Everything started when I had decided to take a walk at nine o'clock in the evening.
"Lucy!" I call. The frayed leash had finally given out, tearing and letting loose the loveable menace that was my dog Lucy. A bark sounds down the alleyway that I'm next to, so I jog down to a dumpster where she was barking at a cat. I snag her collar and tug her away from the poor feline. "Lucy, come on," I mutter. She whines, and I finally get her out of the alley. I plop down on the sidewalk with the year-old puppy, who snuffles my stomach. "I'm not giving you any treats," I tell her. She whines again, but I ignore her to unlock my phone and look up nearby pet shops that would be open this late. Luckily, I find one, but I'm going to have to hurry my butt up because the closing time is nine-thirty. I stand up again and start walking in the direction. The walk is awkward for me because I'm hunched over to hold onto Lucy's collar. It gets even harder whenever she gets distracted by something and I have to tug her back onto course. Eventually, we make it to the shop. I glance at my watch and see that its nine-twenty. Made it just in time, I think.
I pop my head through the doorway and flag down the cashier. He makes his way towards me, and I smile embarrassedly. "Hi, I know you guys have rules against having animals inside, but I have my dog here with me, and I need a new leash," I explain.
The man cracks a grin, and waves me inside. "It's fine, come on inside. I was just about to close up a bit early, so you made it just in time." Then he glances down at Lucy and squats beside her. "How are you, girl? Huh?" he inquires, scratching Lucy behind the ear. She gives me a doggy grin, as if to say, I like this person. He stands back up and leads us to the leash section. "Go ahead and pick one."
I study the choices, then pick out a red and blue leash. "I think this one is good," I say to myself. I glance up at him, and he smiles.
"Alright! Is there anything else you want? Or is that it?" I move my head from side to side in thought.
"Yeah, I think that's good." I would buy a toy for Lucy, too, but my back is getting sore from the uncomfortable position. He leads me to the cash register and rings me up.
"Okay, here you go." He hands me the bag and a receipt.
"Thank you so much," I declare with a smile. He grins back at me.
"Have a good night, ma'am."
"You too!" I respond as I lead Lucy out of the store. As soon as I step out of the store, I sit down on the bench and pull everything out of the bag so I can open the packaging on the leash and clip it to Lucy's collar. "Finally," I mutter, stuffing the package back in the bag. Then I notice something on the back of the receipt.
Frowning, I pick it up and scan it over, only to blink in surprise.
Text me. (701) 892-566 - Peter
I cup my cheek in my hand. "What do I do, Lucy?" The pit bull stares up at me with a doggy grin. I sigh and stand up. I put the receipt in the bag with the empty package, then stuff it all in my backpack. We walk down the sidewalk for a time before I decide to make my way back home.
That's when I notice a couple cars pull into another alleyway two streets ahead of me, this one just barely wide enough for the biggest one, a black truck, to fit through. I quirk my lips, unsure whether to go investigate, because I know that that alley leads to a big open area. I sigh.
Curiosity killed the cat, I think as I lead Lucy to the entrance. I look down the street both ways to ensure no other cars would come, then I sneak down the opening. Before I take another step, I look down at Lucy, who looks up at me excitedly. "Stay quiet, okay girl?" I whisper. Then I keep going. The path quickly leads me to the open space, and I duck behind several crates. I peer through the gaps in the crates to observe the scene. There's a green ambulance, the black truck from before, a sleek silver car, and a yellow sportscar. Two kids - both about sixteen or seventeen - clamber out and take in the vehicles. Then, an almost purring engine comes into my hearing, and a giant semi pulls in. I watch as the high schoolers look around nervously, then, to my astonishment, the cars start transforming. I can't hold back my gasp, but I don't think any of the beings in the area heard me. Lucy starts snuffling my jacket pocket, so I settle her down with a treat in the hopes that she would stay quiet and I could keep watching.
I turn back around to see the one that used to be a semi kneel down in front of the kids. It leans in close, and I watch as the boys shifts behind the girl a bit. The robot-thing observes the two, then shifts his glowing blue eyes over to the trembling boy. "Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Archibald Witwicky?" he asks. I shiver a bit as his voice washes over me, but I keep my eyes on the scene unfolding before me. I can't quite make out what they say in response, but I can hear the giant metal man clear as day. "My name is Optimus Prime," he introduces himself. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."
The green ambulance guy cuts in. "But you can call us Autobots for short."
"Autobots," I murmur. That sounds interesting.
"What's crackin', lil' bitches?"
"My first lieutenant. Designation Jazz." Halfway through the Prime guy's introduction, Jazz does a little flip thing and strikes a pose.
"This looks like a cool place to kick it!" Jazz tells Prime, throwing himself enthusiastically on to a car behind him.I brace myself for a car alarm, but miraculously, it doesn't go off. The boy asks Optimus something, and the Autobot leans back a bit.
"We've learned Earth's languages through the World Wide Web." Then he gestures to the black truck one. "My weapons specialist, Ironhide." He seems eager to get through with the introductions, I note. I bet he's in a hurry.
Ironhide's arms flip around and turn into blasters. He points them at Sam, which makes me feel a bit nervous for him. "You feelin' lucky, punk?"
"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus says as the teens stumble back.
"Just kidding. I just wanted to show him my cannons." The robot sounds a bit like a petulant child. Its almost as if I can feel Optimus roll his eyes. Eh, if he can…
"Our medical officer, Ratchet." The ambulance sniffs the air with a part on his face similar to a nose. "Mmm. The boy's pheromone level suggests he wants to mate with the female." I blink, taken by surprise. Well, then... that's awkward.
Sam looks away from the girl with a whistle, and she scratches her head.
"You already know your guardian, Bumblebee." The canary yellow Autobot throws a few punches while playing music. "Check out the rep, yep, second to none-"
"Bumblebee, right?" Sam cuts off the alien. I make a face. Didn't the big guy just say that…? "So you're my guardian?" Bumblebee nods, making an affirmative noise.
"His vocal processors were damaged in battle," Ratchet says, shooting some kind of laser at Bumblebee. He clutches his throat and makes coughing noises. "I'm still working on them."
The girl asks something and Optimus looks down at her. "we are here looking for the AllSpark. And we must find it before Megatron."
Megawhat?
The tall robot puts a finger to his temple, and light pours from his eyes. Suddenly, the ground below them crumbles and shows them an entirely different planet. "Our planet was once a powerful empire. Peaceful and just." A giant metal tower twists up from out of them ground, groaning as it does. "Until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. All who defied them were destroyed. Our war finally consumed the planet, and the AllSpark was lost to the stars."
The view pans out to show whom I assume to be Megatron. He growls and throws a metal javelin at another Cybertronian.
"Megatron followed it to Earth, where Captain Witwicky found him."
Sam cuts him off with something I can almost hear, and Optimus nods. "It was an accident that intertwined our fates. Megatron crash-landed before he could retrieve the Cube. He accidentally activated his navigation system, and the coordinates to the Cube's location were imprinted on his glasses."
Sam asks him something, and of all things, he responds with, "eBay."
EBay? What could Sam have possibly asked?
"If the Decepticons find the AllSpark, they will use its power to transform Earth's machines and build a new army," Ratchet tell Sam.
"And the human race will be extinguished. Sam Witwicky, you hold the key to Earth's survival."
Before either of the kids can respond, Lucy chooses this moment to finish her treat and bark impatiently for another one. I freeze as all eyes land on my hiding spot. "What was that?" Ratchet frowns, and I know I only have seconds before one of them gets over to me. Taking a deep breath, I clutch Lucy's leash tightly and dash away with the dog running excitedly ahead of me. I hear some of them transform, and a fleeting thought runs through my head. What if they got stuck in the alleyway trying to catch me? My blood runs cold as I realize that there are indeed several giant robot cars trying to catch me. The sound of a transformation sounds close behind me, and I veer to the right. A giant metal hand swoops down right next to me, and I give a little shriek. Then I think of the alleyway I had been in just half an hour before. If I can just get there, I might be able to hide.
Thanking whatever divine spirits there are out there for my high school track career, I dodge another swipe.
"Get it!"
"She's too slippery!"
I make a sharp turn around the corner, and I spot the alleyway just ahead of me across the street. Being that this street is generally pretty quiet, I make it across the street unscathed. Lucy darts into the alley, pulling me right behind her. I keep running just a bit, to be on the safe side, before I slow down and look behind me.
I had expected them to be waiting to the sides of the alley to get the jump on me, but there was the black one crouching right in front of it. I let out a high-pitched scream, and stumble backwards. "Get over here, you squishy bag of flesh!" he growls. Lucy barks ferociously at him, but I pull her closer to me and stand up.
"Come on, Lucy," I squeak, frightened out of my wits. When I start pulling her backwards, Ironhide turns his arm into a cannon again.
"Get out of there, human!" I shake my head, nervously.
I keep tugging the pit bull backwards. "I'm, uh, I'm good." I turn around and run again, surprised that he didn't shoot at me. When I reach the other side, I find out that, of course, it had been a trap. Somehow, the tall one had gotten over to the other side and was waiting for me. Lucy's leash slips out of my hand, and I let out a cry, reaching for her. "No! No, Let go of me!" I wiggle around in terror, but I freeze when he brings me close to his face.
"Don't move."
