We now resume your previously scheduled programming.
Sam leaned out his window, waving the glasses. "Hey! Hey I got—What is this? This isn't hiding. This isn't hiding! This is my backyard, not a truck stop!" Toni put her head in her hand. They were transformed in the yard, weren't they? Mikaela stifled a hysterical giggle behind her hand as Optimus stepped up to the window.
Toni had to choke back a laugh as the big bot hurriedly said "Calm down, calm down. Autobots, fall back."
"Well, no, wait! Now we don't need you to hide; I have the glasses! No, no, no—get back here and take them!" Metallic shuffling increased as Sam's voice got higher. Puberty was picking a bad time to kick in.
"Optimus, the boy's stress levels are fascinatingly high." Oh, medibot had NO idea. "I would love to—" Ratchet cut off abruptly as the ground shook. Toni braced herself, wide eyed. The heck was that?
"Wow! That was tingly!" Nevermind, she didn't want to know. Toni could hear shouting from downstairs as the house settled.
"Judy! Judy, get under the table! Move it! Duck and cover right now!"
"How did you get over there so fast?"
Mikaela turned to move towards where Toni was sitting, and Toni sighed. Her fun was coming to an end. However, Optimus had her back.
"Ratchet, point the light." Then, the brightest light in the galaxy was shined through the window. Toni slapped her hands over her eyes as Mikaela cried out. Yup, that was near instant blindness. Sam's panicked voice was heard over the shouts from downstairs.
"Shut it off! Shut it off!" Flailing around blindly, he made his way to the window. "For the love of GOD, turn the light off!" He smacked into the wall next to Toni as she blinked violently. My God, what were those? LEDs on steroids?
"Sam?" And here comes Ron, head of the neighborhood watch. Everyone look out! Toni blinked away more black spots; well, look out if you still had eyes.
"How come the door's locked?" Judy's slightly tipsy voice sounded from the other side of the door, and Toni grinned. Oh, this would be wonderful. Sam darted around the room as Ron started counting down—who did that anyway?—shoving Mikaela behind the chair next to Toni with a muttered "Stay there, don't move". Mikaela rubbed her eyes once more, blinking as she looked around. Then eye contact was made. Her mouth dropped as Toni waved hi. She never got to respond, because right then Sam opened his door.
"What's up? What's with the bat?" Really Sam? That was the best you could come up with? Crunching from outside the window and Toni leaned up to peer out quickly. She didn't see any of the bots; thank goodness too. Imagine trying to explain that to Ron and Judy?
Actually, just imagine Judy.
Ron shoved past him into the room, shining his flashlight around the room. The beam passed right over Toni, but no one noticed. Mikaela gave her an incredulous look, to which Toni shrugged. What could you do? "Who were you talking to?" Look see, that pathetic ploy didn't even fool Ron! That's how bad it was, Sam. Toni vowed to teach him to lie better. "Is Toni in here with you?" Oh right, she should probably make her way out of the room.
"I'm talking to you," Sam stuttered, eyes darting over to the window. He relaxed slightly at the empty frame. Just be glad you can't see the yard, Sam. "Wait, Toni? Isn't she coming over next week?"
"No, it's this week." Judy was looking him over, concern overriding her buzz. "Why are you so sweaty and filthy?" She brushed at his clothes with one hand, the other still holding a glass of wine. Priorities.
"I'm a child. You know, I'm a teenager." Sam shrugged, stepping back from the doorway
"We heard voices and noises and we thought maybe you were…" Ron cut Judy off, sweeping the room again with the flashlight. He deemed it empty, missing the two teenage girls crouched in the corner of the room.
"Doesn't matter what we thought. What was that light?"
"No," voice crack "what light? What? There's no light, Dad! There's no light!" He gestured wildly towards Ron. "You got two lights in your hand! That's what it is."
"There was light under the door." Ron's conviction was pushing Sam. He was twitching and fidgeting.
"Look, you can't… You can't just bounce into my room like that!" Subject change initiated; can Sam carry through? "You got to knock. You got to communicate!" Bad move. Good distraction though.
"We knocked." Ron looked at him, head tilted to the side. Toni crouched and began the slow duck walk over to the window.
"You didn't knock." Sam's body movements got more harried. "You were screaming at me, okay? This is repression, what you're doing here." Holy cow, Toni took it back. Sam could pull some verbal jukes. She slipped up onto the window sill. "You're ruining my youth, okay?" Slam dunk!
"Oh, for Pete's sakes! You are so defensive…" Judy paused. "Were you masturbating?" Toni choked on her spit, face slamming down onto the window frame. What? Mikaela shoved her face into the back of the chair, shoulders shaking.
"Was I… no, Mom." Toni had never heard Sam sound so mortified. Oh that's right, his longtime crush was hearing this. Said crush was currently hyperventilating in the corner.
"It's okay," Judy soothed as she took a sip from her glass. Toni slipped out the window and dropped down to hang from the sill. Dang it, why was Sam's the only room with nothing outside the window?
"No, I don't masturbate!" Toni swung her body to the right, barely catching the lattice roof over the patio. The timber caught her in her stomach, knocking the window out of her; that was probably the only reason she didn't make a sound at the sight below here. Bumblebee was on all fours on the veranda, wings hitting the hanging lights. It was adorable, and entirely unstealthy.
"That's not something for you to bring up." Wow, even Ron was shocked at that turn of conversation. Toni raised her head up and found herself face to leg plate with flame painted metal. Optimus was pushing himself up onto the roof slightly, helm facing away from her. Toni looked around his leg; there was her window. Great. "That's a father and son thing, okay?" Sam echoed Ron with a "Father-son thing".
Toni slowly inched her way behind where Optimus's leg was propped for traction, army crawling across the lattice. "I mean, you don't have to call it that word if that makes you uncomfortable." And through all of this, Judy just kept chugging. "You can call it Sam's happy time or…" Sam choked. "…my special alone time…" Metallic chuckles were heard from the bots hiding nearby.
"Stop Mom stop." Toni took a moment to wonder how Mikaela was taking this, as she slipped all the way around the giant metal limb. A flash of light reflected into her eyes, making her halt her wall crawl. Glancing down, she saw the silver one—Jazz, if she remembered right—tilt his head out from under the overhang to look at her. She froze.
"Judy, stop." Ron's voice was strained. Judy, however, was not deterred. She was going to finish this sentence if it killed everyone listening.
"…with myself." Toni stared at the intelligence officer, before hesitantly raising a hand in a wave. Well really, what else was there to do?
"Mom, you can't come in and…" A giant metal foot stuck out from behind Jazz, followed by a cannon. Found the weapons expert.
"I'm sorry. It's just been a weird night. I've had a little bit to drink." That was very obvious. Jazz cheerfully raised a hand, waving back at her—and hitting the side of the house lightly.
"Earthquake! It's another one! Another earthquake! Get in the doorway!" Toni wobbled, flailing her arms about in a desperate attempt to not fall off the side of the house. Lunging to her left, she grasped her window sill and yanked herself in.
Lying on the floor gasping, Toni listened. "Come on, get out of that tub."
"Can't you take safety seriously? Toni does! She always listens to my safety instructions." Ron paused. "She probably pulled over during the first 'quake and is waiting out the aftershocks. She'll probably call soon. You know, she was out looking for you."
"Good Lord, this floor is filthy, Sam." Toni dragged herself up to look out her window. Jazz was looking at her with what Toni assumed was concern. She gave him a thumbs up, and he smiled and slipped back beneath the overhang. Just in time too, as Ron stuck his head out to look at the yard. Toni slipped back down, and went for the hall.
"Oh, no! Look at the yard. The yard is destroyed." Toni snuck towards the garage. She was going to pretend she had just gotten there, like Ron suggested. "Judy? Better call the city. We got a blown transformer! Power pole's sparking all over the place!" Down the stairs, through the kitchen.
"The parents are very irritating," Mechanical cowboy made his comment. "Can I take them out?" Toni paused by the fridge. Well, that was an escalation.
"Ironhide, you know we don't harm humans." Also, this was a loud conversation for a set of robots trying to hide. "What is with you?"
"Well, I'm just saying we could. It's an option." D'aww. Sheepish giant mechanical robots were the cutest things. Slipping out into the garage, Toni sat for a moment to catch her breath. She soon heard voices from the kitchen area.
"…I want you to distract my parents while I slip out and get these glasses to them, okay?" That was her cue. Toni stood up and made to open the door when she heard a knock at the door. She climbed up onto the cabinet to look out the window in the garage wall. All she could see through the filmy glass were unmarked black vans and guys in suits. That was… not good.
"Ron Wickity?" Ron must have answered the door. Toni leaned to her right a bit to look towards the front door. She could barely make out the forms of several men at the front door.
"It's Witwicky. Who are you?" Slipping down from cabinet, Toni grabbed the metal bat leaning nearby. This had sketchy written all over it.
"We're the government. Sector Seven." Sector Seven? Why did that sound familiar? And also like an eighties boyband?
"….we think it's involved in a national security matter." Footsteps outside the garage door drew Toni's attention, and she darted over behind Ron's megatool chest. The men heaved the garage door open, peering around at the dingy garage. They focused their lights on the motorbike sitting in the center of the room.
"You're not taking my son." Whoa, what? Toni snapped her head away from the invading suits. What would these guys want with Sam? She narrowed her eyes; spaz he may be, but felon he was not.
"Clean!" Oh right, these guys first. Then she would cover for her cousin. They were moving away from her bike, running what looked like a metal detector over everything. Beep-Beep! "I got residue!" That came from the one closest to her. Toni gripped her bat tighter; if they got any closer, she was going to have to risk jail time. That is, if they were even government in the first place.
"Sam! Do not say anything, Sam!" And there goes the family, being pushed into different vans. As they drove off, Toni clenched her teeth. Well great. Now what?
Looking around the garage, she tensed. If she moved fast enough, she might be able to make it to her bike and get it started before they reached her. The man closest to her moved closer.
"Five rads!" Closer. "Ten rads!" Closer. "Fifteen rads!" Now. Toni swung her bat, smacking the guy in the temple. He hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Toni dashed across the garage and shoved her key into the ignition. "Hey!" One of the men yelled, reaching for his gun. Toni opened up the throttle to full, rocketing out of there with her helmet in her lap.
Now, to find Sam.
"Oh, grand theft auto, that ain't nothing?" Simmons goaded, smirking at the teens in the back. He opened his mouth to push them further, when his phone rang. He flicked it open and put it to his ear. "Simmons. Go ahead."
"Sir, there was another person at the residence." Simmons sat up straighter. What? "We were unable to detain them, but before she evaded us, a technician she assaulted got a rad reading on her. Fifteen, sir."
He leaned back in his seat slightly. "That's direct contact. Find this individual and detain her! I want her brought in for questioning immediately."
"Yes sir!" Simmons hung up his phone, and looked back at the two teens. The rad meter on the car began beeping wildly. "It is time to talk."
"Holy—" The agent driving the car swerved desperately in an attempt to avoid the giant robot standing in the road. "Big! It's big!" Simmons swung to face the front, just in time to see them hit the leg.
"Go, go, go, go!" He chanted as the van was picked up. Broken glass and dust filled the interior of the vehicle.
"I can't see it! I can't see it!" Then the top of the van was gone, and big blue eyes stared down at the occupants as the van dropped to the pavement. Simmons felt his jaw go slack as those huge eyes narrowed on him.
"Taking the children was a bad move."
So a bit of a longer chapter, but really. It is such a pain trying to break up this particular scene, so I didn't even try. Tell me what you think.