As always, reviews are welcome! Characters © HASTAK
VII-
Bumble sat down on the soft earth grass after escaping Ratchet's wrath. It was a mellow patch of green just outside the bay. Under a few feet of still fresh dirt was his lover, the memoriam flowers now withered and rotting. Maggie had commissioned an ivory tombstone, the Autobot insignia carved along with two short messages; one a passage from the Bible along the lines of 'Do not cry for me, do not mourn for me'. The other was a quote from the dead leader himself, 'Life is the right of all sentient beings.'
With outmost care, Bumblebee removed the brown plants and planted in their place a small rosebush. A sudden pat on his leg and Bumble found Mikaela scooping up the mud. Wordlessly, she then planted a handful of forget-me-nots just besides Bumble's roses but far enough that the plants wouldn't compete to survive. "We sure won't forget you, Optimus Prime," she whispered to herself while contemplating the memorial.
Mikaela then promptly left in a huff with her Vespa, allowing the reluctant leader to vigil alone, he probably wanted it that way. The trip to Sam's house was a quiet one as Mikaela arrived; her boyfriend was still covered in the woman's blood, trying his best to get rid of the stains before his parents arrived.
"Try cold water and baking soda." She said, taking Sam's shirt and putting it in the washing machine. After depositing the mix of laundry detergent and baking soda, both sat down on the swinging bench facing Judy Witwicky's garden. "How's Bumble?" The young man asked slightly depressed. "Taking it better than I thought he would."
As Mojo, Sam's Chihuahua dog, hurried up his master's legs and cuddled on his lap; both humans remained silent. Sam had no idea of the scope of Bumble's devotion had actually been love all along. But it wasn't that fact that bothered him; Bumblebee had changed. Before Optimus' death, he was eager to see what Tranquility could offer him. But now, Bumble wanted nothing else than to fulfill his lover's last wish.
Mikaela could recount the funeral as if it had taken place just a few hours ago; every Autobot on Earth showed up for it. As with human custom, Sam stood up and gave a eulogy in the Camaro's place. John Keller, Maggie Masden and her friend Glenn Whitman showed up, all wearing the local color of mourning and grief.
"Optimus was a good person before and after he came down to Earth. To me, he seemed to be this pillar of strength and power and frankly, I was scared of the big guy. But he proved on many occasions to be not just power but kindness and benevolence. He even cut some Decepticons some slack for the sake to stop the killing. That's what I'll remember."
Back at the present, Mikaela watched as Sam stood up and lean on the porch. "You're not half-bad with that Sabot spear Optimus made for you." She complimented while scratching Mojo's ears. "Thanks," The Witwicky boy replied absently while toying with his cell phone. All of the sudden, he felt two arms wrap warmly around his waist.
Her hands still had a remnant of motor oil from fixing her Vespa earlier that day. Sam loved that about Mikaela Banes; she wasn't afraid to admit she was a car junkie. Two years to the day would mark the length of their relationship. Contrary to the rest of their high school population, the couple managed to make it work.
But Sam could feel a strain in his girlfriend's face, and he knew it nothing to do with the Autobots. "Are you okay?" "Dad's getting remarried; wants me out by month's end." The young man was alarmed by the news. "Why?!" The look on Mikaela's eyes told him more than any explanation. "She wants a clean slate…"She then added with a sarcastic smile, "I'm a stain on my father's past."
As much as Sam wanted to invite her into his home, he took in consideration two facts: one, he had yet to ask his parents. And two and more worrisome; this was his GIRLFRIEND. This reminded Sam the first time Ratchet had made his first impression with something about pheromone levels and mating.
Screw it, "You looking for a place to stay? 'Cause my door's always open and my parents would be cool with it," That came out so wrong… "Thanks Sam but my aunt's offered me her place." Mikaela placed a sweet yet fierce kiss on his lips. "But I'll keep it in mind." As she put on her helmet, Sam watched her, hands in his pocket. "Be careful, ok?" The young woman nodded and went off, her boyfriend keeping watch until she disappeared in the intersection.
00000
Jazz knew he had to apologize to his friend and comrade Prowl for Ratchet's unorthodox attack but up to a certain point. Prowl had gotten too cocky with the worst person in that moment. So once Bumble had gone outside to mourn and Ratchet went to dissect Scorponok alive; the soldier transformed and rolled off into the highway. His destination turned out to be on the outskirts of Las Vegas, just out of reach for the glaring lights and shows.
"Wow, you look like shit." Jazz's holoform, a well-toned African American man with his long dreadlocks tied in a tight ponytail, replied with a characteristic grin. "You, shut up." Prowl chided as he transformed into a beautifully decaled Cadillac 2008 STS. His holoform also took the appearance of a thirty-something police officer. "Tell Ratchet to lay off the green stuff." Prowl groaned, still nursing the wounds Poochy had given him earlier.
"Hate to tell you this but that thing is permanent." As much as the two comrads wanted to joke around and catch up with old times, Jazz had to ask his mole about certain things. "So, how's Elita taking it?" "I dunno, she looks dead alive; she ain't too pleased about Bumblebee though." "Hot Rod, huh?"
After their skirmish with Ironhide, Sam and Ratchet, the Las Vegas team had begun to completely separate itself from the Tranquility team. "They're looking to make a council to decide if Bumble stays as Prime or not." This surprised Jazz greatly and annoyed him even more. "Whaddya mean a council?! We're still at war!"
"I know, Jazz; but it's gaining ground with other Autobots. The twins are making a bitch-fit about it too." Prowl would immediately regret the following words that came out of his mouth. "They feel that the Scopornok attack was a failure…"
Jazz hissed as the holoform entered the Pontiac Solstice. "This is fucking retarded...tell those bastards to shove it up their asses; at least the only human hurt survived." Prowl had never seen his friend so enraged before. "And tell Hot Rod that if he really wants the Matrix, he can stop being a spoiled brat and confront Bumble face-to-face."
The silver car sped off into the desert, leaving the other Autobot thinking about Jazz's ultimatum. Was Optimus' team really ready to fight to keep his wishes? In his opinion, Prowl had seen no fault to Bumblebee's strategy, even applauded it for not using what they codenamed the Sabot rain. The Cadillac spun around and returned to Sin City; now more worried about his friends. "What have you done, Hot Rod?"
