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Entry tags:
Too long for the reply box
Timeframe: Post G2
Characters: Needlenose, Sunbeam, OCs
Rating: G
28. Playing with Kids Needlenose
Needlenose was down the beach, playing with Sunbeam’s two daughters, Lacuna and Sega. He insisted that Sunbeam ought to name the next one Nintendo. He said that he thought that a much prettier name than Microsoft.
The Mayhem knelt in the sand and helped the girls move their dolls about. He had the hands of someone who worked with tiny parts day in and day out, and he used the utmost delicacy in handling the dolls. Needlenose was probably more careful with the dolls than the girls were. He made a surprisingly good baby-sitter.
Sunbeam paddled the board over to them. He flipped the board up and leaned against it, enjoying the feel of the water running off him. The water was wonderfully clear here, just salty enough to sting. Sunbeam shook himself and walked closer to see what game they were playing.
Lacuna was holed up behind a truly massive sand castle, her dolls up on the parapets. Sunbeam suspected that Needlenose must have helped her move the sand into place. Sega, with a considerably smaller group of dolls, was sitting behind a few pieces of driftwood. She was looking up at Needlenose and chattered, “So Lacuna has forti… fortifi… she has a fort, right? S’got guards up top and a garrison inside with her. An’ I just have Scientist Llyra, Doctor Llyra, and Math Teacher Llyra.”
“Pretty scary,” Needlenose agreed. “So what’s your plan here?”
“You could do an airstrike?” Sega suggested hopefully. She had the most adorable eyes.
Needlenose was unmoved and shook his head. “You don’t have Pilot Llyra!”
“You’re no fun, Uncle Needlenose,” Sega sulked. She squinted over at her sister, who giggled at her from behind the castle. “So… uhm. My Llyras are really smart. I’m gonna have them dig a big trench going right up to the castle’s front gate.”
Lacuna scoffed, “What’s that going to do?”
Needlenose turned back to consider the ocean and murmured, “What indeed.”
Sunbeam caught Needlenose’s attention with a scowl and the tilt of his head. Over their link, he grumbled, That’s not playing! That’s… training. Cut it out.
You made a deal with me, Sunbeam. You give me your children, and I will make sure that you have a most comely female of your species on which to sire them, Needlenose reminded. I have held up my end of the deal.
I know, I know, Sunbeam moaned, biting his lip, but I wasn’t thinking with my head when I said that. I didn’t know that my baby girls would look up at me with those big blue eyes, and I’d be like, ‘Whoa.’ You got to understand. There’s no way I’m sending my little dolls into battle.
You are mortal, Sunbeam. You will die someday. You can forbid as much as you want as long as you live, but the day that you die, one of them is taking up your suit and marching off to battle as my weapon. Now, you can shelter them and leave them utterly unprepared for what they will inevitably face, or you can buck up and let them get the training that they need. God forbid, you could even teach them what you know. Needlenose was unflinching as he delivered that reminder.
Sunbeam had spent years binary bonded to Needlenose. He was in many ways sillier and softer than most Decepticons, at least on the surface. Needlenose didn’t just tolerate xenos. He seemed to actually like them, on balance, and not as just pets. Under the surface, he was as hard and alien as any of them and implacable as a tidal wave. Those white optics were the whiteout after a wipeout. Needlenose was the undertow on an otherwise perfect day, and Sunbeam would be damned if he let the alien machine bring down his daughters. Sunbeam protested, You just don’t get it, man. They’re just kids. They need to have a childhood.
They’re military brats, Needlenose replied scornfully. They have to know how to defend themselves. We could be invaded at any time. Coddle them if you want. You’ll just leave them clueless when the real danger comes.
His shoulders sagging, Sunbeam thought lowly, I’m still not sure that the real danger isn’t you, dude.
Looking stricken, Needlenose placed a hand on his chest and mimed thrusting in a dagger. Sunbeam watched as the tide came in and swept through the trench that Sega and her Llyras had dug. The gushing water washed out Lacuna’s castle, drawing ireful squawks from the young Nebulan. Sega clapped happily. Needlenose chose that moment to reply with, You know, I didn’t suggest this choice of game. They were the ones who wanted to play Soldiers.
Characters: Needlenose, Sunbeam, OCs
Rating: G
Needlenose was down the beach, playing with Sunbeam’s two daughters, Lacuna and Sega. He insisted that Sunbeam ought to name the next one Nintendo. He said that he thought that a much prettier name than Microsoft.
The Mayhem knelt in the sand and helped the girls move their dolls about. He had the hands of someone who worked with tiny parts day in and day out, and he used the utmost delicacy in handling the dolls. Needlenose was probably more careful with the dolls than the girls were. He made a surprisingly good baby-sitter.
Sunbeam paddled the board over to them. He flipped the board up and leaned against it, enjoying the feel of the water running off him. The water was wonderfully clear here, just salty enough to sting. Sunbeam shook himself and walked closer to see what game they were playing.
Lacuna was holed up behind a truly massive sand castle, her dolls up on the parapets. Sunbeam suspected that Needlenose must have helped her move the sand into place. Sega, with a considerably smaller group of dolls, was sitting behind a few pieces of driftwood. She was looking up at Needlenose and chattered, “So Lacuna has forti… fortifi… she has a fort, right? S’got guards up top and a garrison inside with her. An’ I just have Scientist Llyra, Doctor Llyra, and Math Teacher Llyra.”
“Pretty scary,” Needlenose agreed. “So what’s your plan here?”
“You could do an airstrike?” Sega suggested hopefully. She had the most adorable eyes.
Needlenose was unmoved and shook his head. “You don’t have Pilot Llyra!”
“You’re no fun, Uncle Needlenose,” Sega sulked. She squinted over at her sister, who giggled at her from behind the castle. “So… uhm. My Llyras are really smart. I’m gonna have them dig a big trench going right up to the castle’s front gate.”
Lacuna scoffed, “What’s that going to do?”
Needlenose turned back to consider the ocean and murmured, “What indeed.”
Sunbeam caught Needlenose’s attention with a scowl and the tilt of his head. Over their link, he grumbled, That’s not playing! That’s… training. Cut it out.
You made a deal with me, Sunbeam. You give me your children, and I will make sure that you have a most comely female of your species on which to sire them, Needlenose reminded. I have held up my end of the deal.
I know, I know, Sunbeam moaned, biting his lip, but I wasn’t thinking with my head when I said that. I didn’t know that my baby girls would look up at me with those big blue eyes, and I’d be like, ‘Whoa.’ You got to understand. There’s no way I’m sending my little dolls into battle.
You are mortal, Sunbeam. You will die someday. You can forbid as much as you want as long as you live, but the day that you die, one of them is taking up your suit and marching off to battle as my weapon. Now, you can shelter them and leave them utterly unprepared for what they will inevitably face, or you can buck up and let them get the training that they need. God forbid, you could even teach them what you know. Needlenose was unflinching as he delivered that reminder.
Sunbeam had spent years binary bonded to Needlenose. He was in many ways sillier and softer than most Decepticons, at least on the surface. Needlenose didn’t just tolerate xenos. He seemed to actually like them, on balance, and not as just pets. Under the surface, he was as hard and alien as any of them and implacable as a tidal wave. Those white optics were the whiteout after a wipeout. Needlenose was the undertow on an otherwise perfect day, and Sunbeam would be damned if he let the alien machine bring down his daughters. Sunbeam protested, You just don’t get it, man. They’re just kids. They need to have a childhood.
They’re military brats, Needlenose replied scornfully. They have to know how to defend themselves. We could be invaded at any time. Coddle them if you want. You’ll just leave them clueless when the real danger comes.
His shoulders sagging, Sunbeam thought lowly, I’m still not sure that the real danger isn’t you, dude.
Looking stricken, Needlenose placed a hand on his chest and mimed thrusting in a dagger. Sunbeam watched as the tide came in and swept through the trench that Sega and her Llyras had dug. The gushing water washed out Lacuna’s castle, drawing ireful squawks from the young Nebulan. Sega clapped happily. Needlenose chose that moment to reply with, You know, I didn’t suggest this choice of game. They were the ones who wanted to play Soldiers.
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Poor Sunbeam. This is one of the side-effects of reproduction and bonding yourself to immortals when you yourself are not. *hugs him gently* I really like it that he is attached to his daughters rather than ignoring them. He's a decent man.
Last three paragraphs were beautifully nasty and chilling.
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Few people seem to consider the implications of guns who die after a hundred-odd years, at the longest. I tend to see Sunbeam as someone who isn't actively evil. He's just criminally laid-back and a bit thoughtless when it comes to results of his actions.
(Very nice icon, by the way.)
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*Chuckles.*
Thank you!
The Nebulans are going to get old and die someday. As I see it, there are three options: 1) let them die, don't replace them, 2) keep them alive with cyborg parts until they aren't organic at all but little machines instead, or 3) replace them with new Nebulans/other aliens. This is obviously playing around with the third idea.
In fact, let the idea stretch far enough into the future, and one could get a whole Nebulan subculture where siblings fight over who gets the honour of taking up Daddy's (or Mommy's) role and armour, where biological engineering starts to alter them from birth, such that they all develop the needed reinforced joints, where they start to become something quite unrecognisable and frankly a little scary to main-planet Nebulans!
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I also note that Sega has very, ah, non-stereotypical dolls :) Is that a Nebulan thing or more to do with the Decepticons?
If you do go through with getting an ff.net account, I'd suggest putting this up. It's a good solid ficbit, enough to stand on its own if you know the background. Sunbeam's description of Needlenose is convincing, and you write him well - it would be so easy to write the surfer slang badly or just overdo it. Good last line too.
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It's not a Nebulan thing. Look at Llyra and Kari. It's definitely a Decepticon thing.
I'm getting a ff.net account. It's still validating.
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Fair enough, and not really surprising. I doubt the 'cons would approve of ornamental role-models, especially not for their future weapons.
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Ornamental but deadly, possibly. Femme Fatale Llyra? ;)
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Would that be kinda like a G1 Thunderblast in miniature? ;)
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Perhaps Spinister and Needlenose can use Windsweeper as a firedraw ...
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Perhaps Windsweeper will wisely lust after someone else.
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Or perhaps he will make an effort to be more mechly in hopes of bagging a hot Mayhem jet!
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And then perhaps Spinister will remove his kneecaps.
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Poor Windsweeper. Damned if he does, lonely if he doesn't.