Yeager Chronicles: After Extinction

11: Optimus

They were close to landing now. Optimus saw everyone on board trotting about, making preparations. Anything was out in the open was put away and anything that seemed personal was in everyone's respective quarters.

But one thing was for certain, it was loud on the ship, louder than before. There were clanks and some crashes... That was Night (for sure) and probably Silentstorm. But the sounds that often overshadowed those sounds were musical in nature. Some calming and some not-so much.

Optimus did what he could to help but the majority of things that could've been done had already been taken care of. He felt a bit out of place. Not really doing anything got to him more so than the others would have thought, but he hid it well enough. Most of the time anyway.

At the very moment, he was just walking up and down the halls, listening to the sounds coming from the front of the ship resonate and ebb. He could almost swear that he saw the waves just from the sound. But, alas, he still did not really have much for himself to do or go. He shouldn't go and hide in the HAB unit, it might make him look like a hermit.

So, instead of following a feeling of that nagged at him to just go and hide in his HAB unit, he followed where the sounds were coming from. It sounded better in his head than it was. As he came to the sounds, the vibrations could be felt in his pedes, almost a kind of tickle. It was not an irritated tickle, it was more of a comfortable, massaging feeling.

As soon as he reached where the majority of the sound was coming from and resonating, he spotted the redheaded femme Skyblaze. Monitors and other screens decorated the front of her vision as she tapped and spun at instruments that controlled the ship. The sounds of the room died down to a low mumble, it still felt kind of strange under his pedes.

"I see you're out and about. Care to help me with something?" That drew him back to a slim reality, it was like he was he physically but mentally gone adrift! (The author understands this feeling well and is trying not to embrace it as much as she is. She'll try not to break the fourth wall any more but no promises.) Optimus tilted his head but moved closer to the red flyer. "What do you have in mind?" He asked as soon as he was standing next to her.

Pointing to a dial, it had an arrow that seemed to balance itself on the edge of green and yellow, "Just watch that dial," and she turned to walk away towards a large looking cabinet, "and when it reaches the red, tell me." He did so, the arrow slowly trekked its way through the yellow, slowing just before the red and coming to a stop. "Is it moving?" Skyblaze called out, touching other things in the cabinet. Before Optimus could answer, another siren went off, one like earlier with Screwloose making a call to Nightblade.

"Seems the system is working. Night must have gotten here before I did and fixed it." Closing up the cabinet, she turned and smiled at Optimus, "Thanks anyways." As she came back close to him, opened up a panel under the consol. "What exactly were you looking for?" He stepped back as the paneling swung out close to his leg, tilting a curious head towards the greyness that pulled back to reveal glowing, and slightly pulsating light. She shrugged while being hunched over slightly, "Just making sure that the alarms work. We aren't the only ones to use this ship." She laughed. "It's closer to being rented even though we own it!"

"It's weird."

Optimus shrugged. He knew that Night was weird and not afraid to show and prove it to anyone, Skyblaze was not too different from her mate. She was also very keen on making sure everyone understood that she was different and not to be pushed around because of it. None of the family would take any crap from anyone that did or did not know.

She closed the paneling and stood back up, only coming a little higher than his waist, and looked at his face. "I believe Night wanted to talk to you. She said she did but then there were things that happened that needed attention." He nodded, not even noticing that he was now walking with the shorter femme. "Where is she?" Sky gave an awkward glance and shrugged. "Let me see, a moment."

She stayed silent as they walked down and out of the control room and slowly down the halls. After a klik or a few later, Skyblaze peeped up again. "She won't tell me!" Whining, she stared back at Optimus. "She said that you'd have to come and find her, the weirdo!" He snerked and shook his head. This was not a first for Nightblade, she was the ultimate freak when it came to her bonded and amica. "I see. Time hasn't changed her spirit, that's for sure."

Skyblaze smiled, she had first hand knowledge of how much of an oddity Night was, being bonded came with that kind of knowledge. "She did give one hint though," She tilted her head, her optics holding a quizzical gleam, "She said you would know where she'd hide if things got rough." Sky shrugged, "Slag, I have no idea what she means but apparently she thinks you'll get it."

He did actually, the old rooms on the bottom decks of the ship. Nightblade only ever had one ship in the time that Optimus had known her, that's where she'd go if something was going amiss in the world outside. Those rooms, he was never entirely sure what were in there that would calm her but something was there, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"It seems she was right," There was a smirk to her voice, "go on. You don't need me tagging around." Waving him off, she walked with a smooth pace towards what Optimus had come to know at the main area of the ship. He did not move a moment or a few, what would Night have up her sleeve now? Odd damn femme. With little thought, he stepped heavily through the corridors, bending and weaving and forking. Hot shit, how big is this ship? (Big enough to be a pain in anyone's ass, thought the author because she's having a problem with where she's going with this. She's been writing this chapter for nearly two weeks having virtually no idea where she wants to go. She knows where but doesn't know how to get there...)

Either way, he managed to find himself in the lower bridge, it was possibly the coldest part of the entire ship. Each step he took made everything echo, reverberate again against his pedes. Optimus came close to a wall, scraping his fingers across the wall it felt strange to him. It was cool and yet had a near sticky texture.

"I see you've come," a quiet voice droned, "good. I was wondering if you'd figure it out. I'm glad I was right that you would," Night said finally. Optimus had to adjust his optics to the dim glow of the hall that lead out into the room. His vents gave a little huff. "What else was I going to do?" His brow rising with an inquisitive gleam towards the silver femme. Her violet optics looked at him with amusement, coming closer to the Prime. "You could have ignored me, but there was always something in you that won't let you ignore anyone," she said while giving his shoulder a poke. "After all, that is what makes you – you."

"Night," Optimus spoke through her seemingly meaningless ramble, "Why have you called me here?" Her mouth closed, optics looked deep through his own. A smirk grew on her face plates, "What? I can't just get Sky to give you a message from me and have you figure it out? That's no fun." Her optics gleamed mischievously at the Prime. She turned back, "Come," lazily directing him through the door that had slid open, which allowed more light to pierce through the dimly lit hall. He wordlessly followed her through, he was surprised what he saw.

Note: God... Primus... End me. I know this is short but it's been crazy on my end. School has been trying a new system and I have not been able to write as much as I mentally and physically need. I won't promise that I will have a schedule of maybe once a week, it's all going to have to wait until other things have been taken care of. Til all are fragging one...