[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Avion Calling (Cloud and Rain)

[Rain]

Episode 3, Week 2, Day 3, Evening
Simultaneously the corridors of Omega Outpost, and somewhere out in the American wilderness



Sometime ago, before even the great Cybertron War, before the ancestors of humanity even left the safety of the trees, Rain had been blissfully ignorant and extremely self assured. Happy, driven, social. She had tried to do the right thing and lost her face as punishment. But more than her face had been lost.

The social butterfly was extinct, replaced with trepidation moth.

But the spark still desired what the spark desired, and so there was the conflict.

Rain had long lost count of how many times she had gone to dial Cloudcompass and stopped. Her entire day was spent nervously going about her duties as she tried and failed to muster the courage that once upon a time had been overflowing. The tired flier knew exactly what she feared, rejection, and knew what she desired, knowledge.

It had only been a few brief days and a handful of hours since she had met the mech in the snow and rocks of back country Alaska, and what an explosion of events that had been. Patch had tended to both Rain and Cloudcompass in the aftermath. Rain wriggling her left shoulder could never deny what a damn good job the young medic had performed.

Eventually however, Rain’s energy, and anxiousness, and desire hit a crescendo and she completed an attempt to open communications as paced alone in the corridors.

::Hi, it's Rain here from a few days ago, ahh, good morning or good evening spending on your timezone. I was kind of hoping you might be willing to talk?::

[Deleted]

There was not a spark to be seen nor heard within optic-sight. Only the quiet rustling of various native fauna going about their evening business stood exception to this, and that really only added to the peaceful atmosphere. It was starting to get cooler now too- as the sun descended steadily towards the horizon and pulled behind it a blanket of star-spattered indigo.

Thank Mae.

The days since his...introduction to the autobots have been long, and Cloudcompass had spent most of it folded in his alt, tucked under a rocky overhang in the valley sandwiched within a mountain range. A river wound past just beyond his little nook, the far side line with a small clearing before giving way to forest. The trickling rush of water and the hush of the breeze through treetops had provided a soothing background to his scattered thoughts. When he hadn’t been recharging, he’d been thinking, sometimes exploring the area but always returning here.
So much had happened, so soon.
His less than graceful arrival to the planet, his first real… ‘meetings’ with both the Decepticons and the Autobots- either of which could have gone far better or worse. His original intentions were to do these things much more, ah, gradually. But alas.


So Cloudcompass had sat there under his rock, napping, planning, pondering- watching the occasional fauna pass by the river bed for a drink with avid interest. After one such short burst of recharge, he’d onlined to find the entire river bed bathed in darkness- pushing him to conclude that this cycle was coming to a close. He’d left his hiding spot again then, careful not to disturb the area too much as he carefully made his way to the upper edge of his little rocky outcrop- making sure there were none around to see him. This had become his evening spot, and he would settle atop the little cliff to watch the stars come to life.

Undisturbed, in the silence, with naught but the wind whispering through the woods and mountaintops to keep him-

::Hi, it's Rain here from yesterday, ahh, good morning or good evening spending on your timezone. I was kind of hoping you might be willing to talk?::

-company. Cloudcompass vented stiffly, relaxing his plating from where it had shirked up tightly to his frame. Idly, he wondered how long it had been since he’d received a comm of any sort- millennia, surely. It had given him quite the jolt, one that would’ve been frankly embarrassing. The snowy mech grimaced, now faced with the mortifying ordeal of formulating a reply.
He paused, a tapered digit tapping to some unknown beat against the plating of his upper leg.

“I could just… ignore it.”

But even as the muttered words left his lips, a sour fouling rose in his tanks and it just didn’t take to him- despite it admittedly being his most comfortable option. The mech lifted his gaze to the sky above, considering the few scattered clouds with a discerning optic.
A moment passed, and then a minute- or five. It took him quite a bit actually, to weigh the pros and cons of answering Rain, let alone accepting her offer.
Finally, the prospect of learning more about this planet and the opportunity to… politely thank the bot who’d helped him won out over his natural inclination for solitude and he opened his comm channel for the first time in far too long. He’d already sped past most of his original plan, why not go on ahead further anyway.

::.....::

What the frag am I supposed to say?
After another moment, he decided to scrap it and put it in the hands of Mae.

::Greetings, Rain::

[Rain]

Rain waited a few seconds for a reply to the connection, then a few more seconds. A minute passed and she started pacing in concern.

“Why is he not replying?” She wondered aloud. “Does he not want to? After that day…” Rain could understand if Cloud wanted to be left alone, maybe for a few weeks, maybe a century. Disappointed Optimus scared the lift out of her, she had felt a million tons. She wouldn't be surprised if Cloudcompass felt the same.

“What if he can't..?” Rain could feel her concern spiraling but struggled to stop it. She knew that he had left the bot base in good enough health, she didn't for a second believe that Patch could miss anything vital. But what if the cons had found him again? She never knew the specifics, but she understood the neutral cybertronians raided the Decepticon energon mines just like the bots did, what if he had been caught she wondered.

“...If the cons have him, I will….I will forge antimatter warheads and shove them down the intake manifold of every thrice cursed con. By Onyx Prime I swear this!” Rain knew this was never going to happen of course. There was precisely zero chance of her ever forging antimatter warheads for her arrows on this planet.

Then she did get a reply. Rain felt flustered as she replied back.

::You’re okay!..:: Rain realised that just for a moment there, she was not as composed as she should be and was probably giving the nervous mech the wrong impression. She forced herself to settle, the small wings on her back relaxing as she did.

::I wanted to check up and see how you were settling in, see if you needed anything out there in the wilds. And...by Onyx I'm just going to say it. I think you’re interesting.::


Was she being too blunt? Too late now.

[Deleted]

Contrary to Rain’s worst fears, Cloudcompass was resting calmly against a hefty boulder, wings fully spread to either side so as to allow him to sit on the gravelly ground, legs stretched out in front of him in their own half-broken-lookin’ bizarre way. No Decepticons in sight. Unless that assumed-organic flying creature near the horizon, reduced to a speck of slowly drifting black by distance, turned out to be a minicon spy or the like.

Safe to say CC very much doubted that be the case.

The mech mulled over his words, mulled over Rain’s words, the jittery ardor her voice seemed to carry- although he could never be sure- he utterly lacked any sort of confidence in his ability to gauge another’s moods.

Nobody had ever really called him interesting before.

CC shifted a little, watching as this system’s star continued to seep below the horizon with every passing moment, the planet spinning ever further from the light of day into the inky blues of night. Golden light started to dye the landscape glorious hues of yellow, orange and red- it was enough for an appreciative whoosh of air to be drawn from his intakes at the sight. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless- the reassurance such a familiar, but always different and ever-changing sight carried. Almost every system had a sunset, after all.

Yes. He supposed he was going to be alright.

::I am well::

There was a moment, and then-

::Yourself? How is your shoulder? Your hand?::

He hoped that wasn’t too… clumsy. His words were a bit jilted, even to his audials. He still wasn’t sure what exactly Rain wanted- he was interesting? Ok but- What was she trying to say? Cloudcompass shifted on the ground, folding a leg up so that he could rest his elbow on the knee. The familiar confusion-discomfort twinge rose in his core, and he started to brace himself for the awkward dance that was conversation.

[Rain]

We have a conversation going, that's great thought Rain. It’s a fragging awkward conversation, not so great thought Rain immediately afterwards. She was a little lost on how to salvage the mess before it happened. She just knew that she had to see her fixation through, she knew herself well enough to know she wouldn't recharge until she had a clear path to fly.

Five million years ago, when she still had her face and her social graces along with it, she would have flown that social breeze without a second thought, now it was a turbulent wind that struggled beneath her. Rain’s self confidence in her youth had once been uplifting, now she relied almost solely on force of will.

::It hasn't fallen off, Patch patched me up...:: Oh sweet Onyx that was bad, she thought. ::The medic performed her task admirably. Thank you. I am glad you are faring well too. You did not have the easiest arrival on this planet though I’ve heard stories of much worse as well. Is there anything you need? I could provide a datapad with access to this planet’s information network if you are not already equipped.:: Rain did manage to make her tone calm and warm by the end. Faking confidence wasn't too hard. It was a hard worn skill that had managed to sustain her when she needed it most.

Yes that was it she thought as she found her way to her own room to end her damnable pacing. Offer to give him something, anything, so she would have an excuse to actually meet him again.

[Deleted]

::I’ve experienced much worse, this has been relatively painless.::

Oftentimes, unaccompanied planetary landings were rough. When the VOS Strathcona had still been in its prime, there hadn’t been much of a need for individual atmospheric entry unless the mission required stealth- in which case they usually sent his split-sparked. This time had been an outlier, resulting in touch more damage to his frame (and pride) that still somewhat smarted.

Silence lapsed. That was quite the offer- and he was dancing between morbid curiosity and suspicion. It would only be a matter of time until he ventured into this planet’s society and started his own exploration and research. Having such a connection immediately, however, would greatly accelerate the process.

Cloudcompass adjusted his position, pede-blades moving to dangle over the edge of the cliff.

But why would she give him such a thing? Surely finding him ‘interesting’- well. He wasn’t too sure what that meant, if it was a good thing- or if it spelled trouble for later. In anycase, if he accepted, she’d have to deliver it- and that brought a whole other slew of issues. If her intent was to meet up… then why? His plating rustled despite himself.

Is she even allowed to leave?

The thought pinged to the forefront of his processor as he recalled the memory files of the events that occurred a few cycles ago, not for the first time nor, probably, the last. The Prime hadn’t been happy with Rain, there was a very real possibility she was grounded, if not by her wounds then by military discipline.

In anycase, his silence had gone on for too long- and as socially inept as he knew he was, even he could recognize how painfully awkward this must be. CC was just an expert at being scathingly direct as a way of side-stepping such unpleasant nonsense, and as such employed exactly that tactic.

::...What do you wish to gain through this, Rain?::

Even through commlink, his tone was dead and cold- maybe more so than initially intended. The jet, however, was tired. He could care later, when there were less things to worry about.

[Rain]

Rain was beginning to worry a little as she laid back on her berth. There was no absolute definitive thing about Cloudcompass but she thought she had detected a kind spark the previous day. She was beginning to question that judgment now. Cloud's voice seemed distant, empty of all warmth. There were any number of reasonable answers, one being that he really desired to be left alone.

A mere passing thought was that Cloudcompass owed her, he had asked for help and she had answered. Both the thought and feeling flitted away as quickly as it had arrived. Such thoughts served no purpose and any bitterness she might ever feel was aimed elsewhere.

::I seek to gain knowledge. Unless I am mistaken, you left Cybertron before I was even sparked, but truthfully I also hope to gain a friend. If you want me to desist, I shall do so.:: She tried to keep her voice warm and friendly but there was only so much that could carry through a radio transmission.

But she really did want to know what adventures he had enjoyed, and news of the greater galaxy. If he really didn't want to talk, then that was that. He was proving to be far more of a challenge than she had anticipated.

She quietly adjusted her position on her berth. With her injuries, it was stupidly hard to get comfortable.

[Deleted]

Yet again, Cloudcompass let the commlink fall silent. The breeze died down as this planet’s star did, steadily sinking below the earth as time lapsed by.

Not long after the last of the sky’s soft indigos were leached away by night, when the true luster of the stars started shining through, the mech decided to take to the air. He rose and bounced on his pedes, shifting so that most of his weight was off his left side, marred and sore from old wounds as it was. Cables twanged and struts popped in a long stretch, and as he eased out of it he shook his frame to loosen his plating up further. He’d hoped to avoid strenuous activity, but surely a leisurely flight didn’t count? It wasn’t as if he would be breaking any sound barriers tonight.

Plating now as relaxed as it could be, the mech took a wide step off the cliff’s ledge, head tucking down against his chest immediately, followed by the rest of his chassis in a tight forward roll. For a clic, his pedes were over his head and time seemed to slow as he started to fall. His t-cog engaged a blink after gravity started to stake its greedy claim, a snowy jet’s sleek silhouette reforming in moments from what had once been a chaotic eruption of metal plates. CC’s dampened engines were ignited even before his alt’s armor had settled completely, and he soared out of the valley and into the night without much of a fuss. He kept his wings flared wide and sticking out from his fuselage for a languid flight.

Perfect for a slow night fly.

As Cloudcompass started to ascend beyond the range of anyone watching (hopefully), he pondered. Weighing pros and cons, what he knew, possibilities. As if he hadn’t done that enough already.

He flew lazy circles until this planet’s moon shone a bright silver from high in the sky, but eventually he came back to earth. Maybe an hour or two after Rain had last commed, CC opened the private channel to answer. The information she offered would aid him greatly. He’d come to this planet with the express purpose of learning as much as he could about this war.

And well….I still owe her, no matter how disastrous it had turned out.

None of this would be easy, nothing worth it had ever been. In the end, this small push out of his comfort zone would speed up his plans- all hinging, of course, on whether Rain was not simply a desensitized killer sent on an extermination mission.

::...Okay….::

[Rain]

A minute passed, two, ten, Rain accepted that Cloudcompass was not interested in sharing company. Still finding herself unable to relax enough to sleep, Rain instead fall back on meditation exercises to try and clear her processor. She sat motionless on her berth, legs crossed underneath herself, hands palm down on her thighs. Her focus was on nothing, her thoughts became empty until even the sound of her fuel pumps fell away from her consciousness.

These mental exercises for Rain were routine as she sought to find a place or path or balance within the universe. She was trying to free herself from empty emotions and instead find enlightenment. Some days she felt close and others she felt so distant indeed. The more she tried, the more she failed, higher thoughts did not come easily to those who desired them.

Her meditation exercises came with a perk few would likely guess. Rain was hard to surprise while meditating. Some part of her processor was listening to her senses, but with a clear mind, if anything happened, then it just happened, there was no expectation of perfect solitude and thus no surprises.

When the call came, it broke her reverie. The only surprise was that a call had come at all from Cloud. Rain slowly rose to full consciousness knowing there was no particular need to rush.

After a minute of contemplation Rain replied.

::How does sunrise, your local timezone sound?::

[Deleted]

Half expecting Rain to have dropped off into recharge, or… to be busy with something of some sort, her rather prompt answer had Cloudcompass in a state of bemusement. Absentminded as he was, preoccupied with thoughts of trepidation at just what he’d gotten himself into and coming into a landing, with half a mind to just call the whole thing off- he answered Rain with a ping of agreement.

The aching void that ripped open to swallow that ping stole the winds from under his wings, and almost sent him crashing for the third time in barely a couple of cycles. He cursed under his breath and jerkily initiated a quick switch mid-air, abandoning his easy landing as he twisted to fall pedes-first. The heavy impact created a cloud of dust, his legs taking the brunt of it even as he bounced off the rest of the energy in a few lop-sided strides. As soon as he stopped he stumbled into an awkward kneel, rubbing circles on the thick plating above his spark chamber with one hand while the other supported him. His wings were flared out to either side, providing further balance as ragged intakes skittered across his plating, until they too settled after a minute or three of deep, drawn out vents.

Only then did he realize he had yet to answer Rain, so he did so and hoped his words didn’t sound as clipped or strained as it was. This time, making sure it went through the proper channels.

::Agreed. Until then.::

Cloudcompass remained kneeling until he was sure his legs wouldn’t wobble, and then stayed longer, utterly exhausted. The space in his spark where once a vibrant bond had thrived- now standing voidlike and cold with the barest hint of a threadbare connection- ached. It had been so long since he’d paid it any mind that the pain had almost become filtered-out background noise. Flare-ups weren’t unusual in moments like this, were his mind lapsed and he used the bond out of habit. It caused more shock than pain, and only served to anger.
Anger usually aimed back at himself, for being so distracted and so stupid as to let such a thing shake him to this extent, after so, so very long.

Cloud vented and let himself roll onto his back, wings shifting to a more comfortable position to watch the stars and this planet’s satellite rise into the sky. As far as anyone knew, he stayed like that the whole night.

[Rain]

Until then? When was that? Rain pondered bemusedly. It was always sunrise somewhere. She waited a minute to see if Cloud needed prompting on this wisp, or if he would click himself out of neutral. Time strolled by, one second after another and Rain made the call.

::What is your local timezone then?:: She asked, light and cheerful.

With this little meeting now actually on the wind, Rain felt far more relaxed, and simultaneously nervous, such was her stupid spark. Still finding herself unable to get truly comfortable enough to recharge with her sore back fore-wing on her back, she quietly as she could shifted her parts as she transformed into her aircraft alt-mode. With everything all locked together tight and with not much wiggle room, it was marginally better.

The good doctor Patch had given her the okay for transformation, and even flight, but there was to be no aerobatics that could strain her components. She would probably try something anyway, but just the low gee stuff. She would be careful with her left root-mode shoulder lock, and left forewing. Rain’s shoulder ached briefly from the exertion of transformation, but ebbed back to its current background tenderness.

[Deleted]

CC would’ve pinched the ridge between his optics if he cared to move the arm necessary to do so, instead choosing to ignore his self-reproach and hoist himself up into a semi-seated position. He’d been distracted- stupidly, sure- but distracted nonetheless.

It was only when he went to provide the information that he realized his second shortcoming of the night.

… He… didn’t actually know to begin with.

The snowy mech plopped back down on the ground with a brusque chuff of air that sent whatever was loose in his vents clicking annoyingly. Another small dust cloud rose and blew away on the breeze from his impact against the ground, gravel crunched beneath him and grated against his plates. Maybe he should’ve asked to have his processor checked by the Autobot medic afterall, because now it sure felt as if he’d scrambled his code.

It pained Cloudcompass a little bit to admit it, but he was long past the point of letting wounded pride obstruct his path.

::I do not… actually... possess my current coordinates. The Prime deposited me in an unpopulated area of the nation known as ‘America’::

It was the name he’d been told, and as far as CC knew it could be a whole continent of land with multiple timezones spanning its territory- it certainly seemed so from the air. Now he was starting to feel a little less rueful that he’d accepted the femme’s offer, no matter that he was still quite apprehensive about it.

Absent-mindedly, optics trained on the heavens as he awaited an answer, the snowy jet pondered whether or not he’d just presented himself the fool (again). It wasn’t like Rain had had the best first impression of him anyway, but still. It had been… too long since he’d considered an other's possible thoughts of him, and the mental exercise served only to remind of why he disliked others in the first place.

Oh well. This is why I’m here.

The thought felt less like tentative, hopeful optimism and more like a death sentence then he cared for.

[Rain]

Rain thought of America, the continent on which she currently nestled. Most of her cartography studies had focused on this primary landmass. It was her new home and she was eager to explore as much as she could before venturing even further. Between the mountains and rolling hills, the coastlines and canyons, it wasn't entirely unlike Cybertron, just mostly. 

::I’ll take a best guess in the morning. I can likely get the coords from the bridge data logs then. Rest well.:: Rain could easily visualize the map she had up days before regarding best places to hide a Cloud. There were a couple of places almost guaranteed, away from any human population. That gave her only a few hours before sunrise. Barely enough time to properly recharge and take care of her duties real quickly in the morning. No rest for the wicked, slightly less rest for the tarnished. 

She didn't truly know if Cloudcompass was purely neutral in the longstanding war but her spark hadn't detected in malice in his. This really wasn't a good way to judge things, but her feeling had largely served her well. Despite her hope for the next day, she would be careful, though chances were Cloudcompass would be more paranoid about her than they other way around.

Finally content enough to actually relax her wings, Rain settled a bit more, as much as an aircraft could, and dreamt of ocean waves and sunsets.