"Thanks," Chris murmured faintly as she climbed into the cab much easier and much less painfully.
"My pleasure, Christine," Optimus rumbled. The raven haired teen finally made it to a comfortable sitting position in the drivers' seat and leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed in exhaustion. The door to the cab swung shut on its own accord and the seatbelt stretched itself across her torso and lap, buckling itself snuggly around its' occupant.
"Is that too tight?" a deep voice questioned gently, sounding as if it were coming from everywhere in the cab at once. Chris shook her head.
"No, it's good," she replied, sleepily. The days' events were catching up to her fast.
"Perhaps you want to lay down in the back," the deep voice suggested gently. Chris looked at the steering wheel in confusion.
"Back? You mean the flat part behind you? Outside?!" she questioned incredulously. A soft chuckle echoed inside the leather interior of the semi as he pulled away from Mission City towards...well, he wasn't exactly sure yet.
"No, Christine," the voice murmured, amusement clearly present, "not outside. In the back. Behind your seat, behind the curtain, is a bed. All semi's have them for truckers' to sleep in. I thought that perhaps you would be more comfortable in the bed than in the drivers' seat." The raven haired teen smiled softly at the steering wheel.
"Thank you," Chris replied, yawning. Crawling back behind the seats, mindful of her leg, she laid down on the surprisingly comfortable bed.
"Where do you live?" Optimus asked the exhausted Christine, activating his own holoform. A tall man, looking to be in his early thirties with short, black hair and ice blue eyes, took over the appearance of driving the truck. People tended to disapprove of vehicles driving themselves. A faint murmur of pain accompanied the rustle of the sheets on the bed.
"I live in South Dakota," the teen answered sleepily. The truck lurched a bit in surprise.
"South Dakota?" Optimus asked, thinking of the incredibly long drive.
"Yeah," Chris murmured, "but my mom and I were in the process of moving to Tranquility. We were staying in Mission City..." Christine trailed off as she began to remember why exactly she was in Mission City at the time.
"Shit! We need to turn around! Please! My mom is back there!" she yelled, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Optimus turned a few sensors on the teen struggling to sit up, and pulled to a stop on the side of the busy highway they were currently driving on. His holoform turned to lock eyes with the distressed female.
"Calm down, Christine," the man said soothingly, although it seemed to have the opposite affect on said teen.
"Don't tell me to calm down! My mom is back there somewhere in the rubble! We need to go find her!" Christine sobbed, her emerald eyes leaking tears. The windows of the semi suddenly tinted to a dark grey and the holoform flickered out. Gears whirring, Optimus hacked into the local hospital reports.
"What's your last name?" he asked distractedly, sifting through the files, narrowing the options down. Christine looked at the steering wheel, hesitating. Why did he need her last name? And where'd his holoform disappear to?
"Summers," she finally answered, her wary gaze locked on the steering wheel. Going over all of the reports, Optimus searched vainly for the girl's mother. There were a few Summers, but Optimus discarded them. Another teen and an elderly couple didn't seem to be the right ages for Christine's mother.
"I'm sure you're mother is fine," the Autobot leader said finally, finding no trace of her missing family member and returning his attention to his cab and the road. "Right now, we need to get you home so your leg can get taken care of. Do you have an address in Tranquility?" he questioned. Christine shook her head.
"No! I mean, yes, I have an address, but I'm not going to leave my mom! What if she needs help?! We need to head back to Mission City!" Chris said desperately. In response, Optimus' holoform reappeared in the drivers' seat and the truck pulled back onto the road, heading towards Tranquility. Christine looked out the window in horror.
"No! What are you doing? We're going the wrong way!" she exclaimed, her voice infused with desperation and hysteria. Optimus' holoform turned slightly in the drivers' seat to look at his frantic passenger.
"You need medical attention; attention you won't get in Mission City," Optimus said firmly, " I will let you know when your mother is admitted into a hospital. What is your address in Tranquility?" Christine, ignoring his question, looked over at the man in confusion and slight apprehension.
"How will you know when she gets admitted into a hospital?" she asked curiously. Optimus sighed and told Chris of his abilities of accessing the World Wide Web. Christine's eyes grew wide.
"So, the Internet is like, programmed into you?" she asked incredulously. The holoform nodded.
"Yes. It comes in handy," he replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, where do you live?" Christine slumped back onto the bed, brushing away a few tears that came to her eyes when she bumped her leg. Realizing that Optimus wouldn't give up until she told him her address, Chris reluctantly supplied the information.
"198 Marbury Street," she sighed, her throat tight with unshed tears. She was too tired to keep up the interrogation anyway. Optimus' holoform looked over his shoulder at her and gave a small, gentle smile.
"Thank you. Now, go to sleep, Christine," he said softly, "You'll feel better." Christine seemed almost ready to agree, but hesitated.
"I'll wake you up the moment I hear anything of your mother," the Autobot promised. Christine nodded and closed her heavy eyes. Lulled by the smooth movements of the semi and the muffled sounds of the traffic, the raven haired teen fell into the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.
