Wow guys! Thank you for all your amazing reviews! Sorry it's been a couple days... life happens. As it does with everyone. HOPEFULLY I'll have another one up tonight or tomorrow.

Hope you enjoy the chap! Action... and a little fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. Or any characters associated with the franchise. Just Kate.

Transmissions are in bold/italic.

Transmissions + Speech are in "bold/italic."


11. Chapter 10: Road Trip Nightmare

Optimus remained in his bipedal mode. He ran in the opposite direction than the Autobots were going. He ducked under a bridge, paused, and then ran parallel to it. All the while, helicopters were on his tail.

Kate didn't know if he was trying to distract the government agents… or what he was doing. She wanted to ask him what he was planning… but she bit her tongue. She knew this wasn't the time to distract him. Or it might get them all captured.

She crouched close to his neck, one hand lightly against his head. The other arm was wrapped around Sam, her hand gripping Mikaela's. The trip stayed locked together.

How the hell were they getting out of this one?

Optimus turned, running down a street. He avoided trampling cars that grinded to a halt. Kate looked back. The helicopters had slowed down. She guessed they were trying to avoid scaring the citizens below them. Regardless of the reason, Optimus noticed too. He turned right, ducking in between two tall buildings.

When Optimus darted from between the two buildings, they were in an alarmingly open area. It was like a large… trench. That's the only thing Kate could think of. Optimus and the humans looked up at the bridge that hung over the area. That is where they would hide. For the time being.

Mikaela and Kate shared a glance. Kate gripped his neck tighter, Sam and Mikaela gripped his smoke stack. It would be a very long way if anyone fell.

Optimus settled himself. He stretched his form over the trench, hidden from view, under the bridge. His hands gripped one cement support beam, his feet lay across another. The teens had readjusted themselves so they wouldn't lose their balance. Kate was on Optimus's left shoulder, holding onto the back of his head and his smoke stack. Sam mirrored Kate's position on his right shoulder. And Mikaela was perched on top of his head. Together the three humans breathed lightly, tightening their grips on the robot as two helicopters passed under the bridge.

"Easy, you two." He breathed to Sam and Mikaela, who would not stop squirming.

Kate, however, was as still as a statue. She froze, watching the helicopters. They passed underneath of them and flew a ways down the trench. Kate had to admit: it was hard for her not to move, herself. Especially when the helicopters turned, ready to make another pass under the bridge!

She held her breath, pressing herself tighter against the side of Optimus's head. She peered over him, and around Sam and Mikaela, as the helicopters came closer. She hoped beyond all hope that they were out of sight. She didn't want them to see her. She didn't want them to see Sam and Mikaela. And she sure as hell didn't want them seeing Optimus. She didn't want him captured or experimented on. She didn't want to be separated from him. Ever.

Kate gasped, jumping up as Mikaela suddenly lost her grip. She fell over Optimus's head. Sam caught her mid-air.

"No! No! No, Sam! Don't drop me!" Mikaela screamed as the helicopters flew under her.

"Kate!" Sam grimaced. He was losing his own grip: on both Optimus and Mikaela.

"Optimus, try not to move." Kate whispered shakily.

She was about to do something stupid. She climbed over Optimus's head. She balanced herself over his right shoulder, one leg on his smoke stack, the other on his head. She used her left hand to balance herself, putting it on Optimus's helmet, as she reached forward.

But she still wasn't close enough. Sam was gripping the very edge of Optimus's helmet. Which was a good foot out of Kate's reach.

"Sam, don't! Sam, don't! I'm slipping! I'm slipping!" Mikaela shrieked.

The helicopters buzzed underneath of the teens, moving at an almost annoyingly slow pace. Kate didn't know which was worse: death by fall, or death by blade.

"I can't reach him." She murmured. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted a yellow Camaro was racing towards them. But he was still very far away. He might not make it in time.

Optimus took a deep breath under her, and slowly shrugged his shoulders, giving Kate the boost she needed.

"Yes! That's helping, Optimus!"

But right as her fingers brushed Sam's, he fell.

"No!" Kate screamed. She jumped forward, grabbing after Sam. But he was falling too fast.

Like in slow motion, Kate reached back to grab Optimus's helmet. But her fingers missed. She was tumbling towards the cement ground too.

"Hold on!"

She looked up at the Commander. She saw pure fear in his expression as she fell past his face. He jutted forward, letting his legs fall, so that Mikaela, Sam, and Kate could catch themselves on his feet.

The first two teens missed, slamming painfully against the metal before bouncing away. Kate clenched her teeth. She focused her gaze on Optimus's right foot. She was tumbling straight for it.

In a moment of fast thinking, Kate reached out in front of her. She latched her arms around Optimus's ankle as her body made contact with his foot. She almost groaned out loud from the painful impact.

Hold on tight, Kate.

She looked up at Optimus curiously and gasped when she felt him move. She pulled herself up so both her arms and legs were wrapped around his ankle. Kate felt the air rush around her as the Autobot lifted himself up into the bridge.

He moved slowly and cautiously towards the closest end of the bridge. It was only two support beams away. Kate looked up, watching Optimus peculiarly as he stopped and peeked his head around one of the thick columns. He breathed in and out, darted across the gap, and reached his destination.

Kate jumped off of Optimus's foot, and onto the concrete ledge. She stretched her joints, wincing at the ache they produced. The Autobot kneeled down beside her. She smiled up at him, her mouth opening to say something. But he wasn't looking at her. He was staring over her. Solemnly.

Sam?! Mikaela?!

"Stop hurting him!"

She gasped in horror when she heard Sam screaming. She turned, looking in the same direction as Optimus. Her eyes widened when she saw Bumblebee tied-up on the ground, agents all around him, freezing his metal joints so he couldn't move. She saw Sam run towards him. He knocked an agent down.

But several agents pulled Sam away, cuffing him and dragging him to a car. He kept screaming at the men in black, but they weren't listening.

Without thinking, Kate ran across the concrete ledge. To Sam. To Mikaela. To Bumblebee. She needed to do something.

But Optimus stopped her. He wrapped his hand around her form, lifting her to his face.

No! She screamed at him, No! Optimus Prime, you LET ME GO RIGHT NOW!

His eyes bore into her own.

Kate, there's nothing we can do. His voice was full of sorrow.

Kate sighed, defeated. Tears fell down her face as she heard Bee's painful groans in the distance. It seemed like the sounds would never end.


Kate and Optimus sat there, waiting. Normally she would've been happy for some time alone with Optimus… but not like this. Never like this.

The agents had left five minutes ago, taking Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikaela with them. There was nothing now but silence.

Both human and bot remained quiet. Optimus was standing still. And Kate was sitting in his hand, facing away from him. Legs pulled to her chest, and eyes red from crying. Both were staring at the place where Bumblebee had been.

At least her ribs had stopped hurting.

They didn't look up until she heard cars approaching, and Jazz's voice. "Hang back. Let me check it out."

Optimus moved, lifting Kate onto the bridge, next to Ratchet. She looked back at him curiously.

"I want Ratchet to make sure you're okay." He explained.

Kate winced in response. Which made Optimus smile, for a minute, before he frowned again, lowering himself under the bridge.

Kate huffed, turning to the medic's alt mode. His holoform emerged from the driver's side.

"Come here, little one." He cooed, wrapping his arm around her and leading her to the back of the ambulance.

The trunk popped open and Kate sat inside, obediently.

"What happened?" Ratchet asked, reaching inside the trunk.

Kate took a deep breath before she started recounting the tale.


Kate awoke with a start. She looked around at her surroundings. She was… back in her bedroom? In Tranquility?

If those damn Autobots dumped me, She growled to herself, I'm going to kick their ass.

"Kate, wake up!" Mikaela came racing into the room.

Kate's eyes widened in shock. "Mikaela?! Where?—How?" She raced out of bed, hugging her best friend. "How did you get out? Did they let you go? No. They wouldn't have—" She rambled, "But what about the Autobots? Sam? Bumblebee? Optimus? Where are they?"

Kate furrowed her brows when Mikaela's face fell.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes, "What!" She barked.

Mikaela jumped. "Just… yeah, I'm okay." She whispered and smiled, "I'm fine."

And just like that, Mikaela vanished right in front of her.

Kate's bedroom changed, shifted. Not in a transforming way… but in a time-lapse way. She looked around, breathing heavily. Everything was in pieces. Only half of her room still stood. What remained of her walls were singed. She peered over one wall, and looked two stories below her. Her bed was lying on the ground, upside down.

Optimus? Kate panicked.

No answer. No. This could not be good.

OPTIMUS!

Kate whimpered when a white pain erupted in her head. She felt hatred consume her. She shut her eyes, fell to the ground, and held her head.

A low, maniacal cackling issued all around her. It echoed through her mind, her soul. She knew that voice.

"Megatron..." She whispered.

She didn't even know where she whispered it from. Did it come from her lips? Or was it from her mind? She didn't know where it went. When she opened her eyes, she only saw black void.

Little pet. Megatron growled behind her.

Leave me alone. She snapped.

Visions passed across Kate's eyes. She saw bits and pieces. Megatron flying over a city. Mission City. A battle in a street. Optimus fighting Megatron.

Kate found herself wandering the streets of Mission City, looking in horror at the decimation. She turned a corner, and gasped at what lay in front of her. She saw the Autobots scattered down the street. Everyone was in pieces, and not moving.

Ratchet and Ironhide were side-by-side, lying next to a convenient store. Jazz was torn in half: his torso was next to the store, his legs on top of a tower above Kate. Bumblebee was strapped to a tow truck, without his legs. And… and there was a single human arm extending out of the cab.

Kate let out a strangled sob.

Optimus! She screamed through her mind. She needed to find him.

She turned from the Autobots, and found herself in an intersection. She was standing on the edge of a very large hole in the ground. And… in that hole, she found her answer. His red and blue body was crushed. He was missing a leg, and he had a gaping hole next to his spark. His face was vacantly staring up at her.

"Optimus…" She whimpered, falling to her knees. She buried her face into her hands, sobbing hysterically.

Kate…

She gasped, looking at the mech. He was stirring… slightly. With his last breath. They both looked at each other in horror.

Kate.

A loud boom echoed around her and the ground shuddered. Kate screamed, turning around. Her mouth gaped open when she saw another mech towering over her. He was far bigger than Optimus, and had a menacing glare in his eyes. He reached for her. Kate crawled away, her gaze focused on Megatron.

Kate… He seemed to say. But his voiced distorted. Almost… almost sounding like Optimus?

The Decepticon leader snarled, throwing his head back. Kate shrieked, covering her head.

I will BREAK everything YOU LOVE. He bellowed in her mind. He reached towards her again. And your beloved mech… shall be first.

KATE!


"OPTIMUS!" Kate screamed.

She shot up, her eyes wide. Her breathing was quick, and her pulse was racing. But as her eyes adjusted, she realized she wasn't in Mission City. She had been lying on the back seat of the Peterbilt.

And before her sat Optimus's holoform.

"Optimus?" She whimpered, scooting toward him.

She reached out but hesitated to touch his face. What if this was a dream?

As if Optimus sensed this, he reached out, grasping Kate's hand and pressing it to his cheek.

"I'm real." He rumbled, ferocity and concern in his eyes, "See?"

Kate sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head forward in relief. She jumped in surprise when she felt the holoform lean his forehead against her own. He kept her hand against his cheek. But it honestly felt… great. She almost fell asleep again, feeling the comforting movement of the Peterbuilt underneath her.

Wait. She paused. We're moving?

Kate's eyes shot open. "Wait." She panicked, "Optimus, aren't we going to crash?"

The Autobot leader smiled at her. "My holoform doesn't have to be in the driver's seat. Even when I'm in motion. I can multitask." He paused, "As long as it's simple."

"Okay." She breathed, smiling, "Good to know."

Kate placed her forehead against Optimus's again. The holoform rolled his forehead back and forth against her own, soothing her, comforting her. They both closed their eyes.

"Another bad dream?" He whispered.

"Mmm." Kate affirmed, "Was I making a lot of noise?"

"You kept calling my name."

"Ah," She blushed.

They didn't say anything for a moment. They were just content to be there, together.

"You still need statis." Optimus observed.

Optimus was right. Kate was still tired. Her eyelids were heavy, but she refused to close them. She leaned away from Optimus, letting her hand fall from his face.

"If only the nightmares would stay away." Kate grumbled.

Optimus paused. Kate looked at him with amusement. She could almost hear his gears turning.

"I have an idea." He stated.

Kate looked at him, puzzled, as he sat down next to her on the backseat. He leaned himself against the wall of the cab. He adjusted for a minute, and then looked at her. He crooked his finger at her.

She blushed even more, hesitating, before she scooted toward him. The holoform wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her so that she was laying against him. Kate held her breath for a minute, unsure. And then she let it out, relaxing. She wrapped her own arms around Optimus's waist, putting her head against his chest. She stretched out her legs along the back seat. She closed her eyes, and let a smile grace her face.

Her breathing evened. Optimus looked down at her. He let his left hand brush a strand of brown hair out of her eyes, before re-wrapping his arms around her.

He stayed awake as she drifted to sleep, content just to hold her.

And Kate didn't have another nightmare.