AN: ok guys, this chapter is so long! I wanted to make it up to you for making you wait so long for the previous chapter, and also because I sat down and couldn't stop typing.
Also, this is a much-awaited chapter for me, so if you can all be lovely and give me all your support in the reviews, I would love you all forever, and give you all cookies! Pretty, pretty please, just tell me that you love it, and why you love it! I really want to smile at all your reviews when I read them!
Also, if you have any questions about the story, plot, chapter, or even author herself, ASK AWAY! I will gladly answer them.
P.S.: I'm only responding to reviews of over a hundred characters. Anyway; I'm so excited that I won't keep you waiting. Please read and love and tell me that you do!
The world around me stood completely still as I gazed up at the frozen robot – who is easily as tall as Optimus – towering menacingly over the vast room. It frightened the living day light out of me but I managed to control myself from turning around and running the hell away, instead, clinging to Sam tighter, looking for some form of protection and shelter from the thing's possible sight. I stared at the robot in a mixture of shock at how he was here, terror of that he was here, and confusion of why he was here as the world around me started to slowly come back into focus, blended noises separating into sentences and words.
"– shipped him here to this facility in 1934," the half-bald guy – 'Guy' with a capital from now on – announced.
"We call him NBE-One," Simmons called out loud and clear, making sure everyone heard. I looked at him and rolled my eyes at the given name. I know about the Autobots for less than twelve hours, and I already know more than they do – or at least I think I do; how knows, maybe they discovered some real interesting stuff about how the Cybertronians work down here. Point is: I know their names, and the very basic over-view of history of their planet, and these guys call the Warlord "NBE-One".
I nudged Sam as we come up closer to the platform the giant is standing on, shooting a glance to Megatron, then to Simmons, and then back to Sam. But he was faster than me, because that moment I looked at him fully, I saw that he was already going to tell Simmons. Sam cleared his throat, drawing all attention to the two of us.
"Sir, I don't mean to correct you on everything you think you know, but… that's Megatron," he said, pointing up at the giant. Simmons scrawled upon this new information, and I gave him a smug look, as if to say "ha! We know this and you don't! In your face!"
Clearly, Simmons caught that very well, and didn't like it, or what Sam said one bit. "He's the leader of the Decepticons," Sam explained. "You got the leader of the most hostile aliens out there in your backyard. He's like… Darth Vader meets the overgrown Terminator." I was sure that Simmons had to have at least considered this. Sure I disliked him a fair bit, but he wasn't working for Sector-7 for nothing. He was smart, he had to be; he would not be working in a top secret government agency otherwise.
"He's been in cryostasis since 1935. Your great-great-grandfather made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind," the half-bald guy told Sam. I made a silent "wow" of amazement. That is so cool. Now I wished my ancestor was crazy like Sam's – turns out the crazy old man discovered an alien race!
"Fact is you're looking at the source of the modern age." Simmons announced, pacing slowly between us and the concrete/metal pedestal that held Megatron. "All microchip, lasers, spaceflight, cars; all reverse-engineered by studying him," he shouted, jabbing a finger towards the warlord. "NBE-One; that's what we call it," he snapped, taking a step closer to Sam, looking intimidating. Naturally, I felt very uncomfortable under his gaze – the gaze which is followed by the watchful eyes of the rest of the tour group.
But Sam apparently asked the Wonderful Wizard of Oz for some more of those guts he had in the confrontation at the lake when all he did was snort. "'It'? Oh you guys are in so much trouble. You are keeping an alien who started a war that wiped out an entire planet inside of Hoover Dam like it's some sort of monument of exhibit at a museum. And the moment the Decepticons find out, they will come, and they will take him back. And believe me; they won't be nice about it. If they come, and they will come, you will have hell to pay for this."
My mouth dropped open at that, and Simmons' face reddened. When did Sam get so ballsy? He just tolled of a member of a secret government agency! I could understand how he would do that when talking to Trent and his dogs, but this is a whole new level of guts we've reached here.
"And you didn't think that the United States military might need to know that you're keeping a hostile alien frozen in the basement?" a man I didn't recognize and didn't even know was here till now, due to his silence, asked, sounding very official. The Guy turned to face him as he explained this.
"Until recent developments, we had no evidence of threat to national security." At this point, I had built up enough nerve to speak.
"I'm… I'm sorry… but we are not talking national security anymore, Sir; we're speaking on a global scale. You kept the leader of the Decepticon imprisoned here since the thirties. When he wakes, he won't be pleased, and from what I heard about him-" which really wasn't that much, but also perfectly enough "-the entire planet will be paying the price."
The un-named man gave me a nod, and then turned back to Guy. "You got one now," he said, motioning to me.
"So why Earth?" a solder – a particularly hot solder, with tanned skin, dark hair, and chestnut colored eyes – asked. I took a step back, leaning backwards towards Mikeala, and whispered ever so quietly in her ear, "I'd tap that." She gave me a look that tells me that she's fantasizing about him as well, a dreamy look in her eyes.
"It's the Allspark," Sam explained, sounding a little unnerved about something. "They came here looking for this cube thing. It's got some sort of power in it or something – I'm not really sure, but it's really important to them. Anyway, mister NBE-One here, aka Megatron," he said, exaggerating "Megatron" as he leaned a little closer to Simmons, making eye-contact and raised his eyebrows at the older men. "That what they call him; he wants to use the cube to transform human technology to a bunch of robotic warriors, and kill off all the Autobots and take over. That's the over-view; you're gonna have to talk to him about the details.
"You're sure about that?" Simmons asked him, sounding a bit worried. Sam gave him a small nod, before his eyes widened a little, in realization.
"You know where it is, don't you." Simmons tensed, staring at Sam for a long moment, before finally gesturing for us to come with him.
"Follow me." We abide, the entire group trailing after him, farther and farther away from Megatron. The farther we got away, the better I felt. As we walked, I left Sam's side, joining Mikeala a little way back, and the two of us slow down, letting the group pass us before we allowed ourselves to whisper between ourselves.
"Oh my God, did you see him? He was so hot!" Mikeala silently squealed, jumping up and down as she walked, hands balled up at her chest.
"I know, right? I so hope he isn't like… twice my age or something, 'cause I'd totally go out with a such a treat. How's your 'tight abs and big muscles' weakness there, eh?" I teased the dark-haired girl. She shoved my shoulder, her mouth dropping open. But then she laughed.
"I swear, when I saw him I thought I'd faint!" she whisper-squealed in giddy, her voice concealed with the surrounding noise. We walked down a hallway, away from the vast room – or is it more of a hangar – which served as a prison to Megatron for over half a century.
"You're about to see our crown jewel," Simmons announced as we entered a room, which shrunk as the near dozen of us tried to all cram into it. One wall was almost all glass, providing a really nice view of… The Allspark. And if I thought Optimus was gigantic, then I didn't even know the name for this. For the sake of comparison, Optimus to the cube was like me to Optimus – and I'm saying Optimus because he's the biggest of the Autobots.
The cube was absolutely huge! But what caught my attention was not its sheer size, but the simple fact that it was here; a mere walking distance away from Megatron.
"Carbon dating puts the cube here at around 10,000 B.C. The first Seven didn't find it until 1913," Guy said just I glanced behind me, peeking between everyone to the wall across from the window, a circle of seven pictures hanging on it. "They knew it was alien because of the matching hieroglyphics on the cube, as well as NBE-One. President Hoover had the damn built around it. Four football fields thick of concrete to block the cubes energy from being detected by anyone or… any alien species on the outside."
His words sunk in and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Megatron was looking for the Allspark, His search lead him to Earth, where Sam's great-granddad found him. And they brought him exactly to where he wanted to be; right there, an arm's length away from the object he was looking for all this time. If he gets free… dear God.
"Wait, you said the dam hides the cube's energy, what kind of energy exactly?" Blondie asked curiously from beside the official-looking guy. This seemed to have been the right question, because Guy spoke up, immediately answering the question… more or less.
"Good question," he commended, and motioned for us to follow him. After several turns through several uniform corridors, we found ourselves in a room made entirely of metal and it gave off a "torture room" vibe. Probably because the walls were covered in claw marks of various animals – well… more like supper animals, if they managed to shred a metal wall. In the middle of the now-small room stood a glass box, with wiring attached to it from all sides, running to and from the room, monitors and machinery lining the walls. "Everyone step inside. They have to lock us in," Guy instructs.
We all followed orders and I felt very nervous when I heard the door hiss a little. They locked us in a room that was shredded to bits by someone. The effects of all the horror movies I've ever watched kicked in and I had to wonder for one second, how many people may have been in this room when it happened.
The dark skinned solder from earlier mumbled something about Freddie Cruger being imprisoned in here, but the Computer Geek corrected him enthusiastically, telling him that Freddie – I shuttered at the memory of the movie – had four blades, but the claw mark are of three, so it's more likely that I that it was Wolverine. The solder turner to give Computer Geek an annoyed look, and my hands shot to my mouth as I saw two fresh gash scars on his neck. They looked a couple of days old at the most.
"Does anyone have a mechanical device? Blackberry, key alarm, cell phone?" Simmons asked everyone, and everyone stuck their hands in their pockets. I pulled out my cell from my bag, tossing it to him before I could stop myself.
"You break it, you buy me the latest model; got it?" I told him.
"Young lady, you are in no position to make requests," he snapped at me, catching my phone with both hands. I glared at him for that, but let it go. If he's gonna show us what energy they were talking about, I figured it might as well be worth it. Or he's just going to break it and I'm going to be left without a phone.
Black goggles were passed around and I put my pair over my head as Simmons put my cell inside the box. I leaned in for a better look, noticing small claw marks on the inside of the metal caging. I gulped uneasily as the box was slammed shut. In the middle of the box was an air-spray gun-looking thing, aimed downward. My interest was piqued now, my curiosity at what will happen next eating away at me.
Simmons then gets to answering Blondie's question from before. "We're able to take the cube radiation… and funnel it into this box," he said as he flipped down several switches and leavers. I watched power rush through the gun and flash into the cell phone, the whole room filling up with blinding light. I saw then, why we were given these goggles: the light would have easily temporarily blinded me.
My phone absorbed the energy, which apparently came from the Allspark. I heard a soft hissing noise before it began to rattle, before exploding into… some sort of insect; one I can only describe as an ant. With two round, drop-like halves of its shiny, silver body, six thin legs, one eye, and the claw things on an actual ant's face. It was about the size of the palm of my hand, and it freaked the hell out of me. I was never a fan of bugs, and screamed like five year old every time a spider got too close. Ants were a particular not-favorite of mine, and this one was huge!
It looked around in confusion for a little, before charging at the glass casing, only to bounce backwards when it doesn't give.
"What is that thing?!" Blondie cried in shock, taking her goggles off. I did that same, taking a better look at the overgrown ant.
"Mean little sucker, eh?" Simmons said smugly, apparently happy at the ant's struggle and confusion. It charged at the glass again, this time faster, and the glass broke into a spider web of cracks. The ant fell back upside-down, its legs flailing rapidly as it tried to flip itself over.
"It's freaky!" Australia exclaimed. My phone… is a metal insect? Oh my God! Simmons just turned my cell into a metallic ant! That is just… Argh! How the hell am I going to use it now?! I can't use that thing; I don't want it anywhere near my face! But the phone cost me money! A lot of money, and I can't just throw all the money away. And what happens if someone called me, huh?
"Kind of like an itty bitty energizer bunny from hell," Simmons said, still smiling in disgust at the ant. I actually had to sympathize with the ant a little. I think I felt just as he did now when I first met the Autobots. I mean, these five giants just went from cars to aliens. They were totally creepy, and huge, and dangerous. I was really freaked out then – especially after the three of us were attacked by one of their kind. We must look just as freak to it as we do to him.
But I had bigger problems. "Simmons," I spoke slowly, trying to control my anger, "when I told you not to break my phone, did I need to spell it out that turning it into a giant ant robot was not an option? You could have warned me!"
"And what? Spoil the surprise?"
"This isn't a surprise, Mr. Simmons; this is taking a cell that cost me three hundred dollars, and turning it into a metal insect! I cannot afford to have to get me a new phone! And what if someone calls me? Then the ant will pick up… wait… that doesn't make any sense. Well you get it! That's my phone; I can't use it now!" I shouted, freaking out. That phone was expansive as it was. I can't get myself a new one, and I need my phone. I've got stuff on it, like pictures. That phone has the pictures of an alien species! There is now way in hell I'm parting with those. I write fanfiction chapter on it while in class, and then email them to myself to put them on my phone, but I have an entire chapter on there; I can't part with that either!
Suddenly a gun appeared out of nowhere, strapped onto its… back side, I suppose, and it started shooting away at the glass in every direction, running around trying to get out. When the gun didn't make any difference, the ant put it away. Instead, he aimed the antennas coming out of its head at the glass. What I can only describe as a blue laser beam shot out of them, directly at the glass, and everyone moved away with a sharp cry of both surprise and fear as it cut a perfect circle in the glass. I stared with my mouth hanging open.
Ok… freaky or not, that was the most awesome thing I'd seen in a long time.
"It's breaking the glass!" Mikeala exclaimed, frantically pointing at the ant with one hand, while covering her mouth with the other.
"Yo man… that is like some Sci-Fi shit there…" Computer geek mumbled. "That was the coolest thing ever!" My thoughts exactly, my friend… my thoughts exactly. So what now? Will it charge at the glass again, jump out, and claw someone's eyes out? Or will it just run away and hid because it's scared? And will I let them step on my phone to break it, losing my cell forever, or will I try to not let them do that? No, that's just crazy, Yeah, I need a phone, but I'm not that desperate as to use a mechanical bug as one. It's a bug; bugs are pests, vermin. They are useless and should be stepped on every time one is spotted.
But again, that bug cost me a by-weekly paycheck. If it's a mechanical bug, it better as hell make up for it by being one hell of a good phone. Hold up… am I seriously considering keeping this bug-phone thing? Besides, they'll kill it anyway. But then look at it: it's probably just really scared. It woke up to see a bunch of huge, pinkish-yellowish creatures with creepy, black bug-eyes staring at it. That was the first thing it ever saw in all its half-a-minute-long life.
It's my phone. It's a bug. It's my phone. It's a bug.
No, it's my cell phone, and I need my cell phone and everything that is on it. I have hundreds of pictures, and songs and videos and photos I will never be able to take again.
This phone has so many pictures of Sam and me – the recent ones being my current favorite. I will never be able to take another picture like that. The sun will be in the wrong place, and the wind will be blowing the wrong way, and the scene will just not be the same. Those pictures we took less than a half hour ago will never be taken again. They are unique, precious moments that I chose to capture in a still photo, and keep forever. Those are irreplaceable. I might be able to get myself a new phone, but the things on this one will never be again.
"Can I have my phone back now?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, come again?"
"I said: can I have my phone back now? You've shown off what you learned the cube can do; good job to you for figuring that out. Now can you please give me back my cell phone? It cost me three hundred dollars, and I have tones of stuff on there that I wouldn't give up to some government organization for a million dollars. Can I please get my phone back?" I repeated.
"Sorry kid, not an option. That thing is not the first, and trust me on this: you don't want it to get out," Simmons told me strictly, but also with the slightest bit of something I can almost call concern.
"Raven, I thought you were scared of ants," Sam sinkers behind me. I elbow him in the ribs.
"Oh shut up, you; yeah, I hate ants and spiders and bugs in general, but like I said, this bug was one expensive sucker," I explained. "Besides… it's kind of alive now. What are you gonna do to it? Take it away and conduct experiments? Kill it? Is that what you are going to do to Bumblebee? They're living beings; all of them. I'm pretty sure that killing them wouldn't be as simple as stepping on an insect; it would be murder."
"Who's 'Bumblebee'?" Simmons asked, sounding not in the least interested. I knew it wasn't a question I was supposed to answer, but I did open my mouth to do so, only to have my attention drawn to the ant in the cage. He trailed back to the far end of the cage, and charged – at a ridiculous speed for something his small size, if I may add – at the circle in the glass wall. Only then did I realize I was standing right in front of him. I didn't even notice I moved while I was talking, and the next moment, I was holding the plate of glass in place with both hands to keep the ant inside the glass box.
I was about to say something, but I was cut off by a faint, barely audible, but definite explosion somewhere far away, and then the lights flickered on and off. Everyone froze in place, not even so much as breathing. There was a very brief moment of utter silence, before the official-looking guy spoke up. "Gentlemen… they know the cube is here."
Guy was at the intercom in seconds, demanding to know what was going on.
"The NBE-One hanger has lost power, and the backup generator is not going to cut it!" came the reply. Megatron's hanger? You have got to be kidding me! Of all the places to lose power. Talk about bad freaking luck! The last thing we needed right now was a very pissed off Megatron going on a killing spree.
"Do you have an arms room?" Mister Hotty – *faint in a very dramatic, girly way* – asked, walking up to Guy. He nodded rapidly and motioned for us to follow him. The door was unlocked and everyone rushed out… forgetting me in the room.
"Wait guy!" I shouted, waving one hand over my head, and holding the plate of glass in place with the other as the ant tried ramming its head into it again, but to no avail. I had to admit though, that the ant was pretty darn strong. "You forgot me!" I cried. I looked desperately between the hallway where Sam heard me and pulled to a stop, turning around and motioning me to come impatiently, and then at the ant in the box. It was my expensive phone, with irreplaceable things occupying its memory space. I have to at least transfer everything onto my laptop before handing the ant over to Sector Seven – who apparently forgot about it altogether when the main power supply went out. I let out a loud groan of frustration.
I'm going to regret every moment of this. I let go of the glass, and pushed it in, letting it fall inside the box. Gulping in disgust that the thought that I'm about to have a bug touch my skin, but reached my hand slowly into the box, palm up, putting on the friendliest face I can manage. I had no idea how much the ant understood at this point, buy I really hoped it knew at least basic body language.
"Well? Are you coming or are you staying?" Reluctantly, it moved forward towards my hand, looking over it like it might turn into a gun and shoot him. I started to move my hand away, looking dead serious. The ant hurried to climb onto my hand and I shivered. "Ehhh! I have an insect on my hand!" I complained loudly, taking my hand out of the box. I grabbed the ant with my other hand, holding it tightly, and ran out of the room, to Sam, where I had to explain why I had the ant squirming in my hand. We argued back and forth over the wisdom of the idea of just grabbing the ant like it was no big deal since it did try shooting at us – or the glass… or at us, but the glass was in the way, but that was the first option anyway.
I dismissed it, explaining why I couldn't leave my phone behind, but there were no words to really explain how precious everything on that phone was. It held every major memory of the last three years in it. The trip to the zoo, that concert, the spring dance we went to together, the first 'A' Sam got after he made his deal for three 'A's and two grand in exchange for a car, the Halloween costumes we wore last year, decorating Sam's house for Christmas, and much, much more precious, irreplaceable moments and all the things it would be a crime to forget: me getting bit by Mojo, a yellow school bus, the driver shouting at us to get out of the doorway in the background, baking cookies for the fund-raiser… everything is on this phone. I couldn't care less what it turns into. It can become a centipede for all I care; there is no way I'm losing all of that.
Just thinking about it made me realize how amazingly, incredibly, dysfunctionally perfect my life is – how complete it is. I have absolutely everything even when I have little. I have the best of memories, and they all outweigh the troubles and hardships I've faced. I have the one person who gives me hope in the word right next to me, holding my hand and supporting me in everything. He kicks my ass when I deserve it, and laughs when I fall, filming it and posting it online before helping me up.
We faced the monsters under the bed together, and stayed in the closet all night just to prove that there was no boogeyman in it. We hid in the bathroom in the museum, and stayed after closing hours to see if the exhibits come to life. We had a phobia of museums ever since then – also together.
When you fall, I can't promise I'll pick you up. But I do promise that I'll lie down beside you. It was an oath – an everlasting promise that played through my head every time I was unsure of myself. It was a promise of that I'll never have to face something alone. It was a promise that we will always pull through anything and everything the world will throw at us. We will make it over our disagreements and secrets and distrust; we will hide things from each other, and lie, and we will stick together through it all.
Because people say that in true friendship, there are no secrets, but it's not true. There are always secrets. True friendship accepts that there are secrets and there are lies; it accepts them all, and it gives time to open up. That's friendship; that's closeness: the understanding that there are things you can't trust people with, and you give your loved ones time, you help them, and then you wait for them to trust you a little more.
I know that if our rolls were switched and it was Sam who was keeping major things from me, I'd wait for him for a hundred years… and then I'd wait a hundred more.
We hurried after Guy into the arms room. I really shouldn't have been surprised when I saw all the weapons, since it was an arms room, but it was still weird to see all the different guns in there, placed so plainly around like there was absolutely nothing wrong. I always hated guns, and the fact that it was legal to carry a gun around only made it worse; it just gave people an excuse to shoot someone. Even in my neighborhood, with my neighbors, I didn't have a gun. Even where I lived, never had I been a victim to burglary or kidnapping. So all those who were afraid someone will break into their home… relax, will you? What are the odds of someone walking up to your house in the middle of the day and saying "I'm gonna rob this house"?
Every man in the room was grabbing any and every weapon they laid their eyes on, loading them with rounds. Mikeala – who was just as shocked as Sam to see the little ant in my hand (oh my God; I am holding an insect! Ewe!) – Sam and I chose to stay well out of the way. I take this time to look over my used-to-be phone, hoping that it can still become a phone. The ant protested against my hold on it, and, realizing this, I let it go, allowing it to rest on my wide-open palms. It made a lot of noises of protest, and I tried my best to sooth it, hoping it wouldn't go killer robot and shoot us all. I – and the "how" was beyond me here – managed to get it to relax and stop shouting and calm down.
Once it was calm, Mikaela for some reason proceeded to comparing the thing to a hamster – which in turn lead me to suggesting she saw a doctor. Blondie and Computer Geek also joined the conversation, noting at how it looked almost cute when it wasn't trying to shoot anyone.
Simmons caught up on the situation and I got a scolding from him and an attempt at taking the ant away. I replied to that with the fact that it was my phone, and he didn't have a warrant of confiscation, therefore it would be stealing. I knew exactly how stupid it sounded, but it was a last-ditch effort at keeping the ant/phone and everything on it. I couldn't expect him to understand how much value the phone held, and how important it was. I'd be devastated if I lost so much as one of those pictures. I wasn't an artist, but if I were, I'd draw every one of the photos I took. They were not something you can trust to memory, and those are things that would be punishable to forget.
But our argument was cut short when someone called Simmons, saving me any further convincing – since I had no excuses left in my arsenal.
Simmons wasn't away for a minute before we heard a crash, the lights flickering again. Everyone froze. A round was dropped into a magazine – I believe that's what it's called. I exchange a nervous look with Mikaela as Sam marches up to Simmons, talking fast and urgently.
"You have to take us to my car," Sam demands, getting right to the point. Simmons ignores him. "You have to take me to my car right now. He'll know what to do with the cube."
"Your car? It's confiscated," is all the agent says.
"Then unconfiscate it," Sam tells him impatiently.
"We do not know what will happen if we let it near that thing," Simmons replies, loading his own gun, his voice rising. I really want to give him a piece of my mind right now, but I think I've been the center of attention enough for today… and the rest of the year, for that matter. I made enough of a scene back there, with asking to have my phone back. With everyone watching me, I felt like I was going to throw up right then and there!
I give Mikaela a pleading look which she immediately interprets, and speaks up. "Maybe you don't, but we do: he's gonna get it to safely, to his boss, and the planet won't be destroyed by Doctor Doom back there. And whose brilliant idea, by the way, was putting Megatron within walking distance of the Allspark, huh?" she questions, like she owns the place. I mentally applaud her for holding her ground like that. That girl is the bravest girl I think I've ever met. First she can fix cars, then she hacks up a little terror robot to bits with a power saw, next she finds a giant mechanical ant cute, and now she's subtly telling someone from a top secret government agency that they are an idiot. Is she related to Chuck Norris or something?
"I have people's lives at stake here!" Simmons shouts fumingly. In that moment, Hotty grabbed Simmons by the arm and swung him around, slamming him into the parked Humvee. This triggered a chain reaction.
Clicks sound all over the room, the first being to the right of Hotty, and behind Sam, Mikaela and I, a Sector Seven man aiming his SIG SG-552. And all Hotty did was grab his own M1911A1 pistol and point it back at the man. "Drop it."
Another one of Simmons' men aimed his Heckler & Koch G36C at Hotty, just as another guy on his squad slammed his Heckler & Koch G36C into the man, and the one standing next to him. Another man on his team slammed the butt of his MP5A3 with an M68 Aimpoint scope – I've watched my share of movies – into an S-7 solder's face. Grunts and the clicking of guns sounded a few seconds longer and buy then, literally everyone was at gunpoint; even the five of us – Sam, Mikeala, and me, plus Blondie and Computer Geek.
Complete and utter silence.
"Drop your weapon, solder," Simmons commanded. No reaction. "There's an alien war going on out there and you're going to point your guns at me?"
"We didn't ask to be here," Hotty says breathlessly through his teeth.
"I'm ordering you under S-Seven executive jurisdiction-"
"-S-7 don' exist," the dark-skinned man states. I chuckle a little under my breath.
"That's right; and we don't take orders from people who don't exist," Hotty says. I think I just found my new favorite super heroes to be jealous of.
"I'm gonna count to five," Simmons threatens, but the solder doesn't take it. "And I'm gonna count to three," he retorts, shoving his M1911A1 into Simmons's chest. Yup… definitely my new heroes. These guys are not only totally, downright hot, but they are also kickass awesome!
The official-looking guy tells Simmons to obey, and, reluctantly, he does. Hotty lets him go, and he leads us away from the arms room, down a maze of corridors. Half way down one of the hallways, I hear an agonized, mechanical cry, and recognize it from the night before as a pained plea of the mute Autobot. Realization sinks in and I feel my heart tear at itself: they took him away, and hurt him, and I was focused on myself and my problems. I was selfish and inconsiderate, after Bumblebee saved our lives twice in one night. And all I did was blame him and his comrades. I instantly feel guilty, as I should.
Upon hearing the noises coming from inside a room behind the double doors at the end of the corridor, Sam speeds up to a run, slamming into the doors, and forcing them open with great effort. Mikeala and I, follow, along with everyone else. Sam is crying for everyone to stop, supported by the two of us, Guy, and the important dude – I wish I knew his name, so I don't have to call him that all the time.
Bumblebee's whines are louder here, echoing off the metal walls, making the sound unbearable. I run to his side, pushing past anyone in the way. Mikeala and make a round, violently shoving away anyone standing within seven feet of the block of metal and concrete they strapped Bumblebee to.
"Stop! Stop it!" Sam was yelling at the men angrily, Guy – there was no mistaking he was the one in charge here – backing up Sam's order with his own. I was too upset and angry myself, to care if I drew attention, calling out my own cries and orders.
"Stop hurting him!" Sam joined Mikaela and me, closer to where Bumblebee was, barking out an order for someone to release him. The shackles restraining Sam's guardian to the table hissed, and then opened, letting the Autobot go.
"How much did they hurt you?" Sam asks softly of his newfound friend and protector – the one who laid down his life for the green-eyed boy. All he got in response was a weak whirl; Bumblebee could barely make a single move. My heart tore at itself to see him like that; lying on a table, motionless, and for a moment I'm afraid of the worst.
But thankfully, he was alive, and recovering – hopefully. He turned around on that platform they held him on, looking around the room until his eyes centered on the three of us. I easily expected him to be furious and hate us after what humans did to him; a single look at Sam told me he felt the same. But there was a level of concern in Bumblebee's eyes when he looked at Sam, and I knew that he – somehow – still cared enough about him.
"Don't worry…" Sam says gently, trying to calm his guardian. "They won't hurt you again, I promise. I won't let them hurt you again. It's over," he assures Bumblebee. But the Autobot doesn't seem convinced in the least, because a mask slides over his face angrily, and he tries to push himself up, looking around himself cautiously.
His hand transforms into a canon, which he waves from one part of the room to another threateningly. Is buzzes loudly in the deathly silence, and I gulp thickly, waiting for something to happen.
"Listen to me…" Sam says carefully, "the Allspark is here… so is Megatron-" I see Bumblebee flinch slightly, "- and the Decepticons are coming. You gotta come with us. Come on… I'll take you to the cube. Don't worry about them; they won't hurt you anymore… I won't let them. Just come with us, ok? Trust me," Sam pleads.
Slowly, Bumblebee puts the cannon away, his mask slicing up to reveal his sky-blue eyes.
.oOo.
By the time we made it back to the Allspark, the seemingly endless day was wearing on me. It was barely two hours since I had awoke, but I was already exhausted. I could just close my eyes and curl up on the floor, and go to sleep. But if I did, I'd miss the sight of a lifetime. It is then that I wish I hadn't given Simmons my phone to turn into an ant, because I'd lay down my life for a photo of what was happening.
We all watch in utter awe as electricity shoots through the humungous cube upon Bumblebee's touch. Before our eyes, the Allspark defies ass laws of physics, and shrinks in on itself. It divided into a million small cubes, which fold into each other, down, down, down, until Bumblebee ends up holding it in his hands. I mimic Mikaela in placing my hands over my mouth in absolute amazement at how he did that. What only moments ago was a least ten times Optimus' size, was now a foot-by-foot box, identical to the Allspark, only shrunk a thousand times. That's an alien race for you. They will never seize to amaze.
Once the cube is in a condition to be moved, Bumblebee selects a satellite transmission – a clip from Star Trek, if I'm not mistaken – to let us know we need to get moving. Handing the Allspark over to Sam, he crouches down, parts shifting into place, giving him the form of a classy sports car that belongs only on a racing track.
Yup… it will never be anything but amazing.
"He's right: we're screwed with Megatron in the other hanger. Mission city is 22 miles away. I say we sneak that cube out of here and hide it somewhere in the city," Hotty suggested taking charge of the situation. I had a thought I was going to voice about how that may not be the best idea seeing as it was a populated city. But he was a solder; he knew best, I was sure of it.
"Good, right!" Official exclaims. However, the solder cuts him off with further instructions. "But we cannot make a stand without the air force," he tells us all.
"This place must have some sort of radio link! Short wave! CB!" Official listed, Simmons nodding and getting in a few yeses of support.
"Sir, you gotta figure out a way to get word out to them! Everyone else let's move!" Hotty orders loudly. "Kids, get in the car," he tells us.
But that plan is not smiling at me at all. "I'll stay here," I say, and then go to cover the fear with, "help try to get communications up."
"You sure you can handle it?" Simmons challenges. All I give him is an "oh please" look. I have so many remarks I cannot voice on that. Like how I was intercepting military transmissions since I was twelve. Of course, any remark like that would either earn me a good laugh, and I'll be stuffed in that car, or I'd win a free trip to jail for the rest of my life.
So instead, I start the conversation by questioning where their main communication unit was. "This place is four football fields of rock. You need to have some form of outside communication link that can get through in case of emergency."
"We have an army radio console in the alien archives. We might be able to get it to work."
"Are you sure?" I question hopefully. "Because Megatron is right near the exit, so we won't be able to get on higher ground."
"I don't know; did you see…?" Simmons asked, me, pointing back at where the Allspark was, and then making a shirking motion with his hands. "Anything is possible."
"Alright, lead the way; anyone who knows something about computers with us!" I shout. Then I freeze.
I turn around, seeing Sam rushing to Bumblebee in his car form, and my world seems to slow down. He was going to Mission City. Decepticons will follow. It will be very, very dangerous. Suddenly I don't see the awkward boy who always talked a lot when he was nervous, or the boy who was frightened to easily, or the boy who screamed like a girl.
I see someone completely different. I see the boy who gave every last, desperate attempt to help when those he cared about was getting hurt. I see a boy who was holding my hand and chasing away all of my fears, I see the boy who stuck by me through everything I put him through. I see a boy is heading for battle, and he's confident about it. He's not shaking or screaming or trying to talk his way out of it. He's doing it not only because it's the right thing, but because he wants to. He's not just another kid; he's something so much more. He's selfless and caring and understanding. He's the only person in the world that matter to me, and he's heading into a battlefield.
"Sam!" I cry out, running to him as fast as my feet can take me, and pull him into the tightest hug I ever gave him. I hold him in my arms, feeling his heart beet rapidly against mine, afraid to let go. I can't let him go out there. I want him to stay here, with me, where he will be a lot safer than out there. But I know he feels he has to go. I know nothing I say will change that. I'd seen that look in his eyes, when he looked at Bumblebee back in that terrible torture room. He feels obligated to do something. He was dragged into this from the beginning, and I know he feels he needs to watch it through to the end.
Pulling away, I lock us in eye-contact, making sure he knows I'm dead serious. "You come back to me, you hear me? You come back to me, in one piece, or I swear, I will go to wherever you are, and I will drag you back by the hair, and I will kill you, you got that?! You come back!" I shout at him. He doesn't flinch back, but only hugs me tighter.
"Raven… I promised you that I will always be with you, no matter what. I'm not planning on breaking that promise. I still gotta see you graduate, and get into college, and kick your ass when you don't show up for the first lecture. I'm not going anywhere," he whispers in my ear, his voice thick with tears.
Pulling away, I turn to Mikaela and Bumblebee. "You to take care of him for me, you hear me? He gets hurt, and I'm holding you two personally responsible."
"Don't worry," Mikaela says with a sly grin, "I won't let him out of my sight. He'll be back to you before you can say his name." I give her a nod of thanks, and, reluctantly, let Sam go, my hand still attached to his.
"Sam!" I cry, before he can turn away. "… Be safe." And with that, I let go of him. And I never saw him that way, and never thought I did; but I guess a small, hidden part of me always looked at him that way. Because I never thought we'd end up in this situation. Because I never realized until now, with his safely truly at stake, how much this green-eye dark-haired boy meant to me. And because I really didn't think it mattered anymore what I do – not now, not today – I call out his name one more time, just as he reaches the car.
"Sam!" He stops again to look at me, a sad look in his eyes. But that look only gives me more courage. Because it doesn't matter to me; because I never knew what he was to me, and how much I needed him; because I realized that he was always more special to me than just a best friend, or a guardian angel. That's why I do it: because I honestly don't care about anything else anymore – or ever, for that matter.
I run up to him, wrap my hands around his neck, and press my lips to his.
AN: awwwwww! Finally! I like the end of this chapter a whole lot – mainly because she found that little part in herself that always liked her best friend in a non-friend type of way. Yay! Pretty please tell me what you thought of the chapter, because this was 7,785 words long! And I wrote that all in one day! This is a new record for me, so reviews are mandatory, don't you think?
Tell me what was your favorite part of the chapter, because I will write similar scenes for you! One of my favorite parts is that she – unlike the rest – doesn't care about the robot; oh no, Raven only cares about the memories on her now-alive phone. I just love making her like that. Does it differentiate her from other OC's that are written into the movies? Please tell me that it does. I want to make her stand out from the rest in all those little ways; it's so fun!
Speaking of ants; I based the ant of a drawing I found on deviantart. Here is the link, minus the spaces and with a ".com" between "deviantart" and "/art": abhijithvb . deviantart / art / robo-ant-2-252246051. Check it out because it's beautiful!
Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought; tell em what was your favorite part of the chapter, and I will see you all next chapter. Bye!
QUESTION OF THE DAY: what is your favorite catchphrase?
