tpf. Maria's Place. Morning Antics and News

[dens_extra_pups]

Soundwave: *standing there in the early morning hours of his second day back, frowning out past Red Bull's pen as he tries to figure out what he's looking at*

Maria: *comes stumbling out of the house, half-awake and mostly dressed. She's come out to do morning chores, and hasn't started coffee yet*

Soundwave: *glances down at her. Quietly* There's a fire moving around the desert.

Maria: ... *groggy frown, looks* Might be Yau Fei. *met the ifiri girl a few days ago*

Soundwave: *suddenly goes dead still, and then slowly turns his back to that ambulating flame*

Maria: *yawns and tries to wake herself up more*

Soundwave: ...Is there a penalty for seeing a neighbour... skyclad?

Maria: ... Just ignore 'er. She's weird.

Soundwave: Alright. *looks down at her* Why are you up? It's still dark.

Maria: Gotta feed the animals...

Soundwave: I did that already.

Maria: ... Today? *trying to make sense of this, SO not awake*

Soundwave: *hunkers down and offers his hands to her* Yes. Just now. I told you I would.

Maria: Oh. *will climb onto the hands and yawn again*

Soundwave: *goes over to the truck and sits in the back of it, holding her close* *quietly* I waited yesterday, because you and your family urged me to, but I have to go back to the base.

Maria: *small nod* *quietly* Kinda figured...

Soundwave: You sound so sad.

Maria: Still gettin' used ta havin' you back.

Soundwave: *instinctively holds her close*

Maria: *snuggles close*

Soundwave: I'm not soft anymore.

Maria: *muffled* Don' care.

Soundwave: I miss Johnny's hair. You liked it so much.

Maria: *quietly, as she snuggles* I don't mind.

Soundwave: *sighs and holds her close, then pings the base*

Ratchet: *working the comms today* //Autobot Outpost Omega One. This is Ratchet.//

Soundwave: *quietly* //Soundwave reporting.//

Ratchet: *startled sound* //You didn't come through the Well?// *so shocked*

Soundwave: //Of course I did.//

Ratchet: //Blaster never reported that!// *trying to figure this out*

Soundwave: *frankly* //Blaster never saw me.//

Ratchet: //...// *clang of a face-palm* //Where are you?//

Soundwave: *quietly* //Home.//

Ratchet: //...// *softly* //Of course. I should have realized.//

Soundwave: //I must report to the Prima.//

Ratchet: //Optimus is on Cybertron, currently. *pauses* But I have relayed the information to her.//

Soundwave: //Understood. Orders?//

Ratchet: //Have you refueled lately?//

Soundwave: //My levels are in the green.//

Ratchet: //Alright. Well, let's get you set up with fuel. And I'll give you a quick check-up, so you can return to Maria quickly.//

Soundwave: *lifts head slightly* //I may return?//

Ratchet: //If you wish to, yes.//

Soundwave: *the very softness of the mechanical voice shows his fervency* //I do.//

Ratchet: //I'll get the ground bridge going.//

Soundwave: //We'll drive.// *suddenly has no intention of putting Maria down if he doesn't have to*

Ratchet: *can you just see him pausing and blinking?* //Alright. We'll see you here later today, then. Drive safely.//

Soundwave: //Yessir.// *waits for dismissal*

Ratchet: //Ratchet out.//

Soundwave: *affirmative signal, then closes the line and looks down at the woman he's holding against his chest*

Maria: *kinda dozed off, is resting quietly*

Soundwave: *quiet sigh, and then settles back to rest with her till daylight*


later that morning


Maria: *trying to make sure Pete and Beeper won't escape from their confinement*

Pete: *paws up against the door of the pen as he shoves* MOWWWWWWWWWWW MOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Beeper: *water water water water! Weeee!*

Maria: No, Pete! You have to stay put!

Pete: RRRROWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Tikvah: *crawls out of the two man pup tent by the house, blinking blearily* ...Air raid siren?

Maria: Clingy cat.

Tikvah: ... *collapses face down in the dirt and goes back to sleep*

Terrance: *stumbles out a moment later, looking for Tikvah* *comical squeak as he trips over the prone woman*

Tikvah: *grunt* Watch where yer goin'.

Terrance: *sleepy perk, will move to pick up Tikvah*

Soundwave: *looks over from picking the big pumpkin so they can bring it to Outpost Omega One*

Terrance: *lovingly cuddling Tikvah, even as he brings her back to the tent*

Soundwave: *snerks and turns his attention back to Maria's gift for Mira*

Maria: *finally got pets corralled, is moving to approach*

Soundwave: *hand up to deflect loving hawk divebomb*

Billy: *pulls up, yells at him, then flies over to sit on the house and watch the world*

Maria: *head shake* Crazy brat.

Soundwave: Was she attacking you? *looks toward the bird as he absently lifts the pumpkin*

Maria: Usually, she'll go fer my hat. Mira'll like the pumpkin. *has been getting regular stories of the Wrecker's fixation on pumpkins*

Soundwave: *shakes his head, and then transforms. The big pumpkin barely fits in his cargo compartment*

Maria: *soft snerk as she sees that*

Soundwave: ...Am I damaging it?

Maria: No. It's just funny seein' it sittin' in yer cargo hold. *fond amusement*

Soundwave: *plays a radio snippet about one in the oven*

Maria: *SNERK*

Soundwave: *then plays a tune about picking up girls as he opens his driver door*

Maria: *laughs and moves to get into the driver's seat* *affectionately* You dork.

Soundwave: *deep chuckle as he closes the door, and then he blares the horn loudly before taking off down the drive, leaving Tikvah's startled cursing in his wake*

Maria: Serves 'em right. *grin*


later, at the Autobot Base


Soundwave: *comes cruising quietly into the motor pool, then opens his door to let Maria out*

Maria: *unbuckles and moves to get out*

Soundwave: *quiet and shy whistle*

Maria: *blinks and blushes* You doof. *will gently close the driver's side door*

Soundwave: *waits till she steps back, and then transforms with the big pumpkin in his arms. Looks uncertainly toward the entrance into the rest of the base* No one's coming to meet us?

Maria: ... *frown* That's weird. *and now she's on alert as she moves to head toward the entrance* Can you pick up any threats?

Soundwave: *head turns slightly as he scans, and then he's stepping forward* No, but I'm picking up a lot of tension and upset voices.

Maria: ... Something must have happened. *worried now*

Soundwave: What should we do?

Maria: First, we find out what happened, then we find out where we can help.

Soundwave: *nods and walks toward the entrance, then stops* You should go first, so they know I'm not a threat.

Maria: *nods and moves to enter the base*

Soundwave: *follows*

Ultra Magnus: *turns his head when he hears the door opening* What... Oh, Maria. I forgot you were coming.

Maria: What happened?

Mira: *from where she's pacing* Slaggin' minin' accident on Cybertron.

Maria: ...Oh, no. *has a baaaad feeling*

Ultra Magnus: *heavily* We came to base as soon as we heard. *looks down at the human in his hands*

Soundwave: Who was hurt?

Ultra Magnus: Optimus' spark is shattered.

Soundwave: *puts down pumpkin so he doesn't drop it*

Maria: *hand over her mouth*

David: *quietly* Fixer and WakeJumper said she'd survive... *very spooked right now*

Ultra Magnus: But she... might not be the same.

Maria: *trembling a bit now, but squares her shoulders* What can we do to help?

Ultra Magnus: Pray?

Maria: *lips thin, small nod*

Ultra Magnus: The others are in the mess. *still no other common room for bots. They're too much in the habit of hanging out in the control room or mess*

Maria: *small nod of understanding. She's not sure whether to go to the mess, or to stick around in the control room*

Ultra Magnus: *startles slightly and growls as the computer pings*

Mira: *nope, not writing it*

Soundwave: *looks from one to the other* What is wrong?

Ultra Magnus: *with angry disgust* Some government official who won't stop calling us because he's convinced that the U.S. has resource rights on Cybertron.

Soundwave: *straightens, and then walks around the pumpkin and over to the computer console. Hits a button and is soon engaged in terse and emotionless conversation*

Ultra Magnus: *watches him, and then looks down at Mira*

Mira: *doorwings vertical and optics bright as she mutters about the government official's personal habits and ancestry. Mun refuses to write what she's saying*

Maria: *glances back toward the muttering as she joins Soundwave at the screen*

Soundwave: *hand curves into a chair as he continues to list legal arguments against the official's claims*

Ultra Magnus: ... *sigh of relief. And then a quizzical scowl as he holds David close and points to that massive orange blob sitting on the floor by the door*

David: *quietly* L-Looks like a pumpkin.

Mira: ... *goes to look*

Ultra Magnus: A pumpkin? That thing weighs nearly a ton. *also steps over to examine the massive object, feeling glad for a distraction from his worry and grief*

Mira: *trying to get her arms around the massive gourd, isn't having much luck*

Ultra Magnus: *hunkers down beside her and sniffs* ...It is a pumpkin.

Mira: It's *bleeping* huge!

Ultra Magnus: *cautiously sets David down on top of the titanic fruit* You've never grown one this big.

Mira: ... I knooowwww. *still trying to get her arms around it*

Soundwave: *turns away from the screen where Maria is now reading Blaster a quiet riot act* Maria bought champion seeds. The parent of this one did weigh a ton.

Mira: Wooooow!

David: *automatically moving to climb up to Ultra Magnus' shoulder*

Ultra Magnus: *lifts the pumpkin* This isn't a safe place for it.

Mira: *holding on for dear life* Where should we put it? *excited now*

Ultra Magnus: Why don't we put it into our quarters here till we can go home?

Mira: *blink blink, thinks about this, then nods* Yeah.

Ultra Magnus: *quietly* Aren't you forgetting something, first?

Mira: *blink. Blink!* *looks to Maria and Soundwave* Thank you.

Soundwave: You're welcome.

Ultra Magnus: *nods, and then carries family members and pumpkin out of the control room*


meanwhile, on Griffin Rock


Cody: *walks into the kitchen at the fire house and stops to look into the sink* ...Dani, what is this?

Dani: *from where she's helping Hardy MacKenzie with meal prep* Sundog likes to wash dishes... Nightstrike likes to help.

Cody: You never let me sit in the sink. *sounds much more sober than he usually would be when saying such things*

Hardy: *catches the shaky note in the younger man's voice and looks over his shoulder with a quizzical frown* Summat wrong, Chief?

Dani: *also looks over her shoulder, brows going up*

Cody: *drops into a chair and puts an absent arm around Servo as the helper bot comes over to nose him quizzically* *quietly* Yeah... I just got a call from the base in Nevada. *and his grasp just tightened on Servo as he said that*

Dani: *sets her knife on the cutting board before turning to face her younger brother* What happened? *worried about Heatwave now*

Hardy: Big Red? He isnae...

Sundog: *looks over and skreeks quizzically*

Cody: Heatwave's fine. Keepsake was insisting he was dreaming about girls.

Sundog: *giggles and resumes washing things*

Hardy: *still frowning*

Dani: What happened? *starting to fret*

Cody: *uncertain look toward the babies that brightens as his dad walks in*

Chief Burns: *walks over to help Nightstrike hold up the stew pot while she wipes it* *quietly* Why don't you go down to the bunker so everyone can hear the news at once? I'll stay with the babies.

Cody: Good idea, Dad. *pat for Servo, and then he's getting to his feet*

Hardy: *wordlessly wipes his hands and turns toward the fire pole*

Dani: *will head for the stairs, worry clear on her face*

Whirl: *looks up as Cody, Dani, and Hardy come into the bunker, then proudly shows the bright coloured mess all over the wall*

Cody: Er... Boulder! Where are you?

Boulder: *from the hanger* Huh? I'm in here with the kids.

Bullet: ...Mon, we're missin' one.

Boulder: What? We are? Oh no. Where's Whirl? Chase, do you see her?

Dani: She's got an art project. *points to the wall*

Chase: *moving to get Whirl* It would appear that Whirl utilized the water based finger paints.

Cody: *sticks his finger into the red, and then sniffs it* ...And a few condiments.

Hardy: *over to the hanger* Hot Spot, lad, ye kin bring yer sisters 'n brothers ta see Trex.

Hot Spot: *young fire bot's perk is mirrored by that of Streetwise, Groove, and Hopesong* Okay, Dad. C'mon, Whirl!

Chase: *will try and encourage Whirl to go with Hot Spot, Streetwise, Groove and Hopesong*

Whirl: *clicking up a storm as she leans down with her face close to Dani*

Dani: *hugs for Whirl* Be good for Hot Spot.

Whirl: *kissy!* *then gets up and scoots over to where the others are waiting, clicking all the way*

Hopesong: *clicks back. Normally calm little girl is about ready to lose her mind with excitement at the thought of hugging Trex again*

Groove: *laughs and helps the other boys herd the girls onto the lift* See ya!

Streetwise: We'll be back soon.

Hot Spot: *waves as the floor lifts up*

Cody: *sober expression as he watches them go*

Bullet: *frowning as she comes in*

Hardy: *frowning too, his attention on Cody as Graham steps out of the elevator*

Boulder: *chatting about the mess on the wall as he goes to meet Graham*

Graham: Guys? What's going on? Dad said it was urgent?

Chase: *coming over from inspecting Whirl's artwork* Has there been an update on Heatwave's condition?

Cody: *quietly* Heatwave's no different. Keepsake says he's fine. *shaky inhale* But there was an accident on Cybertron.

Boulder: *dead silence as he looks anxiously down at the young policeman*

Graham: *face white* Did someone... *can't say it*

Hardy: *grim behind his beard*

Chase: ...

Dani: *quietly* Oh, no.

Chase: *gravely* Who were the casualties?

Cody: *inhales deeply* *and then again* Optimus's spark is shattered.

Graham and Boulder: *both have to sit down*

Bullet: *hands over her mouth*

Chase: *looks very ill*

Dani: *horrified gasp*

Hardy: *grief very clear in his MacKenzie blue eyes* She's gone?

Cody: *shakes his head* No. She's alive. But WakeJumper says she won't be out of stasis for a long time. *looks down* And she's not Prime anymore.

Chase: What?!

Boulder: What?

Bullet: *hands drop as she scowls deeply* Who'd the Matrix go to?

Hardy: *looks at her sharply*

Graham: *worried and anxious look to his brother*

Dani: Is she going to be okay?

Cody: *quietly, his voice unsteady* The doctors aren't sure.

Hardy: *turns away, his fist going to his mouth*

Graham: *softly* Oh no...

Boulder: I'm sure she's going to be fine. Remember how strong she is?

Dani: *wibbly* Y-Yeah...

Chase: Cody, you have not answered Bullet's concern regarding the Matrix of Leadership.

Graham: *frowns tearfully at Chase*

Dani: *also frowning at Chase now*

Cody: The new Prime's from Tau.

Boulder: *his turn to stop short* What?!?

Chase: Oh dear...

Dani: ...Who is it?

Cody: It's Muhlisha.

Bullet: *falls over backward with a crash*

Chase: *didn't catch* Meep!

Dani: Awk! *startles badly at the crash*

Hardy: *good thing the kids are out, what with the word that just came out of his mouth as he whirled to stare toward the fallen bot* *hurries over to see if she's alright*

Chase: *checking on Bullet and fretting quietly*

Cody: *heart in his throat* Is she alright?

Chase: *quietly* Bullet has fainted.

Hardy: *quick jog to the fridge. Comes back with an ice cube and offers it to the police bot*

Chase: *puzzled look for the ice cube* I'm sorry, I do not understand.

Hardy: *blinks*

Boulder: *carefully takes the small cube of frozen water, and drops it into Bullet's plating*

Bullet: *squeaks and jerks her eyes open*

Chase: *startles and fusses over Bullet more*

Bullet: *as Boulder apologizes and comforts she hides her face against her husband's plating* I'm alright. Was just surprised. *small static sound*

Chase: *holds her close*

Hardy: *sighs and turns toward the elevator* So tha's all we ken, Cody?

Cody: *softly* That's all we know.

Hardy: Then I'll go see t' th' kids. *on the elevator and gone*

Boulder: *watches him go, and then looks down at Graham* Cheer up, Graham. Everything's going to be alright. You'll see.

Graham: *quietly* If you don't mind, I think I'll go check on Stephanie at school. *goes onto the elevator as the door opens again*

Boulder: I'll go make sure he's alright. *rides the floor up*

Dani: *quietly* I... should finish getting dinner ready. *will head for the elevator once it's back*

Cody: *sighs as he watches her go* Yeah. No need to upset the babies. *flops onto a chair near Chase and Bullet*


elsewhere


dKO: *turns off his phone and turns to look at his wife with wide eyes* Goodie, I can't go to the meeting. I have to get to Cybertron.

Dallas: *looks up from playing with Rundown* ...What happened?

Rundown: *happily* Bappatake bappatake bakeanan...

dKO: *quietly, his handsome face troubled* Optimus is in medical stasis. I know I'm not the best doctor, but...

Dallas: ... *seriously* If they're calling you, then something happened to Ratchet.

dKO: They aren't. But... Ratchet's down. *and he's gotten fond of the old grouch*

Rundown: *looks up* Bakeanan?

Dallas: Go. I can postpone the meeting with the new leather guys. They'll understand that it's a family emergency. And if they don't, then we'll find someone else to go to for the leather for the new design.

dKO: *nods and gets to his feet*

Rundown: *bounces on his bottom and holds his arms up* Go! Go!

dKO: *pauses and looks down at the sparklet* ...

Dallas: ... *raised brow*

dKO: *looks at her* *softly* You've never seen Cybertron.

Rundown: *bounce bounce* Go!

Dallas: ...What do I need to bring, besides my shell?

dKO: Rundown's things. And extra oxygen. *knows there are human-safe accommodations on the planet now, but this will make him feel better* *turns back to the door* I'll tell Breakdown and Eve to watch over the place and the dog.

Rundown: Gog.

dKO: *as he jogs out* No, we don't have to meet him.

Dallas: *will pick Rundown up and go to get the things dKO told her to get*

((Written with random_xtras))