Watching some of my old fans rise up again like zombies was pretty nice. I also appreciate all the new readers who are starting to trickle in. It is always nice to hear that people like my work, even for a fandom I haven't written in years.
Life was completely unfair.
He was just minding his own business and then wham!
Actually, he'd actually been doing something nice. All of them had been busy helping since the battle. Search and rescue work in the days immediately following the fight went a lot faster and smoother when scanners could pick up signs of trapped humans in the rubble or people hiding in half-collapsed buildings. They did most of their work in vehicle form so they didn't scare the traumatized humans worse, but it still helped. And Wheelie's small size and his experience as a scavenge drone poking around wreckage of various sorts was useful for once.
Though he did scare a few trapped people when they only saw glowing red eyes in the darkness.
But most of the rescue work was already done. Anyone still left in Chicago was either dead or part of the effort to actually fix the place. And that included his Warrior Goddess and the guy she agreed to actually keep permanently. After all, they didn't have anywhere else to be. Mikaela's boss was a traitor to his entire species. And dead. Very dead. And Sammy-boy's boss was a bit insane after his encounter with Laserbeak, so he wouldn't be returning to his job immediately either. So the pair decided to stay around to help and Wheelie was stuck. They and Bumblebee were his ride back home, after all.
Anyway, he'd just wandered away from Mikaela and Sam for just a moment. He could only stand to watch the newly-engaged couple for limited spans of time without wanting to make a snide comment at the young man, which would not make his Warrior Goddess happy. He didn't even make it that far. He barely started poking at a piece of metal to see if there was anything worth salvaging.
Then something heavy hit him and the next thing he knew, Wheelie woke up in a cage while a teenage human girl smirked and his processor ached.
"What did you do? Hit me with a rock?" he snapped. "I just got repaired from the last time."
"Shut up," said the teenager, kicking the dog cage sharply.
Wheelie flinched and fell back on the kind of behavior that let him survive his time within the Decepticon ranks: he stopped talking and paid attention to his surroundings. Not only was he locked in a metal dog crate, but he was also in a dark room with cracks in the wall. The only light came from an electric lantern. His captor was a tall girl with purple streaks in her hair that the ex-Con was fairly certain did not occur naturally in the species. Her smirk and confidence would have been intimidating, but his first encounter with Mikaela involved a blowtorch to his optic. This lady had nothing on his Warrior Goddess.
He had some options. Wheelie knew he could use his comm to contact someone. But that would mean letting them know about his humiliating situation. Getting captured by some crazy teenage girl and locked in a crate like an animal is not something he was eager to let Sam know about. At least Mikaela had a blowtorch when she caught him the first time. And while he could probably tear his way out of the cage with enough time, the teenage girl was watching and wouldn't give him the chance.
So until he figured out exactly what was happening and what she wanted, Wheelie would keep quiet and wait for his chance. Because eventually she would make a mistake and he would be gone.
And maybe once he escaped, he could sic the Warrior Goddess on her.
The abandoned and half-crumbled building they'd chosen looked like any of the others. There was nothing to really distinguish it from the others, though it was more stable than some. They pulled right up to the doorway with the van. Mike and Tommy climbed out, listened carefully to make sure no one was around, and then yanked open the back doors.
"All right," Mike said. "Everyone stick together and follow us."
None of them appeared eager to follow the teenagers into the dark interior. Most of the children looked afraid. The boy in red and girl in green clung to each other even more tightly than before. The boy in striped shirt had evolved from nervous to almost in tears from fright. And even if he didn't particularly like scaring children, it would definitely help make the right impression.
"Don't cry, Danny," said Annabelle, patting his shoulder. "It's all right, Peter and Gwen. Nothing bad will happen."
"Yeah," the youngest boy said, practically bouncing. "We're on an adventure."
"Right. An adventure," said Mike, digging out his cellphone. "Just make sure not to wander off."
The children fell in line with the practiced ease that only elementary students could achieve. Annabelle took up position at the front while the oldest girl with black hair brought up the rear.
Leading them into the dim interior, Mike turned his cellphone towards Tommy and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Anytime you are," he said.
"Remember, I'll edit everything on my computer before we load it online. So relax. If you mess up or anything, I'll take care of it," said Mike before he started recording, nodding to signal his friend.
"Do you remember when our only enemies were each other? When the only threats came from Earth? Now look at us," said Tommy, trying to sound dramatic and serious. The shadows certainly helped make him seem mysterious. "Our cities are crumbling. Our people are dying. Our children cower in fear. All because of these giant, inhuman, monstrous aliens that invaded our world. Those Cybertronians ruined everything. And the worst part is that they've managed to trick some people into thinking some of them aren't a threat."
"They aren't," Annabelle interrupted. "Decepticons are the bad robots. Autobots are nice."
"Hey," hissed Tommy.
"Just keep going," Mike said. "I'll edit it out later."
Trying to recapture his momentum, Tommy said, "Don't be fooled by the propaganda. They are not our friends. They are not our allies. All these transforming robots are alike."
"No," she interrupted again, glaring at the teenagers. "Autobots have blue eyes. Decepticons have red ones. And they're really mean. They're nothing alike."
"Untrustworthy," said Tommy through gritted teeth, trying to continue as if the girl never spoke. "Violent. Dangerous. They are not like us. They don't have hearts."
"They have sparks."
"They don't have any real feelings."
"Do too," Annabelle shouted. "They're people. They're not human, but they're still people. Stop lying."
"All Cybertronians are murderous monsters and we should drive them from our home while we still have the chance," said Tommy, raising his voice to be heard over the angry child.
"That's dumb. Carl was a bully at my school and has red hair. That doesn't mean all red-heads are bullies. And not all Cybertronians are bad either."
"This is our world. Not theirs. We won't let them take it," shouted Tommy.
"The Autobots don't want to steal," the girl yelled back, stomping forward and glaring at the taller figure. "We can share. We can all live together. We can be friends."
"I'd like that," said the black-haired girl, smiling weakly.
Clearly growing frustrated with the situation, Tommy grabbed Mike's arm so he could point the cell phone at the children and said, "Look at what they've already taken from us. Look at these children orphaned by those aliens."
"Nuh-uh," the young blond boy said. "Daddy is helping fix the city. So are Annabelle's parents. And Danny's family is just missing."
Ignoring the correction, Tommy said firmly, "Think of the children. Is this what you want for their future? Are these the horrors you want them to face?"
"Hey," shouted Emily, stepping out of the back room. Mike could already tell he'd be cutting a lot of footage during editing. "What's with all the shouting?"
"Your boyfriend being dramatic," Mike said. "What's your surprise?"
Smirking proudly, she said, "I found a way to get them closer to one of those things than we expected."
"Are you crazy? We don't want the kids to get hurt," he said.
"Trust me. They'll be safe. But It'll like great on your video," said Emily. "Just make sure to record the kids' reactions. It should be epic."
Mike loved the sound of that. He would need something epic if he wanted this video to gain popularity and attention all over the internet.
Unfortunately, while they were distracted by Emily's arrival, the angry little girl decided she was done playing nice. With her uninjured arm, Annabelle threw a punch straight towards Tommy. And even more unfortunate, she was a child and thus short. Due to her height, a certain piece of vulnerable anatomy ended up taking the hit and making Mike wince in sympathy. Tommy fell to the ground while snarling in pain.
On the bright side, Mike got the whole thing on video. Even if he edited it out for the main video, he could still laugh over it later.
"You brat," snarled Tommy, his voice a breathless whisper.
"You meanie," she snapped back, glaring down at him. The girl looked like she was on the verge of tackling the downed teenager and continuing her attack. "Stop lying and saying mean things. I don't like you. You're a big meanie."
"You're loud and scary," added Danny.
"I don't like you either," the black-haired girl said. "You've been angry the whole time and I don't think we should have gone with you."
Finally letting go of Gwen, Peter said, "Izabella is right. We should go back. We're going to get in trouble and I don't like it here."
"You made Annabelle mad," said the young blond boy. "That wasn't nice."
By the time Tommy staggered back upright, the children were on the verge on a full-on rebellion. And Annabelle was at the center of it all, glaring up at the teenagers without a hint of hesitation. A blonde little girl in a cast and a heart t-shirt should not give off the impression of a general leading her troops into battle. She wore pink shorts and was tiny. She shouldn't be intimidating.
"Calm down," Mike soothed, placing himself between the girl and Tommy. He didn't want his friend lashing out at the child for hurting him. "We're all on edge. I get it. But let's be nice about this. Just help us out a little longer and we'll take you back. And I promise Tommy won't yell anymore. We just want to show you a couple things and film it."
The kids glanced towards Annabelle while she stared at Mike suspiciously. Slowly, she nodded at him.
"Okay," said Annabelle. "Be nice and I won't hit the mean liar again. But Mommy will be really mad. She'll make you really sorry when we get back."
Ruffling the child's hair briefly, Emily said, "Don't worry about it, shrimp. She won't find out. And even if she does, it won't be that bad."
For some reason, that made Annabelle grin. It wasn't a reassuring expression.
So the teenagers are starting to figure out that Annabelle isn't someone to mess with. And she's not going to let them insult the Autobots without making them pay dearly for it. Of course, that does raise the important question… If hate talk earns Tommy a hit below the belt, what do you think Annabelle will think about them snatching up Wheelie?