The war has been continued off Cybertron and onto a world forged from Chaos. The ones known as the Decepticons will be relentless in their quest to eliminate those who had once been their brothers and those named the Autobots will have the hardest times ahead of them, but they will make it through this.
They have to...
"You are only on the second page?" Optimus peered over my shoulder and studied what he called scribbles. They were English alright, and I was the only one who could read and understand it, not just stare at the squiggles and hope they make sense if you watch them long enough, which is what Optimus confessed to doing multiple times before.
"This isn't exactly a page-turner, Optimus. It's basically talking about how this world will be your home and how the Decepticons will be relentless and such." I marked the page and was about to close the cover when Optimus put his digit in the way. "I'm tired," I protested.
"You must read as much as possible in order for us to know its secrets."
"Why do you need this translated so badly?" I sat on the page and I looked down at the words.
"It could hold the end of the war in those pages. It would be to our advantage to know."
I looked up at him. "Ever heard of going to get your fortune told by a psychic?"
"You are our psychic and that book is our fortune. You are our hope to know how this war ends. We must know."
"Maybe you shouldn't know." I frowned slightly. "What if it ends badly and you don't follow the right path and you end up messing it up for all of us, not just yourself?"
Optimus pinched between his optics. "Look, human..."
"Amber," I corrected.
"Amber, you do not understand. We have suffered for millions of years trying to turn this war around. We have been here years, protecting your kind from ours. We need to get off this world and back to Cybertron."
"Then why don't I just read the last page of the book and get you your answers as soon as possible." I tried to lift the pages, but they were too heavy, as if glued to each other and to the back cover.
"The Covenant does not allow anyone to skip around. It is a safety precaution put in place by Alpha Trion."
"Great. So now I have to sit here for weeks in total suspense for the outcome."
The Prime watched me for a moment. "Perhaps a break is needed."
"Just a little three and a half hour one." I sat in his palm and let him carry me into what he called the RecRoom.
"I have sent Bumblebee out to retrieve food for you. We have another human under our protection. His name is Agent Fowler, and he only comes around when there are issues."
"Well, why isn't he reading it? Or does this not qualify as an issue?" I sat down on the table as he sat down in front of me.
"He was just about as thrilled as you were about reading the thousand pages left. He is not impressed with us, not as you are. That is why we do not keep food around here. He does not stay long."
I nodded and watched him while the mute scout walked in with grocery bags dangling from his digits. His doorwings lifted at the sight of me and he set the bags down. I hunted through them and I smiled as I pulled out a box of fruit snacks. "I don't understand why not. You guys really know how to keep a girl reading for you."
Optimus held Amber while she slept. She had read twelve more pages before she had fallen asleep on the page. She could not stay awake any longer, Optimus knew.
Ratchet walked up to him and he saw him cradling Amber. "Protecting the human will bring more pain than joy, Optimus."
"Your opinion is noted," the Prime said as he stood slowly. "Please, fetch a blanket."
"Optimus, you must listen to me. I know I am right when I say that you must tell the human to leave. She is in more danger here than at her school, no matter what you say to convince me otherwise."
"Once again, your opinion is noted."
"You're not going to do anything, are you?"
"No. But I will once again request a blanket for our guest."
"Where are you going to keep her? In a cage?"
"She is a guest, not a pet. You must understand that." Optimus laid the human on the catwalk, taking the blanket from his oldest friend. He wrapped her in the large blanket, then he left her to rest.
"And what if she has other needs? She is human, after all, and not one of us."
Optimus' optics dimmed as he thought and he realized that his friend was right. "Then we will have to do something. Perhaps newspaper?"
Ratchet snickered as he left the room. "She's not a pet, remember, Optimus?"
When I woke up, I was wrapped in a blanket. I squirmed out of it, yawning and rubbing my eyes. Optimus was watching me with wide optics. "What?"
"You speak while you sleep."
"Excellent." How did I embarrass myself this time? "Well, don't leave me hanging, what did I say?"
The Prime suddenly developed a sense of humor. "I think I must keep that to myself."
I laughed as I stood. "Funny joke, Optimus. Now is the absolute wrong time for you to finally understand humor."
But the Prime just smiled and turned back to the Covenant of Primus. "Page fifteen..."
"Awwwwwwww! What about your sense of humor? Where did that go?"
The Prime set her down in front of the page. "Read aloud."
I rolled my eyes and I tapped the word I had left off on. "Once upon a time, there was a bum called Optimus Prime who lacked a sense of humor. One day, he found a human girl called Amber and-"
"That is not what the Covenant says."
"How do you know? Can you read it? Are you the expert in the English language?"
The Prime remained silent, but the corner of his mouth had twitched up.
