Chapter 4

Sleep had taken over the young woman when the truck had pulled over at a deserted side stop. The sun had gone down a while ago and the stars were out with the shinning moon. Leila's eyes slowly opened to see the dashboard of the truck she didn't recognize. The blue digital clock was edging towards midnight at this point. Her body was a little stiff from the awkward position that she had dozed off in. Sleep hadn't rubbed away the fact that this wasn't an ordinary vehicle. She moved uncomfortably in the seat as she looked outside the tinted window. The area wasn't very familiar to her. All the highways heading out of the city looked the same to her. What was this difference between this desert highway and the one heading south? She leaned back in the seat and exhaled. How long was she going to have to wait here? Should she talk to the robot or not? She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and jumped when the car horn went off. Her eyes locked onto the many headlights that were heading in her direction.

Sam could not stay still in the driver's seat. Every single movement he would hear the squeak of the leather. He was nervous for all sorts of reasons. Ironhide was the one that reported in more than twelve hours ago that he had found the human. They were supposed to meet a the rendezvous point five hours ago but it had to be delayed and moved. Had the Decepticons tried to get the guy as well? What kind of scene had played out? He didn't want to turn on the radio and hear that alien robots were taking over the world.

He rubbed his face and saw up ahead the black pickup truck. It seemed to be in good condition and the area was clear. The group of vehicles joined together and the teenager climbed out of his yellow camaro. His eyes were locked on the driver's door until it opened. Then he realised that he was holding his breath. Stepping out of the truck was a young woman. He was not expecting that at all. The username would have implied a dorky middle school student with terrible acne but clearly not. At the moment maybe he would have preferred the dork because she was so beautiful.

His green eyes couldn't believe what he was looking at. They had made eye contact when she was a few feet away and it seemed she was equally awkward about the situation. She slowly stepped in front of him and nervously looked behind him at the other vehicles. Oh she knew what they were. He couldn't help but get a good look at her while she was distracted. This was going to be disaster if he couldn't impress her. Oh those freckles were every where… She shifted and looked at him. he wasn't here to get a girlfriend. The world not being destroyed was a little more important at the moment.

The silence between the two were broken when all the Autobots transformed from their alternate forms to their true appearance. Her mouth practically fell open when she saw the whole group together, her body rigid but her eyes didn't stop moving. He stepped closer to her to introduce himself. He couldn't quite make as an impression as the alien robots did but he could try. She turned towards him and flashed a smile. His heart stopped. Why did his nerve have to kick in now? Why couldn't it have been a dork?

'H-hello?' he swallowed hard hoping she didn't catch the question.

'Hi,' her smile grew wider. She definitely knew.

'A-ar-are you Biketbot66? He managed to stay on track.

'Excuse me?' the smile disappear.

'Are you Andrew Anderson?' Is your eBay username Bikerbot66?' the leader's voice boomed.

'No,' she tried to conceal her giggles. 'That's my guy friend's account.'

'Ironhide!' the leader turned to the black robot that saved her. 'You got the wrong human.'

'No I didn't, Prime,' he placed his hands on his sides. 'She does have the glasses.'

'Glasses?' she looked down in thought. 'Do you mean those antic glasses? The ones I bought off eBay?'

'Yes! Do you have them in your procession?'

'No, I don't,' she saw their disappointment. 'I gave them to my father… for his birthday.'

'Where are they now?'

'With my father?' she was quite confused and the leader could tell. 'Do you need those glasses for something?'

The Autobot had some explaining to do. He could not hold off on it any longer. The introduction of the group was necessary for the girl to know. It seemed that she was going to be in their company for a while into the future. He bent down to their level and explained how exactly they had arrived on Earth. Sam had heard this before and he happened to steal a glance at the girl standing next to him. The expression on her freckled face was of complete and utter awe, like a child on Christmas day. Until the mention of the glasses and how important they were to the situation. She scratched her head and then crossed her arms in thought.

'There's no other way to find the All Spark, is there?' she looked up at him.

'If there was another way it would already be in our procession.'

'That's true… so we just have to go get them from my father,' she relaxed her arms.

'Some how that sound easier than it is,' the brunette finally spoke.

'It actually is,' she smiled at him. 'I know where he. We just have to go get them.'

'Excellent,' Optimus stood tall. 'We should make a move before the Decepticon catch wind of our plans and find her father before we do.'

'He's just up state,' she turned to Sam. 'Maybe a few hours drive if the traffic is good.'

'You will be riding with me,' Ironhide bend down to her level. 'It's seems it's my duty to keep you safe.'

'Ironhide, considering the situation, speed is of the essence. The humans will be riding with Bumblebee.'

The black mechanoid seemed to be rather annoyed with the decision as he stood and transformed into his vehicle form. The others did the same. The yellow camero rolled up next to the two humans and the doors opened. A certain type of music was playing and it made the two smile. Sam looked at her one more time and saw that she was taking this whole situation very well. It could barely grasp the fact himself even at this point but it was good that at least one of them hand their head on straight.

'So it seems that you are stuck with me for a little while longer,' she turned to him.

'You make it sound like a death sentence,' when she laughed he was so proud that he didn't mess up that line. 'I'm Sam. Sam Witwicky.'

'Leila Walker,' she put out her hand to shake.

'You seem to be taking this rather well. It's not too much for you?'

'Not really,' she shrugged her shoulders.

He awkwardly stood there until he realised that they had to get going. Not really thinking he opened up the passenger door for the curly haired woman. She looked at him with such a curious looked before stepping inside the car. He ran around to join her inside. Before they could buckle in, the engine had already started and it drove onto the highway. There was utter silence in the car and the brunette moved uncomfortably inside the seat. He stole a glance and noticed that the young woman sat calmly next to him.

'It's unbelievable,' he said casually.

'What is?' her head turned towards him.

'The alien robots. Didn't think they actually excited.'

'Their design is complex and very sophisticated at the same time. The structure is like the human body but mechanical. Nothing like this can ever be achieved by humans. At least not this generation.'

'That's a mouthful,' he laughed. 'You into technology or something?'

'Innovation in development of technology and robotics,' she smiled. 'I want to improve the world's electronics for the overall good.'

'So the Autobots must be a dream come true, eh?'

'You have no idea,' her smile became very wide. 'What do you like?'

'I used to be in sports… until I realized I wasn't good at them,' he awkwardly looked away for a moment. 'Do you play sports?'

'I'm the captain of my rugby team and assistant on the swim team… and president of a few clubs.'

'Wow… do you ever have time to do anything else?'

'My guy friend and I play video games a lot together.'

'You play video games?' he looked at her with the most amazed look. 'Video games… with your guy friend…'

Leila was looking at him with a curious look. He seemed like a sweet guy but it was obvious he was not experienced with talking to the opposite sex. A smirk appeared on her face as she turned to look out of the window. Sam exhaled slowly and tried to keep his eyes on the road. It wasn't like he was driving but he had to keep the charade going. He couldn't keep his eyes off her but he had to keep in mind that they just met. He didn't want to creep her out or anything. His eyes locked onto the radio as he scanned through the channels.

'Sam!'

He instantly looked up to see that the yellow camero was driving on the other side of the road with oncoming traffic. He grabbed control of the wheel to swerve back onto the right side while his right arm thrust to protect his passenger. None of them were hurt. He smacked the dashboard and called his car a very bad name. The brunette rubbed his face in frustration and made sure that one hand was on the wheel at all times, maybe even two. Then it finally clicked in his head. He just cupped a feel in that whole process.

'Sorry about that,' he put both hands on the wheel. 'Bumblebee has some weird behaviours sometimes.'

'It's okay.'

The two didn't talk very much the rest of the ride north. The young woman had given the address to the hotel a while ago but once and a while she had to make sure they took the right exit. It made her really think though. They were advanced robots from any corner of the galaxy at this point and yet they seemed very clumsy on Earth. Couldn't they just hack into any information center that was flying around cyberspace and learn it. She would had to ask.

They entered the city and hit traffic right away. This wasn't going to be very productive so Leila suggested that they just walk to the hotel. It wasn't that far into the city but it would definitely faster. The car seemed to agree right away and the two stepped out. Walking was definitely faster. Sam opened the door for her and she gave him a quick smile. The lobby was very fancy and it screamed very expensive. The brunette kept admiring the decoration as Leila walked up to the receptionist.

'Good evening,' she smiled. 'How can I help you?'

'My father is staying here and I was wondering if he was in.'

'I can check. Name?'

'Samuel Walker.'

The receptionist nodded and went to her work. Leila looked around nervously. There was a huge chance that her father wasn't going to here. Where would he be if he weren't here? She didn't have his meeting schedule nor did she know where those meetings were being held. She was also thinking of what to say to him. How could she ask for those glasses back? Her father was definitely going to ask question about Sam. If he wasn't here what was she going to say to the alien robots? What if the bad alien robots had gotten to him first. A soft hand on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she turned to look into Sam's green eyes.

'Miss?' the receptionist looked up.

'Yes?'

'Mister Walker is not in his room at the moment. Would you like me to leave him a message?'

'I won't be necessary. Thank you for your help.'

She simply turned around, looked at the brunette in front of her and shook her head. She could simply text her father but it wasn't guaranteed he would get the message within the next twenty-four hours. The two started for the door and the young woman had her gaze fixed on the ground. This was really the only chance to prove herself to the robots that were now in their company but she let them down. They wouldn't take this for an answer. They would search the city for the man until they found him or the Decepticon that may have found him. Sam could tell she was acting a little bit different from before and stopped her.

'Leila, it's going to be all right,' he reassured her. 'I'm sure they'll understand.'

'Understand?' she couldn't look at him. 'Do you realise that id he isn't here he could be everywhere? The glasses could already be lost.'

'That's impossible. Optimus would know if the Decepticons had them.'

'No he wouldn't,' she made eye contact and he saw something in those hazel eyes that he couldn't quite put his finger on. 'They can't even find the location of the All Spark with all their advanced technology. It doesn't make sense to me.'

The most frightening thing was that her expression and voice were calm but her eyes told how she was feeling. Never had he seen this before. She slipped out of his hand and headed for the door. There was no point running after her and continuing the conversation. Something deeper was happening and he had the feeling it wasn't the time to ask about it. But he couldn't let her leave alone so he caught up to her. He reached for the door to open it but it flung towards him and a man pushed through. He was tall, built but definitely was in his fifties. His hazel eyes were locked onto his smart phone and he loosely carried a briefcase in the other arm. The expression on Leila's face changed as she placed a hand on the man's forearm. Sam made the connection instantly when he got a better look at his eyes. They were the young woman's.

'Dad!'

'Leila? I just got your message,' he put away his phone. 'I wasn't expecting you to be here.'

'I actually came looking for something,' she put on a face.

'Is there something wrong at home? Is your mother all right?' he looked concerned.

'Everything's fine at home,' she sighed. 'I was wondering if I could borrow the glasses I just gave you?'

'What for?'

'A history project, sir,' Sam stepped into the conversation. 'Exploration of the Arctic Circle. Very interesting stuff.'

'Leila, who is this handsome young man? He's not Andy,' a broad smile appeared on his face.

'Sam. Sam Witwicky. I'm a friend of your daughter's,' he extended his hand to the man.

'A pleasure… what a polite young man,' the smile just kept getting bigger.

'Dad, please. Can I just have the glasses?' she was clearly annoyed and embarrassed by her father's behaviour. 'We're kind of in a little bit of a hurry too.'

'Okay, sweetie.'

The man manoeuvred his briefcase in front of him and opened it. Inside the black casing was a neat arrangement of papers, pens and folders. The old case was the only object that stood out among the office work. He quickly placed it in his daughter's hand and she opened it to see the condition of the content. It was still in one piece. She handed the case to her companion and wrapped her arms around her father. She said her goodbyes and kissed him on the cheek. Leila forced herself not to roll her arms when he winked at her. He was just impressed that the brunette wasn't Andy.

'Your father seems nice,' Sam was joined outside.

'Yes until he puts you under the spotlight with twenty questions,' she sighed. 'He's just glad that you're not Andy.'

'Your guy friend?'

'He's the one that actually stuck. There were so many others.'

Sam didn't want to say anything. Well he couldn't find anything to say to her. It sounded like she had gone around the block a few times and she was clearly a little embarrassed to talk about it. They had just met. Maybe there was something more to this guy friend and the others for that matter. The two walked down to the intersection to meet their robotic friends but there was a no show. They looked around nervously to see if they were further down the street and hadn't made it past the traffic yet. Something wasn't right though. They should have been there.

'Leila?' her father's voice echoed from inside the hotel.

They couldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The young woman took a few steps towards her father but stopped when she saw the expression on his face. He wasn't even looking at her but beyond her. Her head slowly turned around. What could have caught his attention? What indeed? Her eyes locked upon two robots running up the street. Soon it became three. She turned back to see her father with the most confused look on his face. She could almost share the same feeling.

'Sam! Leila!' Ironhide yelled. 'Decepticons are approaching. We must leave. Do you have the glasses?'

'Yes.'

'Leila, what's going on? What is that? A robot? How does it know your name?'

'Dad. Just stay here and you will be safe.'

'Safe? What are you talking about?'

His daughter didn't have time to answer because the teenager pulled her away from him. The two disappeared into the crowd of people that were now fleeing the city. He watched in utter shot and surprise as three robots ran past him. The pedestrians were not sure if they should run in the direction the robots were heading or run away from them. The city was now in chaos and soon would explode more so because another sort of robot had entered.