna be our liaison, so ya got some authority ‘round us now. Don’t let the others know I told ya, though. Some ‘o them might be a little touchy about bein’ told what ta do by ya. ‘Course ya got ‘ol Jazz here an’ Prime ta back ya up.”
“Oh, Jazz, my friend, you have just made my day so much better,” she laughed, a mischievous twinkle to her eye. “So how much time left do we have to chill before I’m called away to the meeting?”
“I think we can take a little stroll or somethin’. Give ya a quick look at the place, y’know?”
“Sound good to me! Lead the way—I’m in your hands now! Literally!”
Mech and red-head laughed together as he pivoted on his feet and took her further down the hall, away from the way they had come. At the same time, Jazz began to explain the layout of the base, describing how there were still human rooms on this side, but they were vacant except for those few that couldn’t find space on their own side. They wouldn’t be near her, though, and some areas on the Autobot’s side were set as off-limits to any humans besides her. The main one being Ratchet’s “Medical Bay”, and their personal rooms, all of which had apparently once been hanger or training rooms. If given permission, humans could enter, but not otherwise. She apparently didn’t need to ask, but she knew she would. It would be rude to suddenly barge in. Unless she was trying to be rude, but that was a different story.
He brought her to one of the hangar rooms, although this one was especially big. It was also filled with mauled and beaten slabs of metal objects she couldn’t discern from the damage. She noted there were lots of scorch marks along the floors, accompanied by some decently sized cracks and holes in the walls. She didn’t really need to be told, but Jazz informed her it was the main training room for the Autobots. NEST has been kind enough to provide old building supplies or broken parts for targets. They also had some set up outside on the pavement and even in the sand, but inside training was preferred. The sand tended to easily get stuck in their gears, and if too much got into some joints they would have to go see Ratchet who would end up making a big fuss and gripe about it.
“Hey, where’s everybody else, by the way? And are any of the new Autobots around? I’m actually kind of eager to meet them! How many are there anyways?” she asked as Jazz returned to the hallways.
“Not sure myself, but they’re probably back in their own rooms ‘o somethin’. As for them new guys, Prime has most of ‘em out scoutin’ the different countries for ‘Cons and ta let ‘em get used ta bein’ around humans. There’s only a few of the more troublesome ones 'round here. In total there’s ‘bout eighteen new ones right now. Think about five more are suppose ta be comin’ in ‘bout a few weeks or so.”
“Nice! Any tips on how to handle them? I can do Sideswipe already, so if any of them are like him then I’m not going to be too worried,” she grinned as she imagined the silver mech’s possible retorts to her boast.
“Now, now, shorty,” he began, waggling a finger at her. “Don’t be tryin’ ta get me ta help ya cheat. Ya gotta learn about ‘em all on ya own.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh, “Oh, alright. How hard could it be to keep you guys in line? Or rather—how hard is it to get you guys to listen? You did a pretty bad job when we told you to stay put when I went to get the glasses. You remember?”
“’Course I do. That was different, though. We kinda had a time limit goin’ on ‘n stuff. Now we’re chillin’ and just waitin’ for when any ‘Con shows up and starts causin’ trouble.”
“A perfect little task force you’ve got here,” she grinned back, but then frowned after a few seconds. “So there’s a lot of Decepticons coming to Earth then? But… why? The Allspark is gone—or well, for them I guess. They don’t know about me, and they don’t know about the shard, right? And then Megatron is gone. What could they want here?”
“Hate ta say it, but we don’t know. We know they don’t know about the Allspark shard or ya powers, ‘cause they haven’t been comin’ here. They been appearing up at random places, and these are ‘Cons that are apparently workin’ for Starscream—we found out through some interrogations, y’see—and we know he knows Megatron and the Allspark are gone. So your guess is as good as ours. We’re tryin’ ta figure it out, though.”
“Hmm… So you couldn’t find anything about what they’re looking for from the interrogations?” she inquired, rubbing her chin curiously, and Jazz nodded. “It must be really important. Maybe we need to look deeper. Like, where have the ‘Cons been appearing? Are the places important or anything? Have they’ve been going after anything in particular at the places? We need to keep interrogating them, too. Ugh, but I wonder how well that would go. Decepticons must be pretty hard to capture, right?”
“Yeah, it can be hard when we’re tryin’ ta keep ‘em from attackin’ humans and usin’ ‘em as shields and then tryin’ to keep as few humans as possible from findin’ out, but we do what we gotta do. And you’re on ta somethin’ there. Ya got a good brain on ya, shorty. Ya should talk with Prime n’ Lennox about that stuff. They’re already askin’ the same questions.”
"Yeah, if I have time,” she snorted, folding her arms. Jazz’s curious look prompted her to continue with a sigh. “Ugh. Lennox is going to have me training both physically and with the liaison work, so I’m not going to have a lot of free time to think.”
"Naw, I doubt that. You’re bound ta find some time. I’d be shocked if ya didn’t.”
“Eh, you’re probably right. And I’ll talk to Prime and Lennox when I can. I need to know more first, anyways.”
“And ya will, but now we gotta get ya to ya meeting. Prime is callin’,” the mech hummed, taking them back to the main, familiar hallway. She frowned, but kept silent and leaned back into his fingers, which served as a good back support. Though the ends were clawed, he curved them just right so she got the rounded, smooth edge and not the point. If only the prospect of what lay ahead could have made the trip more enjoyable. She didn’t really want to have to answer any questions—who knows what the Morshower guy would be like or ask her? Lennox was okay with him, though, and he did seem to know the guy well enough, but she didn’t, and the guy didn’t know her. What if he didn’t think she was good enough? Things could get awkward very quickly.
As if sensing her thoughts—and he may as well have considering— she felt Jazz’s fingers close around her, pressing down with gentle comfort. She touched them in response, leaning her head back to look at him with an insincere upside-down smile. She would get through it like everything else, and then she could get back to her tour and meeting with the other Autobots. She could also maybe meet some of the soldiers and maybe find Epps and the others—she still didn’t have all their names down, but she would—and get to hang out with them for a while. She preferred the Autobots a bit more, but the soldiers weren’t too far off. They were just a lot smaller and fleshy and didn’t know she was the Allspark.
“Alright, this is where I gotta put ya down and ya gotta walk with Prime. Carryin’ is a little weird fo' some ‘o the humans, so we don’t do it ta keep things cool,” he spoke up as they approached the last bend that would lead out to the open area separating the wings. She nodded as he lowered her to the ground and she stepped off.
“You’re not coming?”
“Nah. This is ‘leader-only’ business. Second-in-Commands aren’t allowed, y’see? But I’ll be waiting for ya, so don’t ya worry. We’ll finish up that tour a yours.”
“Okay,” she smiled, and giving a quick wave, hurried off down the hallway. Right away she spotted the red-and-blue figure of Optimus Prime waiting for her, his optics already tracking her every move. She smiled up at him once she was closer, and he returned it in kind. They exchanged short, formal greetings, and then they were walking, Prime at a slow pace, and Catherine at a quick, but easy one to not seem like she was struggling to keep up. They ventured into the human area where Prime had to duck a little at times, and where humans would pause to look at the two of them as they passed. She could swear she saw awe in every single on their faces, and she couldn’t help growing the smug feeling in her chest.
Of course, the moment the Autobot Commander stopped and told her they were at the meeting sight, all traces of smugness transformed into butterflies flapping hurricanes in her stomach. She told him she was good to go, though, and followed him into the darkened room. It was a small, but the ceiling was high enough for Prime to stand without crouching or lowering his head. There were two levels of chairs and desks, but only two seats were occupied. One person she knew—Lennox—but the other was a stranger to her and only made the butterflies flap harder. The image of the older— but not lacking any vigor— man on the projection on the wall was the worst of them all, though. She knew right away he was General Morshower and she would have frozen had Lennox not called her over to sit beside him.
Thankfully her body listened to her head and she did as told while Prime took up standing behind them. She dared a quick peek at the other—a woman— whom regarded her with cool eyes as if studying her. She tried to force herself to ignore the woman, but she could feel their gaze. Then there was Morshower, who looked right at her and didn’t look all that impressed. Granted, why would he? She was a sixteen, or rather, eighteen-year old young woman who had been brought to be a liaison because she was friends with the Autobots. Oh, sure she helped save the world from a crazy overlord Decepticon, but she was pretty sure he’d save the world more times than the years she’d been alive.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Catherine Wolf,” he began, his voice calm and unreadable. She didn’t know what to make of that, but she decided to take it as a good sign.
“It’s a pleasure, General Morshower,” she managed and took pride in the fact she was actually able to talk.
“I have been informed you are to be NEST’s very own liaison between the Autobots and humans, and come recommended by both Lennox and Optimus Prime. A look into your file shows you also participated in the battle of Mission City and were vital in the defeat of the enemy’s commander. I did notice a lack of actual liaison training, though, and your young age creates a lack of years of service.”
“If I may, General,” Lennox began, coming to her rescue. Already she could feel her heart racing a million miles a second. “While not on file, I can confirm that she has already begun to train as both a soldier and a liaison. This has been done ‘off the grid’, so to speak. I’ve also scheduled her to continue training in both areas.”
“I see. Well then, you seem to be all set, Ms. Wolf. However, while I am one to trust Lennox judgment, I have to wonder if you really are prepared for this. Optimus Prime vouching for you leads me to believe you have some friend among them, but friendship does not make a good liaison. You will have to deal with problems that friendship won’t always solve, and you will be held responsible for the Autobots’ actions. If they do something wrong we will come to not just Prime but to you as well and except answers, which you will need to give if we are to keep peace in this coalition. Do you really think you can handle this?”
The knots in her stomach were so tight that Catherine didn’t want to open her mouth for the fear she might cry out in pain. She knew she shouldn’t be so nervous or frightened, but she couldn’t help it! Both instinctively and consciously she knew this was more important than anything she’d ever encountered—even more than when she’d faced Megatron himself. Was she ready for it? Was she ready to take on such a task? Could she handle whatever came for her? Could she protect the Autobots and keep them in line? Was she strong enough?
Yes. You are. You made it this far with your own strength—you can’t wimp out now! There’s no going back. You can do this.
“I don’t think—I know I can,” she spoke and there was only a little shaking to her voice. “NEST needs someone who can get along with both Autobots and humans and understand both sides. I can… No, I am that person.”
Silence followed, and had she looked, she would have seen Lennox holding back a proud smile. If she had looked behind her, she would have seen Prime not bothering to hold back his. The woman didn’t smile as the first two, but the coolness from before had warmed some. Catherine’s eyes, on the other hand, were steadfast and locked onto Morshower’s, watching for any signs. The man was a stalwart wall that revealed nothing as he stared back, testing her. She was determined, though, and it was as if land and sea were colliding; neither willing to back down, locked in an eternal fight. However, she was not really the sea and he was not truly the land, and the battle came to end when the General let the smallest hint of a smile appear at the edge of his mouth.
“You’ve chosen well, Lennox. However, she’s still too raw to put right into the fray. For that reason, I’ve brought in a more experienced liaison for her to shadow and learn from. Catherine, I’d like you to meet Marissa Faireborn.”
The woman stood and Catherine finally good a good look at her mature physique, brunette locks pulled back into a pony tail, and her red lips which curved into a kind smile. Her brown eyes met Catherine’s hazel ones and kinship was found in them. She looked to be in her later twenties, maybe early thirties, and had the air of one used to having authority. She seemed more like a soldier in the way she stood so proudly with her head held high, and the formal military uniform only helped to enforce the notion. Catherine was impressed by her, and happily reached out the grasp the woman’s waiting hand. The grip was strong, which she returned in kind. She liked the woman already.
“I’m looking forward to working with you, Catherine Wolf. Let’s do our best to keep everyone in line, shall we?” Marissa smiled, and there was a sparkle in her eyes that the redhead knew all too well, and was more than happy to agree too.
Oh, yes, she liked the woman very much, and they were going to get along just fine.
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-O-
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The moment Catherine and Optimus were back within the safety of the Autobot wing, the red head let a deep, deep sigh. Beside her, Prime slowed and looked down with a mixture of amusement and concern. She smiled up at him, and the concern became amusement, too.
“We had to sit through a lot of talking, but it looks like we’re finally good to go! General Morshower approves and I got a teacher to boot!” she laughed, adding some pep to her step.
“I am glad it went so well, too. Granted, both Commander Lennox and I already knew you would be accepted, but the meeting was assuring and inspiring. You will do well, Catherine,” he replied warmly, and she chuckled softly.
“Thanks, OP. I promise I won’t let you down! “
“I am confident you won’t. Though, perhaps you would prefer to relax now that the ordeal is over. We can speak tomorrow of any matters you might wish to discuss if you would like.”
“That sounds good to me,” she hummed happily. “I have been curious about some things, and it’ll be nice to catch up. We haven’t talked in so long! I’m beginning to think you’re avoiding me, Optimus.”
He chuckled, “No, I am not avoiding you, Catherine, and I would love to ‘catch up’. Feel free to come find me whenever you find time.”
“You won’t be busy?”
“No, I am surprisingly free tomorrow. If nothing should happen, it will remain as such.”
“That’s cool! So, yeah, I’ll definitely look you up when I can! Maybe you can tell me more about you guys history, too, and, uh, you-know-what.”
“I would be happy, too, and perhaps it is time we spoke of ‘you-know-what’ again, as I have been informed you’ve recently used it.”
The tone of his voice made her look away and scratch the back of her head sheepishly.
“Yeah, uh, there’s a good reason behind that. I’ll explain that when we talk, too.”
"I am merely ‘teasing’ you, I believe is the right word,” he rumbled, smiling softly. “Until we meet, then?”
She paused to see that they had come to the end of the hall and Jazz was standing not far off in the same spot he had left her, just as he'd promised. She smiled up at him, and he returned it back.
"Yeah. Until we meet. Take care, Optimus.”
“You as well and… Well, I believe the best term for it would be ‘Welcome home’.”
Her smiled brightened in that moment, her chest swelling with happiness.
“Yeah. Glad to be home.”
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