Chapter 7:
We spent the day doing almost nothing productive, for the most part. I spent the rest of the day sitting by the aircraft hangar and taking it easy. Lockdown did the same. He stood over me, leaning against the building with his arms crossed. I spent a lot of time working on my sweater. I occasionally glanced up to notice him just taking in the sights. The glow from his eyes - or optics I should say, was mostly drowned out by the light of day.
I became very focused on my work. My concentration was suddenly broken by a question.
"I've been meaning to ask," Lockdown began, "What is this you keep doing?"
I looked up at him and sat up straight. "Oh uh," I stuttered. I was almost caught off-guard by him speaking to me of his own volition. I held up my work. "This?" He nodded. "It's called 'crocheting.' It's something I learned to do when I was very young." I said with a nervous chuckle. He didn't say anything. He only stared back at me. I picked my hook back up and awkwardly resumed my work, feeling almost uncomfortable under his gaze.
As I continued, I took a quick glimpse up. I noticed he was watching me, now. "I'm just working on a garment is all,"
"I almost admire your ambition. Humans expire quickly," He looked away, "So I advise you create as much as you can before you drop dead."
I've always thought that myself. I've dedicated most of my life to creating all kinds of pieces of work before I had to skip town. Even now as a wander, I still love to make things. It's probably apparent that I tend to go into my own little world sometimes, especially while I'm working. I didn't notice the Sgt. had come back around until Lockdown pointed it out.
"Look who's come crawling back," He taunted. I looked up, and the Sgt. was already looking annoyed.
"If you two hate one another so much, why do you keep coming around each other?" I asked.
"He's the one who came here-" Lockdown tried to start,
"You don't understand, Vega," The Sgt. interrupted, "I was assigned to be his partner…"
"And I picked this girl over you, she's done more for me than you have and it's only been a few days. I think you should take that as a sign,"
Christ, these two are beginning to sound like a dysfunctional married couple.
"Anyway," The Sgt. sighed, "I had something to tell you both-"
"But you forgot? I can see it in your face."
And with that statement, the two immediately went off on each other. I tried to talk them down. My initial approach was to try and tell the two to knock it off, but that doesn't seem to be working. My next strategy is to play as the counselor.
I got both of their attention and somehow managed to get them to shut up. "Can I ask you both why you can't stand one another? What happened to you two?" At the drop of a hat, they both began to yap at me. I held out my arms and silenced them. "One at a time!"
Lockdown was quick to be the first to explain. "He expects me to heed every beck and call of this crew of gifted toddlers he runs. Like some sort of pet-!" He exclaimed.
"You're working for us-!" The Sgt. shouted.
"I'm not doing this for you!"
The tension was getting very high. So high you could cut it with a knife. "Well if you're supposed to be taking orders from these guys, what's the problem?" I interjected.
"They expect me to wait around for an 'okay' to do anything and everything. I am not one of you," Lockdown spat.
"You're special, huh?" The Sgt. snapped.
Lockdown glared down at the man. Exactly like how he glares at me, sometimes. "You think I see any of you as an equal?" He growled. "One day, humanity will have to realize the universe isn't going to bend to the will of this pathetic little rock you call home." With that, he began to walk away.
"We're not done here!" The Sgt. shouted, trying to rebuttal.
"Yes," He replied, not even bothering to look back. "We are."
The Sgt. stormed off in another direction. He seemed furious. Lockdown eventually came back, but he wasn't the one I needed to apologize to. He certainly has issues, but I'm not gonna be the one to tell him that, I value my life.
Night eventually fell. I finished making my sweater, which I was excited to try on. It was about to time to leave and start our very mission together. We had to find the Col. first, but before that, I wanted to change and swap out my current sweater for the one I just finished. Lockdown seemed annoyed when I excused myself for this reason, but ultimately, he didn't seem to give a fuck.
I ran off and found the restroom and changed in there. I stepped into a stall and locked the door. I slide my bag off my shoulder and whipped off my top and replaced it with the pastel-colored sweater. It was soft and felt pretty warm. Warmer than the red one I had on just a moment ago. I stepped out of the bathroom stall and took a look at myself in the mirror. Tacky. Just like I imagined. It's not like I care, though. It was complete, and I felt cool wearing something I made with my own two hands.
I walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind me. The airfield was cloaked in darkness, mostly. There was a faint glow from the buildings and the lights along the airstrip. It had such a calm and relaxing feel to it. The night air was frigid, and it was a cloudless night. Thanks to the city being not too far from here, there weren't many stars visible.
After a short walk, I met up with Lockdown, again. He looked down at me and tilted his head in seeming almost confused.
I stood up straight and held my arms up. "Do you like it?" I asked him with a glint of hope in my eyes.
A look of disgust crossed his face. "That looks terrible," He scoffed coldly. My joyful expression dropped. "We don't have time to waste, Vega."
"I admire your honesty, at least…" I mumbled.
"You're welcome,"
The Col. finally showed up. "Vega!" He shouted, getting my attention. I looked up and watched as this sixty-year-old man was sprinting toward us. When he stopped, he pointed at me, standing there with a dramatic stance. "That's a nice sweater!"
"You really think so?" I cooed timidly.
"Don't patronize her," Lockdown growled.
I don't think Col. was in the mood for any of his antics, tonight. He didn't have a response to that; he only shook his head. Maybe the Sgt. spilled the beans and told him all about their dispute, this morning. The Col. gave us one last quick rundown of the mission and sent us both on our way. Lockdown seemed relieved to be getting the fuck out of there. I think the conflict earlier with the Sgt. had him a little on edge. He seemed a little meaner than usual, tonight. One thing I notice is that he and I don't talk much during any kind of travel. I was surprised to find out that we were taking the dropship to the campgrounds.
We left the ship in a nearby field that was about a five-minute walk from where the main entrance to the park was. It was cold, dark and silent. Believe it or not, the campgrounds were still populated this time of year. While it's nowhere near as busy as it is in the summer, there'd be the occasional few campers hanging out, and I have no idea what Lockdown's plan for running into any of them would be. I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with any people, tonight.
We reached a long, straight road. Woodlands encompassed it. The trees stretched far and disappeared into the darkness with the road in between. The two of us stopped and stood there. The wind blew by, and I faintly heard a ghastly rustling of the branches and the few leftover dying leaves, clinging desperately to their branches by their sickly stems. I clutched my bag to my chest, feeling uneasy. I looked up at Lockdown, who looked ahead fearlessly.
"We'll take the road from here," He said. Without another word, he transformed into his vehicle form. That astounds me every time he does it. I assumed this meant "get in" so I did just that. He was a little nicer this time; he didn't immediately floor it the second I took a seat. It seemed his motives were to keep quiet and be slow. Probably to look out for our target. Like the Col. said, this one seemed to be elusive, as he put it. I can't quite remember what exactly this one could do. This one has that cloaking ability is what he said, I think.
After entering the park, I was flung out of the vehicle and into the grass. Why does he do this to me? I scurried back up to my feet and brushed the dirt off, trying to pretend like nothing happened. I caught him mid-transformation, and when he completed, he stood up and looked around. In his glowing optics, I could see a sense of caution.
"Vega," He spoke in a low voice. "Head that way. Toward the trees." He motioned to the area behind me. I glanced behind me and peered to the dirt path that disappeared into the darkness. I looked back at him, feeling uneasy. I bet he could sense my fear and he didn't seem too amused. "I'll be following close behind."
"Ah." I turned around and sheepishly stepped passed the trees and into the woodlands. I couldn't see much, and I don't think I have any kind of light sources with me. All I could see were the faint shapes of the tree trunks. I began to feel my way around, and my hands slid against the rough bark of a tree beside me. I bumbled around the woods going in a straight path for a while, reaching out for trees to help guide my way.
I know Lockdown told me he was going to be following me... but he's been so quiet. I didn't hear a single footstep or even the slightest rustle coming from the brush. I'm beginning to think he tricked me into going alone. I found myself occasionally tripping on a root or a rock. I'd double over and almost fall. My eyes did begin to adjust over time, and I was eventually able to spot any uneven ground and obstacles. I began to trip less and less after some time.
"Vega,"
A faint voice whispered in the darkness. It was coming from behind me.
"Huh?" I uttered quietly. "Lockdown?"
There was silence. I suddenly felt a chill of a harsh wind blow by quickly.
"Vega," I heard the voice once again, but this time coming from in front of me.
I could have sworn it was him. It sounded just like him, but something didn't seem to be right. He sounded…different. Maybe he was injured or in trouble? But how did he get in front of me?
"Vega,"
The voice stayed in the same place, this time. I leaned in and squinted my eyes. I couldn't spot anything. Surely his glowing optics would've been a giveaway, but he does have a visor that can end up mostly hiding it, however. Thing is he didn't have it on, earlier. I wasn't sure what to think.
"Come to me, Vega."
I tilted my head in slight bafflement. "How did you get ahead of me?" I called out in the darkness.
No reply.
I walked ahead a few steps. I stopped for a moment, feeling a bit apprehensive but I pressed forward. I stopped in front of a massive tree. From what I could tell, this area was a bit of a clearing. Its roots must have stretched out so far that trees couldn't grow directly around it. I'd say there was a 10-yard circumference of just grass and rocks around this tree.
I opened my mouth to call out for him again, but before I could, in a quick blur I was knocked back and on the forest floor. When I was able to make sense of the situation, I tried to get back on my feet, but I noticed there was a weight on my chest. I looked all around me, but I saw nothing that could have been causing this. I instantly began to panic.
Suddenly, something began to shift in front of me before my eyes. I almost thought I was about to pass out, and that was the darkness closing in on my vision, but I realized it wasn't even that. I thought I was just seeing things, at first. Quickly enough, I noticed two glowing sapphire optics closing in on me. This may be Dino, the bot we're hunting for. By the looks of it, he must be an Autobot, judging by the color of his optics.
I glanced down and noticed there was a blade pressed against my neck. My arms quickly shot up, and I tried to push it away, but it was futile, he only pushed back. Before I knew it the slim, crimson-colored bot began snapping at me. He wasn't looking for the shard like I would have expected.
"Traitorous human, working with that brute!" The bot growled at me. The Col. was right. He is very, very Italian, which is odd; he's not even human. "The blood of my comrades is on your hands!"
"W-what?" I stuttered. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't think I know?"
I didn't say anything.
"I saw you with that savage, Lockdown. Do you know what he's done to us?"
I understood, now. He must have been hiding nearby when we entered and heard my name and used that to lure me by imitating Lockdown's voice. The Col. did say he was able to escape the airfield, awhile back. He must be good at getting creative. I parted my lips to speak, but nothing could come out. Too many thoughts were racing through my head.
"Traitors like you should be burning in hell."
"Traitor?"
Just then, I heard a loud 'rumble' only mere yards away from me. At first, I didn't think he noticed, but suddenly the bot lifted his head and moved back slightly. He must have heard it, too. Suddenly, in a swift motion, I was struck in the face faster than I could process and I let out a loud yelp. I felt the weight lifted off of my chest and sat up and clutched my cheek, in pain. He was gone. I removed my hand, and I noticed there was blood everywhere. He must have sliced me.
"Do you really think you could evade me that easily?"
I could tell this definitely was Lockdown. It had to be him this time, but I almost second-guessed myself for a moment. I watched him step out in front of me, then he unhooked a blade of some sort from his hip and hurled it at an unknown object. He must have hit it right on target because the weapon froze mid-air, it appeared. The bot appeared again; he must have cloaked himself to try and escape. That's how he was able to seemingly 'disappear' after cutting my face.
He must have known Lockdown was coming. He must have been trying to slit my throat and kill me as revenge before escaping. If he hadn't shifted when he looked up, I just might have been killed. This cut may sting like a bitch, but I at least I lived. I figured Lockdown and the Autobots would've had bad blood, but I didn't think any of them would resort to harming a human of all things, like that.
I didn't keep up on the fight happening in front of me during that train of thought. By the looks of it, this bot moved far too fast to be shot. I did catch occasional glimpses of the two resorting to a blade fight. When I snapped back to reality, I watched Lockdown knock Dino down, and he hit the forest floor with a deafening 'thud.' He quickly jumped back to his feet and distance himself far away from Lockdown.
In a sudden bright red flash, Dino dashed forward in a blur with two afterimages splitting off to the left and right. He rushed forward and in a quick motion and Lockdown sliced the bot right through the center. His back was facing me, but I could tell by his stance alone that he was confident that this was the end. But it was far from that. I noticed the bot become almost transparent for a moment. It phased straight through him and then dispersed into thin air. This one was...a mirage...
That means That means the real Dino escaped. One of those afterimages from moments ago was not an afterimage. He could have only gone left or right. My jaw dropped. My eyes darted up to Lockdown, who turned around and looked at me with eyes wide. Without a word, he ran off into the darkness to chase the bot. I must have sat there for 2 hours waiting for him. I was almost losing hope, but he eventually came back for me. By the looks of it, he came up with nothing. The trip back to the dropship was silent. Hell, the trip back to the knightship was silent, even. Believe me when I say Lockdown has a serious case of 'resting bitch face,' but even passed that I could see a deep sense of defeat and disappointment in his face. I didn't feel confident enough to ask how it went until we were back on the ship and in the cockpit.
When we entered the cockpit, the dogs jumped down from the platform and ran up to greet him with their metal tails swishing about. They seemed very happy to see their master. He took a second to pat them both on the head before stepping up onto the platform. The dogs followed along and took their usual spots by the throne. He sat down, and he dropped me onto his armrest. I was pleasantly surprised to find he didn't throw me back into the cage. I then watched as he pulled up his screen and began tapping away at it.
"The Col. is not going to be happy," He muttered.
"What happened back there?" I finally got the courage to ask.
"He vanished. No trace of him. I'm starting to think he completely fled the area," He clenched his fist and slammed it down thankfully on the armrest I wasn't sitting on. "I will find him, though."
"What do we do now?"
"We wait until he shows up again," His glanced up at me. "I see he cut your face."
"The bleeding finally stopped not long ago-"
"You know he was trying to slit your throat and get away when he saw me, right?"
"I did realize that..."
It was quiet for a minute or so until I decided to break the ice, again. "Hey uh," I just can't stop thinking about it, "Are we on... good terms? Allies almost?"
"Vega, like all humans, you are an insect," He stated calmly. That didn't make me feel very good. "But you are the most tolerable I've met, by far. I'm willing to let you believe that if it keeps you here." He turned and glared at me. "Do not tell Gunther I told you that."
"You have my word."
Never in my life - not in a thousand years would I have ever grown up and imagined my life would have come to a point where I'd be abducted and then making friends with a giant space robot and keeping it a secret from his 'jealous' partner. Good lord.
"Where are you from?" Lockdown asked, catching me off guard. "Do you know anything about this area?"
"I grew up around here. I've camped at Evergreen before, in fact,"
"I see,"
"I used to live in the town nearby," I began to reminiscent. "But I couldn't stay there any longer."
"Why's that?"
I took a deep breath in "I grew up around a lot of opinionated people, and they just so happened to side with the Autobots-"
"They were killed, weren't they?"
I felt a lump form in my throat. "Yes," I choked out. I pulled my necklace up and fidgeted with the gemstone. "I met a girl who was involved with them. She told me to take care of her necklace before she gave herself up."
"I've noticed humans seem to have this persecution complex. They use this as a way to determine who and who isn't deserving of being snuffed out. They'll realize their faults one day. But that's their problem, not mine,"
"One day in the future…" I muttered under my breath.
"That's what you all say. You all seem to be obsessed with this concept of the future. You won't live long enough to see it. None of you will. None of you are willing to change anything."
He's right. In a way, I could agree. We spin ourselves in circles chasing the future with a promise it'll be brighter and better, but does anything really change?
"Throughout history in some way or another, it's the same story over and over again," My voice was shaky. "The names and faces change, but that's about it. History is on repeat."
"Just about every species of alien life I've come across has been just like this. You aren't any different. No matter where I go, it's all the same."
We have a weird connection, I've come to realize. It's something I don't want with anyone else. If I had this conversation with any other human being, it wouldn't be the same. He's completely extraterrestrial, he's seen just about everything, by the sounds of it. He's met with many forms of life in space. I guess I was right about just about all of it. When I was young, I was a natural-born astronomer. Hell, I'm named after a star, for God's sake. All my life I've wondered and been ridiculed for asking the question 'Is there life on other worlds? Is it any different from our own?'
Thanks to him, I know.
