We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
The early evening air was surprisingly cool, considering the normal heat of Nevada. There was even a faint hint of moisture lingering - a promise of cool rain overnight.
The sky was that lovely color of blue, a mix of sky blue and navy. Darkening slightly as the aftenoon was moving towards full evening. Just after 5 pm. Shadows were starting to lengthen, but there was still a lot of daylight left yet.
Ratchet idled just outside Omega, tucked back into a slight alcove naturally created by the mesa. He wasn't deeply hidden, but anyone driving by on the nearest road - or a Decepticon flying overhead - wouldn't be able to see him. So he was protected enough.
He tried to ease back on some of the excitment he was feeling.
Ratchet's ability to go outside was extremely limited. In fact, it was non existant. He certainly understood why people were so hesitant to let him outside the base. He had no real knowledge of anything.
How am I supposed to get any knowledge of anything if I'm continually locked up inside? he wondered. It's like I'm being punished. For something I didn't do.
Well, technically he had done it....in a way.
Still, punishing him for something the other one did didn't really seem fair to Ratchet.
No matter. He wasn't about to complain aloud. Not when both he and Bumblebee were supposed to be going in towards Jasper for a quick, light trip.
Anything, anything, to be out of Omega for a bit.
So he was content to sit, and idle, and wait for Bumblebee.
Things had settled at Omega One - then again, they always seemed to in the early evenings. Raf, Miko, and Jack had been taken home hours ago, and things had quietened down considerably. Normally in these few hours before it got completely dark, everyone sort of did their own thing. Catching up on paperwork for the higher-ups, finishing chores and errands around the base that'd been put off during the day for others, and for some? Just simply getting some much-needed rest before tomorrow.
Usually, Bumblebee found himself training in the lower levels of the base - wanting to keep himself active, and ready for anything the world might throw at him. But today, he moved through the tunnel from the Control Room and out into the Nevada desert.
It was something he, and most others he was sure, probably took for granted. The ability to simply leave the base. Be it for a mission, or something small and routine like picking one of the children up from school. Though in recent days he'd seen just how stir-crazy one mech in particular had been getting, simply because he wasn't allowed to leave.
It wasn't that he was a prisoner like Knock Out down in the brig, it was just… with everything that'd happened, it was safer. The world was huge and scary, and not knowing anything about anywhere, well… it made it all the more terrifying.
But that'd led to Bee thinking. What if just getting outside and seeing Jasper again would help somehow? Omega One was a constant, with its concrete walls and concrete floors. Aside from small differences in terms of layout, a majority of the rooms almost looked the same. Same steel berths in each room, same cobbled together desks and chairs that'd been repurposed to fit their Cybertronian frames. It was all so mundane, so boring…
A change of scenery, something new – or, new to Ratchet anyway – might be the thing that was needed to trigger some sort of recognition. Even if the medic wasn't one for really leaving Omega One a lot even before this'd happened, he'd at least been to Jasper, driven around the tiny streets, and seen the few familiar buildings that would hopefully be remembered upon seeing them again.
Or if not, maybe it'd just help him a little bit in general.
Optimus had permitted Bumblebee the chance to try, with a gentle request to check in every so often.
He was nervous, though, and how could he not be? This was Ratchet's first official outing since MECH had hurt him, and while Bee was sure nothing like that would happen again – or at least, probably not in Jasper – there was always that what if.
Pushing these thoughts aside, he moved through the hidden doorway and out into the cool evening air of the outside world. Immediately his gaze shifted over in the direction of the other mech, as while Ratchet was hidden from the road itself, he was within view of the small concealed camera just above the base. Bee found himself relieved that he hadn't decided to get a head-start and start making his way toward Jasper without him, though knew Ratchet was probably ready to get going.
--Hey Ratchet, you ready?-- Bee chirped, pulling forward so the door would close behind him.
Ratchet had been waiting for any sign that his escort was arriving, so when he heard the soft whoosh of the exterior door opening and closing, he was completely tuned into the yellow scout. The ambulance didn’t move, but Ratchet’s awareness did, eagerly taking in everything around him, including Bumblebee, with a swift scan.
“Oh absolutely,” Ratchet replied, attempting to sound calm and blasé about the whole thing. The eagerness and excitement in his tone, however, gave it away.
Not bothering to give Bumblebee a chance to say anything yet, Ratchet rolled forward from where he had been tucked against the rock of the mesa, moving slowly towards Bee.
“I really have to thank you for this, Bumblebee, I mean seriously. When I heard that I was going to be given a chance to get outside and actually move my wheels, I thought I had heard wrong. I’ve been inside for so long...well, I mean...almost as soon as I woke up. The first time, I mean. When I first came here.
I’m talking too much, aren’t I? Sorry.”
The ambulance had stopped a few paces from Bumblebee, and somehow managed to look sheepish and embarrassed.
Attempting to regain some pride, Ratchet tried again.
The eagerness in Ratchet's tone was noted immediately, and in a way, it was kind of refreshing to hear. After everything the other mech had been through, and with this being his first real outing? He had every right to be excited, even if where they were going wasn't exactly the most exciting place in the World.
There was a point to this whole thing, after all. Ratchet had driven around Jasper a few times, even picking Raf up from school – and it was hoped that something, anything, would help refresh his memory.
The fresh air would probably do him a world of good, too - as while they had the air conditioning at Omega One, it wasn't anything like the feeling of the breeze wooshing over a frame while driving or even just being outside.
--It's no problem!-- Bee chirped, his beeps sincere. He was always up for a drive, and with this one? Hopefully he'd be able to help Ratchet in the process.
--As for talking too much? Eh, don't worry about it! I'd be excited too!--
Being cooped up for so long was enough to drive anyone a little stir-crazy. Omega One wasn't exactly the biggest base, and there was only so much to be done in a single day. While they could bridge anywhere on the planet, Ratchet hadn't been allowed to leave. Hence the baby steps in going somewhere local, with no bridge needed.
At the question, he angled his wheels – almost as if trying to subconsciously point – in the direction of the small town nearby.
--We're going to Jasper! Just going to drive around and show you a few things - like the school where the kids go to, the hospital where Jack's mom works - the KO burger, and stuff like that!--
To anyone else, that was probably the most boring plan in the universe. But he hoped that just being able to drive would make up for the fact this whole thing wasn't very exciting.
--It'll be nice to move your wheels though, I'm sure! There's a long stretch of road so we can really drive, too! Gotta slow down when we get into town though, even at this hour when not many people will be around.--
Now who was talking too much?
--Lets have some fun, yeah? Make sure you stay close!--
While he knew he'd be keeping an attentive eye on the other mech at all times, feeling a sense of over-protectiveness toward him, he didn't want Ratchet driving off and getting lost or something.
--Okay, let's go!--
With that, Bumblebee would pull forward - tires rumbling over the dusty gravel and sand that made up the desert, making his way toward the road. He moved slowly at first, so Ratchet could follow without issue, after all, it had been a while since he'd gotten to actually use his altmode.
Ratchet eagerly moved in behind the yellow scout, eager to just get going.
He’d only spoken to Bumblebee a few times, but Ratchet liked the mech. Bumblebee seemed friendly, outgoing, and understanding. He never pressured Ratchet, never pushed him to try and remember things that didn’t want to come. It was obvious he was worried about him, but there was a gentleness about the scout that Ratchet liked.
At first, Ratchet had actually hoped that he could spend more time just hanging around with Bumblebee. Of everyone at the base, Ratchet felt Bumblebee was the one he could get along the best with. The yellow scout seemed to have the same sense of adventure that he did, the same desire to get out and have fun. But whenever he seemed to indicate he wanted to have some fun, do something fun, people in Omega stared at him as if he had suddenly grown three heads.
Of course….Bumblebee was allowed to get out and have fun.
He tried not to complain, he really did! He understood that the others were worried about him, worried he might be attacked again. Still…
He mentally pulled himself back to the here and now.
“Jasper…” he had heard that name spoken many times. It was the closest human settlement, and the place where the human children lived.
He had tried to go online, to find out what he could about humans. He still felt a little uneasy around them, after being attacked. But the children didn’t frighten him anymore. Well, he was still frightened, only he was frightened he would accidentally injure one.
But his searching online didn’t help him a lot. There was just so much out there. And there was no official report on humans. If he tried searching about what things they were taught, he found a million sites talking about this and that, and what people felt should be taught, and what shouldn’t, and where certain things were taught….nothing seemed simple. It was as if just anyone was allowed to go to this World Wide Web and post whatever they wanted, with no regard for truth!
Bumblebee was close to one of the human children. Maybe he’d know.
Following closely behind the scout – but not so close as to crowd him – Ratchet spoke through his com to Bumblebee.
::School. I tried to find some information about what young humans would be taught, but the information was very poorly archived. What sorts of things are they taught, Bumblebee? Is it true they haven’t even managed to leave their own planet for any length of time?::
Bumblebee had driven down this road what felt like thousands of times - even if it probably wasn't quite that many, he'd certainly done it enough to the point he didn't really pay too much attention to what was around him. He knew each and every rock and boulder, and every scattered cacti along the road from here, all the way to Jasper.
The only difference in the day to day were occasionally there'd be a new tumbleweed, or maybe he'd spot a bird flying overhead, breaking up the monotonous blue of the usually-cloudless sky.
But today, with Ratchet with him? He found himself taking in the details a little bit, even of things he'd seen countless times before. The other mech, at one point, no doubt would've known each little natural marker as well - but now, everything would probably be brand new, and as such, the yellow Scout tried to go at a more casual pace. They weren't in any rush, they had permission to go out for a drive, and the more time they took? The more chance that Ratchet had in seeing something that maybe, just maybe would trigger some sort of memory.
Even if that didn't happen, though, it would be okay - it would be nice to give a tour to someone who would genuinely appreciate it. Jasper was a cute little town, even if there wasn't much to do.
The first question from Ratchet wasn't one that he expected, though it was an interesting one all the same! A beepy hum was the immediate response, trying to think how best to condense everything into a shorter statement. He'd helped Raf with his homework a lot – even if 'helping' meant asking a billion questions about everything and being a bit of a distraction – and as such was kind of an expert on things!
::--Lets see, uhh…--::
This was harder than he realized.
::--Well, they learn a lot! Maths, English - which is uh, usually reading books, like stories, and then analyzing the text. Then things like Geography, where they learn all about the planet they live on and the different ecosystems, things like the Amazon jungle, or the vast Sahara Desert…--::
He liked Geography a lot, if only because he got to learn so much about the planet that they currently called home.
::--Some learn music, some learn languages! Others play sports. There's science, and history! As for them leaving Earth, yep that's right! Only a small handful of humans have gone to the moon.--:: his beeps were chipper, indicating his excitement to talk about this kind of thing. ::--They have a space station in orbit, though, where occasionally they'll go up to do work, I think, but the moon is the furthest they've ever gone themselves.--::
They had explored further through the usage of unmanned drones, and of course had really, really powerful telescopes so they can see things millions of miles away, but for all their advancements in science? It seemed like space travel was still a little out of reach.
Maybe eventually they could get control of the Decepticon space bridge and help humanity with things like travel, though… that still seemed like such a daunting task, if only because they were supposed to keep themselves hidden.
Ratchet listened to Bumblebee as he followed, taking in the words the other spoke. One of the first things he had picked up from listening to other talk about humans was that they were allowed to choose what they wanted to do. They weren’t told.
It seemed fascinating to Ratchet….and right.
One shouldn’t be told they have to do a certain thing for their entire lives just because their frames looked a certain way. It was the mind that enabled individuals to think certain ways, or be curious about how the world worked. And no matter how the frame was gained, either naturally, or being cold forged, the mind grew without any control from outside factors.
Of course, humans were a bit different than Cybertronians. Despite there being a great deal of variation amongst them, by and large all humans were the same in appearance and form. There was only a slight variation in height of a few units, not nearly the same massively wide range that could be found amongst Cybertronians.
So it made sense that at a young age, humans would be exposed to as many different subjects and topics as possible. To see which they would be drawn to, which ones they might have a predisposed skill for.
::They start young, don’t they?:: he asked, almost musing. ::And take a long time to finally be ready to start contributing to their society. For such a short lived species, they spend a quarter of their lives preparing to enter that phase. I’d expect to see that from a species that lives much, much longer.::
He fell silent for a minute, then spoke again, ::I suppose it’s not really surprising they haven’t gone any farther than their own moon. They’re extremely fragile, aren’t they? Too much heat, too much cold, too much pressure, not enough pressure…..and a constant need for a gas that fuels their cellular metabolism. That’s going to be difficult to overcome unless their technology improves a great deal. I remember meeting some biologic races in interstellar hubs here and there, but for the most part, they were mechanized people, like us.::
This was nice, he thought. The feel of the sun on his mesh, the feel of his wheels moving properly, and talking to someone about ordinary things again.