Cas looked up from her book as the car drove in. Great, another car to check, she thought. Maybe this one will leak oil on my shirt and make my day worse! She looked away to put her book away, and then went up to the car. Might as well start with the transmission fluid. She opened the door and sat in the driver seat.
As soon as the girl touched him, Bumblebee knew she was the energy source. He slammed his door shut and drove off, Jazz and Optimus right behind him.
Cas yanked the wheel to the right. The car jerked right, but got right back on track. Cas growled in frustration and yelled, "What's wrong with you you stupid car!? Can this day get any worse?"
"Well yes, I'm sure it could."
Cas jumped and yanked the wheel again. This time it didn't budge. She tried again, yelling, "Why am I being kidnapped by a talking car!?"
The car came to a stop, "Would you stop doing that?"
Cas yanked on the door handle and tumbled out of the car.
Optimus, Jazz, and Bumblebee transformed from their vehicle modes and blocked all exits. Optimus crouched down to talk with Cas, "Why is an organic giving off a Cybertronian energy signal?"
"Cause I feel like it! Let me go!" She pummeled Optimus with her puny fists.
"No really," Bumblebee picked her up and studied her. "There's no way an Earthling could give off a signal like that."
Cas just glared at him sullenly, her lips pressed firmly shut.
"Optimus! We need help!" Rachet's voice came on all their comlinks.
"Bumblebee, stay here with the girl. We'll be right back," Optimus and Jazz transformed and drove off.
"So it's just you and me, Earthling."
Cas crossed her arms and refused to speak.
"You're being stupid."
Silence.
"Fine," Bumblebee crossed his arms and sat down.
When Optimus and Jazz arrived, Rachet was holding something and Ironhide was down. Rachet looked up, "You could have come sooner."
"We came as fast as we could," Jazz said defensively.
"What happened to Ironhide?" Prime asked.
"Not sure, but she has something to do with it," Rachet held up another human girl, who promptly bit his finger.
"Another human?" Jazz asked.
Optimus nodded, "It's the same signal as the other human."
"Other human?" Rachet asked.
"You'll see when we get back to Bumblebee," Optimus roused Ironhide.
"Let's go," Jazz transformed and left.
When they got back to Bumblebee, he was shouting up into a tree, "You can't stay up there forever!"
Cas stuck out her tongue, "I can stay here longer than you, stupid scrap heap!"
'Hey! You take that back!"
"No!" she climbed higher, sitting on one of the tree limbs and staring down at them. "Hey! That's my sister!"
"Cassie!" the other girl waved at her.
Ironhide stepped forward and grabbed Cas out of the tree. They set both of the girls down.
"Maybe they have something Cybertronian in their pockets," Jazz suggested.
Optimus nodded, "Search them."
Bumblebee stepped toward Cas.
"Touch me and die," Cas glanced at him so hard, he wondered if she had a headache. She backed away and hit the trunk of the tree.
"Look, if you would just cooperate, you can go," Bumblebee reached over and picked her up.
"I hate you."
"Good for you."
Ironhide advanced on the younger girl. He was the only one that could handle her at least a little.
She smiled sweetly and emptied her pockets. In her hands lay some wrappers, a key, a pencil, a bouncy ball, and a rock. Ironhide reached out his hand and tried to take the items. The girl bit his hand, and Ironhide jerked it back, "What is with you and biting!?"
"She hasn't had her therapy session," Cas said sarcastically, emptying her pockets before Bumblebee could touch her. "Pencils times three, erasers times four, pencil lead case times one, candy wrappers times four hundred, lint, ponytail holders, pocket knife, cell phone, car keys, gum, house key, keychain…" The list went on and on, but there was nothing Cybertronian on it.
"How do you fit all that in your pockets?" Rachet asked.
Cas shrugged, "Big pockets?"
"Who are you?" Optimus asked.
The other girl answered, "I'm Destiny, and that's my psycho sister, Cassie."
"Cas, but I won't debate the psycho," The dark haired girl shot back. "Now, the question is, who are you and why did you kidnap us?"
Destiny glared back, "Don't you know who they are? Sometimes I wonder if you're the blonde instead of me!"
The robots watched the sisters argue back and forth.
"Yeah, I know who they are, but I don't know their names! You think I care about a bunch of stupid rust buckets?" Cas shot back, her gray blue eyes flaring turquoise.
"Hey!" Bumblebee exclaimed at the insult, "I"m no rust bucket!"
'Shut up! I'm arguing with my sister!" Cas held up one finger to shush him.
"She had a bad day," Destiny explained. She then pointed at each robot in turn, "Jazz, Rachet, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Ironbutt." She looked up, her bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Ironhide," the larger robot growled defensively, grasping his cannons.
"Ironhide…" Optimus said warningly.
"Bad day, hah!" Cas muttered. "I was captured and molested by giant robots and you call it a bad day!?"
"Molested!?" Bumblebee's eyes widened in protest.
"Okay, she had a bad week," Destiny revised. "Ooh, nice cannons!"
"So, you're normal humans, right?" Optimus asked.
"As far as I know, yes," Destiny paused. "Cassie is another story."
"Thanks," Ironhide rubbed his cannons with pride.
"I'm perfectly normal," Cas sighed. "Attention deficit, but normal. As far as I know."
"So why the signal?" Jazz wondered.
"Maybe you should scan them," Optimus suggested to Rachet.
Rachet nodded. He pulled out his scanner and started it.
"For a baby," Destiny concluded, still talking about Ironhide's cannons.
"Cybertronian energy found," the scanner reported.
"Well, that was a big help," Bumblebee snorted.
"Wow. For giant robots, that thing is surprisingly low tech," Cas said dryly. "Don't you have anything better than that?"
Ironhide glared at Destiny, but ignored the comment, instead watching the exchange between Cas and Rachet.
Rachet twitched, "Normally it tells us what the source is."
"Well I can do that!" Destiny said. "Cassie and Destiny, two normal humans." She gave them a smug look.
"You guys are pathetic," Cas took advantage of their distraction and dodged for the nearest escape route.
Jazz jumped over and grabbed her around the waist, "We're not done yet."
Destiny yawned, "Really? Dang. Guess you can't have your cake and eat it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bumblebee demanded.
"It means I'm sick of listening to you," Destiny replied smugly. "Besides, the police will be here soon looking for us."
"No one saw us take you," Optimus said.
"Actually," Rachet started. "We broke a wall of the school to get her." He jerked a finger at Destiny.
"You what!?" Optimus fumed. "Listen, find out why these organics are giving off energy signals from Cybertron, and do it fast. Do it now!"
"How?" Rachet asked.
"I think I hear sirens," Destiny sang.
"Grab them and take them with us!" Optimus directed.
Bumblebee took Cas from Jazz and transformed.
"Hey!" Cas pounded on the horn with all the force she could muster. "Let me out!"
"Would you stop that?" Bumblebee said crossly. A seatbelt strapped itself across her hips, smashing her back against the seat. For a long time she wiggled and threw herself against the seat belt until she finally sat back, panting heavily.
"At least turn the radio on," she snarled.
Bumblebee didn't say anything, just complied.
"Thanks…" The reply was almost silent, barely audible.
The radio turned off, "What? I didn't hear you."
"Gosh dang it! I said THANKS!" she yelled.
The radio turned back on, Bumblebee lightheartedly humming along.
"Go ahead and try!" Destiny growled.
Ironhide stepped forward to grab her, but she held out her hand. Ironhide crashed to the ground, shut down again.
"What the?" Rachet did a double take. "How did you do that?" He revived Ironhide, never taking his eyes off her.
"Don't touch me!" she snarled.
Sirens sounded in the distance. Optimus looked around, "Someone grab her!"
Everyone just stared. "How?" Jazz asked.
Optimus lunged, just to crash to the ground, shut down.
Rachet revived him also, then growled, "Get in the car!"
"Nope," Destiny crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "Never."
Ironhide grumbled something incomprehensible and probably inappropriate.
Suddenly, a police car appeared around the corner. Destiny grinned triumphantly, until the car transformed.
"Barricade," Optimus snarled.
Destiny backed up and jumped into the black monster truck behind her.
Barricade stepped closer, "Hand the energy source over."
Optimus shot a laser at the police bot, then transformed. They all drove off to meet with Bumblebee.
Cas sat quietly, gazing wistfully out the window, watching the world pass by.
"Why are you so opposed to coming with us?" Bumblebee asked, not really expecting an answer.
She surprised him, "I'm an advocate of peace. I don't want to get involved with your stupid war or whatever."
"We just want whatever makes you give off a Cybertronian energy signal. You can go home after that."
"Kind of hard to give something you don't have," she replied.
Just then, the others caught up. Prime's voice came on the comlink, "Barricade is on our trail. We have to split up and meet up back at the base." He drove off.
"The base?" Cas began to panic. "Where's the base?"
"California," Bumblebee said nonchalantly.
"California!?"
