Chapter 3: The Leader Returns

Author's Note:

I can't believe I managed to get this chapter out on the day of my brother's wedding! I had decided long ago to finish up one more chapter so to celebrate the occasion and I must say it is pretty nerve wrecking (I am not sure if I have even gotten enough sleep…) Thanks again for the follows and faves! And of course, thank you for being so amazingly patient! It's amazing how I can still update this story every few months, especially with so much going on, seriously.

In case you guys are curious, whilst I have been reading up on the IDW comics as well as have watched the Animated and Prime series (… and movies), the versions of the Transformers presented here are based mainly on their original G1 cartoon counterparts (AKA, 80s Goofy McGoof AdoraBots)… well, not entirely, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy and review if you can!

-.-

The sound of quiet weeping that followed when the main door closed had caused a few curious little figures to relight their optics and look over to the hallway… while the young man had left for school not too long ago, they still needed to stay stationary during the day as the other humans were still up and about in this household.

It did not take too long for them to recognize that it belonged to the little human girl, who else would have had such a high pitch of a voice? Well, when it came to the members of this human family that is.

"B-But she…"

"I know, sweetie…"

"And she…"

"I know…"

Her mother's voice seemed surprisingly calm, if not sad, in response to her young daughter's woeful one that was practically bubbling and hiccupping with each word she attempted to utter out.

"You just go and get cleaned up and maybe play some video games, alright? Your brother won't be back for awhile. I will go and make you something to eat..."

It did not take long for the girl to get cleaned up, it had been about twenty minutes later when she entered her brother's room, looking about before making her way over to one of the shelves filled with video games. Her eyes were still swollen, and a few sniffs were given, as if she was trying to hold back from breaking down to a whimpering mess again.

While not at all wise, a certain little yellow bot had the most annoying desire to fully light up his optics then and… speak to her. It had been really tempting, considering the way she would treat them, Primus she would speak to them as if she already knew that they were sentient, but who knows how she would react if she finds out that she had not been that far off from the truth?

… He could not however, not with the Decepticons right there with them. Chaos would ensue, they would surely hurt her, and while she was bigger, she would definitely not be able to defend herself against all of them, and even if he and the Autobots had helped…

Things would just get messier and messier from then on, that was for certain, her mother was around, she would hear her calling for help, and she would come in. While there might be a chance that they could reason with the young human, chances are the adults will not respond so kindly.

Setting her chosen Playstation 2 game down beside the console; she had then gone over to their shelf, kneeling down as she looked over all of them, a little smile finally beginning to creep back onto her lips, that humorously shy one she would always give them, goodness knows why.

While she was not saying anything to them, he could actually read it in her eyes, she was considering picking one of them up to perhaps keep her company as she played her video game.

What Bumblebee, or the others did not expect however was who she had picked in the end…

Internally, the jet was screaming, it was amazing that he had managed to stay as still as the others throughout this annoying charade, it was bad enough that she had soaked him with water the day before, and now she had chosen him for further abuse?!

The girl however was picking him up in the gentlest and most careful manner, almost as if afraid to damage him in any way, while one hand was keeping a secure enough hold around his legs, her other hand was cupping and gently supporting his back.

Most human children were rather sadistic creatures from what they have learnt (Well, from what they have seen on their 'owner's' television as well as a few toddlers of other families that paid them a visit), perhaps it was a blessing that this one seemed so… fond of them.

Not that he was afraid, he could definitely fend her off… all he needed to do was shoot her in that pudgy face of hers… if he could get his null rays to work that is.

He was sat nicely down onto the carpet then (Thankful for it as he did not wish to get his frame scratched any further from the hard wooden floors), the girl was giving another strange little smile as she looked at him for a moment, as if she wanted him to be comfortable. She reached behind him then and pulled one of the large cushions forward, until Starscream was able to rest back against it.

And I thought I was her favorite.

Bumblebee (And most definitely many others) were finding the whole scenario quite humorous as they watched, all the fearsome air commander needed now was a pretty little tea cup for himself and maybe even a bonnet to adorn that big head of his…

Once everything was set up, the small human had finally pulled up a beanbag from the side and plopped herself down onto it, rather awkwardly resting on her stomach instead of sinking her bottom into it like most people normally would. And when she had commenced with her game playing, she annoyingly began fidgeting about, in a failed attempt to get more comfortable in her resting position.

Primus.

Starscream was trying his hardest not to blow his cover then, he was not even able to grind his dentas together to keep his cool as she was constantly sneaking glances at him every few minutes (While he loved being the center of attention, this was just ridiculous), and so he simply made do with allowing his left optic to twitch each time her movements caused the cushion to bump him forward a smidge…

While it was definitely amusing to watch, the heavy tension between the two factions was there as always… It was surreal, seeing your enemies just a few feet away from you nearly every single day; it just made matters worse that they had no idea what they were planning, it had only been about a few weeks since this human had begun gathering them together, though it was rather impressive considering how fast the numbers for both sides grew over such a short period of time…

When were the Decepticreeps going to take action? Only time will tell, and until then, all the Autobots could do was remain on constant alert.

-…-

Once the bell had rung, it had taken Marcus only about a minute or less to speed out of the classroom, his friends yelling their goodbyes to him but otherwise doing nothing to stop him, since they all already knew where he was headed off to in such a hurry.

There really was no reason to run there, but like any other excited fellow, common sense or patience was practically non-existent. The people he passed casted brief glances at him before continuing on their way, most being judgmental as usual at his uncouth appearance and behavior for someone of his age.

But as he was nearing his destination, the young man found himself slowing down, realizing how much sweat was streaking down his face and arms from the usual hot weather and how embarrassingly heavy his breathing was. For some reason a part of him told him to compose himself, to be better behaved and to present himself better for this very moment…

And as he saw the entrance just a few feet away from him then, he took some time to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his face with his sleeve, straightening his posture then before finally stepping into the toy store.

The welcoming breeze coming from the air-conditioner (Despite how small it was) that was placed at the very top of the doorway was definitely a relief to the blistering heat outside. The first thing he did was to look over to the glass counters to his left, where Mark the shopkeeper normally sat at for the majority of the shop's opening hours, normally looking quite drowsy (If not a little bored, but mainly during slower days) as he read through his newspaper or fiddled with his phone.

He was not around however, perhaps having gone to the backroom for the time being to get something else done. And so Marcus made his way further in, briefly looking through the toys that were on display, making himself admire even those that he had already purchased… before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and looking over to one of the shelves on the right.

And there it was, in all its glory, the final piece to the collection that he had used more than a year's worth of allowance to pay for…

"Huh, so you decided to come in today."

He heard Mark say in amusement, a small yawn following after. The young man chuckled in response, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over to him then, he just found it rather embarrassing to simply come into the store everyday to admire something…looking at it from outside each time he passed by after school seemed less obvious, but it seemed that he had been found out.

"I'm buying him today."

"Oh? Well, congratulations, got your allowance in advance I see?"

"That and the usual extra chores and better grades."

The man hummed in response, having started to take the large box down from its shelf and bringing it over to the register for payment.

"Gonna double bag this one since it's pretty darn weighty, what with his trailer and all… you wanna give him a look over first? To check for any missing or faulty parts?"

The boy shrugged lightly then, there was no point really (He just wanted to bring it back home already, even if there were any imperfections on it… most definitely something long time collectors would scorn him for), but seeing how much money he was already spending he supposed that he better do so before bringing it back. With his wallet ready in hand, he simply waited for Mark to carefully open up its box and take it out for him to see…

-…-

"Aww looks like you're that little human's favorite, Screamer."

Chuckles and snorts filled the entire room then, the red seeker shooting his subordinate a glare before carefully looking himself over for any obvious fingerprints on his frame.

"You will do well to hold your glossa, Skywarp."

The two humans had gone out again a little while after lunchtime, when the coast seemed clear, both groups had quickly separated once more into the opposite ends of the room, as odd as it seemed... attacking one another at that point really was not the wisest of ideas.

"It could be a lot worse, you know, we could all have been purchased by a human that didn't worship us much as these two do." Added his other trine mate, a rather small amused tilt seen for once in the corner of his otherwise gloomy looking faceplate.

It matters not; these humans will not be spared regardless of their treatment towards us.

At that thought however, the air commander rolled his optics before looking over to the silver tyrant nearby, who was presently quietly discussing with Soundwave and Shockwave.

Unless our mighty leader so decides to make some changes to the plan…

Surprisingly, the human had not done too much damage to his paint job, save for a few small fingerprints on one of his legs. Surely no one would be back for a little while longer, and so spotting a microfiber lens cleaning cloth on top of the bedside table, the seeker quickly headed off to get it.

It thankfully did not take too much effort as it should to get up there, even without the ability to fly, at least he could say that his climbing abilities have improved since then, pft, as second in command, he could most definitely adapt to any environment he so desired.

After wiping those fingerprints off, it was almost tempting to take the cloth along with him, it was a great assurance when having to constantly deal with grabby hands and the expected abuse from his leader (Who had pushed him off the shelf just the other day), with great reluctance he left it where and it was and returned to the others, ignoring the looks he received from them as he did.

"You know that boy would have done it for you once he got back." Said Thundercracker.

"I wasn't going to wait for him to return hours later just to do so." He grimaced at the thought of having to wait so long just to get cleaned up.

Suddenly however, everything went quiet, all of them looking over to the door as they heard the faint sound of keys jiggling.

Marcus quickly made his way in, stumbling a little with the large box in his arms as he pushed the door open with his shoulder, keys retrieved from the lock and clasped tightly back in his hand as he made his way to his bedroom first.

As usual, the figures were all back in place by the time he had entered, curious optics however secretly taking in the huge item he had brought in with him, completely hidden away under two layers of heavy duty plastic bags…

Setting it carefully down onto the plush carpet in the center of the room, he then quickly headed back to lock the front door, leaving it where it is…

Bumblebee tried holding back the urge to relight his optics back to its maximum brightness, he was sure that the others had heard the hitch he had emitted as he stared at the large box, a small corner of it revealed as the edges of the plastic bags fell off a little to the side. The black packaging and familiar red and blue logo could be seen a little by them all, and whilst the name of the model was normally listed at the very bottom of the box, the minibot believed that he saw the end of an all too familiar blue antenna…

O-Optimus…