Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Mount Charleston, Nevada

Autobot Outpost Omega One.

Days since Suletta's arrival: 11

“Hello Prowl!” Suletta cheerfully called out as she reached the great hall of the base, getting off the bicycle Jack had lent her.

“Good day, Suletta,” Prowl replied with disinterest, before freezing in place. He turned to look down at her, his mouth hanging open, only to then look away, turning his head to the right then to the left, as though he was searching for something or someone, before settling his visor back on her again. “Why are you here?”

She almost stammered on her words, Prowl’s question being unexpected. “Oh… uh… Jetfire invited me for another trip?”

If Prowl had possessed the same facial structure as his peers, Suletta was certain he would have raised an eyebrow at her words, as he appeared to look confused. “…I thought that wasn’t meant to happen before tomorrow?”

“Yes, b-but he thought we should make the most use of my free time while I still could – since I'm pretty sure I’ll have to go to school by Monday morning of next week.”

Well, it all depended on what Unit:E had planned for her, but she guessed she would know soon enough what it was. There were only a few days left until her first weekly check-up at their base after all.

The answer did not seem to satisfy Prowl, who continued, “Does that mean I should expect to see you here a lot in the coming days?”

“Maybe? I mean, Jetfire said we'd be going out again on Friday so I could spend Saturday with Jack, Miko and Raf.”

Prowl grimaced in a way she could only describe as one would after swallowing a sour lemon – did fruits even exist on their homeworld? She would have to ask Jetfire about it.

“How wonderful,” he drawled, not even bothering to hide his lack of enthusiasm at this prospect. “Right, second question.” He jerked his thumb towards the screen behind him. “How did you get in without me being none the wiser – again?”

“Uuuuh…” She scratched the back of her neck, before shrugging, the awkward smile on her lips and her next words being the only answer she could offer, “No idea?”

He stared at her for a moment, scrutinizing her for any sign of trickery, before his shoulders drooped as he let go of a very loud sigh.

“Alright,” he said, an air of tiredness in his voice, “I know just who to blame for this then.”

She watched as he appeared to take in a deep breath, readying himself to bellow at the top of his lungs – or, well, whatever served as lungs for them.

Honestly, she desperately needed to ask Ratchet how their physiology worked. It would definitely make things less confusing, and she would likely learn a thing or two. Besides, if Jetfire and everyone else were going to teach her about this world, it was only fair she used that opportunity to enquire more about their kind. Her new companions were a rather interesting group after all, and she hoped she could learn more about each of them.

Hopefully, they would not find her newfound interest in them too offensive or off-putting.

“Jetfire! Please get here immediately, I’ve got a few words to tell you!”

No sooner had he finished his sentence than footsteps echoed inside the hall, growing louder and louder with each passing second until Jetfire finally appeared from the hallway, an expression of annoyance on his face.

“My audio receptors are working fine, Prowl,” he said, lips and brows pressed together as he glared at Prowl. “And so are my comms. So no need to shout.” Taking notice of her, his frown turned into a smile. “Hello Suletta. How are you?”

“Great!” She had a huge smile on her lips at the sight of her guardian. “And you?”

“Like you humans would say…” He pressed a finger against the side of his helmet, his face morphing into a grimace as he mimed the gesture of someone trying to clear his eardrums. “…Peachy.”

Before they could engage in any further conversation, Prowl stepped in, approaching Jetfire with a look part annoyance, part perplexity.

“Jetfire?” he spoke, intending to get the attention of the Aerialbot, and jerked his thumb behind him. “Did you fiddle with the security parameters of the base detection system?”

Jetfire stared silently at Prowl for a few seconds, his gaze rising for a moment to look over his comrade's shoulder towards the base command post.

With a raised eyebrow – as though the answer to that question should have been obvious – he replied, “…Yes?”

Prowl seemed taken aback, as though he had expected a different answer, but quickly recovered from his surprise. “That’s…” He sighed. “Well, at least you’re not beating around the bush with this one. Why did you do that though?”

“Well, I figured that our little friend here”—he gestured with his head in Suletta's direction—“was likely going to spend some time with us at the base on a regular basis. So I took the initiative to make a few adjustments to our system.”

“Jetfire, as the one in charge of security for the base, may I point out how irresponsible this was of you? What if someone were to use her likeness to infiltrate our outpost? Did that not occur to you?”

Jetfire scoffed. “Now, who would do that? The Decepticons? Far from me to doubt your expertise, Prowl, but I just do not see how they would even begin to do that.”

“Uh, maybe they could send in someone with a picture of my face pasted over theirs?” she proposed, the two Autobots turning their heads in her direction. “W-would that work?”

They both looked at her with small expressions of surprise, which Prowl soon broke out of, facing Jetfire with a smirk as he pointed his left hand at Suletta. “See? She gets it.”

Jetfire brought a hand to his forehead and sighed. “You should not fuel his paranoia, Suletta. He does not need it.” He turned his head towards Prowl. “Also, Prowl, going by what Suletta said, where would the Cons even find a human willing to help them? The only ones that could have anything to gain in the matter would be MECH, and we both know that is not happening.”

“How about a Minicon? They’re not much taller than a human, if I reckon correctly.”

“Highly unlikely to occur. After all, the only one likely to be involved in such a scheme would be Soundwave’s partners, and unless I’m wrong, isn’t Laserbeak the only one still around?”

Prowl shrugged. “It certainly doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

“It also does not hurt to not be paranoid about every little thing, Prowl,” Jetfire retorted. “You should try it some time.”

Prowl's face tightened, and he looked ready to retort something in response to Jetfire's comment. But to Suletta's great surprise, he did not, and simply turned his back to go back to his post in front of the base consoles, muttering something at the same time that she did not fully perceive, except for the words 'public danger'.

“Well, now that this matter is dealt with,” Jetfire spoke, and he got down on one knee to be closer to her level, “are you ready to go?”

“Y-yes! I-I’ve got everything I need here!” she told him, pointing to her backpack.

Her expression lit up when she remembered one of the items she had put in her bag, and after hastily removing it from her shoulders and opening it, she began to rummage through its contents, an action that was greeted by a look of confusion from Jetfire.

“In fact, I’ve even got…”—she was almost done putting them on—“This!”

Jetfire peered closer, his optics narrowed in confusion and suspicion as he looked at her now-gloved hands.

His gaze rose up to land on her face. “…What are those?”

“Gloves!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “To protect one's hands,” she added with a wave of her hands.

“Ah. And... what do you need them for?”

“Well… last time, when you brought me to that mountain top, you said I wasn’t appropriately dressed for the place, so I made sure to pack some warm items of clothing should that happen again.”

“Although I am glad to see that you have found something to distract you from your thoughts, I find your interest for anything involving snow slightly disconcerting – Prowl, I can hear you snickering, stop it.”

The background noise that had sounded like a car engine starting stopped, and Prowl turned towards Jetfire with the same look of innocence a kid with his hand in the cookie jar would display.

“What? I’m not the one at fault there,” he told the taller Autobot, with a slight twitch of the corner of his lips. “In fact, I dare say you are the reason she ‘got a taste for it’.”

“You are really not helping there, Prowl,” Jetfire deadpanned, unamused by his comrade’s sarcasm.

The police bot gave a derisive snort. “I don't see why I should. Your kid, your problem.”

“Instead of spitting your venom, how about you focus on undoing my doings? Before I decide to make your life even more miserable by giving Miko clearance to the entire base.”

Prowl visibly recoiled, an expression of intense worry on his face. “You… you would not dare,” he spat, his features tensing in what could only be the telltale signs of anger bubbling up inside.

Jetfire fixed Prowl with his gaze, before diverting it towards the base’s command center.

“Would I?” he mused, tilting his head to the side as he turned his attention back to Prowl.

If Prowl had let the previous matter go without much conflict earlier, he looked now ready to explode on the spot, from what Suletta could see. With the way he was standing still, with only the slight movements of his jaw clenching, and his visor firmly locked onto Jetfire, it was not hard to guess how he might be feeling.

“Just… get out,” he hissed. “Before I lose what remain of my cooling fluids and I… I… well, you won’t like what I’d do, that’s for sure.”

The threat was probably empty, for Suletta simply could not imagine the two Autobots fighting among each other – for anything other than a playful spar, that was. Still, she had no desire to stick around and further irritate Prowl, given how he was already running out of patience.

Swiftly, she put the gloves back into her backpack, closed it and placed it on her shoulders, before hurrying towards Jetfire’s opened palm, the Autobot having lowered his hand towards the ground so she could climb on.

“Don’t need to tell me twice, Prowl,” Jetfire said, rising to his full height after Suletta had climbed into his palm, with the hand that was carrying her held up at the same level as his cockpit. “Have a nice day.”

With that, he turned away, and began walking toward the corridor that was leading to the elevator, the two taking the same path they had yesterday.

Once they were at a safe distance from the main hall, and Suletta was certain Prowl was unlikely to pick on their words – at least, she hoped he was – she dared ask, “What was that about? A-are you really going to do what you said about M-Miko?”

He gave her the side-eye. “Of course not, do you take me for insane? Giving that level of clearance to someone that has the curiosity of a monkey, the attention span of a goldfish, and the self-preservation of a sloth – Prowl’s words by the way, not mine – is a recipe for disaster.”

That was… quite the opinion, in all honesty. In the short time she had known her, she had gotten the feeling that the younger girl was somewhat… quirky, but surely not to any extent that would lead Prowl to think that way about her, right?

She was a bit afraid to know what the Autobot thought of her, now, what with how cold he had been towards her since her arrival.

“…So then… why say that?”

“Well, I thought it would be a good idea to get back at him. Oh, and if it means he will be too occupied to bother us, all the better. He can be a bit much at times.”

“…H-has anyone ever told you you behave like children sometimes?”

“I vehemently resent that comment, young Miss,” he replied with a smile, getting a chuckle out of her. “Anyway, enough jesting around. Back to the order of the day: we are still staying in the state of Nevada for now, so our destination this time is Mount Charleston. Well, more like, the entire area surrounding the mountain. So depending on how much time we have before us, that means we could perhaps stop by the Red Rock Canyon National Park that is nearby. That, or it will be tomorrow’s next stop.”

“O-oh! Is there going to be snow again?”

Her partner winced, and she got the feeling she had perhaps been a bit too enthusiastic about the idea. “Well…”

“You know what, Jetfire? I think that, in hindsight, I may have been… overprepared.”

They had landed inside a forest hugging the slopes of the mountain Jetfire had brought her to, before heading east. After a short walk of a few minutes, the Autobot had urged her forward while he had chosen to remain under the cover of the trees.

It had been hard to ignore the wave of disappointment she felt hit her once she stepped out of the tree line, her hopes of a snowy landscape shattered.

“I warned you that it was a bit too early for snow at such an altitude.” Jetfire spoke through the earpiece she wore. He had chosen to remain hidden under the cover of the trees, in the event that some humans were around, and thus had given her the small device in order to be able to communicate with each other. “What you saw yesterday was more the exception than the rule. At least in the area.”

So it was, apparently. Though there was a slight breeze in the air, it was not enough to justify putting on the multiple articles of clothing she had taken with her.

“Well, that’s okay… At least, I can still take in the sights.”

The small plateau she currently found herself at lied at the bottom of several slopes, each covered in countless trees, except for a few completely cleared areas, as if someone had erased everything that stood above ground. On the plateau itself, stood a few constructions that had been erected in what was essentially a remote area of the mountain, and her curiosity led her in that direction so she could inspect them.

Some of these buildings were easily recognizable, mostly thanks to the signs on their walls. Bristlecone Bar. Bighorn Grill. She did not have to search far to understand what those were used for.

What puzzled her however, was the strange structure comprised of steel poles supporting a cable – itself supporting what looked like benches held in place by a metal bar – which ran from where she stood to the top of the slope, where it disappeared from view.

Of three in numbers, they looked quite out-of-place as they were, which certainly did not help her in figuring out what they were used for.

Spotting a sign planted in the ground, she approached it, reading the letters written on the plate aloud.

“’No foot traffic. Lift tickets required beyond this point’,” she read. The rest of the words were written in a language she did not understand, but that she managed to recognize as belonging to one of the old countries of Southern Europe. “D-do you know what this is about, Jetfire?”

“I believe this is what you humans call a ‘ski resort’,” her guardian replied through the earpiece. “Which would make the constructions before you the ‘lift’ in question.”

Ski? This was a place where people practiced skiing?!

She had heard about it from old pieces of media, the practice having long since been forgotten when Earth had begun to lose its former glory as Spacian-born corporations had developed – in addition to several other geopolitical and natural causes that had struck the planet – but this was the first time she was seeing it for herself.

Well, part of it at least. It still lacked the most important element to call this a proper ski resort: snow.

“It’s a shame there’s no snow,” she remarked aloud, voicing her thoughts.

At the other end of the comms, Jetfire snorted. “For you at least. I personally am quite satisfied with the current weather.” There was a short pause, before he asked, “What do you humans find so appealing about snow anyway?”

“W-well, there’s just… something about it, I guess? Sure, it’s cold to the touch, but it’s beautiful to look at. Oh, and you can build snowmen, a-and snowball fights, and ski!”

Of course, she had never done either of those, but from what little she had seen, it certainly looked enjoyable.

“I’ve had enough ice and snow these last few million years to last me a lifetime. More generally speaking, cold temperature tend to not work well for our kind. Also, I fail to see how strapping two planks to your feet and throwing yourself down a slope can bring any sort of enjoyment, when it strikes me more as a one-way ticket to either the infirmary or the scrapyard, considering how frail your kind is. Do your people have a death wish?”

She couldn’t help but giggle at his words. “No, it’s just one activity among others. W-what do you guys do for fun anyway?”

“Well, we had our own set of recreational and physical activities, ball games, card games, races, and so on. Though nowadays, I believe the most easily accessible activity for us all would probably be lobbing, since racing is likely to bring too much attention to us.”

"Lobbing?" she repeated, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“I guess the equivalent in your world would be the game of catch. It is mostly popular among the warrior class though, since we use a large metal ball the size of a boulder

“You mean… you throw something like a wrecking ball at each other? How is that not dangerous too?”

“Actually, it is a fairly reasonable act—” He abruptly interrupted himself, silence filling the channel, before the sound of him sighing filled her ear. “You know what? Point taken. To go back to the topic of conversation, judging by your lack of reaction – or the fact you had never seen ‘real’ snow before yesterday, I suppose this is your first time seeing such a place?”

“Not exactly the sort of stuff we had back at Asticassia, that’s for sure. Considering how limited or hard to access water, energy or materials are in space, I don’t think trying to create a ski station was at the top of the priority list.” Besides, this was a school, not a holiday resort. “Not like it would have been feasible in the first place, what with it being, well, a space station.”

“Oh, I am certain this would not have been a hindrance in the slightest. I mean, some places have indoor ski resorts, and there’s even one located in the middle of the desert.”

Her face scrunched up into a confused frown. “It… kinda seems like a waste of energy and resources, no?”

“It is indeed, though that is merely my opinion.”

With that, the comms fell silent once more, and Suletta went back to observing the weird contraption before her, walking around it to get a better look at some of its more intricate details.

But after only a few minutes, while she was facing the structure with the slope behind it, she stopped, suddenly taking note of something Jetfire had said about having had enough snow for the last millions of years.

She brought a hand to her ear. “Wait, what do you mean by—”

“Excuse us, Miss? Is everything alright?”

Suletta jumped up, startled by the sudden gruff voice she had heard coming from behind her, and she quickly turned around to face two men, one tall with blonde hair and a beard, the other slightly shorter and older than his partner if his greying hair were any indication. Both were wearing blue jackets with the words ‘Lee Canyon’ written on the left side.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, lass,” the oldest of the pair spoke, raising his hands apologetically. “It's just that we've been watching you for a few minutes now, and we were wondering what you were up to?”

Although the man's tone was in no way accusatory, Suletta could not help but feel like a deer caught in the headlights, rooted still as she was on her feet. Inwardly, she was completely losing her cool, and was just about to give in to a fit of panic as many questions ran through her head.

How long had they been here? Had they heard here talk with Jetfire? Would they find her presence here suspicious? Would they assume she had touched something she should not?

These were only but a fraction of the things currently unnerving her, and not for the first time, she hated how she was still so shy and socially awkward with others – Jetfire excluded – to the point that any attempt at conversing with a stranger would always send her on edge. Of course, the fact that they had taken her completely by surprise was certainly not helping in that regard.

“Deep breaths, Suletta.” The mechanical voice of Jetfire came through the earpiece, her guardian offering her his support from afar, comforting her as he had done a few times since their first meeting. “They do not mean you any harm.”

“You alright, kiddo?” the man who had addressed her spoke, a look of concern on his face. “You look a little… off.”

“Go on, Suletta. You can do it. I’m there.”

Following Jetfire's advice, she took long, deep breaths, doing her best to calm the pounding of her heart, that she could feel under the hand she had rested against her chest.

Once she felt like she had calmed down enough, she stared at the man’s eyes, finally answering his question, “Y-yes… I-I am.” She passed a hand through her hair, making sure the earpiece was well-concealed by her bangs. “You just… c-caught me by surprise, that’s all.”

She feared the man might take offense at the implication that he had scared her, but to her surprise, he just threw his head back, and gave a hearty laugh. “Haha! That’s good to hear!” He looked at her, and pointed a finger towards his partner. “Sorry about that, Miss. Told my partner quite a few times that he was bound to frighten someone, what with his bear-like appearance.”

The other man rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Bear, my ass,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Oh, n-no, don't apologize!” She waved her hands to defuse the tension. “I'm a little... jumpy by nature, see.”

“Ah.” It was Bear-Man’s turn to speak. “I guess we didn’t help then.”

Not much, yes, but she was not about to tell him that. “D-don’t worry! I’m all fine now!”

His partner chuckled. “That’s the spirit, kid! Say, what are you doing here?”

“Hiking.” Not exactly the truth, but close enough that they would not care for it. “A-and, looking at that…” She thought back of the word Jetfire had used. “…Ski lift.”

“First time seeing one?”

She stared at the oldest man with an expression of surprise. “H-how did you guess?”

“You were looking at it. Like, a lot.”

She gave an awkward chuckle and rubbed her neck, embarrassed at having been so obvious. “Y-yes. There are n-none where I come from, so… it’s a first.”

“In that case,” Bear-Man spoke, “would you like a tour of it?”

At the proposal, every feelings of worry and shyness she felt vanished, replaced by slightly subdued excitement. “C-can I? A-are you sure?” The question may have felt like it was directed at the two men, but Suletta hoped Jetfire would answer it as well, being her partner in this excursion.

The oldest man of the pair nodded approvingly. “Of course. Besides, we came here to work on it, so no harm done I having you around.”

“I don’t see why not,” Jetfire merely said, which she inferred was his way of giving her permission.

“See it as my apology for having scared you,” Bear-Man told her.

She bowed deeply. “T-then I will! Thank you v-very much! My a-apologies if I’m o-overstepping!”

The older man raised his hands, chuckling at her actions. “Now, now, none of that here. It’s always a pleasure to see a kid your age show interest in that sort of things.”

“Come along then,” his partner urged her, as he began to walk towards the lift. “We’ll show you how it works.”

“Y-yes!” She quickly straightened up, and hurried after the two men, eager to hear and see what they had to share with her.

Hidden under the shadows of the forest, Jetfire had a small smile on his face, as he watched with fondness as Suletta excitedly chatted with her two new acquaintances, her earlier shyness and panic forgotten now that her mind could focus on other things.

“Are you sure they will have anything worth getting?”

“It’s a visitor center, no? That seems like a given – at least, I assume.” Suletta glanced toward Jetfire, who was lying to her left. “Besides, isn't it better to know what we're looking at while we’re in the area?”

They were currently lying prone on a ridge overlooking the Mount Charleston Visitor Center, looking down at the building north of their position.

It was Suletta that had suggested going there, following her encounter with the ski lift crew. The two men had chatted with her for several minutes, and seeing how unfamiliar she was with the area – Suletta had even worried that they'd find it suspicious, but they thankfully didn't – they had advised her to go to the Visitor Center for more information.

After having bid them farewell, she had walked down the road – going back into the woods would not have been a very bright idea since she had already agreed to their idea – and had reunited with Jetfire at the rendez-vous place they had convened upon, before asking if they could make a small detour by the place the men had told her about.

Hence their present situation.

The corner of Jetfire's face morphed into a frown that betrayed his uncertainty. “I do not disagree. But I am unconvinced they will have anything worth your time.”

“We won’t know unless we try though,” she said, getting up from her prone position and dusting the sand off her clothes. Turning towards him, she asked, “You’re staying here?”

He turned his head slightly in her direction, his optics going from her to the valley, before settling back on her again. “I doubt I would fit into one of their parking spaces, don't you think?”

She smacked her hand against her face. “R-right. Dumb question. Sorry.” As if someone his size would go unnoticed down here.

Not to mention the fact that she had no idea how he would even manage to get down there unnoticed, nor that his vehicle form would stick out too much on a space reserved for cars.

Sometimes she forgot that Cybertronians were not a daily life sight, unlike Mobile Suits had been in her time.

“O-okay then, I’ll be right back,” she told him, waving at him before turning around to take the narrow trail between the rocks, leading down the escarpment.

After a short time spent scrambling over the rocks to get back down, she finally reached the bottom of the cliff, and walked across sand and bushes towards the better-maintained road leading to the Visitor Center.

It was as she began to walk down that road after having passed the bench at the end of the small trail she had taken that her earpiece rang again, Jetfire’s voice filling her eardrum. “Oh, Suletta. One last thing?”

She stopped, puzzled at what her friend wanted to tell her. “Yes?”

“If a stranger offers you candies, you’re not supposed to take them.”

She felt her face flush in embarrassment. “J-Jetfire!” she exclaimed, making sure not to shout too loudly as to not attract attention – not that there appeared to be anyone nearby. “I’m not a kid!”

“I am at least twenty-three thousand times older than you. You are most definitely a child.”

“Nu-uh! N-not talking to you!” And with that, she pressed the muting button on the earpiece, not wanting to hear his teasing any longer.

Seriously, the nerve of that bot, she thought with a pout as she resumed walking.

She wanted to squeal in happiness. She knew it would scare them away, but God, it was so hard holding it back in.

“They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“There is a certain majesty to them, I will concede.”

Right now, they were staying as still as they could within the confines of the forest, doing their best not to do anything that could frighten the small herd in front of them and cause the animals to run away.

It was a small group of wild horses, of eight in number, going about the slopes before them, searching for any food they could find. Suletta was currently watching them with starry eyes, taking in the different colors of their pelts, and how each animal seemed to move with a sense of grace.

They somewhat reminded her of Brahe, Earth House’s yak, and though she had been slightly fearful of the animal at first – after all, it had been her first time seeing one of her kind – she had slowly but surely grew accustomed to the yak, and had even tried petting her a few times.

Of course, Brahe had been a tamed animal – though Miss Aliya had warned her to be careful nonetheless – which was not the case for the herd of horses before them. There was no way for her to know how they would react to human presence, so it was best to stay away.

The youngest member of the group, a foal with a brown coat speckled with white spots, accidentally kicked a pebble with his hoof, sending it rolling a little lower down the slope. The sudden sound and movement caused the young animal to jump up and seek comfort from the one Suletta suspected of being his mother. The mare quickly went to nudge her nose in her little one’s flank, a display of affection that made the red-haired girl sigh, both out of fondness and of some other feeling she could not quite put the name on.

“I wonder…” She rose up slightly, and began tip-toing towards another tree. “Do you think we can get any closer?”

“Sorry, but I'm afraid that won't be possible. Park regulations state that visitors must stay at least forty feet away from wild horses. As well as refrain from feeding them. That’s all in that book of yours by the way.”

She paused mid-movement, one foot still in the air, before cranking her head to look up behind her and towards Jetfire. “S-so… how far am I right now?”

He looked down at her, then towards the herd, and back at her again. “Forty-one feet.”

At that, she set the foot she had kept in the air down. “And now?” she asked him, her face forming into the hint of a grin.

Jetfire too seemed to be amused by her actions, if his smile was any indication. “Well, aren’t you a clever one.”

“So? How much?”

“Forty feet. Not one more, not one less.”

“No rules broken then?”

“Certainly none that would send Prowl into a rage. At least none that we know of,” he told her, his lips still drawn up in a smile.

With that, they both returned to watching the herd, the animals still oblivious to their presence, and going by their own devices.

“Say, Jetfire,” Suletta spoke, once more breaking the silence of the present moment. “How come you knew about that anyway? I didn’t find it in the guide book myself.”

“If you had done more than quickly skim through it in your excitement, you probably would have found it,” he pointed out, causing her face to match her hair as embarrassment hit her. “Though I would be lying if I said that I did not do some research beforehand.”

“Oh. That’s… quite the initiative,” she blurted out, surprised by  So we would not break rules?”

“Partly, but mostly to avoid a repeat of yesterday.”

Remembering his predicament with his avian friends from yesterday, Suletta stifled a laugh against the back of her hand, the sounds coming out as a soft giggle.

“It did take some effort and time to get those ravens away, that’s for sure. I can see why you don’t want that to happen again.” Eager to get payback for his earlier teasing, she took the courage to add, “T-that's too bad though, I'm sure they miss their big, featherless brother.”

“Really, Suletta?” he retorted, one of his eyebrows raised in disbelief at the low blow she had just delivered. “Should we talk about that frog you tried to befriend?”

She pressed a finger to her lips, her brows furrowing in thought. “Wasn’t it a toad?”

“Whatever.”

“It’s a cave alright,” Suletta commented, as she stood in front of the giant crevice that cut through the rock formation.

Jetfire nodded. “So it is.” He looked down towards the girl at his feet. “Does it look like anything in that guide book of yours?”

Slipping her backpack off her shoulders, she placed it on the ground and knelt down to rummage through it, looking for the object in question. Once she found it, she quickly read through it, before stopping on a page that bore a picture of a cave looking very much like the one before them.

She held the guide book up for Jetfire to see, the Autobot having taken a knee to peer closer at the page.

“Yup. Robber’s Roost. The guide says that outlaws used it as a hideout long ago,” she told him, summing up what was written. “Should we go explore?”

Jetfire looked down at her with a stare of incredulity. “Seriously?” he asked her, his voice monotone while one of his eyebrows was raised at the absurdity of her question. “Does it look like I can even fit in there?”

“I… I mean,” she stammered, “Arcee and Bulkhead did, no?”

He raised a finger. “First off, different cave.” A second finger. “Secondly, we are not of the same size.” Finally, he concluded by adding a third finger, saying, “And lastly, from my experience, caves and Cybertronians do not mesh well.”

“O-oh. Okay.” A pause, before she added, “Then what if I went in alone?”

It took Jetfire a moment to answer, several seconds passing as he stared at her silently, a blank look on his face. “Fourth point” –she watched as he raised his hand to show her four open digits— “you have no experience in speleology.”

She must have been looking at him with a confused stare, because he quickly clarified what he meant by saying, “Cave exploring.”

“Well, I’m used to going out into space. A-and I already flew through asteroids long ago. S-so, it can’t be that different.”

“Suletta… just because I can fly, does not mean I can swim. The same goes for you too.”

That was a… weird comparison to say the least, but she kinda understood where he was getting to.

Still, it wasn’t as bad as he made it sound like. “I-if it helps, I’ve also already crawled through vents before,” she added, ignoring as much as she could how her mind flared up at the memories of Plant Quetta.

Jetfire stared at her with his mouth slightly open, an impression of perplexity in his optics. “I do not know what you were doing before you came here, but my point still stands: no,” he told her sternly.

“I-it will be fine,” she tried to reassure him, as she turned around to walk towards the cave. “I won’t go faaaaaar?!”

A shriek escaped her when Jetfire caught her by her waist between two digits to bring her before his face, making sure to gently keep her in his hold so he would neither hurt her nor let her fall.

“Suletta.” His voice was still stern, and she suddenly got the impression that she was like a kitten being scolded by its mother. “No.”

She pressed her hands together and gave Jetfire the most pleading look she could. “Please? Just a quick peek?” she begged him.

He stared at her for a few seconds, before closing his eyes, his face scrunching up as he weighed up the pros and cons.

With a heavy sigh, he lowered her back to the ground. “You are only allowed to go a few feet from the entrance, and you must remain within my sight. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir!” She gave him a mock salute, before turning on her heels and returning to walking towards the cave.

“A moment, if you please.”

She stopped, craning her head behind her to look up at him. “Yes?”

He pointed a finger at her. “Not a word to Prowl or the others – but mostly Prowl. I would never hear the end of it.”

Suletta recalled the exchange he and Prowl had had back at the base, and imagined a pair of scenarios should the police bot hear of how Jetfire had relented because of her ‘puppy eyes’. In one, the Aerialbot would suffer his comrade's incessant teasing, and in the other, she could see him receiving a stern lecture from the excessively serious and strict Autobot.

Not wishing for her friend to take away her cave pass, she bit her lip to prevent herself from grinning, and asked, “In a good, or bad way?”

“Both.”

“Phew! I’m spent,” Suletta exclaimed, dropping down on a boulder to rest.

Jetfire, standing above her with his arms crossed, sent her an amused look. “I’m the one doing most of the travelling, and you still manage to complain?”

“You’re tall, Jetfire. That means more ground covered when you walk.” She wiped a bead of sweat that was falling down her temple. “By comparison, I feel like I’m just shuffling along.”

He remained silent for a few seconds, apparently considering her words, before nodding. “You do have a point.” A tone of concern in his voice, he asked, “Still though, are you alright?”

She weakly nodded, tired from the heat and all the non-stop walking for hours without rest. “Just give me a minute to rest and drink,” she answered, foraging through her backpack to bring out her water bottle, “and I'll be ready to g—Oh my God, snake!”

She abruptly let go of the bottle the moment she caught sight of the reptile curled up against it, kicking it away from her before clumsily grabbing her backpack, and scuttering in panic in the direction opposite to the snake.

Said reptile, undeterred by the sudden action – and probably annoyed as well by what she had just done – began to slither along the boulder’s surface and towards her, causing her to panic even more when she saw it hiss menacingly at her.

Thankfully, she managed to get off the rock just in time before disaster struck. Not in the form of the snake striking at her, but rather Jetfire’s foot colliding with the boulder she had laid on mere moments ago, sending it and the unfortunate reptile airborne and away from them both, while also catching her in his palm at the same time.

In the blink of an eye, where had previously rested a boulder for hundreds, thousands, if not millions of years, now lied a massive hole in the forest floor, giving the impression to any hiker oblivious as to what had happened that something had literally been ripped out of the ground by the force of an explosion – which considering what had actually occurred, and the sound Jetfire’s foot had made as it had hit the boulder, was not so far from the truth as one might think.

She barely had time to see it plow through the trees around them, flying above a few houses built below, before it struck a cliff side at the other end of the valley with such force that even from where they stood, both human and Autobot caught the loud bang rock exploding against rock made just as if they had been right beside it.

They watched, aghast, as a cloud of dust rose from where the boulder had impacted the mountain, while birds flew away, frightened by the sudden sound, an action that was likely shared by many of the furry inhabitants of the forests and mountains of the area.

Oops. Not good.

“E-everything alright, Suletta?”

Without even averting her eyes from the mountain before them, she offered him a nod. “A-a bit shaken, b-but I’ll manage.” Inside her chest, and for the second time this day, she could feel her heart beat like a drum, threatening to burst.

That had certainly caught her by surprise. Far more than the two men had earlier today. But this time, it was kinda her fault. She should have been more careful with her stuff, especially since the guide book had said—

Her heart skipped a bit and her eyes widened at that. Quickly, she went for her backpack, opening it in search of her trustee guide book. One she found it, she quickly opened it to look for the pages regarding the fauna of the area, desperately seeking the information she needed.

“J-Jetfire, before you kicked that snake away, d-did you catch w-what it looked like?”

He looked down at her with wide eyes, an expression of sheer confusion and incredulity on his face. “What? No, I was—”

“D-did it look like any here on the list?!” she cried out, showing him a page with several pictures of snake.

He looked down at the photographs, before shaking his head. “Like I was going to say… I was too busy kicking it away from you to care about that. You were closer to it, so surely you got a better look—”

“I was too busy running away from it to do so! I-it could have been a very rare animal, o-or—” She gasped, and brought her hands against the sides of her head when realization struck her, and whispered, “Oh my God… We probably killed an endangered species. This is bad. Like, r-really bad.”

Jetfire’s expression mirrored hers at her words. “Oh Primus. I just splattered a protected animal. This is most definitely a crime. Granted, it was going to attack you, but still.”

“I-it was only doing so because I scared it! Oh no, poor Mister Snake!”

“Prowl will go absolutely ballistic if he knows I broke a human law.”

Her head shot up. “We broke the law?! A-am I going to prison?!”

“You are not going to jail, Suletta!” he reassured her. “I-I mean, I did it, so logically, I should go? Isn’t that how it works here?”

“W-where would they even find a cell big enough to hold you?!”

“I don’t know!”

Their panicked exchange came to an abrupt halt when they heard the sound of distant voices, and to their increasing dismay, they realized that their action had not just caused the animals to run away, but had also caught the attention of the bipedal inhabitants of this place – that is, humans – as a few people quickly exited their houses, interrupted in their activities by a crack of thunder on a sunny day. An abnormality that would indeed be cause for concern, and that could only lead someone to look for what had happened.

A logical course of action, but one that would not work in their favor.

“J-Jetfire? W-what do we do?”

“Well… we certainly made quite a mess, did we not? So logically, we should own up to that… right?” His voice was full of uncertainty, as if he was not sure what to do either.

“I… I don’t disagree, b-but… how are we going to do that?”

They looked at each other, their stares interlocking as the peculiar nature of their situation hit them, both having quickly understood that, although this was the most logical conclusion – as well as something any self-respecting member of society would likely do – this was definitely not the sort of thing that would be easily resolved with a mere apology. Especially when the sight of Jetfire was guaranteed to cause even more chaos.

“On second thought… that might indeed be a bit complicated to achieve,” he conceded.

“T-then… s-should we… hightail it o-out of there while we still can, a-and if a-asked… pretend nothing bad happened?”

“…It might be for the best, yes…”

Jetfire turned around, facing away from the scene of chaos they had just caused, and walked deeper into the woods to get as much distance as possible between them and the houses, so they would not attract too much attention the moment they flew away from the mountain.

Then again, with how much of a mess they had caused, she doubted the people below would bother to look in their direction.

“Jetfire?” He stopped and looked at her. “N-not a word to the others?”

“Definitely not,” he replied, nodding simultaneously, before resuming his walk away from the scene of their disaster.

Suletta brought her knees close to her chest and hugged them, before letting out a heavy sigh, disappointed that their trip had ended like this.

“We really need to plan this better, don’t we?” she muttered.

“Agreed.”

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada – Part 1

Autobot Outpost Omega One.

Days since Suletta's arrival: 12

“Cap?”

“Here,” Suletta said, raising the item in question – the same one she had worn during their first meeting actually – for her partner to see.

“Sunscreen?”

Rolling up her sleeves, she showed him her bare arms. “Applied, and I carry the tube if I need it.”

“Water bottle?”

“Always.”

“First-aid kit?”

“Hopefully not needed.”

“Your curiosity?”

Suletta began to mechanically dig through the contents of her backpack, before stopping as her mind finally processed Jetfire’s request. Her face drawn into a pout, she looked up at her expectant partner and gave him an empty, unamused stare. “Hilarious,” she muttered, feeling a little bit of annoyance seeping through her voice.

Jetfire, as always towering above her due to his size – though right now he was crouched down near her level with one knee against the ground, and the other serving as a resting spot for his arm – bobbed his head up and down in a brief motion. “Good, I can see you remain quite alert despite the repetitive and monotonous aspect of this task. It is an important thing to have on the field.”

Suletta looked him straight in the optics and crossed her arms against her chest. “You tried to make a joke, didn’t you?” she pointed out, both a remark and a retort, as she felt that his words were just intended to deflect from his true intentions – namely, to tease her.

“Like I said, I was merely making sure you were still alert.”

“…Right…” she said, still unconvinced. Knowing she would not get anything else from him on that, she decided to return to the subject of their discussion, and asked, “Is there anything else I should make sure I have?”

Placing a finger against his lips, he gazed up, his optics staring off in the direction of the ceiling, before shaking his head. “None that I can think of, no.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I have forgotten something…” And for the love of God, she could not remember what.

“That is probably your instinctive need of being over-prepared talking, Suletta. It will pass with time and experience.”

“If you say so,” she replied, while she went back to checking the contents of her backpack. Thinking about his comment, she dared to ask, “I-isn’t that a good thing though?”

He tilted his head. “What is?”

“Being over-prepared.”

For the second time in barely a little more than a minute, he fell silent, thinking over her words. “Not really, no. Though it is a bit more complicated than a ‘yes or no’ answer. Tell me, have you ever heard of the idiom ‘Prevention is better than cure’?” he asked, making Suletta glance up towards him.

She scratched the top of her scalp, brows furrowed in a look of intense thought while she looked down at the ground. “Isn’t that a fancy way of saying ‘Better safe than sorry’?”

He nodded. “It is indeed. Now, tell me, would you say that you were over-prepared yesterday by packing those cold-weather clothes, or that you had prepared knowingly?”

She pressed her lips together. Although she had herself confessed to have taken more than intended, once confronted with her broken expectations, she had not packed these gloves, beanie and this coat more padded than the jacket she currently had on her back on a whim.

She looked up at Jetfire, who was quietly awaiting her reply. “The latter. I think…?”

“You do not sound very sure of yourself.”

“Definitely the latter,” she repeated, her voice stronger, having mustered all the confidence she could.

Jetfire's mouth curved into a smile, and he gave her an appreciative nod. “Good. It is always important to be certain of your decisions. In this case, what was the rationality behind that choice?”

“Well… You brought me to a mountain top the day before, and there was snow there. So I assumed we might go to some place with snow again, hence why I grabbed these clothes.”

She had been surprised when Mrs. Darby had lent her the items in question, not necessarily for the gesture in itself, but rather the fact she had them in the first place. She would have to ask her about the reason for having them in her possession, especially since it could hint at the weather going through a drastic change come the winter season. Jasper may have been in a desert, but that might not necessarily mean she could afford to keep wearing a light jacket all year, nor go out without protecting her skin from the elements.

“Given the information at your disposal, that choice of yours would not entirely fall under over-preparation, contrary to what you might have thought yesterday,” Jetfire commented, with Suletta hanging on to his every words. “The higher you climb, the more the temperatures drop. Though as a pilot yourself, I believe this information is not new to you.”

It indeed was not. However, this was mostly something they had been told about in theoretical teachings, and which had hardly came up during practice, duels, or in her case, outer space rescue operations. The evolution in technology meant that Mobile Suits were pressurized – a function already present in the fighter jets of old, and which had carried over even decades after that era – and wearing their pilot suit gave them an added protection against the elements.

Though the biggest reason as to why what Jetfire was describing had never been an issue to her was because experiencing such temperature swings would have only been possible had she been inside a planet’s atmosphere, and that had never happened until she stepped foot on Earth.

At the nod she gave to show she understood the logic behind his words, he continued, “So your decision to bring warmer clothing was not wrong. Even more so since there are special precautions to take when hiking in the mountains.” He gave her a flat look. “Although, I would argue the gloves were not needed.”

“O-oh,” she blabbered, feeling her face flush a bit. “Then… in which case would I be over-prepared?”

“Well, to continue with the warm clothing example, that would be if you took this type of clothing to the beach, knowing full well that this is not the season for it.”

“But… what if there was a sudden change in the weather?” This was a detail she had briefly read about in the guide book, and the way it had been highlighted with that danger symbol on the side had told her she should not ignore it. “Like… a storm or something?”

“Again, while such a thing might happen, it is usually easily predicted thanks to weather stations – albeit with the occasional unexpected development. All you need to do beforehand is to plan your excursion accordingly, and bring with you what you are certain you will need. Anything else is just extra baggage, and—”

“What Jetfire is getting at, is that the more you carry, the heavier you are, and as such the more energon you use. Don’t ask me why he turned such a simple explanation into a lengthy lecture though.”

The human-Autobot pair perked up slightly, startled from their conversation by the feminine mechanical voice, whom they quickly identified as Arcee herself, having both recognized her voice and visually confirmed her presence by looking in her direction, and by the same occasion, took note of the fact that there was not just one Autobot, but two, as she was accompanied by Bulkhead, making for quite the contrasting duo. Yet it did not surprise Suletta in the slightest, given how she had already seen them being paired up upon her first meeting with the Autobots.

Thinking about Arcee’s comment, Suletta guessed it made sense. Although, given how Mobile Suits always tended to go onto the field with the same loadout, what the Autobot was describing was something she had not personally experienced. Which may have been different for them Cybertronians.

Actually, now that she thought about it, was that really the case? They could already transform into vehicles, but what about their weapons? She could not remember having seen any on them when they had left for this mission two days ago, so surely that meant they had to store their weapons somewhere within them, right?

“Bulkhead, Arcee,” Jetfire saluted as he rose up, while Suletta waved at them, having chosen to set aside her interrogations to greet the two newcomers, courtesy obliging. “Ready for patrol, I suppose?”

Arcee frowned, surprising Suletta with her reaction. “You would know, if you had actually taken the time to go to the briefing this morning,” she chastised, her voice dripping with disapproval as she stood before the both of them, arms crossed over her chestpiece like an adult about to scold a child.

“My apologies,” he said, though Suletta could not help but notice that he did not appear as apologetic as he let on, especially when he refused to meet his compatriot's gaze. “I had… other matters to attend to.”

“More important than a team meeting?”

He gave a shrug of his shoulders, seemingly unfazed by Arcee's stern, berating tone. “I am certain that, had Optimus needed me here for that, he would have made sure to contact me.”

The two-wheeler Autobot looked ready to retort something, her stance tense and her optics narrowed into a glare that was locked onto Jetfire.

Next to her, Bulkhead's own optics shifted rapidly from one bot to another, his massive jaw slightly agape, the massive Autobot appearing to dread for the turn the conversation could take.

But after a brief glance at Suletta, which the girl returned by tilting her head to one side, the features of her face expressing the utmost perplexity, Arcee finally relaxed, her shoulders slumping as she let out a sigh, and muttered, “We’ll talk about this later, Jet.”

The Aerialbot remained impassive, and whether he heard her or not, none of them could know or even guess.

Turning her attention away from Jetfire to look at Suletta, Arcee flashed the young girl a smile, the animosity she had displayed mere seconds ago seemingly forgotten. “Anyway, off for another trip?”

Suletta nodded vigorously. “Y-yup! We’re going to…” She paused, bringing a finger to her lips as she tried to recall the name of the place Jetfire had told her about. “What was it again?” she asked her guardian, looking up at him.

“Red Rock Canyon. It lies on the other side of the mountains we were at yesterday, more to the southeast.”

“It’s just wilderness though, isn’t it?” Arcee remarked. “I know those are the types of places you personally enjoy, but don’t you want to bring her to someplace more... I don’t know, livelier?”

“Like cities? You forget, Arcee, that I am not exactly inconspicuous.” He pointed both index fingers at himself, gesturing up and down to illustrate his point. “I already have to be careful wherever I bring Suletta, and the likelihood of encountering a native when I do so is fairly low. So mildly or heavily populated areas are off-limits for me.”

“Still though, don’t you think she’s missing out on stuff?” Bulkhead asked, brows knitted together in what seemed to be concern. “Like Arcee said, it’s probably boring out there, and it might not be a good idea to have her isolate herself like you do.”

“I-I really don’t mind!” Suletta hastily replied, butting in their conversation. “Jetfire is showing me m-many interesting things, and I’m learning a lot from him! S-so it’s okay if there are places where we can’t go.”

Bulkhead threw his head back and his laughter filled the hall, a rumble which boomed through the place like thunder echoing against the walls of a cave. “You’re easier to please than Miko, that’s for sure,” he told her once after quieting down, and Suletta could not help but flush a little at the comment. “Still, if you wish to see some place Jetfire can’t get to, Arcee, Bee or myself won’t mind offering you a ride.”

“O-oh!” It was the only thing she could blurt out on the moment, the offer having taken her by surprise. “T-that's very kind of you, but... I wouldn't want to impose, and...” She glanced up towards Jetfire, unsure of what to say, fearing agreeing or rejecting the proposal could offend either one of the Autobots.

Luckily, he took notice of her gaze on him, and grasped on her silent plea for help. “We shall think about it, thank you,” he told the two, offering them a nod as a gesture of thanks. Crouching down once more to be as close to Suletta’s level as he could, he extended a palm towards her, his gaze focused entirely on her, thus addressing his comrades without looking at them, “Now, if you do not mind, the two of us have a schedule to follow, and we have strayed here for far too long. So we shall take our leave.”

Repeating yesterday’s actions, Suletta climbed into Jetfire's hand – once she'd made sure her backpack was properly closed of course – the giant bringing her up higher, near his chestpiece, after he had raised his arm up.

As the two made to leave – or well, Jetfire did to be more accurate, since she was just kinda tagging along for the ride – they were once again stopped in their tracks at the last moment.

“Jetfire, before you go,” Arcee spoke, stopping the Autobot before he could begin walking away. “Any idea of where Prowl disappeared to?”

He stared at her for a moment, his face devoid of any emotion or any sign which could have hinted or outright revealed what he might be thinking, and shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine. But, knowing him, I have no doubt that he is quite preoccupied with some matter at the moment.”

The female Autobot returned his words with a slight frown, her optics narrowed at him while she remained silent, while Jetfire stood still on his spot, waiting for her to say or do something.

Her reply came after a few seconds, when she waved him off before turning around and walking towards some other area of the base. “Have a nice day then, you two. Just make sure you don’t come back too late, alright?”

Jetfire nodded, then went back on his way, while Suletta waved goodbye to the two Autobots. “Thank you! H-have a nice day too!”

Now that they were back in the corridor leading to the elevator, out of sight and earshot of their companions, Suletta returned her attention to Jetfire. She pressed her index fingers together, an absent-minded gesture she did while she pondered on what to do next, and whether it was a good idea for her to ask what was eating at her mind.

However, she could not help but need to satisfy her curiosity, and so she decided to take the leap, noting with irony the déjà-vu feel of the situation. “You… did something… didn’t you?”

Jetfire casted a quick glance towards her, before his eyes returned on the path they were on. “Not since last time, no.”

“So… how come I didn’t have any trouble entering the base either today?” It might have been a stupid thing to ask, but that detail – which was perhaps mundane – still intrigued her now that Arcee had inquired about Prowl’s absence. Especially when she was aware of the fact Jetfire had been the one to grant her access to the base yesterday, which had not pleased the police bot.

However, while that might explain his absence, it was still strange that Arcee would ask Jetfire about it today. After all, shouldn’t Prowl have fixed that by now?

Or perhaps he had, but when outside, there was no difference between someone who had no permission to access the base and someone who did, especially if the entrance to the base had to be opened manually each time an ‘outsider’ approached. In that case, maybe he was busy with something else?

She did not have enough perspective on the subject to know which answer was correct. But, she had a nagging feeling that her suspicion of his absence being related to her companion was quite correct.

“Because I opened the entrance when you approached?” he offered.

She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him. “That sounds like a question. Are you asking me, or are you telling me?”

“…The latter?”

“Y-you don’t sound too certain…”

The titan smiled, the irony of seeing his own earlier words turned against him not lost on him. “Alright, to be honest with you, I have indeed not done anything more than I already did before yesterday. That I swear,” he finished, placing his free hand against his chest, as someone taking an oath would.

“But Prowl is still busy working on what you did, right? D-don’t you think that’s not really nice to him? To make things so difficult?” She caught the strap of her bag between her fingers in an attempt to distract herself and hopefully calm her nerves. Usually, she would have just unconsciously fiddled with her fingers, but she did not want Jetfire to notice her uneasiness regarding the current topic. “I-I mean, I’m glad you went out of your way to make sure I could go in and out of the base as I saw fit, but… if it's really a problem, then… I don't mind things going back to the way they were for you all,” she finished, the last words coming out as a whisper.

The good mood that had been present on his traits vanished, his face now set into a scowl that he appeared to be doing his best to keep in check. “Suletta... Optimus has entrusted me with the task of looking after you, and making sure your stay with us goes well for as long as you are here. If some of my decisions regarding you are not to the liking of the others – Prowl chief among them – then so be it. But I will not have you believe that being sidelined to accommodate their whims would make things better for anyone.”

“It… It’s not about me!” Her sudden shout caused Jetfire to stop abruptly, optics and mouth opened wide. The bot stood still as a statue, save for the few short blinks of his eyelids, and his ventilation system shaking his body with small and faint rising and falling motions.

Realizing how loud she had been, and worried this could attract attention to them, before continuing in a lower voice, “I-I’ve heard what Arcee said about how you weren’t there for a meeting, a-and there was also that moment with Prowl yesterday.”

The encounter had popped up in her mind when she was trying to fall asleep in her bed at the Darby’s home, along with other past comments regarding the Aerialbot. And although neither Prowl nor Jetfire had been too antagonistic towards one another, the interaction had oddly reminded of her earlier ones with Mister Guel or Miss Miorine, back during her first days at school.

And despite her joking about the two Autobots behaving like children, there was that dreaded feeling in the back of her mind that Jetfire may have actually worsened his relationship with his comrade… or that it was actually worse than she had originally assumed. And not just with Prowl, but the others as a whole.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and hesitantly pursued, “Like I said, I’m happy that you’re doing all that for me, but… I’m worried that you’re being at odds with everyone else, and…” She bit her bottom lip, knowing full well that she was probably intruding on something she should not, and that her next words might damage her friendship with Jetfire – if the Autobot did see her as his friend – but she had to say it nonetheless, “Don’t you think you should spend more time with them all? I… I don’t want you to jeopardize your friendship with them because of me.”

Her guardian stared down at her, still gawking in silence as he processed what she had just said, making the feeling of worry and dread in her stomach rise by the seconds.

However, his stupor did not last long, and with her eyes still trained on him, Suletta did not fail to notice the change in his posture. Namely, a small drop of his shoulders, while up above, his face fell as much as the few facial characteristics of their species would allow, and something she could not quite decipher flashed through his optics.

It was clear to her that the Autobot's mood had completely transformed into something else. Regret? Sadness? She did not know for sure, but what she could see from him now was something she had already witnessed a handful of times in him, in these moments when he became somber.

“Believe me, Suletta,” he spoke, his voice low, a mumble that carried neither warmth nor coldness in its tone, which one could have easily read as a sign of a lack of emotion had she not recognized the hints of regret and longing that barely filtered through. “They do well enough without me around…”

And just like that, the matter was dropped completely, the two finishing their walk to the elevator in a heavy silence, Suletta hugging her knees to her chest as she bitterly regretted having brought up the subject, not even able to offer an apology for fear of making things worse than she already had, yet silently praying that in spite of that, her partner would not hold these unwelcome comments against her.

“There’s actually less to do here than I thought we could,” Suletta commented as she sat cross-legged on a rock, her eyes going over the words written in the guide book she had grabbed at the Visitor Center for the park.

The journey there had taken her a good forty minutes on foot, given that the building stood on a plateau devoid of anything Jetfire could have used to hide. So he had had no choice but to land a mile to the north of it, waiting in a small ravine while she made the trip to and back from the building.

Of course, they had already did some research on the area beforehand, but given the limited options offered on what websites they had scoured, she had opted to get more documentation at the Visitor Center, hoping that they would propose some things that would not have been mentioned on the internet.

As it turned out, she had been mistaken in her assumption – a regular occurrence in the span of two days – and all she had gotten out of that was a trip under the scorching hot sun, and one more book to add to the one from yesterday. At the rate things were going, she was well on the way to build a collection of those.

“I beg to disagree,” her partner said. He sat in front of her, resting his back against the wall of the natural trench, his right leg folded with his knee serving as a resting spot for his arm. “Trails, climbing spots, a scenic drive? There is a lot to do for the people around here.”

“But not for you,” she pointed out, her features drawn into a frown. She looked up at him. “I mean, the others would probably not be able to do most of the things listed here either, but at least the scenic drive is something they could do. With you turning into a plane however…”

He shrugged, seemingly unbothered by that drawback. “Alt-mods are both a blessing and a curse. It might be useful in some situations, and detrimental in others. I can fly, meaning I can go to places the others cannot, but likewise—

“They can go to places you can’t.” Remembering his earlier talk with Arcee, she added, “Like cities.”

“Affirmative. Some Decepticons may sneer and look down at those in their ranks that are incapable of flight, but the truth of the matter is that without them, much of their covert operations would be impossible to achieve.”

“Is it not possible to change your alt-mode to something else entirely?” she inquired, their talk diverging from its original subject, with her more eager to learn about his side of things now that he had brought up this topic. “Or, have more than one form?”

She saw him lean back against the wall a little more, his wings pressing further against his back so they would not get in the way, a grating sound reaching her ears as metal pressed against rock.

He stayed like this for a few moments, optics turned towards the sky, until he straightened up to meet her eyes. “Regarding the first point, we are more or less locked into the type of vehicle we transform into following our creation, when we…” He paused, his eyebrows knitting together, before continuing, “’Evolve’, from being protoforms. However, I do know that it is possible for a Cybertronian to acquire an entirely new alt-mod, but the process probably require reformatting oneself or something else.”

“’Probably’?” She wiped a bead of sweat falling down her temple, and began to search through her backpack for her bottle. “You mean, you don’t know how it works?”

“Let’s just say that had knowledge of that been widespread, a lot of the problems that arose thanks to the Caste system could have been avoided. So yes, all I can offer on the topic is mere guesses.” He raised a finger and jerked it lightly in her direction, the motion not unlike the one a teacher would make when adding a point, or intending to catch the students’ attention on a specific detail. “However, I do know that a few Decepticons are quite different from how they originally looked, down to the nature of their alt-mod. Though in the case of one, this was likely the result of a complete reparation of his frame following life-threatening injuries.”

She stopped drinking at his last sentence, and felt her eyebrows rise slightly. “Who and what are you talking about?” she asked him, lowering the tip of the bottle away from her mouth.

“Megatron. In the context of having foolishly stood up to Metroplex, and being pummeled into the ground for it.” At the blank look that she gave him, he clarified, “He was a Titan. Someone multiple times his size. Think of a Cybertronian being able to change into a building.”

She felt a headache coming, and with her cap firmly set on her head, she knew it was not from the heat. Especially when her brain was trying and failing hard at coming up with mental images of what a Mobile Suit or a Cybertronian that size would look like, or how it would even work to begin with.

“I suppose he must have been quite the helpful ally for your people,” was all she could offer as a reply.

She heard him chuckle, so lowly that it sounded more like a long sigh, and it felt so hollow to her that she knew it could not have been from amusement. In fact, when she saw the distant look in his eyes, she could easily infer the type of thought going through his head, having seen that same look in the older miners she had known during her childhood, in those moments where they used to reminisce about their younger days with others of their age.

He looked up, the corner of his lips slightly curled up. “He was, yes.” His voice was soft, almost as quiet as a whisper, and she wished she could see the expression in his optics form where she was, for while his tone reminded her of how she sounded in those moments where she told her classmates of her loved-ones, there was a heaviness to his as he spoke these words.

“And… regarding my second question?” She wanted to ask more about what he had just told her about, especially since she had not missed the way he talked of this ‘Metroplex’ in the past tense, but knew that if she did, they would still be here once nightfall came. Not to mention that her mind had again begun to trail off towards the fond yet painful memories that she preferred to keep away for now.

More mental notes for later, I suppose. Actually, maybe I should start putting on paper all the names I’ve heard him mention as well. He and the others might have stories to tell about them.

“That is a whole other topic entirely, and one that I could probably go into details for quite a while,” he told her, unknowingly echoing her recent thoughts. “But, to keep it short, there exists a special kind of Cybertronians dubbed ‘Triple Changers’ because of their ability to change into three different forms, instead of the usual two the rest of our kind possesses. I have even heard rumors of a Decepticon warrior having five alternate modes – six with his Cybertronian form – though I could never verify those for myself. Then there are Shifters, who can actually alter their form to match that of anyone. Legends say they are descendants of one of the Thirteen Primes.”

Triple Changers? Shifters? Thirteen Primes? She rubbed her temples between her fingers, feeling the headache rising in intensity. As interesting as it was to hear, this was a lot to take in at once, and she cursed her curiosity for having gotten the better of her. Her brain certainly was making her understand quite well that it did not enjoy having so many things being crammed in at once.

“You know,” she started, her eyes pressed shut and her face scrunched up as she tried to ease the pain of her headache, “I’m glad no one decided to make our Mobile Suits as complicated as your kind is. I feel like my brain is gonna burst out of my skull, what with all the things you just told me.”

She would not have been too surprised had Jetfire bursted into a fit of laughter at her complaint. However, he settled for a soft chuckle, which in hindsight was the only thing he could really allow himself to let out without bringing too much attention to themselves. “We are a living, sentient species after all, Suletta, same as yours. If anything, you humans are actually blander than we are, given that you are pretty much all the same – barring, of course, the physical differences that exist from one group to the next.”

The Autobot slowly got up from his resting place against the cliff wall, giving quick moves of his head left and right as his optics scanned for any got up and gave a quick look left and right, before looking down at her. “Anyway, enough with the lessons. You and I are here to enjoy this place. And despite the obvious limitations of my form, that does not mean there are not things we can’t do.”

Putting back her bottle inside the bag, Suletta rose to her feet as well, and threw the bag on her shoulders. “Any idea of what to do, then?”

He smirked, a glint in his optics. “Come now, did you really think I would bring you here without having planned anything beforehand? I know this is only our third trip of the sort, but surely you do not have such little faith in me to think that?”

“To be fair,” she teased back, fighting against the grin that threatened to make its way on her face, “we… kinda messed up the last time.” Well, that event had been more concerning than funny, and it was definitely no reason to grin about, but the other one absolutely warranted it. “And the time before that. You know, with the crows and—”

“I thought we agreed not to mention it again,” he cut off, his smirk having vanished now that he had pressed his lips together in a stern expression, which Suletta felt did not match with the playful tone of his voice, and betrayed the fact he was just feigning annoyance. “Or is your sense of humor so strange that you would find entertainment in my suffering when under attack by avians?”

“Well… It was kinda cute, with how cozy they all were, hanging around you. Or, on you,” she could not help but add, putting emphasis on the second-to-last word.

“Are you done with that naughtiness of yours so we can finally get going, or do I need to fetch a frog to make you reevaluate your definition of 'cute'?”

“Nothankyoutimetogo!” she hastily replied with quick shakes of her head that made her vision go blurry. Unfortunately for her, that only served to worsen her headache even more once motion sickness kicked in, causing her to grab her head between her hands and groan in pain as she made her way out of the crevice.

He huffed. “That’s what I thought,” he quipped, sounding very much satisfied at having won that little joust of theirs, before following after her.

For her part, Suletta did not even feel annoyed by that, instead finding his good mood to be comforting in light of her earlier blunder. She had feared she had completely screwed up her friendship with him after what she had said at the base, but seeing as how it did not seem to affect his opinion of her filled her with a soothing warmth.

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada – Part 2

“So, these are the famous…” Suletta trailed off, looking down at the kiosk before her for the correct word, taking the time to read it a few times so she could properly articulate it once she continued, “petroglyphs that can be found here. Well, some of them at least.”

The strange pair of hikers – one human, one Autobot – stood in front of the engraved rock, its surface covered with symbols of all shapes and sizes, the bright white shapes contrasting sharply with the darker, reddish-brown color of the sunburned stone.

Although there was little to observe, the nature of what they were looking at meant that there was, paradoxically, much to contemplate. Though she could not really understand what the shapes before her were exactly, nor their meaning, her mind conjured forth images of elements of real life whose likeness was close to what her eyes could see.

Here, the shape of a circle surmounting a straight line flanked by smaller lines running perpendicular to it, like the many appendages of a centipede, evoked the idea of a flower. Or there, these two circular forms, a small circle atop an inverted and elongated U-shape, reminded her of a person, who in the context of this engraving would watch over distant mountains, the shape of the line behind being very reminiscent of mountain tops in the way it was drawn.

The silliest match she made however had to do with a set of three identical shapes, three long lines each dotted with four small lines crossing them perpendicularly, with a fifth longer line at their base connecting them all. It was obvious that the image one should conjure would be that of plants or flowers, yet the first thing she thought of was of glass insulators, like those found on power poles. As if the old inhabitants of these plains would even have known what it was.

Of course, her interpretations were likely all wrong, given that the true meaning of these shapes was probably lost to time, regardless of whether the drawings were meant to represent something found in this environment, or if they were abstract in nature. From what she could read, the people behind the informative kiosk in front of her appeared to be of the opinion that these petroglyphs served a purpose in the daily life of the natives, though even them were indecisive as to what it might have been.

They did mention that these symbols still seemed to have a meaning to the descendants of the ones who had first engraved them centuries ago, so perhaps she might learn more from them should she decide to explore that topic a little further?

But there was more to the rock than just the carvings that were petroglyphs however. A few designs in red paint also appeared here and there, and though their meaning was also lost to Suletta, there were a few that were hard to miss, being perhaps the most trivial in nature, yet the ones which carried the most emotional weight behind them. Because the painted handprints she could see were a window into a past no one remembered, engraved for all eternity as a silent proof that there used to be living, breathing people there.

She wondered if some people, driven by sentimentality or child-like innocence, had tried to trace with their fingers these ancient handprints, or even pressed their hands to it, a gesture to commune with or acknowledge these ancient people, two souls separated by the currents of time yet connecting in spite of it.

She pressed her eyes shut, doing her best to draw away from these melancholic thoughts, for they led her mind to conjure scenarios born from her own station, and those very thoughts made her chest constrict in a way that brought her discomfort.

After all, if she were – in the worst-case scenario – to remain stuck in the past, would she consider doing something similar to what those people had done so long ago, only with the intention of sending a message to those she cared about in her case?

“It’s a bit like staring at hieroglyphs, now that I look at it,” she said aloud, to no one in particular, but more as a way for her to distance herself from what her mind was dwelling on, and fill the silence that surrounded them.

“The names sound similar, but aren’t the two completely different things?” She looked to her left, craning her head to stare at Jetfire, who stood with one hand against his chin, the arm connected to it resting by its elbow on the other, pressed against his chassis in a sling-like position. “From what I gathered, Egyptian hieroglyphs are a writing system that uses images as writing characters, while petroglyphs are just images carved into rocks.” Glancing down at her, he asked, “They taught you about that in school?”

“Not in school, but I was taught about that, yes.”

There had been evenings, when it had just been her and Aerial, where the Mobile Suit’s computer had displayed images of Earth: its History, its fauna, and more.

Now that she looked back at these moments, she wondered if it had not been ways for the girl inside the machine to escape – if only mentally – from the confines of her prison.

She continued, “Though the materials were always limited, since with the Spacian corporations having chosen to distance themselves from Earth, along with the conflicts the planet had went through, much of the planet’s History was lost, which also went for whatever recordings were still available – when they were not barred from access.”

“As though your leaders did not want you to know about your own past,” he remarked, lips pressing together as his face scrunched up. “Which, I must say, is weird. I know you mentioned that there is a clear distinction between earthborn humans and spaceborne humans in your era, but do you not share the same history in the end?”

She returned his question with a shrug, and went back to look at the rock engravings before her. She was not the best person to answer it after all, though she could nonetheless offer her own thoughts on the matter, “I guess they thought doing so could be Earthian propaganda, maybe? Besides, in my time, everything revolves around Mobile Suits or technology as a whole, so I think a lot of other fields of science vanished or became niche.” Though Miss Miorine’s greenhouse and Earth House’s stables were proof that some people still appreciated other things. “You’d get a clearer answer from my classmates from Earth though.” If they were here, that was.

She heard her partner snort softly, and so she looked back in his direction to see him staring at the wall as she had been seconds earlier, barely able to see the way the right corner of his lips had risen. “You are a rather strange species all in all. In your time, your people do not seem to show much care to their past – at least from what you tell me – and in the current century, we have some convinced that your greatest feats of prowess have to be the work of some other species, partly because they cannot imagine their ancestors having been able to accomplish said feats, or straight-up deception.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, amused by the absurdity of it all. “No idea what would lead them to assume the second one though.”

She turned her head sideways, hiding her face from sight. “You probably find us… disappointing. What with how we are…” she muttered, shifting her weight uneasily from one foot to the other.

“I have no claim to any form of moral high ground, given what my species has done to our planet,” he replied more somberly. “You still have a long way to go before matching our failures, and I hope you never do.”

Letting out a long sigh that filled the air, he swiveled around, turning back to face the trail the trail. She followed his motion with her eyes, and raised her gaze to meet his own, the Autobot having paused to glance in her direction.

He gave a small jerk of his head. “Let us go somewhere else. I feel like we are about to drown in our respective sorrows if we stay here any longer.”

She returned his offer with a small nod, all too-happy to go along with his proposal, needing to find something pleasant to look at or do to cheer herself up.

The Autobot started the walk down back to the start of the trail, soft booms echoing each time his feet touched the ground, raising small clouds of dust and dirt as it did.

As she was about to follow after him, she paused, and turned towards the rock and its mysterious encryptures. Her eyes remained etched on it for several seconds, the girl silently taking in what was one of the last traces of the original inhabitants of this region, before closing her eyes and bowing slightly.

She remained in that stance for what was only a dozen of seconds, until Jetfire’s voice broke her back to reality. “Suletta?”

“I’m coming,” she told him, straightening up before turning around, pushing on her feet to catch up with him, leaving behind the relic of ages long past.

“I swear I saw it move,” Suletta mumbled, confused by what she had spotted. Was the heat getting to her or what? Since when did rocks move?

“I believe you. Although, I fail to see anything abnormal here.”

Jetfire was right. No matter how hard she looked in the direction she had seen movement, nothing in the landscape around them moved. Or, at least, nothing that would not have been moved by the wind. There were only rocks, bushes and sand and dirt as far as the eye could see, but not a single thing that could have moved by itself like she had witnessed.

Really, either she was going crazy from the heat, or something was playing tricks on her.

Jetfire, standing silent and tall in the middle of it all, a sight akin to a lone tree on a deserted island – they had made sure no one could spot the titan before taking the risk of going out into the open – rubbed his chin, his optics observing the desertic landscape just as she was doing with her own eyes. “It could have been a tortoise.”

“A tortoise?” She swung her head back to look behind her, the movement causing a lock of hair to fall in front of her eyes, one more obstacle blocking her clear view of Jetfire as he stood with the sun behind his back, the star blinding her and preventing her from reading the expression on his face. Perhaps the sunglasses were what she had forgotten to bring? “Here?”

He looked down at her, meeting her own stare. “You seem surprised, but that is the only thing I can think of which does not fall under mental or sensory strains. Tortoises are found everywhere on this planet. Is it so strange that we might find one here?”

“You tell me, you’re the expert on that stuff apparently, not me,” she replied, running her hand across her forehead to tuck back under her cap the annoying lock of hair, relieved to finally be rid of the tickling sensation on her nose.

The Autobot scoffed. “I would not really consider myself one, but it may be true that I have more knowledge on anything nature-related than you do, yes.” He knelt down to her level, his hands resting on his knees once he was sitting on the ground. “Is there nothing on this topic in your guide book?” he asked her with a small motion of his head towards her.

She quickly understood the motion as having been directed at her backpack, and so she took it off her shoulders, taking only a few seconds to get the book in question in her hands, since she had made sure to keep it easily accessible. After all, the one from Mount Charleston had proven useful yesterday, so better to keep that on hand.

“It does, yes!” she exclaimed, her finger landing sharply on the tortoise section of the ‘Fauna & Flora’ chapter of the guide book. “It even says it’s quite rare to see one in the wild! We’re lucky if that happens!”

“Do they specifiy if it is just ‘lucky’ in the broad sense of the term, or if it carries the same weight as shooting stars or four-leaf clovers? Because I am still somewhat trying to understand why your kind would associate events with a rational and scientific explanation with the abstract concept of luck.”

“Now I really want to find it.”

“Don’t.”

“B-but!”

“No.”

“Please?” she begged, pressing her hands together and flashing Jetfire the same pleading look she had yesterday.

Unfortunately, it appeared that as far as he was concerned, what worked once did not work twice, as the Autobot shook his head to reject her plea. “It can bite. Also, we have gotten into enough troubles these last two days with the fauna, and I have no intention for either of us to be playing bingo on that front.”

“But turtle!”

“Tortoise, not turtle.”

She tilted her head at the correction. “Aren’t those synonyms?”

“No. One lives on land, the other in the sea. Big difference.”

“Oh. Sooo, it’s like frog and toad then.” Though she could not quite remember what the difference was, apart that the latter was uglier than the former. “W-wait, how do you know so much about that?”

“I read about it.”

She pointed at the book in her hands. “In here?”

“No. Funny little story, but I once accidentally happened upon that place where there is this species of tortoise that can grow quite large. Large enough to fit within the palm of my hand without me having to worry about crushing them. Galapagos tortoises, I believe that is what they are called? Well, long story short, I got the coordinates wrong on one of my patrols over the ocean, and after landing on the nearest patch of land to find my bearing, I found myself surrounded by a few of them. Turns out, I was pretty much in the middle of some reserve for the species, and since there were some information boards nearby…” He shrugged. “Well, I decided to do some reading.”

“You know, I won’t judge you if you tell me you just wanted to see tortoises for yourself.” Because somehow, she found it hard to believe he had gotten there by accident. Especially if it was an island lost in the middle of nowhere.

Jetfire shook his head, rolling his optics at her words. “I have no idea about what you are talking about.”

“Right you do,” Suletta whispered, turning her head in the direction where she had spotted the animal to hide the small smirk on her lips. “Also, isn't that a bit…  inconsiderate of you? You probably gave the poor animals quite the scare. A-and what about the locals?”

“To my surprise, the little things seemed actually quite alright with me being around. And I am not foolish enough as to reveal the existence of our kind, either voluntarily or by accident. It was night, and I made sure there was no one around before touching the ground.”

Given his vehicle form and how loud it could be, she wondered how he pulled that off. However, that thought was of little consequence when her mind caught up with one of the things he had said, and so she spun back to face him. “W-wait, you saw tortoises?”

The Autobot tilted his head, puzzled by the question. “Yes? What of it?”

“That’s not fair!” she almost cried out, features flushed with annoyance. “How is it that you get to see them, but I can’t?”

He remained quiet, lips pressed together in thought, before replying, “Extraterrestrial privileges?”

She stared back at him with a blank look. What sort of explanation was that? “I wasn’t born on Earth, so wouldn’t I also benefit from those?”

“Well then, I am an adult, so I get more leeway on my up-and-goings.”

“So am I, actually.”

“Not according to the laws of this country, no.”

“But where I come from, yes.” Well, she was still a few months away from being one in an official manner, but that was only a legal matter.

“But you are not—” He caught himself at the last moment, before he could twist the metaphorical knife in the wound. “Well, counter-argument, I invoke seniority: I am the eldest, and you are only a fraction of how long I have functioned. And since I assume that ‘respecting your elders’ is still a thing in your time, that means I am in charge.”

She was ready to retort something, only for Jetfire to raise a finger and add, “No buts.”

Knowing she was now defeated, since she doubted she could manage to convince Jetfire to change his mind – and to be fair, a part of her mind also understood his presence would probably only serve to stress the poor creature – the girl felt her shoulders slump, and a long sigh escaped her.

“I guess no tortoise for today then…” she mumbled, dejected.

“If you are truly determined to see a tortoise, there is one at the visitor center.”

No sooner had her companion finished speaking that she straightened up. “There was? You saw it?” And he had not thought to mention that?

“No, of course not.” He pointed at her book. “They just wrote about it in here.”

Oh right. Obviously that was where he would have found it. “You could have told me about it while we were there…”

“I would, if I had seen it earlier.” There was a moment of pause, before he spoke again, “What do you want to do then?”

“…Well…” She thought about his question for a few seconds, before looking up at him, a smile on her lips. “I can’t pass the opportunity to check off a bingo box.” She tilted her head on the side, gauging his reaction. “Right?”

Jetfire raised an eyebrow at her. “You do realize that you will have to – again – walk under the sun for a good many minutes?”

“You do realize that tortoises.”

The hum he gave sounded like a half-contained snort. “Figures,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I suppose we better get going then.”

Suletta nodded, before striding away from their location, excited at the prospect of observing the reptilians with her own eyes.

“What did you say this place was?” Suletta asked without looking at Jetfire, her attention entirely drawn by the pool of water at her feet.

She had taken off her shoes and socks, and was now tentatively bringing a toe against the water, half-dreading the cold sensation that would hit her just as when she had first passed a hand through the water – to think that it could be that cold despite the heat had caught her by surprise – yet nonetheless eager to test it despite that.

“Ice Box Canyon Waterfall,” came from above the Autobot’s reply, an audible strain to his voice.

She did not have to look his way to know he was doing his best to maintain his pose where he was, the enclosed space of the canyon offering little foothold for someone his size.

She could not suppress the small smirk that made its way on her face at the image of the giant standing awkwardly on the perch he had found for himself, doing his best not to move too much as to not damage the area around them.

“It’s kind of a strange name for such a place, no?” she mused aloud, before letting out a small squeak as her big toe finally touched the surface of the water, quickly pulling her foot back as she felt the cold hit her.

“From what I gathered, it got its name from the fact that the sun rarely reaches the bottom of the canyon, hence why the temperature.” She heard the sound of a rock hitting another, followed by Jetfire mumbling something in a language she did not recognize, but that sounded like mechanical grunts and electronical noises to her ears. “As for the waterfall, it is apparently fed by the melting snow and ice of the winter, or when it rains, the latter being much more dangerous, as this can result in a flash flood taking over the area.”

“Thankfully, the weather is apparently merciful today,” she commented, and as she did, she moved back towards the pool of water, once more slowly approaching her feet close to the water. “A-at least, according to the reports.”

The downside however, was that there was no waterfall to speak of. There was water running down the cliff, but it was more a trickle than the waterfall that gave its name to the place.

“S-still, a bit disappointed that this is not the right time to see the waterfall,” she couldn’t help but add.

“I know a place or two where we can see one – not here, unfortunately,” Jetfire replied. “It might be a good idea for a future sortie.”

She nodded, her lips rising in a smile. “That would be nice, yeah.”

Once more, her toe brushed against the water, the cold sensation creeping up along her feet and leg a second time, and she felt the urge to pull away. However, she knew she would never achieve what she was trying to do if she went along with what her mind was screaming at her.

So, mustering up all her courage, she fought against her reflex to escape from the uncomfortable sensation, biting her bottom lip at the same time to distract her mind away from the cold. It seemed to be working, because once she managed to get a toe in the water, another followed, and another, until all five were fully immerged, sending small ripples along the surface.

Slowly but surely, she was getting used to the sensation of having her toes in this cooler environment, her discomfort gradually fading away. However, it was now time for her other leg to scream at her, her muscles letting her know how unhappy they were at being put under such strain as she stood in the same pose as a flamingo, with just one side of her body working to keep her balanced.

Unfortunately, perhaps because she had overestimated her own agility, or because the rock on which her right foot rested had chosen this moment to slide against another, what she had intended to be a slow but steady approach of the rest of her foot turned into a sudden plunge, her left foot now completely immersed in the ankle-deep puddle, the water licking the skin of her calf as a result of the ripples that shook the surface.

Of course, this could only translate in a sudden and sharp cry escaping her as the cold coursed up her leg. “Eek!”

“Are you alri—Oh scrap!”

An enormous crash broke the semi-silence that reigned in the canyon, and Suletta, worried for her comrade, turned around in a flash, her own battle against the coolness of the water forgotten for the moment.

“Jet—”

She could not finish her sentence in time, as a wave of water suddenly came out of nowhere, and hit her head on. The poor unfortunate girl found herself not only drenched in water from head to toe, but also half-blind from having faced the wrong direction when it had happened, courtesy of having not had time to close her eyes before the water hit her.

As her vision finally cleared, she was surprised to see Jetfire with his rear and feet in the water, having landed here after falling from his perch, explaining at the same time what the huge ruckus had been. And where that splash of water had come from.

As for her, she was still standing at her original place, on the edge of the water, now dripping wet. Her arms were limp against her sides, shoulders slacked as she stared at her partner with what could only be a dumbfounded and resigned expression.

Seeing the sorry state she was in, the Aerialbot winced. “I… My apologies.”

Suletta felt a shiver run along her body, the cold feeling of the water intensifying thanks to the secluded location of the canyon.

“I can definitely understand the reason for the name now,” she deadpanned. She would be lucky if she did not fall sick by the end of the week.

Jetfire gazed at her in silence, before saying, “Well, silver lining… Now you no longer have to worry about taking the slow approach with whatever you were doing.”

“…N-not helping…”

“You’re sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Suletta asked Jetfire while grabbing her second sandwich from her backpack, and taking a bite out of it.

They had stopped a little bit after noon, finding a resting spot atop one of the rock formations, not only letting them bask in the sun – something Suletta was glad for, after her previous unplanned watery experience – but also giving them a perfect vantage point over the landscape surrounding them. They were in fact high enough that Suletta was able to spot the sky-high buildings of the city of Las Vegas, sending glows of light in their direction whenever the sun shone over them.

Although they were technically well away from prying eyes thanks to the height they were at, Jetfire was still being cautious enough not to let himself be seen, and so had chosen to nest within some sort of crevice – unlike her who was quietly sitting above him on the edge of a wide, flat rock, happily munching on her food while gazing at the sights below – facing her direction so he could speak to her, resting his back against a small rocky promontory.

“Thank you, but I am stocked up on Energon, so I am fine,” he replied, raising his hand to thank her for the offer. “Also, human food would not sustain me, and if it could, the meager quantity you carry on your person certainly would not be enough.”

“’Ight.” She swallowed the piece of bread, ham and cheese she was eating, recalling how unpolite it was to speak with one’s mouth full. “Makes sense. You guys don’t need to eat like we do after all.”

“That… is not entirely accurate,” he said, catching her attention. “We do have food, though it is mostly Energon-based.”

“Oh? So, what sort of food do you guys have?”

The Autobot put a hand to his chin. “It is quite similar to yours in a lot of aspects, I believe. We have desserts, main servings, drinks—”

“Okay, but what exactly? Surely, you have names for those?”

“Of course. Here, just to name a few: chrome-alloy cake, chrome-alloy pie, oil cake, beryllium baloney or cesium salami – these last two led to a lot of arguing between two of our teammates actually.”

The names did sound like some of the food she might find here, only that they sounded like having been inspired by the periodic table. And while she certainly did not find any appeal in the dishes he was telling her about – not unsurprising since this was far removed from what a human would eat – she could not help but find the naming convention a bit funny. It was like if someone chose to call milk ‘liquid lactose’, water ‘dihydrogen oxide’, or meat ‘animal tissue’.

Her face scrunching up, and she looked down at her sandwich. On second thought, maybe not so appealing when you put it that way.

Disgarding that train of thought, she chose to ask Jetfire about his last comment, “So, who are these two on the team that argued about that?” Based on their personalities, she was leaning towards them being Bulkhead, and perhaps Bumblebee?

Jetfire shook his head. “It was a long time ago, so they were never part of the team as it is. Nor did they step foot on Earth.”

She had a feeling their talk was slipping into some uneasy territory once more. “Judging from your tone, I’m guessing these two are still somewhere on Cybertron.”

“Or somewhere elsewhere, if they weren’t vaporized by the Space Bridge when it blew up,” he retorted. He looked up at the blue and clear sky above them. “But, I have a feeling they may still be alive. As for their whereabouts, well, only Primus knows.”

“You sound quite confident about that assertion.”

He lowered his head, closing his eyes as a chuckle escaped him. “We gave their squad the task of watching over an entire sector of the Iacon defense perimeter, and despite only being five of them, every Decepticon assault sent their way failed as though it was a car hitting a brick wall.” His explanation done, he looked up towards her, finding her staring down at him with curiosity. “So yes, I am certain they are still kicking around, so to speak.”

Only five, holding their own against numbers far beyond theirs? That was definitely impressive.

“I suppose you didn’t have to worry about their sector then.”

“Turns out, we should have,” he retorted with a frown. “Somehow, they decided to desert their post right before a massive Decepticon assault, running off to the Sea of Rust on their own accord. Not sure exactly what happened, but the next time we heard from them, they had somehow managed to sneak their way out—”

“That’s it!” she suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from her seat as one of his words rang a bell in her head. “Sneak! Snake! That’s what I forgot! Snake repellent!” Finally, she had remembered what had been troubling her since this morning.

Jetfire looked at her in silence, mouth slightly open and optics blinking slowly, stunned by her sudden exclamation. “I am fairly certain there are more discreet ways to change the subject, but why not,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “Nevertheless, good thinking on your part to have brought it with you.”

Hearing these words, she deflated, and looked down. “Actually… I don’t. I… didn’t really where to find some, so…”

“You do know you could have just asked Jack or his mother for some help, don’t you?”

“I know, but… we did say we wouldn’t mention what happened yesterday to anyone, and…” She put her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers. She raised her head to look at him. “Well, I wasn't quite sure of how to bring it up.”

“I guess I should have been clearer about that,” he told her after having let out a sigh. “You could have simply opened up the conversation by mentioning that the topic of snakes had come up when the two of us were planning our next excursion, and wanting to make sure every precautions were taken to protect yourself,” he explained, his optics locked onto her. “No need for anything more convoluted than that.”

“…Oh…” She rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes looking slightly off to the side, abashed at having been so focused on following his advice to the letter that she had failed to think of that. “I guess that makes sense.”

“No worries, I guess the fault lies with me too,” he said, waving his hand off to ease her. “Besides, we did not need it, so it is fine.”

For now, she thought as she bit her bottom lip, hoping that such a thought would not invoke troubles in their direction.

She returned her attention to him when he pursued, “There is also the matter that whatever repellent you would use might not be effective against all types of snakes. Of course, if the best course of action is chemical in nature, I suppose you could bath yourself in whatever substance is the most versatile, and hope for the best.”

She scrunched her nose, feeling a wave of disgust hit her as she thought about his idea. “I’m not gonna smell like flowers if I do that…”

“Worry not, I would not care at all about that.” He pointed with his index at his face. “I don’t have a nose after all.”

She stared at him blankly. “…Yet you have a mouth…” she pointed out, the strange anatomy of her friend bemusing her.

One of his eyebrow rose in confusion. “Yes? What of it?”

“Nothing, just… why have a mouth, but not a nose? That doesn’t make much sense.”

“Well, I need a mouth to eat, but why would I need a nose if I cannot smell?” he stated, as though it should have been obvious. “I think it is fairly reasonable.”

“But you don’t really need to eat.” At his perplexed look, she added, “L-listen, Jetfire. Why do you think I have a mouth?”

“…To eat. Same as I.”

“Right.” She nodded, and continued, “And do you have a tongue?”

For a brief instant, the Autobot looked as if he had been caught off guard, his optics blinking as he processed the question. “Well… no. Why would I need one?”

“…Well, to speak, for starters.”

“That is what a voice box is for, actually.”

“You mean, you can speak without needing that?” she asked, sticking her tongue out at him.

His optics narrowed, and he tilted his head to the side, like a dog showing curiosity or perplexity would. “Am I to understand that fleshy appendage is what allows you to make sounds?”

He did not know? “Yes. W-wait, no, not exactly. N-no, actually—” She vividly shook her head and hands, the conversation straying from its original topic again. “T-that’s not the point! Sure, I can speak thanks to it, but most importantly, it allows me to taste. That’s why I have a mouth: to eat, speak, and taste. O-oh, and breathe too.” Well, it was a rather simplified explanation, but it would do for now.

Rather than nod in understanding like she had hoped, Jetfire rose to his feet, uncaring of the fact he was exposing himself to any hiker who might have looked their way, and moved closer to her position.

She watched him approach her, and when he gave her a small nod, she got up, her sandwich still in her hand, before moving backwards a few steps, thus allowing him to rest both arms down in a crossed position, right where she had just sat seconds ago.

Once he was properly positioned, he proceeded to continue their discussion by dressing up a list of his own, “I have audio receptors for sound, optics for sight, sensors across my frame giving me a sense of touch, and I would wager my chemical processors located within my mouth do a sufficient job of providing me with the ability to taste whatever food or Energon I consume without the need of having a tongue like you do.”

“But that’s the thing!” she retorted, unable to find any rational in his logic, what she knew as well-established elements of reality clashing with the physical oddities of his kind – to the point where their ability to transform seemed mundane by comparison. “You’re robots! And you just told me that your food is basically refined Energon! So, really, shouldn’t that mean it all tastes the same?” She pressed two fingers against each temple, rubbing them to ease the throbbing in her skull as she lowered her head. “I just don’t get it…”

“You are lucky there are no food connoisseurs here, otherwise I am quite confident they would feel incredibly insulted,” he half-jested, sporting a small smile as he watched her wage war with herself, before his facial features relaxed into a more neutral expression. “Tell me, why do you have ears?”

Suletta stopped her motions, and looked back at Jetfire. “To hear…?” she said hesitantly, puzzled by the question. “Is this a trick question?”

“No, merely a way to prove my point.”

She pursed her lips, her brows furrowing at the comment. “What do you mean?”

“Anatomically speaking, what is it that allows you to hear? That piece of flesh attached to the sides of your head, or what it connects to?”

“Well, the second option, obviously,” she replied, tapping her index finger on her tragus, the thin piece of muscle that served to protect her ear canal.

“Alright. So you would agree with me if I argued that such a physical attribute is unneeded?” he asked her, unhooking his right arm to jerk an index in her direction.

Jetfire's words left Suletta speechless, and it took her a few moments to recover from her surprise. “I’m… I’m sorry?”

“I mean, birds do not have ears like you other members of the animal kingdom do, and they can hear just fine. By that logic, I believe we can just cut off your ears and nothing would change. You would still hear just fine.”

She did not know whether he was joking or not, and although she was most assuredly convinced he was just messing with her, a part of her mind was not, leading her to make the knee-jerk reaction of putting her hands against her ears, dropping what remained of her sandwich at the same time.

“A-are you kidding?!” she suddenly exclaimed, her voice strangled from the shock. “D-don’t touch my ears! Get your own! B-but not mine!”

She watched as his optics closed, his whole frame shaking with what she could only assume to be laughter, before it quickly passed and he looked back at her again, opening his mouth to form silent words.

“What?”

He smiled softly, shaking his head in a slow left-and-right motion, before tapping both his index fingers against the sides of his helmet.

Oh right. She lowered her hands, hearing a popping sound as her ear canals opened back up.

“If you are done playing, maybe we can go back to the serious stuff,” he teased her, causing her to pout a little. “As I was saying, I was made this way, as were you. I have a mouth because, just as you have ears because. Even if it does not serve the same purpose as for your kind, it still is something I make use of. Incidentally, if we venture down the path of bizarre physical attributes, I might point out that it is rather odd that your species has hair.”

“Alright, alright, I get what you’re trying to say,” she conceded, rubbing her forehead as she acknowledged her defeat. She wanted to enquire about them having teeth-like parts as well, but the answer would probably come down to them using those to chew or something else, so she might as well not bother. “Still, us having hair is just… well, that’s just it. Is that so strange?”

“Going on the basis that our two kinds appear to share a similar appearance, yes. What purpose does it serve, considering how cumbersome it seems for your people?”

Oh, so now he was the one pondering about purpose of bodily attributes? “Like I said… it just is. Though, I’d say it’s probably a marker of… style, I guess?”

“’Style’?” he repeated, his right eyebrow rising as he said the word. “Imagine for a moment if I suddenly decided to strap the top of my helmet with something akin to what you wear on your head. Would the only benefit I get from this is to be more ‘stylish’?”

Unbeknownst to him, she did not need to imagine it, for she could remember in great details the feathery crest adorning Guel’s Mobile Suit during her first duel with him. A mental image that would have made her smile if the memory had not brough forth a wave of regret and sadness.

“Speaking from experience,” she started, forcing herself to put on a smile to hide the wave of emotion flooding her, “you would look very… weird with something like that. Unless you wanted to stand out.” She took a closer look at his helmet, placing a finger against her lips as she thoroughly examined him. “Actually, maybe if we—”

“Stop,” he interrupted her, raising his hand before her. He glared down. “I do not like the look in your eyes, Miss Mercury.”

She chuckled. “Are you sure? I could always introduce you to someone who did just that, putting a mane of feathers over the top of his Suit’s helmet.”

He frowned. “And what did the end results look like?”

She looked up, her left index tapping lightly against her left cheek as she thought of an appropriate word to describe the picture in her head.

“Peacocky,” she finally said.

“Unsurprising,” he replied with a sigh.

“It was a sight to see, though.” Before I destroyed it, that was, she recalled mentally, bending down to pick up what was left of her ill-fated sandwich. She glared at the dirt-covered bread, knowing she would have to make due with only the ham and cheese inside to satiate her stomach, and spoke, “I know we strayed quite a bit from our original talk, but can I ask you something?”

Jetfire nodded. “Ask away.”

“Bumblebee,” she said, and from the corner of her eye she saw Jetfire move slightly, not quite flinch but rather straighten up. She looked at him, seeing how impassive his face was, and continued, “How does he eat if he has no mouth?”

The way his lips pressed together was a telltale sign of his hesitancy to answer, and he only spoke after a few seconds had passed, “Bumblebee is a… special case, to quote Miko. He had a face like most of us, mouth and all, but after he lost the ability to speak… I guess it was just too much of a painful reminder, so now he just keeps it hidden behind that… ‘chinstrap’. Visually, it makes him look a lot more like some other members of our kind, so there is that.”

Once again, it was clear that there was a story behind the subject, but she knew better than to ask Jetfire what it was. Bumblebee might have been the friendliest of the team, but she was not sure he would appreciate having his companions talk behind his back about something that was apparently a sore topic for him, if she understood correctly what Jetfire was saying.

Still, that still did not answer her question. “Even so, how does he – and anyone like him – eat? From what you said, there are others Cybertronians who lack a mouth?”

She expected some form of constructed reply, but all she got was silence from Jetfire, the Autoot drawing a fist to his lips.

“Now that you mention it… that is a good question. I guess we could always ask Bee how he does – though there is a risk the question might offend him, giving his impairment – but for the others…” he mused, a look of deep reflection on his face. Much lower – almost low enough that she almost failed to hear what he was saying, had she not been paying attention – he added, “Not to mention bots like Soundwave and Shockwave, since they lack anything resembling a face.”

“Uuh, Jetfire…?” She raised a hand like she did in school to get the teacher’s attention, a motion that worked just as well with Jetfire. “Who exactly are you talking about…?”

His optics focused on Suletta, and he moved his fist away from his face to dismiss her question with a wave of his hand. “Two Decepticons, hopefully none you will ever meet. At least, one of them, assuming the other is long gone,” he mumbled, his features grave.

As she was about to ask him about that, she was abruptly interrupted by the feeling of something vibrating inside her jacket. Blinking a few times in puzzlement, it took her a handful of seconds to realize the only thing that could possibly do that would be…

My student notebook.

In an eagerness fueled by the hope of some sign from her people, she dropped her meal again, not even caring about the fact that it was now as good as ruined, her entire body dedicated only to getting her phone out as quickly as possible, before what could someone calling her cut short.

Too focused and hopeful was she that she did not even before to check who was calling her, as she immediately pressed the ‘Accept call’ button on the screen, before shouting at the top of her lungs, “Yes?!”

“Yo, Suletta! How’s it kicking?”

It took everything she had not to let her disappointment slip through her voice, Jetfire offering her a sympathetic smile as she replied to the girl on the other end of the call, “H-hello Miko.”

“You sound down. I’m not disturbing you, right?”

“No, don’t worry. W-we were on a break,” she told her, doing her best to sound as reassuring as possible after she heard the way Miko’s voice lowered. She may not have been who she was expecting, but she would not forgive herself if the younger girl got the wrong impression that she saw her as a nuisance.

It was a good thing that Miko appeared to be an unshakeable bundle of cheerfulness, as Suletta could practically imagine her brighten up wherever she was given how she sounded next.

“Okay, that’s good. Say, you and Jet still have nothing planned for tomorrow?”

She looked at the Aeriabot, silently forming the word ‘tomorrow’ with her mouth, and at the shake of his head, she replied, “W-we’re free if that’s what you’re asking, Miko.”

“Perfect!” the girl shouted through the notebook, and Suletta winced. As enjoyable as her cheerfulness was, her eardrums could still do without such volume. “The guys and I planned to do a movie marathon with you! Ya know, with popcorn, sodas, and the likes. Loads of fun! Gotta make sure our friend from beyond time and space gets to enjoy the best of 21^st century’s Hollywood after all! And 20^th century while we’re at it! We just need to know what you’ve already watched, so we knows what to get from the video store that you haven’t watched before. ‘Course, if rewatching the same stuff twice or more isn’t boring for you, that’s fine too!”

Oh. Oh.

Oh, that wasn’t good.

“I... I'll tell you as soon as I can,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady so as to avoid raising the other girl's alarm.

“Great! Just don’t make us wait too long, we’ll probably get it once school’s over! Bye Su’! Say hi to Jet for us!”

And with that, she hang up, leaving Suletta to stare dumbfoundedly at the screen of her notebook.

Noticing her absent expression, Jetfire frowned slightly, concerned at what could have caused her to freeze like that. “Something wrong?”

“…Miko says ‘Hi’…” she simply said, her eyes still locked onto the device in her hands.

“That is quite thoughtful of her, but I do not believe that is the sort of thing that could leave you in that state.” After a short pause, he added, “Unless, of course, Miko being Miko, it came with the finesse of an elephant in a china store.”

She shook her head. “No, she just told me they’re planning a watch-party tomorrow. We’re going to watch movies.”

The frown never left Jetfire’s face, the Autobot still as puzzled as to what could have possibly gotten her to short-circuit like that. “Again, that does seem like a good idea, but I still fail to see what could possibly led you to—”

“21^st century movies, that is.” she added, still trying to process the sudden she was

It was as if something clicked in Jetfire's mind, and when Suletta looked his way, she swore she could see the realization pass through his vibrant blue of his optics. The features of his face went from one emotion to another, so where before he had been frowning from perplexity, he was now gawking in surprise.

“Time travel shenanigans?” he said, finding his voice had not failed him despite the unexpected twist.

Suletta nodded weakly. “Time travel shenanigans.”

The Autobot closed his optics and let out a frustrated groan, pressing his left elbow against the rocky surface to support his arm while he ran a hand against the smooth surface of his helmet.

“I don’t suppose you know by heart how many movies you watched, and when they were made?”

“I don’t suppose you know either… D-do you?” Not that she expected him to know which movies she had watched, but maybe, just maybe, he could help her on the second point. He did know a lot after all.

“If I were Bumblebee, I would reply ‘yes’ without hesitation,” he told her with pursed lips, a look of sympathy in his optics. “Unfortunately, my field of expertise is far removed from cinematography, and I won’t even mention human cinematography.”

Well, here went that hope. Maybe now was the time where she should start panicking.

“Sooo… W-what do we do?” She certainly did not want to risk ‘spoiling’ a future movie to her current companions, especially if one of them later happened to let what she would have accidentally revealed slip as well, the whole situation snowballing out-of-control and possibly changing her timeline because of one movie. “I mean, I can’t j-just call Miko and go back on her proposal, r-right?”

“No, it definitely would not be a very polite thing to do…” He rested his chin on his hand, his eyebrows knitting together. “I'm afraid the best and only course of action at our disposal is to dress up a list of every movie you have watched, and double-cross the dates with the current one.” He sighed. “It is going to take a while however.”

“Yeah… sorry about that.” Of all the issues she had expected to rise due to her status as a time traveler, this was not one she had considered.

He returned her apology with a shrug. “It was bound to happen, really,” he told her, his words reflecting the state of mind of someone who would attach little importance to an unforeseen event. “As regretting as it is to acknowledge that our excursions seem to be under the sign of bad luck, at least it is better than what occurred yesterday.”

Suletta pressed her lips together, thinking back to the close call in question. “…I think I preferred the snake,” she ended up admitting in a mumble.

Jetfire looked at the girl standing in front of him with wide optics, surprise painted on his features. “You would prefer the danger of that situation to the more manageable one we find ourselves in now?”

“I would prefer dealing with nature’s whims than the existential, cosmic crisis scenario that is time travel,” she corrected. Her existence in this time period was an oddity after all, and who knew what effect it would have on the world she knew.

Jetfire stared at her for a brief moment, before closing his optics and nodding in agreement. “That is a fair point, all things considered. And, between you and me, you are likely right to be worried, especially since Miko is involved.”

The comment left her perplexed. “I-I don’t understand… Do you mean she is doing this for some underlying motive?” She had a hard time believing that the girl could be capable of that, not when she had been so friendly with her since arriving here.

He was quick to reassure her. “No, no, nothing like that,” he told her, waving his left hand. “Rather… you might want to be careful about whatever she asks you. Miko can be quite the wild card, and she has a way to get what she wants, so…”

“She’s going to try to worm info out of me, is that what you’re saying?”

“You are a visitor from the future, something no kid her age could even begin to imagine ever meeting,” he explained, his expression apologetic. “Do the math.”

She sighed. It was to be expected, she supposed. And while she had already shared with them some information about what the world in her time was, she worried about giving too much of it, or merely the wrong one.

Still, she doubted the girl would ever spill the beans, not when the Autobots appeared to trust her with the knowledge of their existence.

Not that it made the future ‘questioning’ session any less apprehensive.

At her reaction, Jetfire let some sort of sigh that sounded like a low chuckle, and kindly offered, “If it helps, she grilled me quite a bit when we first met. So, having gone through that first, I believe I can offer you some… tips, on how to handle her.”

She looked at his face, and flashed him a small smile. “That would be very helpful, yes.” Maybe it would not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that she had spoken too soon, as her companion added, “Just a warning however: that will only get you so far. Like I said, she is a wild card.”

Suletta felt her shoulders slump, and another sigh escaped her. “I-I guess we shouldn’t waste any time then. She didn’t give us much after all.” She had a feeling the rest of her day would be spent between doing her movie research, and taking in whatever advices Jetfire would share with her on how to handle her junior.

The Autobot returned her words with a nod. “We should, yes.”

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Hoover Dam, Nevada

Hoover Dam. Southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Days since Suletta's arrival: 20

“…I don’t get it.”

“There is nothing to get though.”

“You can’t just be scared of something for no reason.”

“This has nothing to do with being afraid. And yes, you can.”

“O-okay, fair point, but… Why are you so against it?”

Jetfire, his back lying against the ground, facing the sky with his hands behind his head to cushion it, in the manner of someone resting or sunbathing – and despite the full sun that bathed them both, he was far more likely to manage to cook an egg on his fuselage than to tan – opened one bored optic to look at his companion. “Because this is a foolish, nonsensical idea. Period.”

Suletta kept her gaze trained on the Autobot, before letting it wander back towards the canyon and the massive dam connected to both sides of it, taking in its appearance while trying not to pay too much attention to the slight discomfort she was starting to feel from the hot sand and dirt she was sprawled on.

The construction stood out like a sore thumb in the landscape: yellowish white tones clashing with the brownish orange ones of the rock walls shouldering it, and a size dwarfing the few other constructions around it. It reminded her of a rampart that would have been raised to counter some great enemy, something not entirely inaccurate given its purpose in holding the lake pressing against it.

She stared at it for a moment from behind her sunglasses, basking under the sun’s rays and enjoying the warmth it provided her with. Her outfit for the day lent itself well to this, being slightly lighter than usual: a white hoodie with orange sleeves and a logo of pilot head in the center, right over her chest, that she had hit upon in Jasper’s thrift shop – and no, it was definitely not because she thought it would make her match with Jetfire that she had bought it – beige Bermuda shorts ending slightly below the knees, and a pair of dark rangers boots.

She hadn’t neglected caution however, with Jetfire reminding her before their excursion of the ill-effects of too much sun exposure – not that it concerned him… probably? – and thus had taken the necessary precautions: her red hair were tucked neatly under the army cap she had inherited from her stay at the base – no need to remind her the specifics of how she had gotten it – and whatever skin was not covered by her pants or sleeves was protected by a good dose of sunscreen, which she carried with her in the backpack sitting by her side.

“Be that as it may,” Suletta said after a while, “I still think it would make for a great base.”

Jetfire sighed. “We already had that discussion.”

“I mean, think about it,” she continued without missing a beat, raising doubts about whether she had heard his displeasure, something that caused him to shake his head. “It’s a fairly secluded area—”

“Ignoring the closest city, and the fact it is a popular attraction for the region.”

“—it’s probably quite spacious inside—”

“By human or Cybertronian standards?”

“—plus it’s the perfect cover to hide Energon since the electricity produced there will probably mask its signature, not to mention how thick those walls must be—”

“Attention to all personnel: don’t touch the blue glowing cubes.”

“—and you can probably hide all sorts of defenses there!” She glanced towards him, finding him looking at her with his right eyebrow cocked. “I mean, historically, aren't castles and forts the hardest places to capture?”

Jetfire remained silent for a moment, staring down at her with what seemed to be mild bewilderment, if his frown and the slightly narrowed eyes were any indication.

“If your goal is to take it, yes,” he finally said. “But that is not always a given.” His expression relaxed as he propped himself on his right side using his elbow. “Also, I think your last one or two great wars showed the limits of that style of defenses, and compared to us, you waged those with the equivalent of rocks.” Optimus might know more on the subject, but he had always remained vague on that period of his history. “So imagine if the Decepticons unleashed whatever stuff they still have left, say, a Warp Cannon.”

The name didn’t sound too good to Suletta’s ears. “…I take it that doesn’t just simply bend things out of shape?” she wondered in a low and hesitant voice as she gestured to sit up.

“If by ‘bend’, you mean ‘delete out of existence’, then yes, it will certainly bend that dam quicker than you can blink, absolutely.”

A loud gulp reached her ears, and she was somewhat surprised to find it had come from her. Though it made some sense such a reaction had escaped her, given the dread-inducing turn of their discussion.

“…Y-you think they still have… some of that ‘stuff’ you talked about?” Keeping her voice from trembling seemed an impossible feat, not when the pit forming in her stomach gnawed at her composure.

“Truth be told, I have no idea. Chances are that one or two weapons from Kaon's diabolical arsenals still remain in the cargo holds of the Nemesis, but I have no way of knowing for sure. The good news is that if this is the case, the scarcity of Energon means that Megatron will not make extensive use of them, given the amount of fuel required to activate them.”

The words should have been a relief to her. Yet she couldn’t miss how he had specifically said ‘extensive use’ of said weapons by the other party. A small word, a detail really, but one that tipped the scale from ‘We’re safe from the doomsday weapons’ to ‘All they need is the right time and place to employ them’.

A burning sensation suddenly assailed her throat, followed by the feeling of a lump clogging the passage. She felt like a traveler crossing a desert with no more water to drink, a comparison that was only partly accurate to her current state, given she too sat in what one could call a desert right now. But the reason for her throat feeling as dry as the sand they were on couldn’t was in no way related to her current location, and swallowing down some of the saliva she had gathered to ease that did nothing to help with her current predicament.

Who knew hanging around with robots whose age greatly dwarfed that of her species could be so hard on the heart and nerves?

“What's more,” Jetfire continued as his charge went for her backpack and took her water bottle out, “it is certain that our base must be a high-priority target for the Decepticons. For this reason, it is best to avoid having it in or near a 'sensitive' installation, whose destruction or even minor damage could have unfortunate consequences for your compatriots.”

Suletta removed the bottle from her lips, a thought crossing her mind and causing her to furrow her brows. “Wait a minute, you live in a missile silo. Isn't that also a target of great interest?”

He raised a finger. “’Disused’ missile silo. There is a nuance.”

Soft features hardened ever so discreetly, the hints of a frown kept in check by the young girl, spurred on by a wave of painful memories that the Autobot’s words had stirred. “…Only in appearance sometimes though…” she pursued in a small voice, tuning out the sights and sounds of the difficult memories.

If Jetfire heard the bitterness permeating her words, he made no mention of it. Though had she looked up at that exact moment, she would have noticed the small wince he quickly suppressed.

“Nevertheless, we are not about to let ourselves be complacent,” he continued. “Which is why we are careful to keep anything that could hint at our presence concealed: Energon, communications, or the Ground Bridge to name the major ones,” he listed, raising a finger each time till he reached three.

“Right, right,” Suletta said while nodding, and looked up towards him, brows still knitted together. “But… Correct me if I’m wrong, b-but aren’t the Decepticons targeting human installations left and right?” From what she had been told by him and the others at least.

Jetfire pressed his lips harder together. “It is… one of their less than fortunate habits, yes,” he admitted with the slightest hint of mirth seeping through his tone. “The ones they find have value for their plans, at least.”

“And what would those be? T-the installations, I mean.”

The Aerialbot stroked his chin with his left hand, before releasing it to free the fingers of said hand so he could count. “Well, military bases, scientific and research centers, energy production facilities—”

“Soooo… Going by that logic, this dam is a highly valuable target even without you guys making a base out of it?”

The stunned silence that greeted her was all the answer she needed, and though his face remained impassive at the moment, the subtle hints that were his mouth being slightly open and his brows having discreetly raised were small displays of his true emotions.

Suletta smirked. “I guess that invalidates the high-interest target argument you proposed against having this dam as your base.”

A stern expression made of narrowed eyes and a thin line where his mouth was greeted her. “First of all, no it doesn’t.” A second finger followed the one he had just raised. “Second of all, what could compel one to go through with such an idea? At the risk of repeating myself, it is bad. And stupid.”

“B-but!” She jumped to her feet, arms flailing wildly with precipitation and excitement. “You have to agree that putting high-priority targets in a high-priority location do nullify that specific aspect of things. It’s like, hiding where they less expect it. In plain sight!”

“Adding two negatives together don’t make a positive, Suletta. Also, hiding in plain sight is not an optimal strategy.”

All she returned to that was a blank look, her eyes going up and down and left and right all over his frame, before she raised an inquisitive eyebrow and pointed her hands towards him with her palms facing up, the way someone intending to bring attention to something truly baffling would do.

Jetfire’s lips twitched, though whether it was of annoyance or amusement was hard to tell, and he pointed a finger at her. “New argument: I invoke seniority status, thus your point is moot. End of the discussion.”

She felt her cheeks contract into a pout. “W-wait! We agreed you couldn’t do that! That’s cheating!” She crossed her arms and turned around with a huff. “Fine! Then I outrank you!”

He raised an eyebrow at that, a look of incredulity appearing on his face that seemed so genuine that one would have been hard pressed to realize he was faking it – though only partly. “Says who?”

“Me!”

“Have you forgotten that neither of us have real ranks within the hierarchy of the unit? Beyond being the test pilot and the test platform.”

“Lalala, can’t hear you!” she shouted while plugging her ears with her index fingers.

Jetfire let out a snort, and the right corner of his mouth curled up as he did. “You really are a child, aren’t you?”

This got her to glance around behind her, her blue eyes shining with a playful glint as she flashed a small grin. “Takes one to know one.”

“Now, I take offense to that, young Miss,” he shot back, wiggling his index towards the girl, who now stood facing him with her fist against her right hip, her lips etched into a small teasing smile.

They both remained as they were for a moment, human eyes and robotic optics of a similar shade narrowed a bit as they gazed at the other, the look of seriousness they intended to convey failing to do so, let down by the ever so discreet curve at the corners where upper and bottom lips met.

Finally, a sound finally escaped them and they broke into a grin. It was soon followed by a shaky rumble coursing through them both, in the form of a good-hearted chuckle for the Autobot whereas his smaller partner surrendered herself to tiny giggles which she kept muffled behind a finger placed over her lips.

“I suppose I will let your cheek slide for this time,” he told her after having subdued his laughter.

She grinned. “That’s very generous of you.”

The Autobot snorted. “Do I detect a hint of sarcasm to your tone, Miss?” he inquired playfully.

Hands raised in surrender and her eyes set on him, Suletta quickly replied in a tone just as playful, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Another snort escaped him. “Of course you don’t,” he said half-teasingly, half-affectionately as he watched her roll over on her belly to gaze at the landscape below.

Silence fell over them once more, broken only by the sounds hitting their auditory receptors: the roars of the distant cars and the whistle of the wind when it rose up to flow against the hills and canyon walls. Neither of the two space travelers found this oppressive however, and despite the fact they could have struck up conversation some more – with one always eager to satiate her curiosity and the other more than happy to oblige – they let things continue as they were, enjoying the serene ambiance for as long as it lasted.

“…Do you think some secret government organization had the idea of making that place their secret hideout?”

The Autobot groaned, and Suletta had a guess the sound was almost certainly accompanied by an equally obvious show of annoyance that the roll of his optics would be. “Primus, aren’t you a persistent one,” he complained, though he didn’t sound as annoyed as he pretended to be. “What would they even use it for?”

She looked his way. “To keep some dark secret from prying eyes?” Wasn’t that how it always was in stories?

Not for the first time today – nor for the last time if their conversation went on as it did – a snort escaped Jetfire. “Please, you are giving them too much credit,” he scoffed. “Do you really think they have any sort of ‘dark secret’ they are trying their utmost to keep hidden?”

She pursed her lips, her face contorting into a slight frown. “Well… I mean…” She moved a pointed finger from her to Jetfire several times.

Jetfire greeted her reaction with a raised brow, before shaking his head in amusement, his optics closing as he chuckled. “Alright, aside from us.”

“Well…” she trailed off thoughtfully, a finger pressed to her lips as she gazed up.

“Jetfire? Come in.”

The Autobot tensed, an action that wasn’t missed by the young girl. But before she could ask him about what was happening, he raised a hand at her intention, bringing the other to his ear.

“Ratchet?” He watched as Suletta’s eyes widened, quickly replaced by two knitted brows as puzzlement settled in her just as it had in him. “What is it?”

“What are you doing?”

Only a fool would have missed how the medic had dodged the question by asking one of his own, and though such an action aroused a few suspicions in his being, Jetfire settled for answering it nonetheless. “Bickering,” he told, flashing his charge a small smirk.

The stray bullet that was this little gratuitous tease had been intended to alleviate some of the confusion and subsequent worry he suspected had been building up in the girl, and the tiny pout she now wore on her face was proof enough it had found its target.

“Are you with Suletta?”

He nodded, still as puzzled by what he perceived as nonsensical questions. Hadn’t he informed his comrades of his plans for the day? Where else or with whoever else did he expect him to be? “Yes.”

“Very well. We need you to return to the base. As soon as possible. Preferably right now.”

There wasn’t any sort of urgency to his voice, so nothing dire was happening. But the edge lacing Ratchet’s tone, discreet but nonetheless present, couldn’t be ignored now that he had spotted it. An inflexion he had only heard in the old bot when something troubled him.

In shorter terms: something was off.

“We?” he wondered. This was neither the time nor place to probe Ratchet about what he could be keeping to himself, even more so when there was a strong likelihood that he would soon be privy to it – depending on the turn things would take, of course.

“Optimus and I.”

Of course. “Understood. We should be here in—”

“It might be best for you to come alone.”

Jetfire felt his eyebrow knit together even more at this new bit of information. “May I enquire why?”

“There is an anomaly with the tests we did.”

Suletta wasn’t privy to the details of Jetfire’s conversation with Ratchet, or at least Ratchet’s side of it. But from the way his optics grew as wide as one of those medium-sized rocks that surrounded them, she knew something must have happened, and it made her bit her bottom lip in worry.

“…I will be there as soon as I can,” Jetfire finally said after having recovered from his stupor, his optics returning to their default size. He let his finger drop from his audio receptor, staring emptily at the ground before him as the communication shut off.

Many thoughts crossed his mind. What had Ratchet discovered? How serious was it? And who did it concern? Suletta or them?

It was impossible to know at this point, not when Ratchet had been so tight-lipped about the details.

“Jetfire?”

The sound of his young partner's voice as well as the gentle touch of her hand on the plating of his leg brought him back to reality.

He turned his head towards her, taking note of the small, concerned expression that now occupied her features, and the way she stood with her free hand closed over her chest as she stepped back a little bit, her eyes locked onto him.

“Is… Is everything alright?” she spoke, her voice small and meek.

No, not really, was his silent answer. There were too many things troubling him for it to be so. Issues already present and new ones piling over those. Some Suletta about, others she didn’t. And he wasn’t sure how to broach those with her, nor whether he should even talk with her about them to begin with.

His silence seemed to be confirmation of her question, because her traits fell even more from silent worry, and she asked him again, “I-is this something I can help with?”

A small, gentle smile appeared on his face. What a surprising child she was. Struggling with her own problems, yet always so concerned for the well-being of others, always so ready to offer her help without any incentive—at least from what he had been able to glean from her.

In that, she wasn’t so different from him. From any of them really, but he felt like the two of them shared the most in common. Though maybe he was a bit biased.

He bent down to kneel before her, and then, carefully so as to not hurt her, nudged her cheek affectionately with his left index. Though with his finger being comically disproportionate compared to the surface in question, cheek could well have meant the whole right side of her head.

“You are already doing enough, Suletta.” Although she wasn't aware of the full extent of the help she was providing, of course.

Rather than lift the girl’s spirits, it actually seem to cause her to deflate even further, judging from the way her shoulders sagged, causing her head and gaze to drop as well.

“…I wish I could do more still…” she confessed weakly as she looked down, staring at her fingers and the way they moved against one another as she fidgeted with them.

Sometimes, as more time passed, she hated how unhelpful, how useless she was. More often than sometimes really. She had quite a few convenient skills at her disposal in her trousseau, yet circumstances, some beyond their control and others resulting from decisions taken by figures of authority, prevented her from effectively making use of those, or using them at all.

Then again, her overspecialization as a Mobile Suit pilot in a time none existed yet certainly didn’t play in her favor.

“Sometimes, more is not always better,” Jetfire reassured her, and she wondered if some of her thoughts might not have marred her face with a downcast expression that would in turn have caused him to say those words. His smile fell slightly, and his gaze turned apologetic. “Still, I’m afraid that means our little outing of the day will not happen. My apologies.”

“…Oh.” It was hard to hide the disappointment in both her tone and expression, something he must obviously have caught. “And here I was actually looking forward to having a walk on the old railroad trail…” she mumbled, her head drooping leading to her staring at her feet.

“I know you were,” he said. Something about his ward being excited at the prospect of finding old railway relics, from what she had told him. He didn’t have the spark to kill her excitement by telling her that all but the harder structures had likely been stripped off long ago. “But it would have been hard for me to join you. Something having to do with standing a bit too much out there. And probably not fitting in any tunnel there might be.”

His words did manage to get a small smile out of her. At least she wouldn’t have to force herself to offer him one to hide her disappointment.

“It’s okay. Job takes precedence over fun, I understand,” she told him, though despite the smile on her face, she still shrugged a little. She looked away and rubbed the back of her head, at a loss as to what to do now. “I… guess I’ll have to find another fun thing to pass the time. M-maybe I should see if Prowl is up for our usual lessons?”

The question made the Autobot frown. “I do not believe being repeatedly kicked by Prowl’s playthings to be something that could be considered as ‘fun’.”

“W-well, maybe…” Her bones and muscles would certainly agree with that statement. “But at least that would busy me for the rest of this afternoon, no?”

He stayed silent at that, lips still pursed together into a neutral expression that he hoped would not reveal the uneasiness he felt. So too did he hope she wouldn’t suspect anything else to be the cause for his reaction.

The truth was, she had a point. But given what had prompted his comrades to order him to return to the base, he preferred to have her as far away from the base as he could so as to avoid any accidental eavesdrop.

What a troublesome situation this is, he thought as he looked down at Suletta, who had her head tilted to the side in curiosity.

Suddenly, a melody broke through the air. Small, muffled, almost quiet. Yet it still managed to startle the redhead, making her jump up a bit, and cause the Autobot to sharply tilt his head to look towards the sound.

Suletta hurried to get her student notebook out of her pocket, and a quick glance at the caller’s name displayed on the screen made her press the speaker button just as she accepted the call.

“M-Miko?”

Jetfire felt his right brow shot up on his forehead, before dropping down almost immediately. “That girl has impeccable timing.” Who could have thought her butting-in unexpectedly would come in handy this time.

“Booyah!” came the very ecstatic voice of her younger friend just as Jetfire spoke. “What’chu guys doin’?”

She gave a brief glance in Jetfire’s direction. “Nothing at present. There were some… last minute changes.”

“So you free?”

“…I am, yes,” she replied with a nod.

“Cool. Me and the others were thinkin’ of hittin’ Las Vegas. You in?”

Las Vegas? Hadn’t Jetfire mentioned that name once some time ago?

She looked up, finding her extraterrestrial friend with his face scrunched up into a look of silent contemplation and uncertainty.

Sensing her gaze on him, his optics darted towards her, before settling back into their previous position. “I have… reservations regarding this proposal.”

“Come on, Jet, ease up a little.” The timbre of the voice, playful and feminine, with its mechanical tones, left no doubt as to its owner – Arcee.

Apparently, Suletta hadn’t been the only one to get the same idea to share this call with those around her.

“Yeah, what’s the worst that could happen?” Rough to the ears yet warm nonetheless – befitting the one it belonged to – this could only be Bulkhead she was hearing.

“Freak weather event, road accident, bad encounter with a local citizen, crossing the mob, poor monetary decisions, falling into debt, or even an unplanned encounter with the Decepticons,” Jetfire listed. “Pick your poison.”

On the other end of the line, a faint snorting sound was heard by the pair, followed by the words, “It’s Las Vegas, guys. Not Gotham City.”

The two exchanged a look, Suletta looking up in confusion just as Jetfire sought her silently for an answer. But she had none to provide: she was just as lost as she was regarding that name, and so she shrugged.

“I have no record of this place in my database,” Jetfire told them after that brief pause. “But I thank you for mentioning it, Jack, so that I know to exclude it from our list of future sorties.”

The reply was greeted by a pause from the other group, one that lasted much longer than hers and Jetfire’s.

“H-hello? Are you still there?”

“…Guess I should have expected that,” Jack said.

“Huh?”

“Anyway!” Miko’s voice rang out, as high-pitched and cheerful as ever. “You comin’ or not?”

Suletta took a moment to think about it. Las Vegas? She didn’t know much about the city. And since it hadn’t been on her to-do list for the day, she really wasn’t sure what to look forward to there. Moreover, while that plan had ultimately fallen through, it had been meant to be her weekly excursion with Jetfire, and she felt somewhat bad abandoning him.

Still, the Autobot had encouraged her to spend time with her peers, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t a tiny bit curious to see what this city Jetfire was so against looked like.

Her decision made, she looked up towards the Autobot with big, hopeful eyes, who stared down at her silently his expression locked in a blank mask intended to conceal his emotions.

As it was, Jetfire felt conflicted. Perhaps not as much as Suletta was, but still enough that he wasn’t quite sure what decision to make despite the intense pondering he was subjected his processor to.

On one hand, the timely interruption of Miko and the others provided him with the perfect opportunity to handle the matter at the base without having to risk Suletta hearing something they were not yet ready to have her hear. And he wouldn’t have to worry about her being left alone with Prowl either, whose appreciation of the girl – or lack thereof – he had made clear.

On the other hand, it was Las Vegas, one of the few places in this state he was the least thrilled about due to the city’s reputation as the capital of gambling and other questionable doings. Something that didn’t sit well with him: he had after all never tolerated these sorts of things back on Cybertron, and he certainly wasn’t about to now. And while he could always try to convince them to select another destination for their excursion, he wasn’t blind to the fact he’d have an easier time trying to strike up a conversation with a brick wall – and succeeding likely – than to get Miko to back down from her position. Never mind the fact that there were far more reasonable people accompanying her, whose help he had a feeling he couldn’t count on.

He was in effect ‘trapped between a rock and a hard place’, to quote the human saying. The rational route would be to politely reject their proposal and find another solution. Practically however, he was short on ideas, and what certainly didn’t help with the matter was the starry-eyed, pleading look Suletta sent at him. Puppy eyes, was it what he had heard it being called in passing in one of the kids’ visual distractions?

Still, he also knew of another human saying. Something to do with a horse. And though he couldn’t quite remember it, its meaning was still encoded within his memory core. One he found fitted quite well with the current situation.

Didn’t mean he was fully on board with the idea though.

“Could I trust you not to put yourself into life-crippling debt by gambling whatever amount money you own at one of those ill-famed houses?” he asked, looking at her with quite the intent and serious stare.

Suletta blinked. “I… Wait, you mean casinos?” At his nod, she continued, “Am I even allowed to enter such places?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Jack replied.

“Shame, I wonder if you’d be lucky enough to put them out of business.”

“Miko, you know it’s all rigged, don’t you?” Raf said, half-asking, half-chastising his friend.

Whatever the case, the last thing they needed was to get into trouble with the law, at the risk of giving an aneurysm to Mrs. Darby, or otherwise get the lecture of the century from the woman or some other authority figure they knew.

“No alcohol or illicit substances consumption?” Jetfire pursued.

“I’m not yet of age for that here, remember? A-also, pretty sure that second part is still illegal.”

“No smuggling in contraband products?”

“Sorry, what?”

“No getting into a brawl with other people?”

“That was just once!” On Earth and in that timeline, at least. “A-and it wasn’t my fault!” she added, face red with shame and anger.

“Hence the reason I mention it,” he replied flatly, unbothered by her reaction. “Better be safe than sorry, as your people say.”

Bulkhead chuckled. “Mother hen.”

“My apologies Bulkhead, did you say something?” Jetfire asked with genuine confusion as his optics settled on the phone. He had been too focused on Suletta to properly listen to his peer’s words.

“Nothing, don’t worry.”

He frowned, but didn’t push things further.

“L-look, Jetfire,” Suletta began, pinching the bridge of her nose to rid herself of her frustration, before looking up towards him, continuing her sentence only when she was certain she had his full, undivided attention once his optics locked with her eyes, “I get that you’re worried, b-but I’ll be fine. I’m really not someone that irresponsible to cause problems. So please, can I go with them?” she begged, clasping her hands together.

The Autobot said nothing, his face locked into his default expression he adopted whenever he wasn’t speaking or was thinking about something, lips drawn into a thin line and optics filled with a hard-eyed stare.

What was going on behind the cool blue of his optics, she wondered, for him to be so hesitant, so cautious regarding this matter? She knew he could be overly protective of her, but still.

Finally, she watched as his shoulders rose and dropped when he took a long, deep breath that turned into a sigh, his lips staying parted in the second that preceded his next words.

“You have my approval—”

Suletta pumped her fist, cheering silently, and the grin that appeared on her face was so strong that it threatened to tear it in half. But how could she hide it when the prospect of seeing another Earthian city with her own eyes brought on so much excitement?

Oh, if she stood at his height, she would absolutely hug Jetfire to thank him! Leave it to her friend to—

“—on the condition that one of you is always around to chaperone Firefly and Miko.”

Spoke too soon.

“J-Jetfire!” She didn’t need a mirror to check if her cheeks had grown to a larger size and taken a bright red color, likely resembling that fruit who now elicited in her much confusion. The warmth she felt spread to them and the tension on her skin were all she needed to tell her of the pout she now sported, spurred on by either her frustration at his comment or the somewhat embarrassing nickname he had bestowed upon her, or both. “I’m not a child!”

“Hey!” came Miko’s offended complaint on the other end of the line. “Why am I included here?!”

Jetfire didn’t even seem phased by either’s reaction. “To the former, yes you are. Wait a few years and we will talk about that again. To the latter, you are a trouble magnet, but unlike Suletta who passively attracts them, you actively seek out problems, Miko.”

“What can I say? I live for the thrill.”

“Miko…” Jack and Bulkhead both groaned in unison.

“…I am torn between admiration at your lack of shame in admitting to your flaws, or bewilderment that you are so devoid of self-preservation that you would willingly endanger yourself,” Jetfire drawled while staring with a blank, deadpan look at the phone. “But my wisdom tells me not to humor you, and so I shall do so by not giving any further reply to your comments.”

Judging from the snickering sounds they both heard phone the phone in response – noises that sounded more like pig snorts than girlish giggles – it was likely the best decision indeed.

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Las Vegas, Nevada - Part 1

Las Vegas, Nevada.

Las Vegas was… nothing like Suletta had expected.

To be honest, it wasn't as if she had much to go on to form her expectations. Only what she had seen of Jasper and the few photos of towns in the country she had found years ago in an old book. And yes, she could have looked it up on the internet while waiting for the others, or even long before that in the days since her arrival here, but she hadn't. To preserve the surprise, would she justify herself if asked?

Miko had wasted no time in bringing her up to speed though, taking to the task with her trademark enthusiasm as always. After a quick game of straws – which, judging by Jack's suspicious look when Miko was declared the winner, probably hadn't been entirely free of foul play – Bulkhead was entrusted with transporting the two teenagers on their way to Las Vegas. A time that her classmate put to good use, at times showing photos of Las Vegas on her phone while offering explanations and personal comments, at other times abruptly turning her attention away from Suletta to strike up a conversation with Bulkhead.

Thus Suletta got some first looks at the city they were about to go in. A small preparation so she wouldn’t quite look as a fish out of water once they got there.

But, mere pictures do not compare to the reality, and all the preparation in the world shattered the moment she took in the sights of Las Vegas with her own two eyes.

The first real look she got of the city was of its skyline as they approached on the highway. Tall glass towers that stood out quite starkly with the desertic surroundings. An odd architectural choice, in a place where temperatures could get exceptionally high, but one that had likely taken that particular aspect of the Nevada state into account.

Regardless, such constructions already marked it as different of Jasper, whose downtown area was quite simple in comparison. Not to say the two town didn’t share any similitudes: The urban layout was thus relatively identical, with numerous squares of residential neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city, and from there to the center, buildings of varying sizes – some as tall as those in the center of Jasper, others more imposing.

A thought crossed her mind that perhaps having the same city grid as a town half its size was not the most practical idea, but Suletta told herself that the city – and others like it – must therefore have had a sufficiently efficient transportation network to compensate for this. At least, that struck her as the logical conclusion.

But, it wasn’t what caused her to be taken aback. While she had never seen or been to much Earthian cities in this time, it looked fairly ‘normal’ from what she could see.

Until the extravagance and eccentricities appeared.

More buildings marked as hotels and casinos than she could imagine, to an abnormal extent truth be told.

Constructions that looked like they were built out of gold, or made in improbable shapes.

Golf courses in the middle of the desert, their green, verdant color feeling so out-of-place with this location, like a tumor on skin.

Artificial water areas so immense that the ground surface occupied by even the smallest one could have accommodated a building.

Landmarks from all over the world, from the defunct Iron Lady of Paris to the Statue of Liberty, currently in pristine condition, and—

I’m sorry, is that the Great Pyramid?!

Needless to say, after their rides had come to a stop on an empty and secluded parking lot, far away from prying eyes but still in close proximity to the main avenues to gaze at the city, the only thing Suletta could do after exiting the Autobot was to stand still with her head titled back, saucer-like eyes taking in everything they could see while her mind still processed the previous sights.

Judging from the similar expressions her male companions were sporting – though to their credit, they seemed to be doing a better job of keeping those subdued – it looked like she wasn’t the only one experiencing the same emotions.

Miko looked at them all with a raised brow, with one corner of her lips curled up into an amused smirk, before she curled up slightly over herself when a snicker shook her body.

“Spot the country bumpkins.”

Suletta tensed where she stood even before the words had brushed against her ear.

“Goodbye, my Mercurian country bumpkin.”

“…Are you alright, Suletta?”

The girl blinked, startled by Raf’s voice. Had she dozed off? Likely yes. In fact, her heart felt like it had skipped a beat. Twice, if the way the hair on her arms had stood up was any indication. It would surprise her if that wasn’t the case, given the specific memory that had been called forth by Miko’s words was not one she felt at ease with.

“I… I’m fine,” she told Raf, trying to keep her voice steady. She looked towards him, finding the younger boy looking up at her with eyes full of worry. “W-why?”

“You seem…”—he looked her up and down, his eyes settling a bit longer on the exposed skin of her arms—“tense.”

“…Oh… D-don’t worry, it’s just… a chill.” She pulled her sleeves down to her wrists, and machinally nodded, more to herself than her companion. “Yes, a chill.”

Creases appeared on his forehead as he frowned. “But it’s 70 degrees outside…” he muttered thoughtfully, and almost confusedly.

“A-anyway!” she quickly exclaimed, spinning on her heel to face everyone. Raf probably suspected something, and there was a strong chance not addressing his concerns would have them fester into something she might regret, but this was something she would worry about later. “W-what are the plans for today? Because, you have something planned, r-right?”

Miko threw her head back and laughed.

“Hahaha! Nope,” she said with a seriousness that contrasted sharply with her burst of laughter a moment earlier, as her gaze returned to Suletta.

The scene was almost comical. Between Miko's reaction and the heavy silence that followed in the seconds that followed, Suletta thought it was a joke.

It was only after a good dozen seconds had passed that the young girl realized that no, it wasn't a joke. Not at all. Her friend was as serious as she could be, and given it was Miko, it said a lot.

“’Nope?’ W-what do you mean, ‘nope’?” She could feel a lump forming in her throat. “Y-you haven’t planned anything?”

The girl tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face. “Should we have?”

Suletta tried to retort something but failed to form any coherent sentence, her words turning into an unintelligible fumble of sounds that vaguely resembled a frog having a sore throat and choking on something.

Seeing her predicament, Jack stepped in to the rescue, shaking his head in mild disbelief and amusement. “I think what is going on here with Suletta is that Jetfire probably plans their excursions down to the most minute detail.”

“It does sound like something he would do,” Raf conceded.

Arcee gave a small chuckle. “Jet is definitely the overtly cautious sort.”

Suletta nodded quietly. He certainly was, yes.

“Right,” Jack said with a nod, before looking at Suletta. “And I’m willing to guess Suletta probably expected something a bit more thought out than what you had planned, Miko.”

“Or hadn’t rather,” snarked in Bumblebee, a short distance behind Raf.

“Oh, so it’s that?” Miko exclaimed as she struck her left fist against the palm of her other hand, her expression that of someone having finally found the hard sought-out solution to a problem. “I guess that makes sense. You don’t strike me as the sort to handle the unexpected well.”

“I…” She paused, thinking it over. “Well, t-that’s kinda true, yeah,” she conceded, rubbing the back of her head as her cheeks turned a light red color.

It wasn't that she was incapable of wandering around like a free spirit, carried here and there by the wind, but she preferred to behave that way when accompanied by Jetfire. He was a reassuring presence, and made it easier to deal with any random, freak event sent her way.

And could anyone fault her for that though? Her last few months had been ones where she had been at the receiving end of fate’s whims, always reacting to what was happening and never acting on one of her own decisions. And given what it had all led to, she preferred to be a little more in control of things this time around.

Arcee, taking advantage of this moment of silence, chimed in, but not before having let out another amused snort.

“I suppose that explains why your immediate reaction that day was to punch that boy.”

“Huh?” Miko looked at Arcee with a confused expression. It cleared just as quickly as it appeared when she shook her head and hands in the negative. “No, no, first she threw her food at him, and then she punched him.”

“I thought she arm wrestled him?” Bulkhead inquired, the gruffness of his voice failing to hide the confusion he felt.

“Eh, that’s just a detail,” Miko brushed off with a hand wave.

“C-can we please stop talking about that?” Suletta asked with her face pressed against her hands. She could feel the skin of her palms grow hot from the warmth her cheeks were letting off, no doubt redder than they had been seconds before. “I-it’s embarrassing enough a-as it is…” she pursued shyly, finally gathering the courage to overcome her shame and eye her friends through the gap between her fingers.

“Oh come on, that was awesome!”

“F-for you maybe… I-I don’t think I share that sentiment…”

“I wouldn’t have minded seeing that with my own optics though.”

“Bulkhead, don’t encourage her,” Arcee chastised, and she accompanied her words by a small movement in his direction, her engine briefly roaring to life.

“What?” Bulkhead's answer was somewhat drawn out and high-pitched, as though the comment had offended the bot. “I’m sure Jackie would say the same thing.”

“Pretty likely, yeah,” Bumblebee chimed in. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to teach her some Wrecker stuff as well, if not downright induct her in your little group. Just for fun.”

Bulkhead chuckled, the sound akin to that of an engine trying to start. “Now, wouldn’t that be something.”

“Optimus would never allow it though,” Arcee added in a hard, stern tone. “And for good reasons.”

“He did agree with Prowl’s suggestion though…”

The female Autobot oriented the front of her form towards the scout. “Bee, he only agreed to have her be taught how to defend herself. No offense to Wheeljack, but I highly doubt he’s the bot to turn to for this sort of stuff.”

“Yeah Cee, hard disagree on that,” Bulkhead didn’t sound quite convinced. “Can assure he’d be up to the task if asked.”

“Yeah! Sign me up!” Miko cheered.

“Fine idea, Bulk,” Arcee replied, all but ignoring Miko’s reaction. “I’ll leave you to explain to any of the others on the team should something go wrong with that. You know, just in case Wheeljack's notion of self-defense includes explosives. Which I’m sure it does, actually.”

“Uuuuh… Might not be a good idea, all things considered.”

“Oh, come on!” Miko cried out, throwing her arms into the air out of exasperation.

The conversation between the three Autobots ended up dragging on, leaving the four human children to watch their friends with varying expressions of genuine amusement and fondness.

All but one of them, for the smile Suletta wore was lacking in strength, a discreet detail that said a lot about her true emotions.

It wasn’t that she didn’t share in the good mood of their group, no. She quite enjoyed seeing them banter like this. A true show of the bond they shared with one another, she would say.

But even so, her heart felt… heavy. Plagued with melancholy and regrets. Some of it came from herself, from her own thoughts and emotions, for the scene reminded her much of her time with her friends back home. And though she didn’t know whether such a thing was still possible, she longed to relive those same moments with the same carefreeness she had once possessed.

Others however came from her experiences on this world, from everything she had heard or witnessed regarding the Autobots. From the tragic reminder that these three were part of the last few known survivors of their people in this corner of the galaxy – exception made of the Decepticons – to the realization that Jetfire seemed to purposefully be distancing himself from his comrades – something she had inferred, perhaps wrongly, from his interactions with them – there was a lot to dull the happiness she felt at the sight of their banter.

‘Heavy was the price of knowledge’, as the saying went. And being unable to act upon said knowledge certainly didn’t make things easier.

A hard slap against her back abruptly pulled her from her forlorn thoughts, causing her to let out a startled ‘eep’ in reaction.

“Come on, why the long face?” Miko asked Suletta, as she moved from the older girl’s side to stand in front of her. She spread her arms around. “We’re here to have fun. Fun!”

“I-I know,” Suletta told the girl, massaging the sore spot in her back with her knuckles. “I’m just… a little worried, you know.”

“About what? It’s not like there’s any cause for immediate worry,” Raf said, his eyes clouded with confusion behind his glasses.

“Yeah, and even then, I’d say with the escort we got”—Jack gestured towards the three Autobots in their local disguises—“we’re safe from pretty much any trouble we could encounter there.”

“W-well, I was mostly worried about the high end sort of troubles. Y-you know, like the Decepticons.” She had yet to meet one, but she hoped it would not happen until a long time.

Three set of grimaces greeted her words, and Suletta wagered that number would be doubled if their escort stood in their true forms rather than their alternate one.

“In fairness, that’s kinda the sort of problem we can’t predict,” Arcee said. “Most of the time that is.”

“Speaking from experience, that’s quite accurate,” agreed Jack reluctantly.

“Somehow, you’re likelier to encounter a Con than win the lottery on this planet.”

A frown took over Raf’s face, and he hummed. “…I have a feeling the  would agree.”

“You’d think Miko’s just the exception to the rule but no, that’s just how things are with the Cons.”

“Hey!” Said girl turned towards the green SUV with an offended look on her face. “That’s hurtful! And actually true?” she added, her features scrunching into a thoughtful expression.

Suletta couldn’t tell whether the nonchalance with which they admitted to a Decepticon encounter being a possibility reassured her or instead increased her worry.

“…So, what you’re saying is… whatever happens… happens?”

Jack shrugged. “Pretty much, yes.”

“Yep! So stop worrying! Loosen up! Chill out! Peace on the world and all that! Besides, I know the Cons are dumb, but what reason would they even have to be here?”

“Don’t jinx us, Miko.”

The redhead kept her lips pressed together, still not quite convinced by their words.

But, the more she stayed undecided, the more the clocked ticked forward. If she didn’t take a decision soon, sundown would be upon them quicker than anticipated, putting their excursion to an end.

“I-I guess I’ll be in your care then?” she finally said.

Jack chuckled, before offering a small nod of his head. “Pleased to have you.”

“Right, enough chit-chat!” Miko interrupted, getting right in the middle of their group. “We’ve wasted enough time, so now…”

Her three friends looked at her, their gaze rising up towards her hand as she pumped a fist into the air.

“Let the party begin!”

Only city noises and the sounds of passing cars greeted her excited declaration.

The girl pouted. “You know, you could at least pretend to join me, guys.”

“Can’t, we’re supposed to be inconspicuous, remember?” Bulkhead replied, not the hint of a tease in his tone. There was no doubt this was a matter he was taking quite seriously.

“Et tu, Bulk?”

The first order of business of their hangout, as decided by Miko and in agreement with the rest of the group, was to get something to eat. It was somewhat past noon already, and if they wanted to undertake as many activities as they could this afternoon, then it would be best for them to hurry and find any place providing food so they could fill their bellies. A task Suletta wholeheartedly agreed with, for after her chores of this morning, she just could no longer ignore how she was getting really famished with each passing moment, and unless she found something to satiate it swiftly, her stomach would not care about putting her through another wave of embarrassment by letting out its signature groans, like an angry beast roaring in displeasure.

And so the group set out again in search of sustenance. A task that couldn’t have been simpler, for the area they were in – the Strip, as her friends had called it – was crawling with restaurants and food places of all sorts, though there was still a need to filter the possibilities as to avoid the costlier ones, be they the high class locations inside or near the great hotels or casinos, or instead what Jack called ‘tourist traps’.

That was the simpler part.

The real complications arose after they had gotten their hands on food. And perhaps not for the reasons any of them could have expected.

“You know, it’s gonna turn cold if you keep staring at it any longer,” Jack called out from his spot on the bench.

“O’ bu’ft in’o f’amsh,” Miko, perched atop the roof of Bulkhead’s vehicle form, added through a mouthful of her dish, her words distorted due to most of her oral cavity being occupied by the food. That she hadn’t spit any while speaking was impressive.

“And folks say I’m not intelligible enough,” Bumblebee scoffed, his words garnering a soft smile and a small friendly tap against metal from Raf, who sat legs crossed on the hood of the yellow car.

The group of four – or seven, depending on who was concerned – had found a resting spot on the parking of a rather large park sitting on the outskirts of the Strip. That way, they could talk in relative peace, free from the sounds of the city center or the passing cars, while enjoying today’s meal.

Tacos.

Her three friends had all chosen a different sort: Miko had immediately went for the spiced pork, accompanied by bell peppers and guacamole; Raf had ordered a surprisingly large – for his size – serving of beef, pork and chorizo, along with chili sauce and several sorts of piments which he had mentioned to her where common in South America; Jack had turned to something simpler by comparison, with the corn tortilla he held filled only with ground beef, tomato, lettuce, cheese and some sour cream, a composition Miko had criticized as ‘uninspired’ and ‘bland’.

When it had been her turn to order, Suletta had found herself at a loss as to what to choose, her lack of familiarity with this particular dish disserving her. Feeling like a fish out of water, and not wanting things to turn awkward if she stayed silent for too long, she had settled on whatever struck her as the safest choice, hesitantly asking the vendor to fill the flatbread – tortilla, had corrected her friends in unison – with grilled beef and two to three basic vegetables or condiments that were not tomato or tomato-based. The incident of the cafeteria was still fresh in her mind, and until she went to the bottom of the subject, she wouldn’t risk a repeat of her reaction of pseudo-disgust.

Of course, that was only half of her dilemma. The other half was figuring out how to eat this thing. Her instinct told her to fold the pancake and bite into it, and that seemed to be what her friends were doing. Or maybe you were supposed to roll it up? She wasn't quite sure.

Maybe she was fretting over nothing – again – but she didn’t want to go at it the wrong way. She could ask her friends for help, but was hesitant to do so for fear of looking odd. At the same time, staring discreetly at them to guess the proper façon de faire was probably just as off-putting. So she remained locked in the stalemate that her uncertainty had led her to.

Thankfully, she could always count on one of her three companions being insightful enough to notice something was wrong, even when she tried to have her face etched in the best poker face she could muster.

“You’ve never eaten a taco before, have you?” Raf asked her with genuine wonder, and she swore she also heard the faint traces of silent realization in his tone as well.

Before she could answer him, Miko gave a swallowing sound so strong that every eye turned towards her, an expression of genuine despair greeted them.

“Have tacos gone extinct?!”

Jack returned her wide eyed look with deadpan eyes. “How would a dish go extinct?”

Either the comment or the look weren’t received well by the girl, because she frowned. “Garum went extinct,” she retorted, and as he began to open his mouth, she added, “I can read stuff, ya know.”

Jack stared at her with a raised brow, before snorting. “How surprising. Who knew getting into trouble at the museum would do you some good.”

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uhm, sorry...”—they all returned their attention towards Suletta and her raised hand—“But w-what is this ‘garum’ thing?”

“Roman ketchup!” giddily answered Miko, almost ready to jump up from her seat.

“Roman fish sauce,” said Jack at the same time, and while it likely wasn’t so, the way he stressed the last two words could pass for a clarification of Miko’s.

“Roman traditional, all-purpose sauce,” finished Raf, slightly after his two friends though not by much, making it more plausible for his comment to actually be in response to his friends’.

As though driven by a singular force, the three of them all looked at one another, before quickly falling into a bout of arguing about this ‘garum’, something that went on for at least a good minute.

Meanwhile, Suletta could only stare at the scene in silence, her mouth slightly opened into an ‘o’ shape, and giving for all movement small flutters of her eyelids as her mind processed the flood of information she had been given.

“…So it’s like Energon in a way,” she mused aloud after breaking free of her stunned trance. From what she knew of the substance at least.

“You know, I had that exact same thought,” Bumblebee beeped.

“It’s accurate for the food part, but I doubt that fish sauce they’re arguing about would be of much use to any machine in this world. Nor would it do them any good,” Arcee remarked from her spot under one the few trees surrounding the parking, providing her with much welcome shade.

“I don’t know…” Though she locked her gaze on the three Autobots specifically, she caught her friends’ eyes, now looking at her quietly as they seemed to have put aside their argument to listen to her and the Autobots. “It must be quite… oily in nature. A-and isn’t oil useful for machines?”

A snort came from Arcee, and despite her current form, Suletta could guess the smirk that occupied her features.

“You’re welcome to try, but don't count on me to be your guinea pig for that.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “W-wasn’t planning on it,” she weakly replied in a stammer, quickly choosing to retreat from the situation by finally biting into her food.

Imagine her surprise when a tidal wave of flavors hit her taste buds. From the smooth texture of the meat to the finely grilled pieces of pepper that remained deliciously tender, a subtly spicy aroma filled her mouth, balanced by the sweetness of the thin wheat pancake, as if the two flavors coexisted to complement each other. There was no doubt that all of this had been carefully thought out to offer the best taste experience to those who tried this dish, whether they were connoisseurs or novices.

“…It’s good,” she muttered in awe, fingertips pressed delicately against her lips as she finished chewing.

“Was there any doubt about it?” Jack asked, a bit teasingly.

She shook her head. “Well, I’m not really used to… extravagant dishes. So I guess that’s why I was a bit apprehensive.”

“Wait, in what timeline are tacos considered as ‘extravagant’?” Miko mused incredulously, her eyelids fluttering a few times.

“Really? So, what’s the most extravagant dish you had back in your time?” Raf inquired, his eyes shining with curiosity behind his glasses. Though he was more versed in the technological side of things, hearing about the sort of foods consumed in the future was just as interesting.

Suletta brought one of her finger back to the spot on her lips where it had been moments before, digging into her memories in search of an answer to his question.

“Well, I haven’t tried out much so far, but barring the luxurious dishes of the Incubation party, I think the most original one I had was that pizza with pineapple slices on top, w-which surprisingly tasted quite good—” She paused abruptly as she took in her friends’ faces. “W-wait, why are you looking at me like that?”

Indeed, the other three youngsters’ expressions had shifted into a dull, blank look that almost seemed to ooze disappointment.

“Of all the things to survive the passage of time, this wasn’t one I expected,” Jack deadpanned.

“I can’t even begin to imagine the logistics needed to supply pineapples into space. Let alone grow them there,” pondered instead Raf.

“I can hear the Italians frothing at the mouth from the collective aneurysm they’re getting right now,” Miko drawled, in a tone that made it hard to tell whether she was being serious or sarcastic.

“Uh?” These were certainly not the reaction Suletta had expected. “W-what are you talking about?”

“Nothing, don’t worry,” Jack replied. “Eat your taco while it’s still hot.”

There was clearly something to worry about though, but Suletta which matters were worth digging into and which weren’t. And this one would have to be investigated later. So she did as told.

It didn’t mean everyone was content by being locked out of the loop though.

“Wait, what’s wrong with pineapples on pizza?” Bulkhead wondered.

“Everything’s wrong with pineapples on pizza, Bulk,” replied the girl on top of his roof. “Take it from someone coming from a place where eating a fish that can kill you if cooked wrong is considered a delicacy.”

“But why pineapples? Isn’t that for squirrels? Can you really it stuff so crunchy? Must not taste good.”

“You're thinking of pine cones, Bee,” Raf answered, and as always his words served as a pseudo-translation of the scout’s question to his two friends who couldn’t understand him. “Pineapples are... different. Looks different, tastes different. Also, one grows on a tree, the other on a plant.”

“I for one don’t quite see the problem,” Arcee chimed in. “After all, pizzas are just pies for you humans. So putting fruits on pizza would just make it a pie.”

Jack made a grimace of disgust. “That’s… two totally different things, Arcee. Also, no, it doesn’t.”

“That’s just semantics though, right?”

“Definitely not!” Miko shouted, eyes and mouth wide open as she stared down at the roof of the car below her. “I can’t believe you just said that, Bulk!”

“…This is waaay too confusing.”

The fembot let out a distinct chuckle. “Human naming conventions rarely make sense, Bee.”

You call some of your flyers ‘Seekers’ though, Suletta noted inwardly. Still, they seemed to be the exception rather than the rule from what Jetfire had told her, and there was a logical reason behind the name.

Regardless, she was only half-listening to the ongoing discussion now, her focus back to the food in her hand.

Tasty indeed, she thought as she took another chunk of the taco in her mouth.

Definitely something to try back home, whether to reintroduce it or just to bring more variety to her meals.

Who knows? Maybe keep one day of the week specifically for tacos?

“…S-sorry, I know I’ll probably be asking this question a lot today, b-but”—she turned towards her friends, noting their amused smiles, and pointed at her surroundings—“what is all this?”

The three of them had led her to a rather simple-looking building after having left their escort on the parking at the front. Well, simple-looking save for the giant sign at the entrance of the parking lot, by the side of the road, and whose scriptures she didn’t have time to read due to not having paid attention to it while on the road and then being pulled into the building immediately after having stepped out of Bulkhead.

The inside of the building now, that was a different story.

Rows upon rows of L-shaped machines lined up next to each other, each adorned with a colorful and sometimes weird pattern or drawing. There were people walking along the pathways created by the rows of machines, and some were even standing before said machines, going as far as having grabbed onto it.

Suletta noticed that the machines that had people holding onto them had their lights shine brighter and were also emitting some musical tunes, while the individuals in question were staring forward intently, with only their fingers moving against the sides of the devices.

There were also other machines in the building aside from the L-shaped ones. Fewer in number, but seemingly more diverse than the ones occupying most of the grounds of this place.

“Flippers. I guess you never encountered one before?”

She gave a shake of her head in response to Jack’s question. “No… Definitely a first…” And certainly not the last of the day either.

Miko shrugged. “Well, no surprise there. That’s definitely some antique stuff.”

Suletta glanced away from the rows of ‘flippers’ and towards her companions.

“How antique are we talking about?”

“Most began to appear some time before the Second World War, in the thirties at least,” Raf answered casually, sending three pairs of eyes his way. “But some historians say the game could be even older than that, taking inspiration from games from the 16^th century.”

Suletta blinked, only managing to give a breath-taken “Wow” for answer.

Antique indeed.

“How do you even know that stuff?” Miko asked her younger friend, a hint of incredulity slipping into her tone.

“I checked beforehand on my computer as we were pulling in into the parking lot. Even so, if I hadn’t done that, would it be strange for me to know about this?” he asked, eyeing Miko's reaction.

Not even a second passed before the girl shook her head and replied, “Nope, that’s the sort of stuff that’s right up your alley.”

The comment got a smile from Raf.

“A-and, besides flippers, what exactly is there in here?” Suletta asked them.

“Air hockey.”

“Claw machines!”

“Racing games.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Quite a lot more activities than she had expected. “And, everything is playable?”

Miko nodded. “Yup! That’s the whole business strategy of the place: entrance is free, but machines need to be fed a few cents to be used.”

“Which probably is more profitable to the place than if they had an entrance fee,” Jack commented, in a way that sounded somewhat sarcastic to Suletta’s ears.

She nodded in response to Miko’s words, and let her gaze travel over the place.

“And this? What is it?” she asked her friends while pointing at a few machines close to their position.

“Strength testers,” Raf replied, quickly following with an explanation, “The game can take multiple forms, from using a hammer to a punching ball, but the intent remains the same—”

“Punch it as hard as you can!” Miko finished in a shout, jumping into the air excitedly, an action that got a few heads to turn their way.

Strength testing machines? Was it really that fun of a game? It didn’t seem so to her.

But, the more she thought about it, the more she was starting to see the appeal in the game. After all, unless in a situation that called for it like sport, there weren’t many law-abiding opportunities for people to gauge their strength. And, it was also probably a great way to let off some steam.

“I kinda want to try that one actually!”

And with that, she began to make her way towards one of the machines with a big button facing the ceiling and a hammer beside it.

“Yeah!” Miko cheered. “Go for… it?”

Her voice had died down on the last word, and for a very good reason. One that had also crossed her two friends’ mind, whose faces had lost color just as hers probably had as well.

Was it really a good idea to let someone who had just shown she could break a table in half without breaking a sweat go near a strength testing machine?

“Surely, they’ve got insurance for that sort of stuff?” Raf began uneasily, his gaze alternating between each of his friends. “Right?”

“Maybe,” Jack replied, mortified, “but I'm not willing to find out whether their insurance policy covers 'sending a weight into orbit', even in the event they’ve got the ‘all-risks’ formula.”

“I-is this what dread feels like?” Miko asked in a weak voice, to no one in particular. Who would have thought the idea of Suletta’s brute strength getting them in trouble would be even more terrifying than any of her close encounters with the Cons? “Oh my gosh, what have I done?”

Before any of them could move to interrupt their friend, one of the members of the building approached her right as she was taking the hammer into her hands.

“My bad Miss, but these games are off-limits for now,” he told the redhead. “Hazard concerns, you see.”

The three kids breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted!

“O-oh, sorry!” She quickly dropped the hammer back where it was, and offered the man a quick bow. “I-I hope I didn’t cause any trouble.”

He waved her apology off. “Nah, on the contrary, you just reminded me that I should definitely get to putting that warning strip around those machines. Just in case someone else gets the same idea as you and we’re not around to see it,” he finished with a grimace, before setting off to another part of the building.

Well, that was a bit disappointing. She had actually been looking forward to trying those things out.

Oh well. It’s not like there aren’t other things to play with here, she told herself consolingly.

She turned around towards her friends. “So, what should we— Wait, why are you sweating?”

As it was, her three friends looked like they had just came back from a harsh run or sport session, what with how hard they were breathing, or the way Miko was wiping her brow.

“Oh… Well…” Jack stammered, his eyes rapidly fleeing towards his friends.

“It’s the heat,” Raf quickly said. “It’s a bit hard to bear, you see.”

Suletta nodded. It was true that the weather was rather heavy today. Were her friends not used to such temperatures? She felt fine right now, with the cold breeze within the—

She blinked. “But there’s air conditioning here?” she mumbled confusingly.

“Say, what say you we have a go at that claw machine here?” Miko stepped forth, quickly grabbing her arm and pulling her along before she could protest. “I wanna see if you’re immune to those things’ rigged systems.”

As a matter of fact, yes she was.

“I still can’t believe she managed to get that lucky so many times in a row...”

“I know, right? Impressive if you ask me.”

Even after having left the place a good half an hour before, and having other things to turn her mind to right now, Miko still couldn’t shake the astonishment she felt after having witnessed Suletta racking up one reward after another.

“How?” The girl stared down incredulously at her open palms. “How did she do it?”

Walking by her side, Jack shrugged. “At least she made the students in that class very happy,” he replied without much interest, his focus on the windows surrounding them, and the sights on the other side.

He was right. As her successful streak grew, a small gathering of people came to observe what was going on. Most came and went, but a class of about thirty children much younger than Raf and a few adults seemingly watching over them had stayed right until the point where Suletta had decided to call it a day.

Now, she could have probably kept going even longer. The encouragement she had been getting from her friends and the other onlookers was certainly motivating enough. But, as the pile of stuffed toys kept growing by her feet, she felt bad about leaving the machine empty of anything for anyone else afterwards. Plus, the worried glances she got from those managing the place made her feel guilty, leading her to stop after having gotten her… well, she had kinda lost track of the number after reaching forty.

Consequently, she had found herself with quite the pile of toys, far too many for her to bring back on her own. And even dividing it among her friends left her with quite a handful on their hands.

Luckily, her young onlookers as well as the few adults accompanying them were more than happy to take one with them. And to be honest, the starry eyes of the formers had probably played a big part in that decision.

She did keep one for herself however. The last one in the pile, sitting unclaimed, only because there was no one left to offer it to but her. A cute and funny round looking thing, with dark brown and beige fur, and a leaf between the ears, and whose big round eyes struck her as quite adorable.

Overall, it looked like a small bear, and for some reason, Suletta felt like the animal it was meant to represent was familiar, and the thought of having it be one of her possessions filled her with warmth.

But, truth be told, she wouldn’t have felt slighted at all even if she had left empty-handed after handing everyone a toy: there were only two trinkets on her person that truly mattered to her right now, and they were firmly stored within her vest, as the small bump pressing over her left breast reminded her. This new plushie – as well as anything else she could have gotten from her ‘fishing session’ – was added bonus, and it didn’t carry the same emotional weight as the two keychains… for better or for worse.

“You’re a really nice person, you know that?”

Suletta felt her face flush at Raf’s comment and glanced away from the only one of her friends to have stood behind with her for this part of their visit of the aquarium.

“I haven’t really done anything exceptional,” she told him while looking at the animals swimming before them without a care in the world. “It was just handing a few plushies, nothing more.”

“Are you sure? You went through the effort of asking the children which of them had siblings, even going as far as confirming that with the adults, all so there wouldn’t be anyone jealous afterwards. Most people wouldn’t even have bothered. Moreover, you only kept one, and only because there was no one left to receive one.”

It was quite a surprise to hear the young boy speak that way. Usually, this was the sort of words she expected to hear from someone like Optimus, Jetfire, or even Doctor Beresford to give credit to someone other than the Autobots. She supposed hanging around with their acquaintances from outer space did leave a positive mark.

As for his words…

“If you say so,” she simply replied with a shrug, preferring not to dwell on this any longer. After all, would someone without a mean bone in their body have went through the things she did?

She didn’t think so.

She sighed. She really needed to be better at not letting such things dull her thoughts. It made sense to feel these emotions once in a while, but it was manifesting a bit too often lately. Perhaps Doctor Beresford would know how to assist her?

So focused was she on her thoughts, that she did not see the diamond shape animal moving towards them, only noticing its presence when it laid itself on the window and remained there.

Her lips rose into a small smile when she took in the smiling expression facing her. “Hello, you…”

“It’s a stingray,” Raf said after noting her hesitation, and the girl turned her head in his direction as he took the spot on her left, letting his forearms rest on top of the low brick wall. “It’s funny to look at, isn’t it?”

She nodded, before turning her attention back to the stingray. “It’s like it’s smiling at us.”

“A bit yeah, but not really: it’s actually its nostrils we’re staring at, not its eyes. They’re on the other side of its body.”

“Oh… Well, it’s still cute nonetheless,” she said, waving at the animal – not that it could have seen her, but the rules for the place strictly forbade to tap the windows to not disturb the animals.

“Somewhat yes.” He turned his head towards her. “Did you know rays and sharks are cousins?”

“Look, Jack! A shark!”

“I can see, Miko. He’s kinda hard to miss.”

Suletta smiled at her two friends’ antics further down the tunnel, before shaking her head.

“I didn’t, no,” she told Raf. “Hard to imagine, given what I heard about the latter.”

“It’s rather undeserved, actually. Sure, sharks sometimes do attack people, but it’s more by mistake than intentional. Otherwise, they’re docile creatures… though that doesn’t mean they’re pets.”

Just then, a shark passed in front of the window, causing the stingray to let go of it and disappear into the dark blue waters. It was massive, with a round elongated nose beneath which was a mouth below where its eyes were. The top of its body was grey in color where the ventral part was white, and two large fins stood on each side, with a smaller fin on its back.

Its appearance caused Suletta to remain rooted in place, staring wide-eyed and mouth parted at it. It was mean-looking, and she understood why people could be afraid of these creatures. Yet, it also seemed to carry itself with a certain grace, as though it knew it was the target of the people’s interest, and wanted to make an impression on them, but without being too obvious either.

She shook her head, breaking her visual contact with the animal while smiling lightly. No way was this the case. Far from her to denigrate its intelligence, but it was just her attributing human thoughts, emotions and intentions to an animal.

As though to prove her wrong, when she looked back up again, she found her eyes meeting the beast’s right one, staring sharply at her, almost as though it was studying her. It only lasted for a moment though, and before she could ponder on it more, it broke the staring contest and went on his merry way further down the sides of the tunnel.

“Impressive, right?” Raf asked her, a knowing smirk on his lips.

She nodded weakly, feeling her heartrate slowly return to normal. “…They are indeed.”

“Quick, Jack, snap a photo with me next to it! I’m gonna pretend it’s about to eat me!”

“Miko…”

Suletta and Raf chuckled.

“I guess not everyone share the same thoughts as you, Raf.”

“I guess so. By the way,”—their eyes met when the girl turned her head his way—“is this really your first time seeing one?”

She nodded. “Well, space sharks are still not a thing in the future. Or alien sharks. O-or, even robot sharks in the case of our robotic friends.”

Raf’s eyes glinted behind his glasses. “What about alien robot space sharks?”

“Gosh, wouldn’t that be something!” she exclaimed, her grin matching the boy’s. She shook her head. “But no, neither the school nor the other space stations are the best places for animals, much less ones like sharks.” Although she couldn’t discard the possibility of some selfish… prick having one in a container for his or her own amusement, and she sincerely hoped it wasn’t the case.

The boy tilted his head to the side. “No animals at all then?”

She looked away, lips pursed together as she fought back against the heartache that was manifesting. “Well, my friends at Earth House did have a few farm animals: a cow, a goat, some chickens.” Despite the sour feelings coursing through her, she did manage a smile at the memory of her first encounter with the animals. “But that’s about it.” Barring those she had met during her few outdoor trips with Jetfire, of course.

“So you haven’t really seen much of this world’s fauna in the flesh then.”

Somehow, there was something in his tone that caught her attention, the mental image of gears turning in one’s mind filling hers. After all, the question, though perhaps trivial, struck her as quite specific, leading her to wonder if Jetfire hadn’t talked with the boy? The Aerialbot knew well that her interactions with animals were limited, though each of their excursion aimed to correct that, albeit not all of these encounters had been intentional.

“Y-you have an idea in mind, right?” she asked him as she glanced back at him.

After a hum that seemed either thoughtful or hesitant, Raf nodded. “You can say that, yes.”

Chapter Text

Suletta’s Earth Tour: Las Vegas, Nevada - Part 2

Autobot Outpost Omega One.

Around the time Suletta reached Las Vegas.

In hindsight, it made sense that Ratchet would have been so ambiguous in his earlier transmission.

His own reaction to the actual reason behind it certainly warranted so.

“What do you mean ‘it disappears’?” Jetfire finally managed to get out, lowly, almost threateningly, slowly shaking himself out of whatever stupor he had fallen into.

“There isn’t much else to say, Jetfire,” Ratchet replied, glancing up at the monitor where the cold truth was displayed. “It just… disappears,” he finished with a sweep of his hand towards the screen.

Jetfire said nothing, his lips pressed tightly together as he stared at the test results Ratchet had shown him, so sharply that he might as well have glared at it.

Over the course of his many stellar cycles of existence, he had gotten used to encountering the unexpected or setbacks in the matters of scientific studies. It was all a part of this field, and something every self-respecting scientist had to contend with and accept. He would even admit he found a certain thrill in this, the idea of breaking the walls set by the unknown and uncovering the truths and secrets reality and the universe had to offer.

There were, however, certain conditions to be respected.

And not one of which was as of this very moment.

After all, how could he feel anything like thrill or enthusiasm when he felt like his spark was being gripped by cold hands, a pressure deep in his chassis, the telltale signs of a strong sense of dread and – to his surprise – boiling anger, at the reveal that his precious ward was just one Ground Bridge away from vanishing only Primus knew where?

He was keenly aware of the intense pressure his dental plates were subjected to, his jaw, clenched hard and locked that way, pressing upper and lower arches together. It gave him no small amount of pain, for the inner mechanisms and components making up that specific part of his face were certainly not meant to undergo such tension – and that some bots like Megatron didn’t seem to feel a thing from this, even after it became a mannerism in them in moments of great annoyance, was inconsequential.

But he didn’t care for the pain. Nor did he show he could feel it. His expression remained as impassive as it had been when he had stepped into the base kilocycles earlier, his mouth drawn into a thin straight line, and it would have mirrored Optimus’ default facial expression had his own optics not been the cold blue of a glare.

He wasn’t a fool however, and knew well-enough that the other two Autobots by his side had an inkling of the turmoil building within him. Either his glare, or the way his body had tensed, like a predator about to pounce on its prey, or a prey standing on high alert, would surely have given it away.

Ratchet remained where he stood, his optics locked onto Jetfire as he waited for the taller bot’s reaction to the discovery. He found himself dreading it to an extent, for the heavy and tense moments of silence he could go through usually never bode well.

Exchanging one last look with Optimus – who too had been staring at Jetfire silently – the medic finally addressed the Aerialbot.

“Jetfire?”

Said bot didn’t made a move, as though frozen still like a statue, and instead hissed through his dental plates, “This is utter rubbish.”

He realized after the last word had left his voice box that it was a far more measured answer than he had expected to give. But given he was mere drops of Energon away from giving in to the storm raging within him, something that was guaranteed to have him let out a tirade of nasty obscenities the likes of which would surprise both his companions and himself, it appeared to be the best outcome out of the two options.

With a frown, Ratchet looked back up at the test results. “I must concede that it is very unusual, yes. And unfortunately, as we don’t have much to go with here…”

This time however, Jetfire did react, his head snapping abruptly towards the medic. “’Not much?’” he repeated through his clenched jaw. Already the first hints of a snarl were beginning to form on his face, his lips pulling back slightly and menacingly. “Primus forgive me, but what in Unicron’s name do you think that”—he pointed an angry finger towards the monitor—“is?! Because from where I stand, I don’t see much room for ambiguity here!”

“As it is, we can’t be certain what—”

“For Primus’ sake Ratchet!” he roared, snarl now fully on display and limbs gesticulating wildly, fueled by his frustration. Whether it was Ratchet’s denying rebuttal that had brought it on or his own patience having dwindled like snow under the sun, he had finally reached his limit, the boiler he had been turning into had now blown up. “She’s not out mushroom-hunting or dandelion-picking now, is she?!”

“Now Jetfire, I understand you’re worried, but this matter must be approached with a clear mind—”

“I am clear-minded!”

“Not when you’re letting your emotions do the talking for you, no you are not!” finally snapped Ratchet.

This got Jetfire to finally calm down, though with the same suddenness he felt when going from cruising speed to zero in an instant. His expression, once twisted by anger, shifted from shock to shame, and he looked away downwards to the right, optics peering into the ground at his feet.

“Gentlemen, if I may offer my opinion,” Optimus began, who prior to this point had been mostly silent, save for having greeted Jetfire upon his arrival to the base. At their respective nods, he continued, “While I confess that I am not as versed as you are in the field of science, I would like to point out that this discovery, while certainly grim, is not as desperate as it appears.”

“…How so?” Jetfire asked him, puzzled by the Prime’s apparent calmness – which, truth was, was just usual for him.

“Although the signal vanishes, it is only for a moment, and there doesn’t appear to be any ill effects afterwards according to the recordings,” he explained, gesturing with his left hand towards the monitor.

Or so it appears. He had learned long ago to be cautious about getting his hopes up. At least not until he had most of the cards in his hand.

Ratchet, nodding in agreement to Optimus’s words, continued, “Yes. However, the fact remains that this anomaly, while extremely short, happens in the first place, without any rational explanation to back up its existence. Given that it seems to be linked to her unique biology, we can likely discard human biology reacting to the vortex of the Ground Bridge as a probable cause. This however—”

“What do you propose we do then?” cut off Jetfire. He wasn’t in the mood for all the scientific talk Ratchet was debilitating, which he would have otherwise appreciated had the situation been different. Right now, he needed concrete answers as to how to handle this issue. And as far as he knew, there were few avenues offered to them to get to the bottom of this but…

He swore it felt as though the world was swirling around him when he realized what the Prime was getting at.

“I’m afraid we have little choice in the matter but to do live testing, Jetfire,” Ratchet replied after giving him a small and slow nod, his tone apologetic at the sight of his friend’s distraught, wide-eyed expression.

Jetfire didn’t need to wonder why the medic knew what Optimus had alluded to, for the two had probably discussed the matter before he had returned to the base.

“Rest assured though, Jetfire, that we do not intend to put Suletta into any sort of life-threatening situation,” Optimus continued, picking up the conversation from where Ratchet had left it. “However, I have conversed with Ratchet quite a lot regarding this problematic, and he has informed me that, given its specifics and our limited resources and equipment, as well as our reliance on the Ground Bridge in case of emergencies, our only and best option is regrettably to go with that method. It is the only reliable way we have to know if Suletta is in any sort of danger.”

The best option would be to avoid having her cross the Ground Bridge altogether, Jetfire almost said, and it was only the realization of how naïve and disconnected from reality the words sounded that prevented him from doing so. Because while he could do as much as possible to avoid such a scenario, even the best laid-plans were nothing to the whims of fate. He himself had experienced this situation, such as when he would encounter Decepticons where he least expected them. Bulkhead, Arcee, Jack and Miko had too, and in their misfortune had come face-to-face with Megatron and Starscream themselves, in a place that neither should have had any reason to be. In fact, none would argue if he said their whole existence on Earth seemed punctuated by such moments.

The other best option would be to keep Suletta strictly confined to a specific area spanning Jasper, Unit:E’s base and their own outpost. However, it would mean having to draw a line on their excursions, and he knew how much it meant to the girl. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t find anything beneficial for himself in those either. Cancelling these plans of theirs, even if for a short period of time, would not be easy to do without risking hurting her, especially if he couldn’t provide proper justification as to why. And given it would lead to the can of Scraplets that was their investigation of her blood and Permet…

“…We do not have much of a choice now, do we?” Jetfire weakly spoke, finding the ground at his feet a very soothing sight for his optics.

Optimus shook his head. “No. However,”—he took a step forward, a comforting hand taking its place on Jetfire’s left arm and getting his attention—“my earlier point still stands: I have no intention of putting Suletta’s wellbeing into jeopardy. Should you feel confident enough in testing it out with her, and only if the best conditions are reunited to ensure her safety, then we will plan for that test. Conversely, should you not—”

“Truth be told, I would prefer if we waited things out. Perhaps then some new development might occur.”

Judging from Ratchet’s unconvinced frown, it likely would not.

The Prime removed his hand from Jetfire’s arm. Jetfire expected him to sigh, but instead he offered him a nod. “I understand, for I expected as much. And it comforts me to know you would still prefer the path of caution here.” His optics met with his, a sternness in them that Jetfire couldn’t help but correlate with a worry he too felt. “But know that there might come a point where we will have no choice but to cross that line, even more so if the situation forces our hand.”

Preferably later than sooner, thought Jetfire, and though the words had not left the confines of his mind, he didn’t doubt the uneasy frown he wore told much about how he felt at the idea.

Offering a small nod to his two peers, he turned around and walked away to a quieter part of the base, retreating to his thoughts as he did.

The news hadn’t been anything Jetfire had hoped to hear. Just one more thing to worry about, to add to an already long list of troubles. And there didn’t seem to be an easy solution to this one. None that didn’t involve playing with fire that is.

At the very least, he was thankful that the others had decided to bring Suletta to Las Vegas. For all his reservations about the place, it was at least without any notable risk.

...Maybe. There was still the possibility for a mishap occurring, jumping out of the proverbial bush like one of those little critters he and Suletta could encounter on their excursion to send things down the drain. And of all the possible incidents, there was one he dreaded the most.

Still, it seemed unlikely to happen. There was hardly anything of worth in this city but money and perhaps oil, two things certainly appealing for the humans but hardly for the Decepticons. And as far as he knew, there didn't exist one among them mad enough to rob a casino - yet.

Overall, he should have no reason to fear for Suletta's safety as of this very moment. None whatsoever.

So why did that feeling of worry resting within him, clenching his inner systems and almost gnawing at his spark, refuse to part with him?

Las Vegas, Nevada.

Present time.

“…D-don’t take it badly, Raf. But when you said you had an idea… It’s not what I thought it’d be.”

“Sorry,” the boy apologized, rubbing his neck, his cheeks slightly red from embarrassment. “It’s just that, when you said you had never seen much animals in the flesh, I thought it would be a good idea to show you some.”

Suletta whipped her head towards him, saucer-wide eyes at his meek tone and demeanor. “O-oh, no! Don’t worry, it’s a good idea! Just…” She glanced back towards the ‘animals’, thinking about what to say. “…I didn’t expect them to be stuffed.”

“Well, you’re in a Natural History Museum: it’s either that or replicas,” Jack remarked, passing by her to reach another exhibit, one occupied by two giraffes as Suletta noted. “And trust me, you’re not going to find another place with that many different animals in this part of the state.”

The boy had a point. Her friends had had the idea of showing her more animals, real ones, and that was the closest place they had found in a short amount of time. Even showing the slightest hint of disappointment was ill-suited of her in regard to their efforts. Besides, when she looked at some of the animals displayed on the exhibits, she wasn’t sure what she’d feel seeing those same animals in cages that would probably only be wide enough to accommodate them.

Suletta noted it was quite an odd thought to have now given it should already have occurred back at the aquarium. Perhaps because of how nice the place had looked she hadn’t entertained it?

Regardless, she set it aside for now to focus on the visit of this museum and the secrets it had to offer. From the animals exposed in the first great hall just after the entrance, to the replicas and live animals in the marine life section, to even geological items and exhibits on Ancient Egypt, there was a lot to see, chat about with friends, or cause you to lose yourself in your imagination.

It was when they reached the sixth room however that her mind drew blank at the sight that greeted her.

“…Everything alright, Suletta?” Raf asked her, half-intrigued, half-worried by her absence, having seen her stare at the exhibit before them in silence for quite some time.

Now, such a thing shouldn’t be odd in a museum. But he had observed her since the start of the visit, and had quickly noted that her eyes would quickly move in their orbits whenever she stood before an exhibit, as though they were scanning it for every minute detail. But this time, there was none of these little ticks, her stare locked in a straight line aimed before her. Moreover, it was like she had stopped in her tracks right after entering the room, given she stood a little further away from the exhibit than usual.

What exhibit were they staring at exactly, you might ask?

Well, the dinosaur one.

“…It’s too scaly.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Its scales.” She turned her head to the right to look at him, her brows furrowed either in thought or confusion. “There are too many. It shouldn’t be that scaly.”

The boy took a moment to process her answer, before replying, “Should it have feathers or fur then?” He had heard of the discovery of a feathered velociraptor in China a few years back, something that had caused quite a shock to the paleontological community.

She shook her head. “N-no, not the adults. A-at least, not from what I remember from books back home.”

“So definitely not like that one then?”

The girl looked in the direction he was pointing, and the look of what he could only qualify as ‘confused disgust’ she displayed at the sight of the feathered Deinonychus and its mad scientist haircut almost caused him to burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

“Definitely not like that, no,” she slowly replied, turning back to look at him.

He closed his eyes and chuckled, staring up at her only after he had returned to his usual self. “I wasn't aware you knew about dinosaurs.”

“Only a little,” she answered while crossing the few steps separating her from the exhibit. Once there, she leant forward to rest her weight on the railing, the part connecting her elbows to her forearms pressing against it while her hands hung in the air, one wrist over the other. “From when I was a kid.” Some of the adults at the mining station had possessed some old books, which she would sometime borrow during the years spent there growing up. “It’s been a while, so I could be wrong about some things. P-plus, I can’t quite tell how up to date the information was even back then.”

Shame on her for not having had the insight of correlating that with the Aerial’s available database. Because then she would be able to hold a proper conversation with the boy, whose eagerness at present made it hard to let him down without feeling guilty.

“It’s alright. Just hearing about what you guys discovered in the future is good enough.” He moved closer to the railing, looking up at her expectantly. “So, anything new then? New fossils, new species, new locations where to dig up?”

She glanced towards him, a playful glint shining in the blue of her eyes. “L-looking to get a head start on my time?” she teased him, the right corner of her lips rising into a side smirk.

His lips curled into a smile matching hers. “Please. I’m not Miko.”

“Speak of the devil, and I shall appear!” a voice proudly shouted, and two hands grabbed one of each child's shoulders, causing them to both jump up on the spot.

“M-Miko!”

“Sup’?” she asked cheerfully, placing her head right between theirs. “How’s it going?”

Raf sighed. “You really need to start joining a conversation the normal way.”

She let go of their shoulders, shaking her head and hands as she retreated slightly. “Nope, too boring, don’t wanna.”

“I-it’s not quite good for the heart though,” Suletta remarked, watching the girl stop at an arm’s length from where she and Raf stood.

“Might think about it then. Anyway, you nerds, place’s nice and all, but you’ve had your fun for long enough. So once we’re out of there, I’m choosing the next stop.”

“Y-you don’t enjoy dinosaurs, Miko?”

“Eh, a little bit too boring to my taste. I prefer them more… robotic-looking. Like the guys at the base. You know, something like, Jurassicons or Dinobots.”

“Those are stupid names, Miko,” Jack called out from further away.

“Whatever.” She clasped her hands together. “So, anyway, all that to say, I’m craving a change of pace.”

Suletta and Raf exchanged a look, before looking back at the girl.

“And… what exactly do you have in mind?” Raf asked hesitantly.

The teen grinned, revealing rows of white teeth, and perhaps it was because her head had moved slightly as well, but Suletta swore her twin buns – or twintails – seemed to twitch right as her mouth curled up, as though it was the only display of her excitement the girl would show.

“Something with a bit more… punch than this.”

“Ooooh…” moaned Miko, grabbing onto a nearby pole to catch herself from falling, unable to walk straight from how light-headed she felt – albeit if asked, the girl would rather say her head felt like it was about to burst. “I feel sick.”

“I told you it wasn’t a good idea to go on board this ‘rollercoaster from Hell’ or whatever it’s called. Especially not with that taco you gulped down,” Jack chastised the girl. He was faring a bit better than her, but it was clear the ride on the attraction just moments before had left quite a mark on him as well, as he had a slight sway to his step.

“’Told you’, my butt!” she shot back, managing to give him a glare that stood quite a lot with her currently paler complexion. “You didn’t say nothin’, Mister.” Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she brought a hand over her mouth as she moaned. “Scrap, why did ya have to talk about food?”

“I think you need to drink some water,” Raf said with concern as he joined the group. Due to his small size, he had been barred from entering this specific attraction something that hadn’t seemed to bother him much. He and strong emotions seemed to mesh just as well as oil and water.

“I think I need to rest for a bit, and not be constantly told to send something down my throat.”

“A-are you alright, Miko? Suletta asked her friend in a tone just as worried as Raf’s.

Miko chuckled darkly, and slowly turned towards the redhead. “Sorry, do I look alright to y—” She paused abruptly, her eyes going wide as she took in the elder girl's unfazed, unshaken appearance. “How are you still standing straight?!” she all but shrieked.

Confused by the girl’s outburst, Suletta could only blink and point at herself.

“G-force training, remember?” she said after a few seconds as if it were obvious.

Miko's bewildered expression stayed for a few more seconds on her face, before being replaced by a half-offended grimace. “Of course… Talk about an unfair—Urgh!”

“Restroom is this way,” Jack pointed nonchalantly towards a direction opposite of them.

Without wasting a moment or even excusing herself, the girl rushed towards where he had pointed like the devil was hot on her tail, disappearing from view into the crowd.

Suletta tried to follow her with her eyes, but this proved fruitless despite her best efforts, and so she turned to her two other friends still standing there.

“Is she… gonna be alright?”

“Don’t worry, this isn’t her first rodeo,” Jack replied with a shrug while still looking in the direction the girl had disappeared into.

At his side, Raf nodded. “Yeah, Bulkhead can attest to that,” he told her, turning his head to meet her gaze.

“…Bulkhead and Miko went on a rollercoaster?” Was there even one you could take with a car?

“More like Bulkhead was the rollercoaster,” corrected Jack.

“…Uh?”

“It’s a long story,” Raf said, a small, amused smile on his lips at her confusion. “It involves Agent Fowler, the three of us, the Decepticons and their warship, the Ground Bridge…”

Facing a dilemma was something Suletta was growing used to.

But she wasn’t quite sure it was warranted over something so trivial.

“This one is quite nice”—her gaze shifted from the magnet in her left hand to the one in her right—“but I do like how cute this one is.”

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Suletta just barely managed to keep from eeping in fright at Miko’s sudden apparition. The girl was way too proficient at appearing from nowhere, and the souvenir shop they had stopped at in one of the back streets behind the Strip helped too much in that, what with its many shelves forming a labyrinth due to their chaotic disposition. Something that interestingly contrasted with the laid-back appearance given off by the manager of the place – a middle-aged, dark-skinned man with shoulder-length dreads and a greying beard just as long, with a black, green, yellow and red beanie, who seemed more interested in nodding his head in tune with the music playing in his store, or chatting with some of the passersby that took a detour by his desk.

“I’m looking for some souvenir for Jetfire,” she told the girl, taking in the way she stood all innocent-looking, big eyes staring back at her and arms stretched behind her back, before looking back at the items in her hands. “But I’m not quite sure what to choose…”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” And without even answering Suletta’s plight, she turned on her heels and started running into the rows of shelves again. “I should ask Bulk what he wants!”

And just like that, she was gone.

Suletta didn’t have to stay alone for long though, because as immediately as Miko had disappeared, Raf poked his head out from the corner, followed by Jack.

“What’s got into her this time?” Jack wondered aloud in a half-annoyed tone.

“S-she went to ask Bulkhead if he’d like a souvenir.”

“Really?” Raf’s face seemed to light up in understanding, and he moved to walk back towards the entrance. “I should see with Bee if he’d like something.”

Jack followed after him with a chuckle. “Eh. Might as well ask Arcee too, just so she doesn't feel left out.”

And thus Suletta found herself alone once more.

All this didn't help her with her dilemma. But at least not being disturbed might allow her to devote her full attention to it.

And now that she thought about it, Jack had raised an interesting point without realizing it: should she also take something back for their three other comrades back at base? Common courtesy demanded that she should, but she wasn't quite sure what to bring them, as their personalities didn't lend themselves to such showy displays.

She put the two magnets down again, not really convinced that they would make a good gift for Jetfire. And even less so for one of the three other Autobots.

Although... on second thought, maybe they would. After all, a single gift aimed at the lot of them might be less awkward than choosing something for each of them and risking fumbling things up. And something to add a little decoration to the base, like a fridge magnet, would certainly fit the bill. Or another object of bigger size instead?

But wouldn’t they be hurt at the thought of Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee coming back with their own personal souvenir while they were left with a ‘group gift’? Maybe not, but was she certain of that?

Her eyes travelled over the shelves. Decisions, decisions… Always so hard—

Oh? Her gaze landed on a group of specific items slightly above her, and she raised her arm to grab them. What’s this?

“Okay, so Bulkhead gave me carte blanche to take whatever I think would suit him best.” It was impossible not to find Miko in the maze of shelves, her high-pitched voice instantly recognizable and making her easy to locate. “Guess that means I gotta find myself a Hawaiian doll. Or some cool stickers.”

“Bee would prefer the latter.” No doubt about who this voice belonged to either, but surprisingly, it seemed to come from a different spot in the shop, as though Raf hadn’t entered the place through the same way as Miko. “He said he might actually start a collection, one for each place we go to.”

Mmh, isn’t that an idea, the teenage girl thought as she went over the items in her hand one after the other. There were some nice ones, but would it be a little too on the nose if she went for one near-identical as the decal she wore on her clothes?

“Arcee…” Jack made a sound that Suletta could only associate with the image of a frown forming on his face. “Well, let’s just say she’s not a fan of anything that would leave a trace on her frame. Not sure if it’s because of personal or professional reasons.”

From the area where Suletta had identified Miko stood, a snicker rose. “If I’m not wrong, her exact words were, and I quote: ‘You can forget girl privileges if you stick some stupid decal on my chassis’.” She snickered again, this time the sound closer to one of those oinks she had made several hours ago over the phone. “She’s got you whipped good.”

The comment got a smile out of Suletta, absently listening to their conversation while still debating whether the item in her hand was a good pick as a gift for her Autobot friend.

“Go ahead Miko, rub it in,” Jack retorted, clicking his tongue in annoyance. “Still, she didn’t say anything specific about anything else there. So I’m pretty sure something like, say, a keychain, would be fine with her.”

Whether it was Jack’s words or her current situation reminding her of one in her memories, it didn’t matter, because her smile fell all the same, and a sad look filled her eyes. Her mind, who had just been going back to the matter of what to do regarding the other three Autobots that had yet to be involved in any of their outings, suddenly diverted to another similar issue, but one that both gnawed at her heart and felt like a weight had suddenly been dropped on her drooping shoulders.

…Should I also get something for everyone back home? And if so, just Earth House’s, or also—

“What would she even do with a keychain?” Miko asked the boy, all but about to call him dumb judging from her incredulous and exasperated tone.

“I’m sure she’d find some use for it.” He marked a pause, before continuing, “Actually, I should also get one for Mom. Pretty sure she’d like that.”

“Oh, great idea mate! Think Miko, think! What would be a good gift for your folks?”

“Something to display on furniture?” Raf offered. “That’s what I’m going for personally for my parents. Also, you might want to bring back something for your host parents. They’ll like it.”

“Mmh, fair point.”

…Yes, Suletta thought to herself, her silent response coinciding by accident with Miko’s words just as she had reached an acceptable conclusion to her own dilemma. It’s only fair indeed…

She spent a handful more minutes grabbing some of the items that had caught her eyes, before finally making her way to the counter to pay for everything.

From the souvenir shop to the candy one. If Suletta had had a hard time deciding what would be a good gift to bring back to her friends – whichever they were – making a choice between which sort of candy she wanted to take back with her was proving incredibly more difficult.

Brightly colored gums, candies overcoated in sugar that made her tongue tingle at the mere sight, or even lollipops too wide to fit in one’s mouth. With so much to choose from, the place could aptly be called a ‘candy palace’. In fact, it was surprising she hadn’t seen any such thing as part of the decoration, given it leaned heavily into the candy theme of the place, and quite extravagantly at that. The chocolate fountain was quite the shock, as was the fact that visitors could freely have a taste of it. She wasn’t certain it was very sanitary.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a few dental offices in the buildings around.

No matter, it wasn’t the focus of the present moment. Instead, she should try and make up her mind about what to choose. Because right now, with her standing perfectly still, a picture of heavy brainstorming – left index resting against her lips, only her eyes moving as she scrutinized the products exposed on the shelves and within the glass columns, the two globes filled with an intent look – she was sooner going to take root than get herself out of this new dilemma.

So much to choose… I could take a little bit of everything, but I don’t think it would be very reasonable. A reasonable amount of just one then. But what? Those little bear gummies do look tasty, but I'd like to try those fruit-shaped ones… And also—

“Licorice?”

Mmh… Perhaps, but I’m sure I’d get some tomorrow. Besides, I’m not quite used to the taste yet.

“Ouch. Not sure whether to feel hurt or take that as a compliment.”

Her head jerked slightly as she froze on her spot, startled by the fact that no, this comment wasn’t one of her thoughts. And neither had been the one before that. In fact, now that she thought about it, so wasn’t her own reply to it: she had the distinct feeling she had said it out loud.

Slowly turning her head to the right, she recoiled in shock at the sight of the tanned man standing before her, staring at her with an expectant and playful look in his eyes.

“C-corporal Lázaro?!”

“Hello,” he greeted cheerfully with an eye smile and a wave of his right hand. He opened his eyes again, not the slightest hint of being fazed by her reaction in them. “Nice day, isn’t it?”

Slowly shaking herself out her surprise, Suletta nodded weakly. “…Y-yes... Uuumm, s-sorry, but what are you doing here?” Had he been sent by one of his superiors to check on her?

“Supply run. Getting some stuff for work.”

In here? What else could Unit:E get from there but can…dies…?

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Wait, are you buying candies on the base’s budget?”

His eyebrows rose just as his arms did, the man flashing her his best innocent impression. “Maybe?”

“…I-is that even allowed?”

He shrugged again. “Who knows?”

She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a ‘yes’…”

“It’s not a ‘no’ either.”

“Y-you’re dodging the subject, aren’t you?”

“I am?” he replied with what she assumed to be mock surprise, his eyebrows shooting up, before looking over her shoulder. “Am I really, Lieutenant?”

Now it was her turn to express surprise. “W-what?” she stammered, her expression mirroring his. Lieutenant Flannaghan was here as well? Why? Was there a conspiracy going on that involved her or what?

Quickly, she turned around to greet the woman, hoping she wouldn’t stumble upon her words like always, and—

Nothing. There was absolutely no one behind her. Not a soul.

When she turned back towards the corporal to get an answer that would alleviate her confusion, she found herself facing the same sight. Impossibly enough, in the few seconds she had spent facing away from him, stunned by her expectations crashing down, the man had apparently bolted off to who knows where. Not even a quick peek left and right at the end of the row of shelves revealed a hint of his presence. It was as though he had simply vanished on the spot. Or never been there in the first place.

It was in that posture that Jack found her, as she was wondering which of her mind or of the soldier was playing tricks on her.

“Something wrong, Suletta?”

“…Just wondering where my sanity went, that’s all…” she replied flatly, dropping down to her knees to check underneath a shelf.

Nothing still.

Jack blinked a few times, before grimacing. “Ooookay. I’ll leave you to it then.” And slowly, he took a few steps backwards.

First Miko, now Suletta. Either there was something wrong with his two friends by default, or hanging around with the Autobots had the side effects of girls being bonked in the head.

Not too reassuring, that’s for sure, he thought with one last glance in her direction, before going on his way.

Suletta didn’t say anything in return, still too puzzled by the sudden disappearance of her candy enthusiast acquaintance. Her meeting with him the next day would help little in that regard, because when she mentioned having seen him at the shop the day before, he seemed so ignorant of the incident that she doubted he was feigning it. In fact, he would even go as far as wonder if perhaps she hadn’t met his long-lost twin, his intrigued tone leaving Suletta more puzzled than before.

Of course, with her facing away from him then, it wasn’t like she could see the smile threatening to break the man’s façade.

Though, she did have the slightest feeling that someone or something was playing her for a fiddle.

“H-he’s not going to, is he…?”

“Yes. He. Is!”

“B-but… it’s way too high?”

“Yeah, well, hard to achieve what he’s planning from the top of a street lamp, no?”

“Jack’s got a point, Suletta. Besides, don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.”

“I-in which world is j-jumping from a building considered ‘fine’, Raf?! This is insane!”

“Shut it! He’s gonna do it!”

“Farewell—”

Suletta turned away, covering her eyes with her hands. “Oh my God, I can’t watch it!”

“—cruel world!”

From the corner of her eye, Suletta caught sight of a shadow falling on the other side of a window to her right, a prolonged scream of terror accompanying it, becoming ever so distant with every passing second until she couldn’t hear it anymore.

But then there was a sharp clack, like a whip cracking in the air. Through the crack between her fingers, Suletta watched the rope tense suddenly, before jerking upwards with a ‘fwoosh’. And not soon afterwards the individual who had thrown himself off the tower reappeared, cheering and giggling hysterically for the brief instant he was in front of the window, before falling down again, subject to the whims of gravity and the rope he was attached to, like some sort of human yo-yo.

“In ours I guess,” Raf spoke with a slight smile, finally answering Suletta’s question.

Having removed her hands from over her eyes, Suletta rested one against her heart and the other on the window as support, looking very much like a runner short on breath, though hers was due to the intense rollercoaster of emotions she had just experienced. “This is insane,” she let out between two breaths.

“Seriously?” Miko was aghast. “You complain about that, yet you’re the one who drives giant r—”

“Miko.” Jack shot her a dark look, before quickly looking left and right at the other patrons. Thankfully enough, none seemed to be listening.

“Yeah, yeah, got it.” She waved him off with annoyance. “Anyway, point is, should be nothing compared to what you're used to.” A playful glint suddenly illuminated her irises. “Wanna try?”

“…T-thanks, but no thanks. I like to have both feet on the ground.”

“That doesn’t really fit with what you told us though,” Raf remarked musingly.

“I-it’s still solid ground though. And it acts as a protective shell. Something w-which cannot be said for… this,” she finished, gesturing at the dangling man outside. A slight frown appeared on her face. “Also, did he really have to say such grim words?”

“Of course!” Miko jumped at her side. “How else was he supposed to get pumped up?”

Suletta glanced towards her comrade. “Pumped… up?”

“Yup! Overcome your fear, get your heart into it, that sort of thing. People usually say stuff they wouldn’t in ordinary circumstances, like catchphrases or swear words. It’s a great motivator!”

The frown she displayed only deepened as she pondered the words. A motivator? She didn’t really see how. It would be like Miss Chuchu just throwing colorful words at the attention of Spacians right before a duel.

…Actually, she could see the girl do just that.

“You two, if you’re quite done talking,” Jack called out from the table where he and Raf had sat, “how about you join us? The end of the day’s coming fast, and we’re a bit tight on schedule.”

With a nod, the two girls made their way to their two friends, Miko almost bolting there while Suletta moved at a smaller pace, enjoying their high vantage point one last time to look at the city below. Though the sky had yet to turn dark, some buildings had already begun to turn their lights on, as had a few motorists, making for quite the spectacle. One of small specks of light, droplets of water shining under sunlight or even fiery sparks, dancing freely into the air, with some choosing to remain still, awaiting their turn or providing their peers with an audience.

A shame they had other obligations to fulfill, for she wished to admire said spectacle to its full extent, but it was what it was.

She joined her friends at their table, and after having taken her seat, took the menu Raf was handing her with a ‘thanks’, and began to take a look at the menu.

She was glad they had thought to take her to this place. The tower with its rotunda did offer quite the view on Las Vegas, one that Suletta had made sure to etch into her mind. And the drinks and foods offered at the bar seemed interesting enough. Albeit, like the other shops they had visited, there were so many that making a choice was difficult.

“You've decided, Suletta?”

She hummed in response to Jack’s question, a thoughtful expression plastered on her face. “Not really.” There was quite a lot to choose from after all. “I-I mean, it’s not that there’s n-nothing to my taste here, b-but rather that I don’t know what to get,” she added in a hurry, not wanting her friends to get the wrong idea.

“Well, if there’s something you don’t know about, just ask us!” Miko offered.

She nodded, before returning her focus to the menu. She had an inkling about what some of the things here were – the more casual ones, that was – but it was true there were some that didn’t spoke much to her. Nor was there really anything that struck her in the eye—

“Frozen lemonade?” she wondered aloud, her eyes having in fact been struck by something after all.

Miko jumped excitedly in her seat. “Oh, oh! That one’s soooo good!”

Suletta looked at the girl. “W-what is it exactly?”

“Lemonade with ice. Lots of ice!” she added with a wide gesture of her hands. “There’s even a strawberry version!”

She tilted her head, one eyebrow raised in confusion. “Frozen strawberry?”

Miko grinned. “Even better: frozen strawberry lemonade.”

“They also have it in a ‘maxi size’,” Raf mentioned nonchalantly, nose deep into his menu which, with his small stature, made for the comical sight of only his air sticking out from behind the item. “Don’t know how much that is, but it seems a bit much.”

Suletta almost began salivating on the spot after hearing all this, and she perked up. “Oh, that seems”—then as quickly as her enthusiasm had gone up, it deflated, leaving the girl with her shoulders dropping—“a bit too much really.” Setting down the menu, she added, “I think I’ll just stick with water.”

She might as well have said she was planning to go to the moon, what with the three pairs of wide eyes that fell on her.

“You sure?” Jack asked her. “Seems like a waste.”

“It is!” Miko exclaimed indignantly, unable to believe her friend’s words.

She nodded, offering them a smile. “Yup. After all I’ve ingested today, I wouldn’t want to strain my stomach more.” She patted her belly. “I’ve got a weak constitution, you see.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Are you really sure though?” Though he didn’t share the same level of incredulity as Miko’s, Raf was equally puzzled by the older girl choosing to sit it out.

No. “Yes,” Suletta said with another nod, ignoring her mind screaming at her. “Besides, I don’t want to feel sick before that movie thing you guys talked about.”

The three kids exchanged a look with each other, before Jack got up. “Okay then… I’ll place the order then.”

The boy left, returning quickly thereafter and taking his seat back, and soon everyone was back to conversing as if everything was normal.

Well, everyone but Suletta. The others did try to get her to chime in, have her talk a little bit, but all she offered were mere nods of agreement to something one of them might have said, or very short, mostly one-word answers when they asked her something.

It’s not that she didn’t want to engage in the conversation. But unfortunately, there was too much on her plate for her to properly do so. As it was, she was still reeling from her decision to not follow with her appetite. She had wanted to try that drink. Truly she had. But the moment the thought had crossed her mind, the moment that wish had taken form, it was as if her mind had done a complete one-eighty, her happiness suddenly replaced with gloomy thoughts. Likely for the same reason she had discussed with Doctor Beresford a week ago, and the talk she had had with the woman had been for naught in the end.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, she thought dejectedly, forcing herself to keep a neutral façade despite slowly forming tears in her tear ducts starting to burn at her eyelids. She wasn’t putting the blame on the old doctor, who was doing her best to help her. But there was a difference between helping someone broken that truly deserved to be helped… and someone that didn’t.

‘And we all know which you are… Don’t you agree, Suletta?’

“The Maxi Frozen Strawberry Lemonade?”

“For our daydreaming friend over there, thank you.”

Suletta blinked, returning her attention to her surroundings just in time to see a waiter depart from their table, before her eyes finally registered on what stood before each and every one on them.

And on the drink in front of her specifically.

“…T-that isn’t what I ordered.”

“But it’s what you wanted, right?” Jack asked, unbothered by the mistake in order that had happened – one which he likely had a hand with.

“Y-yes.” Realizing her Freudian slip, she quickly shook her hands and head. “I-I mean, no! I mean, yes! I mean—”

Great, here she was making a fool out of herself now.

“Oh. So it’s a happy mistake,” Raf said, feigning realization.

He was just as complicit in this as Jack, wasn’t he?

“That’s great then!”

And so was Miko probably, though her reactions always being upped to eleven made it difficult to be certain.

“But—” she tried to protest, only for Jack to cut her off again.

“Look, Suletta, I’m…” He glanced at his friends, correcting himself immediately after, “We’re not sure what’s troubling you. But if it’s a matter of not wanting to indulge in a guilty pleasure out of monetary worries, don’t.”

“We’re here to have a nice time,” told her Raf with a nod in her direction, his eyes locked onto her. “Besides, I doubt Agent Fowler or whoever’s in charge of your budget would have anything to say about this.”

“Neither would Mom.”

“Yeah!” Miko almost seemed like she wanted to pump a fist into the air, but she had seemingly read the room well enough to know this display of enthusiasm would be a little excessive right now. “Just see this as a ‘Welcome here’ party or whatnot. Not every day we get someone with your baggage after all, so it’s worth being celebrated.”

You wouldn’t be saying that if you truly knew the extent of it.

The words were grim, bitter, but at least they didn’t appear to have induced a frown over her features, given her peers’ expressions didn’t shift, not even the slightest bit.

“I—”

“What’s it with you?” The Asian girl’s right eye twitched, either out of anger or because she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance, Suletta wagered. “It’s the taco thing all over again!”

“Miko…” Jack lightly chastised. He turned his head back towards Suletta. “But yeah, she’s got a point: it’s gonna melt if you wait any longer. So,”—a smile appeared on his lips, and he pointed with his head towards the glass before her—“drink up.”

Suletta remained still for a moment, before doing as instructed, but slightly reluctantly however. The drink wasn’t the one she had ordered, even though her friends struck true when they pointed out it was the one she had wanted. Still, that didn’t ease the twisted feelings she felt deep inside her, and for good reason. At the same time however, the thought of letting that drink go to waste made her feel bad, though not as much as the one about enjoying it to the fullest.

Perhaps she could fake the same reaction that she had had this Monday with the pasta, only for no real reason this time? At least then she might ask for what she had asked for.

Yes, it seemed like a good idea.

Or at least it was, right until the moment the strawberry and lemon-flavored ice filled her mouth.

She didn’t have to utter a word for her friends to guess her reaction to the taste. The wide, satisfied smiles they wore as they stared at her said enough, as had her eyes suddenly widening.

“It’s good, right?” Miko asked her, almost grinning as she said the last word.

Suletta closed her eyes and nodded, before taking another deep sip of her drink. She didn’t care for the fact that her tears had formed into the corners of her eyes and were almost about to spill.

She could very well pretend it was just because the drink was that good, and not because of the strong sense of gratitude she could feel warming her core, or the smaller ball of guilt pulsing within her as she – to quote Jack – indulged in that guilty pleasure.

Just this once, she told herself. Just this once…

Her palate and stomach may have enjoyed her earlier delicacy, but certainly not her bladder.

Nor her head for that matter.

Serves me right for getting too greedy, she thought with a sigh, rubbing the spot between her eyebrows to soothe her headache.

At least the drive-in-theater had the necessary installations in case of such emergencies. Only some of them though.

She wiped her hands over her pants, drying off the last remaining droplets of water that had clung to her skin after her needed trip to the restroom, before allowing herself a small moment to reflect on today’s events.

What a day it had been. From the unexpected cancellation of her plans with Jetfire to her friends and their Autobots partners coming to her rescue and snatching her off for a tour of Las Vegas, one that had been quite restless she had to say.

Restless, but entertaining. Her day hadn’t ended without her having enjoyed it. And it was far from over: there was still that movie to watch, and she had a feeling the pop-corn bucket they had gotten would vanish from existence if she waited any longer to get back to her friends. So better do so and not get distracted again…

Aaaand that’s a fail.

If anyone had been watching her, they might have wondered what on earth had gotten into her. What could have prompted her to head toward that sports car, which appeared to be unoccupied? Was it mere curiosity, an attraction to a piece of machinery that was clearly not conceived as something inconspicuous? Or was it rather the fact that it had been left off to the side, in a corner of the lot, using the surrounding shadows to hide itself? Or perhaps it was simply the fact that its windows were tinted, hiding everything inside and its occupants from the outside world, that had aroused her suspicion.

A little bit of all of that, Suletta would say. But in truth, it was a more superficial, seemingly mundane detail that had caught her attention.

Its colors.

Bright yellow rims, the color of lemon, the same yellow that could be found around the air vents on the hood. A bright, warm red like the tomatoes she loved so much, covered by a grayish-white flame pattern on the sides of the machine. Gray was not entirely absent, however, as the unpainted parts of the vehicle remained metallic gray, the only visible trace of the car's skeleton.

The whole ensemble was certainly designed to be eye-catching – and if not, then to match the type and sporty use of the vehicle.

Nothing too unusual for this type of car, some might say, their voices and faces betraying their lack of enthusiasm.

But for Suletta, this combination of colors, as well as their arrangement – red predominating over yellow and gray – could only remind her of one thing.

Darilbalde.

She swallowed, forcing back the lump building up in her throat at the memories as she finished her turn around the car to stop before it. To think something so trivial would have her react like this… There wasn’t any other similarity between the two than their colors. It would be like thinking of a lemon at the sight of a chick.

And yet look at me. Hurt or homesickness… Who knew what the emotion coursing through her was now…

A little sound went past her lips. She had meant it to be a chuckle at the irony of the situation, but it sounded more like a sigh to her ears. “…I guess it’s a popular mix of colors no matter the time or place,” she mused, before adding, somewhat wearily, “Definitely eye-catching though, that’s for sure.”

“Why, thank you!” came the enthusiastic male-sounding answer from the car.

To her credit, Suletta didn’t jump up nor react excessively this time.

She did, however, turn a bright red color, and quite spontaneously at that. A bit like a thermometer. It certainly felt like it if you asked her, given her entire body from her toes to the tip of her ears burned hot as if set aflame.

And how could it have been otherwise? Not only had her previous actions probably seemed strange to the occupant of the car – something she was only now realizing – but she had also shown a blatant lack of respect for his privacy. And with the car's isolated location and tinted windows hiding the interior from the outside world and leaving plenty of room for imagination...

Her thoughts wandered to different scenarios concerning the “why” behind these two anecdotal details, none more appeasing to her nerves than the other, as her cheeks seemed to burn even more as they played out in her head. Damn her for having taken that peek at Miss Lilique’s romance novels.

Oh, what an embarrassment it was! A monumental blunder! An unbelievable fumble!

“I-I-I-I’m s-s-so sorry!” She bowed quickly and deeply before the car, narrowly missing bashing her head against the front of the hood. “I-I-I didn’t know y-you were t-there! S-sorry f-for b-being s-so i-inconsid-derate! I-I thought… I b-believed… I-I d-didn’t—” The more she tried to apologize profusely, the less clear her words and thoughts became, so much so that it almost made her head spin. “I-I-I—”

A rumble interrupted her before she could continue. The loud sound of drums, loud enough to make both her and her heart jump up in fright, quickly followed by a cacophony of trumpets joining in as though to show they wouldn’t be beaten in that deafening contest.

It took Suletta little time to realize it came from the movie screen. The first few seconds of prelude to the movie she was here to watch, in the form of a giant set of golden numerals and letters standing over a city which filled her eyesight as she turned around, with the soothing melody of violins bringing some sort of calmness to the musical ruckus immediately after she had made that motion.

“S-sorry, I-I guess it’s my clue to leave!” she said with a glance towards the car. As she started to leave, almost jumping into a sprint to join her friends’ side in time, she exclaimed, “H-have a nice watch, a-and enjoy your evening!”

“Thank you!” There was a brief pause, before whoever was inside the car added, “And you as well!”

“T-thanks!” she said, her voice weaker due to her already having to manage her flow of air for her run. Already she was starting to disappear within the rows of car, tracing back her steps towards her friends – both human and Cybertronian – all the while offering apologies to the moviegoers she was disturbing with her frantic running, more than one sending a glare her way or letting out an angry click of their tongue.

Still, despite that, she did catch one last line of words destined to her, a bit muffled compared to before, but which could have only come from the moviegoer sitting in that red and yellow car she had disturbed moments ago.

“You’re welcome!”

Too preoccupied was she with reaching her companions that she didn’t register – or if she had, didn’t think much about it – the odd detail of the individual’s voice being quite intelligible despite having his car windows all closed…

Nor did she notice the slight mechanical inflexion his voice bore. One also found in her extraterrestrial acquaintances...

But, as it was, her mind had switched to something else entirely, and thus these two details would remain as just that at the moment: anecdotal details not worth her current attention.

Of course, the same couldn’t be said for the mysterious individual she had interacted with.

He watched her navigate between the cars, following that flaming red mane wiggling with every turn and little jump its owner made, like a spark of fire flying into the night, until he finally lost sight of her.

Truth be told, he had not let his ‘eyes’ off her ever since she had first made her move towards him.

It had been out of worry at first. No, not quite worry – him, worried by a human? – rather wariness. Most of his interactions with the inhabitants of this planet had resulted in his precious frame’s exterior being defaced, something that was as equally injuring as it was insulting. Given he had made sure to find the most secluded place available here, the sudden interest she had gotten in him had stroked him the wrong way, so he had braced himself for whatever foolish idea had crossed the brat’s mind, already considering what he would do in retaliation, so long as it proved to be a valuable lesson about respecting the ‘pecking order’.

Imagine his surprise when she sent his expectations crashing down harder than a meteor making planetfall by just being completely normal and showing genuine interest in his well-formed lines. So great was it that it actually caused him to let his cover slip slightly, but it would have been ill-suited to not return such genuine praise with his own equally genuine gratitude!

From going to a movie without much expectations, to leaving with sincere compliments in tow…

Truly this place was not short on surprises.

“I guess some humans on this planet are worth keeping around,” Knock Out, Decepticon, bot of science, connoisseur of fine wheeled mechanics and closet enjoyer of some aspects of human culture, mused happily, high enough to hear the sound of his own voice but still low enough to not risk any of the fleshlings around hearing him.