Chapter 3: Autobot Heroism

The rest of the day continued with an atmosphere of stiff tension after the "standoff" between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Alexis became even more silent than ever, completely ignoring anyone who tried to ask about her involvement in it. Mrs. Cole let her sit alone, knowing it was no use to try and get her to socialize whenever the young girl went into such moods. When school finally ended, Alexis packed up her things quietly and started to head home. To her surprise, the Autobots were still in the parking lot and upon seeing her, followed along in their vehicle modes.

"You almost got yourself killed today, kid. Should have known that there are some humans who actively looked for danger." Ratchet, the red and white ambulance, grumbled.

"Yet it was quite uncharacteristic for the Decepticons to leave so unexpectedly like that without obtaining the shards." The black and gold motorcycle that was Prowl spoke thoughtfully.

"You have already drawn their attention," Optimus explained, "Since they somehow thought you hold the AllSpark shard, we must keep watch over you until the Decepticons leave the area, which I suspect they won't until they get the fragments from you."

"But I don't have them!" Alexis argued back.

"Well, maybe you accidentally swallowed them or something?" Bumblebee suggested cheekily.

"The last time I checked, little buddy, AllSpark fragments aren't exactly edible." Bulkhead, the dark green SWAT van, rebutted.

"Whatever the reason, you better come with us for now, Miss… um…" Optimus fumbled,

"Alexis. My name is Alexis."

"Certainly, Alexis. I'm sorry to say that you may have to come with us for the time being. Will your guardians permit you to take this journey?"

Alexis' expression went blank, "I live alone."

"If I may ask, why? Surely you have not yet come of age—" Prowl start to ask.

"I'm really sorry, but I don't want to talk about it. I've lived alone for the past five years, and that's that."

"Don't pester her, Prowl. Everyone has their own secrets to keep sometimes." Ratchet reprimanded the other. Alexis was grateful for his intervention.

"Well, in any case, I would be glad to give you a ride back to your residence so you can pack your things." Optimus offered.

"Thanks, but I'm somewhat used to walking since it's not far. I'll be fine." Alexis declined politely. She did not add that she had a dislike of carsickness that was sure to assail her in any kind of car ride. Buses were an exception, for she had trained herself to see the gentle swaying motion as a lulling rhythm she could relax to. Since it was certain that the Autobots would be traveling via the highway, Alexis wanted to remain non-carsick as long as possible.

They promised to wait for her, although Bumblebee and Bulkhead drove off first to pick up that little redheaded girl from where she was buying souvenirs. Alexis soon walked onto her driveway and left the gate open. She began to pack hurriedly, stuffing all of her clothing and toiletries in two large duffle bags. Other miscellaneous things went into a third, namely another pair of sneakers, her collective money saved from her internship, some remaining food from the fridge, her PS3 (which took up most of the room), some games, her phone and its accessories and her much-used Kindle Fire HD.

Alexis lugged the three bulky bags into the living room, dumped them onto a sofa and surveyed the now empty house with some trepidation. She had few belongings and decorated her living quarters sparsely, but this place had been her home for quite some time. Leaving again would mean another turning point that she was unlikely to return to.

The young girl sighed resignedly. It was time to move on again whether she liked it or not. Then again, trouble seemed to always find her by itself. There was a part of Alexis that wished she had gone to find shelter instead of sitting stubbornly in her place as the Decepticons arrived.

Well, there was no use crying over spilt milk. Alexis made a final round through the house, checking if all appliances were unplugged, all windows shut and locked and all furniture covered in large sheets to prevent the dust from settling in. After everything passed her inspection, Alexis hauled her bags to her shoulders and squeezed through the front door, locking it behind her securely. She stashed the key in one of her deeper pockets.

"That will be all you have?" Prowl asked as she made her way toward the parked Autobots.

"Yes. I can't exactly bring my furniture along, though I do wonder where you will be taking me." Alexis replied, "Maybe Chino or Whittier? It's about an hour's drive from here."

"We are going to back to Detroit. Climb in, it will be a long ride." Optimus flicked one of his doors open.

Alexis groaned aloud. Michigan was all the way on the other side of the country, which would probably take more than thirty hours for them to arrive. Nevertheless, she steeled her resolve and clambered into the waiting fire truck, settling herself in the driver's seat as comfortably as she could and placing the bags beside her. With a shrug, Optimus shut the door and soon was cruising smoothly down the street. The other Autobots followed behind in a straight line.

"Are all cars this complicated?" Alexis gasped at the sudden movement, and tried to keep her mind off the impending motion sickness by commenting on the flashing panels and buttons all around the steering wheel, "I've never been in a one, mind you, but I have no intentions of learning how to drive if all cars look like this."

The Autobot's rich chuckle rolled in the cab, "I certainly hope not. But since I probably would never sit behind the wheel myself, I cannot say for sure. I do feel honored in driving you in your first car trip though. How did you stay away from these widespread transportation vehicles for such a long time?"

"Most humans at my age don't drive yet… and somehow I never really had anyone offer me a ride before. And no, buses do not count at all." Alexis started to ramble, saying the first things that came to her mind, "Cars are much classier; much more variety involved. Have you seen the newest Nissan GT-R? Now that is one good-looking car if I knew it. Seriously, admiring cars from the outside is more of my thing than riding in them…"

Optimus laughed to himself again and continued to drive on. Soon they stopped for a brief while to meet with Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Suddenly the passenger door opened on Alexis' right, and with a blur of dark red and yellow, the little girl named Sari jumped in to sit beside her.

"Hey, you're that awesomely brave girl who stood up to the Decepticons, right? I'm Sari Sumdac! Nice to meet you! I wish I were as bold as you were!" Sari jabbered excitedly as she pushed Alexis' bags to one side.

"Hey Sari," Alexis couldn't help but smile at the little one's enthusiasm, "I'm Alexis, and I will be staying with you for awhile if you don't mind."

Sari's eyes went wide, "Really?! That's awesome! I've always wanted a roommate or a big sister! After we get to Detroit, I gotta show you around my favorite places! You have to visit Burger Bot, and we have to have a sleepover…!"

Alexis allowed Sari to talk on ceaselessly. She had no doubt that she would want for something to do in Detroit with the other's eagerness. For once Alexis was somewhat looking forward to it.

"Alright, the two of you. I need you to listen to this." Optimus cut in as his radio switched on with a burst of static.

"I've sighted Blitzwing's vehicle mode a moment ago behind us," Prowl's voice crackled unsteadily out of the speakers, "As I expected, the Decepticon probably would be following us and take action when we are least expecting it."

"Stealth might be the wisest action to take now, Prime. Do you think we should take the smaller less-known roads?" Ratchet asked.

"But that would take days, weeks even!" Bumblebee protested.

"And that's not counting the refueling and rests." Bulkhead agreed.

Optimus sighed, "I agree with the young ones. We cannot afford to waste so much time in navigating the winding roads. We'll travel on the Interstate first, see how the Decepticons react to that and then decide whether we want to go in stealth or not."

"And don't forget Alexis and Sari," Bulkhead suddenly brought up, "They will need to get off time to time to… um… relief themselves and buy food."

"Don't worry. I got enough in my bag to last for three days." Alexis had unzipped her bag to rummage through its contents.

"They also need to keep a low profile. If the Decepticons do find us, it would be best if they do not know which one of us is carrying the passengers." Prowl pointed out.

"So we have to be sneaky whenever we get off? You got it!" Sari winked at Alexis.

This time she didn't share the other's enthusiasm. Alexis hadn't realized how much was at stake until now. She never wanted to put herself into danger like this, let alone the Autobots. It didn't seem right to have the others risk their safety for something she could have stopped in the first place.

However, Alexis' misgivings and apprehension soon faded when the Autobots hit the Interstate. After a few hours of driving, her head started to swim and her stomach roiled restlessly. With a discomfited moan, Alexis rolled down the window and slumped back into her seat.

"Are you okay?" Sari looked up from her game on Alexis' Kindle with a concerned look.

"No. Should have gotten someone to drive me around a long time ago… I hope I don't get sick."

She did eventually, and spent more hours in a miserable state of constant nausea. Optimus was kind enough to stop so she could walk around a little. Sari was also understandably concerned, trying to take Alexis' mind off her sickness by describing Detroit City and its widespread use of robots.

She thankfully dozed off, leaning against the window as she watched the sparse landscape zoom past. It was only when Optimus suddenly hit the breaks did she wake up with a start, banging her forehead against the glass painfully.

"What? Where are we now?" Alexis asked sleepily.

Bumblebee appeared in front of them, back in his robot mode, "We stopped in Arizona to refuel. Prowl's given the all clear, so you two can come on down to stretch your legs."

"I certainly need that too." Optimus' voice sounded a little strained, "Being stuck in vehicle mode for hours isn't exactly as comfortable as I expected. Go on, Alexis and Sari. There's a store next to the gas station if you need to get anything."

The two of them were soon out and walking around as Optimus transformed and stretched. Alexis had taken her food bag along with her, and now retrieved a couple of bagels and toast along with peanut butter and marmalade. Sitting down on the ground, they had a simple meal, for Alexis was still feeling a little discomfited to be eating heartily. But after washing her face at the bathroom in the gas station, she felt refreshed enough to get some of her former energy back.

"Hey, want to play a game?" Alexis asked her smaller companion. The Autobots had started to take turns refueling in the small gas station.

"Sure!" Came her ever-agreeable answer.

"How about hide and seek? I'll go first!"

Sari obligingly covered her eyes and counted loudly with her shrill clear voice. With an exhilarated shout of laughter, Alexis ran off in search of a suitable hiding place. There were none, to her dismay. The gas station offered little hidden areas, and the store would definitely be the first place Sari would search.

"Ready or not, here I come!" The little girl yelled.

Alexis doubted Sari actually had counted to twenty in a normal speed. Nevertheless, a panicked look scrunched up her face as she looked frantically around. Making a split second decision, Alexis shinnied up a long pipe that led vertically towards the store roof. The rest only consisted of watching bemusedly from behind a water tower as Sari looked around behind every bush, the store, the gas station and even among the Autobots.

"Okay, I give up! Where are you?" She cried out resignedly

Alexis slid down the pipe with a triumphant crow, "I was on top of that store! Next time, you have to look up if you want to catch me!"

Before they could engage in another round, they were interrupted by Optimus' severe voice. The Autobot leader was in his robot mode as he crossed his arms and regarded the two girls disapprovingly.

"Have you forgotten that we may have the Decepticons on our tail? Although we haven't seen them since Hesperia, we must be cautious and not draw attention to ourselves. I believe climbing on a roof or yelling around doesn't count as keeping a low profile."

"Sorry…" Sari said quietly, lowering her head in remorse.

Alexis' cheeks stung at the rebuke, although she was equally irritated at herself that she had let down her guard. Despite what it seemed like, this was no casual road trip. She couldn't help but wonder how things would be if the Autobots weren't enemies with the Decepticons. Who had initiated this enmity, and how many people had suffered because of it?

"Well, I do supposed you young ones are a little tired from being cooped up inside all day," Optimus relented, "But please, keep it down in the future, alright? We will be setting out now if we want to arrive at Detroit tomorrow."

"Right. I'll be careful." Alexis mumbled her apology and got into the fire truck once more after the Autobots leader transformed. Sari had gone off to ride with Bumblebee instead; Alexis didn't blame the little girl, for if she were younger she would have wanted to keep her distance after being rebuked.

"Wow, thanks for keeping my stuff intact even when transforming." Alexis exclaimed casually, trying to make the mood lighter as she plunked her food bag down among the others.

"Compared to six more hours of driving ahead of us, that is not difficult at all."

Bumblebee's shocked cry burst out of the radio speakers, "What?! You've got to be kidding me!"

Alexis couldn't help but laugh at the other Autobot's dismay, though she did nevertheless prepare herself for this final stage of the journey.