6. Prime Conversations
Jeffery stalked down the hall, very angry and very worried. He had just gotten a call from Miller saying they had found Peyton's car, totaled from crashing into a tree. There were trace amounts of blood on the steering wheel, but nothing that would indicate that the crash was fatal. But Peyton wasn't there. The semi was also MIA though there was already a BOLO out on both of them, especially because a CSI had gone missing as well.
The supervisor rattled less then positive ideas in his mind when it came to the fate of his goddaughter while at the same time tossing in some adjectives to correlate with her such as stupid, irresponsible, and reckless. Stopping in the middle of the hall he slammed his fist into a wall startling everyone that happened to be around him at the moment. He didn't look sorry as he continued to make his way towards his office. Miller was standing there already looking grim.
"There's nothing," he said softly. "They found tire treads from the truck and a smaller off-road vehicle driving side by side until they reached the road. We have no idea where they are now."
That wasn't what Jeffery wanted to hear. "I want every cop on this, now," he said fiercely. "As far as I'm concerned this is the only crime in Vegas tonight."
Miller huffed a heavy breath, but still nodded and left the office. Jeffery whipped out his cell phone and called Kelly, Carter, and Grant into his office. They were there within the minute. Kelly gnawed on her lip anxiously while Grant seemed to be a little more composed. Jeffery subtlety looked over to Carter. His face was unusually pale and his eyes remained downcast.
"Kelly, Carter; you're with me at the scene. If you think for a second that it's some sort of evidence I want it bagged and processed."
"Right," Kelly affirmed.
Carter nodded as well, looking up at his boss and mentor, his eyes angry, worried and held something else that wasn't totally recognizable.
"Grant," Jeffery turned to toward the Korean man, "I want you with Miller on I-15 getting speed cameras. I want to see that truck on one of them with any off-road vehicle you can pick up with a license plate number clear as day."
"Yes, sir," Grant replied.
"Get to work."
With that dismissal, they didn't stick around for small talk or ask any questions, each going to grab their equipment. Jeffery dropped into his chair, holding his weary face in his hands. Now alone, he released a shaky sigh that was mixed with a strangled sob. His cell phone started buzzing wildly on his desk. Looking up and wiping the tears that had managed to escape his eyes he looked at the caller ID and cursed under his breath at the name illuminated on the screen.
What the hell was he going to tell Ellen?
She awoke when the truck jostled under her. Opening her eyes, she didn't dare move. She was in the back of the semi, lying on a bench seat. Her head throbbed hard enough to blur her vision momentarily. On the floor between the front seats, she could see her bag and idly wondered who went to her car and grabbed it. As steady as possible and trying to keep her breathing regular, Peyton reached for her hip where her gun should have been. The holster was empty.
"Sergeant Epps took your weapon and your phone," a deep voice said from the radio. "We relieved them while you were unconscious."
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
"You fainted," was the simple reply.
"Yeah," she spat sarcastically. "Clearly."
The voice didn't reply to her sarcasm. Slowly getting up, she moved to the front of the truck, watching in mute fascination as the steering wheel moved on its own. Cautiously she sat on the passenger side and watched it. As they came upon a large green road sign, she could see a list of towns, all with varying distances.
"Where are you taking me?"
"We are approximately forty-six miles from the city of Tranquility."
"Why are you taking me there?" Peyton asked. "This is kidnapping."
"I am afraid I might have revealed myself to you prematurely," Optimus said. "In Tranquility there are other humans who know of our existence and we have come to call them our friends. I thought it would be best for you to meet them."
"Pull over and let me out right now."
"I cannot do that."
"You have no right to take me anywhere."
"In revealing myself to you, you have been made aware of our presence, which under the NBE Contact Protocol I have to take you in for debriefing."
"What the hell is an NBE?"
"A non-biological extraterrestrial."
Peyton's breathe caught in her throat. "What are you?"
"We are autonomous robotic life forms from a planet called Cybertron. For short, we go by Autobots."
"Autobots," she whispered, feeling foreign word roll off her tongue. "You're aliens."
"Yes."
"I can't believe this," she whispered, her eyes wide. Peyton tentatively leaned back in the seat. "How many of you are here exactly?"
"There are several of my kind currently residing on this planet. Some are…friendlier than others," he replied cryptically. "Our newest comrade, you have just met."
Looking in the side mirror, she could see the Jeep Wrangler driving behind them and a name popped into her head. "Hound, right?"
"That's right."
"And you're taking me to Tranquility because that's where your secret alien base is?"
"We do not have a 'secret alien base,'" he said with a tone of amusement. "I am taking you to Tranquility because there are other humans there that are far better suited to explain to you what has been going on this passed year."
"So Mission City," she began, "all those viral videos were real?"
"A handful of the city's citizens managed to obtain videos of the battle through digital cameras and mobile devices and post them on the Internet. While nearly all were eventually removed it was still too late. Between the thirty-six videos posted they collectively received well over 100 billion hits."
Peyton ran her uninjured hand through her hair. "I can't believe this," she said again.
"Most humans have difficulty accepting it at first. It is why your government has been trying to keep us secret from the public for the time being."
She laughed dryly. "Of course the government knows! You'd think they'd put out a warning for law enforcement, but no. I put a giant alien robot into evidence! Oh, my…I was going to tear you apart!" Dropping her face into her hands, she tried to breathe deeply.
"Hence why I decided it was time to leave."
"Yeah, sorry about that," she apologized sheepishly. "If I had known you were alive I would've…" she chuckled to herself, "probably freaked out anyway."
Optimus' voice was friendly. "Think nothing of it. You didn't know."
"So, I'm going to go out on a limb," she began, "and say you are the good guys. I saw some of those videos myself."
"Ideally."
"And you said your name was…Optimus, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, I guess it's nice to meet you, Optimus. I'd introduce myself, but you already know my name."
"Peyton Callaghan age twenty-five, CSI level two. Born December 30, 1982 and the only child of Michael and Ellen Callaghan."
Peyton blinked dumbly. "Whoa," she said. "Kinda creepy."
"It's not difficult to find information on individual humans through the Internet."
"Where did you find that?"
"The Las Vegas crime lab's employee files."
"Huh," she mused. "Anything else you learn about me from the Internet."
"Your supervisor," he said, "Jeffery Ellis, is listed as one of your emergency contacts. He is also your godfather."
Peyton sat up, startled. "Oh shit, Jeffery! He's probably looking for me. He'd probably the entire city looking for me! You! Us!"
"We had better hurry then."
Peyton watched as the petal on the floor went down, the engine revving as the semi sped up the jeep behind them keeping up. She grabbed her seatbelt out of habit and put it on. She wondered how long it had been since she passed out and was taken. But by now there had to be a BOLO out on them, but she didn't see any patrol cars on the road. She supposed she should've considered them lucky.
"Optimus," a southern accented voice said through the radio, "we have five squad cars and one chopper inbound to our position."
Then again, maybe not.
"ETA?"
"Five minutes. I'll use a cloak, hold on."
"A cloak?" Peyton asked. "What's that?"
"It'll change Optimus' appearance so he ain't so noticeable. I mean really, sir. Flames? Ya stick out like a sore thumb."
There was a grin in Optimus' voice. "Duly noted."
Hound was silent for a moment. "Alright, yer all set. Basic, rusty, old white. The license plate is Utah 349 BPQ. They should move right passed us."
"Alright," Optimus said. "Let's put some space between us."
"You got it."
Optimus moved into the far right lane when permitted and slowed it down to a more legal speed for a semi truck. Hound remained where he was, speeding past them. Keeping a few car lengths ahead in a separate lane.
"Peyton," Optimus said, "I need you to sit in the driver seat. It needs to look like someone is driving."
Peyton swallowed nervously, but took off her seatbelt and moved over into the seat. Grabbing the seatbelt, she put it on and tentatively put her hands on the steering wheel. She didn't hold on to it though, letting it slide through her hands.
"Here they come," Hound said.
Looking in the side mirror, Peyton could see the tell-tale lights on top of the squad cars and hear the whirl of the chopper blades. They weren't flashing, not yet, but they were getting closer. Anyone in a position of being kidnapped would be grateful to see such a sight, but Peyton only felt uneasy. She didn't know what would happen if they were made. Last minute, she reached for her bag and pulled out her LVPD hat. Putting her hair into a ponytail, she stuffed it under the hat hoping that it would make her look a little less like herself.
"Relax," Optimus said gently.
Peyton released her breath slowly and forced her shoulders down and sat back in the seat. "I'm good," she assured. "I'm good." She was pretty sure that second one was for herself.
The cop cars came up along side them and slowed on Optimus' left. She could feel the eyes of the cops inside and mentally wagered if she knew them or not. They didn't stick around for long however. While Optimus may have still been a Peterbilt his color and license seemed to be enough. Peyton released a heavy breath. Just to be safe, however, Hound kept the cloak up for the rest of the trip. Peyton remained in the driver's seat, hands clasped in her lap, watching almost hypnotically as the steering wheel twisted and jerked. When they arrived in Tranquility Peyton still wondered if there was a secret alien base, but alas, she was left surprised when Optimus headed towards the park on the edge of town. On a moderately high cliff, inaccessible to people, Optimus and Hound drove up the steep hilled side to get to the top where Peyton was greeted by the sight of Tranquility below them.
It was the temporary meeting place for the Autobots until they were given a more permanent location. No humans came up this way mostly because they couldn't. The hill was too steep for Earth's vehicles and while the Autobots borrowed their forms they didn't borrow their limitations. It was as private as they were going to get while staying close to each other. It was a lot of ask for some of the contacts to leave the homes, such as Glen and Maggie, who left DC behind, but Optimus was hopeful that they would eventually have a base they could call their own.
The United States government was a little apprehensive about the idea of the Autobots having a base of operations for many legitimate reasons that Optimus couldn't fault the humans for. The current bill under review listed ordinances and guidelines as well as explanations for what the Autobots wanted to do while Earth, explaining that they only wished to help. The secret bill was still under a lot of speculation. The Autobots were unsure of its fate, given that there were so many levels that it needed to pass, not to mention the country was in political and economic turmoil while a new presidential election was being held, but Keller assure them that he was confident it would succeed.
With the Decepticons still outnumbering the Autobots and having probably already built their own base in secret the President would hopefully be enlightened by the situation as well as his successor. Decepticon activity, however, was very minimal and not enough to spark immediate alarm yet. But one could ask any Autobot and he would tell you that something was coming. They were only biding their time.
Optimus' door popped open and Peyton took that as her cue to get out. Once safely on the ground Optimus transformed. Standing at his full height, she found it hard to believe how big he really was.
Epps came up beside her, Hound standing behind him. "We called Ratchet on the way," he said, looking up at the Autobot commander. "He said he'd get a hold of everyone else and they would meet us here."
"Good," Optimus replied agreeably. Kneeling down he offered his hand to Peyton. "Come, there are some things we need to discuss before they arrive."
Peyton stared at his hand, knowing what was being asked of her, but unsure if she should do it. Looking nervously at Epps, he seemed curious as to what she would do, crossing his arms as he watched her. Releasing a heavy breath before biting her lip, she walked forward and climbed into his hand, holding onto his thumb as he stood. The warmth of his metal hand surprised her, not that all dissimilar to that of the hood of a car with a warm engine.
Hound and Epps watched the two walked some distance away from them where they wouldn't be overheard.
"Is he gonna ask her what I think he'd gonna ask her?" Epps questioned while looking up at his new partner.
Hound thought for a moment, crossing his arms. "Possibly. Since everyone 'ere seems to want to keep us a secret it would only make sense that he'd ask her to stay with us."
"Man, oh, man, oh man…" Epps groaned.
"What's wrong now?" Hound asked exasperatedly.
"All of the contacts so far were involved with what happened a year ago from Sam using the Cube to kill Megatron, me and Will, even Jason was in the city the day of the battle. But this Peyton chick, it's almost like she's an outsider."
"Is that a problem?"
"It makes it easier for her to say no."
"Gooooooooood morning San Franciscoooooo!"
"No, Bumblebee, it's not morning yet…And this is not San Francisco."
"Wake up! Grab a brush a put on a little makeup!"
Sam groaned loudly into his pillow.
"Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! I got a beautiful feeling—"
Sam shot up from his bed, armed with his pillow. "Shut up!" he cried, throwing the pillow through the window at the face peeking inside. "For all that is heavenly, friggin' sacred shut up! It's three in the morning!"
"We have a situation. Orders from Starfleet. Return to base."
"Situation?" Sam was suddenly wide awake and alert. "What's going on?"
"No time. Wanna go for a ride?"
Sam scrambled to get out of bed. His feet got tangled up in his sheets, resulting in him belly-flopping onto the floor with a startled yelp. Bee sighed, shaking his head while emitting a melancholy whistle. Sam popped to his feet, announcing he was okay before rushing to get dressed with only a little limp. Getting into a pair of jeans and a clean T-shirt Sam met his drowsy parents in the hall and explained the situation. Judy didn't make nearly as big deal of it as her husband, merely waving her hand at her son before shuffling back to her room to go back to sleep. Judy was never really a morning person. Ron asked a few more questions but let his son go eventually. Grabbing his sweater and backpack on the way out to the driveway Bumblebee was already in his vehicle mode and ready to go.
"Are we going to pick up Mikaela?" Sam asked as he pulled his seatbelt on.
"That's a 10-4 good buddy!"
Bee's engine roared to life, speeding down the side streets until reaching the trailer park. Sam rushed to get out of the car. Running up to the door he knocked until a very disgruntled Mikaela answered the door, her dark hair ruffled from sleep.
"This better be good, Witwicky," she seethed. "You're lucky my aunt's not here."
"We need to go, now," Sam said bluntly. "Bee says something's up."
That woke Mikaela up. Looking over her boyfriend's shoulder at the idling Camaro, she pulled Sam into the trailer and shut the door. "Wait here."
She went into her room and quickly got dressed. Throwing her hair into a haphazard ponytail she grabbed her jacket and purse. Leaving the trailer, she locked the door and climbed in the Camaro with Sam before the car sped off again towards the highway.
"Okay, Bumblebee," Mikaela said. "What's so important that we have to be up at three in the morning on a school night?"
"We've been found out ladies and gentlemen."
Sam and Mikaela shared an apprehensive look. "Who found out?" Sam pressed.
"Who are you? Who, who! Who, who!"
"Who are you? Like, The Who? The band? They found out?" Sam asked, utterly confused. He looked at Mikaela. "How did The Who find out?"
For a moment neither Mikaela or Bumblebee knew how to respond.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Bumblebee asked.
"Um, yeah," Mikaela said, still giving Sam a strange look. "Yeah, Bee, I think you do. What the hell Sam? The Who?"
"He was playing their song!" Sam defended.
"Children, please!" Bumblebee interrupted. There was a little static before he came back with, "Previously on CSI…"
"CSI? The show?" Sam shook his head. "Man, why does it always have to be a riddle with you? Can't you speak now?"
Mikaela couldn't help but smile a little. "You know how he likes to use the radio."
Bee tuned in the Jeopardy song.
"You're hilarious," Sam replied sarcastically.
"So what about CSI? We're not talking about a show," Mikaela said. Thinking for a moment she said. "Wait. Bee, do you mean that some CSI or whatever found out about you guys?"
"That would be the case, yes."
"How did that happen?" Sam followed up.
"Well…it's complicated."
"Who was it, Bee?" Mikaela encouraged.
The radio cut out and the true, still strained voice of Bumblebee came through instead. "Optimus."
"Oh, crap," Sam whispered hoarsely.
"Enough chit chat," said the radio. "Get jiggy wit' it!"
Optimus looked down at the human sitting in his hand, ramrod straight, watching the ground as they walked. From sitting in the garage for nearly ninety-six hours and the minimal time he actually spent with Peyton he noted one consistent attribute thus far. She was always alert and seemed to be constantly observing things. When he put her career into consideration he supposed that it had a large role in her behavior.
Sitting down, his legs hanging over the ledge he lowered his hand for Peyton to step down. She didn't say anything as she looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to be inconspicuous, but she did look eager to ask some questions.
"So," she said, shifting on her feet.
"So," he retorted amusedly.
Peyton resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Sighing, she plopped down next to him staring out across the horizon towards the city. She really didn't know where or how to start. How do you start a conversation like this? Working up her nerve she opened her mouth to speak, but Optimus beat her to it.
"I suppose I should tell you why we're here."
"That'd be nice, thank you."
"Our race was created by an unknown power called the All Spark or simply put, the Cube."
"In cube shape, I assume."
"…"
"Sorry."
"We never learned where it came from and only knew a limited amount about what the All Spark was actually capable of. Megatron," he said lowly, "betrayed us and tried to wield the power of the All Spark for himself, forming a faction called the Decepticons that sought supreme power over the universe and war ravaged our planet until it could no longer sustain life."
Peyton listened attentively as he continues to talk about losing the Cube to space and it crash landing on Earth. Apparently, Megatron went after it, found it, but ended up getting turned into a giant, evil Popsicle when he crash landed in the Artic. Bumblebee, whom she assumed she would be meeting, was the Autobot assigned to search Earth. Bumblebee was on the right planet, but so were many more Decepticons.
Calling his comrades to Earth, Bumblebee became the guardian of a boy named Sam Witwicky, whose great-grandfather had found Megatron when exploring the Artic Circle. The Cube's location was imprinted on some glasses the kid was trying to pawn off on E-Bay. So, the war relocated to Earth and the deciding battle for the All Spark was fought in Mission City where they attempted to hide the All Spark from the Decepticons. Unfortunately, the Autobots lost their First-Lieutenant, Jazz, who from what Optimus told her, sounded like a pretty cool guy. When the fight was at its grimmest, Optimus told Sam to push the cube into his spark which would destroy it, but at the same time kill Optimus. Sam disobeyed Optimus' request, risked his life, and shoved the Cube into Megatron's chest instead, killing the Decepticon and saving the day, not mention Optimus' life.
By the end of the story, Peyton resembled a fish and was speechless.
"Without the All Spark we cannot return life to our planet," he said with loss in his voice. "But fortunately, the humans that know of our existence have accepted our presence here and permitted us to stay as refugees as well as allies long as we live in total secret."
"So more of you keep coming?"
"I sent a transmission into space and hopefully Autobots will hear it, but while they arrive, more Decepticons arrive as well. As the factions stand today, the Decepticons outnumber us 3 to 1. In order to protect your world, we need as many Autobots as possible."
"Why do the Decepticons keep showing up?" she asked. "The cube-thingy and their leader are gone so what else is there to fight for?"
"Revenge, perhaps," was his answer. "Without Megatron they are relatively divided. Starscream," Optimus said the name with a trace of contempt, "as second in command has not assumed position as leader. In fact, no one knows where he is. Starscream has always been the type to take off when the tough get going."
"Sounds like a real, stand up guy."
"Since Vortex's arrival, however, the Decepticons have been more organized on Earth. We're not sure if they're up to something, but if I know Vortex," he sighed, "they'll make a move. Slowly, but surely and we don't know what to expect. Even our medical officer, Ratchet, who is able to sense the Decepticons doesn't know what their planning.
Peyton was quiet. So, there was a war going on here and only a select amount of people knew the whole story behind it and somehow the government was able to keep it relatively hush-hush. Now that she knew about it, part of her wished she didn't. Pulling her knees to her chest she was trying to just take it all in.
"This is nuts," she muttered.
"I agree with you," the large mech said honestly. "With the destruction of the All Spark I was hoping that the war would end, but I guess our race is destined to fight until its own extinction."
"Don't say that," Peyton said sternly, surprising herself and Optimus. "You're making me depressed. All wars end eventually. Some are just longer then others."
"Most wars don't last a millennia."
"Okay, while that may be true it doesn't mean it won't ever end," she said. "You just gotta have faith." She laughed, rolling her eyes at herself in embarrassment. "I can't believe I said that. That was, by far, the most corny think I have ever said. You'd find something like that in a fortune cookie."
Optimus watched as the woman babbled on in an amusing rant, her arms waving expressively, nervous energy radiating off her in waves. He found the plates of his face pulling back into a grin. Peyton looked up at him to find him staring and promptly shut her mouth, folding her hands neatly on top of her knees. She smiled up tentatively.
"This is nuts," she said again.
Carter was snapping photos of Peyton's totaled Grand Prix while Jeffery searched the ground around them with his flashlight. Kelly was gathering fragments off the ground around the totaled car. Jeffery wandered a little ways, following the footprints of a heeled shoe, most likely Peyton's judging by the size. She was running; pretty damn fast upon examining the stride between each footprint.
The footprints eventually came to a halt. Peyton had stopped running. Sure enough there were tire tracks. The off-road vehicle probably cut her off. Another set of footprints, larger than Peyton's came forward, but she didn't run from that position. Turning in a circle a spot of disrupted soil made him stop. At first it looked like a large hold in the ground, but as he stared at it longer it started to look like something else.
Jeffery knelt down, his flashlight illuminating the ground before him. Brow frowned in contemplation he touched the disrupted surface on the ground. Thankfully, some parts of the desert, where occasional grasses and trees grew were loose with dirt, rather than sand that wouldn't nearly make out such a clear formation. The suspect made a huge mistake taking the truck here with so many surfaces to leave evidence on, but this was something he had never seen before.
"Carter!" he called. "Can you come over here for a moment please?"
The younger man was at his side in nearly an instant, camera in hand and wearing a pair of rubber gloves. "What's up, boss?"
"What does that look like to you?" Jeffery asked, waving his flashlight at the spot he was indicating.
Carter pulled out his own flashlight for more like, his mouth immediately going slack as he took a tentative step back. Jeffery huffed as he stood from his crouched position, adjusting the bill of his hat.
"So it looked like a giant footprint to you then too?" he asked rhetorically. "That's what I thought."
A/N: Not too much changed about this chapter. Maybe a little more intensity from the police showing up, some change in dialogue. Hope you liked it. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I truly appreciate it.
Please Review!
-Ray
