So the semester is finally over. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and has a happy New Year. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter of this story. Sorry about the wait on this one.

Chapter 21: Escape Plan

As soon as she got in the car, they slapped duct tape over her mouth and handcuffed her arms behind her back. They forced her to lie on the floor in the back of their small four door car, under their feet, while they confiscated everything in her pockets and purse. It was the most uncomfortable thing Aurora had ever done. The car ride wasn't that long, but the position she was in made it feel like forever. When they arrived at their location, they blindfolded her and led her inside a building. They walked down a few hallways until they shoved her to the floor and bound her feet together with handcuffs.

When they tore the blindfold from her face, she realized they had used a third pair of handcuffs to shackle her to a metal pipe protruding from the wall. Essentially, they had fastened one loop of the handcuffs around the pipe and fastened the other loop around the chain to the handcuffs that were holding her wrists. And she sat on the ground, staring at their satisfied smiles.

Eventually they all left her alone. She sat in lonely silence for what felt like hours before a female rounded the corner and approached her. Aurora vaguely listened as the female said who she was, and after the brief introduction, Aurora stared at her captor as she placed her hands on her hips and gave her an accusing look.

"Look, I've seen the pictures. My brothers do not lie to me. You went to Wal-Mart in a fire engine and you were the only one in that fire engine. That fire engine is no longer at Wal-Mart. And fire engines do not move by themselves. My brothers are very thorough in what they do. Aurora, who moved the truck?"

Aurora sighed and looked away from her captor. From what she could tell, there were five of them holding her hostage. They each had nicknames they were going by so that she couldn't get their real names. Cutthroat appeared to be the one in charge with Blade, Gunner, Slayer, and Ace acting as his lackeys. Ace was the only female, and from what she could gather, the brains of the group.

"I asked you a question."

"I honestly have no idea…Angelique must have come and gotten it," Aurora replied, looking at the woman who had long black hair with scarlet highlights. Her eyes were outlined with a thick layer of black liner, and Aurora believed it made her look a lot more evil than what she probably was.

Ace stared at her for a moment, deciding to accept Aurora's answer. "You know," she said, meeting Aurora's gaze, "That truck looked exactly like Optimus Prime from the Cybertron series. How the hell did you manage to get it?"

Aurora hesitated, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Angelique sat in the hang out nervously drumming her fingertips on the arm of the couch as Bit laid next to her, looking at her expectantly. She wiped the tears from her eyes for the millionth time, her face starting to go raw from the previous tears she had wiped away. Numbly, she tried to think of a plan to rescue her sister, but all she could think about was what her sister was possibly going through, what Optimus was going through, and funeral arrangements. She squeezed her eyes shut, "No, no funeral arrangements."

Bit whimpered beside her and put his head on her lap. Angelique looked at him and patted his head. "Oh boy," she said, "I don't know what to do."

"Do about what?" said a voice behind her, startling her.

She looked over her shoulder, only to see Wing-Saber coming into the room. "Wing-Saber," she exclaimed, then quickly hid her face so that he wouldn't see her tears.

"What's going on around here?" he asked, "Optimus has locked himself inside the strategy room, and he only does that when he is trying to plan something big…wait a minute…are you, are you crying?"

Angelique didn't say anything and looked away from him. "Hey now," he said and he took a seat beside her on the couch. Bit growled at him.

"Easy boy," Angelique stated.

"This thing is yours?" Wing-Saber asked, observing Bit with disdain.

"Yeah, his name is Bit. He's my dog…he's a crime dog. He kills people."

Wing-Saber looked at her skeptically and then asked, "So what's up? And don't lie. It's obvious you've been crying."

"Optimus didn't tell you?"

"No, when he got back here, he went right into the strategy room without saying a word. He hasn't come out since. Did he and Aurora get into a fight…and were you somehow involved?"

"If only it were that simple," Angelique sighed, "Aurora…she's been kidnapped."

"What? Kidnapped? By who?"

Angelique shook her head, "We don't know, but I'm pretty sure Daniel McHugh has something to do with it. Nobody would have a reason to kidnap her, but she created a lot of opposition to the mine, plus our land is standing in his way to creating the mine. With her and me out of the way, there's nobody to stop him. Our parents are vacationing in Florida for the summer…plus they want a new house, located somewhere else, they'd take McHugh's offer."

"Primus, now I know why. I'll tell the rest of the Autobots so they know what's going on. I'm guessing there's no point in informing the Decepticons, they won't help."

"No, they won't."

Wing-Saber hesitated, "They still won't help even though this matter concerns you?"

"No, I already asked Megatron to help, and he said it wasn't his problem."

"Well…have the kidnappers said anything?"

Angelique sighed, "I have 48 hours to turn myself over to them, if I don't, they'll kill Aurora."

"I'm going to go inform the rest of the Autobots, maybe together we can come up with a rescue plan and present it to Optimus. Just promise me something."

"What's that?"

"Don't do anything stupid, I still care about you."

"I'll try not to, and thank you, I really mean it."

Wing-Saber smiled, "I'll catch you later." And he left the hang-out.

"We'll make that a story for another time. I'm going to leave you alone now, I'll be back in about an hour…maybe…" and Ace walked away.

Aurora sighed heavily, relieved Ace was gone for the moment and that she was alone. She knew Optimus must've have realized that she was missing by now, she knew he must be looking for her somehow. She guessed Angelique would know too. She pressed her lips into a thin, tight line as she stared blankly at the concrete floor.

She had no control as a sob suddenly burst from her lips and tears streamed down her face. "Damn it, Aurora. Stop crying; crying isn't going to help anything. You need to think your way out of this one. Hoping and praying someone is going to come won't get you out of this mess."

Her tears lessened and she blinked a few times in an effort to make them stop. As quietly as she could she tried to squeeze her hands out from the handcuffs, but the handcuffs were far too tight for her to do that. The pipe was not coming loose from the wall either. She swallowed hard as she realized that her only way to escape this mess was by talking her way out of it. And since Ace was the only one who talked to her, the negotiations would have to be through her.

Aurora sighed, Ace didn't guarantee she would be coming back to talk to her. As much as she hated to think about it, she was reduced to only hoping that she could escape, alive.

"Optimus, come on let me in…" Angelique wined as she knocked continually on the door to the strategy room, "Optimus…this is your future sister-in-law, will you please let me in?"

The doors whooshed open suddenly, revealing Optimus standing in the doorway. "Oh," she remarked, surprised that he had appeared, "Thank you for—

"I have a plan to get Aurora back," he said as he looked her square in the eye.

"That's great!" she remarked, feeling hopeful.

"Yes, but it will require you putting yourself in danger, something that I am completely unsure of."

"I'll do anything it takes to get Aurora back."

"I know, as will I, but I would be beside myself if harm came to you as well."

"Explain the plan."

"You would have to turn yourself into the kidnappers, but we would put a tracking device on you, so we would know where the kidnappers took you, and hopefully Aurora would be in the same location. The next part I'm not so sure of. We would come rescue you and Aurora, but we would have to reveal our identity in the process, unless we were able to attack the kidnappers from behind."

"You don't have any smoke grenades or anything that you could use to blind the kidnappers so they can't see you?"

"Yes we could use those, along with flash grenades," Optimus stated, "However, we have no means of arresting the kidnappers. We cannot bring them back here and let them know of our existence."

Angelique thought for a moment and snapped her fingers, "What about Barricade? Couldn't he somehow add a fake name into the police system for this area, arrest the kidnappers, and take them to jail?"

"Barricade is under the orders of Megatron. Megatron would have to order him to do that. And, there is the matter of finding him. He could be anywhere."

"Bit might know where to find him."

"Bit?"

Angelique whistled and Bit was immediately by her side, wagging his tail and panting eagerly. "Meet Bit," she said, "I'm sure you recognize him. Red Alert fixed him up and changed his programming, but he might still know how to find Barricade."

"Alright, I'll let you try and find him, but if you plan on going outside, you can't go alone."

"Bit will protect me; I'll even make him disguise himself as a German shepherd or something so that he doesn't look conspicuous to the public eye."

"I would still like someone to go with you."

Angelique sighed, "Barricade will not come if there is an Autobot with me, and no Decepticon will come either."

"Then I suggest a disguise."

The girl nodded, "I do have something else to ask though…"

"Go on."

She sighed heavily, "On the way back from Wal-Mart, I told Megatron that if we couldn't get Aurora back, that I would let the kidnappers take me so that I could try to. He was so mad when I said that, that he told me that I'd be in for one of the most severe punishments ever, that he wouldn't rescue me, and he might not let anyone rescue me if that were to happen."

Optimus smiled gently and put his hands on her shoulders and lowered himself to her eye-level. "Angelique, Megatron cares a lot about you, but he will not admit it—

"Why?"

"He is afraid it would ruin his reputation. If he truly did not want you around, he would not let you keep coming back to see him. And the only reason he would reprimand you so strongly is because he is afraid to lose you. Tell him my plan and the part you will be playing in it, but do not ask for his permission. Whether or not he decides to help rescue you and Aurora will be completely up to him. If he doesn't want to help, don't hold it against him. Once you and Aurora get back to the base let him come to you first. Give him time to miss you. Alright?"

"Thank you Optimus."

"No problem kiddo. Now, I have things I need to do, as do you. Let's get this plan moving as quickly as possible."

"You got it Optimus, come on Bit, we've got some hunting to do."

"That truck looked exactly like Optimus Prime from the Cybertron series…"

Aurora was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, but when she remembered Ace saying that, a flare of energy passed through her. No, Ace had not come back within an hour like she said she might, but Aurora was sure she had to come back. The fact that Ace had revealed she knew about the Transformers cartoon created her bargaining point. She just had to wait for her to come back. Until she did though, Aurora decided it would be safe enough to try and get some sleep; after all, she needed as much energy as she could get.

But, it felt like her eyes were only closed for a few minutes when someone nudged her and Aurora snapped her eyes open, only to see Ace looming above her. "Wake up sleepy head," she said.

"You came back," Aurora mumbled tiredly.

"You seem surprised," she smirked, "Good."

"I guess…um, are you a transformers fan? I can explain how I got that truck that looks like Optimus."

Ace was silent for a few moments, the smirk gone from her face. Finally she knelt down so that she was eye level with Aurora and said in a low voice, "Yes, but if my brothers ever knew, they would kill me for being so childish."

"Your secret is safe with me; I'm a big fan of the show too. I take it you're a fan of the Decepticons?"

"Yes," and she looked around quickly, "This is completely against my protocol, but I'll make an exception for a transformers fan. I've never talked to another fan before."

"Thank you…even though I'm more of an Autobot fan. My sister is a huge fan of the Decepticons herself."

"Which one is your favorite?"

"Optimus…yours?" Aurora prayed and hoped that she wouldn't say Megatron. If she said Megatron, then she was doomed.

Ace smiled sheepishly, "Starscream. I have a fan girl crush on him."

Aurora shrugged, "It happens. I have one too, on Optimus. My sister is head over heels for Megatron."

"Megatron?" Ace remarked surprised, "What does she see in him?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"Well, I've been dying to know where you got the replica of Optimus. You do not understand the scream I had to keep inside of me when I saw that."

"What I'm about to tell you is the honest to God truth, and if you allow me, I can prove it to you. That truck I was in earlier was not a replica of Optimus Prime. It was the real deal."

Ace laughed, "You mean to tell me, the transformers are real?"

"Yes. Optimus, Megatron, even Starscream."

Ace stopped laughing, "And you can prove this?"

"Yes, I can. But if you ever told a soul they existed, they would have to lock you up. The only reason my sister and I are in such opposition to the mine is because the transformers built their base in the exact location they want to put the mine. I know Daniel McHugh hired you, and quite honestly, this kidnapping ordeal he has you going through is a waste of your time. Let me go and I will introduce you to Starscream personally, you have my word."

"I don't believe it…I can't believe it, transformers is a cartoon!"

"I'm only 17 years old; it really doesn't make sense for me to be driving around a fire engine either, especially when I don't have the license to do so. Exact replicas of Cybertron Optimus Prime do not exist."

"…I still can't believe it."

"Get my cellphone. I will have you call a number that will connect you directly with Optimus Prime."

"How do I know it's not a fake?"

"Make the call and find out yourself."

Ace pursed her lips to the side, "I'll be right back."

Optimus decided that he would explain what was going on and his plan to the Autobots in the morning. It was getting really late, he was tired, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He was too worried about what Aurora could be going through. He sighed heavily as he lay on his recharge berth, staring emptily at the ceiling. A few hours ago, Aurora had been lying beside him in this very recharge berth, everything was perfect. He forced his optics offline, how had everything gone so wrong? If only he had been able to go inside the store with her.

He prayed that she was alright, that they hadn't hurt her—

"Optimus…Optimus it's me are you there?"

The Autobot leader sat bolt upright as his comlink suddenly buzzed to life, Aurora's voice coming through as clear as daylight.

"Yes…yes I am. Are you alright? Primus, please tell me you are."

"I'm fine; don't worry about me, please. They haven't treated me bad."

"I promise everything is going to be okay."

"I know it is, you don't understand how much better I feel hearing your voice."

Optimus was just about to say something when he heard a voice in the background say, "Alright Aurora wrap it up. Seeing is believing, not hearing."

"Optimus I have to go…"

"I understand."

"Tell Angelique to be careful, please. I love you."

He sighed, pain ripping through his spark, "I love you too."

And he listened as the call went dead. He swallowed, and stared into the dark stillness of his room for what seemed like ages, trying to replay her voice over and over again in his head. Finally he lay back on his recharge berth. It was going to be a long night.

Angelique had to admit she was impressed by Bit's ability to make himself look exactly like a German shepherd, fur included. She had shown him a picture of the dog breed, he scanned the image, and transformed into it. She wished her disguise would be that easy, but she knew she didn't have the ability to transform. Instead, she put on a pair of jeans, a sports bra that made her look like she had no breasts at all, and a baggy t-shirt. She then grabbed a baseball cap and tucked all her hair underneath it. After glancing at herself in the mirror, she grabbed a light jacket and left the base with Bit.

Instead of walking to her house, she walked with Bit to the other end of the gully and into town that way, hoping that the kidnappers wouldn't notice her or recognize her. "Okay boy," she said as she held up a picture of Barricade in robot and vehicle form, "Find him, your creator."

Bit barked once and headed off deeper into town. Angelique hoped he was leading her in the right direction as she followed after him. She followed him down several streets and finally he began leading her outside of town. When they had gone about a mile down a road that led to the middle of nowhere, Bit suddenly stopped and sat.

"Bit, why'd you stop?" Angelique remarked as she stopped beside him, catching her breath, "There's nothing here. We're in the middle of nowhere. You know we have to find Barricade."

Suddenly Bit began to growl. Angelique glanced around and saw the familiar eyes that she and Aurora had seen when they returning home from hanging up the posters in town.

"What are you doing here gynoid?" said a voice brusque behind her.

Angelique whipped around to catch the gleam of a police car. "Barricade…I need your help."

"Why should I help you?"

"I can take you to Megatron."

"I will speak to him first, before I help you with anything. Let's go."

Angelique sighed in relief as he pulled up beside her and opened his door. She got inside the car, Bit beside her. The door slammed and he sped off in the direction of the base, following Angelique's directions. "What about your other dogs?" Angelique asked as he pulled into the gully.

"They'll be fine."

"Okay, well, stop here. The door to the base is just over there."

He stopped and she and Bit got out. Bit assumed his normal form while Barricade transformed into his robot form. He followed Angelique into the base. Angelique wasn't sure where Megatron would be, but this late at night, she figured he would be in his quarters. Barricade followed her to Megatron's room and when they arrived at the door she said, "This is the same Megatron, but his form has changed, so you may not recognize him."

"I understand."

Angelique knocked on the Decepticon leader's door, hoping he would answer. She cringed when he appeared in the door way, a disgusted look on his face. "What do you possibly want at this hour, human?" he demanded.

"Megatron, meet Barricade. Barricade, Megatron."

Barricade kneeled, causing Megatron to smile. "The gynoid was right when she said your form was different, but your energy signature is the same."

"Make yourself at home Barricade, I know it's late, so I'll have you briefed on our current situation in the morning," Megatron stated.

"Yes sir," and he stood.

"Well, I have some briefing I need to do now," Angelique stated, "Barricade, are you registered in the human police system as an actual cop?"

"Yes…humans would grow suspicious if I weren't."

"Okay…so if you arrested somebody and brought them to jail, it would be normal?"

"Yes."

"Great! You see, some people kidnapped my sister and Optimus came up with a plan to take them down, and we really, really, really need your help."

Barricade looked to Megatron. Megatron simply crossed his arms and said, "And just what is this plan?"

"Uh…well…I'm going to hand myself over to the kidnappers, but I'm going to have a tracking device on so that we know where the kidnappers take me. Optimus is then going to storm in with the help of the Autobots and free Aurora and me, but Barricade, we need you to show up and arrest them on the charge of kidnapping, as well as Daniel McHugh, for probable cause."

Angelique watched as a terrible frown went across Megatron's face. She winced as he replied, "I thought I made it clear that I wasn't going to help."

"Barricade, will you do this as a personal favor? I took you to Megatron like you wanted."

"I never said I would help you," Barricade remarked.

"Please…I'm asking you as a fellow Decepticon."

Megatron laughed, but stopped when he heard Barricade say, "I'll do it just this once, but don't expect me to help you again."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Whatever…is there a place where I can recharge?"

"Around the corner, there are some empty rooms," Angelique replied.

"Thank you," and he walked away.

Angelique didn't have time to run when Megatron suddenly and viciously grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into his room where he pinned her to the wall forcefully. "What did I tell you?" he snarled, his pale blue optics piercing into her hazel eyes.

"I'm not asking for your permission, I'm doing what needs to be done to save my family and this base."

"You dare to disobey me?"

"You never said I couldn't turn myself into the kidnappers. You only spelled out a punishment if I did."

She felt something heavy and hard connect with her face, sending stars to her eyes. She blinked a few times as the searing pain stung through her cheek. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks as she realized Megatron had just punched her.

Optimus had never said Megatron would react like that…

Angelique swallowed as she stared at Megatron through teary eyes. His anger hadn't left him and she didn't dare open her mouth. She heard Bit whine outside the door.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you," he seethed.

"This is the last time you'll ever have to see me. When I walk out that door tonight, I'll never come back. You can have your life back and act as if I never existed."

Without a word, he let her go. And before she could say anything else, he turned and walked away. With a heavy heart, Angelique left his quarters. She promised herself she wouldn't cry until she got to her room. And when she did get there, she let every emotion that was trapped inside her heart pour out into her pillow. And she fell asleep that way, deciding that she would tell Optimus everything when she woke up in the morning…

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