mbv, Blacksburg and a Small Village in Japan, Blitzwing
Capt. Blume: *walks in, dodging a blob of carrot launched from Firebreak's spoon, then offers Patrick a small, intricately folded envelope that is addressed to 'Someone at the Ark base'. The address is written in shaky, childlike kanji*
Patrick: *blink blink* Where did this come from?
Capt. Blume: I had the mail run today. Soli's doll isn't here yet. *brown eyes dance*
Patrick: ... *Raised brow*
Capt. Blume: *just grins*
Patrick: *carefully unfolds the envelope so he can read whatever's inside*
letter: *is written on the inside of the paper, as well as on a second, smaller, sheet that is adorned with Hello Kitty. The writing is still very childish, and some of the kanji are misformed. But the letter itself is straight and to the point. It talks about seeing a TV program about the base, and the programs there. And then it very sternly informs the reader that the writer KNOWS about those robots and that they had BETTER not be forcing them to work or to fight!*
Patrick: ... *raised brow climbs even higher, then he's checking the envelope over for a return address* This looks like it was written by a child...
Capt. Blume: *nods* And it's come a long way. That's a mountain village. *points to said return address* What's she say?
Patrick: That she knows about the robots that were on the TV program about the base, and that we'd better not be forcing the robots to work or fight....
Capt. Blume: .... 'Knows about them'?
Patrick: I think there's a Cybertronian on Earth that we didn't know about....
Capt. Blume: *slight shift in his stance as he unconsciously snaps into work mode* Orders, sir?
Patrick: Find Xiaobei. This letter doesn't give me any clue as to whether it's an Autobot or a Decepticon... We'll also need NEST personnel who know Japanese.
Capt. Blume: That would be me, sir. *poking self in ear and seeing if he can't find the Warlady*
Xiaobei: //If it's anything to do with the Stunticons, let them work it out on their own.//
Capt. Blume: *speaks softly so that the little speaker can pick it up* It isn't, sir. The Lt. Col. would like to speak with you in the mess.
Xiaobei: //I shall be there shortly.//
Capt. Blume: Yessir. *reports this to Patrick*
Patrick: *nods, is making sure Emilia knows what's going on and that things will run smoothly while he's gone* Tad, has Col. Franklin been notified about this?
Capt. Blume: Nosir. But I just called Capt. House and Lt. Wesson. Other than me and Rose, Johnny's got the best pronunciation of anyone here on base, and Capt. House can pick up regional variations in writing.
Patrick: *nod* How soon can we mobilize?
Lt. Wesson: *walks in, Maria at his heels because of his rapid stride*
Xiaobei: *Arriving shortly after Lt. Wesson*
Sunshine: *untying a mei tai that she was showing Maja different wearing styles with* I'll be vright there!
Capt. Blume: *looks over and doubletakes* Who's the little black guy?
Pavel: This is Misha. *Sticking his chin out a bit and almost daring someone to say something*
Capt. Blume: *lifted brow says he'll investigate when he's not on duty. Turns back to Patrick after nodding a greeting to Wesson and Maria*
Sunshine: *hurries over from Pavel and Maja's table, wrapping herself in her wings as she comes*
Lt. Wesson: *stands to easy attention, his eyes quizzical as he looks at Patrick*
Xiaobei: *standing nearby, studying Patrick with an unintentionally studious look*
Patrick: *will offer the letter that arrived* This letter traveled from a mountain village in Japan. It seems that not all the Cybertronians that have been here on Earth are located within Blacksburg... We'll be making contact with the unknown, as well as the person who wrote this letter.
Sunshine: *looks at it* That vas vritten by a very young kinder.
Wesson: *scanning it for any trace of energy signature*
Patrick: She said she saw the TV program that was made about this base....
Capt. Blume: They could have shown that at her school. ...Are we sure it's a girl?
Sunshine: I think so.
Patrick: I don't know of many Japanese boys who would use Hello Kitty stationary....
Sunshine: *thinks about it* They vould. Especially vone this young. But this is a girl's vriting.
Xiaobei: You don't know if it's an Autobot, which is why you're having me go with you, correct?
Patrick: *nods* If it's a Neutral, then that will open up a whole new set of problems....
Capt. Blume: Why's that, sir?
Xiaobei: Because the Neutrals don't like dealing with Autobots or Decepticons.... Odds are though, they'll talk to Patrick, because of what he used to do.
Wesson: *slight scowl* We'd be better off meetin' one of the other factions, if any of 'em still exist.
Capt. Blume: ...What's the Neutrals' problem?
Patrick: They didn't want the war in the first place, and because it happened we've had incidents of sabotage done on both sides that the Neutrals have claimed responsibility for.... We haven't had any such instances since the Autobots left Cybertron, but you never know....
Capt. Blume: *face hardens a bit* So they're terrorists.
Xiaobei: They just wanted the war to stop, since most of the Decepticon-driven attacks, and some of the major battles in the war, were in Neutral territory...
Capt. Blume: *wince* Oh.
Patrick: *small nod* *Quietly* The Autobots tried their hardest to keep battles out of Neutral territory... But we were stretched too thin at times...
Wesson: *face impassive*
Sunshine: *glances at him, and then looks back to Patrick* Who's going?
Patrick: Xiaobei, you, Wesson, Tad, and me. How soon can we get mobilized?
Capt. Blume: *as Wesson squeezes Maria's hand* We're ready, sir.
Maria: *lips thin for a few moments as she squeezes Wesson's hand* I'll make sure Jean doesn't do anything stupider than normal.
Capt. Blume: He's peeling potatoes. You just have to wake him up in two hours.
Patrick: *Soft snerk*
Sunshine: *ears twitching with high amusement as she awaits dismissal*
Patrick: Meet in the atrium in thirty minutes. Dismissed.
Capt. Blume and the others: *acknowledge and scatter*
Patrick: *Soft sigh, googling the coordinates of the nearest safe location to PINpoint to in relation to the address on the envelope*
Atrium, twenty nine minutes later
Wesson: *transferring individually wrapped jam-filled Hello Kitty marshmallows from the package to his right cargo pocket*
Xiaobei: *double-checking that all of her weapons are properly stored and ready in the event that she'll need them*
Patrick: *resisting the urge to pace*
Capt. Blume: *comes jogging in, his lips thin as he tries to encourage the birds sitting on his shoulders to leave*
Wesson: *looks up from the marshmallows and frowns at Laserbeak* No.
Laserbeak: Thrrrpt. You're not the boss of me.
Eject: *cackle* Can't boss me around either.
Patrick: He can't, but I outrank you, Eject.
Laserbeak: *lowers head rebelliously and growls like an angry cat*
Patrick: *Stern look for Laserbeak* No.
Eject: *Will hop over to Patrick's shoulder and yank on a beakful of hair then!*
Laserbeak: Yes!
Wesson: *scowling by now*
Patrick: *Trying to get Eject to let go of his hair, kthx*
Xiaobei: *firmly* No.
Laserbeak: *suddenly tilts her head, and then grabs the plastic wrapped marshmallow from Wesson's hand and flies away*
Eject: *Snerks and goes to see if he can gank the nom from Laserbeak*
Patrick: .....
Capt. Blume: ...Is it just me, or did that seem staged?
Wesson: Hey! You! *shakes head and frowns* Yeah, Sounders is up to somethin'.
Xiaobei: *Frowning*
Wesson: ...But he ain't sayin' anything. *looks to Patrick for orders*
Patrick: *sighs* Is everyone ready?
Capt. Blume: Yessir.
Xiaobei: *nods, unconciously slipping into 'battle' mode*
Wesson: We're ready.
Sunshine: *from a rafter up above* Vready.
Patrick: *nods* Everyone has PINpoints?
troops: *affirm*
Patrick: *Databursts coordinates* This is the closest hidden spot to the return address. Be careful once you're there.
troops: *vanish in ones and twos*
Quiet Japanese night with bug songs
Wesson: *looking around a scruffy tree* ... :|
Capt. Blume: ...It's the post office.
Xiaobei: *Scanning for anything that doesn't belong besides the troops and Patrick*
Patrick: *also scanning and checking frequencies, in case the unknown Cybertronian's trying to call for help*
Sunshine: *is that shadow on the roof of the tiny candy/convenience store/post office* //I don't hear anything.//
Wesson: //Neither do I. Except TVs.//
Patrick: //Nothing on Autobot frequencies...//
Wesson: *lets out a ping, and then grunts* //There.//
Xiaobei: *attention going that way, scans with a bit more focus*
Wesson: //I don't see anythin' to the west, but that ping I just got back came from that direction.//
Capt. Blume: John, that's the mountain side.
Xiaobei: *signing* "Signal coming from gully."
Capt. Blume: *leans to try and see what she's doing with her hands*
Wesson: *translates*
Patrick: *quietly* How far, and how big's the gully?
Wesson: //Eight yards, 'n it's pretty narrow. But I can see a trail going up it.//
Patrick: *Small nod* //Stay in alt-mode, but stay alert. Let's go.//
Wesson and others: *acknowledge and start toward the gully*
Sunshine: *takes to the sky, her white wings strangely dark*
Patrick: *moving as quietly as he can, doesn't want to wake anyone up*
Xiaobei: *the only sign she's even around is a very faint rustling of leaves as she moves toward the gully*
Capt. Blume: *pauses at the mouth of the gully to study the trail through a night vision lens*
Xiaobei: *more signing* "Child footprints... rubber sole shoes..."
Capt. Blume: Looks like mostly a little kid in those cheap canvas shoes. Slightly worn out.
Xiaobei: *Scanning again, is looking for Cybertronian components in the area*
Patrick: Think it's our letter-writer then?
Capt. Blume: *picks something out of the bushes at the side of the trail and offers it*
Patrick: *Blinks and reaches for what's being offered*
Capt. Blume: *gives him a button like you'd find on the end of a two button hair elastic. It's shaped like Hello Kitty*
Patrick: *nods* Xiaobei, are you picking anything up? *yes, he noticed what she's doing*
Sunshine: //There is a building up here. Under the ginkgo trees.//
Wesson: *is a shadow straightening up ahead in the near complete darkness* //Warlady, you smell gas?//
Xiaobei: *small nod, moving a bit more cautiously now*
Wesson: *casting around a bit, then hunkers down* //It's the dirt.//
Xiaobei: *nods, hands moving quickly* "Spilled... Several spots along the path..."
Capt. Blume: *is thinking he wants to kick Wesson's rear, and of missions that would have been easier if the guy had been admitting to Cybertronian senses*
Wesson: //Yeah....// *moves up the narrow, steep, and twisting trail*
Capt. Blume: Bucket print. She's carrying it up here in a little toy bucket
Xiaobei: *nod* "Many trips."
Patrick: Whoever she's helping must not be able to get out and get fuel for themselves...
Sunshine: //I can hear something running inside the building.//
Wesson: *looks up* //There we go.//
Xiaobei: *and there she goes... making hardly a sound as she moves to investigate*
gully: *is steep enough to have steps carved into the path in places, and twists like a Frenzy alibi, but finally opens out into a tiny walled-in valley grown up with brush, bamboo, and a few ancient ginkgo trees. The building is large and ramshackle, and has the look of a former temple. From inside comes an energy signature, and the soft, faltering sound of an ailing jetformer's systems*
Xiaobei: *concealing her energy signature as she moves to approach the building*
from inside: *a sigh, and then a very faint clicking, followed by a weak movement. The occupant of the shrine is big*
Xiaobei: *small smirk. She knows who is in there* *pings Wesson's comm over a secure channel* //Blitzwing.// *She'll switch frequencies and hail Blitzwing's comm now, using her ident code*
Blitzwing: *stops clicking, and then sends the wordless ping that he'd sent in response to Wesson's ping*
Wesson: //Why ain't he talkin' to us?//
Sunshine: //Who ist Blitzving?//
Patrick: //A Decepticon.... A powerful one...//
Xiaobei: *to Wesson* //I will find out.// *To Blitzwing* //Requesting persmission to enter your quarters.// *Yes, she's being overly formal, but darnit, sometimes, that's really the best way to go about things*
Blitzwing: *in Japanese* ~Door... is... open.~
Sunshine: //Ach! He sounds veak.//
Xiaobei: *Will enter the building* *Quietly, also in Japanese* ~Your comm is damaged?~
Blitzwing: *slowly turns his head* ~No... energy... redundant... systems.~ *partially covered by an assortment of worn-out quilts, and a battered futon is rolled up under his neck*
Xiaobei: *Frowns and scans Blitzwing as she sends this information to Wesson*
Blitzwing: *old damage hand in hand with lack of maintenance is well on the way to shutting the old warrior down. The light from his optics is faint as he watches her, but his expression is calm*
Wesson: *PINpoints everyone else up*
Blitzwing: ~Bunny... takes... care... of me.~ *amusement and affection in the gruff voice*
Xiaobei: *quietly* [You need a medic's help, Blitzwing.... If Megatron learns that you are here, he will attack you for being a traitor...] *expression hardens as she remembers the incident that brought her to this planet* [And I would rather not see a good warrior slain.]
Blitzwing: *faded optics flash* ~NOT... traitor. Abandoned. Called. No... reply.~ *looks at Patrick and the others as they come in*
Xiaobei: *Bitterly repeats Megatron's latest declaration* [Femmes and anyone unable to fight are to be destroyed.]
Patrick: *holding his hands out to show he means no harm* [The Warlady speaks the truth, Blitzwing...]
Blitzwing: .... *shutters optics with a weary sigh* ~Femmes?~
Xiaobei: [Anyone he considered weak.] *Yes, she's still mad about that*
Blitzwing: *silent, but a dark streak appears on one cheekplate*
Wesson: *brows up!*
Patrick: [Most of the Decepticon femmes fled Cybertron. Those that couldn't went underground.] *Glances to Xiaobei, asks her something over comms that earns a low growl from the Warlady*
Blitzwing: *remembers the young one he'd been trying to coax out of the shadows* [Mistglider....]
Patrick: [She's here on Earth... But she's got a mate...]
Xiaobei: *Moving to head out of the building for a few moments, doesn't want Blitzwing to see how upset she is currently*
Blitzwing: *very faint growl that stops short as he sees Xiaobei leave*
Wesson: *steps out of the Warlady's way* [We should get him back to base.]
Patrick: *Very quietly, since Xiaobei just told him to tell Blitzwing what happened* [Megatron betrayed her and struck her hard enough to nearly kill her. She would have died on Cybertron if not for Comet and Sidewinder getting her away.]
Blitzwing: *his expression says that he is stunned, and too run down to be able to fully process this and respond to it*
Patrick: [We can get you to a medic and have you back here before sunrise....]
Blitzwing: *blinks* [Bunny'll be heading for school by sunrise tomorrow. She has to take the train.]
Patrick: [Does she come to check on you before she leaves?]
Blitzwing: *gruffly, though his voice is getting fainter and slowing again* [I told her... not to. Too hard on her.]
Patrick: [That gives us more of a window to work in then... Red Alert's more than capable of repairing you and as I said, we can get you back here in a reasonable amount of time.]
Blitzwing: *slight nod as his optics shut off*
Patrick: *Sends an alert to Russell* *To Wesson* Think Xiaobei's cooled off enough to come home with us? *will move to put a hand on Blitzwing's foot*
Wesson: *shrug* She'll come.
Patrick: *small nod, sends a message to Sunshine and Tad, telling them to return to base* Let's get going then... [One... two... three...] *As he says 'Three', he activates his PINpoint, bringing Blitzwing to the large repair bay in the Ark, where Red Alert is waiting, as is Perceptor*
Blitzwing: *optics flickering* [Slaggit... TC!]
Wesson: *concerned look*
Red Alert: *moving swiftly to get Blitzwing hooked up to system support units*
Kia: *working in sync with the medic, her face showing her and Perceptor's concern* He's so run down....
Patrick: *moving to play medic assistant* Nobody knew he was there... They would've come to get him by now if they had...
Kia: *pulls a bit of a face as she removes the worn out quilts and watches stuffing fall on the floor* What is this? Was he hiding in a garbage pile?
Patrick: *headshake as he helps with that* A young child was taking care of him... I'm guessing that she wanted to keep him warm...
Red Alert: *monitoring Blitzwings vitals even as he starts to work on repairing what needs repairing*
Perceptor: *quietly* It is remarkable how caring the natives can be when given the chance... and to show such behavior at such a young age... *Is going to continue on this tangent for a little while as he helps Kia and Patrick*
Blitzwing: *wakes and frowns with confusion* ...Usagi?
Kia: Shhh. You'll soon be able to return to her.
Blitzwing: *asleep again already. Lack of pain suits him*
Red Alert: *continues to work, pausing only to check on the big Decepticon's vitals on occasion*
Kia: *as her mate pauses with a thoughtful look on his face* How old is the child?
Patrick: Not very old, I'm guessing... Probably no more than six or seven....
Kia: *as she moves to start repair work herself once the quilts are put away in a storage room* So her parents know of him as well?
Patrick: I'm not sure... It was very early in the morning when we arrived there...
Kia: But how could it be otherwise?
Blitzwing: *murmurs a name that isn't that of the little girl. It's a Cybertronian name, and it's accompanied by a sad downturn of his mouth*
Perceptor: *Slight headtilt*
Wesson: *mouth twitching from where he's standing guard by the door with Tad*
Patrick: *blinks a bit, but continues to work*
Kia: Is something amusing, Lt. Wesson?
Wesson: Crystalnacht was the one femme nobody ever bet he'd claim. It's just funny she's the one he's dreamin' of.
Patrick: *Soft snerk, will make no further comments*
Several hours later....
Blitzwing: *coughing and giving the stuff in his hand a dirty look* What the slag is this?
Serenity: Meatloaf.
Blitzwing: *pauses* Meat...? *optics flash* You mean parts of dead organic bodies????
Serenity: *Nods*
Blitzwing: *optics go white as he offers it back to her* *quietly* I can't eat that.
Serenity: Alright... *Will get a cinnaSeeker out of subspace and offer it instead* This is energon and minerals.
Blitzwing: *relieved as he takes it, though he scowls as he looks at the rejected meatloaf. His expression shows faint horror along with the scowl*
Serenity: *Isn't going to make an issue of this, since there are Autobots who don't like meat* *Then her attention's going to the door*
Destiny: *Snuck away from the creche again* *Quiet clicks as she peeks at Blitzwing*
Blitzwing: *thinking of Usagi and feeling his tank churn at the thought of eating something similar to her. Then looks up as he hears those quiet clicks* ??
Serenity: *small smile* Destiny, you snuck away from the creche again?
Destiny: *ignores Serenity as she scoots into the room, then she's moving to try and scale Mt. Blitzwing*
Blitzwing: ...What the slag?
Serenity: Destiny's one of the sparklets of the creche... And she happens to be one of the more notorious escape artists. She won't hurt you.
Blitzwing: ...Sparklet. *gives Destiny a surprised frown* After what Megatron did to Vector Sigma?
Serenity: Primus gave us a different way.... *attention back on the door as Raj and Sora enter the medbay* *lips thin when she realizes that they're still linked, but doesn't say anything, since she knows Raj is the only reason Sora's not hiding in quarters*
Destiny: *perched on Blitzwing's foot, razzes Sora*
Sora: *Quietly* Come down from there.
Destiny: *more razz* No.
Blitzwing: *gently picks the youngster up and sets her in front of the two newcomers* *gruffly* Yours?
Destiny: *Clings to the big hand*
Sora: *small nod*
Raj: Destiny is Sora's sister.
Blitzwing: *trying with surprising gentleness to get his hand unclung* Want to grab her?
Serenity: *moving to help with that, since Sora and Raj are linked*
Destiny: *Will not be dislodged so easily! At least, not while nobody tries tickling her...*
Serenity: Here... *Will tickle Destiny's sides* *Acks as Destiny lets go of Blitzwing's hand and lands on her*
Blitzwing: *chuckles despite himself, but then gives the dark-haired guy a confused scowl as he gets a match on the smaller bot's spark signature*
Raj: *Sticks his chin out a bit and moves to hold Sora closer*
Blitzwing: Who are you?
Raj: Raj Mahi. *is feeling protective of Sora, and trying to help her fight off flashbacks*
Blitzwing: That's no Cybertronian name. Who are you, mech?
Raj: *Expression hardens a bit* Mirage.
Blitzwing: *mouth opens to object, but he knows that signature....* *stalls with shock*
Destiny: Primus brought back. *nodnod*
Serenity: *reaches to poke Blitzwing's foot*
Blitzwing: *brb, rebooting... slowly*
Destiny: *scaling Mt. Blitzwing again! Will climb up to his face and poke!*
Blitzwing: *no real response, but his systems are powering up again slowly. Then he remembers what shut him down and stalls again*
Destiny: *Clickstorm*
Kia: *comes in and looks up at the big mech with a frown of concern* What happened, Raj?
Raj: My being online apparently broke his brain.
Kia: *quizzical look before she moves over to Blitzwing and scales him to work a few adjustments on his processor*
Destiny: *clicking and poking Blitzwing*
Blitzwing: *groans as he finally makes it back online, but then gives Raj a spooked look* I vaporized you.
Kia: *soft gasp*
Raj: *tighens his hold on Sora as she shivers* Someone decided I was needed here.
Blitzwing: *scowl* Speak sense.
Destiny: Primus brought back.
Raj: *nods in agreement with the sparklet's words, his expression serious*
Blitzwing: *blink. Blink* Huh.
Destiny: *is going to perch on top of your head now, Blitzwing*
Blitzwing: *absently reaches up to catch her*
Destiny: *clickstorm*
Raj: *a bit more firmly* Destiny, Autumn is worried about you. Come down here.
Blitzwing: *gets the sparklet and once more sets her gently on the floor and moves to get her loose from his hand. The amount of care he's exhibiting is nearly shocking to anyone who knows the old soldier*
Destiny: *Fusses. Sister is scared and locking up, but she can't do anything!*
Blitzwing: *clicks. Easy now. Go to your mentors. They probably don't want you around the likes of.... Looks at Sora* Something's wrong.
Kia: *gently calling Sora*
Raj: *Trying to get through the maze of flashbacks his mate's currentlly locked in*
Destiny: Other Decepticons live here. *reaching for Sora and Raj, clickstorm when Raj offers her his wrist, then she's plugging her link cable into the older mech's wrist port*
Serenity: Get her laying down... *moving to grab a blanket to wrap around Sora*
Kia: I'm going to sedate her, too. Here, help me bring them to an empty recovery room. *Blitzwing is forgotten in her concern for Sora and Raj*
Raj: *Nods and asks Destiny to disconnect so he can carry Sora to an empty recovery room*
Destiny: *Fusses a bit, but complies*
Blitzwing: Easy, ~little one~. He needs to take care of her.
Raj: *carries Sora to an empty recovery room, and once Kia sedates his mate, he's snuggling with her on the berth*
Destiny: *clickstorm, moves to snag the blanket in Serenity's hands, then she's scrambling to climb up onto Blitzwing's lap*
Blitzwing: *catches Destiny again* No. Sorry, but I can't stay that long. *voice quiet and gruffly gentle*
Destiny: *pout, then her attention's going to the door as Patrick and Skylar enter the room*
Blitzwing: *looks up and frowns* ...Prime.
Patrick: Blitzwing...
Skylar: *Will move to pick Destiny up since she's decided she wants to be held and is reaching for him*
Blitzwing: *scans the other guy and goes poker faced* Starscream.
Skylar: *nods a greeting as he clicks to Destiny*
Blitzwing: *looks from one mech to the other, waiting to see what now*
Patrick: Have the medics given you the green light to return to your family?
Blitzwing: *blinks* *slowly* ...My family?
Patrick: Usagi. Am I wrong in guessing that you'd be wanting to go back to her?
Blitzwing: *slight frown* Is that an option? *it's clear he thought he was here for good*
Patrick: *nods* And you're more than welcome to bring your family here if you wish. We have more than enough room.
Blitzwing: *frown deepens, and then he glances at Skylar as if to ask if the Autobot is serious*
Skylar: He doesn't say things without meaning them, Blitzwing. *acks as Destiny accidently chokes him as she dangles from his back*
Blitzwing: *optics back to Patrick, his wariness and surprise nearly palpable*
Patrick: Nightbird, the Stunticons, Alpha Squadron, the Coneheads, Soundwave, and his symbionts live here as well.
Blitzwing: *silent and inscrutable as he processes this. Then, gruffly* Who claimed Mistglider?
Patrick: Dirge. His human alias is Dirk Donaldson. They bonded shortly after the energy-collecting mirrors Megatron placed around the sun were destroyed.
Blitzwing: *browplates lift with surprise* Dirge? And... he bonded with her.... *sits up, flabbergasted*
Skylar: *Gets Destiny to let go* It's not as uncommon anymore....
Blitzwing: Hrrm.
Patrick: Do Usagi's parents know about you, Blitzwing?
Blitzwing: *shortly* No.
Kia: How can you be so certain? The parents of small children are often very watchful of them.
Blitzwing: Because the human dead know nothing. *quoted from the book Usagi tries to read to him*
Patrick: *Quietly* I see....
Blitzwing: Granny knows about me. She's come a few times when the weather was too bad for Usagi to come home from town.
Patrick: *slight grin tugs at the corners of his mouth* What is it with grandmothers and our people?
Blitzwing: ...What?
Patrick: She's the second grandmother we've met up with who knows about Cybertronians....
Blitzwing: *shrug* Old people can be pretty smart. Granny's not Usagi's grandmother, though. She's her father's grandmother.
Patrick: *nods* Well, we'd better get you back to them then... Red Alert's going to leave his comm frequency with you, so you, Usagi, or her great grandmother can call if anything happens. *guessing that the old soldier would rather be with the people he cares about most as opposed to staying at the Ark base*
Blitzwing: *nods* Orders?
Patrick: Er...
Xiaobei: *from up near the ceiling* Continue to lay low. Do not do anything drastic unless you feel that your family is in danger.
Blitzwing: *doesn't blink* Yes, sir.
Perceptor: *Small frown as he looks up at Xiaobei, having caught a faint whiff of something that is normally confined to within certain lines of tubing*
Blitzwing: *glances at the scientist, then creaks as he shifts his weight to get to his feet. He can feel that he's not running at a hundred percent yet, but he's never been one of those rash idiots that pushed themselves. He left that to Astrotrain*
Xiaobei: *drops to the floor, landing in a crouch* It will be mid-morning there...
Blitzwing: The shrine'll be quiet. *settles back on his skidplate as his readouts tell him he's in no shape to be on his feet yet. Looks for the rest of that energon and mineral thing Serenity had given him and picks it up to have another bite*
Xiaobei: *small nod, winces slightly when Destiny scoots over to her and pokes her right where she's injured*
Blitzwing: *promptly and without thinking breaks off a piece of his cookie and seeks to distract the sparklet with it*
Destiny: *ooo, cookie!*
Blitzwing: *clicks to her quietly, and then munches as he looks back to Patrick and Xiaobei* I'm ready.
Patrick: *didn't miss Xiaobei's wince, and neither did Perceptor, but he's nodding and letting Red Alert know. There will soon be a databurst heading your way, Blitzwing. It's not a very big file, and only contains the frequency of the medic*
Blitzwing: *sends a wordless acknowledgement ping back*
Patrick: *arguing over comms for a few moments with Xiaobei, before he nods and moves to put a hand on Blitzwing's foot* On three then.... One... two.... three. *will bring Blitzwing to the shrine*
Blitzwing: *grunts as they arrive, but then hisses softly with dismay and scoops up a tiny form from where it was draped over his pillow and crying stormily* ~Usagi! What are you doing here, little one? You're supposed to be in school!~
Usagi: *startled, but then clinging to his chest as he holds her close* ~Gr... granny needed my train ticket money to p... pay the plumber. Oh, Grandpa! I thought you went away!~
Blitzwing: *soft clicks, his face showing his dismay and concern for the little girl*
Patrick: *surprised to hear Blitzwing being called "Grandpa", but thinks that that suits the old soldier*
Blitzwing: ~Shhh. You'll have more money for the train now that you don't need to buy me gas. I'll get my own food, and you can use your wages for going to school and for helping Granny.~
Usagi: *hiccups, then squirms to see where her overlarge canvas shoes went after they fell off again. In the process Patrick will see her clearly. Instead of the expected six or seven year old she is five years, and very tiny, with a little round face, frayed short pigtails, and a roughly woven undyed cotton kimono and hakama. Gasps and goes wide-eyed when she sees Patrick*
Blitzwing: ~He won't hurt you, little one. He's an Autobot, and his people made me better.~
Patrick: *Bows politely* ~It is an honor to meet you.~
Usagi: *bows and murmurs a formal polite greeting, then shrinks back behind Blitzwing's fingers slightly*
Patrick: *sees the callouses on Usagi's fingers. Has a pretty good hunch as to their origins* *Gently, as he moves to give Blitzwing one of the extra cellphone-style PINpoints he keeps on hand, as well as a handful of candies* ~Thank you for taking care of Blitzwing.~ *sends Blitzwing a message about how to use the PINpoint to call in an emergency, as well as how to use it to teleport. He also provides the coordinates of the Ark Base's landing pad*
Usagi: ~May this small one speak?~
Blitzwing: *looks away from Patrick, but sees that his sparklet is addressing the Autobot leader*
Patrick: *nods* ~Certainly.~
Usagi: ~Usagi wonders if Grandfather is going to live with you now.~
Patrick: ~If he does not wish to, he does not have to. It is his choice, as it always shall be.~
Usagi: *hugging Blitzwing's finger for bravery to address the stranger* ~But Grandfather is all alone. This small one must got to school, and Granny must work all day.~
Blitzwing: *gruff* ~I'm not leaving you.~
Patrick: *gently* ~We have room at the Ark Base, if you, Blitzwing, and your grandmother wish to move.~ *Yes, Usagi, your letter reached its intended destination*
Usagi: *soft gasp* ~Ohhh! The robots on TV were your family?~
Patrick: *nods* ~The robots that live at the base are one big family.~ *and then he's getting a picture out of his wallet to show Usagi. The picture is of the creche having a nap in the atrium of the Ark*
Usagi: *studies it as Blitzwing lowers her, then gasps and looks quickly to Patrick* ~They are Autobot children? Grandfather told this one that there were no more Autobot or Destron children.~
Blitzwing: *quietly* ~I was wrong.~
Patrick: *Recognizes the old name of the Decepticon faction, from well before the war was even minor skirmishes* ~The Greatest Creator gave us a way to have children again... Some of the ones in the picture are Destron children.~ *points to the winged triplets* ~Their older brother was at school when this picture was taken.~
Usagi: *thin brows raise with surprise* ~Do you have a school at your base?~
Patrick: ~We have a pair of teachers who teach at the base, and there are many schools in the town that the base is closest to.~
Usagi: *frowns as she tries to figure something out, but then her face clears* ~The children go to the human schools?~
Patrick: ~Those that are old enough to, yes. The younger ones stay at the base and learn from the teachers there.~
Usagi: *looks up at Blitzwing with a shining face*
Blitzwing: *smiles back at her, amazed as always by the wonder she takes in things he wouldn't even notice*
Patrick: ~There are houses on base, and in the town that the base is near...~
Blitzwing: *smile fades as his optics return to the Autobot* You want me to bring them there.
Patrick: I would rather they be where help isn't too far away if anything happens, since we don't know where the Combaticons are, and we have no way of knowing if Megatron's coming here until it's too late....
Usagi: *settling back on her heels as she respectfully listens to the strange words her grandfather and the other man are using*
Blitzwing: Granny is one hundred and two years old. She's lived in this place since she was smaller than Bunny.
Patrick: *brows up. Wasn't expecting Granny to be that old*
Blitzwing: Besides. Humans need special papers to change countries. I heard about that on their information and entertainment channels.
Patrick: NEST can help with that.
Blitzwing: It still takes a lot of time.
Patrick: It will be less difficult since Usagi is part of your family.
Blitzwing: .... You really see her that way. *surprised*
Patrick: You're not the only Cybertronian who has an organic child.
Blitzwing: *lifts a brow* And they're given full status, just like a Cybertronian sparklet?
Patrick: They are.
Blitzwing: *quirks a brow again* Granny calls me 'Grandfather' too.
Usagi: *leaning her cheek against his finger. Quiet, dreamy eyes, and no hint of fidgeting or wanting to interrupt*
Patrick: *soft chuckle* By Cybertronian Law, she's one of your children as well.
Blitzwing: You mean Autobot law? *slight snort*
Patrick: No, some of the older Destron laws also state that anyone that a mech or femme has a hand in raising is considered one of that mech or femme's offspring.
Blitzwing: Yeah, not that anybody gave a slag about that. *looks down at Usagi, and then back to Patrick* Will you go get Granny? Her house is the one with wisteria growing over the gate arch of the wall. *he knows this because Usagi has told him so. He's not seen the village*
Patrick: *nods and moves to do so*
sky: *rains on him softly but persistently as he leaves the shrine*
Patrick: *is glad he doesn't wear suit jackets... Mainly because he's slipped and slid most of the way down the steepest part of the trail, mostly on his butt*
village: *quiet and seeming empty when he finally reaches it. Except for a little bobtailed calico mama cat and her family who are sitting under the lone vehicle on the street, which is a taxi in front of the store/post office*
Patrick: *looking around for Granny's house once he's in the village*
third house on the right: *has wisteria hanging over the wall and growing on the arch of the gate*
Patrick: *moves toward that house, trying to regain as much composure from his latest slip and fall as he can*
orange kitten: *bounces out to climb his leg, unmindful of the rain*
Patrick: *Clicks as he moves to gently scoop the kitten up*
kitten: *is obviously a well trained and well loved little being, as as soon as he's picked up he's hugging Patrick's thumb and purring tiny thunder*
Patrick: *more clicks as he moves to knock on the gate*
Granny: *moments pass, and there is no sound above the rain to mark her approach, but then the gate swings open and a tiny woman not even five foot tall is peering quizzically up at Patrick from under the hood of a woven straw rain cape* ~Yes?~
Patrick: ~Good morning.... Are you Usagi's great grandmother?~
Granny: *brows raise with surprise* ~Yes. I am.~ *sudden concern* ~Has something happened?~
Patrick: ~Nothing to be concerned about. Usagi is with Blitzwing in the shrine, and Blitzwing has been repaired.~
Granny: *very startled now, but she backs away and gestures that Patrick should follow her* ~Will you and your small friend honor my humble home by coming inside?~
Patrick: ~Thank you for allowing me to enter your home.~
Granny: *slight smile, and a chuckle as the kitten mews softly, then she turns and leads him inside her traditional bamboo and paper home. The cape and her outside sandals are left by the door, and her slightly threadbare cotton kimono whispers as she steps up the small step into the house proper*
Patrick: *removes his shoes and sets them by Granny's sandals before entering the house*
Granny: *waiting by the door to the attached bathhouse, a man's kimono and a hakama in her hands* ~Please, wash yourself with the warm water. I'll see what I can do with your clothes.~
Patrick: ~Thank you very much.~ *will move to get washed up, using a sponge and some of the warm water. Then he's changing into the kimono and hakama, which are a bit small on him*
kitten: *watched all this with interest. Is all floofy from the warm humidity inside the bathhouse. Will scoot over to be picked up as Patrick goes to the door*
Granny: *already sitting on her heels by the little charcoal stove when he comes out, tending to the tea that she had waiting for Usagi's return* ~Please, sit and be comfortable, guest.~ *smiles, her tiny face creasing into a thousand wrinkles*
Patrick: ~Thank you.~ *moves to sit down, giving the kitten's ears a gentle scritching*
Granny: *makes him the tea, and serves it in her own cup, which is delicate antique porcelain. She herself knows nothing of the value of the vessel. It's merely been her cup since she became a young wife long ago. Also offers Patrick neatly prepared cucumber maki and some umboshi*
Patrick: *On his best behavior as he thanks Granny for the tea, will have a few pieces of cucumber maki as well*
Granny: *sips from Usagi's little blue stoneware cup. Will wait till the guest is refreshed before she asks him questions*
Patrick: *is glad to have something warm to drink after getting rained on and taking a few spills*
Granny: *offers to refill his cup when she sees that it's empty*
kitten: *snuggles and purrs*
Patrick: *very politely declines a second cup of tea*
Granny: *bows her head and sets the pot down, then sits up straight and looks at him quizzically* ~You've been to the shrine.~
Patrick: *nods* ~Twice now.... The first time was to get Blitzwing to a medic, the second was to bring him back here.~
Granny: *eyes widen slightly with surprise* ~Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand.~
Patrick: ~Blitzwing has been repaired. We had to bring him to the Ark base to do so.~
Granny: ~So your base is very close then? Grandfather has been suffering all this time for nothing?~
Patrick: *small headshake* ~The base is just outside of Blacksburg, Virginia, in the United States. We only found out about Blitzwing after we recieved Usagi's letter regarding the robots that live on the base.~
Granny: *slight frown as she tries to understand* ~But how... forgive me. But you traveled so far twice in one day?~
Patrick: *indicates his watch* ~This is a teleportation device.~
Granny: ~What does... teleportation...~ *stumbles over the word* ~Mean?~
Patrick: ~Going from one place to another instantly.~
Granny: *eyes go very wide* ~Ohh.... Amazing.~
Patrick: ~It makes helping people easier.~ *Small smile*
Granny: *nods* ~Yes, I see. So you live in the place that she saw on the television program at school.~
Patrick: *nods* ~I am the Autobot leader.~
Granny: ~Autobot?~ *tries very carefully to pronounce the word like he did*
Patrick: ~The civilian side of Blitzwing's people.~
Granny: ~Ah, I understand. He never gave you a special name. Usuagi has only told me his stories of being a police officer.~
Patrick: *Nods* ~He was one of the top Enforcers in the Destron ranks... Then the war happened and most of the Destrons became Decepticons...~
Granny: *sits up, her dark eyes, sharp despite her age, focused on Patrick's face* ~Forgive me for asking, but what does that mean?~
Patrick: ~The war, or about most Destrons becoming Decepticons?~ *is more than willing to explain both*
Granny: *slowly* ~War?~
Patrick: *small nod* ~Many million years ago, a mech by the name of Megatron decided he did not like the way our society was being operated. He rallied the Destron forces and over time, was able to take over everything... The Autobots were exiled to the stars roughly fifty years ago...~
Granny: *face has gone quiet and still, and there are shadows in her eyes as she listens*
Patrick: ~The Autobots that I traveled with, and most of the ones from another ship, live at the Ark, or in the town that the base is on.... We never wanted to fight, but were forced to in order to survive.~
Granny: *softly* ~Yes, that happens in wars.~
Patrick: ~The way things are going now, it may be that we'd be able to return to our home world someday.... But for now, we're recovering and helping out wherever we can.~
Granny: ~That is good.~ *lifts her eyes once more to his face* ~Why have you come here to my home?~
Patrick: ~Blitzwing asked me to bring you to the shrine.~
Granny: *brows lift even as she shifts her weight in preparation to getting up* ~He wishes to speak to me?~
Patrick: *nods as he moves to get up to offer assistance should Granny need it*
kitten: *mews and then dives down the front of Patrick's kimono*
Granny: *blinks and then laughs* ~Ohhhh!~
Patrick: *Laughs as the kitten's fur and little paws tickle his belly*
kitten: *oh! It moves! Squirms around*
Granny: *on her feet now, her hands over her mouth to politely cover her laughter*
Patrick: *Squirming and trying to gently grab the kitten*
kitten: *finally notices the hand and comes to it. Kissa hand. Purrr*
Patrick: *Will gently grab the kitten and bring it out of the front of the kimono* *clicks to the little furball*
kitten: *mews and looks for the sound. Issa big curious in a little cat*
Granny: *looks up at Patrick and chuckles softly as her eyes twinkle* ~You've made a good friend.~
Patrick: *amusement sparkles in his eyes as he continues to click to the kitten, gently cradling it against his chest*
Granny: ~Kenichi will let him go home with you. Mamacat gives him a new family every summer.~ *turns to go to the storage room again, thinking of the spare rain cape she has there*
kitten: *issa very big happy. Eyes closed as he snuggles and sings*
Patrick: *Soft chuckle before his attention goes to Granny* ~Ah, I can bring us to the shrine....~
Granny: *stops and turns back, her expression quizzical*
Patrick: *indicates his wristwatch* ~Teleportation device...~
Granny: *slight smile* ~The shrine roof still leaks.~
Patrick: *seems a bit confused* ~It wasn't leaking when I was there....~
Granny: ~But most of the tiles have fallen off.~
Patrick: *considering look* ~Perhaps we should find out?~
Granny: ~Alright. But you should let Kenichi know you have the kitten.~
Patrick: ~Kenichi?~
Granny: ~Yes, the postman.~ *goes and gets the rain cape, and then brings it back to him before taking his hand and leading him toward the door*
Patrick: *follows where he's lead*
Granny: *brings him to the porch, and then lets him go as she puts on her own outdoor gear* ~Kenichi will probably be surprised to see you, but even though he's young he's too polite to ask rude questions.~
Patrick: ~Ah...~ *small nod as he moves to shelter the kitten from the rain* ~Where would I find Kenichi?~
Granny: *goes down the walk and opens her gate, and then calls a greeting to her eighty year old neighbor as he hunkers down by his taxi and talks to the mother cat* ~Kenichi! My guest is coming to talk to you.~
Kenichi: ~Alright, Grandmother Ootera. I'm not going anywhere. I think one of Mamacat's children is inside the car engine.~
Granny: ~The boychild with no white on him? No no. He's alright.~ *turns and looks for Patrick*
Patrick: *Following after Granny, is talking to the kitten in sparklet*
kitten: *seems to be attentive there under the rain cape despite closed eyes and a cheek smushed against Patrick's kimono*
Kenichi: *sits up when he sees Patrick, his lined face showing curiosity. But as Granny said, he's too polite to ask questions*
Patrick: *moving to approach* ~It seems this little one has become fond of me... May I keep him?~
Kenichi: *laughs as he catches sight of the wisp of fur and sees exactly how the kitten's laying* ~I'd be cruel to say no. But please take good care of him.~
Patrick: ~I will. Thank you very much.~ *Careful and polite bow*
Kenichi: *stands and bows back, carefully so that the kittens sitting on his shoulders don't fall* ~Thank you.~
Patrick: *smiles and moves to offer his arm to Granny* ~Shall we go then?~
Granny: ~Yes, let's go back inside out of the rain. I need to tend the stove.~ *takes his arm and pat pats it*
Kenichi: *busy doing kitten in the pants dance behind them*
Patrick: *will walk with Granny back into the house*
Granny: *brings her outside shoes inside in one hand and quickly goes over to put out the stove so that the house is safe while she's gone* ~Alright. I'm ready.~
Patrick: *carefully stoops to grab his shoes before going inside* ~If we go to the bathhouse, we can put our shoes on before we go to the shrine...~
Granny: ~Good thinking. Just let me grab Usagi's lunch so I can bring it.~ *quickly makes a neat parcel with a worn but colourful cloth, and then turns toward the bathhouse door. Knows the fire out there will be safe to leave*
Patrick: *moving to grab his normal clothing which is still lightly soggy, though Granny did her best to clean them without getting them any wetter*
Granny: *slips her shoes back on and straightens, the lunch parcel held in one hand by the knots*
Patrick: *Getting situated and putting his shoes on*
Granny: *chuckles as she watches him*
Patrick: *once he's situated, he's offering the arm with the teleportation device to Granny, hand on the kitten to keep him from slipping*
Granny: *takes arm and instinctively braces herself*
Patrick: *Brings Granny and the kitten to the shrine*
Granny: *blinking slightly and weebling when they arrive*
kitten: *scared stiff*
Blitzwing: *makes no response to their arrival, whut?*
Patrick: *Soothing clicks for the kitten* *Quietly* Blitzwing?
Granny: *looks around and then chuckles* Shhhh.
Blitzwing: *laying on his back, sound asleep as he covers Usagi with one hand where she's laying on his chest*
Patrick: *Very soft chuckle as he gently smooths the kitten's fur*
Granny: *and then looks up at the roof and blinks* *quietly* ~Someone's repaired this.~
Patrick: *looks up, soft sound of surprise* ~Huh... Rubber cement...~
Granny: ~What about it?~ *looks at him*
Patrick: ~That's what whoever repaired the tiles used....~
Granny: *puzzled* ~Repaired the tiles?~ *looks up again* ~Do you mean they put the broken ones back together?~
Patrick: ~It looks like it.~
Granny: ~How strange. And Usagi said that no one knew about Grandfather except for her and me....~
Patrick: *considering look* ~Perhaps it was Usagi who repaired the tiles?~
Granny: *eyes widen* ~Oh no.~
Patrick: *calculating distances and scanning for traces of rubber cement on the floor, as he has a hunch about something* ~If she stood in Blitzwing's hands, she'd be able to reach the roof from the underside....~
Granny: ~No. Grandfather could barely move.~ *worried eyes toward her sleeping granddaughter* ~And you put tiles on from the outside.~
Patrick: *Small frown* ~I'm not sure then....~
Blitzwing: *speaks up quietly, so as to not wake the child sleeping on his chest* ~Bunny did it. All by herself.~
Granny: *hand over her mouth as her eyes go wide with fright*
Patrick: *Soothing sounds, though he can understand Granny's concern and fright*
Granny: *trying not to cry, and murmuring thanks to God for keeping her grandchild safe*
Blitzwing: *turns his head to look at her with confused concern*
Patrick: *Quietly, so as not to wake Usagi* Climbing onto roofs is dangerous for humans, regardless of size or ability...
Blitzwing: There wasn't anyone else to do it, and she did a good job.
Patrick: *Resisting the urge to facepalm* *Quietly* That may be, but it was still dangerous, and she is lucky she was not injured.
Blitzwing: Thrrrrpt.
Usagi: *rubbing her eyes as she sits up, and the grins when she sees Granny. But then the grin turns to worry when she notices Granny's expression*
Blitzwing: ~It's alright, little one. Granny just found out who fixed the roof.~
Usagi: Ohhhh! *hops down to go and hug Granny*
Patrick: *To Blitzwing* I'm going to go and get started on getting Usagi and Granny their papers.
Blitzwing: *barely looks up from watching his family, but nods* See you around, Prime.
Patrick: *leaves in a PINflash, mentally making plans for calling Col. Franklin and for buying kitten supplies after he's shown his new friend to Emi and their kids*
((Co-written with random_xtras))