Hidden in the Dark

Chapter 14

Soundwave and Laserbeak sat on the boxes in the hangar watching Ratchet do some repairs and upgrades to the equipment laying around base. He was currently fixing the main computer. A pile of tools lay around him as he unscrewed this, hammered that, and pulled that out. He let out a frustrated sigh as he put his wrench down. Laserbeak looked up at wihtoutto his pile of tools and cleared her throat.

"What?" Ratchet snapped.

"Woah woah!" Laserbeak said, "I just want to help,"

"And what can you do?"

"Well for starters," Laserbeak walked closer to the computer, "You need to switch that green wire over here and that red wire over there!" Laserbeak proceeded to move the wires. She then press a button on the computer and the screen fizzled back to life.

"How did yo-"

"I used to live on the streets man," Laserbeak confessed, "I kinda knew how to rewire things to get what I wanted," Ratchet nodded his head in an understanding way. Soundwave watched the two converse on ways to fix and upgrade the computer that the Autobots managed to salvage from the rubble of their old base. They worked together in sync as both knew exactly what the other was doing and what tools the other needed.

Soundwave let a ghost of a smile appear on her faceplates. It's been so long since she saw Laserbeak able to talk freely to somebot without having to keep her guard up. That medic has worked his wonders on Laserbeak. He listened to everything Laserbeak told him but never asked any questions that might force Laserbeak to reveal something she wasn't ready to tell him. He always had a small friendly smile on his faceplates. His blue optics glowed softly.

"Hey yo," Laserbeak said with her accent that she picked up from the streets as Ratchet was screwing the last bolt in, "I didn't quite make the first impression on ya so.... Hi! My name Laserbeak!" She held her servo out.

"My name is Ratchet," Ratchet said with a soft smile and shook her servo.

"Ratchet!" Arcee's voice rang through the base. Sounds of shots being fired bounced against the walls, "Groundbridge now!" Ratchet shot up from his sitting position and frantically typed in the coordinates into the computer.

"We just rebooted the computer!" Ratchet commed back, "Could you wait for another 10 minutes!"

"We're about to be surrounded by flyers and grounders!" Arcee said urgently, "Could you do something about it!"

"I'm trying to!" Ratchet frantically typed into the computer and opened the panel and started pressing buttons. Laserbeak sent a begging to Soundwave. Soundwave nodded.

"Ratchet!" Laserbeak said, tapping his shoulders, "Send the coordinates to Soundwave! She could open a groundbridge for you! Without any hesitation, Ratchet typed in the coordinates into the computer and sent it to Soundwave. A groundbridge opened up in front of the hangar's door and the bots roll in carrying a bundle of energon with them.

"Turns out the Con," Bulkhead started but stopped when a death glare was directed at him, "I mean Soundwave was correct about the energon mine that we went to," Ratchet's optics brightened at the sight of the energon cubes.

"Take those to the back!" Ratchet ordered. Arcee and Bulkhead carried as much energon cubes as they can and started transporting the cubes.

"Soundwave," Ratchet said, "If you're right about all five energon mines, we will have enough energon for a long time," Soundwave put a smiley face on her faceplates. Ratchet's optics flashed a bright blue before he offered her a small smile back.

"Ratchet," Optimus Prime's regal voice rang through, "We request a groundbridge immediately," Ratchet immediately typed in the coordinates into the now functioning groundbridge. Optimus Prime and Smokescreen came back with a huge heap of energon.

"That mine was so unprotected," Smokescreen began to brag, "I could've fought off all of them with my optics offline!" Laserbeak snorted.

"Yeah right,"

"I'm serious!"

"Have you done it before?"

"No but-

"Then do it next time you go," Laserbeak said, smirking, "I dare you to,"

"Fine," Smokescreen retorted, "I'll do it!"

"If you lose," Laserbeak said with a wide smile on her faceplates, "You will have to do whatever I say for a week,"

"The same with you!" Smokescreen said arrogantly. Optimus Prime was about to intervene but Ratchet placed a servo on his arm. He then whispered something into his audio receptors and Optimus Prime nodded. There was a ghost of a smile on his faceplates.

Smokescreen went and helped the others put the energon in the storage units at the back, bragging about how awesome he was and how he quickly defeated the vehicons and how he got to fight next to the all mighty Optimus Prime. Arcee rolled her optics and Bulkhead groaned every now and then.

Ultra Magnus and Bumblebee returned with more energon. Bumblebee took one look at the pile of energon at the back and started chirping excitedly.

"We have enough energon to last us for a long time," Ultra Magnus said to Optimus Prime. Laserbeak rolled her optics.

"No shit man," Ultra Magnus turned around and narrowed his optics at Laserbeak. She stuck out her glossa at him. He walked towards her with a faceplate that his troops back on Cybertron knew to fear but Laserbeak still held her ground.

"You really think that giving me that you-are-in-big-trouble look will scare me?" Laserbeak mocked, "Not in a million years big boy," Ultra Magnus opened his mouth but was met with a wrench to his helm.

"Stop wasting your time," Ratchet scolded, "You can talk to her later! We still have 2 more energon mines to go to!" Ultra Magnus stayed silent but fumingly followed Ratchet's orders. Nobot wants to mess with an angry Ratchet. Laserbeak smirked and batted her optics at Ultra Magnus.

"Smokescreen and Bulkhead!" Optimus Prime said as the bots gathered in the hangar, "To the Outbacks!"

"Sweet!" Smokescreen said excitedly, eyeing Laserbeak.

"Arcee and Bumblebee to the mountain ranges of Chile!" Soundwave supplied a groundbridge.

"To the mountain ranges of Chile!" a clipping of Optimus Prime's ordered played. Arcee looked at her suspiciously but ran through the groundbridge nonetheless. Bumblebee roared through after her. Bulkhead begrudgingly went with Smokescreen to the Outbacks.

Ultra Magnus stood in front of Soundwave.

"You need to keep a firm grip on Laserbeak," Ultra Magnus said stoically. Soundwave didn't respond. If he was observant enough, he would've realise that Soundwave couldn't and won't tell Laserbeak what to do all the time. Soundwave could only subdue Laserbeak with reasoning and that sometimes doesn't work. Quite frankly, she thought it was amusing to watch Laserbeak trashtalk the bots. Especially when they can't do nothing about it.