Hey everyone. Thanks for all the love that you so graciously bestow in the forms of reviews and other various actions :D This chapter... BORING. But it had to be done. I PROMISE it will get better in the next chapter and more things will start happening which will really jumpstart the plot. Please enjoy!
Transcendental Mysteries
Chapter 11 Lie Games
(apartment complex- 3:30am)
Cyndi patiently sat down at her kitchen table as a paramedic placed his stethoscope against her back. The cold nip of the metal gave her goose bumps but she shrugged it off.
"Can you take deep breaths, please?" he asked.
The woman did as he requested. She took deep breaths, pumping air into her lungs. Her eyes shut and all she wanted to do was go to bed and forget about the flurry of activity going on around her. To a certain extent, she even wished she died in the ditch so Blitzwing wouldn't leave the footprint which would then snowball into what things were now.
Cynthia finally managed to look at herself in the mirror after she had ceased her conversation with Fanzone on the phone. She had a gash across her cheek but it had scabbed while she was unconscious. There was a bruise on the right side of her skull but it was partially hidden by her hairline. Although she was a little beat up, Cyndi was just relieved that as far as she could feel, there were no internal injuries. Her memory was intact despite the crash although her spine and the back of her head had a persistent and dull pain in them as a result of the impact.
"Alright, you sound good," the paramedic reported. "Your heart and lungs sound fine. Can I just shine a light in your eyes?"
"Yes, that's fine," Cyndi said.
He shone a little light into her eyes, checking them out to see if there was anything amiss with them. The luminescence bothered her a little because it actually intensified the pain in her skull but she didn't want to complain. She could've sworn she saw the veins and other blood vessels that lined her retina due to the light.
"Okay, thanks," the man said. "You seem to be in relatively good condition, ma'am. Personally, I think you ought to go to the hospital for further tests."
"That won't be necessary," she debated. "If I suddenly and violently become ill, I can call 911."
"I just advised it due to safety precautions and to your puzzling case. You said that you remember veering off the road and then waking up in the woods a little while ago… Miss, I think it would be wise to visit the hospital for an x-ray or CAT scan just to see if everything's sound internally. You may have suffered a mild concussion."
"I know my name, my age, my family member's names, my social security number and other important pieces of information. My brain is alright. I promise I will go to the hospital if I feel I'm getting ill. More than anything else, I think I need to get some sleep."
The paramedic nodded his head, reluctantly allowing her to do as she pleased. He walked out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, Fanzone entered with Amanda and Darien in tow.
"So, I assume you're not going to the hospital?" the chief asked.
"I'm fine," Cyndi asserted.
"Aren't you a tough cookie?" He sat down across from her at the table. "I know it's a little late but is that alright if I ask you some questions?"
"That's fine. I'll try to help you out crack this case as best as I can."
"So, you absolutely cannot remember anything from the time you crashed into the ditch up to the time when you woke up in the woods? There's no little memory of any kind that's floating around in the back of your mind..?"
"No, I don't. I remember swerving off the road because it was icy. Then I woke up in the woods."
"As I told you over the phone before I arrived here, we have a reason to believe you were abducted while you were unconscious. You and your car completely disappeared off the face of the planet. We knew it was your car because we found your license plate there."
"Yes, you said that. I don't remember anything about it. And trust me, I would've remembered the experience too especially if what you said kidnapped me really kidnapped me."
Darien secretly glanced over at Mandy behind Fanzone's back. Amanda nodded at him and bit at one of her fingernails. Cynthia observed her siblings' apprehension, knowing fully that she was lying to Fanzone. She just hoped they would follow her ruse and not interfere with the story she had laid out for the police chief.
"Okay, well, I'm going to ask you some more questions if you don't mind," the husky officer said. "Firstly, did you ever come across any hostile extraterrestrial robots before?"
"I had an encounter with one downtown a few days earlier," Cynthia revealed. "Specifically, I almost got turned into a pancake. My brother and sister can testify to that."
"Do you remember which of the Decepticons almost killed you?"
"Truthfully, I don't know. I just know one of them almost stepped on me and I was more focused on living rather than engaging in chitchat with them."
"They're four of them and their names are Megatron, Starscream, Lugnut and Blitzwing. Do any of them sound familiar to you?"
"It was Blitzwing we ran into," Darien spoke up. "The one right by us had three faces and I know it was him."
Fanzone turned around to face the boy. Cynthia glared daggers at her brother, furious at him for jumping into the conversation that was meant to be between her and the chief. Darien had a difficult time of concealing his horror upon seeing his eldest sister's glare but he managed to pull it off.
"Just saying…" he mumbled. "That's the robot we saw."
"Well, I guess your brother answered the question for you, Ms. Preston," Fanzone said, turning back to Cynthia. "Now, what reasoning do you think they had to kidnap you?"
"You're asking the wrong person," Cyndi replied, suppressing her rage. "I was unconscious for over a day so I have no clue what went on around me during that time. Neither do I know what a Decepticon would want me for. Other than the time I crossed paths with Blitzwing in downtown, I never had the misfortune to meet one."
"You see, I've started working closely with the Autobots lately because the Decepticons seem to be staying out of the public eye for some reason. Their appearances seem to be dwindling and the Autobots have been wondering if there's some sort of plan going on with those 'Cons. I've just been going around asking ordinary people to divulge any information they have on these particular robots so we could have a lead of some sort. I hope you can see that my interest was piqued especially when we discovered a giant footprint right by where your car was. The Autobots weren't by your location during the time you crashed so we assumed a Decepticon abducted you while you were unconscious in your car. The footprint was also larger than a regular Autobot's so that was our second reason to believe one of them was out there."
"I don't doubt it was a Decepticon that abducted me. But why would one kidnap me and then drop me off in the wooded lot behind the complex?"
"I don't know other than perhaps you had something of theirs that belonged to them and they wanted it back. However, they could've killed you after they got what they wanted. Yet here you are alive and well…"
Cynthia's pulse began to climb a little. She crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. At the back of her mind, she prayed Fanzone didn't suspect she was lying.
"My sister goes to college and watches after Darien and I," Amanda stepped in to the conversation. "She doesn't get into trouble with anyone or anything. She was just really unlucky to cross paths with them. But Cyndi's home and I'm just happy for that."
"Exactly," Darien added. "This is a friggin miracle. If she was held by the Decepticons, there'd be no hope for escape for her. She's alive and here. Let's just hope she never gets a free ride from one of them again."
"Perhaps it would've been a good idea to head to the hospital for a better examination," Fanzone suggested. "While you were gone for a day, they could've done all sorts of experiments on you. It's also possible that they erased your memory and that could explain why you don't remember much."
"My big sis wasn't experimented on or had her memory wiped." Darien scoffed. "This sounds like some kind of crap science fiction movie."
"Look around you, boy: science fiction became reality when giant alien robots arrived on our planet!"
"Touché."
"Ms. Preston, you are extraordinarily lucky. Since your memory may have possibly been wiped, it's also a possibility you may recover your memories of what happened. If such a thing does happen, I urge you to contact me. You may possibly learn the location of the Decepticon base and that would really help out the Autobots."
"I'll let you know if anything like that does happen," Cyndi nodded her head. "I want some answers just like you." She paused. "I do have one question."
"Say it."
"Will I be compensated with a new car by any chance? I think it's possible a Decepticon ate my car. I didn't find any trace of it when I woke up."
Fanzone seemed a little caught off guard by her question. For a few seconds, all he could do was look at her with a quizzical expression. Then he rubbed his moustache.
"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I wonder if the insurance companies in this city have policies about Decepticons or Autobots destroying people's cars..? If you complain to your agent enough, you ought to get a new vehicle."
"Is there anything else we ought to discuss, Captain Fanzone?" Cyndi pondered.
"No, not for now, Ms. Preston. Thank you for your cooperation and congratulations for surviving whatever Hell you went through."
He shook her hand and rose out of his seat. Fanzone exited the kitchen and walked to the door. A few officers who were hovering in the living room followed him out of the apartment. Moments later, the three siblings were left alone.
"Darien!" Cynthia hissed lowly. "Why did you say it was Blitzwing?"
"Hey, chill!" Darien raised his hands defensively. "We don't want to lie about everything to them!"
"Well… I guess you're right on that."
"You're one lucky lady," Amanda proclaimed. "Thank God you played the unconscious card."
"From a certain point of view, I was telling the truth. I really was unconscious for over a day. But I lied to him about how I escaped the base."
"Okay, let me ask you one question right now and I don't want a half-assed answer. I am under the impression that you're defending Blitzwing. Are you defending him?"
Cynthia sighed heavily.
"I am only defending him by not telling Fanzone it was he who brought me back because if I told anyone we met and allowed to let me go, he told me he was going to kill me. I'm sure he'd target you two too and I can't afford to have that happen. That's why I didn't want to tell you guys about the incident earlier. I just want to protect you."
"Does he know where we live?" Darien asked, a little creeped out.
"Yes."
"Oh, snap. Cyndi, how old do you have to be to get a gun permit?"
"Like that'll work. All you have to do is never speak of this to anyone. Hopefully we'll never see Blitzwing again and we don't have to deal with any more trouble that follows him. Let's just let it all go and move on with life. Darien, school starts up for you in two days. Mandy, you have a job at a grocery store to focus on. As for me, my semester starts up on the exact same day Darien has school. Let's focus on those things and only speak about what happened to me when it's just us and no one else. Understood?"
"Yeah, Big Sis," Darien said.
"Sounds like a plan," Amanda agreed.
"Good." Cynthia was satisfied with the way things were going. "Let's head to bed."
(outside)
"I'm sure the girl has no desire to speak with you," Fanzone spoke to Optimus Prime. "Besides, I don't think she'd be able to tell you anything useful either way."
"What makes you say that, Captain?" the Prime insinuated.
"Because, she doesn't remember anything from the time she crashed up to when she said she woke up in the wooded lot. Nothing, zip, nada."
"Are you sure she didn't say or mention anything that stood out?"
"She didn't dispel the mystery, that's for sure. I asked her if she met a Decepticon before and she said she ran into one of them downtown during that battle a few days ago. She couldn't remember his name but her brother said it was Blitzwing."
"Personally, I think Blitzbrain had something to do with it," Bumblebee said. "Somehow, I don't have much trouble believing he'd wait by dark roads, scare people to make them run off the road and then carry them off. I just don't understand how the girl managed to live and she woke up in the woods."
"It's a shame because if she actually remembered what happened, she'd probably be able to tell us a lot about what happened and what she saw," the head Autobot said. "It's good to hear she's alright but I agree, as Bumblebee said, I have no idea how she could've survived being amongst the Decepticons."
"If you ask me, I think we should keep her under tabs for her own protection," Fanzone said. "If she was kidnapped and then let go, something might be up with those Decepticons and they may come after her again for whatever reason. Hey, Prime, do you think they'd place tracking devices in us?"
"Uh, I'm kind of doubtful of that. I think they'd waste more time and effort on fellow Cybertronians rather than organics." Optimus had no intentions to offend Fanzone. "No offense… But it's our battle so I think Megatron would tell his underlings to go after Autobots instead. I don't think Megatron would find it worthy to expend some resources on Humans."
"That's just freaky to think about," the little yellow bot shuddered. "Captain Fanzone, do you really think that?"
"I hope that's not the case, that's all I can say," the police chief replied. "If her memory was wiped, there's a chance she may recover her memories as time goes by. I told her that if she remembers anything from that day to call me. From there, I'll tell you what I heard from the girl and you can figure out how to handle the 'Cons."
"That'll work. I really want to know what went on though. What's so special about her where she got held and then released like that? She should be squished like a cockroach!"
"No one knows and we'll have to leave it at that," said Optimus. "Only the Decepticons know for sure why they took her and then released her."
"It's late," Fanzone reminded the two Autobots. "Let's let all these people go back to sleep. We just know now to be more vigilant. If people start mysteriously disappearing in the city and then reappear, ending up with no recollection of what happened to them, we can assume something's going on."
"We'll be sure to be especially vigilant and wary during our security runs in the city now."
"And the Detroit Police Department will be on the lookout as well."
(…)
Icy smirked. His telescopic monocle focused more sharply on the policemen getting into their patrol cars and on Optimus and Bumblebee who were driving off in their vehicle modes. From under the cover of the dark woods and being as silent as possible, Blitzwing managed to eavesdrop on the conversation Fanzone had with the two Autobots who accompanied him to the apartment complex. He chuckled to himself when he saw that Cynthia had covered up her story of what really happened and had tricked the chief and the two bots.
"Vell, vell, vell…" he said to himself. "It appears Cynzhia has quite ze amount of honor by not divulging vhat really happened. Vell played, organic. Jou seem adept vith keeping jour promises even zhough jou had no obligation to considering ve're supposed to be foes."
"She better keep it a secret," said Hothead. "I'd give her a mouthful if she ended up telling ze Autobots everyzhing! I vould be laughed at and zhey vouldn't take me seriously!"
"She tricked zem!" Random cackled. "Oh, zhose Autobots don't have a lot of processor power, do zhey? I zhink I like zis organic a lot!"
"Now ve know to stay out of ze city because zhey'll be expecting us," said Icy. "Optimus Prime is right about one zhing zhough: Megatron vouldn't kidnap Humans and plant tracking devices onto zem. Not only zat, he vas also right in assuming Megatron vould razher vorry about Autobots zhan organics. Zat police chief is such a fool."
"But I like a Human!" said Random. "I vould really like to have Cynzhia as a pet! She's just so cute!"
"I'm not picking up after her," Hothead mumbled. "Humans are such a gross and messy species!"
"Zhen again, she's not my pet: she's my friend now!" The puckish personality giggled. "I have a cute, organic, little femme friend!"
"Not in zat connotation, no," Icy sounded a bit shocked. "But I am curious about her true intentions regarding zat proposal of friendship."
"She just doesn't vant to get squished by me!" said Hothead. "She's a coward so no vonder vhy she vanted to kiss up."
"Okay, so now zat she's my friend, ve have to hang out more," Random rubbed his servos together. "So, I vill use my Human holoform and visit her! She'll be so surprised to see me! I don't know about happy but she'll be surprised!"
"I'm not gonna go see her. I don't even vant to! She'll end up getting me in trouble somehow anyvay! I shouldn't be vasting my time vith pazhetic, mindless, organic femmes!"
"Never! My sveet Cynzhia vould never get us in trouble! She lied to ze police and ze Autobots about vhat happened vhen she disappeared! She covered it all up…" Random was shocked at his helm-mate's disapproval of Cyndi. "Besides, she doesn't like jou. I'm her favorite one! She zhinks I am so smart and handsome, vhich I am!"
"Both of jou shut up," Icy said lowly. "She doesn't have a favorite because she could care less."
"Jou're just jealous!"
"No, I am not. I could care less myself. I am a bit ashamed of myself zat I actually accepted her offer but I can see the nobility of her action. True, she might be acting on a tiny vhim of cowardice as she is accustomed to but I could see she vanted to make up. Zat bravery of hers amuses me and I am most certainly impressed by how she lied tonight. Her lie was simplistic yet effective. By playing stupid, she covered her tracks. Who vould have zhought zhat vould actually vork?"
"Ja, fascinating," Hothead said shortly. "She's nozhing special."
"I vant to get to know her more," said Random. "And zhen ve vill become good friends!" He snapped his fingers. "Maybe I can convince her to vork for Megatron too! She could join Lugnut and I! Lugnut von't be too happy but I don't care! Ah, I am a genius!"
"She doesn't have ze guts to vork for Megatron. She's too soft! Besides, she doesn't like me zat much vhere ve'd vork on ze same team."
"Alright, vhatever," Icy cut in, "enough talk about her. Let's just get back to base and recharge. Ve can figure out vhat to do vith our new friend later."
