(c)Copyright 1998 Melissa McCook Melody Silver/Golden Eighth Note Ltd. TRANSFORMERS(tm) AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS ARE PROPERTY OF HASBRO, INC. THIS STORY IS NOT FOR SALE OR PUBLICATION, AND IS NOT MEANT TO CONSTITUTE AN ACT OF PLAGARISM OR A BREACH OF COPYRIGHT.
Author's note: Thanks Chris, for the idea! Enjoy!
--Oh, you're smooth like silk
But you're spoiled like milk, baby
You leave a bad taste, honey
Yeah, a bad taste
--Hardline
"Maddie, where are you going?!" Stealth screeched from where she stood in the doorway, their small son, Clutch, on her hip.
"I'M GOING OUT!" Madrage had his gun in his hand and was down the walk before she knew what happened, not turning at the plaintive wails of protest that followed him. _Sorry, babe. I just can't handle this anymore. I'll just end up hurting one of you if I don't get away for a while-and Primus knows I couldn't live with that._ He double-timed it easily down the street and through the front gates of Autobot City, cursing Starscream anew at thrusting him into this foreign timespace with every step. _It would have been in everyone's best interest if I had stayed dead._
Soon after, he burst through the door of the command center, and Springer looked up from his Popular Mechanics with a smirk. "Too hot in the kitchen, eh, MadRage?"
"Shove it up yer ass."
"You must have me confused with Megs or somethin'. I don't go for shit like that." A ribald grin spread itself over Springer's faceplate, but then he frowned as he saw where MadRage was headed. "Hey, wait," he yelled, jumping up from his guard post as MadRage slapped the door control to the nearest drill grid. "You can't go in-"
Ignoring the triple changer, MadRage met a wall of smoke as the door slid open. _Ah, I love the smell of plasma in the morning,_ he thought with a wicked grin, stepping into the room as the smoke cleared. He was only slightly surprised to find Optimus, rifle in hand and concentration glimmering in his sapphire optics, standing at the ready in the middle of the grid. Only Optimus practiced this early, and with enough fervor to generate this much chaff.
"Good morning, sir." MadRage holstered his weapon and saluted his commanding officer with his usual crispness. Optimus relaxed his battlestance and returned the salute far more casually than he had received it, but MadRage wasn't offended. "And good hunting."
Even though Prime's curved faceplate hid his lopsided grin, MadRage still heard it in Prime's voice. "Well, Captain, I'm not so sure about that." He stepped closer to the younger soldier, one of the only Autobots who MadRage allowed to stand less than six Terran feet away. "Kup designed a new drill program for the Academy, and I told him I'd be his guinea pig." Optimus wiped the condensation from his brow with the back of one hand, tapping the warm barrel of his rifle against his shin. "Now I'm wondering what I got myself into." He chuckled, a deep, rich bass sound, but he stopped as MadRage remained at attention. The younger 'bot's faceplate wore an intense expression--more so than his usual one, even--and Prime frowned in concern. "Is something bothering you, Captain?"
MadRage wanted to confide in his superior officer, but he couldn't bring himself to drag Prime into his personal problems. _I'm a big 'bot, I should be able to take care of myself. Prime's got enough to worry about without listening to me whine about Stealth._ He shook his head calmly, though he really wanted to explode with frustration. "No, sir. Everything's fine."
_Riiiight. And Megatron's going to surrender by nightfall._ "Well, you know I'm always willing to listen, Captain. Everyone needs to get something off their chestplate now and then." He saw MadRage's hand tighten almost imperceptibly on the grip of his pistol, and Prime gestured with his free hand. "I think I've had about enough of Kup's training program, so as long as you're here, Captain, I could use a sparring partner. What do you say?"
"Fine," came the words from between MadRage's clenched dentalplates.
Optimus gave him a strange look, but fell into a classic battle stance. "Whenever you're--"
MadRage whipped out his pistol and started blasting away before Optimus even finished his sentence. His processor screamed with release, so tangible he could almost taste it, but he found himself gasping like a fish in a too-small pond as he was jolted out of the one-sided fray by a shout from Optimus.
"HEY!!" Optimus yelled through the noise and the cordite smoke. "Hey, you got me, I'm dead, enough already!" He dropped his rifle on the grid and put his hands up. "Truce, alright?"
The younger 'bot stood hunched and tense, smoke wafting from the barrel of his blaster, and suddenly, MadRage realized he'd have cut down his own teammate in a fit of anger, had the weapon not been set on stun. His face fell as he lowered the gun, dropping it beside Optimus' on the grid. "I'm...I'm sorry sir. I didn't even know what I was doing."
"So I noticed." Optimus folded his arms across his chestplate, eyeing the young soldier with the wisdom of ages. "Let me guess. You and Stealth having problems again?"
"Again?" MadRage shrugged and looked away. "More like we're still having the same problem we've always had, sir."
"I might be out of line here, Captain, but something tells me you two weren't ready for a relationship this serious." Prime nodded as MadRage flinched visibly, remembering his own struggles to adjust to a full-time relationship. Elita and Stealth might be very different, but Prime understood all too well what MadRage couldn't bring himself to say. "Let me ask you this; do you care for Stealth?"
MadRage looked away again, as if the answer were written on the black, neon-gridded walls. "I don't know--!" he began, hands on his hips in exasperation. "I do, and I don't. She's a great person, but-she just forced me into this. I really didn't have any choice in the matter, now that I think about it."
"Then why didn't you tell her before it got this far?" Optimus was a pure voice of reason, and MadRage wished he had come to his commander sooner, if it wasn't for his stubborn pride.
"I don't know, sir. It's like-it's like it was taken out of my hands completely. We met, I thought she was an excellent fighter...then it turned into something more." He grinned a bit sheepishly, an expression so removed from his usual serious self that it startled Optimus. "She's quite beautiful, you know."
"Hmm." It wasn't an agreement or a denial, just a sound to let MadRage know that he was still paying attention.
"Anyway," MadRage continued, amazed at how the words poured out of him now, "like I said, one thing led to another, and I was involved up to my audios before I knew what was happening. I didn't...I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I just hung around." He uttered a short, barking laugh. "Then one day it's, 'Maddie, guess what? I'm pregnant, isn't that wonderful?' Heh, yeah. Wonderful, babe. I'd rather face a 'Con firing squad."
"You don't wish to be a progenitor?" Optimus said quietly.
MadRage shook his head. "It's not that-Clutch is the coolest kid
around. I'm really lucky. It's just that...the other day, Stealth told me she wanted me to get off active duty. So I could be at home more." He looked up at his commander, his expression even more intense than before. "I can't do that, sir. As much as I love my son, and as much as I know I'm bound by duty to him and his mother, I can't turn my back on my job. I'd go slaggin' nuts."
Nodding again, Prime folded his arms across his chestplate. "I understand, Captain. And believe me, we do need you. Would you like me to speak to Stealth?"
The younger 'bot frowned. "Sir, I don't wish to involve you in my personal problems, not when you've got much more pressing-"
Optimus held up his hands for silence. "MadRage, you and Stealth are two of my best soldiers, and I would hate to lose either of you. You've got to think about what's best for Clutch, though. Let me put it this way; if I can help, don't hesitate to ask. My soldiers are of great concern to me, and I want to help them in any way I can." He smiled behind his faceplate, clapping MadRage on the shoulder. "Well, Captain, I have to get going. I hope I've been some help to you. Remember what I said."
Feeling somewhat better after emptying his worry to Optimus, MadRage managed a smile and saluted the commander. "Thank you, sir. You've helped me just by listening, really."
"Glad to hear it. As you were." Optimus left the grid, MadRage looking after him with an expression of uncharacteristic peace.
As the door whispered shut, MadRage swallowed and slipped into a battle stance. "Computer: Engage training prototype for further testing."
"Acknowledged."
_Okay, Kup. Let's see what you got._ MadRage grinned, joining the simulated battle with a vengeance.
The End