A Few Hours Ago

Cyberwarp watched the Decepticons vanish through the Groundbridge, heading to the continent that was on the other side. As soon as they left, she turned around, a quiet squee escaping her breath and a little bit of shaking from her excitement. With most of the Decepticons gone, now it meant she could spend all day or at least a few hours to watch over Betamax.

She stomped out of the silo and wandered back to the small circle underneath the palm trees where she, Skyjack, Spacewarp, and Steve all sat together, enjoying each other's company. Betamax was still asleep on the beach chair, curled up in his blanket. She smiled a little bit, watching him peacefully sleep. So cute!

In front of her eyes, a small holoscreen projected, revealing some notes. "Okay, lets see..." She flipped through the pages on the screen, trying to find a set of notes. "Native dances... dealing with loss... right and wrong..."

Just then, Grubber was seen walking by with some groceries.

"Oh, Grubber! Perfect! May I talk to you about something?"

"C-Can it wait?" Grubber said, trying not to drop the bags.

"No, I really need your help. Do you know how to make, how do you humans call it... be-rake-fast?"

Grubber was confused. "Be-rake-fa--oh, breakfast! Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was thinking about making some for Max to help wake him up. I figure if I was going to take care of him, I should know how to make proper dishes here on Earth," Cyberwarp replied.

"Lady, you've come to the right place. Follow me," Grubber gestured.

Cyberwarp followed Grubber to a small kitchen area that Grubber managed to set up. And with the assorted bags of groceries and tables set up, Grubber was ready to begin.

"Okay, so making pancakes is simple, and easy, if you know what you're doing. Just gotta follow the instructions on the box, and you can't go wrong," Grubber said, sliding the box down on the table.

Cyberwarp took a knee down so she could be a little more up close to see what would needed to be done. "Okay, lets see, how to make..." Cyberwarp said, her eyes squinting to read the tiny print on the box. "'Golden, fluffy, pancakes'.

Her fingertips carefully grabbed the measuring cup, trying her hardest not to break it. But her clampdown was too much pressure, and the cup cracked into pieces. Her eyes bulged in her head, and she felt herself blushing. "Sorry..."

"Good thing I got extras!"

With the new measuring cup, Cyberwarp made sure to be extra careful when grabbing it, not crushing it like before.

"Let me see... I need some flour," Cyberwarp muttered, her fingertips carefully sliding into the bag of flour. She carefully grabbed some, but the moment she yanked her hand out, she created a dust cloud which fogged their sights for a few seconds. When the fog cleared up, Cyberwarp and Grubber were covered in some flour, both of their faces bleached white. The Decepticon blinked under all the flour, coughing up some that got in her mouth. "Okay," she coughed, "Bad idea."

Grubber just sat there with an unamused face. "How about you just let me handle this, I can probably get this done faster."

With a guilty frown, Cyberwarp stepped out. "S-Sorry..."

"I'm not mad! But I've learned from experience, it's more helpful for one of two to stay out of a kitchen than in it."

---

Ten minutes had gone by. And in that ten minutes, Cyberwarp had cleaned her face off, allowing Grubber to make some progress. And in a few more minutes, he approached Cyberwarp with a plate. "Just take these," Grubber said, holding a plate with a fresh pancake, with syrup applied. "I'll make some more, you can just take that to the kid."

Cyberwarp smiled and lifted her hand underneath, carefully grabbing the plate. "Thank you. Really, thank you." She gave a soft pat on Grubber's head, smiling. Soon as she got the food in her grasp, she walked back to the camping pad. Max was still asleep.

"Hey. Max. Wake up," She poked at his shoulder. "Max."

"Huh, ah, what..." Betamax rolled over onto his back, rubbing at his eyes.

"Morning kiddo," Cyberwarp smiled, sitting down one of the bench logs. She carefully set the plate down on the end of the lounge chair, just enough that Betamax wasn't going to kick it. "I brought you breakfast."

"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, slowly waking up. "Oh! Oh, t-thank you."

He reached for the plate, and his eyes slowly gazed back up to Cyberwarp who was trying her best not crowd him.

"Okay, so I know yesterday wasn't our best first meeting. But I want to assure you, I am here to protect you. I'm not going to let those Decepticons hurt you, and I will keep you safe."

Max did remember a little bit of the conversation from last night, but regardless, he smiled at her.

"And while you are here with us, I want to make this place as comfortable and welcoming as it can be. So, I thought after breakfast, I could show you my little entertainment pad, I think you might like it."

"Oh, really?"

"I think so. But I also want you to have some fun, so if there's an activity you want to do, or something that interests you, please tell me, and I'll see what I can do. But I think I know something we can start our day with. Meet me down at the beach when you're done," Cyberwarp smiled before walking away to let Max finish up. Max simply nodded and took a bite of the pancakes, happily chowing down on it. Cyberwarp may have been still upset she didn't make them herself, but she was happy that Max was getting something food wise.

After quickly scarfing down breakfast, Max was ready to join Cyberwarp down at the beach. As the little boy walked down, his head marveled at the net had been set up.

"Incoming!"

Max's head was bonked, which nearly tossed him back. The source that hit him was just a bright colorful beachball, perfectly inflated for play.

"Don't tell anyone, but I might have stolen some of this equipment," Cyberwarp said with an embarassed look. "But I think beach ball could be fun. You wanna play?"

"I'd love to! We played this in P.E class, it was so much fun!" Max said with enthusiasm.

"Alright, then I believe I will take first point," Cyberwarp said, standing on the opposite net, in position, ready to play. But as she was about to make her launch--

"Hey, Cyberwarp!" Skyjack called, stepping onto the beach. "Mind if I talked to you real quick?"

"Now? Come on, we're gonna play beach ball. Why don't you join us?"

Skyjack couldn't help but smile. That actually sounded kinda fun. "How about this? Max, I just need to talk to my sister real quick, and I think afterwards, maybe we can all play. How's that?"

Max simply nodded and smiled. Cyberwarp carefully tossed the beach ball over to Max who for once, managed to catch it. Throwing it up into the air, he moved just in time to catch it again. Now that he was occupying himself, Cyberwarp followed her sister through the trees and back over into Shockblast's small labratory, or at least, what was called a laboratory. At the most, it was just an open area under a tent that kept his equipment dry in case of rain. But no sign of Waspinator, thankfully.

"Okay, Space said she wanted us to have these things, and told me to break them down for you since you don't know anything about them," Skyjack said, holding the ball. "She said these things are Light Benders, they're used for incognito kind of missions."

"How so?"

"According to her, if there's enough light around for it to work, then you can turn invisible, appear as someone else, create illusions, whatever. But it needs light to work."

"Well, we have plenty of sunlight right now, so I think we're alright," Cyberwarp said, attaching the Light Bender onto her arm. "Okay, let’s see, how do you--"

"--Wait!"

Too late. Cyberwarp flipped the tool a certain way, changing the outside of her appearance. But she didn't look like herself anymore. Instead her appearance looked more blocky and bulky. Her features were practically non-existent.

"What do you mean--wait a minute." She stopped. Her voice sounded less like her own and more monotonous, lifeless, completely robotic. "What happened to my voice? I sound like..."

Skyjack snickered. "You sound like Soundwave!"

If Cyberwarp's deadpan expression was there, it wasn't showing. All Skyjack could see was that mask and visor staring right at her.

"I am not laughing, Skyjack."

Skyjack giggled. "Come on, it's funny!"

"No, it's not. What if they freak out and find out that one of Megatron's top Cons are here?"

"Well... what if they don't?"

Cyberwarp adjusted the Light Bender again, her form once again flashing before Skyjack's eyes and appearing as someone else.

"I think this device is... wait. I'm hearing Shatter's voice, and that's... I look like her, don't I?" Cyberwarp deadpanned, with Shatter's voice.

Skyjack smirked, holding back a giggle. "Yes, you do."

Cyberwarp rolled her eyes. "I don't see how useful this device is if I consistently flip between appearances."

"Actually, that's the other thing," Skyjack nodded. "Spacewarp said she made her own personal modifications on the Light Benders she possessed. She said if you want to choose who you look like, the Light Bender will pick up your thoughts and you will appear as the thing you're thinking of. And I'm guessing you were thinking about Shatter for a second, weren't you?"

Cyberwarp groaned. "Yes. I don't understand how she can live with herself, that glitch. Mercilessly killing a child's family and without it affecting her emotions, or thoughts..."

"She's a natural born Decepticon," Skyjack said, patting 'Shatter''s shoulder. "That's why I'm glad you're not. But getting back on that device, there's something else we have to know."

"And that is?"

"You may look the part, but detection equipment and thermal scans can see through your disguise. You may disguise all you want, but the Cons on this island could find out it's you in a nano-second."

Cyberwarp blinked. "... well then. Any other important information I should know about?"

"Not really, no," Skyjack shook her head. "... Now can I try?"

Cyberwarp shrugged and gave Skyjack the Light Bender. And not even a second went by, and Skyjack's entire body transformed into a new look. Blue arms, red and white body with wings and cockpit, and a black head.

"It is I, Lord Starscream, leader of the Decepticons!" Skyjack cackled, Starscream's voice coming clear through her. Cyberwarp admittedly chuckled at her sister's impression. "Lord Megatron's cannon is so far up his aft, he can't figure out how to lead us to victory! This is why we will never grow as a couple!" Skyjack mocked.

"If Megatron was here right now, you would be dead on the spot," Cyberwarp shook her head, chuckling.

"Well Megatron isn't here now, is he?" Skyjack tilted her head, smiling. The Light Bender flashed for a second, changing Skyjack's form again, this time into what looked like Thundercracker, another familiar Seeker. "The ray shields are down, the Autobots are winning!" Her hands then grasped Cyberwarp's shoulders. "Starscream, you're... a woman!"

Temptation overcoming her, she just grabbed her sister's shoulders and mocked Starscream like she was before. "Damn it, Thunder! I'm a school teacher from Kaon, not a doctor!"

---

The desert was quiet, as it always was. But at The Ark, it became real quiet real fast. With the aftermath of the battle, no one was talking to each other. Especially to Nitro, despite ignoring everyone since their return. It was bad enough he had lost Roadblock, Dreadbot, and Berserker, and now with Mohawk? All that remained of him and his posse was just himself, and Rigs.

And Sour Sweet? Well, the moment she returned back, she just went straight up an elevator and on a small cliff-like balcony, staring out the horizon. Eyes squinted under the reflective goggles, blocking out the sun from her retinas. The wind brushed past her hair, not that it even phased her. Her dry hands laid open by her sides as she stood. The sun was hot, and the only remnants of shade she had was the umbrella that she had mounted to create some shade.

War hardens the heart, she thought in her head. And death... only increases. Decepticons brought this upon themselves. And when I find that smooth talking glitch who—

"Sour Sweet!" Rarity interrupted, standing with a cup of tea. "I brought your tea!"

Sour looked back, and then back out into the abyss before monologing internally. Friends. The only people I care about are all that—

"Sour, are you trying to create a brooding monologue?" Rarity asked, with a confused look.

Sour blinked and rubbed the back of her head. "Maybe... is that obvious?"

"Well you're mumbling to yourself about war hardening your heart and it's really starting to disturb me," Rarity said.

"... I was not! Give me my tea!" Sour snatched the cup like a little kid, grabbing it. "Curse my unsatisfied thirst..."

Rarity couldn't help but giggle. But her giggling stopped the moment the teacup was handed back to her, completely empty. "Oh good heavens, did you just engulf it all down in a sip?" Sour's only response was a single burp, which made her face tighten up a bit. "Classy."

Sour wiped her mouth and stared back out into the abyss. "I'm sorry. I haven't eaten or drank anything since we got back."

Rarity blinked. "Darling, shouldn't you at least eat something?"

"I don't have time, Rarity. There are two Decepticons out there who murdered my wife and my son, I'm not going to rest until I take them down!"

Rarity sighed and walked up next to her, standing in front of her so she could face her. "Sour. Please, darling, I know you miss them very much," Rarity said, stroking her cheek. "But you're in no shape to go anywhere, not after our fight in the refinery."

Sour groaned like a little kid. "Rarity, I can't just sit here, I need to go... It's my fault they're gone, if I saw them, I..."

"Sour." Rarity slowly got Sour to sit down in the lawn chair that was underneath the umbrella. "You cannot blame yourself for something that isn't your fault. You never knew they were coming. None of us did. So you need to stop attacking yourself!"

Sour tried to fight back, but she had no will. Instead, her body just slumped into the lawn chair, her limbs laying limp like someone had kicked her butt. Her head laid against the headrest, and her eyes rolled in her skull. Rarity soon sat in the other lawn chair next to her, protected under the umbrella from the sun. "You know I'm still blaming myself," Sour replied with some resentment. But her voice turned more soft and gentle. "But I wish I could move on, but... I can't. There's no way I'm going to be able to move past this."

Rarity turned her head over. "Well, what if this helps? Maybe you can tell me some good things that you got from this experience, tell me some good things."

"Well... I suppose there were some good times," Sour said, gazing out into the open. "I remember this one time Max got home, he did pretty good on a spelling test. Little guy was so happy we took him out for ice cream. Oh, and for his seventh birthday, we took him out to Captain's Cove Amusement Park. We had so much fun there."

Rarity nodded. "Go on..."

"Hmm... Oh, this was cute. This one Valentine's Day, I had just tucked Max into bed. I stepped out into the hall and I found a trail of petals leading downstairs and outside. And when I followed them to the barn... there Smallfoot was. That sexy cocktail dress and that beautiful hair... she somehow set up a disco ball in the ceiling and turned the barn into a beautiful dance floor." Sour truthfully smiled, looking back at the memory, her fingers twiddling in the arm rests.

Rarity cooed. "Aww, how romantic. Sounds like you and Smallfoot were much closer than ever, I imagine."

Sour smiled. "Yeah, we were. After I made that proposal and after college... we were closer than ever. And to tell you the truth Rarity, I don't think I could imagine spending my life with anyone else." She then turned her head over to the fashionista. "What about you?"

Rarity was taken aback. "I'm sorry?"

"You have a steady back home?" Sour winked. "Lover, partner, fiance? ... you done it?"

Rarity was blushing harshly. I swear, Sour's mind is more lewd than it should be. "W-Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm not seeing a wedding ring on your fingers, and I wasn't sure if maybe you had someone or not?"

"Well, not really. I haven't really met any decent boys since graduation, though I have met some wonderful gentlemen once in a while," Rarity admitted.

"Any one of them you're looking to contact later in the future?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I mean, some of them were very nice, but they just didn't carry that spark, that energy, that charisma I'm looking for."

"Mmm," Sour's only response.

A soft hush was among the former rivals. With the shade providing them cover from the sun, and the beautiful desert in the distance, it created such a nice view.

The fashion designer peered back to the disheveled woman with a strange look. "How come you're not wearing that 'battle' outfit you picked on earlier?"

"Are you kidding me? That monkey suit didn't do shit to protect me in that fight. But on a plus side, I'm not sweating like a dog."

Rarity rolled her head to look at her, giggling a bit. "Where did you even get that drab outfit anyway?"

"I bribed the Wonderbolts into giving me a battle suit, and that's all they could offer me. But I think it belonged to someone else," Sour cringed. "Though if it's all the same to you, I think I want a new battle suit."

Rarity's eyes sparkled. "I beg your pardon?"

Sour for once smirked, she knew what was coming. Turning her head to Rarity, she gave a Cheshire cat grin at her excitement. "Rarity. Could I ask you to help design a new battle outfit for me?"

"Oh, Sour, I'd be happy to!" Rarity squeed. Even in her 20s, she still had that joy and excitement when it came to fashion designing.

"If you can pull through with what I want designed," Sour barked.

"Oh pft, of course I can. ... What is it you're looking for, exactly?"

"I want you to help me make post-apocalyptic armor. If I'm going to take down Shatter and Dropkick, I'mma gonna go full edgelord on their asses! Metal shoulder armor, short hair, steel fists, flaming skull tattoos!" Sour cackled.

Rarity's face drooped at every suggestion Sour threw at her. "Ah, um... that's quite the request, Sour. May I ask what brought on such... inspiration?"

"While I was crying my eyes out and indulging myself in ice cream, one of the boys put on a movie for me. Something called... uh... I don't know what it was called, but it was some post-apocalyptic movie. A tough character for a tough world."

"Sour, I'm not sure but, you know we're not living in an apocalypse, right?"

"I know," Sour shrugged. "But if I'm going to fight, I need to toughen up."

Rarity was skeptical, and she didn't like the sound of where this was going. "Does that include hardening your heart and closing yourself off from feeling and everyone around you?"

Sour blanked. "Um..."

"Sour, look at me," Rarity ordered. Sour looked to Rarity who's lips were pursed into a prim expression. "I am not going to stand by and let you close yourself off. You cannot go out there and take on the Decepticons without help from your friends. We're here for you, and we always will be. And closing yourself off from feeling, won't help anyone."

Rarity's hand stroked Sour's shoulder, making Sour relax a little bit. And in truth, she was giving Rarity's words some thinking. The Decepticons had grown in numbers, and no way she would last long against them. And knowing who was a part of their group didn't help either. Defeated, she sighed and nodded. "I understand."

Sour got up on her two feet, almost falling thanks to her one foot which still wasn't entirely better. But Rarity caught her in time, helping her stand properly. She pulled Sour in for an embracing hug, and Sour embraced her back. Rarity patted her back, and she could hear Sour breathing heavily.

"I still miss them, Rarity..." she cooed.

"I know, darling," Rarity comforted. "But they're never truly gone. And remember, if you still have some more feelings you need to vent, we're here to listen to you."

"I-I think I'm all good, Rarity," Sour admitted.

"Positive?"

"Positive. Now..." Sour paused for a moment before giving a sexy smirk. "Can you still make me some sexy post-apocalypse armor?"

Rarity rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do. After you take a shower."

"Yes, Mom..."

Next Chapter: Chapter 25: Pros And Cons Estimated time remaining: 11 Minutes