Note: Sorry for the delay! I was going to make this two separate chapters but ended up merging them into one. Enjoy! Also, apparently some people were having difficulties viewing this. I've attempted to re-submit the documents and re-upload, so I hope this works!
Chapter 8
Later that night, I sit silently on the couch next to a sleeping Raphael. Slouching on the couch next to us, Jack and Miko are asleep as well. Ratchet stares at a screen across the base as if he can't figure something out. I feel tired, but something is nagging me in the back of my mind, and it's not letting me fall into the same slumber Raphael seems to be enjoying right now. A few hours pass until it almost seems like morning outside. Optimus approaches Ratchet who continues to stare at the screen. Jeez, he's gonna burn a hole in that thing if he's not careful. He's been staring at it for hours.
"Synthetic energon?" Optimus guesses.
"Indeed," Ratchet confirms before finally taking his eyes away from the screen to meet Optimus'. "I am concerned that without access to any energon reserves since our base was destroyed; our ability to deal with impending crisis will be severely hampered."
"A wise decision old friend."
"Just, please, manage your expectations. I am working with even more rudimentary hardware than before."
"Prime!" Fowler yells as he enters from his office. "Satellite surveillances pick up two signs of Decepticon activity. One near an oil field outside of El Paso, the other one near the Hebrides Bluffs in Scotland. So don't forget to pack your kilts." The others emerge from the back of the base while Jack, Miko, and Raph wake up.
"We must divide our resources," Optimus decides. "Ultra Magnus, lead the wreckers to the bluffs."
"Yes, Optimus," he replies before leaning in to murmur, "Uh, what's a kilt?" Optimus glances at Fowler and leans to the side, slightly, towards Ultra Magnus with an expression that shows that he's just as confused.
"Agent Fowler can at times be oblique. I find it best to simply nod and mobilize," he explains.
"It's a cultural garment they wear in Scotland," I speak up while I stand and walk to the rail.
"Bulkhead, Wheeljack, let's roll," Ultra Magnus commands.
"You know, I could help now that I can transform," I point out to Optimus.
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet exclaims. "You are still in no condition for combat!" Optimus turns to me with understanding in his eyes.
"I know that you desire to assist, but it is best to do as Ratchet advises and stay out of combat situations." At this, I scowl and look away.
"Yes, sir," I answer obediently.
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus commands. Miko watches the wreckers follow Ultra Magnus towards his ship for a moment, then suddenly jumps to her feet.
"You guys thirsty? I'll go get some drinks!" She hurries off without waiting for a reply. Jack and Raph shrug and turn on the TV, but I watch Miko run to Wheeljack and ask him something. He shrugs and opens the compartment in his chest and places her inside. I remain silent and continue to watch as he catches up to Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus with Miko inside him. Optimus, Smokescreen, and Bumblebee transform and exit the base through a ground bridge, leaving Jack, Raph, Ratchet, Arcee, and I in the base. I resolve to myself to wait for an opportune time to leave and join Jack and Raph on the couch.
A few minutes pass, and I decide that this is my chance to leave. "I'll go see what's taking those drinks so long," I state as I rise from the couch and walk towards the stairs. Trying not to attract attention, I sneak towards the smaller door to exit the base. Once I'm outside, I silently take flight. My thoughts echo through my head while the wind pushes me away from base. Ratchet said that they needed energon. Maybe I can help there at least.I begin to scan the horizon while I contemplate this.I can't just sit and do nothing while the rest of them risk their lives again.
I land once I'm about a mile away from the base and transform into a Predacon before taking flight again. If I were some forgotten energon, where would I be?I soar high over the clouds and peer down on the landscape below as I fly further and further away from the base. I wouldn't be surprised if I already crossed the border into Arizona by now.After what seems like forever, my senses pick up a small deposit of energon in what seems like a man-made, or rather, Decepticon-made tunnel. I dive between the walls of a crevasse and touch ground in the center of a mountain with a gaping hole at the base of the fissure. Cautiously, I crane my neck to scan what I can see of the entrance. My surroundings seem somewhat charred, like an explosion happened here, but a while ago. The coast seems clear, and by the looks of it, has been for some time. Before entering, I part my jaws and let loose a roar into the cave. The sound rebounds off of the cave walls until I hear it bounce through an air pocket in the sedimentary rock. I bound down the tunnel until I reach the approximate location of the unusual item, only to find empty cave wall. Time to start digging.I raise my front claws and begin to excavate. After a few minutes, I hit the massive air pocket that radiates the same glow as energon. My unearthing quickens to open the hole more, and I gaze at the small abundance of energon shards I have just found. Either the Decepticons were really sloppy in obtaining all of the energon, or they just didn't care about this small bounty. Either way, I'm going to need some help carrying all of this back.
Before long, I'm flying back in the direction of the base with a few chunks of energon in my tow front claws and a bigger one in my mouth. As soon as I spot it, I make for a landing in front of the hangar door. When I hit the ground, it causes a small quake around the base. I snort with amusement when I hear exclamations coming from inside. I set the energon in my claws down and patiently sit to wait as I listen to the muffled sound of someone approaching the door cautiously from the other side. Arcee opens the door with her weapons drawn.
"Isabelle! What are you doing out here?" She questions before putting her guns away. "And where did you get that energon?" In response I set down the chunk in my mouth and turn around, gesturing for her to get on. She gives me a hesitant look at first, but does so. No sooner than she seats herself, we take flight towards the mine. On the way there, I can feel her grasping my neck so that she doesn't fall off. "You know, despite your intentions, you shouldn't leave base without telling us. There's no way we could know if you're in trouble if you got in any," she speaks up. In response, I sigh understandably.I can take care of myself.
As soon as we land there, Arcee jumps from my back and I lead her into the tunnel and to the energon deposit I located. "I remember this place," she states, "We came here awhile back to find…" I glance back at her when she trails off, my eyes full of concern. …Clifjumper. Realizing that I stopped next to her, Arcee quickly shakes off her anxiety and looks to the energon. "Did you find this?" She asks. I roll my eyes at her. Obviously.Arcee smiles slightly at me and raises her hand to the side of her head. "Ratchet? It's Arcee. We're going to need a ground bridge." Suddenly, one opens next to us in the tunnel. I crouch on my stomach and open my wings slightly. Arcee seems to understand, because she begins to load energon shards onto my back. Once my under-wings are packed full, Arcee grabs the few left and we carry them through the ground bridge.
"Where have you been?" Ratchet demands. "You know I told you to stay put." I take a few steps towards him then stop to show him the cargo I bare. "By Primus..." I give a snort of annoyance. If he's not going to tell me were to set them, I'll just set them here.My wings unfold and the energon spills to the floor. I transform back into a human and take air to rest on his table.
"Jeez, Ratchet, you're starting to sound like my mom. Also, Optimus stated that I was to 'stay out of combat situations'. I didn't disobey those orders at least. I simply found an abandoned energon mine, used echolocation to find an air pocket in one of the tunnel walls and dug it out the old fashioned way. By the way, those Decepticons did a really sloppy job in tunneling that mine out," I ramble. Ratchet picks up one of the larger energon crystals and holds it in his hands.
"Incoming ground bridge request!" Raphael hollers from behind his laptop. "From Scotland." Everyone except Ratchet turns towards the portal as Wheeljack rolls through alone.
"Wheeljack, what happened? Where are the others?" Arcee inquires as she sets her energon on an empty platform.
"Havin' a swell time takin' the long way home in Ultra Magnus' boat, I'm sure. Miko included," Wheeljack responds.
"I wondered what was taking so long with those sodas," Raph commented. Ratchet tears himself away from the energon and questions Wheeljack.
"Did you secure the Predacon bone?"
"The, uh, beast hunt kind of imploded, doc."
"Well, I just caught wind of another 'Con hotspot," Fowler mentions from one of the catwalks. "Right outside of Tahoe New Mexico. Since Prime's unit isn't back from oil country…" Arcee suddenly takes charge.
"Raph, set a bridge for Fowler's coordinates." She turns to Wheeljack. "You, roll with me."
"Not today, alright?" Wheeljack groans.
"If you're alright sending me out there alone," Arcee walks towards the ground bridge.
"Alone's how I prefer to roll."
"Wheeljack, you do not want to make me abandon a complex equation to venture outside my comfort zone."
"Wheeljack, please," I beg with the same pleading look I gave him when we talked. Wheeljack lets out an exaggerated groan.
"Ughhh, fine." He follows Arcee to the portal. "But in case you haven't figured it out..." They both disappear before he finishes, and the ground bridge closes.
"So, in terms of quantity, how much energon did I find exactly? I know it's not as much as you would prefer, but, seriously, how much is this?" I inquire Ratchet after the bridge closes.
"I would know-if it weren't scattered on the floor!" He exclaims.
"Ooh, yeah..." I cringe, "Sorry about that. I still seem to have a little bit of a temper in beast form."
We both forget our conversation when Raphael mentions that he has just found the location of a Predacon fossil. I then notice that Nurse Darby seems to have just arrived. Fowler also seems to have emerged from his office to join us.
"But we're fresh out of beast hunters," Jack points out. Ratchet lets out a long sigh.
"I didn't choose emergency as my vehicle mode for laughs."
"No, he chose it for his impatience with human traffic," I chime in. He narrows his eyes at me, but shows a barely visible grin.
"Not sure you need a bot," Fowler hints while adjusting his tie around his neck.
"Maybe you all should just wait for Optimus," June suggests.
"I'll have you know, Nurse Darby, I was an army ranger and federal agent for Unit E three decades before I even heard the name Optimus Prime," Fowler boasts. "I'm more than equipped to handle a...milk run. In fact, why don't you tag along?"
"That's one way of asking someone out," I mumble.
"What?" Ratchet asks.
"I'll explain later. I just need to know is if you think I'm ready for a 'milk run'." I make air quotations with my hands. "Because, no offense to Fowler, I'm pretty sure army ranger skills won't come in handy if a Decepticon shows up. Plus, I'm guessing we don't want another situation where humans are held hostage like back at the Omega Lock- and all those other times." Ratchet gives me an unsure look, as if he's not certain whether I'm still too injured now that I have proved that I can function fully. "If anything goes wrong, either of them can call you and you can send backup," I mention.
"Oh, alright. But only if you promise not to strain yourself," Ratchet concedes.
"Yes, sir," I respond with a grin on my face. I turn back to the others to see Jack arguing with his mom. She suddenly turns around and begins to walk away.
"C'mon, Agent Fowler," she orders. Jack looks defeated and at a loss for words. I jump off of the table to glide past him after June and Fowler.
"Hey guys, wait up!" I call. They both turn around in surprise. "Ratchet says I'm well enough to help you out on this 'milk run'" I once again make air quotations around the words.
I sit in the car, waiting for them to return from the museum when I spot them strolling through the parking lot, Fowler carrying a wooden crate. Oh jeez. I think to myself. They look like a married couple out on a Sunday stroll.Suddenly, a red muscle car pulls up in front of them. Oh, no.One of the car's doors transforms into a gun. I restrain myself as I watch the car force them into his trunk. I can't do anything right now, I convince myself,and things could turn out worse if I try to.As soon as he pulls away, I jump out of the car and take flight after them. I fly low once we are out of the city to keep out of sight as he weaves between the large rock forms. For a moment I manage to get close enough to hear him, but not his hostages.
"Frankly, I find it repulsive; the whole idea of you fleshies...interfacing," he complains. Is he saying…what I think he's saying? I pull away with a disturbed expression and continue to tail them until an opportunity arises for me to make a move on him. We near a train yard and, out of nowhere, the car swerves and stops. I spot June open the passenger door and stumble out carrying the crate. That's one.Agent Fowler opens the driver's side and sprints out the other side. The car transforms into an arrogant looking robot the same color red as his seeming personality. He takes a few steps after Fowler and scoops him up in his clawed hands. He growls something at Fowler before getting pepper sprayed in the face. Agent Fowler is dropped to the ground while the robot screams, holding his hands to his face. Bingo! My hand transforms into a sniper rifle, and I shoot the top of the spike on his head off as a warning shot. I then add speed while I soar towards the confused robot. My hand instinctually reaches for my sword and I ready it to strike at the now furious Decepticon. The blade drags across his chest, leaving a giant gouge in the paint. He gives a furious snarl, "My finish!" I slow my flight to spin around and hover a few feet away from him. "You!" He gasps pointing at me, "You're Shockwave's experiment!" His shocked expression turns to a smirk as he lowers his hand and crosses his arms. "How's the new body working out for you?"
"Don't think I won't hesitate to rip that smirk of your shiny face!" I growl at him.
"Why, I'm flattered!" he deviously grins at me, "It's not every day you get a compliment from an Autobot."
"I'm not one of them," I counter, "I'm here only because you decided to attempt to hold my friends as prisoners."
"Ha! Friends? Why would they be your friends? You're not even one of them anymore!" He scoffs, "Also, I'd say that you aren't one of the Autobots because they don't trust you. Face it, after what we did; no one will ever call you 'friend' again!"
Furious, I lunge at him, scraping my blade against him while dragging my fingers across his paint. He seems to value his paint job more than his life,I figure while darting around his attempts to swat me away, which is exactly why I'm taking that away first. As I finish ruining his paint, I swoop around his arm to land on his shoulders and position my sword to plunge it into his head. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Fowler and June. I look up to see both of them gaping at me with wide eyes. This causes me to falter in my execution. What am I doing? I'll be proving him right if I do this… I'm more than the monster I've become. The robot sees my hesitation and takes the opportunity to swat me off of him. His hand hits me with such force; I fall to the ground near his feet, stunned. "I'd love to stay and chat," he jests with a furious undertone, "but I have a Predacon bone to retrieve." He holds his foot over me as if to squash me like a pesky bug. I quickly grab my sword and roll onto my back to hold it vertical in front of my chest. Without noticing this he steps onto the blade and quickly retracts is foot. The red robot gives me an enraged look, but decides that I'm not worth the trouble. My vision blurs as he walks away to search for June and Fowler. My head begins to ache and spin forcing me to close my eyes for a moment in attempt to force it to fade. When I open my eyes, I witness the robot transform back into a car with both humans inside. He then speeds after a train that has just departed. I stagger to my feet as the throbbing pain in my head subsides. The sounds of vehicles approaching me from behind grow louder and I spin around to see Wheeljack and Arcee speeding towards me.
"Where'd they go, kid?" Wheeljack asks me without transforming. I shake my head to clear it fully before responding.
"Follow me," I reply before transforming and taking flight down the railroad tracks.
We quickly catch up to them in the middle of a canyon right as he nears the train. My upper lip rises at the sight of the red car. Out of nowhere, a ground bridge opens in the air behind me and a squadron of Insecticons pours through. A few of them latch onto me and I swing my claws to bat them off. I open my jaws and let lose my beam to take out the remaining Insecticons that had begun to chew on my hide. Wheeljack transforms to unsheathe his swords and slice the two tailing him in half before transforming back and speeding towards the train. Arcee quickly takes out the ones following her as well. A stray Insecticon manages to knock Arcee off course as she transforms back.
"Get Fowler and June!" She hollers before turning to deal with it. Wheeljack and I speed past her and close in on the red car quickly. He suddenly drives up the small bump the track rests on and transforms, dropping the humans just as Wheeljack gets close enough to transform and catch them. He rolls with them in his hands and transforms into a car once more.
Still concentrating on the red car, I open my jaws again and shoot at the ground in front of him in attempt to slow him down. Once I get close enough, I pick him up with my jaws and fling him into the air. The red car transforms and grasps for the fossil that is now freefalling between us. I leap into the air and catch it in my jaws before landing on all fours while the red one hits the ground face-first. He glances up weakly as I crush the fossil between my teeth.
"No!" he cries in horror. Arcee decides to join me just before a ground bridge opens in front us and I pick him up and hurtle him through. The ground bridge closes as Wheeljack and Arcee pull up next to me.
"Where are they?" Arcee inquires him after transforming.
"In back," Wheeljack answers as he opens his trunk and June and Fowler emerge. They exit and Wheeljack transforms to glance at me. "You okay, kid? You seemed like you took a hit before we caught up to you." In response, I snort and glare at the place where the red car made his escape. "Hey, you kept them safe," he gestures to Fowler and June, "and besides, you kept the fossil from him, even if you reduced it to dust in the process." My mood lightening at his statement, I playfully knock my head against him. He chuckles lightly while Arcee half-smiles and calls Ratchet for a ground bridge.
We emerge on the other side to find Jack eagerly waiting for his mom. As soon as he sees her, he sprints forward and embraces her tightly. I transform back into a human and approach them. "Sorry I didn't rescue you guys sooner," I apologize. "And sorry for letting you get captured again..." June puts her hand on my shoulder.
"It's fine," she reassures me. "You did your best, and that's all we can ask for. Bill and I are just fine."
"C'mon, June, sit down," Fowler coaxes as he leads her to the couches.
"Bill?!" Jack exclaims. Miko walks over and points at Arcee and Wheeljack.
"Looks like you got jacked, Jack," she teases. "By another Jack."
"Pfft, as if," I scoff with my arms crossed.
"Oooo, sounds like someone's jealous!" Miko pokes. My face heats up as my cheeks blush an almost pure red.
"No! I just- they don't- ughhh!" I groan while Wheeljack walks past us towards Bulkhead and clanks forearms with him.
"Bromance trumps romance," Jack states. Miko rests her elbow on Jack's shoulder.
"Glad to be your bro, bro," she responds and they look each other angrily, yet humorously in each other's eyes. I glance up at Wheeljack remembering my crushes from my first two years of high school. If what Miko is saying is true... Oh God, here we go again.
