Apologies for not updating for so long.
To say my life has become crazy would be an understatement.
Nice long chapter today, and more on the way soon!
Enjoy!
"Mr. Secretary, we have a coded transmission requesting your attention."
"Who is it?"
"He calls himself Prime Suspect."
"I'll take it. Private line, please."
"Yes, sir."
"Prime Suspect? Your humor grows worse."
"My apologies, Secretary. Jazz made the call, then transferred it to me. However, I fear there is a chance his joke could become truth."
"The press gave up on your case months ago. They're not going to resurrect old news."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Secretary. At least seventy stations across America have already started to broadcast clips from last summer, and Megatron's transmission is spreading like wildfire."
"I can't shut down the television stations, Prime."
"I know. That's not why I'm calling. We need back-up badly."
"What do you want me to do? The government's trying to pass this off as a joke played by some teens in California. My hands are tied here."
"I understand... But we really need back-up."
"Hold on, I have an idea. Captain Lennox is on vacation. Let me contact him. He might offer to help, but it's his decision. I can send you volunteers, not enlisted soldiers."
"Understood. Thank you, Secretary."
"Any luck with the search?"
"No. Sam found a note Katrina left - the dog had taken it. It contained nothing of importance. I had to call off the search. We have to prepare for battle."
"I'll let you know Captain Lennox's decision."
"Don't pressure him, but I hope he chooses to help, for all our sakes."
Chapter Twenty Five
Katrina's stomach rumbled as she walked out of the gas station's bathroom. On a whim the girl snatched two bags of chips and a few chocolate bars. There was no line, and the cashier was swift. A minute later Katrina left the building, half a chocolate bar melting in her mouth.
Never shop on an empty stomach, she thought, but a smile spread across her face. It was a beautiful day, enough to make one forget the storms of the night before. Katrina wished she could spend more time in the sunlight. She settled for walking slowly toward the police car.
Out the corner of her eye the girl caught a glimpse of yellow, some car driving up the road. She yelped and dashed the rest of the way across the parking lot. The yellow car drove past. There were no racing stripes and the driver was an older man. Katrina collapsed in the police car's backseat, still panting despite the false alarm, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Morse?" she asked, stuffing the rest of her chocolate bar into her mouth. Her other purchases went into one of the plastic bags.
Wrong? the spider clicked, then hopped into her lap.
"Nothing, just wanted to know where you were."
Morse gave his friend a suspicious look. Her heartbeat was faster than normal, she was breathing hard, and trembling. She hadn't run far, so something must have scared her.
"What was nothing?" Barricade demanded, pushing the 45mph speed limit before he even reached the road. If the human had stirred up trouble, he didn't want to get involved.
"I thought I saw someone I knew, but it wasn't them." And for a moment I was scared it would be them, she added silently, frowning. She shoved that thought away and focused on the current problem troubling her, whether Optimus Prime would face Megatron or not. I've got to get back and help the others stop him, but that's going to require cooperation from Barricade. Katrina gritted her teeth. Easier said then done. How shall I start? Do Decepticons feel guilt? I wonder...
"Were you happy when Megatron destroyed the high school?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"What?"
Okay, I fail at casual. "Did you know the school was empty?"
"What difference does that make?"
"Did you?"
"Yes."
"Did Megatron?"
"I doubt it. He doesn't-"
"If he'd destroyed the school during a school day, would you have approved?"
Morse looked up at his friend, dismayed. What on Earth was she trying to do? The spider curled into a tiny ball, hoping she didn't get them both blasted.
"What difference would it make? I'm-" -loyal to Megatron, was what Barricade had been about to say, but he never got a chance. Another police cruiser came out of nowhere and shoved him into the breakdown lane.
Katrina cried out, expecting the side of the car to cave in, but whatever the Decepticon was made of was tougher than a normal car. Barricade stepped on the gas, heading out of town as fast as he could. Megatron had given strict orders not to fight in town until further notice, and if that wasn't an Autobot tailgating him, Barricade would paint himself bright orange.
"What's going on?" the human asked, a foolish question Barricade did not have the time to answer. Frenzy replied instead.
"We'rebeingattacked."
"By who?" Katrina looked out the rear window, but the other car's headlights were on high beam and she couldn't see anything. Please don't let it be Jazz.
"I have to transform to fight," Barricade said, making a sharp left turn. "When your door opens, get out and hide. Don'trun. The Autobot might take you for a Decepticon and shoot."
The girl swallowed hard. "Understood."
Barricade managed to gain a few hundred feet on his pursuer, then turned off the road and stopped behind a pile of boulders, opening the back door. Katrina had barely jumped out when the door slammed shut and the Decepticon morphed.
Clutching Morse to her chest, Katrina leaned her back against the nearest rock and scanned the surrounding area. It was mostly flat, not much use for hiding, and she didn't think the boulders were the safest place to hide. Too easy for a stray shot to trigger a collapse. A loud boom made the girl hunch her shoulders and stagger as the ground shook. Katrina wished she could cover her ears, but she was holding Morse with both hands.
Was that a cannon?The girl hesitated, then stuffed the spider into her jacket pocket and snuck around the boulder pile. She didn't really want to see the fight, but if fire came her way, she wanted to know ahead of time.
Sunlight was glaring off both robots - it was hard to tell which one was Barricade. Katrina shaded her eyes, but something glowing and sizzling came her way and she had to duck. Cold metal wrapped around her left arm and dragged her roughly behind the boulders, which did offer a little protection, however precarious.
"Barricadesaidstayoutofsight."
"What if they shoot this way?" protested Katrina, trying to pull away. Frenzy's tight grip was cutting off circulation to her lower arm.
"Iwillknow. BarricadesaidImustkeepyoufromharm."
"All right, I'll stay put," the girl grumbled. "Let me go." The robot released her, and she flexed her fingers. They tingled as blood began flowing.
Thuds, crashes and explosive noises were coming from the other side of the boulders. Katrina shuddered. It sounded like two tanks were shooting at each other. Morse stuck his head out of her pocket and she pushed him back. "Stay in there. I don't want you to fall out."
The spider didn't reply. Katrina sank into a crouch, unwilling to stand for any longer. How long is the fight going to last? Hours?
The boulder pile exploded. Frenzy yanked Katrina to one side, then lost his grip. Ears ringing, the girl ducked and dove into a forward roll, praying Morse was still in her pocket. She came up from the roll, stumbled, and fell against the police car.
"Help," she gasped.
A door opened and she threw herself inside, landing on the floor on her hands and knees. A cd player thudded against the seat, the door slammed shut, then sudden acceleration sent Katrina to the floor from her kneeling position.
"Uh-oh," Frenzy said.
The girl's heartbeat sped up again. "Uh-oh?" she asked, sitting down. The seat felt different, and the dashboard had changed its appearance. "Uh-oh," she repeated, a chill running down her spine. "Barricade?"
"Are you Decepticons?" The cold voice coming from the speakers was not Barricade's.
Katrina gulped and snatched up the cd player, figuring it would be safer if she held onto Frenzy. "No. I'm a human. This is Frenzy. He's-"
"Barricade's sidekick, thus a Decepticon. Why are you with them?"
"I was kidnapped."
"Who is the sparkling in your pocket?"
What's a sparkling? Morse? Must be. "Morse. He's my friend."
"All right. Set Frenzy down."
Katrina tightened her grip on the cd player. I'm surprised he hasn't changed yet. "Are you going to harm him?"
"Not at the moment."
"Behave," the girl warned Frenzy, setting on the middle seat. Morse crawled out of her pocket, then up her arm onto her shoulder. Frenzy transformed, both hands switching to guns.
"Frenzy, no." Katrina put as much authority as she could into her voice. To her surprise, the robot collapsed into cd player shape.
"Why were you kidnapped?"
"Whose side are you on?" Katrina retorted. She sat back, arms folded. "Autobots or Decepticons?"
"My leader is Optimus Prime. Seat-belt."
The girl buckled her seat-belt, then glanced out the back window. No sign of the Decepticon police car, and everything was flying past at a dizzying rate. She resisted the urge to remark about a police car breaking the law. "Where's Barricade?"
"Lost him. Answer my question."
Katrina frowned, a thought clicking into place.If Optimus is his leader, then he's an Autobot, but that doesn't make sense."Where'd you come from? Optimus said there were only five Autobots on Earth. So did Simmons."
"I landed a few days ago, and haven't contacted anyone yet. Do you know where the base is?"
"Yes." The girl's frown deepened and she glanced at the cd player. "But..."
Morse made a soft humming sound. Co-ord, he tapped for Katrina's benefit. Frenzy made a muttering noise, and Katrina guessed that Morse had transmitted in a way the other robot couldn't hear.
"Thank you." The police car turned right. "You have five minutes to explain why the Decepticons kidnapped you."
Katrina decided to be blunt. "I have the AllSpark's powers. The Decepticons forced me to bring Megatron back."
The police car swerved, then steadied. "A human cannot contain the power of the AllSpark. Tell me the truth."
The girl took a deep breath. "It is the truth. Let me explain..."
"I'm not sure a Decepticon should hear this. Perhaps we should leave him behind."
There was nothing but dirt and rocks for miles around. Katrina shook her head. What if he can't contact Barricade? She imagined Morse all alone in the desert, and shuddered. Decepticon or not, it wouldn't be fair."He stays with me until I can get him back to Barricade. I don't want to risk him getting-" what was that word Barricade had used before? "-offlined, or Barricade'll just kidnap me and make me bring Frenzy back again."
"Again? I think you better explain everything now."