randomplaces | rwVerse. Ocean city on Earth. Blackout's journey continues

"Help me, Kicker," said Demolisher brokenly from where he lay on his face on the causeway to the city. "I don't know what I am anymore."

Blackout frowned as she picked up the pained words, then commed to Tidal Wave to keep close to her and landed on the causeway a couple meters away from him. The boy, Kicker, started as he sensed her, his small body going into a crouch for a moment before he straightened with confusion.

"Who's there?" he demanded. "Optimus, someone's here."

Blackout dropped her cloak as she walked forward, carefully stepping over the boy as she stopped next to Demolisher and bent to pick him up.

"You're a Decepticon," she told him sternly as he stared at her with shock and a bit of fear. "Now stop sniveling and go report to your senior officer."

"S... senior officer?" he asked slowly, his mismatched optics flickering with confusion.

"Prime." It was a small effort for her to say the word, but the old loathing wasn't so strong. This wasn't the Prime she'd hated; wasn't the one that she fought now.

"Right.... Who are you?"

"Don't ask Blackout stupid questions," came the peeved rumble from behind her.

Demolisher started and looked up to where his former teammate looked disapprovingly over the huge black femme's shoulder. "Tidal Wave! You disappeared! Uh... what's going on here?"

"That's what I wanna know!" said Kicker, scowling.

"Kick me and swim," said Blackout calmly, turning to look at him as she set Demolisher on his feet and absently rubbed his shoulder with her fingers. "Where is Prime?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!"

She rumbled a slight chuckle as she felt Primus move and saw the boy's eyes go enormous. "Obviously, or I wouldn't have asked."

"He's over there." Kicker pointed back toward the city, blinking and gaping at her just a little. Blackout could nearly hear him wondering why Primus was working with a Decepticon.

She left him to wonder, turning and striding through the gate as Demolisher fell into step with Tidal Wave to flank her. Optimus was waiting for her, his golden optics quizzical as he tipped his head back to look up at her.

"So you're the one who fired those extra shots and turned the tide," said the Autobot leader.

"No, that was Tidal Wave." She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. "He's under my command now. And I want Demolisher, too."

"Do you?" Optimus ignored the angry movements of the mechs behind him. "And why's that?"

"Decepticons should be commanded by a Decepticon. Autobots don't understand how they run."

"And what would you do with him?"

"That's my business."

Those golden optics went to where the green tankbot stood, dwarfed by his comrades but standing more proudly than he had in several years. "Alright, he's yours."

Demolisher nearly fell over with relief.

Blackout chuckled slightly, then turned back to Optimus. "And I propose an alliance."

"Alliance?"

"Yes."

"Why would we want to ally ourselves with a bunch of Decepticons?" the young mech's voice was full of scorn and anger.

Blackout turned her head. "Because, Ironhide. This is a time when all Transformers need to work together, as they were meant to do from their creation."

He gaped at her, but then noticed Optimus and Jetfire's looks and subsided.

The black femme nodded, then watched as Optimus glanced toward Kicker, her own optics easily reading the boy's lips as he whispered over the comm to the Autobot leader about what he'd just learned from Primus. Optimus gave a slight nod of affirmation.

"Alright." He turned back to her and extended a hand. "Allies."

She grasped it and grinned. "Allies."