Stolen Virtue

By: Sinead

Author’s Note: I hope that you all like this, as I’m trying to pull in as many of the writers of the BWINT community as I possibly can. If I can’t fit someone in, please forgive me and understand that I don’t have as much time to write as I used to, since I work and plan for various events that will be going on in the next few months, which were explained in the Author’s Note of Chapter Ten.

  Chapter Eleven: A Reunion of Sorts

            Hacker had arrived, and had started right in with building and being around the others. She especially was enjoying Waspinator’s company, who seemed to like hovering around her. His mind had sharpened and cleared with the addition of a human mode, and he felt at his best while as a human, he had said. His mind worked better, more clearly, even though some of the other warriors wouldn’t have noticed the difference between thinking with a Cybertronian mind versus a human one.

            On a hot day in the usual relentless August heat, they were lunging around the swimming hole, the Beast Warriors all mainly in their robot modes, which handled the heat easier than a human body could. Sinead was sitting on the edge of the jumping place where Rampage and Rhinox had thrown people in from, watching as Dinobot and Rattrap were trying to drown each other. Hacker pointed across the pool, to the other side, indicating the land beyond. “Who lives there?”

            Sinead looked up at the land, shrugging. “Every time I had been here, nobody was there. I remember seeing a woman once on the property, though. Asked her, and she said that it was a corporate company’s vacation home, so some of the employees could get a little rest and quiet.”

            “With these goons around?”

            “They weren’t here at that time.”

            “Makes sense. Hey, look.”

            Sinead looked over at where she could see part of the driveway. An expensive-looking pickup with an extended cab was seen for a moment, then disappeared again. Sinead blinked, then shrugged. “So we have neighbors for a while.”

            “Whose property is the waterhole on?”

            “Ours.”

            Five minutes later found Optimus and Megatron arguing loudly about something or another in robot mode, Dinobot and Rattrap still trying to drown each other as humans, and the majority of those who were in the water were cheering either one or the other. Rampage walked over with Lady Venom perched upon one shoulder, in robot mode. They saw the two people on the other side of the waterhole staring in shock.

            Megatron chose that time to yell, “And I don’t care about who they said did that, I’d kill whatever human chose that specific demise at your hands! That blasted series sickened me! As if I would do something like that, taking over Cybertron?! Killing two of my own units at the end of the Wars?! Blasted idiots knew nothing about us!”

            Sinead and Hacker saw the two new humans, and Sinead cleared her throat, saying under her breath, “Think we can bluff our way out of this?”

            “Not a chance,” Lady Venom replied.

            Hacker blinked at the man, trying to see his face clearly, then laughed and grinned, leaning over to yell into the pool, “Rattrap, you suck at swimming!”

            “Hey!” He was shoved under by Dinobot, who whooped as his feet were pulled out from under him by Sapphire, who shot out of the water as quickly as possible, laughing.

            Sinead navigated the wide beam that had been placed over the narrow mouth of the waterfall, walking over to the other side to greet the two new people. And the moment that she saw the man’s face, she stopped, then laughed and walked again. “So, if you were to bet who would win down there, who would you pick?”

            He blinked, then looked down in time to see Dinobot send Rattrap skittering over to the far side of the pool. “Him. The big one.”

            A bellow erupted, and Rampage and Rhinox were trying to throw each other in again. Sinead sighed, then grinned. “Ten on Rampage!”

            “Five on Rhinox!” was taken up by Rattrap before he was dunked again.

            More cries were called out, and Sinead looked back at the two. “Welcome to Massachusetts.”

            The man looked at her. “You know who I am?”

            “Of course. I’m a fan.” She glanced down. “Oh, hold on a second, please?” Her voice bounced off of the walls of the waterhole as she yelled, “Rattrap, Dinobot, clear off!”

            “But–”

            “You really want one of those two landing on you?”

            Snorting, Dinobot walked out of the pool, shifting to his beast mode and scaled the wall to stand beside Sinead easily. His gaze swept over the man’s face, and he nodded, hearing Rhinox’s fluid curse being cut off by the splash of water. The raptor nodding his head respectfully to the man, who blinked in shock, as the snarling voice spoke with pride. “You did well with my voice, Scott McNeill. Not many could imitate it.”

            The voice actor was shocked. Something came to the front of Sinead’s mind, and she looked at Dinobot, patting the side of his snout and getting his attention. “Have you seen Silverbolt?”

            A snicker, a grin, and Dinobot replied, “The question, Sinead, is where is the she-spider.”

            “Ew-ew-ew! No, I think that we’d better not disturb them, wherever they are.” She shuddered, then looked back at the man. “So, did you want to use the swimming-hole?

            Scott blinked, shrugged, and said, “Well, I’ve used it before, but never with permission.”

            “Oh, gosh, don’t worry about it. My family doesn’t mind you using it, and they never had in the past, as long as it was clean.”

            Dinobot transformed, grinned, and Sinead’s shoulders stiffened. “I’m not wearing my bathing-suit, so don’t you dare, Dinobot. I don’t have any clean summer-clothes left.”

            “Oh, that so?” came the taunting reply.

            His hands grabbed her carefully, and he tried to toss her in, but quickened reflexes and stronger hands caused Sinead to grab his wrist at the last moment, and swing herself back and behind Dinobot, shoving him from behind into the pool. His angry bellow echoed before hitting the water, and Rattrap and the rest cheered, while Sinead bowed left and right. Turning with a smile, she said, “They’ll play gentle around you two, if you like.”

            The woman smiled, and shook her head. “That was well-done. Are you a martial-artist?”

            “Me? Hah, no.”

            “Liar!” Rampage roared.

            “Shut up!”

            Scott chuckled, then said, “So you really are.”

            “I’m better than a few,” came the grumbled reply. She glared over at the crab, who turned human and attempted to hide behind a laughing Lady Venom. Sighing, she looked at the pair. “Well, we’re having a cookout again, so if you’d like to come and join us, I’m sure that they’d like to get to know you.”

            “Sinead, look out!” Hacker yelled.

            Alas, it was too late. Sinead hit the water as Dinobot climbed to the top of the rock wall and grinned down at her. She wriggled in the water, pulling a fish out from the top of her shirt, throwing it with amazing accuracy to hit Dinobot. Rattrap fell off the log laughing at Dinobot’s indignant, astounded face. With great dignity, Sinead walked out of the pool, up to their side of the waterhole, and glared.

            Dinobot grinned in reply, then flicked some water off of his hands while Hacker came over. Scott blinked, then grinned at her. “You were that girl at Ohayocon! And that one that wore that ‘Got Scott’ shirt!”

            “Yeah, that was me!”

            He laughed, indicating the still-glaring Sinead. “She’s one of my fans?”

            “Heck yeah. Loves and is ardently loved by Dino-boy here.”

            “Enough with the nick-names,” Dinobot muttered.

            “Ooo, you didn’t even deny it!”

            Scott tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile at the look of Hacker’s imminent death on Dinobot’s face. The warrior pointed to Sinead. “You really want me to deny that I love her? She’s saved my life twice, always manages to cut through any anger or frustration that I have and sort things out, and she is currently helping me with a situation that you have no knowing about.”

            “Yeah, and that bugs me, because all of you always clam up when something even indicates something that had happened in the Wars that they helped sort out!” Hacker exploded quietly. “Sinead won’t tell me, Sapph won’t tell me, Lady V clams up really well about it, and I’m sick and blasted tired of your beating around the bush!”

            Dinobot sighed, his face becoming a mask, expressing dull anger, emotional pain, and Scott even saw a great deal of unresolved grief there. The transformer replied quietly, in a saddened voice that the voice actor never knew he could have possessed. “Hacker, you have no idea of the story that’s behind what you’re trying to find out.”

            “Sinead’s saved you twice. Nobody will say how.”

            Sapphire and Rattrap were suddenly there, lending Dinobot support while he tried to figure out what he was going to do, under the guise of talking with Scott and his wife about how they liked the area, what they thought of the Beast Warriors, and et cetera.

            After a moment, Dinobot came to a resolution. He turned with the intent of asking Sapphire something, but forgot it instantly when his gaze met that of the man who had done his voice for the show. Mirth overflowed from them, but there was also a kind of . . . almost kinship. A look saying that no matter what happened, this man would help them. He would support them.

            Dinobot blinked his affirmation of the silent offer and pledge, then said to Hacker, “You will know tonight. There are some things that have been going on that we have yet to clear up after four months of living here. You’ll hear the story.”

            “Would it be all right if David Kaye came as well?” Scott asked. “Not tonight, but they’re coming tomorrow night.”

            “Why not?” Sapphire replied. “Anyone else coming?”

            “I really don’t know. Possibly Gary Chalk.”

            Dinobot snorted, snickering. “He enjoys chewing out kids who don’t know anything, doesn’t he.”

            “Why do you say that?”

            “In ‘Beast Wars,’ Optimus is notorious for his speeches to Cheetor. Then there was that blasted hilarious scene in ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ where he cursed out some new kid on the squad.”

            “You saw that?”

            “We got bored, an’ decided dat we wanted ta freak out Cheetor on a stormy night,” Rattrap replied, grinning. “And it worked. Especially with Rampage giggling.”

            “G-giggling.”

            “Yo! Crabbie! Giggle!”

            “Only during masterpieces like ‘Texas Chainsaw!’ You know that, mouse!”

            Scott blinked, paling slightly. “Somehow, that makes it all the more disturbing.”

            “He means nuthin’ by it. Da point is ta scare, not ta be serious.” Rattrap shrugged. “So what else is dere ta say?”

            Dinobot snorted a laugh. “And there was another series that he worked on that aired recently, called ‘Dragon Booster.’ You did a voice for that. Don’t think I can’t recognize it.”

            “But didn’t Sinead point it out for you?” Sapphire asked.

            “Silence!”

            Sapphire laughed, then nodded back over her shoulder. “You can see the second cottage from here. The first is on the other side of it, a bit smaller than that one, but we’re putting an addition on it.” Her voice lowered conspiratorially. “And if you see Rhinox hanging around an older woman, pretend that you don’t notice it.”

            “What?”

            “Someone has a crush on my Bonded’s mother,” Dinobot clarified.

            Hacker started giggling. “Are you serious?”

            “Yes, unfortunately. She came in while you and Sinead were organizing everyone down here. And that’s also why Rhinox decided that he’d try to topple Rampage into the water as he had done a week ago.”

            “Ouch. Talk about a blow to your pride.”

            “Pah. He’ll live.” Dinobot looked at the McNeills. “Go get yourselves settled. We’ll be starting the fire and getting things ready.”

            “We can help . . .”

            Dinobot shook his head. “We won’t need it.”

            Rattrap lightly hit Dinobot. “What da Choppuhface means is dat we’re used ta doing stuff like dat, an’ we all know what has to be done an’ when.”

            “So we’ll be in the way?”

            “That could be a good thing,” Sapphire said, looking to Hacker, who grinned. “Afer all, we’ve needed some fun.”

            Scott, his wife, and Hacker now knew about the hardships that had brought this group as close together as they were. The author was leaning against Sinead, who had embraced her. “Hacker, these things happened for a reason, and we all acknowledge that.”

            “But . . . everything that happened . . .”

            Meara walked over to sit upon Hacker’s other side, rubbing at her back and resting her hand upon her shoulder. “Everyone here who was in those times knew that what they did then was the best that they could. I’m especially proud of my daughter for risking her life for a person she only knew as a Saturday-morning cartoon character. She never knew that this was what was destined for her. And now that she’s gone through those trials and everything else that had happened, she’s a stronger person for it. They all are. And I think that they are some of the most brave and simply amazing people that I have met in a long while.” She smiled, wiping a tear. “And I think that you did well in insisting that they tell you.”

            Dinobot was sitting on Sinead’s other side, and to his left was Scott, who looked up at the stoic warrior with a new sort of admiration. Sure he had done Dinobot’s voice, and he had struggled at times with the harsh, laryngitic tones, but he had always enjoyed the pure rush when he had gotten lines down. Sighing, he said to the warrior, “None of that was supposed to happen.”

            “Sinead and the others explained that to me, to us.” Mournful blue eyes alighted upon Scott’s blue-hazel-green ones, and Dinobot sighed in return, lowering his voice. “But it did. Now don’t react at all. Something’s over there.”

            “What’s this ‘something,’ can I ask?”

            “Not sure.” Dinobot glanced at Optimus and Megatron, who started into another one of their famous arguments out of a normal conversation. Through glances and looks, all the humanized Beast Warriors got ready. Scott and his wife watched this, completely amazed. Sinead looked up at Dinobot, whispered something to Hacker, who let herself be embraced by Meara. Dinobot seemed to say something into Sinead’s ear, and she went after him, while he deliberately fell off of the bench backwards in his apparent need to get away from the advancing young woman.

            And then all havoc ensued.

            Just as Rampage shifted modes to become the Transmetal crab, Rhinox, Inferno and most of the others moved to protect the humans who wouldn’t be fast enough or hadn’t been in the Wars to know how to accurately deal with a combat situation.

            A large Transmetal burst out from under cover, tackling Rampage and stabbing downward with a strange-looking knife, piercing the metal chest. Rampage howled while Lady Venom yelped, trying to stay upright and move towards her Bonded. Megatron, Dinobot and Optimus timed a counter-attack, managing to shove the new transformer off of Rampage, while he pulled the knife and rested his hand upon his chest, not moving much. Lady Venom immediately rushed over to him, regardless of the danger that was rising again, curling her body around Rampage’s head and whispering to him in a tiny, scared voice, wondering if he was all right. At his affirmative, she turned to glare at the newcomer, whose red optics watched in disgust.

            Sinead walked over to Rampage. “You big baby. Sit up and lemme see that.”

            “It’s healed, human. Back off.”

            “‘Human’? Didn’t we get past that point and to names and respecting each other?”

            “Blasted . . .” the immortal grumbled, sitting up and resting his wrists on his knees casually, moving around slightly when Lady Venom maneuvered her way somehow to sit on his lap, leaning against his chest, muttering dark things about this new transformer.

            Sighing, Sinead shook her head, walking past them and up to the Transmetal. “So how are you here?”

            “Traced X. How else?”

            “You’re not going to understand this, but I’ll try explaining it to you anyway. That’s not the Protoform X, now aptly called Rampage, that you remember or even know,” Optimus said. “He’s from an alternate universe. The one from this universe was killed.”

            “That sicko murdered and raped–”

            “More people than you know,” Dinobot hissed. “And I will tell you that I saw the Protoform X that had once belonged to this universe killed. This isn’t him. There is a difference in the energy signature.” He growled an inarticulate note of complete irritation. “Enough of the blather. Behave if you’re around here.”

            Hacker walked up to them, fearlessly looking up at the Maximal. “Depth Charge, you might want to listen to them.”

            “How do you know me.”

            She smiled kindly, and Sinead let a kind smile spread over her own face. “C’mon, everyone, back to dinner. Hacker, mi amiga, there’s a nice path over there if you want to take a walk.” She turned to Dinobot, then moved around his arms to embrace his torso, tugging him gently back towards the fire, sticking her tongue out at Rampage, who moved quickly enough to grab her ankle and suspend her upside-down. Depth Charge started forward, but quickly found Hacker in his path, smiling. “Watch.”

            “But he–”

            “Watch,” she insisted.

            He looked back up, seeing Sinead grab the hand holding her, curling so that she had managed to cause him to hold her up almost as if she were a pet bird perched upon his hand. Rampage chuckled, bouncing his hand a few times in warning before flinging her straight up. She flipped easily, preforming acrobatics easily, coming back down to be caught by the Transmetal gently, then flung back up in the air a second time, Sapphire already running back over, yelling that she wanted a turn.

            “You see? They were playing something like this in the waterhole over that way earlier. Then Sinead and Sapphire got so good that they wanted to try doing it without the water to catch them if either they mistimed or Rampage didn’t catch them.” Hacker smiled slightly, then said, “He’d hold bedside vigil if one of them were hurt by his action or inaction, whether intentional or not.”

            “You, missie, might want to include yourself in that category as well!” Rampage called over, catching Sapphire, then sending her up into the air a second time. “I’ve made vows, and Lady Venom made me include anyone that is in their inner circle.” Sapphire was caught, and placed upon her own feet, Sinead already reaching for Rampage’s hand.

            She preformed a simple graceful arc, but wasn’t able to flick her legs back the right way, causing Rampage to snarl a curse and jump to one side, catching Sinead gently. She was laughing, clinging to him. “Wow, that was stupid of me.”

            Rampage tried to set her down, but she argued, “I wanna do it right, this time.”

            He sighed, shaking his head. “You’re suicidal.”

            “Am not. And I’ll get it right.”

            “Fine.”

            And she did, demonstrating to Depth Charge her complete trust in Rampage. The Maximal shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

            “That’s okay,” Hacker said, walking along the path that Sinead had indicated. Depth Charge hesitated for a moment, saw that Rampage was watching him almost in a sad sort of way, then turned and followed Hacker.

            Sinead looked up from where she was looking over blueprints again. “Guests, Megs.”

            He shot out around the side of the house, transforming and skimming around so that he landed behind the small group of humans, just standing there and looking menacing. Optimus walked around the side of the house. Sinead and Lady Venom walked up to the group, each with their respective humanized Bonded beside them.

            Most of them had familiar faces, starting with a man who sported a head of salt-and-pepper hair and a slightly-worried look upon his face as he saw Rattrap stalk out, looking over a pistol before priming it. Rampage shifted, becoming the hulking behemoth, causing more than a few faces to pale. A tall, bald-shaved man cleared his throat nervously, and Dinobot grinned, then shifted as well, causing a few whispers of astonishment. Sinead sighed, shaking her head. “So. What would a few of the voices of Beast Wars be doing in a town in the backside of nowhere?”

            “Uh . . .” one of the guys said.

            Tires crunching on gravel caused all the Cybertronians to look human, and Sinead grinned, seeing a van making its way slowly towards them. “Megs, go help your girl.”

            “Are you presuming to tell me what to do?” Megatron asked, all hard exterior around the strangers.

            “You’ll be presuming a rifle up your port if you don’t get moving,” Dinobot muttered loud enough to be heard.

            Megatron blinked, then grinned and burst into chuckles. “Aah, but have I missed those comments, Dinobot, yes.” Turning, he opened his arms in time to catch Starath and swing her around in an embrace, planting a kiss upon her cheek. “I have something important to show you.”

            “Is it a surprise?”

            “Somewhat of one, yes.”

            Starath blinked, seeing the crowd. “They here for dinner? ’Cause whatever meat is being cooked smells like it’s burning.”

            Inferno cursed, then walked around the addition, yelling back, “Sinead! You were the one who was supposed to watch this!”

            “I never said that I was going to! I only wanted to see what you had killed, and then had to deal with a blueprint error! Tell her what poor, defenseless animal you ambushed and slaughtered, ’cause I couldn’t tell what it was!”

            “Deer! Open season!”

            “Really?” Sinead asked. “Huh. Cool. So. Who’s up for hunting tomorrow to stock up?”

            Those who enjoyed hunting raised their hands, and Sinead nodded, hearing Starath squeal. “It’s David Kaye!!! Megs, lemme go! I wanna glomp him!”

            “. . . you want to what? Hey! Stop squirming!”

            Sinead sighed. “All right, Starath, hold on a second.”

            “Awww,” came the disappointed reply.

            Sinead turned to look at the group. “So. What are you doing here? Wrong directions or what?”

            A short, blonde woman walked forward. “I’m Susan Blu.”

            “Noted, and known,” Sinead replied respectfully, nodding her head to the older woman. “We met once or twice before. I was wondering who lived in the house behind my own, and then always made a point of waving to whoever I could see on the property.”

            “I thought you looked familiar. Well, Scott insisted that someone had changed the driveway since I had been there last, and apparently he’s played another prank on us, landing us here.”

            “And not surprisingly without hazard pay,” someone muttered.

            Dinobot snorted, then began laughing, turning to walk back towards the addition. “Let them look around, I’d say.” He stopped, turning around just enough so that he could look at Primal, causing the small group of humans to blink in wonder that he was smiling. “And besides. We have to finish this before it gets too cold.”

            “You always hated the cold, didn’t you?” Optimus grumbled, walking closer. He stopped, then asked, “But what about Starath? She’s moving in.”

            “I’ll take care of that, Primal,” Megatron said. “It isn’t much. Besides. You were too blind to know that Nurann is with her.”

            Optimus smiled. “Oh, I knew she was there, but she knew that I had to help take care of things. Oof! Hey, beautiful.”

            Nurannoniel  hung from Optimus’ neck, gazing up at him and smiling. He embraced her, kissing her chastely, and then lead her over to the addition, showing her what they were working on. Sinead looked back at the voice actors, hearing her mother laughing in the kitchen, then heard Scott’s voice, which ended in a high yelp. The author turned to see Meara chase the voice actor out, brandishing a large wooden spoon. Sinead grinned. “So. Scott. What did you think of Dinobot, again?”

            Scott McNeill blinked, hiding behind the other voice actors. “Tall. Built. And holy crap, the fangirls will be crawling all over him.”

            “Not likely, an’ you know dat.” Rattrap replied. “’Cause he’s taken, an’ his to-be wife will beat dem off wid an ugly stick. Note dat expensive-lookin’ ring on dis beautiful, charming, adorable, lithe little missie here?”

            Sinead turned to glare at the Transmetal Maximal, seeing him just as something came flying from the second floor of the addition and hit him squarely on the back of his head. She blinked at the large hammer that had bounced a few times upon the ground afterwards. “Wow. Anyway.” After glaring up at the human Dinobot, seeing him dusting his hands off and grinning, Sinead turned to look at Scott. “You know that he wouldn’t allow them near him. Besides, that’s a trivial matter.” She turned to the others. “So we knew you were coming, decided to play a small joke, and to make up for making you feel like fools, we have something just this side of a banquet planned.”

            “Stew is nearly ready,” Meara said, tossing the spoon from one hand to the other. She stalked back into the house.

            “What did you say?” Sinead hissed, walking up to Scott.

            “That I thought that her and Rhinox were a cute couple.”

            Sinead hid her face in her hands. “Scott, never talk to my mother that way. You’re lucky that all you got away with was a stung bottom.”

            “That was your mother?” Gary Chalk asked quietly.

            “Yeah. Why?”

            “I hope I never make you angry.”

            “So do I. I’d hate to hurt you.”

            “I’d hate to be on the receiving end of one of those glares.”

            “Been there,” Scott said. “Not going back. Will your mom kill me if I walk into the kitchen again?”

            “To do what?”

            “Humiliate Rhinox.”

            “Was he there when you said that?”

            Scott blinked, then nodded. “Yeah.”

            “Then you’re lucky that you’re still conscious. He’d throw a table after you.”

            “Your mom hit me before he could react. She’s lethal with a wooden spoon.”

            Gary, David, and David Sobolov snickered. Susan shook her head. “So the driveway wasn’t moved?”

            “Nah.”

            “We’re settling in, then.”

            “When you want to come back, you can cross over the waterhole,” Sinead offered. “If you don’t mind heights. We put a thick board over it, right in front of the waterfall, so we could jump in wherever we wanted to.” She  smiled. “And welcome, all of you, into a new chapter of the Beast Wars. You’re bound to enjoy it.”