Author's Notes: First things first … I cannot claim Father Philip Callaghan, much as I'd like to. He comes from the long-dead TV series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, and was played by Patrick Fitzgerald. The show ran from 1996-1999, at first on Showtime, and then it was picked up by Sci-Fi (back when it deserved to be called that) for the final season. I absolutely adored him in the one season he was truly in the show, and couldn't resist making him Lacey's priest in Nevada. The next bit of business: in this chapter, Hot Rod receives a transmission from Ironhide; Lacey enlists the aid of her parish priest, Father Philip Callaghan, to get the other parishioners to safety; while NEST and Torchwood arrive on the scene.
Chapter Nine
Timing is Everything
St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church
Boulder City, Nevada
Well. This was a fine kettle of fish! Alexandra Keller Harkness folded her arms over her chest, striving mightily to keep a scowl off her face as she beheld the four walls that were currently both a shelter and a prison. It was all in how you looked at it.
Twenty-five minutes earlier, she and Hot Rod were cruising down the interstate, windows down and Lacey thoroughly enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair. While they had a brief conversation when they first met, and Optimus assigned his elder sparkling to her as a guardian, it was just that … brief. And so, they spent that time getting to know each other, happily chatting away as he drove her to St. Thomas. It was supposed to take no more than fifteen minutes … she'd be in the church long enough to turn the recipes over to Abigail-maybe say 'hi' to Kim-and then they'd head over to pick up Corey from school. Father Callaghan walked the fine line that was 'friendly and welcoming' and 'pushing too hard' with extraordinary balance. He was, she sensed, reserved by nature, but Abigail told her that he always had time for Kim. And as Lacey well knew, anyone who had time for Kim … really, anyone who treated her just as another human being … automatically won Abigail over.
Lacey was actually heading back to the … er, rather, she was heading back to Hot Rod when her cell phone rang. She answered it almost absent-mindedly, and stopped in mid-step when her guardian told her, sounding somewhat … disturbed, "You must stay inside the church, Alexandra." Must? Uhm, put that in the 'seriously not good' category. Hot Rod continued, "I just received a transmission from Ironhide, who is at the Dam. There is a strong possibility that Decepticons who were damaged during the firefight at the convention center lost parts … and that they will return for those lost parts."
Okay, upgrade the situation from 'seriously not good' to 'this is very bad.' She asked in a low voice, "Suggestions?" There was a brief, stunned silence and Lacey rolled her eyes, sighing, "Hot Rod, you were assigned to protect me. I may not necessarily take your suggestions, but I need to hear them first. Now. What would you suggest we do? I'm not the only one in the church at the moment, so I'm not the only one in potential danger. There's Abigail Phan and her daughter, Father Callaghan, and a few other parishioners." Even as she spoke, she was glancing around the church, rejecting each potential hiding place as too risky. Then again, was there such a thing as a safe place? Not as a general rule, really, when all was said and done.
There was a second silence, and then Hot Rod answered, "I've run a scan of the building, Alexandra, and all indications are that the safest place to hide would be in the basement." The basement … Lacey wasn't sure where much of anything was in St. Thomas Aquinas. She'd only been a member of the parish for a few months, but still. Hot Rod's scans told him that the basement was the safest place in the church for her and the others, so then it was to the basement where they'd go. Now came the fun part … getting everyone down there.
"Understood. Tell Iron … no. No, ask Ironhide to pass our location along to Jack, and don't forget to call us when it's safe to come out," Lacey requested, quickly amending her wording because one simply didn't make demands of a gigantic alien robot, not if one wanted to continue living. She added in a low voice when Hot Rod agreed, "For now, I have to go tell our priest that we have to hide in the basement from a potential alien robot invasion. That's gonna go over real well." Still, if it had to be done, it had to be done, and whining about it wouldn't do any good.
She approached Father Callaghan, who was retreating from the altar, and he offered her a gentle smile, saying, "Mrs. Harkness. I'm sorry we haven't had th' opportunity t' talk before, but welcome t' the parish. Mrs. Phan has told me that you've become invaluable in th' last few weeks. But you're not here t' talk about that, are you?" He had a lovely Irish accent, she noticed, and there'd been a time when he was a very handsome man. But the years wore away at him, and yes, there were handsome priests. There was … never mind.
Lacey responded with a gentle smile of her own, answering, "What I'm about to tell you, Father Callaghan, is … well, you'll have a hard time believing it. But every word is true. We need to move to the basement right now. All of our lives may be in danger." His blue-gray eyes narrowed and Lacey explained the situation quickly and quietly. There was no sense in alarming everyone, after all. She told him about the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons and about the confrontation in Mission City. She did not, however, tell him about Torchwood. It would be up to NEST to deal with what came next, since this involved the Decepticons. Technically speaking, since the Cybertronians were involved, Torchwood was as well. However, she wasn't real interested in technicalities at the moment.
And, much to her surprise, once she finished, Father Callaghan merely nodded and told her, "Then we should get downstairs. You lead th' other parishioners down, and I'll bring up th' rear. Do you think you'll be able t' help carry Kim Phan down? I'll be needed t' carry down her wheelchair." Lacey was blinking in astonishment, because this easy acceptance was the last thing she expected. Father Callaghan offered another gentle smile, saying, "I have seen and experienced far more than you can imagine, Alexandra Harkness. This? Well, this is new, but from what you've told me, holy water won't work too well against these behemoths."
That comment, and the wry grin that crossed the priest's face, surprised a laugh out of Lacey. Still grinning, she answered, "No, I think you're right about that one. All right, let's get these people out of the line of the fire … and I'll help Abigail with Kim … but one day, I'd really like those stories of yours." Father Callaghan's smile broadened and once again, Lacey could see the handsome young man he was once. She wondered how many hearts he broke when he joined the priesthood, and then put it out of her mind. There was work to be done.
The first thing was warning Abigail Phan what they needed to do. Abigail, showing the calm and serenity that must have seen her through years of raising a disabled child and dealing with people's ignorance, merely asked, "Help me to lift her? I'm not as young as I used to be." Lacey quickly assented, and together, they picked up the teenage girl from her wheelchair and carefully carried her down the stairs into the basement … which was obviously once a nursery. A long abandoned nursery. Abigail said quietly as they settled Kim into a seat, "You go back and help the others, Lacey. I can handle it from here. She spent a lot of time here when she was a baby, and it wouldn't surprise me if she remembers it."
"Father Callaghan is herding everyone else down. About the only thing I think he might need help with is Kim's wheelchair," was Lacey's equally quiet response. She removed her cell phone from her pocket and texted Hot Rod to let him know that they were getting people into the basement. Her guardian immediately informed her that he was pleased to hear it, and that Jack was on his way. Oh yes, and he made alternate arrangements for Corey … either her father or her mother would pick up her daughter from school, and take her back to the Dam. Thank God.
"You're no ordinary military wife, are you, Alexandra Harkness? Any more than your husband is ordinary in any way," Abigail said softly. Lacey responded with something that was a cross between a grimace and a smile, because really, how else could she react to that statement? Abigail continued, nodding a little, "I see. You can't tell me … most likely for my safety and maybe even yours. That's fine, I do understand. But I'll remember you and your husband in my prayers tonight." Lacey put her hand over Abigail's, offering the older woman a smile as two parishioners carried Kim's wheelchair down the stairs, with Father Callaghan bringing up the rear. Abigail squeezed her hand, asking softly, "Now what?"
Lacey could only sigh as she looked around, "Now? Now we wait … and we pray." Abigail looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. The two women fell into a tense but companionable silence, fingers interlaced as Father Callaghan and another parishioner (whose name Lacey still didn't know … too many names she didn't know yet) got Kim settled in her wheelchair once again.
TWTWTWTWTWTW
Hot Rod was still having a hard time understanding humans. Both his sire and the Prime's bodyguard warned him that would be the case for some time. They warned him, and he should have listened, but as usual … he didn't. One of these orns, that would get him into trouble. If he'd been in his bi-pedal form, Hot Rod would have grimaced. 'One of these orns,' was it? It already got him into trouble, more than once! At least this time, the trouble wasn't world-ending or family-destroying. That was something at least.
He was released to retrieve Alexandra and begin his first orn as her guardian shortly after Captain Harkness arrived at the Dam. For some reason, the Torchwood director was … well, he seemed uncomfortable with Hot Rod. It worried at his processor … and at his sire's processor. His sire admitted that he'd never known the young human to be uncomfortable with anyone, in the admittedly-short time since they met. The young femme, Mikaela, added as she sat atop Bumblebee that 'Jack' was rarely uncomfortable with 'Bots and humans alike. She added with a mischievous smile that meeting Optimus didn't count. Bumblebee responded with what Hot Rod later learned were called 'laugh tracks.' It hurt to listen to his little brother now, and Hot Rod vowed that if he ever had Megatron in his sights again, he would take his spark … uncle or not.
But that was in the future, and it was Hot Rod's desire to learn more about his new home … and his new ward. He already knew the most important things, according to his sire … but Hot Rod wanted to know more. The more he knew, the better he could do his job. And so, Alexandra told him about the area where they were … the state of Nevada, in the United States of America. These were all things he could look up on the World Wide Web, but he was intrigued by the way she saw her world. A 'Bot could tell a great deal about a person from such conversations.
After she told him about the area, and her favorite places around her home and the Dam, the conversation next moved onto her family. She was the oldest of three daughters … and when she said the oldest, she meant it. Her younger sister Bronwyn, who was the middle sister, was nine years younger than she was … and Cecilia, the baby of the family, was sixteen years younger. According to the statistics Hot Rod found, this was uncommon. He shot a data burst to his own younger brother, who confirmed it tended to be uncommon, although his own humans were both only sparklings.
And that, of course, brought them to Alexandra's own sparkling … Corinna Rose. She was named for Alexandra's own mother and for a lost friend of Captain Harkness. Hot Rod heard a little about her earlier, during his first meeting with Alexandra, but now he learned more … given his strained relationship with his sire, and the loss of his femme creator, Hot Rod rarely allowed himself to think about Elita-One. But now, listening to the love and pride in Alexandra's voice as she talked about her little Corinna, Hot Rod wondered if that same love and pride was present in his femme creator's voice when she spoke of him and Bumblebee. He was so young when Sunburst was murdered … so very young.
As if summoned by thoughts of his own lost sister, Alexandra told him then about her lost child, the first child that would have been born to her and her husband. His new charge miscarried this first child several years earlier, while they lived in Cardiff, Wales. And while Alexandra didn't even know she was pregnant at the time, the loss of her child was still the source of pain. It wasn't the raw, open wound it was at first, of course … but the grief was still there, and she admitted that it likely always would be, along with the thoughts of what might have been. Hot Rod had no idea what to say to comfort his ward, and so, he remained silent as she once more grieved for that child she would never meet.
Eventually, he hesitantly asked her about where they were going today … and that was Hot Rod's first exposure to the various Earth religions. Alexandra admitted that she would need more time to prepare for any questions he might have for her, and that was more than fine with Hot Rod. After they were finished at the church, they would next go to Corinna's school to pick her up. Hot Rod was quietly grateful that he thought to put that strange little chair inside him, as that was Corey's booster seat. Its purpose was the security and safety of the sparklings who rode within the vehicles.
Of course, once they reached the church, that was when things went to the Pit (although Hot Rod was beginning to like the phrase adopted by NEST from Torchwood, 'going pear-shaped'). He received a data burst from Ironhide about the Decepticons … and since they might return for those lost parts, Hot Rod would bet an orn's worth of energon that it wasn't simply missing bits of armor, but important things. Regardless, he was informed that his responsibility was not to engage any Decepticons unless they were an imminent threat to Alexandra and those with her. Hot Rod spared a moment to thank Primus that they went to the church before the school … otherwise, he would have to worry about Corinna Harkness, as well as her mother. Between the murder of his older sister when they were sparklings and the later murder of nearly all sparklings and younglings, the last thing Hot Rod was a human child caught in the crossfire.
Once he received his orders from Ironhide, Hot Rod mused on the best way to contact Alexandra. His scans of the church informed him that she was preparing to return to him, and for a moment, he thought about doing just that. His primary responsibility was protecting her. But a quick moment of processing likely scenarios convinced him that Alexandra was far safer in the church at the moment than she was inside him. If he left with her now, they ran the risk of encountering Decepticons, which would put her in far greater danger. And the Hot Rod who would have welcomed such a confrontation no longer existed. He notified his ward … and that was when he realized how much he had to learn about humans. Alexandra immediately asked what his recommendation was. Until then, he didn't realize that he assumed Alexandra would argue with him. After all, they just met a few days earlier, and briefly at that.
However, he was her protector and as she told him, even if she didn't necessarily agree with or even accept his recommendations, she had to hear them first. Which was, he thought, a rather reasonable response, and so he did another scan of the building. He ran the calculations and came to the conclusion that the safest place for the small group of humans was in the basement of the church. Much to his astonishment, she concurred with his recommendation and told … and then requested for him to ask Ironhide to pass along their whereabouts to her husband. She didn't think he heard her mutter under her breath, 'you just don't make demands of a gigantic alien robot, not if you want to continue living,' but he did. He heard far more than she thought.
When this was all over, he would tell her that. For now, his sensors were telling him that Decepticons were on their way. Hot Rod would have shuddered, if he could have … staying here was the wisest move, he saw now. The Decepticons were on their way, and the other humans were moving slowly into the basement, which would provide some safety if things went truly pear-shaped. The Decepticons were coming, but so was NEST, and Hot Rod knew that the 'Bots and their human allies would get there first.
TWTFTWTFTWTF
"Okay, everyone, you know what you're supposed to do … get to it, we've got an entire neighborhood to evacuate and the Decepticons aren't far behind us," Major Will Lennox barked to his NEST team. The men scattered to knock on doors and make sure everyone was out, while Will looked around for the distinctive black Torchwood SUV. There was never any question of Torchwood joining or not joining them on this op … but Jack agreed before they even left the Dam that NEST would be in charge. That meant a slight change in the standard operating procedure for the British institute … including the necessity of Retcon if things went pear-shaped (which was always a possibility).
While NEST understood Torchwood's use of Retcon (and admitted that it could come in handy on more than one occasion), they preferred to use other methods to protect both the 'Bots and the unsuspecting humans. Fortunately, while the director of Torchwood was playful and mischievous (to say nothing of flirtatious), he was also smart. Jack saw their point, and was willing to play by their rules. Technically speaking, this was a NEST operation, and Torchwood was assisting. Then again, one of the first things that Will Lennox learned about his counterpart in Torchwood (aside from the fact that Jack was an incorrigible flirt) was that he was a quid pro quo kinda guy. Give him attitude and he'd return it. It wasn't an attitude that Will could copy, but he sure as hell could appreciate it. Then again, that was par for the course with Torchwood.
On this, however, Jack had to agree to Will's terms … and he did so. They would evacuate the community, using a cover story concocted by the Secretary of Defense himself. Those who could leave had already done so … NEST and Torchwood were making sure everyone else left. Besides, Will was determined that Mission City wouldn't happen again. He couldn't do anything about the property damage, unless the Autobots could lure the Decepticons from the town, but he would damn well make sure that so many people didn't die this time around. And yes, that included Jack. Not just because it freaked out NEST personnel when he died, but because Jack was family. Will hadn't quite figured out yet what role he was in the family, but that was par for the course with Jack. And it wasn't the point. The point was, he was family.
The other point was reaching the community where St. Thomas Aquinas stood, and evacuating people before Decepticons could turn them into jelly and their homes into so much rubbish. It was agreed before they even reached the site that Suzie, Tosh and Owen would help to load those remaining in the community due to a lack of transportation into the Autobots in vehicular mode. The cover story which they were using was a gas leak in the area (it worked so well, they would use it again a few years later in Shanghai. Will just wished he'd known that Jack was in China during the Boxer Rebellion. That could have made their jobs a lot easier). Of course, if the Decepticons trashed the area, they would have to figure out another cover story … but Will was inclined to accept Jack's suggestion of an explosion caused by the gas leak. No fuss, no muss.
"Where is my wife?" Jack asked quietly as soon as the Torchwood SUV pulled up along Ironhide and the captain swung out of the vehicle. Those were actually the first words out of his mouth … no flirting, no teasing, not even a request for information regarding the situation as a whole. Appreciating his counterpart's directness, Will told the other man that upon Hot Rod's recommendation, Lacey and the rest of her fellow parishioners took shelter in the basement below St. Thomas Aquinas. Jack merely nodded, murmuring, "Good. That's good to hear." His Bluetooth must have beeped at him with an incoming call, because he made a small face and tapped his ear-piece. He listened intently, and then said, "Thanks, John. I'll keep you posted."
Which meant that SecDef Keller had his granddaughter at the Dam, and the little girl was being distracted … and hopefully, she would never even know that her mother was ever in any danger. Will said softly as Jack returned his attention to scanning for Decepticons, "You know, you could go ahead and get your wife and the others out. There's time." Jack offered him a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and Will shrugged, adding, "I thought it was worth making the offer. I'm military, you aren't."
"Thanks for the offer, Will, but Lacey would never forgive me if I did that. She won't want us to get them out of there until she's sure that there isn't a threat any more … until we're sure that the danger is gone," Jack answered quietly. His smile grew a little more genuine as he added, "My Lacey-girl doesn't believe in half-measures. So let's get this job done, and then I can collect my wife and take her to our daughter." Will smiled back. Jack might not be part of the same military as Will, but he was a soldier, and like Will, he would do his duty.
"Let's get going, then. We sent a car through earlier, announcing that the area would be evacuated due to a gas leak. The rest of my guys are checking now for any stragglers," Will explained. Jack nodded and the major added, "I think Hot Rod is a little surprised by Lacey accepting his recommendation for taking shelter inside the church basement. I kinda got the impression, based on Ironhide's observation to me, that Hot Rod was expecting her to put up more of an argument." Jack merely smirked at that, and Will continued, half wanting to duck this conversation and half wanting to get it over with, once and for all, "He also seems to think that you're uncomfortable with him. I honestly don't care one way or the other, Jack, as long as it doesn't create a distraction."
"I knew him. From your future, and my past. I have to be careful in my interaction with him, because I met a future version of him when I was a boy, before my home was invaded," Jack answered quietly as they walked together. Will swallowed hard, because he knew some details of this story … how Jack's home planet was invaded when he was just a child, no more than twelve or thirteen, how his brother was lost and his father was killed during that invasion.
And then Will thought about the rest of Jack's statement, what that meant for both Jack and for Hot Rod. He said slowly, "Hot Rod never mentioned meeting you or NEST or anything like that. Which means that he either didn't recognize the child version of you … or you warned him about not telling him about your future in the past." He winced, shaking his head, and muttered, "Damn. Temporal mechanics give me a headache." Jack laughed softly, his eyes still on the horizon. And then, they both felt it … the rumbling under their feet. Will shouted, "They're coming!" And so was one helluva fight.
TBC