Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. All recognizable characters are the property of HasTak. All unrecognizable ones are the intellectual property of yours truly; their theft is punishable by severe voodoo-induced pain in any and all sensitive organs of the body, followed by eternal damnation.

Because, you know, stealing is wrong. (Which is funny because I totally ganked this disclaimer from Vaeru, with her permission of course.)

Rated: T. For mild cursing, violence, and other adult themes that will probably ensue.

Author's Notes: Wow so, I'm surprised this got done at all. Sorry for the late update but hey, it's the end of the school semester and my teachers are trying to kill me.

Contra Mundum

Chapter Fourteen

"I love a woman who can kick my ass."

-Spike Spiegel

He had been working tirelessly for a long while now. He had lost track of the time hours ago, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was the information he was receiving. New York was gone, as were Minneapolis and San Francisco. Almost every major city had been leveled and now the smaller ones were starting to fall. Survivors from all over were fleeing into the mountains and up into the far north, where shelters were still being set up. He wanted to help those people, but they were too far. He could help the people calling for help down in Corpus Christi though. That meant he would have to make another run down there to get them; David was not going to be happy.

Jeb switched off the CB radio knowing full well that everything they had said had been closely monitored. He and the other senders had spoken in code, but there was no guarantee that would make things any safer. Nothing was ever safe anymore. They needed to find another way to communicate and fast, or they were all going to end up just like New York and San Francisco.

The large man turned around in his chair and was surprised to see David sitting in the control room with him. Jeb had been so wrapped up in his work that he hadn't heard the boy come in. David was facing towards the commons area, showing his long and thin back to the older man. Jeb never noticed how deathly thin he was until now: just another thing to add to his long list of worries concerning the boy.

"Hey, boy, what'sa matter? Can't sleep?" the man asked conversationally. David twisted his neck back to look at him. He looked positively miserable; dark bags under his sunken eyes and a drab expression on his boney face to match. It made him look so much older than he really was, and the weariness in his eyes was so akin to his father's that it was almost frightening. Jeb knew he had been having trouble sleeping, but he hadn't realized how bad it had gotten. Still, not sleeping was better than the nightmares that used to plague the both of them.

"C'mon, don't look to sullen. Not many boys inherit what's essentially an army base when they turn eighteen, y'know."

The boy looked away from Jeb back towards the commons area, where they could hear the soft shuffling of the refugees that had just been brought in. There weren't many this time, only ten at the most, but most were young children. It was amazing how any of them had made it this far at all without being caught. Children were notorious for slowing things down and drawing attention.

David's tired voice broke the man from his thoughts. "Jeb, I can't remember my dad's face," he said. His voice was even, which was unnatural for David. Jeb could tell he was forcing his emotions down, trying to keep himself in one piece. Looking closer, Jeb could see his lanky arms shaking. "I can't remember my mom's either. I can remember Jessie's, but my parents' are just blurs," he continued.

The larger man just stood for a moment at a complete loss of what to say. It hadn't been that long since they had last seen his parents, only about five years. The boy had completely blind-sided Jeb with the confession, but it was obvious that it was something that was eating him from the inside out. If Jeb continued to leave him alone, he was going to snap like so many people before him since the invasion. Slowly, the older of the two eased himself to sit on the cool floor so that he was shoulder to shoulder with the younger.

Jeb took a moment to think about what he wanted to say. He could callously ask David how he could possibly forget the faces of the people who loved him, or he could berate him for it. But it seemed David had done a pretty good job of doing that to himself already; any more would send him over his breaking point.

Coming to a decision, Jeb cleared his throat. "Your dad was tall n' thin like you. He was young, but he already had gray hairs n' wrinkles on his forehead. I always told him they were there 'cause he spent so much time worryin' for other people and their woes…" The man paused over the memory, smiling and shaking his head. "An' your mama was as pretty as an angel…

"David, even if you forget their faces, don't you ever forget who they were. Laurel was stern n' proud: a real lady. An' Greg cared so much for ev'ryone it damned near killed him. He once told me that his friends n' his family were all that mattered to him, n' that's all that should matter to you now. Don't you ever forget that, hear me?"

The boy slowly nodded his head and swallowed hard, "Yea, Jeb, I won't forget."

Initially, Marla's reaction to seeing Hound was exactly as David had expected. She stumbled back under the porch, one hand cupped to her mouth and the other gripping David's thin arm while rasping, "David, what have you done?" It was the first time he had ever seen the woman truly surprised, maybe even a little afraid. Hound looked just as apprehensive as the farmer.

She had gone for her shotgun again then, even though she was well aware the shells wouldn't have done a thing to the mech, but damned if she wasn't going to try. Unsure of what to do, Hound had just stood there wrenching his optic-shutters shut and bracing for the sting of the shotgun shells. David intervened of course, managing to barely wrench the weapon out of the woman's strong hands, and very quickly stammered an explanation. Marla could only keep staring at the big mech over David's shoulder with wide eyes, and behind the two humans, dogs could be heard barking from behind a closed door.

"Mama, I swear he's not a Decepticon. They are not Decepticons! They're here to help! Look, he's not doin' anything!" David repeated over and over.

The blonde woman shook out of her stupor at his words. "There's more!?" she gasped, ignoring the mech's lack of any sort of action. The man grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"They are not Decepticons. Understand? I know I ain't the brightest, but I'm not stupid enough to bring them here if they were. And I know you know that," David said forcefully, his eyes intensely focused on Marla. For a moment, he could still see conditioned fear in her eyes at the sight of Hound becoming clouded with confliction. David would never betray her; he would never put her in any kind of danger, and she knew it.

Gradually, Marla calmed down as much as she could, though it may have only been because David wasn't physically allowing her to do anything else. The older woman relaxed in his grip but did not look away from Hound. David slowly let her go and moved to step behind her while keeping a hand on her shoulder. She stood and continued to glare warily at the giant green scout standing in front of her porch. David was right though; he wasn't doing anything. He looked as uncomfortable as a small child would if they were suddenly asked to recite the quadratic formula. Any normal Stunticon or Decepticon would have blown her farm to Kingdom Come by now.

Marla took a slow and experimental step forward, and the alien instantly took one step backward. It was like he was afraid of her. What did he have to be afraid of? He had taken her by surprise, and she was unarmed; she should be afraid of him! The woman took another, more confident step forward. This time the mech didn't take a step back, but he was looking nervously between her and David. Decepticons didn't act like that. Ever. No self-respecting Decepticon would ever look to a mere human for guidance. Then that meant…

Almost as if he had read her mind, David lowered his face to the side of Marla's and said softly in her ear, "Marla, this is Hound."

"Howdy," the mentioned mech piped with an eager smile that quickly faded once he caught sight of the death-glare coming from Marla. David made a chopping motion at his neck while mouthing the words, "not yet". Hound of course had no idea what the motion meant, but he was able to gather the gesture's meaning by the look on David's face.

Marla couldn't help but scoff, "How's a robot get a name like that?"

"He's their scout," David informed as Hound lowered himself to one knee so he could view both humans under the porch easier.

"It's an honor to meet you," he said formally, all traces of the accent he picked up from David gone. Marla's eyebrows arched high at the Jeep.

"He's got better manners n' you," she muttered, turning her head slightly to give the man behind her a smug glance.

David just rolled his eyes. "Mama, everyone's got better manners than me. Well, almost. You haven't met the rest of them yet."

Marla decided she didn't like the way he said that. "How many more are there?" she questioned, afraid to know the answer. Seeing one mech this close was almost enough to make her tired heart give out.

"Five others plus Hound here."

Marla stared at Hound for a few moments and then slowly began to shake her head. Six? Six mechs? She wasn't sure she could handle seeing that many at once so close to her. Sure Hound had proved himself true, but he was still an enemy in her mind, and it was hard to shake off. She couldn't do it; the mere thought of seeing so many threatened to overwhelm her. She pulled herself away from David and stomped back to the door of the farmhouse. As she yanked the door open, a flood of dogs rushed passed her to crowd around Hound and bark loudly at him.

"Don't you dare step on any of my dogs," Marla warned darkly as she stepped through the doorway and slammed the wooden door shut behind her. She began to head for the stairs and could hear David saying something to the mech outside. Marla didn't stop to hear it, only continued her way up the staircase. Halfway up, she heard the door open behind her. She didn't turn back to look at David, whose footsteps she could hear hurriedly trying to catch up with her own. Continuing into her room, she paced back and forth anxiously until David cautiously poked his head around the corner.

"Mama?"

Marla's patience finally snapped. "I told you: don't chu 'Mama' me! All you damn kids comin' in an' outta here! 'Mama' this an' 'Mama' that! I ain't yer goddamn Mama!" she spat angrily and resisted the urge to kick the edge of her own bed. The subject was entirely irrelevant, but Marla was so flustered that her tolerance had become paper-thin. David recoiled a bit from her looking as if she had burned him with her words. The woman sighed and gripped the back of her head, trying to force herself to calm down.

"You don't trust me?" David asked after a brief moment of silence, his voice soft and full of reproach.

"You know I trust you, sweetness. But you can't expect to just waltz onta my farm with a buncha 'Cons and have me offer ya'll a cup o' tea," Marla began to explain, trying to keep her voice steady and failing as she continued to pace about the room.

"They're not 'Cons," the tall man interjected and Marla paused for the first time since she had gone back into the house. She frowned intensely at the young man, worry lines running deep across her forehead and around her eyes.

"An' you know this? You ain't heard the warnin'?"

"I heard it."

"Before or after you met them?"

David turned away from her strong glare and briefly thought about saying that he met them beforehand. But Marla knew his every tell, and if he lied it would only make things worse. "After," he muttered honestly.

The woman heaved a heavy and frustrated sigh. "You ain't no different than yer daddy," she said wearily and passing a hand over her face. David looked back to her, a small flicker of pride flaring up inside him at the very aspect that he could aspire to be anything like him.

"Marla, just meet'em. They're for real, I swear."

"What makes you so assured?"

"I tried to kill'em. Twice," the man answered with a lopsided grin and holding up two fingers. It brought a stubborn smile to Marla's face.

Life had been so hard ever since Earth was overrun. It had been hard before, when Marla farmed for a living, but now she was farming to keep people alive. Almost everything she made, the farmer send to the settlements while keeping very little for herself. She was lucky to be so far out in the middle nowhere, where the drones and the Decepticons didn't normally wander. But it didn't make the fear go away, the fear that one day they'd be on her doorstep and crush her like a bug, then the shelters would have one less supplier to keep them going.

Fear was such a funny thing. After living with it for so long, one became accustomed to it. The fear got her out of bed every morning at three a.m. and made her to break her back every day working the fields and tending the animals. Marla was not young, far from it, but she still dragged her tired body outside day in and day out.

Now there was a chance that all that could go away, and she feared it still. Feared that David could be wrong, despite his confidence, and everything would be blown to hell in the blink of an eye. She feared that David could be right and it still be blown to hell.

The woman turned away from David, crossing her arms in front of her to keep her composure as she walked to the window. She almost jumped away at what she saw. The green mech was kneeling to the ground, holding a large hand out to the dogs running about his feet. It was an endearing image, but it wasn't what made her jump. Apparently, while she and David had been arguing, the others had taken the opportunity to show up. A grey mech with two shoulder cannons was kneeling with the green one, chattering excitedly.

Behind the pair stood a disinterested yellow mech who seemed to be distancing himself from the black and blue mechs next to him. Where the sixth mech was, Marla couldn't tell.

David's voice came from her right. "The one with Hound is Bluestreak," he said nodding towards the grey mech with the cannons. He pointed to the black and blue mechs. "Those are Trailbreaker and Mirage. That one is Sunstreaker, and I don't know where Jetfire is."

Marla snorted. "There's no way I'm gonna remember those names."

David fell silent, content with watching the scene on the front lawn of the farmhouse for a moment until his gaze flickered to the dogs. An idea instantly lit up in his brain. "Jetfire is like a German Shepherd," he said with a grin. The stout woman turned her head to give him a flat look.

"Hound is, uh, a bloodhound. Blue's a border collie, Mirage is a greyhound, Trailbreaker's a Great Dane, and Sunstreaker's a…" The man paused before a wicked smirk crossed his face. "... a Pomeranian."

Marla threw her head back and laughed so loud she gained both Hound and Bluestreak's attention for a moment. "You're an idiot," she said in loving annoyance. The tall man leaned on her then, first comfortingly and then pressed his weight against her. He playfully let himself grow more limp, pushing more weight until he was threatening to knock the smaller woman over.

"Git offa me!" she said finally, giving him a hard push and almost sending him straight into the wall. For how short she was, Marla was a strong woman. After David recovered from both the shove and his own inane giggling, the woman placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. "You wanna show me they ain't 'Cons? Then ya'll gotta do me a favor."

"Shoot."

"There hasn't been anyone through here in a long while, and I hauled a huge surplus last season and stored it. All by myself I'll have you know," she said almost as if she were trying to lecture David. "Ya'll take it with you when you leave."

David nodded without hesitation. "I promise. Now come on," he said, taking her hand. The deal may have been struck, but Marla would still need to be pushed. He guided her out of the room, down the stairs, and with a final tug, out onto the porch. Hound and Bluestreak looked up from the dogs, which by now had calmed down and stopped barking. David noticed for the first time that a small brown pig was among them.

"When did you start lettin' the pigs in the house?" he asked raising an eyebrow at the little dark chubby porker.

"That's Boomhauer. He was a runt," Marla supplied, slightly distracted by the Autobots and trying to back up again. David wouldn't let her, however, and began to drag her forward until they were out from under the porch and in Hound's shadow.

The mech stepped back a bit, letting in some room between himself and Bluestreak and cautious not to accidentally step on any of the animals under him. He looked only at David, fearing he might upset the farmer again.

David was about to open his mouth to say something when Bluestreak cut him off. "I thought dogs were bad. They're what chased you before, right? How are these different from those? Because these look pretty much the same to me aside from the markings on their fur. They do seem a lot friendlier than the ones before though."

Marla began to see why David described this one as a border collie. The man next to her looked to the gunner and answered, "Those were wild dogs. These are domesticated ones."

"So, that means they're pets right?" asked Hound, his accented drawl mysteriously having returned. At that point, Trailbreaker and Mirage had wandered over, and Marla began to feel her anxiety bubbling up again. The mechs were probably aware of it, and it was Trailbreaker who made the first move to take her mind off of them.

"What are their names?" the black Autobot asked.

"Uh-hh…th-that one's Kimmy," she said nervously pointing to a black lab mix. "Riley, Berkley, Caleb, Oscar, Jack, and that one is Boomhauer," the woman finished, nodding to the little brown piglet. "He's new." Each of the animals perked their ears at the sound of their names, aside from Boomhauer, who just snorted and continued to root around in the grass.

David placed his hands on Marla's shoulders from behind. "Marla's got a job for us," he announced merrily. His behavior towards the aliens confused her. David had always been a friendly individual, but she never imagined anyone being so casual with a mech. It was like he was speaking to just another human. If these Autobots were really who they claimed to be, she wished that she could somehow act the same way towards them --in her own special way, of course.

"She works on this farm by herself," David continued, "and sends whatever she makes to the shelters in the mountains. No one's come by here in a while, and she's got some supplies she needs sent up there. She's agreed to let us rest here if we take the supplies with us when we leave."

"We'd be more than happy to," said Hound, Trailbreaker and Bluestreak nodding with him. "Jetfire can probably carry most of it."

"Where is he anyway?"

"He mentioned concerns of being followed, especially after what happened down near the coast. He is sweeping the area, just in case," informed Mirage who was still tilting his head curiously at the dogs.

"What happened at the coast?" asked Marla, raising a suspicious eyebrow at David.

"I'll tell you later," David muttered lowly, then in a clearer voice said, "Still keep everything in the barn?"

"Uh huh. Lemme get the girls and take 'em out into the pasture. I don't want them scarin' my cows into givin' sour milk," Marla said. She turned to give a courteous nod to Hound and the others and then sauntered off towards the direction of the barn. David trotted after her, motioning for the Autobots to follow and directing them to stand behind the big structure so they were out of the way. David was surprised to see Sunstreaker follow behind them and figured he was probably curious to see what a cow looked like.

The barn was just as big as he remembered it, with a tall roof and high lofts lining the inside. On one side there sat a series of stalls. Three held a single dairy cow in each, two had horses, and the last two were empty save for a few stacks of hay. On the other side sat more rolls of hay stacked on top one another, as well as a couple dozen boxes and barrels. Inspecting the walls a little closer, David saw that wear was beginning to show.

Most of the paint that once coated the wood was chipped off, and the planks riddled with holes. Looking upwards, he could see a few specks of sunlight peering in through holes. How long had it been since anyone had been here to help Marla? He remembered when he was young, she often sent him and any other young boys that were present out to do maintenance and repairs on any of the equipment or buildings. It was how she was able to keep the farm functioning as a supplier. But if the barn was showing so much damage, how long had she been running this farm by herself?

As David continued to ponder, he and Marla silently took each cow and horse out of their respective stalls and led them out to the fenced pasture next to the barn. After bringing out the first cow, the man turned to see Sunstreaker's finned head peeking over the roof of the barn, looking quite flabbergasted at the sight of the bovine.

After leading the last animal into the field, Marla turned to the tall man. "You hungry?" she asked, whipping fine beads of sweat off her brow. David nodded, realizing that over the course of the last few days he had rarely eaten anything at all. "Alright, I'll meet you inside. There're some things I wanna ask you anyhow," she continued suddenly sounding very weary.

He watched her go into the farmhouse then walked around to the other side of the barn where the Autobots were still waiting. Sunstreaker was still peering over the roof at the animals in the field, only now Mirage was doing it with him, and they were mumbling quietly to each other. Jetfire was still nowhere to be seen.

"Ya'll can go in now. You might have to squish together a little. Beats sitting out here in the heat though," David said with an apologetic shrug.

Sunstreaker snapped his head at the human incredulously. "Go in where?" he asked tensely.

"The barn?" David half answered, half asked with another shrug.

"I'm not going in there."

"Why not?"

"Have you smelled the air in there?"

"Get used to it," David said a little too roughly, turning his back to the Autobots and heading to the farmhouse before Sunstreaker could retort. He felt slightly guilty leaving his comrades to put up with the warrior's whining, but he also figured they were more accustomed to it than David was.

The tall man ducked into the doorway of the house and sat himself down at the small table outside the open door of the kitchen. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he did so, and he inhaled deeply the smell of the house. The same woven rug decorated the floor of the room under the table from when he was younger, and the same sheer yellow drapes adorned the white-bordered windows. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust now, even the framed pictures resting next to books on the shelves. Something bumped his leg, and David looked down to see a little black face gazing at him. He affectionately ran his fingers behind Kimmy's ear.

He could hear Marla's feet moving about in the kitchen, opening and closing cabinet doors. There was a pause in her movement. "David?"

"Mm?"

"I ain't heard from Jeb in a while…"

The man froze as if someone had just pointed a gun at his head. He tried to answer, but no words came to his mind, no sound came from his throat. The silence was all Marla needed.

"…I thought so." He could hear her take a deep shaky breath in the other room. "Which one?"

"Drag Strip," David answered mechanically, his voice having abruptly returned to him.

"Jeb never did learn to pick up his pace," she said with a rueful crack in her voice. "You gave'm a nice burial right?"

More silence.

"David?"

The man couldn't bring himself to respond. He struggled desperately to just say anything when Marla suddenly appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were wide in horrific disbelief and her mouth hanging open.

"David!" she rasped as both a demand and a plea. "David Alexander Shepherd, you look at me in th' eyes and you tell me you gave Jeb a proper funeral!" she commanded. David flinched at hearing his full name; it had been so long since he heard it he almost had forgotten it.

The man just shook his head, mouth opening and closing like a dying fish and trying to say something. "I…I'm sorry Mama…"

"Don't you dare 'Mama' me! Tell me you at least took back his body!"

David just continued to shake his head, his whole body beginning to shiver.

"You left him out there t'be picked by the dogs?!" the woman cried, her voice cracking hysterically. Under the table, Kimmy whined and scooted up against the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you boy!? That man was like a father to you after yours went and got himself killed lookin' for your mama and your sister! He'd be so ashamed of you!"

David looked down at the table, unable to meet Marla's angry eyes anymore. Tears welled up as that familiar weight in his stomach returned. He was beginning to feel sick. He instinctively grabbed and yanked onto his ratty hair.

"Get up," the farmer ordered. David looked up at her, his face contorted in confusion and his hands floating about his head.

"Get your ass up now," she ordered again, her voice dripping with malice. The man did as he was told and stood using the table to support his trembling frame. Without any hesitation, Marla snapped her hand forward and seized the David by his hair. She stormed to the back door of the house, yanking him behind her and forcing him to bend down low. Behind them, Kimmy barked loudly in alarm.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" David whined.

"Don' gimme that boy, you ain't got no right to snivel," Marla spat darkly as a mother would reprimand an unruly child. She dragged him all the way to the barn and ripped open the door with such force it banged against the side of the barn, sending a small shower of wood chips tumbling down. The Autobots inside looked down at her in alarm. Jetfire was now among them and sitting hunched over with his wings pressed against the lofts.

"Is everything alright?" Jetfire questioned cautiously, flicking his optics towards a teary-eyed David. Bluestreak cocked his head, almost imitating the angle David's head was being forced into.

"Out."

The mechs continued to stare at the fuming woman. "Get out," she seethed. They didn't need to be told a third time, each scrambling and bumping into each other as they filed out the big barn doors on the other side of the building. Even Sunstreaker clamored to get out, practically crawling over Mirage.

Marla shoved David in angrily. "Make a proper memorial and beg God to forgive your sorry ass," she commanded, but the severity of her voice was diminished now. Without another word and without looking back at David, she slammed the doors shut with a loud clang that echoed all within the decrepit structure. The man stood in his place for a long time, sniffling and trying to hold back his tears indignantly like a child.

There was some shuffling outside the walls of the barn, and through the many holes David could see the big shadow of one of the Autobots.

"David?" asked Bluestreak in a whisper so soft he almost didn't hear it.

"What?" David responded in a choke followed by another unsuccessfully stifled loud sob.

"Are you alright? What happened, why is Marla so angry?"

The human bit back another sob, his shoulders heaving with the effort. "You should go Blue. I'll be out in a little while," he finally answered juvenilely, unable to think of anything else. After all David had ever been through, losing his family, his friends, and fighting enemies that were far superior to him in both size and strength, he could still be reduced to a small sniveling child by Marla.

He waited for Bluestreak to shuffle wordlessly away and walked to the side of the barn opposite of the stalls. He wedged his thin frame behind the stacks of hay in search of anything that would make a suitable grave mark.