Every single time I update this story, I get a ton of response. Considering the fact that this is my first "Transformers" story in years, that is surprising and fairly flattering. I'm glad that everyone seems happy with how this is going. This isn't the longest chapter, but it should be pretty good.
Annabelle knew that Mommy and Ironhide didn't want her hitting people. Mostly because Ironhide would rather deal with bullies for her instead. Otherwise Carl would have been punched a lot more.
But Tommy deserved every hit. He was mean and a liar. And when he started saying bad things about Ironhide and Chromia specifically, Annabelle started the real attack. She released Wheelie from the cage, knocked the teenager to the ground, and saw the other kids lash out as they followed her lead. Once she accomplished that, Annabelle ran.
She saw Ironhide and Chromia's surprise when she broke cover. They didn't expect her there. But he recovered quickly and managed to meet her partway. And no matter how angry she was at the dumb teenagers, wrapping her uninjured arm briefly around his leg instantly brightened her mood. Her best friend could always cheer her up.
"What are you doing out here, Annabelle?" he asked, tilting his head. "Do your parents know where you are?"
"No," admitted the girl. "But I had to come. My new friends needed me. They were stolen by the teenagers with a van, so I came too. And then Wheelie needed help. And those dumb, mean teenager were being a bunch of lying bullies."
A large metal hand patted her comfortingly. Annabelle smiled in response and leaned into the contact a little more. This was nice. She couldn't wrap both arms around him right now, but she could still give him half a hug and enjoy the sturdy reliability of his presence. And the one good thing about being sort-of kidnapped was that she didn't have to wait for the end of the day to see him.
"I see," Ironhide said evenly. He spoke the words calmly, but she could hear a slight edge to them. "They stole the other children?"
"Katie helped them and she was supposed to be watching us, so I don't know if that means they really kidnapped us or not. But Mommy will still be mad."
"Many people will not be happy with them, Annabelle."
Yep. Like Ironhide. She briefly wondered if he planned to use his cannons on the mean teenagers. He said he would help her with Carl that way once. And Tommy deserved it a lot more.
He deserved to be hit by her. And scared by Ironhide's cannons. And by Mommy. Bullies should be punished for being mean.
"Wheelie, where'd you go?" Sam shouted, climbing over another pile of rubble. "Get out here, robo-rat." Glancing back at his fiancée, he added, "'Kaela, I'm actually starting to worry about the little guy."
"I told you," said Mikaela. "He doesn't just wander off like this."
Since the day she burned out his optic, attached a chain to him, and shoved him in a metal box, Wheelie stuck around. He annoyed Sam to death, but the ex-Con was devoted to Mikaela. And there was no way he'd go very far from her while they were hanging out in the warzone version of Chicago. His "Warrior Goddess" would not approve. And while he did seem to have some respect for Optimus Prime, Sam had no doubts in his mind who held most of Wheelie's respect, loyalty, and obedience.
Only 'Kaela could Stockholm Syndrome a Decepticon this much.
"Because he knows who's the boss of him. And he doesn't want to run into a Decepticon and get killed."
"Which is probably what's happened. I just finished repairing him and he's probably scrap metal now."
Trying to reassure her, Sam said, "I'm sure he's not dead. He's got more lives than a cat."
He honestly was tougher than his size would suggest. Wheelie survived their misadventure to Egypt and the Fallen incident. He and the others survived the spaceship exploding, though that was because they were prepared for an attack. And he survived another spaceship crashing during the battle, the same crash that crushed Brains. So Sam felt confident that the little pest was fine.
Though there were still enough small doubts whispering at the back of his mind that he wanted to make sure. After all, Wheelie was an annoying pest, but he was one that Sam had grown accustomed to dealing with. It would be weird if he was gone. And Mikaela would certainly be upset.
He was worried for Mikaela's sake. That was it. Definitely.
…He really needed to learn how to lie better.
A loud whistle caught both of their attentions, making the young adults snap around to face their companion. Bumblebee tapped the side of his head before gesturing towards one of the side streets. Sam didn't even need a sound clip to understand.
"Got a message from one of the others, Bee? Anything to do with our missing ex-Con?"
"You got it, partner."
Smiling at the line that sounded like it came from a Western, Sam glanced back at Mikaela and said, "There you go. Let's go grab him before something else happens."
Izabelle pinned down Tommy after Annabelle jumped off, Danny joining her with an anxious expression. The dark-haired girl glared down at the teenager. She wouldn't let him get away. Annabelle was depending on them. And it made Izabelle feel better to fight back against someone who deserved it, even if it was Tommy rather than the Decepticons who took everything from her.
But then she caught sight of where the younger girl ran and Izabella froze. Annabelle was right next to the biggest and scariest Cybertronian that Izabella ever saw so close. But she didn't seem to notice the size or the weapons. Annabelle just looked so happy, casually chatting with the giant robot.
He was another good one. Like Wheelie. He was a good and nice Cybertronian.
He was Annabelle's friend.
Snarling words that Izabella's parents would have never allowed under their roof, Tommy rolled out from under the two children. Izabelle glared up from where he knocked her and Danny off. He scrambled to his feet, backing away as he appeared to realize the Cybertronians knew exactly where they were.
"Tommy," shouted Mike, spotting his friend's retreating, "where are you going? What about the kids?"
"Leave them," he yelled back. "Every man for himself. Come on, Emily."
After acting so smart and tough the whole time, he was running away. Izabella couldn't believe it. The teenager was abandoning them. He was leaving them behind.
Coward.
Izabella flung herself to her feet, snatched up a rock, and threw it at Tommy's retreating form. She missed, the rock bouncing off the rubble. But a large blue shape skated in front of the teenager, cutting him off.
"What's your hurry?" asked the blue Cybertronian, balanced comfortably on her tires as she stared down at them. "I don't believe we've even had a proper introduction yet. But you seem to know our Annabelle. Perhaps you should stay a while."
"We insist," the black Autobot said, stepping towards them with Annabelle.
The words were friendly, but there was a dangerous hint in their tones. It wasn't directed towards Izabella or the other children. But the teenagers' eyes seemed wider as they stared up at the towering figures.
Holding up a cellphone as he scurried between Izabella and Danny to get a good angle, Wheelie said, "Yeah, the whole leaving the kids behind to save yourself thing? That's really not going to go over well with your fans. Even if they aren't in any danger, you still thought you were leaving the kids to die."
Kneeling down to his level, Izabella asked, "Hey, you know them, right?"
"Chromia and Ironhide? Yeah. She and her sister turn into motorcycles. And he's a trigger-happy weapon specialist who turns into a truck when he isn't keeping an optic on Annabelle," he described.
"And they… fought the bad robots? The Decepticons? The ones who attack here?"
"All of us did, but they probably took out a big chunk of them. Ironhide is especially good at blasting bots to pieces."
"Can… can you introduce me?"
They fought the Decepticons and drove them out of Chicago. They fought the giant robots that destroyed Izabella's entire world. They might have even fought the Decepticons who specifically killed her family.
The Autobots were heroes. Annabelle's friends were heroes who made all the horrible things stop. And for that, Izabella would always be grateful.
Wheelie glanced at the confused and intrigued children, the looming pair of Cybertronians on either side of the group, and the cowering teenagers. And the entire time, he was capturing everything with the cellphone in his hand.
He then shrugged and said, "Sure. Let's get all of Mini-Ironhide's little friends together and do this right. She can help with introductions. She said your name is Izabella, right?"
"Yes. With a 'Z.' But you can call me 'Izzy' if you like," she said, holding out a hand.
He stared at it a moment, his red eyes difficult to read. Then he chuckled slightly and accepted the offered handshake.
"This is definitely less painful than my first meeting with Warrior Goddess. Come on then, Izzy."
I'm having a lot more fun writing Izabella than I expected. She's a little older than Annabelle and doesn't quite have her bottomless optimism about the world, but she's certainly growing on me a bit. And having her and Annabelle working together and interacting is interesting.
Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story. And remember, feedback is always appreciated.