Interview
Caleendi squeaked happily from where she lay in Dreadnought's shade on a towel and played with her feet.
Dreadnought smiled at the tiny femme as he feild-stripped his favorite gun, and then gave a mental poke to his drone, who was passed out in the glaring desert sun a short distance away from them. The black mech didn't look up as Slingshot zipped overhead and slammed into the side of the mountain, though he did key his communicator.
//Wheeljack, that bio diesel's too strong//
The inventor was boggling at the effect of his new prototype aviation fuel. //Yeah... it is. Ratch! I need a hand here!//
//I'm coming.// The medic's reply was laced with a heavy sigh as he tore himself away from Optimus' basketball game. //Why do you always have to do this when my team's winning?//
"I'm okay," came a groan from above.
Dreadnought pondered a tiny circuit from the gun as Skydive made a crack about her brother not damaging anything important, but only hitting his head, then tensed and looked up as he sensed the human, Rob Wright, approaching.
The man gave him an easy grin, his body language speaking of hopefulness and lack of threat. "That was some bang."
Dreadnought frowned at him, then realized that the statement was meant as 'small talk', which was supposed to set him at his ease. "There was no explosion and no real damage. Once they dig him out of the mountain and repair the superficial dents and scrapes he'll be fully functional."
Rob blinked. "Er. Right. Are you busy right now?"
"Not really." Dreadnought looked up as a small silver, red, and yellow being landed confidently on his shoulder, his mouth quirking toward a smile. "Hey, Swoop. I wondered how many loops you'd do before you came to say hi. Wheeljack left your brothers behind, huh?"
"Swoop do lots of loops!" said the tiny Dinobot femme proudly. "Big loops and little loops! Me, Swoop likes loops. Yup, him, Sludge and him, Grimlock at home with her, Keepsake."
Dreadnought rumbled a chuckle and put up a hand, inviting her to sit on it. "That's great, kid. You wanna say hi to Cali?"
"Me, Swoop like she, Cali! Say hi to her!"
"Alright." He set the little femme down near the towel and watched her transform, then chuckled as Caleendi noticed her and squeaked excitedly. "She's sayin' hi."
"Hi, littlespark." Swoop beamed and settled down on the towel beside the sparkling, one slender little hand stroking Caleendi's helm.
Then she looked up and her big blue optics widened. "New squishie!"
"Nah. He's just visiting." Dreadnought glanced at the human, knowing that the man had registered his more relaxed state. "This is Swoop. Swoop, this is Rob Wright. He writes things for a human news magazine."
"Rob Wright writes?" Swoop grinned as she returned the humans' greeting, liking the play on words. But her attention quickly returned to Caleendi, and she was soon lost in a game of peekaboo with the baby bot.
"She's a child?" asked Rob uncertainly, watching her play.
"She 'n Cali are both sparklings." Dreadnought rumbled protectively, his hands once more busy with gun parts as he scanned the area around them for potential dangers to the two helpless bots.
"I have a son who's at about Bumblebee's development level," offered the human quietly. "Running around and exploring everything, but not talking yet."
"Bumblebee talks." The last bits of the gun clicked together without the shielded optics turning toward them. "Though most of her words make my creator cringe."
"Your... wait. You have a parent here?" Rob's eyebrows lifted.
"Jazz." Dreadnought frowned at him.
"Oh." The reporter blinked, realization dawning on his face. "Is that why you're here?"
"Originally." The black mech shrugged. "I like it here now."
"Think fast!" Air Raid buzzed him in passing, her laughter trailing after her as she streaked away.
Dreadnought paused and lifted a browplate, then snerked softly and lifted a hand to send a shot over her head. "These are my people."
"But you still wear the Decepticon badge."
"Because I'm a Decepticon." Dreadnought looked down at him. "Nothing will ever change that. I was built for war."
"Is that what it means?" Rob's eyebrows lifted.
"Yes." Caleendi squeaked, her little fists clenched, and the black mech put the gun away and lifted her carefully to hold her close as Swoop transformed and flew up to his shoulder. "Cali's hungry. I'd better go find Gen."
The human nodded, sentences falling together in his mind. "Alright. It was nice talking to you."
Dreadnought paused and looked at him quizzically, but then held his daughter close to his spark and picked up her towel as he got to his feet. "Good bye."
Dreadnought smiled at the tiny femme as he feild-stripped his favorite gun, and then gave a mental poke to his drone, who was passed out in the glaring desert sun a short distance away from them. The black mech didn't look up as Slingshot zipped overhead and slammed into the side of the mountain, though he did key his communicator.
//Wheeljack, that bio diesel's too strong//
The inventor was boggling at the effect of his new prototype aviation fuel. //Yeah... it is. Ratch! I need a hand here!//
//I'm coming.// The medic's reply was laced with a heavy sigh as he tore himself away from Optimus' basketball game. //Why do you always have to do this when my team's winning?//
"I'm okay," came a groan from above.
Dreadnought pondered a tiny circuit from the gun as Skydive made a crack about her brother not damaging anything important, but only hitting his head, then tensed and looked up as he sensed the human, Rob Wright, approaching.
The man gave him an easy grin, his body language speaking of hopefulness and lack of threat. "That was some bang."
Dreadnought frowned at him, then realized that the statement was meant as 'small talk', which was supposed to set him at his ease. "There was no explosion and no real damage. Once they dig him out of the mountain and repair the superficial dents and scrapes he'll be fully functional."
Rob blinked. "Er. Right. Are you busy right now?"
"Not really." Dreadnought looked up as a small silver, red, and yellow being landed confidently on his shoulder, his mouth quirking toward a smile. "Hey, Swoop. I wondered how many loops you'd do before you came to say hi. Wheeljack left your brothers behind, huh?"
"Swoop do lots of loops!" said the tiny Dinobot femme proudly. "Big loops and little loops! Me, Swoop likes loops. Yup, him, Sludge and him, Grimlock at home with her, Keepsake."
Dreadnought rumbled a chuckle and put up a hand, inviting her to sit on it. "That's great, kid. You wanna say hi to Cali?"
"Me, Swoop like she, Cali! Say hi to her!"
"Alright." He set the little femme down near the towel and watched her transform, then chuckled as Caleendi noticed her and squeaked excitedly. "She's sayin' hi."
"Hi, littlespark." Swoop beamed and settled down on the towel beside the sparkling, one slender little hand stroking Caleendi's helm.
Then she looked up and her big blue optics widened. "New squishie!"
"Nah. He's just visiting." Dreadnought glanced at the human, knowing that the man had registered his more relaxed state. "This is Swoop. Swoop, this is Rob Wright. He writes things for a human news magazine."
"Rob Wright writes?" Swoop grinned as she returned the humans' greeting, liking the play on words. But her attention quickly returned to Caleendi, and she was soon lost in a game of peekaboo with the baby bot.
"She's a child?" asked Rob uncertainly, watching her play.
"She 'n Cali are both sparklings." Dreadnought rumbled protectively, his hands once more busy with gun parts as he scanned the area around them for potential dangers to the two helpless bots.
"I have a son who's at about Bumblebee's development level," offered the human quietly. "Running around and exploring everything, but not talking yet."
"Bumblebee talks." The last bits of the gun clicked together without the shielded optics turning toward them. "Though most of her words make my creator cringe."
"Your... wait. You have a parent here?" Rob's eyebrows lifted.
"Jazz." Dreadnought frowned at him.
"Oh." The reporter blinked, realization dawning on his face. "Is that why you're here?"
"Originally." The black mech shrugged. "I like it here now."
"Think fast!" Air Raid buzzed him in passing, her laughter trailing after her as she streaked away.
Dreadnought paused and lifted a browplate, then snerked softly and lifted a hand to send a shot over her head. "These are my people."
"But you still wear the Decepticon badge."
"Because I'm a Decepticon." Dreadnought looked down at him. "Nothing will ever change that. I was built for war."
"Is that what it means?" Rob's eyebrows lifted.
"Yes." Caleendi squeaked, her little fists clenched, and the black mech put the gun away and lifted her carefully to hold her close as Swoop transformed and flew up to his shoulder. "Cali's hungry. I'd better go find Gen."
The human nodded, sentences falling together in his mind. "Alright. It was nice talking to you."
Dreadnought paused and looked at him quizzically, but then held his daughter close to his spark and picked up her towel as he got to his feet. "Good bye."