Three Protoforms

Tipping the Scales

By: Sinead

Author’s Note: Wow. I just realized what a play on words the title of this story was. Sorry that it’s so short, but I couldn’t come up with much else on this.

“Catch me if you can!”

“Blasted brat!”

Optimus looked up in complete shock to see his daughter skid into the command center, activating the roof hatch to open, and leapt up through it. He heard her feet clatter off back towards the aft portions of the former exploration craft. What shocked him even more was that Dinobot followed her exact route.

Rhinox blinked once, looked at a slack-jawed Shangrila, then said, “I guess they’re settling a difference.”

Rattrap snickered.

The father looked to Cheetor’s face, seeing the twin trying to hold his laughter back. “Tell me why I feel you’re hiding something, Cheetor.”

“Oh, nothing.”

“’Fess up,” Shangrila said, leaning upon the table before her. “I haven’t seen him chase someone like that . . . unless I was looking over my own shoulder after pranking him.”

“Oh, she pranked him all right. Got him good, too, from what I could gather before he finally managed to get out of his room to chase her into the cargo holds a half-megacycle back.”

Shangrila instantly followed her brother.

Anarkye snickered again, late that night. Dinobot’s still-irritated growl caused her to chuckle harder, hearing him grunt, “That wasn’t funny.”

“It was too.”

“Was not.”

“You deserved it.”

“Hah. In the Pit, I did.”

She looked over her shoulder at his optics, smiling, feeling his hand rest upon her shoulder as they watched the stars. He smiled, shaking his head. “Fine. It was slightly humorous.”

“See?”

Dinobot broke his gaze away, looking up at the heavens again, not answering.

“They’re cute all right,” Optimus grumbled amiably. “I just hope that they don’t get themselves into trouble.”

“Have a talk with Anarkye,” Rhinox suggested.

Optimus fixed the large Maximal with a measuring stare. “Somehow, she’d not take that easily.”

“You never know.”

Optimus sighed. “Yeah, you might be right.”

“Believe me, I am. I’ve grown children, remember? Three beautiful, obedient but strong-willed daughters and two troublesome sons who charm the ladies with an ease that I never would have taught them.” He patted his younger friend’s shoulder. “She’ll listen.”

“Anarkye, can I talk with you?” Optimus asked quietly the next night while she was passing him in the hallway.

She blinked, somewhat surprised, but nodded and followed him to his quarters. “What is it?”

Optimus watched her sit upon his bed, her feet dangling off the side. He sat upon his desk carefully, sure that it would hold, but unsure of what would come of this. “I really don’t know how to ask this, but I was wondering just . . . well, how intimate you two have been. No, please just hear me out. I’m not trying to poke into your relationship with him, and I don’t want to. I just want you two to be safe.”

The daughter saw the genuine worry upon her father’s face, and stood to walk over and sit next to him upon his desk, leaning into his side as she did when she was younger. After a moment, she replied, “We’ve done nothing serious. He wouldn’t let himself do something that would endanger me, anyway. And he does nothing without permission.”

“Mind me asking for an example?”

“So we’ve kissed. More than once.”

Optimus smiled, resting his free hand upon her head. “So you understand that I’d prefer that you’d abstain from intercourse until you’re older.”

“I’ve told him until I’m married and ready to have kids.”

“You know you don’t have to worry about the ‘having kids’ part.”

“I know, I know; I remember ‘The Talk’ well, Dad. I actually paid attention to you then.”

“Hah!”

She smiled, and relaxed. “Was that it?”

“Almost.”

“Uh-huh . . . ?”

The leader sighed. “I just don’t want you to make any wrong decisions and regret them later, I guess. I’m your father; I’m worried.”

Anarkye smiled. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I don’t want to do anything stupid . . . and I’m trying not to. I’m still young and pig-headed, but . . .”

“But Shangrila and Dinobot are helping you balance that out,” Optimus finished.

Anarkye smiled up at her father. “Yeah. They are.”

“Now I’m done with the ‘I’m worried about my daughter’ talk. Can you ever forgive me?”

The daughter laughed and leaned into her father’s side, nodding. “Yeah, Dad.”

He kissed her forehead, sighing, wishing that children didn’t grow up. It was always hard to let go.

“What did Optimus want?” Dinobot asked lather that night while Anarkye was fiddling with some gadget or another.

“Nothing serious.”

“I’m instantly worried about that.”

Chuckling, Anarkye put the bundle of wires and circuit-boards down upon Dinobot’s desk. “All right, worry-wart, I’ll tell you. He was just warning me not to get ‘too intimate’ with you, but said it in a really nice way.” She shrugged. “More of a way that he had asked me how far we had gone.”

Dinobot cleared his throat, feeling a little displaced by that. “He, ah . . .”

“Knows that we kiss. So?”

“Primus, this isn’t going to make anything easier for me.”

Anarkye glared at him. “And what do you make of Rattrap and your sister kissing?”

Again, he cleared his throat, this time rubbing at the side of his neck at the same time. “That’s–”

“Don’t try that excuse that their situation is somehow different. ’Cause it really isn’t.”

Dinobot closed the book he had been reading, watching Anarkye. She was still glaring at him. Sitting up, he kept watching her until she finally looked away. It was then that he stood and embraced her once before replying. “I wasn’t going to say that it was different. I was going to say that it’s a good point.”

Sighing, finally relaxing into his embrace, Anarkye whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”

“I know.”

Silence.

Uncomfortable, yet . . . almost-comfortable silence.

Dinobot released the younger bot, but rested his hands upon her shoulders. “You’re still worried that he’d try to keep me from you, or even keep you from me. Don’t be. He’s smarter than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He knows that you need people who you are not related to as confidants. As friends.” He smiled at the Maximal. “And as those who are closer-than-friends. Don’t worry.”

“But me and Cheets are his only kids. He doesn’t know how to do things, how to act or behave or even deal with–”

“Rhinox has.”

A pause. “Oh.”

Dinobot laughed outright. “I see that now you can understand how your father has been less menacing towards our being together, eh?”

“I guess . . .”

Someone knocked upon the door. Dinobot answered it. “Rattrap.”

“I gotta talk t’ ’ya ’bout sumthin’.”

Anarkye picked up the circuit board she had been working on and smiled, saying, “I know the routine. I’ll be in the command center.”

She left without another word, and Rattrap entered Dinobot’s room. He was silent for a long while, then finally whispered, “You know dat me an’ Shang’ve been . . . close.”

“To say so obliquely, yes.”

“Uh . . . An’ ’ya know dat I’m . . . I’m really interested in ’er.”

Something was wrong. Dinobot knew that from the way Rattrap wasn’t bluntly getting to his point as he normally did. “Get to it, Vermin.”

“She . . . I mean I . . . oh, Primus, you dunno how much you’ll wanna kill me . . .”

“Did you hurt her.”

“Matrix, no!”

“Then what is it?!” Dinobot hissed.

“Promise me one thing.”

“Anything. What.”

“Dat you won’t kill me.”

“Rodent, if you have hurt my sister . . .”

“I didn’t, Choppuhface! Just promise me!”

“Fine! You have my word that I will not kill you! Now what in the Pit is it that you slagging have to tell me?!”

Rattrap told him.

Shangrila had snagged Anarkye from the hall on her way to the command center, and the two were six moves into playing chess when Dinobot slammed the door open, staring at his sister in shock. Shangrila blinked at him. “Primus, what’s got your core in a snag?!”

“Rattrap . . . and you . . .”

“What about us?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What?” Shangrila asked, genuinely confused.

“Don’t fool with me like this, Chi. You’re with child.”

Shangrila turned upon the hapless Rattrap. “You told him?!”

Anarkye blinked, then said very quietly, “Don’t you think you should close the door for this kinda conversation? If Optimus hears about this, he’ll have a hernia.”

Rattrap closed the door very, very quietly and meekly. “He woulda found out sooner or later, doll. You know dat. I didn’t want ’im ta kill me if he found out later.”

Shangrila watched as her brother walked closer, watching her steadily before sighing and letting his optics fade off for a moment. He knelt on the floor before her stool, his shoulders sagging slightly. Shangrila was instantly beside him, embracing him. “What’s wrong, niisan?”

“I never thought . . .”

She chuckled, leaning into him a bit more. “Neither did I. It’s all right. Things will be all right.”

“But I do not want you hurt.”

“I know. And I don’t think that this will hurt me.”

Dinobot snorted, smirking slightly for his sister. “Childbirth is not painful? Hah! You’re female; you know better than to say that.”

“Yeah, well . . . I got you to smile.”

He nodded. “You did.” Shifting his gaze to Rattrap, he snarled a sigh. “And what do you have to say to this child being born, hn?”

“Uh . . .” was the eloquent response.

“Not a promising answer, Vermin.”

Anarkye smiled and provided, “Would the question of wedlock be what you’re getting at, Dinobot? Making sure that he ties himself down to one lady for the rest of his life?”

Rattrap paled and passed out, much to their amusement.

“So da information is passed along, an’ you-know-who don’t know a thin’.”

“Interesting, my sweet. You are a treacherously slippery character.”

“I try.”

“Reading your empathic waves isn’t giving me much of a hand-hold, either.”

“Again, I know what I’m doin’, Rampage.”

“So you can distract him long enough so that I can get the rest of my Spark back?”

“I’m trained in many talents. He won’t even know dat he’d’ve passed out ’til he woke up da next mornin’.”

“Good, good, very good. And what of my half of the bargain? You mentioned something about me upkeeping some wish of yours.”

“You’ll owe me f’r gettin’ dis back f’r you.”

“Therefore your life in exchange?”

“An’ anyone else who catches my eye dat I don’t want killed.” The femme shrugged. “Dat’s only if I can be convinced dat they’re worthwhile ta save.”

“Aah, but I do like your thinking. Now. As for when this shall take place . . .”

Noon.

Maximal Base, known as Axalon.

Command center, at the end of a meeting, causing what would become a larger, more broad-scale meeting.

Shangrila was on patrol.

Rattrap spilled the beans to Optimus and Rhinox under the watchful eye of Dinobot.

Rhinox sat, smiling and genuinely happy.

And Optimus promptly and predictably had a fit:

“She’s what?! You blasted, slag-dripping, motor-headed moron!”