"Comm/phone"
Text messages
Thoughts
"Normal"
"Bumblebee speak"
Chapter 11
"Watch your stance!" Maya shouted as she went in for a roundhouse kick. Eric blocked the kick, fixing his stance after pushing his sister back. Maya smirked at the perfection in his stance before rushing him once again.
It was had been close to two weeks since the Assassin siblings met the Autobots, and almost a full month since they arrived in Jasper. The two were making full use of their time in the sleepy little Nevada town, despite originally coming here for rest and relaxion. They had made it their unofficial headquarters from which they worked to root out Templar and MECH hiding spots and wiping them out. So far, though, they've only been able to track down the Templars, as MECH was really good at keeping a low profile.
Some of the smaller raids on smaller hideouts had provided fruitful as they had turned up either locations of other Templar hideouts, names of Templar sleeper agents, and locations of First Civilization temples or artefacts that were being held in the hideouts. Up to that point, the two siblings had recovered at least three original pages of the Codex, which Maya had tested to prove their authenticity and brought their grand total number of pages up to four.
In regards to living with their extended family, Maya and Eric helped around the house, doing chores or cooking breakfast and dinner for those times that Aunt June had to work late or be at work at the butt-crack of dawn. The siblings took turn cooking, though Jack seemed to enjoy Maya's meals better than Eric's.
While most of the siblings' time was spent searching the surrounding area for signs of Templar or MECH activity, they also spent a fair amount of their time at the Autobot base, either training or, in Maya's case, working on her motorcycle. She was halfway finished with it when Eric suggested she take a break.
That, by Eric's definition, meant training.
Maya didn't have a problem with training though; she needed to keep up her skills in this time of relatively quiet from the Templars.
She took the offer. That's where they were now: with their hoods and masks down in the training room of the Autobot base, trying to beat the ever-living snot out of each other and trying to improve on their forms.
"Incoming!" Eric shouted. Maya had just enough time to scoot back as he came in with a flying kick. The raven-haired woman took less than a second to observe her opponent before leaping back into the fight. She ran forward, pulling out a couple of throwing knives from her bandolier. She angled them to where they glinted in the light of the room before flicking her wrist and letting them fly. The knives sang through the air. It was almost a musical sound, one that ended with a metallic twang as each of them embedded into the wall.
All but one.
The one that didn't embed into the wall hit her brother's jacket, pinning him to the wall. Maya smirked; she had him!
"Well, looks like the old man has finally been beat." Maya taunted as she shimmied over to where her brother was pinned to the wall. Suddenly, he removed the knife and started to swing it. Maya had been almost in his face, so she had to literally bend over to avoid her face being cut. Since she was already bending over, Maya decided to go all the way and do a handstand, flipping several times in order to avoid the fact that her brother was swinging the knife dangerously close to her face.
"Never underestimate your opponent," Eric reminded her as they faced each other. "Even if he appears to be beaten."
"Good to know." Maya quipped as she charged. She flicked her Hidden Blade out and started to slash at her brother. Eric soon had his Hidden Blade out, crossing the blades to where they were pushing against each other. Maya quipped, through gritted teeth, "Have you been getting back on the weights?"
Eric's smile was a proud one as he answered, "Yeah. Is it noticeable?"
Maya cocked her head as she pretended to think, a smile playing on her lips. "A little bit, yeah."
She grunted as she shoved her brother back. They stood there for a moment before Maya suddenly collapsed, exhausted and sweaty, on the floor. Eric fell a moment right after her. Both siblings were breathing heavy, staring at the ceiling. Maya smirked as she glanced over at her brother.
"Was it good for you as well?"
Eric huffed out a laugh before he stood stiffly to her feet. "You're funny. Let's call it a tie."
He offered a hand which Maya took. The two took a couple of minutes to stretch their sore muscles before leaving the training room and make their way back into the main room. Just about all of the Autobots were present, though the kids weren't, assumedly at school. Before they turned the corner, the siblings replaced the hood over their heads, but kept their face masks around their necks. They feared that trusting the Autobots with their identity would ultimately bite them in the butt later, but it wasn't like they were going by their real name. Just their alias. But they were careful around the children, especially Jack since he spent more time with them.
Maya and Eric had to think about what they said, in and out of the base. They had to be careful with their mannerisms, which broke the siblings' habit of doing them. Except for the nervous tick of scratching their neck, a habit which both of them figured was a genetic habit even though there was probably no such thing.
"Hey, how's it going?" Maya greeted Arcee. The two-wheeler glanced at them before turning to walk away. Maya scowled after her. Out of all the Autobots here, Arcee was the wariest of them, even though she was the one who allocated for the alliance. She didn't trust them to be by themselves in the base, which meant that their training session was probably watched from the cameras they had wherever. When the blue femme had turned the corner, Maya glanced at her brother with wide eyes. "Oooookay then."
"Hey what's with the spooky conspiracy board?" Smokescreen called where he was leaning over the railing. Maya and Eric, when they first arrived at the base that day, had set up a board which they tacked pictures along with names of their Templar and MECH targets. The pictures formed a triangle, from most important to least important.
The pictures of Silas, the leader of MECH, and Alan Rikkin, the leader of the Templars and the CEO of Abstergo Industries, were at the very top of the triangle.
Underneath their pictures, were other targets, which were unimportant when compared to the leaders like Silas and Alan. They were all connected by red string, with their names, ranks within the organization, and what their main job was underneath. Three out of five of the lower tier pictures were crossed out, one of them being Axel Montgomery, the slime ball the siblings assassinated before they came to Jasper. The other two were other lower level Templars that Maya and Eric had killed in the raids several days earlier, which was when they also liberated the other three pages of the Codex. Even though they still had a good bit of research, reconnaissance and tracking before they got to the top, the siblings were cautiously hopeful about the Assassins making a comeback.
And since the fact that they were utilizing the Autobot's groundbridge (secretly, of course), the siblings knew the Templars were probably scratching their heads, wondering how the infamous Brother and Sister were attacking all these locations that were miles apart from each other in a short amount of time. The siblings were also making it seem as though the attacks weren't planned, which they were, as the locations were soft targets, like small outposts with very few foot soldiers.
It was Maya's idea to use guerrilla warfare against their enemy, and it was working surprisingly well.
"That's our target board," Maya answered as the two siblings climbed the stairs. Her sore muscles protested at the climb but she pushed through it. She examined the board when she managed to reached the top. "We use it to keep track of all our targets. It's impossible to get to the upper-level targets directly, so we take out the lower-levels first and work our way up. Our dad used to say that, in order to kill a tree, you don't chop it down in the middle. You dig it up from the roots."
"That's…. a little disturbing." Smokescreen muttered, looking a little uncomfortable.
Maya shrugged. "You do what you've got to do in times of war."
The sounds of large footsteps drew Maya's attention away from the bot in front of her. She smiled when Bumblebee rounded the corner. She and Eric had grown close to the yellow bot due to the fact that, aside from Raf, they were the only ones who could sort of make out what he was saying. And from the way the others treated him, it could be assumed that Bumblebee was the youngest Autobot on Team Prime. Aside from Smokescreen, that is.
Maya could understand about being the youngest on the team. When she was given full rank, she was the youngest Assassin in modern times to do so. No one seemed to believe that she earned her rank through hard work; she had to prove it. Not that she minded. It gave her a challenge, and challenges are her forte.
"Hey Bumblebee!" Maya greeted loudly. The yellow bot beeped in excitement as he lumbered over to the platform. "How's it going?"
"Great! What…...you?"
"I'm good." She answered. She turned to where her brother was staring at the board, muttering to himself. "How about we go on a quick drive? I feel a little closed in."
"Sure!" Bumblebee turned to Ratchet, who was glued to the computer screen. The Autobot turned back to her. "Where…...want to…. go?"
Maya thought about it for a moment. "I guess anywhere, really. I'm not in the mood for a specific destination."
"Come with…. on…patrol."
"Awesome!" Maya exclaimed as she turned towards the stairs. She stopped to give her brother a kiss on the cheek before dashing down the stairs. "I'll keep my tracer on, and let you know if anything happens. Love you, bro."
"Uh, love you too, sis." He called after, sounding a bit confused. Maya figured that he was confused until Bumblebee transformed and opened his door, allowing for her to slide in the passenger seat. Bumblebee gave a single honk before speeding out of the base.
When they hit the highway, Maya let loose a happy whoop as Bumblebee pressed the gas. Her heart pounded in excitement as the yellow and black bot swerved sharply into the desert. Maya couldn't wipe the large smile off her face as Bumblebee swerved around the mesas that dotted the land sporadically. About twelve miles away from the highway, Bumblebee started to slow down before stopping completely. He opened the door for Maya, which she smiled and thanked him.
"My, what a gentleman!" She quipped as she stepped out. The air was exponentially cooler than it had been the past few weeks, signaling the coming of fall. According to the FARMER'S ALMANAC, it was supposed to be the coolest fall that Nevada had seen.
Maya turned around as she heard Bumblebee transform behind her. She smiled up at the bot as the two started to walk through the desert aimlessly. Occasionally, they would come across a pile of boulders which they would both try to climb like they were little kids. But otherwise, they would just be walking around.
That is, until Bumblebee claimed that he picked up a faint signal coming from a ravine.
Maya didn't want to go back to the confinement of the base, so she managed to convince him to allow her to come. There was, after all, no activity so far and she could fight if the need arises, so there was no harm in letting her come with. The scout looked a little hesitant, but eventually caved, saying that if there was trouble, she had to promise to stay out of it. She remembered tales that Bulkhead had told her about how Miko would sneak off and get herself in trouble.
"Where do think the signal's coming from?" She asked as they entered the ravine. Since she could trust Bumblebee, she had removed her cowl and hood, but kept her eyes opened for anything that looked like someone watching them.
"Don't know." Bumblebee answered as he scanned the area with his eyes before glancing down at the scanner in his hand.
Maya glanced around, eyes searching for anything that looked out of place in the rocky area. "What do you think could be causing the energy signature?"
"Could be…. Energon…. relic." Bumblebee answered as he walked forward. Maya dashed after him, falling next to him in stride.
"What's up with these relics we've been hearing about?" Maya asked. "I mean, I've tried to ask everyone back at base, but I think that Arcee threatened them into silence."
Bumblebee gave something that sounded like an electronic chuckle. "Arcee…...suspicious of everyone. Cost…...living during war. You…...careful of…. around you."
Maya was able to figure out what the mute bot was trying to get across through the snippets of words that she could understand and nodded in agreement. In war, you had to be careful of who you put your trust in, as just about anybody could stab you in the back or betray you. Maya figured that since the Autobots were long-lived, their war probably stretched across the centuries. And since Arcee seemed to be the equivalent of a thirty-year-old (approximately), who had probably been betrayed at one point, she would never allow it to happen again.
"So, about the relics…"
"They…. from the vaults…...Iacon. Shot off-world…...Decepticons stormed…. city."
"What's Iacon?"
"University city…...place where High Council met. It was also…...Optimus worked before…...Prime."
"So, Optimus wasn't always…...Optimus?"
Bumblebee shook his head. "Long story."
"I know how that is." Maya muttered. The scanner started to beep wildly. "Looks like we might've found the signal."
"Looks like it." Bumblebee agreed. He moved forward a little, crouching down behind a giant boulder and peering around the corner. Maya did the same, until Bumblebee moved out and gestured that it was safe for her. They entered a cave that seemed to go on forever. Her eyes scanned the darkness. She jumped a little bit when Bumblebee switched on his headlights allowing her to see better. "Careful…. cave…. unstable."
"Yeah, it does look like it could collapse at any moment." Maya muttered. She chuckled a little bit. "Man, Brother wouldn't be too happy about the fact that I'm doing this. So, we're going to keep this our little secret."
Bumblebee nodded. "Agreed. Wouldn't…...get on…...bad side."
"No, you don't." Maya muttered in agreement. Her eyes scanned the shadows but didn't see anything. Bumblebee's scanner was still going crazy, but he didn't see anything either. He looked around, making a light whirling sound. It sounded like what Maya did when she was nervous. When the two reached the very back of the cave, and they still couldn't find the source of the signal, Maya gave a shrug. "Whelp. This is strange. No Energon, no relic, no nothing. Something must be wrong with the scanner or something."
"No…...here…feel it."
"Okay, if you say so. Just hurry it up, will ya?" She relented. Maya gave a worried look over shoulder at the crumbling ceiling. If there was anything that spooked her out, it was tight, enclosed spaces (that and spiders). She was fine with them for a little bit but once she was standing still and her mind had caught up with her, it started to feel as though the walls were starting to close in.
"I think…relic over…somewhere." Bumblebee muttered as he removed some boulders. Maya watched the bot work, using it as a distraction from her slight phobia. She moved closer, hoping to feel some type of protection from the increasingly growing pressure inside her.
But it wasn't just her.
Hairline cracks started to form in the ceiling, the action being hidden by Bumblebee's digging. Maya watched in fear as the cracks continued to spread before a slight tremor could be felt. Bumblebee froze.
"We need to leave. Now!" Maya whispered urgently, afraid that her words would cause the entire ceiling to collapse. Her heart rate was picking up, small tears forming in her eyes as an audible shift in the infrastructure of the cave could be heard. She let a whimper out as Bumblebee turned, grabbed her gently by the waist and started to run.
They didn't make it very far before the ceiling gave in.
Maya didn't remember much after that. All she saw was Bumblebee standing over her protectively as the darkness dragged her down.
She didn't know how long she had been out when she was awoken by the sound of worried beeping and whirls. Her eyes cracked open to see Bumblebee's bright blue eyes looking down at her in worry. Pain exploded from her head as she sat up, leaning up against Bumblebee's leg as she waited for a wave of dizziness to pass.
"…...okay?"
Bumblebee's question almost went unnoticed by Maya as she fought to stay awake. She licked her dry lips, coughing a bit before answering hoarsely, "Fine. I'm fine. Just, trying to keep my lunch down. Are you okay?"
His face scrunched up in pain, as he shifted himself a little. "Stuck."
"Crap." Maya muttered in sympathy. "What even happened? How long have we been in here?"
"I don't know. Been…...while. You worried….out for…. while." Bumblebee answered. Maya winced a little as pain made itself known, but when it did pass, she gazed around the area they were trapped in. She must've hit her head on something as her head was pounding and she felt like the small space was spinning. Also, her lungs felt like they were straining to get some air.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Maya asked after a while.
"I don't know." The bot answered as he tried to moved a little bit. He gave a long whine that sounded almost like a scream. Maya stood up as the ceiling seemed to shake, and Bumblebee was forced to kneel lower.
"Bee! BEE, STOP MOVING!" Maya shouted. She hated to see the bot in such obvious pain. And she could only imagine how much pain the bot was in at the moment since the rocks were probably digging into a sensitive spot on his back. Once the bot stopped moving, and glanced down at her with such fear that it made Maya's heart break a little, she knew that even giant, alien robot that could transform into a car could get scared. "Okay. We're going to be okay. We just need…. we just need to stay calm."
"How…. get…. here?" Bumblebee must've been trying to keep fear out of his voice, but Maya could hear it. Which meant that she had to be the calm one.
"I could try contacting Brother or the base." Maya suggested as she dug around in her pocket for her comm. Once she activated it, Maya placed it in her ear. "Brother? Come in. This is Sister. Do you copy? Hello? Autobot Omega Outpost? Do you copy? Do you-"
She was cut off from her attempts to contact help when all she got was static. The woman growled as she removed the comm. from her ear and shoved it back into her pockets. She racked her brain for another idea. If the comms didn't work, then Maya figured that those back at base wouldn't be able to track either of their positions.
And even if they could track their positions, it could possibly take hours for them to notice, as it was common for Bumblebee to initiate radio silence while on patrol. Maya figured that she had about three to four and a half hours of air left before she suffocated. Bumblebee was safe, as from Ratchet's small lecture of Cybertronian biology (one that the medic gave her when Arcee was conveniently not at base), Maya learned that the bots had something of a built-in filter that kept toxic stuff out of them. However, even Cybertronians could get killed by a falling cave ceiling.
"What now?" Bumblebee asked.
Maya didn't know what to tell him. She couldn't think of what else she could do. The air was becoming stale and her head was starting to hurt, making it hard to stay conscious. Worry started to build in her, worry that she would never get out alive, but that all slowly disappeared as she suddenly felt exhausted.
"Sis? Are you okay?" Bumblebee's voice had her realizing that her eyes were closing.
"Just tired." Maya muttered. "I think…. I'm gonna…. close my eyes…...for a second."
Whatever Bumblebee was saying was lost to her as her mind became fuzzy. She was barely conscious as a series of events happened around her.
Bumblebee honking his horn and setting off his alarm for some reason.
Light filtering from somewhere as a rush of fresh air and a silhouette rushed forward.
Someone calling her name as darkness took complete control and she fell into oblivion.
