**
Kurt sat in the airport waiting area, biding his time until his flight was ready to depart. He’d already gone and said his goodbyes the night before, and due to the usual traffic he wouldn’t have time to go sight-seeing before his plane departed. And so, he found himself stuck in JFK International.
Not intent upon wasting any money at the assorted snack bars or gift shops, he instead decided to pull out a notebook that he had. Whenever his family sent him any letters or cards, he’d stick it in a notebook for safe-keeping. While the notebooks from the past little bit had already been boxed up, he’d chosen to keep the current one with him. He thumbed through it, taking note of what had happened recently so that he’d be prepared to discuss things.
All in all, he found himself quite surprised by what had happened in just the past year. Kurt found it hard to swallow that Rad was now in the military, and hoped that Rad knew what all he was getting into; Rad was locked in for at least a good two years, if not more. And Rad being engaged? At his age? It was a recipe for disaster, especially since he was marrying that rich kid Alexis. Granted, her parents had passed away and she was living with someone else, so that might have changed her a little; however, he could still only see her as that “poor little rich girl” he remembered from when she and Rad were younger and could barely even tolerate each other. And the two finding religion? He figured that wouldn’t last.
He closed the book and then closed his eyes. He stretched a little, and then opened his eyes again. He’d have a lot to talk about with Rad as soon as they had a chance to meet up again.
**
[“And so there it is,”] Urd said as she finished the presentation. Behind her, Belldandy and Skuld began to shut off and put away the equipment.
“Was a full PowerPoint presentation really necessary?” Hilde asked. “I could have just analyzed the prospectus you handed me and gotten much of the same information.”
[“Lazerbeak said something about humans enjoying this type of display,”] Skuld replied.
“Either way, the fact that you’ve yet to find a store front in which to set up bothers me; what good will getting all of the equipment be if you can’t set up somewhere?”
[“We already talked to Scavenger about it,”] Belldandy stated. [“He said that if Prime gave permission and we could find no other location, he’d actually see about building us a place near the ship.”]
[“We’d at least own the place,”] Urd added, [“and since Prime has all of those scientists and diplomats lining up to see him, I figure that there will be a constant flow of people in and out.”]
“At least initially. But what happens when the diplomats don’t show up as often? You’d be caught a little short on customers since that’s an awfully long drive from town. And at the same time, I see nothing in here about the cost of building supplies.”
[“True,”] Urd said.
“I’ll make you a deal: come back to me tomorrow with some quotes on the cost of construction materials and some ideas for getting in customers. I’ve got to go to the airport this afternoon, and so I’ll be busy. Sound fair?”
**
Rad quickly stole a glance at the clock on his computer monitor before going back to work. Kurt was supposed to arrive within about three hours or so, right around when he was supposed to have lunch. He’d been given permission to have an hour and a half for lunch instead of the usual forty-five minutes, thereby giving him a little bit of time with Kurt. It’d mean having to get something to eat at the airport, a concept he dreaded due to how expensive he’d heard things could be there. But he’d forgotten to make himself a lunch, and so he’d have to just put up with it.
It’d been a few years since he’d last seen Kurt, and so wondered just what his brother would be like. Kurt had been good about keeping in touch, but his messages were always brief and he never sent even a single picture of himself or what he was doing; Rad wasn’t even sure if he’d recognize Kurt or not. He just hoped that there wouldn’t be a scene.
**
Alexis carefully examined her uniform, grateful that she’d retained her old floor-length mirror. She wasn’t quite sure, but it seemed to her as if the female uniform pieces were cut in such a fashion as to be tight around certain parts of the anatomy. She was hoping that it was just her imagination, but in all honesty she wouldn’t be surprised if this was indeed the case. She began to have her doubts as to whether or not she’d been to hasty in accepting this particular job; she knew that she and Rad would probably need the money, but not this badly. She wondered if there were any openings at the convenience store where Billy was working…
Either way, she had to tough it out for now. Rad’s brother Kurt would be coming in at the airport today, and so she and Sara would have no choice but to wear their uniforms when they went to go meet him; it was unlikely that they’d have enough time to come back and change given the respective distances between the house, the airport, and work.
“Sis?” Sara asked as she knocked on the door frame.
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any white thread? I seem to be out.”
“What do you need white thread for?”
Sara held up one of her work shirts. “The buttons on this one popped when I tried to put it on.”
Alexis picked up the shirt and examined it, noting much to her chagrin where those missing buttons came from. “Go ahead and wear one of mine for today,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I think mom will need to fix this one up.”
“Are you sure? We each only have one spare.”
“Mom’s going to be doing laundry tomorrow anyway; it’ll be fine.”
“If you insist.” Without saying a word, Sara selected one of Alexis’ shirts and then briefly disappeared back into her own room.
“Yeah,” she thought aloud. “That convenience store is looking better by the minute.”
“So when do we leave for the airport?” Sara asked as she re-entered Alexis’ room.
“In about an hour or so; we’ll be having a quick lunch first.”
“What’s Rad’s brother like?”
“Hard to tell,” Alexis said, trying to think. “He’s been away for about three years or so.”
“Wow; that’s longer than I’ve been on-line.”
“He loves Rad, but sometimes Kurt can be a little… full of himself. He was always a popular kid.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe he’s changed a little since then.”
“Who knows. Let’s hope so.”
**
[“So this is what we’re looking at,”] Urd said as she and Belldandy made their pitch. [“There’s a highway that runs not far from where we are, and due to all of the scientists, diplomats, and soldiers a dirt road has already been carved out. If we can’t find a place in town, I’d like to set up shop at this intersection.”]
“First off,” Scavenger said as he and Rollbar examined the map, “I don’t even know who owns that property.”
[“The state,”] Skuld said as she ducked into the room. [“I just checked on that. However, if this area around the ship, minus the research station above us, is going to be ceded to Optimus as an embassy then we can petition to have that intersection ceded as well.”]
“Fine,” Scavenger said. “If Prime gives permission and can get the property. But an internet café out there all by itself? That’s a long drive for your usual net junkie.”
[“And even the offer of coffee and net access might not be enough to make travelers stop,”] Rollbar reminded them. [“I mean, you’d have to make your café a wing on a bigger facility for that to take place. Heck, you’d have to be looking at being attached to a convenience store or even a truck stop for people to really even notice you, let alone want to stop in.”]
The three femmes huddled together, excitedly discussing things. [“Fine then,”] Urd said as the huddle broke up. [“Let’s just make it a truck stop!”] Without realizing that Scavenger and Rollbar were stunned, she continued. [“It’s already a main road, and now we’ve got a lot of heavy traffic. People will want to stop for gas anyway, so we’ll have business there. They can then come into the convenience store aspect to pay, and while the people are inside they might just want to shop around. We can have our little internet café be on one side, as people who’ve been on the road a while might want to stop and get online.”]
[“Laundromat,”] Belldandy chipped in. [“If they’ve been on the road a while, might they not want a laundromat? We should have one on the other side.”]
[“And maybe fast food,”] Skuld added. [“Even if the convenience store offers hot items, people might still want a fast food place.”]
[“There’s got to be a lot of entrepreneurs who would like to rent out space in those other parts for a franchise,”] Urd decided. [“So we’ll only have to personally run the internet café.”]
[“Criminy!”] Rollbar said. [“Why not just take up the other side of the intersection and set up a hotel while you’re at it?! You might get a franchise there, too.”]
[“That’s an excellent idea!”] Urd interjected, clearly missing Rollbar’s sarcasm.
“Don’t encourage them,” Scavenger muttered, annoyed at the whole affair.
**
Kurt stepped into the arrival area, grateful to be off of the flight. Although he’d flown business class, he simply wasn’t used to sitting still for that long at a stretch and so his legs were protesting. He stopped for a little bit to stretch them before walking towards the waiting area. He saw his family and smiled. Rad was with them, wearing his uniform. He figured that there was no time like the present to start talking with Rad, as they’d have a nice long trip home in which they could discuss everything.
He walked over to his family, and noted that Rad was now a shave taller than he was. “I see you’ve grown,” Kurt said. “Must have had a spurt or something.”
“You could say that,” Rad replied.
Kurt paused, scanning Rad’s uniform. “I see you really have indeed gone and joined the Army. But I guess you’re only young and stupid once.”
“Pardon?” Rad asked.
Kurt stopped his scan when he saw Rad’s sidearm. “What’s with the gun?” he asked, pointing at it.
“I’m required to have it with me, even in a place like this,” Rad stated, masking his growing frustration. “It’s a Jericho nine-four-one. And yes, it really works and is really loaded with live ammo.”
“Oh?”
“If you try to take it from me, protocol is that I must assume you’re trying to disarm me and hammer on you.”
“Okaay,” Kurt said, stepping a bit back. “So,” he followed up in an effort to change the subject, “how’s that whole ‘Mormon’ thing playing out? If you want, I’ve got a book in my carry-on that should open your eyes a little.”
“Don’t bother,” Rad said disinterestedly. “Odds are it was written by either a former member with an axe to grind, a well-meaning but misguided minister, or someone hoping to get rich quick. In either case, it’ll be a mix of open lies, outdated arguments, and wild accusations.” Rad paused as he saw Kurt’s startled face. “I’ve done enough homework to know that most of those books aren’t worth the ink used to print them.”
Caught short, Kurt struggled to keep his composure. Rad had indeed changed, and in ways that he hadn’t figured. But, he was still the big brother after all; he had age and experience on Rad. And as far as he was concerned, Rad was making mistakes; Rad seemed confident and self-assured now, but Kurt was sure it couldn’t last.
“So how’s the poor little rich girl?” Kurt asked. “I know she was upset over her parents dying and all, but did you have to go and get engaged to her over that? Isn’t that going a little overboard in trying to console someone? I mean, marriage isn’t something that you should just rush into.”
Rad tried to say something, but before he could he was stopped by a sudden noise. Rad turned around and saw Alexis standing next to a gift shop along with Hilde and Sara. Alexis, startled by Kurt’s words, was trembling and on the verge of a breakdown. She was trying to hold it back, but Rad could tell that she was failing in that regards.
“Is that some sort of fast-food uniform she’s wearing?” Kurt asked, legitimately shocked. “I never expected to actually see her holding down a job.”
Before anyone could stop her, Alexis burst out into tears and ran off.
“I so owe you a beat down,” Rad said before he chased off after Alexis.
“Did I say something wrong?” Kurt asked, honestly unaware of what he’d done.
“Wow,” Sara said in an surprised tone. “Alexis was right about Kurt being out of touch.”
**
Krok drummed his fingers against his rifle, wondering just what was taking Kobushi’s team so long. He’d sent them into the nearest fleshling town in order to steal some disguises and see what they could obtain with that money. But that had been much earlier, and so he was wondering just where they were.
To make matters even more frustrating was that Rampage, Razorclaw, and Tantrum were all asleep. It seemed that if they ate anything other than energon, they had to sleep for an extended period to properly process it all; as such, he couldn’t disturb them unless it was important. And so, he sat there, completely bored.
Without warning, he heard what he thought to be a single scraping noise coming from the pile of corpses. He looked at the pile, but saw no movement. Writing it off as his mental circuits malfunctioning due to a lack of stimulus, he made the decision that if he were to turn the radio on at a low volume it shouldn’t wake anybody.
Before he could turn it on, he heard the noise again. He looked around, noting that Rampage’s ears had perked up; Rampage had heard it, too. But as there was no other noise, Rampage softened from his alert status.
Starting to get mildly concerned, Krok picked up his rifle and slowly approached the pile. But there was not a sound to be heard. He let out a sigh of relief, only to hear the sound again. Thoroughly disturbed, he decided to take no chances. “Wake up, you roustabouts!” he declared.
[“Now what’s going on?”] Rampage asked as the three woke up.
“Some one or some thing is in that pile of scrap,” Krok said, pointing with his rifle. “You are to flush it out while I provide some cover fire.”
[“Can it wait?”]
“No.”
Frustrated at having their nap disturbed, the three mini-cons muttered some protests before transforming into robot mode and doing as they were instructed. They slowly began to move the scrap, Krok becoming more and more impatient all the time. “Hurry it up,” he muttered.
[“You woke us up,”] Razorclaw protested. [“Don’t expect us to rush.”]
After what seemed to be an agonizingly slow process, the three finally made it about halfway down into the pile when they spotted a mech that appeared to be gently moaning. [“I don’t think this one is dead,”] Tantrum declared.
[“We can fix that,”] Rampage offered.
“No,” Krok said, shouldering his rifle. “If he’s alive, then I want to keep him that way…”
**
“How is she?” Rad asked as he followed Sara up the stairs.
“She made it through her shift at work OK,” Sara said, “but when we came back she ducked off into her room; she’s not come out yet. And mom’s busy trying to finish dinner.”
“Has she been wanting to see anyone or eat or anything?”
“She’s not been wanting to eat, but that’s normal considering where we work; I’m not exactly in the mood for food that much either.”
Rad filed that piece of information away and continued up the stairs. “Alexis?” he asked once he got up to her door. Not hearing a response, he called again, this time knocking on the door. Rad tried the door knob, only to find that the door was locked from the inside. “I can break this door down, you know; it’s part of my training. Whether you unlock it or not, I’m coming in.”
“Um, can we please keep the collateral damage down to a minimum?” Sara politely asked. “You could just shoot the lock, right?”
“Not with this; standard rounds will just bounce off, and my armor-piercing rounds will go straight through and into the room. Either way, it’s not an option.” Rad knelt down, pulling a knife out of the inside of his right boot. “I can probably take the knob off with this, though.”
Without warning, they heard the door unlock. Rad put his knife away and stood back up just in time to see Alexis open the door. It was painfully obvious that Alexis was crying, as what little make-up she wore was running down her face and on to her uniform. To his chagrin, Rad noted that the combination of make-up and tears seemed to be visibly damaging the fabric right in front of him.
“I pretty well tore Kurt a new one when we got home,” Rad said. “It’ll take him a day or two to figure it all out, but I imagine that he’ll eventually apologize. I’m sorry that this happened to you.”
“He is right,” Alexis said. “I was a bit of a spoiled rich girl. And we did kinda rush into things.”
Rad stepped over towards her and put his arms around her, pressing her tear-streaked face into his uniform. “Kurt’s spent the past three years bouncing between Milan and New York City; he doesn’t know as much about what’s going on as he likes to think he does.” A pause. “It really scared the slag out of him once I started chewing him out in Italian; he didn’t think I knew the language.”
“You know Italian?” Alexis asked.
“Mandatory language training; it was the only class that wasn’t full. I was hoping for Arabic or Farsi since that brings a major cash bonus, but I guess I’ll have to wait a bit.”
“I see.”
“Look, you can’t let these things get to you. Kurt’s just a bit of a jerk at times; he doesn’t always realize how what he says can hurt people.”
“But…”
“Alexis, if you weren’t the most wonderful woman around I’d have never agreed to marry you; it’s that simple. You don’t have to worry. As far as Kurt goes, he just needs a little sense knocked into him; that’s all.”
Alexis let out a sigh, feeling a sense of comfort at those words. He was right; she had over-reacted a little. She’d just have to pull herself together and set Kurt straight once he took his nose out of the air.
The two found themselves interrupted by the sound of a breaking pencil. They looked over to see Sara, notepad in one hand and pencil in the other. “Aw, it broke,” she said. “And I can’t find my sharpener.”
**
Kurt set the phone book down and collapsed on the bed, noting the resulting groan as the bed wasn’t used to having anyone lay on it. His parents had kept his room up for him even though he hadn’t been back in so long; aside from moving a few plastic storage tubs into the garage and replacing them with book cases, it was like he’d never left. This thought only grated at him even more, as he realized just how long he’d been away and how everything had changed.
He stretched for a few seconds, popping his back as he did so. His head a little clearer, he sat back up and pulled out a notebook from inside his jacket pocket. His boss had told him to see about getting a pre-existing store front to set up shop in, and had given him the specifications as to what he needed to look for. He opened the phone book to the “real estate” section, intent upon making a few phone calls before dinner; he didn’t want to waste any more time.
“Nevermore,” he heard something croak. Slightly spooked, he turned his attention to the window in the room. Standing on the sill was a black mechanical bird about the size of a video camera. “Your parents really should consider getting a screen for that window,” the bird said as he hopped off the sill and on to the floor. “This neighborhood isn’t quite as safe as it used to be and that screen will slow down any would-be intruder.”
Kurt brought his arms and legs beneath him, unsure as to the intentions of the robotic avian that was now waddling towards him. “And who might you be?”
“Chrooooooo!” the bird replied as it halted. Kurt leaned over, only for Chro to take it as an invitation. Before Kurt could stop him, Chro had leapt up on one of Kurt’s shoulders. “A little birdie told me that you were a bad boy today,” Chro stated. “You made Alexis cry.”
“A little birdy?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance at the seeming pun.
[“That’d be me,”] another mechanical bird said as it also entered through his window. Unlike the other, this one was mostly orange. [“The name is Lazerbeak.”] Like Chro, Lazerbeak waddled over towards the bed before leaping up onto Kurt’s other shoulder. [“There’s a few rules that we mini-cons have in place amongst ourselves,”] Lazerbeak said.
“Like…?” Kurt asked.
“For starters,” Chro said, “nobody makes Alexis or Sara cry. You just don’t do that.”
“What is this?” Kurt replied. “Are you two going to do the whole ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ routine with me? I’ve had that happen so many times before that it’s not going to work.”
“That’s why we’re not going to do that,” Chro answered.
[“Nope,”] Lazerbeak added. [“We’re just going to sit here on your shoulders and sing into your ears until you apologize. Or crack. Whichever comes first.”]
“Say again?” Kurt asked.
“I’VE GOT A LOVE-LY BUNCH OF CO-CO-NUTS!” the two birds started singing in unison. “THERE THEY ARE STANDING IN A ROW!”
Not intent upon hearing the full rendition, Kurt darted up in an effort to knock the two birds off of his shoulders. Instead, the two birds started flapping away furiously, slowly pulling him over towards the window. He tried to fight, but they succeeded in pulling him through the open window. They broke their grip, but immediately following that he felt the window slam down hard, pinning him in place. He looked up to see that he was surrounded by four brightly colored robots, each one about the size of a human. A yellow robot and a black robot were holding the window down, keeping him pinned in place. Meanwhile, a red robot and an orange robot stood before him, Nerf bats at the ready.
[“Somehow,”] the red one said, [“I never feel guilty about doing things like this.”]
“Don’t worry, Springer,” the orange one replied. “I don’t either.”