A Very Merry Christmas

Flight and Fright

Lennox, who had flown before, knew what to expect, but as Starscream's acceleration briefly subjected her to two gees, Mikaela gasped.

Even though it was dark, Mikaela knew they were travelling very fast indeed. Starscream turned on spotlights so they had a chance of spotting Thundercracker, but for five minutes, there was nothing. Then Starscream said "There he is, below us!" He pulled such a sharp turn that once again, his passengers experienced a two-gee force for a few seconds.

There below them, rising from the ground and accelerating up and ahead of them, was Thundercracker. Something was wrong, thought, and Mikaela's stomach lurched as she realised what it was.

Thundercracker was no longer in vehicle form, but in robot form.

"Where's Sam? What has he done to him?" asked Mikaela.

Starscream sent this same question to Thundercracker. Thundercracker's reply was heard over Starscream's radio. "It's okay, I have him, he's quite safe."

Starscream's boast about his speed had been accurate. He slid alongside Thundercracker, easily keeping pace with him, and that was when Mikaela spotted Sam, clasped gently but firmly in Thindercracker's hands, held securely against Thundercracker's chest. He appeared to be perfectly safe, if rather white-faced and uncomfortable.

When they landed, Lennox jumped out of Starscream's canopy, and went running over to Sam as Mikaela carefully clambered out onto Starscream's wing. As Thundercracker lowered the shivering Sam to the ground, Lennox caught him as he stumbled and almost fell. He was shivering violently, his teeth were chattering, and he was deathly pale.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Thundercracker concernedly. "He agreed when I suggested that I carry him in robot form. I promised I'd hold on to him securely. I wanted him to get a closer approximation of how glorious it was to fly as we do, to feel the air caress your body and slip around you, to be one with the air, as we are."

"He's absolutely freezing!" Lennox said. "Humans don't have such tough and well-insulated hides as you!" He put his jacket over Sam, and half-supported, half-carried him into the hangar.

"Oops." said Thundercracker.

Mikaela slid off Starscream's wing and went after Lennox.

"Well, I'd like a go-in your vehicle form only, if you don't mind." said Simmons.

"Certainly." said Thundercracker. Simmons climbed in as Maggie and Glen came out.

"Want a flight, you two?" called out Starscream, popping his canopy open again. Thundercracker took off with Simmons.

"Okay." said Maggie, striding over. 'After all,' she thought to herself, 'when will I ever get this chance again?'

Glen at first hung back, but when she showed no signs of hesitating, he went over to join her. Getting g in was a problem, but Jazz came out, saw his dilemma, and carefully lifted him into the seat. He nearly didn't fit, but with some pushing and puffing, he finally managed to get himself in. Starscream closed his canopy, and took off after Thundercracker.

In the meantime, Lennox took Sam in, and Bumblebee came over, putting out his hands.

"Give him to me. What's the matter?" Ratchet overheard and came over too.

"He's cold. Hold him while I get him a foil blanket." Lennox said. Bumblebee tenderly picked his shivering charge up, holding him to his chest, hoping the metal would reflect back his body heat. Ratchet scanned him.

"His extremities and skin are cold, but his core temperature has not fallen to an irreversible level. He will recover, Bumblebee." Ratchet said.

Lennox went into his belt, finding one of the silver space blankets he always carried on him. Pulling it open, he beckoned for Bumblebee to lower him. As Bumblebee did, Lennox put the silver blanket around them both, holding Sam against his own chest to transfer some warmth. After a few minutes, Sam stopped shivering, and some colour returned to his cheeks.

"Better?" Lennox asked, as Bumblebee lowered his head again and peered at Sam with concerned blue optics.

"I-I had no idea I would chill like that." Sam said.

"It's a combination of surface area, velocity, altitude, ambient temperature, and alcohol." explained Lennox. "You are tall and thin, that's a lot of skin relative to your body mass to lose heat from, at speed the heat is taken from your body faster as more cold air replaces that that you have warmed, it's a cold time of year anyway, and the higher up you go, in general, the colder it gets. Add to that the fact that alcohol makes you more susceptible to the cold. Sam, that was a damned fool thing to do! Remember, these are Decepticions! Why would they want to help humans enjoy themselves?"

Sam turned to face Lennox, an angry look on his face.

"Mirage said he's done something to make them more amenable. I don't trust them, but I do trust Mirage, and I think he would have told us if it only lasted, say, three hours or something. Look, Captain, Thundercracker only suggested that he hold me in robot form, he thought I was missing out on the true flight experience. It wasn't deliberate, he's only just recently arrived, he's not a medic, how would he know our susceptibility to the cold." He sighed, and continued.

"He didn't force me, he just suggested the idea. I wasn't forced, or coerced. He asked if I'd try it. I accepted. He didn't throw me out or anything, it was my choice. I now know it was a bad idea, I'd not do it again, not that I'm likely to get the opportunity to."

Mikaela, who had been standing nearby, came over. "Look, it's getting kind of late, and I know Sam's parents will soon want us in. I know they've given him an extension, but they'll get pissy if we're in too late."

"It is getting late." Lennox agreed. "When Glen, Maggie, and Simmons get back, we'll give everyone thirty minutes to get anything done they want to, and then I think we'll have to clear up and go."

When the two fliers had got back, Lennox made his announcement, and although grumbles were heard-from both 'bots and 'cons-they all complied. Bumblebee approached Sam.

"Sam, I am sorry, I have been drinking high-grade oil all evening., To drive you back in my intoxicated state could be dangerous. I should have not drunk. I'm sorry, Sam."

"No sweat, Bumblebee, Mikaela and I can get a taxi, why should you not drink? You're right, we're not allowed to drink and drive, I'm glad you have the sense to realise it." said Sam. He hugged his Autobot friend.

Mikaela went in search of Prowl and Jazz, who had disappeared, and came back red-faced.

"Uhh…it's…Jaaz and…Prowl?" she said. "They're-um…too…busy…to be bothered." she told Optimus and Lennox. Optimus chuckled.

"Captain Lennox, we have all been imbibing. Would you mind if we stayed here until morning?"

"Actually, that's an excellent idea. I suggest that all the Autobots and Decepticons stay here until they 'sober up', to use the human term. I will call cabs for all the humans."

All the mechs nodded. Seeing the sense of his words. Mikaela sighed in relief: it saved her having to interrupt Prowl and Jazz, in whatever it was she had glimpsed them doing, which she did not wish to speculate on.

Everyone drank up, there was no fuel or alcohol left when the humans staggered out to their cabs, and all the mechs went into standby for the night.

It was the next afternoon that Sam, with an aching head, went into the hangar to find Bumblebee. Mikaela was also feeling fragile, but had come with him. All the Decepticons had, by now, left, including Frenzy-somebody, possibly Barricade, had rescued him from the tree.

"So, just what WAS going on with the Decepticons?" asked Sam."

Optimus related the story of the personality destabiliser and the restabiliser that had restored them to their normal selves. Mirage then explained.

"Ratchet left me with an old one, which I altered to do to them what they did to us-turn their personalities around 180 degrees while they recharged-and it worked, as you saw. They became more like us, far more agreeable to be around, I'm sure you'll agree. It only had enough in it for one shot. They are probably now in recharge again, to clear up any lingering effects of the fuel. They will be back to their normal, grumpy, Decepticon selves by tonight."

"Which is just as well." said Optimus. "If it were otherwise, I would have to instruct Mirage to go back in and remove it."

"Why?" asked Sam. "Nice, friendly Decepticons would make things a lot easier, wouldn't it?"

"It would, indeed." said Optimus. "But we would be going against the basis of the Autobot's strongest beliefs. We would be forcing them to be what we want them to be, not what they have chosen to be. That would make us no better than them."

Sam remembered what Optimus had told him, the night after the battle, the Autobot's greatest code.

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." Sam quoted. "The foundation of what the Autobots fight for. But even so, it must be really tempting, right?"

Optimus allowed himself a small smile.

"It is a temptation we must all resist, but yes, you are correct." He looked at Sam.

"Sometimes it is a very tempting thought."