[ti]Ep 3.5[/ti]Making Noise [ Closed || Miko ]

[Wheeljack]

Timeline: Week 1 || Day 4
Summary: Average school day for one Miko Nakadai, but it's about to end with the unexpected arrival of a loose cannon.

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These roads were unfamiliar and confusing with it's crosshatched roads and dead ends, unlike the open roadways of a long lost Cybertron, where all one needed was the city-state destination and hit the major roadway in that direction. A couple of times the primarily white base stratos found itself getting on the highway and heading the entire wrong direction out of Jasper which required it to get off at the overpass and turn around. Asking for directions was out of the question since that meant blowing cover and attracting unwanted attention- but not from the humans. At least, not the general public humans who went on with their natural day vastly unawares that they were being invaded by an alien race who paraded around under the guise of every day machines. 

Instead, it was the humans who were aware of their presence, as well as the faction currently hellbent on ensuring said human race reamained safe and in the dark, that were the ones this vehicle was trying to avoid drawing the attention of. At least, not until the time was right. So traffic lights were made mind of, stop signs, speed limits...

Holy Prime on a stick over a roasting pit, it was a lot to focus on when one was really trying.

Good thing that self consciousness was not an issue, however, as that whole 'staying out of the eye by minding oneself' wasn't really paying off, as wandering eyes often fell his way, with several now and then pulling out their little handheld devices aimed forward, probably to take a picture for their showcase. Good thing thing that it was made very clear early on that they were not, in fact, weapons- otherwise that would have ended poorly real fast.

---

The drive through Jasper took what felt like forever.

There were frequent stops made, pulling into parking lots to recover bearings, then more searching. A destination was in mind, complete with a limited amount of time to find it. Working under pressure was always a specialty, even if this situation was different from anything else. Giving up wasn't an option, whether it be from stubborness or necessity, no matter how infuriating this search was turning out to be. Even so, while patience was a virture not in this favor, and the urge to say screw the rules and flag down some unsuspecting human was great.

Yet, somehow, that didn't happen. Instead, it was as if Primus were granting a moment of mercy after a long day of struggle in the form of a very crudely obnoxious yellow bus. And that was what the Stratos followed, close enough to not lose it via turn or random cut off or whatever act of random what-have-you that would have hindered this mission's completion. 

Now the vehicle sat idle just outside the entrance doors to the school as the buses pulled around to the pick up location, waiting for the kids to come out. When the bell tolled, there was the smallest shift of a left front wheel as a spasm of nerves finally hit. 

... it had come to this. This moment, this time. How would the reunion go? That was left to question....

[Miko Nakadai]

Today had dragged on for what felt like foooooooreeeeeeverr.

For the first time in a while, Miko didn't have the soul-sucking joy of detention to look forward to, and as such, she found herself staring at the clock as the last few minutes before the sweet release of the bell would be heard. The teacher stood up front, droning on and on about something homework-related that Miko had stopped paying attention to ages ago.

Come ooon…

Tapping a finger against her pen impatiently, her gaze drifted to the window. She couldn't see much from here aside from the tops of the yellow buses as they moved to park in the lot, but the sight of them was always nice in that it meant any second now she would be going home.

Or, sort of - her second home. Omega One with the Autobots was where she spent a lot of time when she wasn't trapped in the prison of school. It helped get her through the day at times, waiting to hear what exciting things had happened without her - getting to live vivaciously through whatever Bulkhead had to say. Even if a lot of the time he didn't do anything really exciting, it certainly beat being cooped up in one place, and she loved hearing all about his adventures.

Aaaany second now and- YES!

The bell rang, and in an instant Miko pulled her bag off the floor, scooping her notebook and small pencil case into it with one practiced motion. Chucking the pen in for good measure, she was quick to zip the bag up and push herself up from the chair - making her way from the classroom before the teacher could call on her for surprise detention or anything else that was super lame.

Pushing through the crowds of students who were all making their beeline toward freedom, Miko pulled the small pink flip phone from her pocket. With how many random detentions she'd been having lately, it was way easier to call Bulk to let her know when she was free - rather than having him sit for ages all on his lonesome. After all, Omega One wasn't too far away - so it wasn't as if she'd be waiting long for him to pick her up.

This was all part of the temporary new routine, only today it seemed things had been thrown off completely. The familiar – and yet totally unexpected – sight of Wheeljack immediately coming into view.

She froze. Phone clutched tightly in hand before she'd gotten to even make a call, seemingly unaware of the flood of students making their way down the stairs beside her.

Wait.

Wait wait wait!!

"Jackie!!!" her face lit up in a smile, eyes wide as everything seemed to woosh into place as she realized that it really was him waiting for her. She didn't care if the yell drew a few stares, though had an excuse at the ready just in case any questions were asked.

Which, thankfully they weren't.

She couldn't move fast enough even if she tried, combat boots pushing off the concrete as she bolted down the steps and toward the Stratos that stood out against the random mix of buses, mom SUV's, and student beater cars.

Despite the excited urgency of her steps, she was careful when pulling open the passenger side door - making sure Wheeljack had the time to throw in a holoform on the off chance someone looked over in the two seconds they could see in past the tinted windows.

Easing into the seat and closing the door behind her - making sure to tuck her bag between her feet - she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Where have you been?! I missed you!"

Things hadn't ended on a good note, to the point she wasn't sure if he'd ever come back - but he had, and now it was time to get all the details.

[Wheeljack]

Wheeljack had been parked in the space, waiting for any sign of Miko. Had he gotten the wrong school? With all the driving he'd been doing he hadn't seen another, so of course this had to be the one, right? People passed him by, other vehicles pulled in to pick up someone. He was starting to have doubts of this- had this even been a good idea? If he were going to meet up with anyone first, it would be either Miko or Bulkhead. But Bulk was probably at the base, safely tucked away, waiting for any notification that would send him fleeing the confinments of the silo.

So that left Miko.

The calling of his shortened designation pulled him from his thoughts. Thankfully he had enough forsight to not call back, since there would certainly be questions if there was a car answering back without any obvious native present. So he sat there, silent, as he brought himself to the current situtation. 

Ah, there she was- and she was approaching him. 

Once she was at his passenger door, he unfastened the lock so that she could open it and get inside. He didn't understand what the hesitation there was and he didn't bother to ask, not until she was safely in tow where they could have a conversation without the outside world being aware that something was off. At least, any more than already, since he spotted some people glancing their way, talking, but Wheeljack didn't pay attention to what was being said. Instead he was focused on Miko's next words.

"Missed me? Don't tell me you've gone soft on me, too, kid." Wheeljack was backing out of the space as he responded to her, keeping their conversation between her and the voice coming from the console. He was careful to make sure everything was clear before he moved, not wanting to accidently run anyone over or hit any other vehicles unintentionally. "I haven't even been gone that long."

A month? Something like that. While it may have seemed long to a human, whose life cycle was not that long in hindsight, was but a blink to a Cybertronian. 

"As for where I've been? Around, I guess you can say." Wheeljack pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the main road. Of course he could multitask, but he was being exceedingly cautious. It would only be a matter of time before base was made aware that Miko was not contacting them for pick up from school, so their little outing wasn't meant as a detour as much as just... an inbetween. A calm before the storm- one where he did not feel like having the lightning come crashing down on him all of a sudden. "Exploring what else this marble has to offer, trying to find Decepticons to pummel- with no luck, by the way. You'd almost think we'd chased the cons outta here. Whole lot of nothing." 

That was not the case, of course, but it had been rather dry, and without anything to focus his anger on, he'd been left to do a lot of thinking about things that he did not enjoy.

They pulled out onto the highway, allowing Wheeljack to put on a bit more metal to pedal. Still within reason, maintaining the speed limit that he had become quite acquainted with in his back and forth driving. 

"You'll have to give me directions to base. I don't know this route." Hopefully Miko actually knew it, otherwise they'd have no choice but to call in and hail whoever was at the controls. "Speaking of base... how's that been holding up since I've been gone?"

[Miko Nakadai]

"Aw, no way! I'm allowed to miss you though!"

It was probably because of the way things had ended. She knew he was one to venture off and go adventuring – ah, the joys of having a ship that could fly – but there'd been such anger behind everything that she was certain he wouldn't be coming back this time at all.

It was a silly thought, she knew he wouldn't abandon them like that, but still, a part of her worried. She just hoped that things had cooled enough that it didn't start all over again the second they got back to Omega One.

She wouldn't try to think about that, at least not yet. They had a while before they got back to base, and as such she would enjoy this moment where they were able to catch up.

Settling back in the chair, she was quiet as she listened. With him being gone for so long, she expected many a story about where he'd been and who he'd managed to beat up… oooonly, it seemed it'd been pretty boring and completely uneventful.

Either that or he was just sparing her from things she probably didn't need to know.

"Really? Laaaame. I guess quiet is good, though - even if it's totally boring! Did you go anywhere nice, at least? Can't believe you were still planet-side!"

See, she was just being silly. He'd stayed close - well, if the other side of the planet counted as close, but at least he wasn't a billion miles away somewhere.

Watching as the all-too-familiar scenery passed them by, she nodded at his words.

"Oh we're going the right way! It's pretty much just straight up."

Wrinkling her nose at the question, she gave a quiet hum in reply.

"Uhhh…" man, where to even start. What was she even allowed to tell him? He was an Autobot, so she was probably fine telling him the ins and outs about how they had a valuable Decepticon prisoner. But after what happened with Optimus, she didn't want to sour things before Jackie had even made it back.

Still, she had to tell him something.

"Good! Well, sort of. We've had some new arrivals since you were last there! A new medic - Blades, and his minicon friend, Unit-74! I was the one who found them and brought them back to base!" she smiled at that, feeling proud of herself. However, the smile was quick to fade as she continued.

"Still no change in Ratchet, Patch is still missing, too."

Fidgeting, her gaze shifted down to her seatbelt.

"There was some big meeting, too. All the Autobots were there. Optimus is getting pretty serious about stuff!" she hadn't been at the meeting, but Bulk had given her a super quick non-boring rundown of what'd happened.

"That's about all though. Like you said, a whole lotta nothing! Things have been pretty quiet."

That would probably change upon Wheeljack's return, she was sure - though she hoped it was a good thing!

[Wheeljack]

Straight ahead, a place Wheeljack had left only a month prior with no expectations to return. Yet, here he was...

"Doc still hasn't gotten his memories back? Hn..." Wheeljack had figured that something would have been resolved with that by now, or, at the very least, been on the road to some sort of recovery. No change was definitely no good. They needed a capable medic at base to handle things, someone reliable. It couldn't all be thrown on Patch's shoulders- she was a kid, well-trained with a decent amount of life experience, for her age but not nearly the qualifications of their Vet. Tossing a green into the fray at the expense of themselves was one thing, tossing them in when the lives of others depended on them was certainly another. 

The fact that she was missing was a whole other issue. 

This new medic Miko mentioned? Blades? Wheeljack had never heard of him. He'd have some really big shoes to step into, that was for sure. 

That whole situation was a certainly a mess he didn't want to be anywhere near. He'd already seen some of the snowball effect, he could only imagine what it was like now with the other circumstances, as well as how much time had passed since it unfolded. Wrecker intuition told him that Miko wasn't mentioning something to him but he didn't press, figuring that if it was a need-to-know, he'd need to know on his own time. 

Hearing that Optimus was starting to get serious did peak his curosity a bit. The Prime gave off an air of that already, with never letting that stern facade drop no matter what was going on around him. It wasn't his seriousness that Wheeljack had taken issue with the Prime, rather the way he handled things. He was supposed to carry the experience of the ages with him with all the Matrix blah-de-blah, yet he hadn't heard of him doing anything other than sit in the safety of the base while others were going out and getting themselves injured, killed, and otherwise. So had that changed in the time he'd been gone? Was the Prime getting more hands on? Or was it just him issuing his commands as per usual while never getting his own servos dirty?

While Wheeljack had doubts much had changed, he was still interested.

The Wrecker was driving on what felt like autopilot, barely saying much to Miko on a majority of the drive through town. As they sat on the final light before they'd hit open road highway for the rest of the way, he finally spoke up again. "Need anything from around here before we go on?" Wheeljack knew better than to keep Miko away for too long but he still felt inclinded to ask if she wanted a detour before they made their way to their final destination.

Procrastinating? Perhaps.

[Miko Nakadai]

"Nope, not yet." She frowned, though there was a touch of hope to her words as she smiled again.

"But at least he's still with us, y'know?"

She liked to see the positive side of things. While Ratchet wasn't Ratchet anymore – or at least, not the one she'd originally met at Omega One – he was still alive. Bulkhead had been pretty vague with the details, and she'd known better than to push. MECH was a touchy subject, with not many making it back in one piece after running into them. Ratchet had lost who he was, but he hadn't been killed.

It was probably harder for the Autobots than her to grasp, though. She hadn't known the medic long, whereas they'd known him for what was probably millions of years - and he couldn't remember them or the friendships he'd made during that time. To see him acting so different was probably a shock as well, though she hoped that if they couldn't fix him? That… things would be okay again, even if it took a little bit.

The fact Wheeljack was being so quiet was nothing new, though she wished in that moment she could get a glimpse into his head to see what he was thinking about. To hear that Ratchet wasn't fixed yet was probably a huge blow, to know that nothing had really changed in his absence? Even more so.

The words that broke the silence were unexpected, though at the same time… not really. She knew what Wheeljack would be going back to. The fact he hadn't told anyone he was back, either, could end really well or really bad. He'd have to talk to Optimus again, to straighten things out - to finish the conversation they'd started before everything had fallen apart.

She knew he was probably looking to kill some time, to draw things out for just a little while longer, but she also knew that avoiding things would only make it a million times worse - especially if she didn't check in with someone.

"Uhh… No, I think I'm good." she replied, voice quiet. She didn't want to think about Wheeljack and Optimus fighting again, and hoped deep down that the month or so that Jackie had been gone? That they'd both had time to reflect to the point that any anger had long since been quelled.

"We should probably just go back to base, before Bulk gets worried."

[Wheeljack]

Miko had said she 'was good', but Wheeljack had a feeling she was probably thinking the same thing he was. No doubt she wasn't smart enough to hide that he was putting off driving back to the Autobot base as long as possible- not that he was really hiding it to begin with. Still, she had made a valid point using a completely different direction.

"Yeah, you're right. Bulkhead would probably knock my processor around then remember that he missed me... in that order," he responded as he sat waiting on the light to turn.

Not a farfetched conclusion, to be fair. Still, Bulkhead wasn't even the one at the top of his list of concerns, if one could call it that. That space was left for the big mech himself. Their last meeting a month ago had ended poorly, with Wheeljack having an even worse view of the Prime than he did originally. Now he stood to face it all again with no idea on what the outcome of stepping foot into that fire pit would have. Had enough time passed for them to reflect? Wheeljack had been stuck in an endless loop of what one would call insanity, with getting angry then trickling off to a dim irritation about what had happened, which usually happened in the middle of him doing something when he needed to focus, which would make him angry again and hed go back into the finger pointing again. Other days he would just sit and fester, unable to vent to anything other than the Jackhammer. Not a terrible thing to yell at, frankly. 

Wheeljack remembered the fight between he and the Prime. He knew he had crossed a line by pulling his sword in what should have been a shoving match, no matter how far he had been pushed. The worse thing about all of it?

Miko had been there. She''d seen him him turn on someone who she probably idolized in a way, most likely the same way the vast majority of Autobots did. He had no idea what sort of damage he may have done there. Thinking about it hadn't been something he'd ever had to do in the past, mostly becasue he'd never needed to. Now for a month he'd been forced into that corner.

He hated it. Every. Single. Moment.

A honk of a horn pulled the old Wrecker from his thoughts. The rearview tilted to see the car behind him, the driver clearly annoyed that they weren't moving and absolutely blasting his horn as he hollered what one would assume were profanities at the empty space of his own vehicle while throwing hands in weird gestures. When Wheeljack focused ahead he realized the light was green, probably had been for a while, and scoffed softly to himself. Being that driver, he scooted up just a bit, indicating to the driver behind him that he was going. It wasn't until the light changed to yellow that he suddenly put pedal to metal, crossing through just as the light turned red. With not enough time to get through without catching himself on camera, the driver was forced to wait through that light as the cross traffic started going with the newly changed green light. 

With that settled, Wheeljack drove down that road to merge onto the highway. Time was brief as he weaved in and out of traffic, going around slower drivers, but always maintaining a decent speed. That continued even as they took the exit he recognized from his outing before with the Enforcer and that yellow one before, when things had been... 

"I didn't know Doc all that much, nor have you compared to some of the others at base. For us that's an easy thing to say. For anyone who knew him through any other times of his lifecycle, it's probably not the same. All we can do is hang in there and hope things change before it all goes to the Pit."

That familiar plateau was coming into view up ahead. How would they get in? If he commed over and said that he was there, surely Optimus would be put on alert. That may be the only option they had, unless Miko called Bulkhead to let them in. He had a moment to think, but that moment was quickly running out...

[Miko Nakadai]

"-...in that order."

"That sounds like him!"

She managed a laugh, though it was a little forced. She was happy to see Jackie again, having him pick her up from school would probably be the highlight of her entire week! But with him coming back came the fact he had to go back to Omega One to finish what he'd walked out in the middle of.

She knew he was putting it off, too. But the longer they lingered away from base, the more Bulkhead, Optimus, and everyone else would worry about her, making everything worse. Even if they called her to check in, Bulk would know in an instant that something was wrong.

Her gaze drifted to the window as they pulled to a stop at a light. Peering out at the all too familiar dusty surroundings of the desert, with the hues of red, orange, and brown that seemed to stretch out forever. The silence was comfortable, and yet at the same time? It wasn't. She knew he was probably thinking about the same things she was, though she wondered briefly who out of the two of them was worrying the most.

The sudden honk of a horn made her jump, attention snapping back into the moment as she twisted around to get a look at who was stupid enough to lose their patience over something so dumb. She knew it probably wouldn't go over well, though knew Jackie wouldn't exactly do anything too bad in retaliation - though was confused when he pulled forward, only to stop.

Turning around to face straight ahead, she was quick to get her answer - head gently falling back against the headrest as he pulled forward quickly.

Normally, she would've cheered - maybe turned around to pull a face or taunt the guy who'd been left in their dust, but today? She was oddly quiet, though did manage to smile.

Ugh, there was that silence again. She wasn't sure what to say, or how to break the quiet. She knew Optimus was forgiving of things, though she wasn't really worrying about that - she just didn't want them to fight again.

As they got closer to the familiar plateau, it felt like her stomach was doing flips - and if it weren't for Wheeljack speaking and finally breaking the silence, she would've probably blurted something out herself, if only for a distraction from her thoughts.

"I feel bad for Optimus," she started, frowning. "I know he and Ratchet were friends for a long time, like millions of years." a concept she couldn't even really fathom.

"But we'll fix him. I know we will."

We have to.

As they drove, the traffic thinned out to the point it was basically just them on the road. For a 'highway' it wasn't really much of anything - just a big main road that led through the desert and away from the sleepy little town of Jasper. Eventually, if they kept going? There were bigger roads, of course, leading to fun places such as Las Vegas, but as if that was about to happen.

Off the side of this main road was another on the right, it was far smaller - though well maintained, and as Wheeljack got closer he'd probably realize this was the road that was needed to get to Omega One.

"It's this turn here, then go straight and uh… well, yeah - you know the mesa, right?" she spoke up then, just in case.

[Wheeljack]

Wheeljack had half expected for Miko to be part of the cheer crowd with that little stunt he had pulled with the obnoxious driver who had been left in both his dust and the red light, but the silence that greeted him had been... awkward. He hadn't said anything, didn't need to as he was pretty sure that Miko more than felt it. The only thing warm about the welcoming had been when she had first seen him. Part of him wished they still had that energy to go off of, considering what awaited them. 

Him, rather. Optimus wouldn't dare say anything to Miko about getting in his cab. Maybe about not checking in? Sure. But definitely not over the fact she sat in his passenger seat rather than calling Bulkhead to tell him she was ready for pick up. 

"I've survived by recognizing places. I know it, yeah." No sooner had she spoken about the mesa that he saw that little pull off road that would take them to Omega. That discomfort was irritating him. He slowed down so he wouldn't miss the pull off. He was silent as he tilted his wheel slightly to the right, making a smooth veer over without so much as a bump as he got off the highway of sorts onto the other road that took them further into the desert. 

It was only then that Wheeljack felt inclinded to talk again.

"The Commander's got a weird way of handling things. Doesn't put his emotions out there for everyone to see. Guess it makes sense when ya got an entire faction you have to try and keep in line. Must just be a Prime thing." Wheeljack sped up a bit to go slightly over the speed marker, not enough to get himself in trouble just in case anyone was keeping a lookout from... somewhere in the open vastness of the desert. "But I guess I can kinda get how part of him feels. I've known Bulkhead probably at least just as long as he's known the Doc, and if he were to just suddenly forget himself, me, the Wreckers? I don't think Optimus with the backing of the entire faction could keep me from going after the ones responsible for it." 

Wheeljack didn't even want to think about Bulk waking up one day and being like how Ratchet was now. He may have had more freedom to act reckless on his behalf, but Optimus didn't have that liberty. He had to think about every move he made knowing he was being watched and judged for it.

Pit, he hated to think about that, espeically since he himself was one of said mechs. 

There, just ahead, he spotted that familiar vast plateau, knowing just what lay hidden beyond to the unsuspecting public of Jasper.

"Might be better if you call in. Depending on who answers, if they hear me, I might just get hung up on and told to hit the road." Even so, he'd do it if he had to.

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko hated this.

The awkwardness - the quiet that she didn't quite know how to break. It was like this on the drive back from Omega after the fight with Optimus, and now here they were again. She'd been so excited upon seeing Jackie again, but in that moment she hadn't really realized all that was to come from his return.

Until they were sat in silence on the way back.

Optimus hadn't said anything to her about what'd happened, nor had she sought him out to talk about it either. For one thing, she wouldn't even know what to say, plus it wasn't like she could change anything once Wheeljack had left. Again it came back to them being millions of years old, going through a war that'd started long before humans were even a thing on Earth. She was nothing but a blip in time to them, and while she was no doubt important to them both? They had way bigger things to worry about.

She had nothing to gauge how this inevitable meeting would go. She didn't know Optimus' thoughts on the matter, nor Wheeljack's. To bring it up instantly once she had settled into her seat may have been good, just to get it out the way - but it also felt so wrong, and would've sullied the reunion.

Things would be okay, she knew they would be - though she hoped it wasn't going to be a struggle to get to that point. Enough time had passed that hopefully, the conversation would be civil and productive, rather than yelling and fighting.

They should turn that toward the Decepticons, rather than themselves. The Autobots were a team, and she hadn't forgotten how scared she'd been that day.

She wanted to fidget with something as they pulled onto the final stretch of road. There was no turning back now, and she was nervous.

Though thankfully, Wheeljack broke that awkward quiet once more.

"I don't envy him. It feels like everything is against him, though it is weird how he never really talks about how he's feeling. Not that he'd ever tell me!" she was just a tiny human child who'd been at the right place at the right time, she wasn't a confidant - though she certainly tried to help as best she could sometimes, in her own way.

"Though I did try to get him to stop doing everything by himself…"

Oh, yeah… that's right. He was still injured from the run-in with Starscream and the two other Decepticons. Wrinkling her nose at the thought, she opted not to tell Wheeljack what he was heading back into - just on the off chance he decided to turn around.

"I've only known Bulk a little while compared to you, but I don't know what I'd do if he forgot everything! I can't even imagine what it'd be like…"

It'd be horrible, and yet even despite the fact it'd happened to Ratchet? Everyone seemed so strong as they continued on with their normal day-to-day routines. They probably had no choice in the matter, though - what with the Decepticons and MECH being a constant threat.

Maybe she could do something to cheer them all up, as they all probably needed it - though that was definitely a thought best suited til later, as the all too familiar plateau in front of them meant that there was no turning back now.

"-I might just get hung up on and told to hit the road."

"Aw, no, they wouldn't!" she protested. "But you're probably right in that I should call in, if only because they are probably waiting on me to call anyway…"

She wasn't expected to call at any particular time, just whenever she was free from the prison of school - but it'd been a daily thing for a while now to the point it wouldn't be weird that she contacted the base directly.

Pulling the pink flip phone from her pocket, she was quick to type in the digits for Omega One and hold it to her ear - she knew the number off by heart, not wanting to keep it in her contacts on the off chance something ever happened to the phone itself.

Ring.

Ring.

A click, and a voice that made her heart feel like it skipped a beat. She knew that the person on the other end of the line could probably see them as they approached - after all, there was some sort of weird hidden proximity sensor and a camera, just so they knew who was out there before they opened the super-secret doorway, but it still felt oh so awkward with who had picked up.

"Hello!" her voice came out as a tiny squeak, before she quickly cleared her throat.

"Uh- knock knock! Can you open the door, please?"

[Optimus Prime]

It never stopped...

One problem after another, adding up upon themselves as a perpetual weight...

There needed to be a reprieve somewhere, a win of any kind no matter how small it may be. The team needed it. HE needed it! And yet, like the constant ache and pain in his shoulder, everything continued to eat away at him. An inability to find the Nemesis or Decepticons, an inability to locate MECH and shut down one of their factories. An inability to retrieve Patch, as well as Ratchet's memories. An inability to get even the most basic of questions answered out of their captive, who was treating their stay like a vacation away from the Warlord who likely had him pinned beneath his claws in service to his army.

He needed a win.

And instead, he got Wheeljack.


The concealed doorway to Omega One would spiral open upon Miko's request, there no word of confirmation, or any sort of reply offered to the child while doing so other than the initial answering of the call. It could almost turn a standard action ominous in a way given the tension that had manifested the last time that the Wrecker had been within the outpost. If it had been someone else, there would more likely than not have been something offered, anything other than the quiet that there was, and not long after the door opened, it would close in their wake.

Standing across the Control Room opposite the side where the tunnel's curve ended, Optimus was waiting, his stance that of someone who was far from relaxed, with an aura of irritation that was impossible to muddle beneath any air of professionalism and controlled power. He was tired, unamused, and frankly didn't want to have to deal with this nonsense right now, however, since when did he ever have a choice on such things? Life kept throwing changes at him that he neither wanted nor cared about, and it was a necessity that he addressed them with as much tact as he was able to do so as he struggled to keep his helm above water. Even with the mech before him gracing their base once more with his abrasive personality.

The Prime that Wheeljack would see, was not the one he left behind.

The first most obvious element despite his borderline antagonistic posture was the fact that his left shoulder paneling was cratered in hard indents and gouges that revealed large patches of raw metal beneath, its smooth compound curve nothing but a ragged shadow of what it once was. One of the side flares that had adorned its surface was wrenched down at a sharp angle towards the lower edge of the assembly, while the other that mirrored it had its end crushed in. Paired with this destruction was a line that cored through said shoulder armor as well, creating a trench that streaked down to what of his upper arm was exposed, leaving a line across that as well. While horrible looking, the shoulder armor had served its core purpose, protecting the major hinge beneath and its bulk protecting his helm. It just wasn't cleaned up in full, repairing only what was fundamentally required.

Other marks were present, though did not hold the same visual impact as the mangled pauldron. Sharp cuts and punctures traveled a linear path from his front to back, lines from shrapnel that blasted past his frame in multiple scattered bits... they seemed random in pattern from their source, though one additional injury seemed more purposeful and recognizable for what it was. Four grooves from claws hooked around his mid-torso, starting from the front of his makeshift ribcage, around to the back before stopping, exposing raw dull silvers beneath chrome and red.

Despite the traumas his armor took, Optimus showed no sign of it weakening him.

He said nothing. Wheeljack was here for a reason, and an exchange of welcomes or pleasantries was likely not on either of their to-do lists of the day. For the mech to be here, he had to need something out of them for his gain, as he more likely than not wouldn’t tempt fate by crossing paths with him just to play taxi for Miko. If he did happen to have some good news or a lead on something, as much as they needed one and could take a win, he didn't want it to end with a 'though I don't know why I am telling you this, because you won't do anything about it anyway' that could set them both back to step one of their last encounter.

Cyan optics bore down upon Wheeljack.

Waiting.

[Wheeljack]

That drive down the tunnel was the longest ride he'd he'd felt in a while. Every rotation of his wheels felt like it took years to complete. There was no end in sight, yet the dread of what awaited at the end of that tunnel weighed heavily on himself.

He could only imagine what Miko must be feeling. 

She'd seen what too much stress mixed with far too different ideas of how things should work came together and collided. Brawls like that were not unusual when it came to the chain of command, as Wheeljack had participated in and been witness to several of them back when things were first becomming established in Iacon, as well as thereafter. There were some who just didn't believe in the way Prime, the officials, any of them really, handled things. All Miko saw was a beacon of hope and grandure that many who blindly followed without question did- a deity among them who could neither do wrong nor be tarnished in their eyes. 

Then there was Wheeljack, who had never been blind to follow the leader. It was something Miko surely wasn't used to. 

Rounding the final turn, it was that very beacon who stood to welcome them- if one could even call it that. He stood in expectation, no doubt wondering why the Loose Canon had decided to aim back towards base once more. Wheeljack slowed to a stop, parking himself at a safe distance as he opened his passenger side door so Miko could get out. He'd wait until she was safely clear of the immediate area before he would transform, finding himself standing before the Prime yet again after but a short month.

But wow, what a month had done. While Wheeljack hadn't changed much save for a couple chips here and there from who really knew what, Optimus was quite the opposite. He looked-

"You look like you got smacked by the tallest tower in Iacon." Wheeljack wasn't wrong, either, [robably would have even laughed at his own statement if the other didn't look so worn on top of everything else. Wow, though, did the Prime looked rough. He'd... apparently seen some battle, one ( or more, maybe ) that he had clearly walked away from, though not without sustaining heavy damage. The Wrecker wondered  what the other guy must have looked like, if he were even as lucky as the Prime had been to walk away. Seeing that damage also reminded him of the other pressing matter- the fact that they didn't have Ratchet around. The fact that Optimus hadn't been repaired also made him wonder about where they were with supplies, and just how capable that other medic actually was if he weren't desperately trying to fix their Leader.

"Look, uh, Commander. I know last time we sort of left things on the wrong foot and... uh..." Wheeljack had never been one to be at a loss of words, but something about this who situation certainly made it a first for him. With a grumble he rubbled the back of his helm and looked off, trying to put something together that made sense and wasn't...

Stupid?

Yeah, sounding stupid was not on his list of wants, nor did he want it to seem like he was crawling back to beg to be let in. He wasn't even sure what he wanted, exactly. All the thinking he had been doing felt like it was just caught somewhere in his processor, being closed off behind a wall until he could see exactly what the reaction of Optimus would be. It already looked like it wasn't gonna be friendly, which he expected, it was more that everything else had come at him out of no where.

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko had been through the tunnel into Omega One more times than she could count, and it was always the same. The blinding glare of the desert sun shifting in an instant into a more neutral, ambient light that wasn't so painful on her eyes. There was also an immediate shift in temperature, too - it was so much cooler in the base than outside, though when they practically lived on the sun? That wasn't exactly hard.

Normally, the short trip between the outside world and the safety of Omega was fast, with her jumping out from Bulkhead while he transformed, her bag carelessly thrown to one side along with the stresses of the day she'd had at school. Then, she'd get to catch up with the Autobots and hear about what'd gone on in her absence.

It was something she looked forward to! But today?

Today was oh, so very different. The fact Optimus hadn't said anything after the initial hello was scary, and didn't bode well for the incoming interaction. The door had opened, the call dropped without word - and in they went.

Just as it took forever for Wheeljack, it felt like an eternity for Miko. The shift in light and temperature was the same, especially as the door closed behind them but the normally super fast transition between here and the Control Room?

It. dragged. on. forever.

As they rounded the tunnel's curve, the looming figure of Optimus was right there waiting for them. Nervously, one hand would reach up to fidget with her ponytail, trying to bleed out some of the stress that wouldn't go away.

Optimus' posture was concerning. The injuries, not so much - if only because Miko was used to seeing them. They were still bad, but…

Swallowing hard as Wheeljack pulled to a stop and the door was opened – she knew what that meant – she was quick to grab her backpack and pull herself from the seat, before moving a few steps away to give Jackie room to transform.

Looking between both Optimus and Wheeljack, she clung tightly to the strap of her bag, feeling hopeless and watching nervously.

Please don't fight, please don't fight…

There was almost a flood of relief at Jackie's words, it was a great start - almost like he wanted to try and apologize but couldn't quite find the rest of what he wanted to say.

But… it was up to Optimus to maybe meet him halfway, and given the fact he didn't look happy? Miko would wait with bated breath to see what happened. 

[Optimus Prime]

When Miko had hopped out of the passenger door, Optimus' cast a quiet glance in her direction without moving his helm, a sort of cursory look just to acknowledge her presence, before he focused back upon the source of his frustrations. It could be considered rude in a way; however, he had bigger issues and didn't wish to bloat the time out with hollow pleasantries that he was hardly good at in the best of days. It was one of those negative traits that had rooted down through the years of battle, stress, and strain, not finding particular joy or point in filling the quiet just to interact. It didn't mean he wouldn't listen to others' concerns and assist them, he just... lost some elements over the years.

Miko would hopefully recognize that it was an action with no ill will behind it.

As Wheeljack transformed into his root mode, Optimus' stance would not change, now having optics to latch down into with his borderline antagonistic glare that persisted. He was almost daring the mech before him to do something, to test those lines that already had a toe pushed past. If they snapped swiftly to yelling or blows, then there would be no wasted time and they could come to a 'resolution' once more in whatever form it happened to take. It was unlike him to challenge in such a manner, it so unbecoming of a Prime in his opinion, yet it happened, it was going on, and it wasn't going to change easily.

Only, it did.

While Wheeljack's first words were met with no more than a faint flick of an upper lip to add to his scowl, the second portion seemed to hit something that caused an immediate shift to occur. It was not overt, though it could hardly be called truly subtle, as the aggression that had been so prevalent would peel back and soften, causing the exhaustion that had been beneath to come further to the surface. Optimus had expected the mech to come out swinging, and instead he had spoken in a way that disarmed him greatly, there almost the implication of a peace offering fumbled through.

To many it could possibly be seen as too little to matter in any meaningful way, pressing the other individual to do more for it to even be called an apology, yet Optimus saw beyond it. He didn't water what was said down to mere words without inflection or consideration, as he took into account just WHO he was speaking to, and that was what had made him take an emotional step back, translating the fumbled words into what he believed was a more earnest expression of... respect? No. That was too much. At least not on a deep level. It could be spun as respect to speak to him as an individual, yet it truly was too early to say.

What mattered at its core was that he was now willing to hear more without the barbed barrier he had been holding up at the onset to protect himself.

"Careless actions were made on both sides."

A partial step in turn, Optimus was not an individual who was too prideful to acknowledge his own faults, though he remained guarded, his focus remaining unwavering despite their audience.

"What is it you seek, Wheeljack."

[Wheeljack]

While Wheeljack was aware that Miko was there, mindful of where she was as not to step wrong and end up with her underpede, his attention was primarily on the Prime before him save for a glance or two that was given to the Wrecker-in-training as she moved around. Without even reading her mind he knew she was hoping for a better outcome than what he had left with, as was he, in a way. 

This whole thing was uncomfortable, mostly because of how outside of his element he was. Wreckers didn't apologize he didn't apologize, so finding the right words was a confusing new thing that he didn't quite know what to do with or how to handle. At least what he had uttered out and stumbled over so far seemed to be enough to bridge some gap since he wasn't being punched or thrown out of the base. He was studying the Prime, trying to read as much of his body language as he could. So far, so good.

"I brought a sword to what shouldn't have escalated beyond a brawl. That was on me. I acknowledge that." 

That was about as much of an olive branch as the old Wrecker would probably get. Flat out saying sorry would be far too much of a stretch, especially with how things were currently.

Wheeljack lowered his servos to his sides, stood a little straighter, if just to bring himself as much to seeing optic-to-optic with the Prime as he could. It could have been viewed as being some form of respect, at least as much as Wheeljack was able to give without fumbling over words like some fool. To someone on the outside, he were standing at attention before addressing the leader of their faction. 

 "We don't see things the same way, nor agree on how things should be handled, and that will probably never change... however," Wheeljack paused for a moment, though did not shift nor pull his gaze away. "I'm a Wrecker, which also makes me an Autobot. The issues I have with you, with Leadership, has nothing to do with anyone else. It won't be easy but... I'm willing to put some of that aside to... lend my help."

There was no reason to argue for himself about what he could do. Optimus knew he could cover ground that they couldn't without a ship, not to mention he had combat skills that could back him up. The other didn't need to have any of that repeated to him, so the silence could give him time to figure out what he needed and wanted to do with everything. Optimus had a number of ways he could handle this, and Wheeljack was more or less left to put things in his court, wait it out, see what would happen.