Two Months Later
Heat radiated from the window right next to me, it seemed kinda strange, but maybe it was because it was close to 100 degrees Two months have passed since my encounter with the deadly decepticons. Still, my mind continued to race with thoughts of the fast-paced meeting between those maniacal metal monsters and me. It may have only have been for a matter of hours, but one decepticon in particular kept coming back to mind. It was the F-22 Raptor Jet who referred to himself as "Starscream".
I guess you can say that the day he swept me off my feet was the day he literally swept me off my feet! It's kind of strange when you think about it, a human girl having a crush on a humongous metal robot. I kept some newspaper clippings of him that were posted in the newspaper. Mostly for the pictures. Apparently some workers at the port of Los Angeles had their digital cameras with them and had taken a couple shots of the action.
On the other hand, Sam and me had become close friends. He lived quite a few cities away from me, but Tracks made the trek there a breeze thanks to his flight mode. You would be grateful too if your Corvette had the ability to fly! With Bumblebee as Sam's guardian, and Tracks volunteering to me mine, it knew I was going to be safe and out of danger from any decepticons from now on, or so I thought. On one of my many trips to Sam's house, we were in his room one Friday night, looking at his comic books when there was a special bulletin on the 10 o'clock news that talked about an explosion at a power station a few cities away.
The news lady that was reporting live from the station and was standing in front of a smashed barbed wire fence and there were multiple areas where the concrete was damaged, almost as if they looked like giant footprints. Sam turned towards me and I returned the glance. We both knew what was going on. More decepticons must have arrived here on Earth and were trying to find energy sources. I got up and ran to Sam's window and checked the backyard to see if Bumblebee and Tracks were still parked back there, but they weren't.
"Sam! They're gone!"
"What?"
He leapt from his bed and joined me at the window. The driveway in the backyard was empty. I turned my head to the right to inspect the rest of the yard and I was surprised to see Track's face right in front of mine! I yelped and jumped back into Sam who caught me.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Sam helped me to my feet asked the robot,
"Where's Bumblebee?"
"We heard about the power station incident and he went to investigate. I was ordered by Optimus to stay here and watch you two."
There was a loud crash down the street and a second later, the power on the entire block had gone out. Tracks turned towards the sound, thinned his eyes, turned to us and said,
"Stay here. I'm gonna go down to the end of the block and investigate."
He transformed into his vehicular mode, turned on his headlights and slowly drove down the street towards the direction the sound of the crash was.
I turned to Sam with a look of terror.
"Decepticons. I just know it! What are we gonna do Sam? What are they after now?"
"I don't know, but we gotta hide. Over here."
He led me to the area between his bed and nightstand. We sat down and adjusted our positioning so we both would fit then he grabbed his bed sheet and pulled it over our heads. We sat in silence for about a minute when we suddenly heard deep footsteps coming from the alley and approaching the still open window in Sam's room.
I threw the blanket off me, got up and walked toward the open window, thinking Tracks had returned with some news. I stuck my head out the window and called his name, but I got no answer. I could hear something robotic fidgeting, but it was so dark, I couldn't see. I turned to Sam and said,
"I think something's wrong, why didn't he answer? I'm gonna go down there and see what's going on."
"Camille! Wait!" he whispered. But it was too late, she was already gone.
I bolted down the stairs of the Witwicky household, through the kitchen, and out the back door. I was a few steps out of the house when I saw two huge robotic legs standing in the middle of the lawn. I heard a weapon cock, and I froze. I looked up just in time to see that its eyes were red and I quickly turned and started running back towards the house.
To avoid making any noise, and instead of shooting, the decepticon swung its hand to grab me but he missed and I felt the rush of wind behind me from his attempt. I ran back in the house and up the stairs towards Sam's room, but a pair of red eyes were waiting for me through the window at the top of the stairs. When I saw them I stopped dead in my tracks, and slowly started to back step down the stairs.
"Sam! Help me!" I whispered loudly.
Sam emerged from his room with his blanket over his head when he turned and saw the red lights of Starscream's eyes.
"Whoa!"
With Starscream's attention diverted to Sam for the moment, I took that opportunity and ran towards the front door, unlocked it and ran out into the street, I looked around for Tracks, but all I saw was a dark neighborhood. I know if I yelled for him, Starscream would hear me. But at this point, I was desperate. I started to run down the street, took a deep breath and shouted,
"Tracks! Where are you?"
Just as I had predicted, I could see Starscream looking over the roof of the house in my direction and he transformed into his jet mode and flew towards me. He then changed back to robot mode and landed feet first in my path, smashing the concrete with his weight, causing me to be bombarded by a spray of asphalt bits and causing an impact that knocked me off my feet. He stood there with his gun poised, and his eyes shining. I started to crawl backwards with my hands and feet and asked my ruthless captor,
"What is it that you want from me? I don't have anything that can revive your master anymore!"
Starscream looked down at the small human and happily explained the reason for his persistence.
"It's true. You don't. But because of you, we weren't able to revive our master. We decepticons are very vengeful, and if anything doesn't go our way…well…let's just say we can't rest at night unless the cause of the problem is permanently, shall we say…dealt with. In your case, the map that we couldn't extract from you, cost us our leader, now it's going to cost you."
His gun cocked again.
"And I can't think of a better mech to take out the task than me. Prepare to be vaporized."
After hearing this, I stopped backing up as he aimed his gun towards my chest. I started to breathe heavier and my heart started to race as I faced the inevitable. Sam was running towards us at full speed but there was no way he would get to me in time. I tightly closed my eyes and clenched my teeth and put my arms up to protect my head when I heard the firing of a gun and Sam down the street screaming. "NOOOOO!!"
But the blast I heard didn't hit me, it hit Starscream! Someone had shot him in the back causing him to lunge forward. The second shot to the back was so strong, it knocked him off his feet and he fell forward and landed on his hands and knees, right over me. When I uncovered my eyes, his head was inches from my body! He looked at me with an evil stare. I shrieked and got up. Sam grabbed me by the waist from behind and dragged me away from my wounded assassin. My eyes were locked on his angry red pupils as he pulled me away.
Tracks walked toward the downed Starscream and stopped a few feet away and continued pointing his gun at his back, but he restrained himself and didn't shoot again. It wasn't in an autobot's logic to destroy a decepticon unprovoked, unless he was being fired on first. Suddenly Bumblebee came speeding down from the opposite side of the street toward the fray. He transformed to robot mode though driving at full speed, stopped quickly, planted his feet, and stood there, gun drawn at Starscream. I broke free from Sam's grasp and slowly walked toward the subdued assassin. Sam reached out his arm and grabbed my shirt by my shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
Starscream saw my approach and was puzzled by it. He had just told me that his mission was to terminate me. Why would I approach him knowing that he means to destroy me?
He could tell that the autobots were also perplexed, and took advantage of the situation. He quickly got to his feet, but Tracks was ready and swung his arm around his neck and held him in place. I stopped and looked up at him, shocked at how well he played possum. Bumblebee stood with his gun pointed at him, with his other hand on top of it, holding it steady. Starscream spoke a few words to the autobots in Cybertronian, then gracefully flipped backwards behind Tracks and kicked off of his back, transformed into a jet and spiraled away into the into the night sky. Bumblebee was careful not to hit Tracks, but when Starscream finally broke away far enough to be fired upon, he was already out of range. After the sound of his engines had faded away, Tracks got up and put a hand to his forehead and slowly shook his head.
"I had him."
Bumblebee came and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. There will be other opportunities. But right now, lets just take the kids home. I will arrange a meeting with Prime and let him know of our current situation."
I overheard them and asked,
"What situation?"
Neither of them replied, which made me feel awkward because they would always reply. Then I wondered, was it something that Starscream said in Cybertronian that made them uneasy? Tracks followed Sam and I as we walked calmly back towards the house.
Bumblebee transformed to his vehicular mode and sped off towards the autobots base of operations. When he arrived at the autobot base, he waved at Hound, who was guarding the door. He entered and searched for Optimus. He finally found him in sitting on what looked like a throne in Ratchet's lab getting some work done on his legs. Bumblebee approached him in silence. Then Optimus spoke,
"What is it Bumblebee? You have this look of uncertainty in your optics."
"Optimus, we had a small situation..."
"What happened?"
"Starscream took out a power station as a ruse in order to distract us. "
"What was his mission?"
"He was trying to kill Camille."
"Tell me he didn't succeed..."
"No, he didn't. But he got away. But before he did, he said something in Cybertronian before he escaped."
"What?"
"You'll soon have a traitor in your midst."
Without saying a word Optimus halted Ratchet from welding by putting up his hand. He stood up and put one arm behind his back and one over his chin and walked away from them. Ratchet and Bumblebee looked at each other in confusion as he walked out of the lab.
Back at the Witwicky household, Sam and I went back up to his room where I sat at his desk, while he sat on the edge of his bed. He stared at me sternly till I slowly lifted up my head and looked into his eyes. Then he spoke.
"What do you think you were doing?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Why would you approach Starscream after he just told you he was about to kill you?
"I just…"
"I know what it is. You like him don't you? I saw you looking at Tracks with those same eyes. I thought it was cute, but Starscream? He's a decepticon! He's the enemy! What would Optimus think if he knew about this?"
The sound of Bumblebee approaching could be heard in the distance. We both got up and ran downstairs and out the front door. Bumblebee opened his car door and told me he was there to take me home. I felt a little guilty as I walked towards the autobot. I turned to wave goodbye to Sam but he was already walking towards his front door with is back facing me. I sadly got in on the passenger side and shut the car door, and together, we sped off into the night.
When we arrived at my house, I got out and walked toward my front door. Bumblebee shut down his engine, and turned off his headlights. I went inside, turned on the light in my room, and dropped my stuff on the ground and collapsed on my bed, looking at the ceiling. All I could think about was Starscream. Him getting shot was entirely my fault. Was he all right? I had to find out. I ran out of my room and down the hall to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and pulled a water bottle full of energon out from behind the broccoli. I always kept a bottle for Tracks in case he ever needed any. I took it to my room and put it in my small black backpack with the rest of my stuff. I flung it on my back and shut my light off and walked out my front door. When I shut the door behind me, Bumblebee's engine turned on and he put his headlights on high beam, practically blinding me.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I made up a lie. "Sneaking out to see a guy?"
Bumblebee was puzzled. "I thought Sam was your mate?"
I was getting impatient. "Sam's not by boyfriend!" I took another step and Bumblebee inched his hood closer to me.
"Sorry but I can't allow you to leave, the state of things being what they are."
"What are you talking about? What state of things?"
"Sorry, I have orders from Optimus that you remain here for the time being."
I looked into the stars and sighed.
"Fine." I grumbled.
I went back inside and turned on my light. I watched Bumblebee through a crack in my blinds; he did not turn off his engine. So I flipped off the lights of my room, and a moment later, he turned off his headlights and shut down. I knew this was going to be my only chance so I quietly walked down the hall to the dining room and out the back sliding glass door. I walked the path along the side of the house and carefully removed my bike from the garage. I quietly walked it a few houses away before I jumped on and started to ride towards the power station that was totaled in the news. I knew exactly where it was, but would he still be there?
It was bitterly cold that night and I wished I had brought my hoodie. When I got there, the place was still trashed; I parked my bike and easily walked under the yellow police tape and approached the building. I slid and dragged my feet a little bit, to make it obvious that I was there, and then suddenly I heard the sound of large footsteps approaching from behind the partially destroyed power station. When he emerged, I looked up at him, and he looked down at me, gun poised. Then he sort of growled and looked around the area behind me with his gun at the ready for an ambush of autobots, but there was none.
"I came alone."
He lowered his gun. Then turned quickly to me and yelled,
"Why did you come here? Even after I told you my mission was to terminate you? Why?"
"Because I feel responsible for your injuries."
Starscream then began to realize why she was there. He didn't know much about humans, their reasonings, or their feelings, but something was telling him that he could probably use this human to his advantage. Since she was in league with his sworn enemies, the autobots, maybe she could be used to infiltrate and extract important information.
"I brought this for you in case you were seriously hurt."
Or even better, energon! He smiled as she pulled out the bottle of energon and held it up towards him. He came closer to her, kneeled down and then plucked the bottle from her hands. He didn't waste any time and poured it down his gullet. Then he picked me up with his hand and demanded more.
"I don't know if I can without getting caught, but I will try."
He put me down and made a gentlemanlike gesture by bending in half with his body, turned and walked back behind the power station.
I jumped on my bike and pedaled back to the house as fast as I could. When I got there, Bumblebee was still in the same position he was when I had left. I quietly put my bike in the garage and went back in the house. I walked into my room and hit the light and was shocked to see Sam sitting on my bed with an angry look and his arms crossed.
"Geez! You scared me!"
"Where'd you go?" He asked.
"Go? Uh... I went to 7-Eleven to get an iced tea." His face's expression was unchanged.
"Where is it?"
"I...forgot my...money so I came back to get it. Wanna go back with me?"
"I don't think that's where you went. Why isn't Track's energon bottle in the refrigerator anymore?"
"I uh..." I couldn't cover my tracks anymore.
"You took it to Starscream didn't you? I knew it. Dammit Camille! What do you think you're doing? You're fraternizing with the enemy! "
"I know but..."
"But nothing! Where is he? We have to tell the autobots. Or are you not gonna tell us where he is?"
I looked at the ground and closed my eyes and muttered the words: "The power station."
"Ahh...so you are still on our side then? Good. It better stay that way. Decepticons cannot be trusted. The first chance they get, they'll turn on you. I mean, look at Optimus and Megatron. They were brothers, but yet Megatron still tried to blow him away. That's what their promises are worth. Remember that. Now come on, we gotta tell Bumblebee and report this to Optimus."
I was now worried that my betrayal towards Starscream would definitely rekindle his hatred towards me and cause him to finish his mission to kill me with even more vengeance. Once we were rolling, I apologized to Sam.
"I'm sorry. I know it was wrong." I-I just haven't been able to think straight lately. I'm just all bent out of shape from the first encounter you know?" Sam reached over and put his arm around me.
"We're all in this together. Don't worry about it."
When Tracks met up with us about a block from the power station, I got out of the car and walked towards the middle of the street. I stood there alone thinking of what I've done.
Starscream heard our approach and looked at us down the street from the shadows. He could see that she wasn't carrying another energon bottle, and the autobot's presence clearly told him that she must have ratted him out. He filled with rage and transformed into his jet mode and got very low to the ground in an attempt to ram her. He yelled, "TRAITOR!" as he closed in on her. Tracks, at the last possible second, leaped at him and grabbed the jet in mid air causing him to slightly curve and miss me. Starscream transformed immediately and they both started fighting before they hit the ground. I was knocked over by the G-force of Starscream's pass.
"Tracks!"
They wrestled and I could hear them shooting each other at close range. This was very dangerous because the chance for a critical hit was very likely due to the fact that their weapons do 3 times as much damage up close than when fired from afar. After they tumbled about for a few moments, I heard one of them transform and take off for the sky. I ran towards dark figure lying motionless in the dirt. It was Tracks. I felt like my insides were tearing apart.
"Tracks! Oh no… this is all my fault!"
Bumblebee and Sam came running up from behind me and looked down at Tracks' unmoving body.
I turned away and put my head into Sam's chest when I heard a loud moan.
"Uuuuuuuugghhhhh…"
I quickly turned my head and yelled,
"Tracks? You're okay?"
"Ugh…yes. But I wish I could say the same for my paint job".
I smiled and climbed up on top of him and wrapped my arms around his head.
"I'm so sorry about this. I'm just glad you're okay". He smiled at me.
"No problem. I mean, it's my job to protect you right? I am your guardian am I not? It comes with the territory. There is one thing though, you're gonna have to explain all this repair work to Ratchet.
I laughed, "Deal!"
The four of us then left for the autobot base. My loyalties were definitely put to the test this time. I understand now that war is serious and cannot be taken lightly. Betrayal could happen at any moment, for any reason. And I assured myself, and the autobots, that it would never happen again. Once at the base, I felt at ease when Optimus leaned down toward me and said,
"All is forgiven now Camille, forget it."
Then Sam walked up to me from behind and threw an arm around my neck.
"Come on, we gotta finish reading those comics."
I smiled and said, "Sure! But I've got my own ride to your house."
I smiled and walked towards Tracks and bent over and kissed him on the hood. I turned to Sam and said,
"Race you there." He was about to get into Bumblebee when he yelled,
"No fair! He can fly!" pointing at Tracks as his engine roared to life.
I laughed as I stood with one foot inside the car and one foot outside holding his door open with my arm.
"I know."
Then both cars sped off in the direction of Sam's house. Skidding down the street as they went.
