Hey guys!

Soooo... this one's a day late, sowi. Mom had me cleaning the entire house and my boyfriend kidnapped me for the day so I couldn't get to the computer to upload anything.

Anyhoo, here's the story! I skipped the whole week of preparations thingy just because if I was reading the story I would have gotten bored with it. And I was too lazy to write it anyway XD.

Sunstreaker's Squishy - Yes, it does explain a lot, doesn't it?

Sweettea1 - Thank you :3 Glad to know someone thinks this vague mish-mash is any good :3

As always, if you see any mistakes, let me know.

Onwards! And as always, I own nothing!

Frenzy: You own food, don't you?

Me: Frenzy, get out of my story before I get the baseball bat, 'kay?

Onwards, and please RnR! :D


They had been driving for hours already. They would take shifts driving through the dark night to make sure they could keep their concentration on the black road that winded through ancient forests. By Arabella's book, they were making good time.

By Will's, they weren't.

Arabella constantly had to warn Will to slow down. Sure, there was no cloud cover and the moon was shining bright and granted they had the night vision goggles to see where they were going but there was no need to be reckless.

Will was at the wheel. He had to be given a quick crash course on how to drive again, but he wasn't doing too bad. He eventually remembered and was overall a good driver.

If you didn't mind hurling through the dark with no headlights on.

They were in Big Blue, the faster of the two trucks. It used to be a double cab something with a large flatbed in the back. The back seat was strategically loaded to allow the seats to recline as far as possible for when they stopped during the day. The truck bed was also loaded with supplies.

The back seat held their immediate food supply and weapons, with a bottle of fresh water to keep them hydrated. The back had their backup food with the gifts that they were taking along. There was one of Arabella's crates of soap bars, the crate with the sanitary towels, a box with medical supplies and a box of stuff that Arabella refused to say what they were. Also sloshing around in the back was a 20 litre barrel of fresh water for drinking only, along with enough fuel to redo the trip entirely, just in case. They will have to sacrifice their hygiene for the few days on the road.

Arabella was not on really on the right side of the car to truly enjoy the scenery, but she stared at what she could see. The tall trees that let beams of blue-grey moonlight shine through that would gently highlight what shrubbery there was in the forest.

There were no animals to be seen, but then again, that was to be expected. They should all be sleeping somewhere. That reminded Arabella.

"Keep an eye out for deer. They won't move out of the way for a pair of headlights anymore." Will nodded in acknowledgement. He could vaguely remember the stories from the times so long ago where people have died in accidents from hitting deer that stood in the middle of the road. With this in mind, Arabella flicked a switch on the side of the goggles. "Switched to heat vision. I'll keep any eye out for any life out there."

Will was glad that she would help keep an eye out for him. They fell back into the silence from before. It was not tense, it was not awkward, but simply two people keeping to their own thoughts. The idea that they were sneaking around at night probably added to the need for silence.

After a few more minutes of silence, Arabella huffed and dug out the old iPod and flipped through a few of the albums. She finally chose one and put the music player into the docking station. Gentle classical music filled the cabin, and they continued their journey absorbed in the music.

xxxxxPCxxxxx

"Pull over. It's almost daybreak." The horizon was starting to turn pink. Both drivers were exhausted. Will gently started braking, pulling the truck over onto the shoulder. "Stay here." Before he could protest, she hopped out and surveyed the area. She pointed him over to the trees and after five minutes of manoeuvring, they were safely beneath the tree cover of the tall pines.

She and Will pulled out a sheet of thick shading net, using it to cover the entire car, making it a non-descript shape in the shadows. Slinking underneath all the netting once more, they climbed back into the car and promptly fell asleep.

The cab had started to heat up a little during the day, but thanks to the shade and the netting, they were safely sheltered from the rays. The sun made its long, arduous trek across the bright blue sky which went completely unnoticed by the slumbering travellers. It was late afternoon when Arabella woke. She stretched as she yawned, her back and neck making a series of clicking sounds as everything slotted back into place. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she surveyed what she could see through the netting. She reached over and none too gently shook the sound asleep Will awake.

"Wha…?" He snorted as he sat up, nearly cross-eyed in bleariness.

"We've got company." She pointed at bonnet. Will leaned a little closer as the blurry shapes finally swam into shape.

There was a raccoon happily perched on the bonnet, staring at the strange beings inside the shape it could have sworn had not been there yesterday. Arabella yawned again, and as she did, nearly hit William in the face with her fist.

"Geez, watch where you swing that thing, will ya?" Will called irritably. She just glared at him.

"Right, judging by where the sun is sitting in accordance to the shadows, I'd say it's late afternoon. I vote we do our business in the woods, get something to eat and get back on the road. All in favour, say 'aye'."

"Aye." Will deadpanned.

"The ayes have it!" Arabella cheered, lifting her hands in the air. "Everybody out! We're burning daylight here!" Will rolled his eyes before falling remarkably stupidly out of the truck. All he heard was a stifled guffaw as he stomped out into the forest, ears blazing red in embarrassment.

xxxxxPCxxxxx

The next few days passed in a similar fashion; after driving until early in the morning, they'd pull over, cover the car, sleep, and get back on the road. Wash, rinse, repeat. Closer to the end of the fifth day, they started seeing the signs. Deciding not to stop, they drove straight into the morning, arriving in the small old town just before the sun reached its zenith. They drove into what could have at one stage have been the town centre. They stopped the car, climbing out slowly and cautiously, Will with a pistol, Arabella with her bow and arrows.

Smithers was deserted. If tumbleweeds were around in Canada, they would have been rolling all over the show. The shop windows were dusty, everything metalling had been rusted, things were broken and had seen the poisonous hand of decay. A sign swung noisily, screeching loudly as the breeze gently toyed with it. Arabella summed the place up with one sentence.

"This place is a dump."

No truer words could have been stated. It would have been easier to tear the place down and start over again rather than trying to fix what was left. Arabella kept her eyes peeled, glaring at the landscape with slitted eyes of suspicion. Will was looking around frantically for any sign of life. Arabella looked at him and immediately recognised the look in his face.

"Will. Hey, Will!" The shout finally got his crazed attention. "We just got here. Now, I think we should find a place to sleep for now. We are in no state to be looking for anything, and we have enough fuel to drive around and search for a while before we start heading back." He looked around uncertain. "Will," she called him gently "if they are here, we will find them. Don't worry. Now get in. This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies." They drove off and even in the bright midday light, there was an ominous feel to the town, as though evil beings lurked in the shadows. If Arabella, who was busy driving, had looked in her rear view mirror at that exact moment, she might have caught a glimpse of the red eyes that were watching them, but she did not and thus they left with only the niggling feeling in the back of their minds to tell them that there was something unmistakably wrong.

xxxxxPCxxxxx

They decided to search under the cover of night, relying on an aged map of what had once been Smithers. Arabella was driving; she was in no mood for Will's harsher, more reckless driving. Her night-goggles were on their normal setting while Will kept an eye out for any heat signatures. It was quiet, there was no wind to disturb anything and the moon had bathed the world in its milky light, but it was very, very quiet.

There were no sounds of owls hooting or crickets chirping. She couldn't see the swooping shadows of the bats in the night and she was starting to get worried.

"Will, do you notice anything?" The whisper did not startle Will, but he did frown a little.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Because there is a mountain where the road is supposed to be." Will looked up, and saw nothing. Arabella noticed his silence. "Switch to night vision you moron." Will grinned sheepishly before flicking the switch.

It was true. Looking at the map, they were supposed to have an open road ahead of them, but instead there was the towering cliff face of a large mountain. Arabella brought the car to a halt.

"Either mountains can grow over seven years, or it's a fake. What do you think?" Will was silent. This didn't make any sense! The geography did not match the map at all. "Either way, you gotta tell me if I should run for it or not, because we are being followed." Will's head whipped to hers. "Don't look!" She hissed, grabbing his face before he could look out the back window. "If you do, he'll know we know he's there." Will paused, forcing himself to look forward.

"Can you see what he looks like?"

"It looks like a hunting cat with red eyes." Will hissed softly.

"Ravage. If we don't get some serious back up soon, we are screwed nine ways to Sunday." Arabella pulled a face.

"Well isn't that lovely. Tell you what, there's what looks like to be a cave over on that side! I say we check it on out!" Arabella practically shouted. Will ducked down a little, his hands covering his ears.

"Are you crazy?!" He hissed loudly. "You're going to get us killed!" She only gave him a look and continued staring into the rear view mirror.

"I'M GLAD TO HEAR YOU THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA, WILL! LET'S GET GOING!" She shouted even louder, noting the dark shadow moving around a corner before slamming on the gas. The wheels squeeled in protest.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Will shouted, grabbing on to the side of the cab to steady himself. She was driving straight towards the cliff face that was about 300 metres ahead of them.

"Saving our asses!" She rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "INCOMING FRIENDLIES! BEING CHASED BY BADDIES! CARRYING CAPTAIN WILL LENNOX AND CO! BEGGING FOR ASSISTANCE!" A feral snarl could be heard in the distance. Arabella pushed the gas pedal down to the floor, praying that her plan worked as Will suddenly became Christian and began pleading to God to let him live.

They were less than 20 metres away from the cliff face when a door started shimmering into view and a series of laser shots came out. Arabella swore loudly before ripping the mask of Will's face.

Just as she did, the laser shots changed direction to the left of them, aiming at the snarling beast that was jumping for them. Arabella just kept going straight, passing through the shimmering cave entrance. The snarling behind them stopped and Arabella slammed on the brakes. The car began to spin a little, but the car came to a halt before smashing into one of the tunnel like walls. Doors slammed down roughly behind them and they tumbled out of the truck, gasping in attempt to get the adrenalin out of their systems.

"Don't… you… ever… do… that… again." Will wheezed out, lying flat on the floor.

"Not planning on it." Arabella removed the goggles from her head as she laid on her back on the floor, panting a little softer. She looked up, squinting as she surveyed the world around them. "Oh, hello row of soldiers pointing guns at me. Nice to meet ya'." She laid her head against the cool concrete again. "Hey Will, have you seen the awesome welcoming committee yet? I mean, have you ever felt so welcome in your life?" She called out.

"Epps?"

"Lennox?" She heard strange voices behind her, and listened as they became animated and happy.

"Well, at least he's got some friends around here. Hey, Will!" She called out again, silencing the conversation. "Do you mind introducing me? Seeing as I did save you butt and brought you back to some vague sense of civilisation and all." There was a bit off shuffling off to the side.

"Men, stand down." She cracked one eye open. Hearing Will speak with such authority was a strange thing. "Arabella, please get up off the floor." She looked at him indignantly.

"Why should I? I like the floor!" She rolled over onto her stomach, hands stretched out. "It's so smooth!"

"Arabella."

She huffed. "Fine. But only because you asked nicely." She hopped up standing to face Will. Standing next to him was a black man that was about his height and age if she had to guess.

"Arabella, this is Robert Epps. He used to be my second in command back in the days that I was in charge of N.E.S.T. and he's my best friend. Epps, this is…"

"Arabella Micheals. I saved his sorry butt from getting mauled by an angry bear and nursed him back to the state of muscularness-ness that you can see standing right in front of you. I have been in charge of his safety, wilderness training and survival for the past couple of months. I am a neutral in this damned war and plan on keeping it that way. I'm just here because Will asked me to bring him. Once I make sure he is settled and my gifts have been well received, I will be making my way back to my caves to live the rest of my sorry, crazy life in peace."

"And we shall not keep you, Arabella Micheals." A deep baritone voice rumbled from behind her. She turned slowly, neck craning to see the top of the monstrosity behind her. Will gave her the answer to the mystery of what she was looking at.

"Optimus Prime."