I - Prologue - It's a Cruel World

It was hot. Too hot even for that season.

She was sweating, finding no confort even in the open window with her hair dancing in the warm air. The music from the speakers was loud, and she tapped her long, blue painted nails on the steering wheel following the rhythm. Everything in her stance suggested that she was of that kind of carefree drivers who caused accidents just to check the lipstick in the rearview mirror when, in fact, it was exactly the opposite.

She was good, driving with a natural confidence… enjoying the heated tarmac under the wheels, and the long road with the floating mirages on the horizon.

That was one of her favourite things: driving in the sun, a long ride in a quiet, lazy day.

When she reached her destination, she parked easily in front of an old car repair shop and stepped out, taking the time to put her naked feet in a pair of stiletto shoes of the same shade of her nail polish.

She went inside purposedly ignoring the stare of the men behind the counter. They watched her with a sort of rapt avidity.

- Are you lost, honey?

She watched the man with total disinterest, just arching an eyebrow at the word honey - Dunno. This place is "The Garage Gurus"? - she gave a skeptic look all around, like to point out that the place didn't seem like a place for gurus of any kind.

- Yup. Your car broke down? - the man laughed - I can give you a ride home while the others take care of it.

- Nah. I've called a few hours ago. Name's Jane Austen.

- You're that Miss Austen? - another man, one apparently a little bit smarter, gave her a long thoughtful stare, checking a long list of car parts.

- The one.

The first man shaked his head - That list is for you babe? Whaddya doin with that? Car parts are not like make up and trinkets, you know?

- You're so funny. - she licked her lips, faking a flirtatious smirk that made him forget everything about car parts and repairs - It's all for my bunny. He couldn't come, and I was on the way. What we do for love, uh? I would have preferred go to the mall and buy couple of lipsticks, you know? - she bent a little on the counter, showing some centimeters of her plunging neckline

- Anyway, now I'm here…

- Lucky man... - the idiot gulped.

- Jake. - the second man slapped him on the back of the head - Bring miss Austen's things to her car. - and stop drooling, he thought.

- Duh, Bob I got it!

- Sweet. - she smiled, handing over a number of notes to Bob - You're so reliable, I like that. My love had some difficulties to find reliable automobile repair shops; he's a little temperamental, I think it comes with being a professional boxeur and all. - she smiled amusedly - Last time someone in a shop gave him the wrong wrench ended up at the hospital. And he is jealous. What can I say? I like that kind of man. - she shrugged - The one with big arms, ya know?

She smiled again, not a pleasant smile, while her phone ringed a couple of time before she picked up the call - Hey bunny! We were talking of you, love. Yup, they had everything and they are so kind... no, love, I can do it myself. I'm on my way home, bunny.

Jake gulped, rushing to her car with an armful of bags.

- Shit. - Bob shaked his head - Dunno why I hired him in the first place. That boy is still too young or too stupid. That's all, miss Austen?

- I think so. - she perfectly faked a look of disinterest, like she truly wanted to be somewhere else buying lipsticks and fake eyelashes - Did you gave me everything was on the list?

- Yes, do you want to check?

- Don't bother. If there's a problem... when bunny checks everything eventually I'll give you a call. - she shrugged.

- Sure.

She nodded and went out, taking a moment to adapt to the hot wind after the air conditioned in the garage.

Jake rushed inside, giving her a last longing stare.

- Bye, babe. - she winked, getting on the car.

With the bags safely stocked in the back of the pickup, she removed the shoes and fumbled for a second in the dashboard, checking a little phone-like device before speeding away.

A few miles away, she stopped on the side of a desert road to inspect the bags.

With a sigh she acknowledged that everything was ok, deeply happy to avoid to have to go back to the garage.

She was almost at the point of restarting the engine when her phone came again to life.

The voice on the other side of the line was everything but amused - Call me bunny and love just one more time and I'll crush you.

The woman snorted derisively - Sure, bunny.

- Woman, I... - another voice interfered on the line, covering the stream of curses coming from the first one - Your friend arrived, and is waiting for someone to pick her up. You're going?

- Mm... I don't mind driving.

- It's kinda of a long drive with that... rusty thing.

She laughed - I'll manage. I have already told you, I like driving.

- Manual gearbox and all? - he sounded skeptic.

- See you in a little while. Tell bunny to keep the house clean.

The line whent mute without a reply and she laughed again, louder.

.xxx.

She truly liked driving the old pickup, enjoying the sound of the old, man made engine and the long way to the next town. Even though she didn't like passing in more populated areas... and she methodically avoided looking at the big memorial placards for Chicago.

- Remember my ass. - she muttered.

One way or another the ride went smooth, and she reached her destination. The hotel was old, a dusty hellhole smelling of fried onions.

With a sigh she passed through the entrance hall with its fading wall paper and waited for the receptionist, a lady older than the building, to acknowledge her presence.

- Good morning.

- You need a room? - the receptionist asked hopeful, adjusting her spectacles on the length of her nose.

- Not really. I think one of you guests is waiting for me.

The old lady made a face of utter disappointment - I see.

- The name is Bovary.

The woman checked a register and nodded - Emma? Room 7. Wait there... - she pointed a hideous velvety green couch - I'll call Miss Bovary for you.

- That's really appreciated.

The younger woman pulled away a strand of dark brown hair from her face and seated on the armrest of the couch, studying the place, searching for something amiss out of habit.

After a little while the sound of heels on the worm-eaten floor announced the arrive of her friend.

A gorgeous, sassy blond rushed toward her, embracing the brunette with a huge smile.

- God, how I have missed you! - she cried.

- The same here. - she responded with a bear hug and then coughed when the receptionist started to look a little bit too intently to their reunion.

- Let me settle the bill and then we could go.

The brunette nodded, and took the baggage that the other woman had left a few steps away.

The old lady gave her a look of suspicion, but it was just something of the self-righteous kind. Nothing like real danger.

- Let's go, ok... Emma? - the brunette tilted her head - We will be late for the... party.

When they were outside, they both breathed heavily, enjoying the clean, although hot, air better than the awful smell of onions.

- Geez, I could be dead if I stayed inside a bit longer! You ought to find another meeting place.

- Why? This is so disgustingly perfect! - the blonde smiled, opening the door of the car and sitting inside.

- Yeah, I can bet that no one will be willingly to search for you among the onions and the lace doilies.

They drove for a little while in amicable silence.

- So how things are going here? - the blonde asked.

- Don't you know?

The car passed next a church plastered with signs encouraging hate against Cybertronians.

- That's the same almost everywhere. Preachers that swear that aliens are devil's spawn... - she laughed with no trace of amusement - Cities plastered with those shitty posters.

The two women were both aware that the pickup was a safe place to speak, both knowing that the little device inside the dashboard was made to avoid every kind of interception. They were wearing a smaller, essentially invisible version of the device wherever they went, but the one in the car was far more effective, working as a shield from whatever devilry the government or the others, humans or not, were most likely to use against them.

- Something's big is going on, Mikaela. - the blonde said biting her lips, and dismissing their fake names - We could been reaching a new point.

- Tell me something I don't know. We are monitoring the KSI every single second; I wonder if we could be able to do more than this anytime soon.

- This is why I'm back. I have new informations. We could do something now that their attention is diverted to Hong Kong. - she hesitated for a second - And I... I'm sorry for your other loss. I didn't have the time to tell you that before, but I'm deeply sorry.

Mikaela Banes tightened her grip on the steering wheel and nodded - Sometimes I wonder if he remembered my existence. But no matter what... I couldn't forget any of them. Especially Ratchet. - saying the name out loud was painful - We weren't able to save any part of his frame. Lockdown... you know. - she hissed.

- Yeah... - they fell again in silence for a few minutes.

- It's hard. - Mikaela Banes sighed - But you know, you have been trough this with Glen.

Maggie Madsen nodded - They swept away his house, and everyone inside. - she laughed still without any amusement - An escape of gas in the basement?! I've never understood why they hunted him before me... it could have been my house in the end. An escape of gas, for God's sake! And that was when I realized that Maggie Madsen was a walking dead. And you entered in the picture... - she gave a grateful smile to Mikaela.

- What are friends for?

- But we weren't friends at the time.

Mikaela shrugged - Now we are.

- If we only had been quick enough to save the others.

- There was no way to save Will and Sam. When the NEST was dismantled, and Will sent to some godforgotten hole... it was too late.

Yeah, too late she thought. But at least they were able to secure Sarah and her daughter... even if not without some accidents.

Sam, well... she had been aware since the very first time that Sam was in the hands of God, far beyond help. Sam Witwicky had been the number one enemy to the Cemetery Winds or whathever they called themselves; obviously they didn't hunt humans officially... but all the humans involved with Cybertronians happened to be dead today. Unless they were AWOL.

AWOL like Simmons... wherever he was able to hide himself. Or like Maggie and Mikaela.

Oh, Sam... Sam! Mikaela shook her head. Their love had been a long forgotten thing before all this mess. At one point she had stopped to feel love for Sam, but only affection like for a brother. She had loved a young man, a positive man, not the frustrated, darker Sam that he had became growing older, when he had discovered that he wasn't anymore the centre of attention.

When she had left... she had discovered that more than one thing was amiss.

Optimus and the others were growing more indifferent every day, while they worked with the Govern to synthesize Energon to sustain themselves. Like they weren't all the same mechs she had known in the first place.

Somehow, someone was undermining, sabotaging the Autobots since then... waiting for the right moment, Chicago, to get rid of the aliens and win the power of a new technology.

She had seen it clearly with Ratchet: starting to be his pupil, working side to side with the ancient medic, learning how to save a Cybertronian life just to be forgotten a few months after.

Their judgment must have been clouded, she was sure. And then bots who survived millennia of war... had found themselves manipulated by humans and swept away in seconds.

- Shit! - she cried.

Maggie sighed, reclining her head and closing the eyes - You know, we jumped in this trap like idiots.

- Sometimes I dream of Megatron. - Mikaela muttered - He couldn't have been so bad, all considered.

- Says the woman who runs with Decepticons.

Mikaela smiled smugly - Decepticons are no more. Factions are no more. Now there are only alive Cybertronians and dead Cybertronians.

Like evoked by a superior force her phone ringed... and she picked up the call.

- Mission accomplished? - asked the voice at the other side, but Mikaela wasn't bothered by the apparent coolness in his tone.

- We're heading home. Couple hours and we will be there.

- Acknowledged.

The line went dead and Mikaela smiled.

- Home, really? Home is what you truly consider that place?

- Home is where the heart is. - she whispered.

Maggie laughed - You know what? I could have never imagined this, becoming a runaway, a spy, a smuggler... but we are doing the right thing.

Mikaela nodded.

- Now more than ever, I would say... now I truly think we have a possibility. We can infiltrate the KSI. The Autobots have created enough mayhem for us to succeed... and all of their forces are not in Chicago anymore. Let's speak with the others, let's formulate a plan.

- We have plenty to talk about.

Maggie patted her arm - Let's do it.

.xxx

Author's Note:

Hello readers! Thank you if you have read so far!

First of all let me explain that I'm not an English native speaker: I'm Italian to be honest... so, please, be merciful with my bad grammar and everything! xD I'm just trying to write in English, ok? :-) Don't be offended if I do something wrong, ok, pleeease?!

Going to more important matters, if you like the idea... leave a comment, and let me know what you think!

For the rest... I saw Transformer 4 in a cinema in London a few days ago... and I was disgusted. They didn't explain a thing, nor they respected the original disposition and nature of the characters...

I literally cried when Ratched died... -.- And I hate what they are doing with Optimus and the others. What the hell!

This ffiction is my way to find a solution to all the things I have hated in this movie. If you want to know more stay tuned and check my profile for my all links and all!

.xxx.

Chapter's Soundtrack:

Shades of Cool, and Cruel World by Lana del Rey