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When I woke, again, I was on a large cargo aircraft. I shifted in my seat and straightened my back. Soft music was playing in the background, it was almost creepy in this setting.
"What is this crap?" Epps' voice called out, "Listen to something else."
"Rahab is still resting." One person, someone I didn't know said.
"No, actually she isn't." I said, letting them know I was awake. The music changed, going into a more stereotypical likes of a black man.
"Good morning, Tweety." That was Mitchell, he was also one of the people I had fought with, though he had such a normal, average face, it was easy to let one's eyes slide past him. A good asset when it came to blending in.
"And here I thought I was dead, again." I stretched against the buckle holding me and popped it off. The autobots were in their alt. forms in the center. "So, where are we?"
"Flying back to Diego Garcia, our base of operation." Lennox said I nodded. "What have you been up to, Ra? We lost all communication with you after the battle. You disappeared off the radar. No one could find you."
"Well, when you're me, you've kinda gotta stay off the radar. Even though it meant that I had no communication with anyone else. Sorry." The plane shifted as we started to descend.
"This is your captain speaking, fasten your seat belts, comrades. We're coming in for landing."
"You heard the man." Lennox made a sign with his hands and everyone sat, "That means you too, Rahab."
"Yeah, yeah." I sat back in the seat I had been in and put back on the restraint. Not long after, the wheels could be heard squealing against the black top, slowing us to a stop.
"We have made yet another successful landing." The pilot spoke with his most commercialized voice, "Thank you for ridding air Jordan, join us again next w-"
"Can it Jordan!" One of the soldiers yelled back as the door opened.
"Nah." The man said over the loudspeaker and kept talking.
We disembarked the carrier side by side the autobots. The sun beat down on us. It was about noon. Everyone began to go their separate ways. I was left walking aimlessly around, though I didn't mind it. Anything was better than a dog crate.
"Ra," Lennox called me over. He stood next to a woman in uniform, "Sergeant Marshall, meet Rahab, Rahab, Marshall. She's going to be bringing you to get cleaned up. Come to the main chamber afterwards. We have a lot of debriefing to do."
"Roger that Colonel." I saluted then laughed as he shook his head, "Alright, Sergeant Marshall, were to?"
"First we're taking you to the showers. No offense, but you stink." She began walking away, "Follow me."
"Never been really good at that, but okay." I closed my eyes as we walked throughout the base. My mind quickly made a map of their compound as I allowed my echolocation to do its work.
"Here we are." I reopened my eyes and nodded. Their showers were better than I expected for a military base. It allowed for privacy and warm water. Though it wasn't the best kept place, I wasn't complaining. After all, I hadn't had a shower in a few months.
"Hey, Marshall, sorry I don't know your first name." I said through the stall door after I shut the water off, "Do you by chance have a pair of scissors?" I wrapped the towel around me and walked out.
"Just a combat knife." She showed me her holster.
"That will do."
"What are you planning on doing with it?" She asked, eye me as she handed it over. If I had to guess, she was freaked to find out that not only my arm and leg were metal, but that I had feathery appendages on my back.
"Do you see this mop I have on my head?" It was a total mess. The ends were singed, and frayed and couldn't be saved. "Some of it has to go." Unlike most girls, I didn't cherish my hair. It often times got in way of the battle, and when I flew it would whip me in the face. I carefully put my hair up in a ponytail and lined the knife up for the cut. With one swift hack, a little more than half of my hair fell to my feet. I let my hair down and examined it in the mirror.
When I was satisfied, I gave her back the knife and the Sergeant handed me a stack military fatigues and boots. After I had cut an area for my wings to exit, I threw them on and walked out. I only wore the t-shirt, pants, and boots (and undergarments), not the jacket. It was way too hot for that. Then, she handed me an eye patch, "The colonel said you may want it."
I nodded in thanks and walked back to my mirror. It was still odd to be able to see myself like this. I closed my unseeing eye and placed the patch over it. It actually helped a lot. I carefully tied it behind my head and fixed my freshly cut hair.;
"If I may ask…" The Sergeant started as we began walking back. "How did you lose your…"
"It's not something I like to talk about." That came out a little harsher than I meant it to.
"I'm sorry if the question offended you." She quickly apologized.
"No, no it's not that." I held up my hands, "Sorry. It's fine. You don't know anything about me though do you?"
"Not other than you were in the battle at mission city and you were the one to end Megatron." She answered truthfully.
"Well, my name's Rahab. I'm a genetic experimentation. And, in regard to these-" I motioned to my cybertronian limbs, "After a particularly horrible… accident, my limbs were chopped off and replaced with these. There was nothing heroic about it. But, that happened when I was only about six, so I don't remember a lot about it."
"I'm sorry." She apologized once again.
"It's fine." I looked up to the blue sky, "There's nothing you could've done, nor anyone. All that matters is that they're stopped before anyone else gets hurt."
"We're here." The Sergeant broke the silence that had fallen as we walked, "Welcome to the Autobots' hangar."
"Thank you, Sergeant Marshall." I shook her hand.
"Beka. My name's Beka." She smiled.
"Well, thank you Beka. Your help is very much appreciated. Until we meet again." I nodded to her and entered the building. She left to go back to wherever it was she was supposed to be.
When I entered the big guy was talking with "the General." Epps walked over to me, "You gotta wonder." He said, almost to himself, "If God made us in his image, who made him?"
"Who knows." I said as Epps lead me in.
"Your hair's shorter." He observed.
"It got in my way." I shrugged, "So I cut it. Is there a problem with that."
"Not at all. It suits you better." He said, "Optimus is speaking with General Morshower right now."
I picked up bits and pieces of their conversation. "What's that noise?" There was a distinct hum. Almost as if someone was tapping into something.
"What noise?" Epps asked.
I tilted my head to tell him, but then it was gone, "Never mind. Must've been my imagination." An unfamiliar man caught my attention. Now, there were a lot of unknowns around me, but this guy just stood out like a sore thumb, "Who's uptight here, in the suit?"
"Galloway. The President sent him in. I guess the little fight we got in left some unanswerable questions. Especially with those robot friends of yours."
"They shouldn't be a problem." I pointed out, "They disintegrate as soon as they are no longer operational."
"That's the problem. We told them about our little encounter, but they don't believe without proof."
"Well they can get over themselves. The flyboys and Itex have been doing the dirty right under their noses for years. There were signs everywhere and they're the one's who did nothing about it." I took a deep breath to calm myself, "Sorry. Topics like that get me riled up very quickly."
"Excuse me." An annoying overconfident voice filled the air, interrupting all conversation, "With this so-called Allspark now destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?"
If only they knew. I thought. (Then again, neither do you. But that's for a later time).
"Director Galloway, our National Security Advisor." Lennox introduced, "The President just appointed him liaison. Which, to a…"
Morshower began to speak, his voice surprisingly clear over the communications device, "Well, I guess I didn't get that memo."
I walked over to Optimus and spread my wings, taking perch on his shoulder, the others were too preoccupied to notice the flying girl, "It looks like this is quite the mess. That guy… I don't like him."
"Ra." Optimus said in greetings, "There are many things this man does not understand."
"Tell me about it. Not even two minutes in and he's already spewing junk that is easy to explain if only he gave us a moment."
He chuckled, "How have you been?" His blue eyes turning to me.
"Well, I'm fine now. That's all that matters. I see you guys have been busy. Though, I guess I should let you get back to it. This guy, he may be an idiot, but he's an idiot that means business."
Optimus nodded. He moved his hand to his shoulder and waited as I climbed on, then he set me on the metal walkways where the majority of the talking was being done. I sat on the edge as I watched the goings on. Lennox nodded to me, letting me know at least he saw me, while the others just ignored or plain didn't see the mysterious girl.
"But who are you to judge what's best for us?" Galloway countered one of Optimus' statements.
"With all do respect," I could tell Lennox, like me was barely holding back against his anger, "We've been fighting side by side in the field for two years." He hid it well though.
"We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together." Epps added from below.
They must have been fighting hard. I thought.
"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not to talk." Galloway yipped. That's what he sounded like to me. A little dog yapping away. Annoying.
I caught Epps' quiet remark, "Don't tempt me."
I held in a snort.
"And the, ah," Galloway returned his attention to Optimus, "newest members of your team. I understand they arrived here after you sent a message into space, an open invitation to come to Earth, vetted by no one at the White House."
"Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway." Morshower spoke over his ramblings to get his attention, "It was vetted right here. And in my experience, the judgment of both Major Lennox and his team had always been above reproach."
"Well," Galloway continued, "Be that as it may, General, it is the position of the President that when our national security is at stake… No one is above reproach. Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE-One-"
My blood went cold at the mention of Megatron. The noise from earlier came back, stronger.
"A.K.A Megatron, is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full-time submarine surveillance. We also know that the only remaining piece of your alien Allspark-"
"Shut up." I suddenly yelled, jumping up, away from the rail.
Everyone turned to me. Galloway's mouth hung open, "W-who is this girl?"
"Sorry for the interruption." I walked over to the computer and stuck my hand against it. My eye glowed blue.
"Rahab." Optimus voice reached my ears, "What is it?"
"The conversation is being tapped." My own voice sounded distant and almost as if it weren't mine.
"Ra." Lennox tried to touch my shoulder when my cybertronian arm began smoldering. He hissed when I had burned him.
My mind went elsewhere. High above us, in space was a decepticon, listening to our every word. It was soon, fought off by the presence in my head. The one I had obtained after the battle of Mission City. The one my voice had warned me about. The AllSpark.
The presence nearly made my mind go blank, but soon, I regained control of my body. Soundwave, the decepticon that had been listening in was detached, though I feared the damage had already been done.