EP 0.5 - "Luck" - (Open)

[Deleted]

She gave her vehicle a light pat on the hood (it deserved it for all its been through…) before hopping back on Cleaver's palms. The ship had seemed relatively empty at first, perhaps because of her 'fun-size' in relation to everything else. Still, even though she might have expected there to be more, heard Cleaver say there were more, knowing she'd be living under the same roof with more left her unexpectedly surprised, and predictably curious.

'Little one, well-intentioned asshole, and Grumpy,' She repeated to herself, settling on her couch arm with the half-finished third bottle of water. "Yeah, no problem…" She hesitated, "You said there are other 'Cybertronians' on Earth, fighting each other. Can I ask why, er.. which side is which? I'm guessing not all of them would be inclined to help a random human."

[Deleted]

That had been bound to come up, and Cleaver could only be grateful that Cat had asked her and not Barricade (barely aware of the war let alone its history or participants), Moonshot (long tirade that both sides were about as bad as each other) or Reflector (whose former-Decepticon allegience would raise more questions than it answered). Beginning to produce the parts for a minor-patch from subspace, Cleaver lay them out in a line on the table whilst answering.

"That's a correct assumption, and though you'd be wise to avoid both sides as best you can, one faction is more dangerous to your wellbeing than the other." The medic quirked a smile to herself, almost shunting a laugh. "Helpfully, with the exception of the Neutrals who have optical crystals of varying colours, the factions have divied themselves neatly between red optics and blue optics. Red optics are the 'bad' guys, Decepticons, led by Megatron, and have a shared tendency towards violence, death and destruction with little regard for consequences. Blinking blue are the Autobots, who restrict the damage they do to just the Decepticons as much as possible, are generally more compassionate around their killing, and are led by Optimus Prime."

Finally, she flashed up the symbols for both factions as a projection from her optics. "Left is the Cons, right is the Bots. If they're in hiding someplace, you'll see the symbol before you see the optics."

[Deleted]

Studying the projections, she drew her knees up to her chin. Those were the flags of the alien race, holding up everything each side fought for, died for and believed in. War, she thought to herself, seemed to be just as universal as kindness.

With two waring factions on an alien planet, she suspected that someone, somewhere at least once might have seen something. And if the numbers Cleaver described were anything like the ones in Catherine's mind, she figured that at least one secret section of government -- given some of the technology available to them -- knew. Then again… these were beings that could hide in plain sight in vehicles that functioned across the world in everyday life.

"Are they here for resources, too?" She paused for a moment, seeming to look over Cleaver, before adding slowly, hesitantly almost. "You're not with either of them, are you?"

[Deleted]

Cleaver twitched her head in the negative, opitcs shuttering for the gesure. She spoke without apology. "No, I'm not. I don't kill my own kind. As for their motivations for being here, I can only assume it's for Energon. Our fuel, what keeps us alive. It's not found in many places anymore, and unfortunately there's a fair amount of it here, and the faction leaders have both put down. Your planet is now the front line of the war. We're just trying to keep out of the way."

Looking over the assembled tools on the table, Cleaver noted that they could all be shrunk to fit Cat's hands without impairing their function. The patch sleeve was also light and easily maneuverable, so the human could perform the warp as well.

She smiled a little at Cat, encouraging, with a demonstrative nod towards the patch kit. "Now. Would you like your first lesson in repairs? A coolant line tear is as good a place to start as any."

<<Tag to you to close, if you like. ^^>>

[Deleted]

"Serious…?" A grin eased its way onto her face, as if uncertain whether or not she should let her excitement show. She didn't need to be asked twice. Popping to her feet with a new energy, she left her slip on shoes behind and padded to the end of the couch. "I'd love that."

Slipping in a side glance and a secret smirk, she adds. "By the way… I'll try not to, but if I ever overstep any boundaries, just tell me to shut up. I grew up in New York in an Italian family so… I won't get offended." Another pause, and she turned her eyes up to Cleaver, smile bunching her cheeks under her glasses. "And thank you. For letting me stay, all that you're doing. I really appreciate it."

<Fin>