A rat gnawed on a piece of decomposed trash and bared its teeth at her. She skirted it, holding her switchblade in her right hand. Becca stepped lightly over the rustling newspapers and a set of discarded woman's underwear as she worked her way to the mouth of the alley. The sounds of the fighting had lessened and she assumed they had moved to a different part of the city.
She reached the end of the alley and peered around it onto the street. Damage from the fight was evident. There were craters blown in the ground, an overturned car, a streetlight whose pole had been bent nearly ninety degrees, and massive cracks where the fighting behemoths had struck the ground. Becca had never thought she'd see the Transformers that had arrived on Earth three years ago, and she'd just seen seven. Four had worn the red Autobot mark and three others the purple Decepticon crest.
"Look out Tracks!" A booming voice called out.
Becca froze at the sound of engines and faded back into the alley's shadows.
"I've got him!" Another called out.
Were the Transformers coming back? Becca stared as a blue car with white wings flew by her. She meant it literally. It was two meters off the ground, tires folded on top of the wings, and gaining altitude as it shot after a white jet. Becca rubbed her eyes, but she wasn't seeing things.
A yellow Volkswagen drove by at ground level, accompanied by a white Porsche and grey and white Nissan. They had Autobot symbols like the flying car. A red jet opened fire on the three cars on the ground, blowing holes in the asphalt in a strafing run. She saw one of Autobots transform into a humanoid form and fire upwards, clipping the already damaged plane. A large blue Decepticon shot at the remaining cars, followed by a smaller light blue one down the street. The yellow Autobot transformed and shot, striking the cassette. A giant metal black and silver cat leaped at the yellow Autobot, knocking him to the ground.
"Help!" The yellow Autobot cried out.
"Bumblebee!" The silver one shouted and shot. There was a flash of electricity as the bolt struck the Decepticon and the cat scampered away.
"Thanks Bluestreak," Bumblebee smiled as he stood.
Becca covered her ears as the jets kicked in their afterburners and fled the Autobots. There was a stupendous crash as everything glass in the area exploded. Shards flew everywhere and Becca was glad she was in the alley. Car alarms went off, deafening. Most of the humans in the area had fled, which was the only reason screams didn't echo alongside the car alarms. Damn Transformers. Why didn't they just get lost?
The small blue Decepticon vanished into the alleyways to avoid the white Autobot.
"You get him Jazz?" Bluestream called out as he resumed fire on the large blue Decepticon.
"No," the white Autobot grumbled, "but I can get Soundwave!"
The large blue Decepticon stepped behind a two story-building that was just tall enough to shelter him, the Autobot shots tearing chunks out of the side of the building. Tracks, she thought was the flying car's name, flew down and transformed, adding his fire to the other three. The large blue Decepticon (Soundwave?) was forced to flee.
The Autobots shot after him but soon stopped. They cheered and clapped hands and checked their wounds. Jazz stepped back from the other Autobots and then straightened.
"Hold up!" He waved his blaster, interrupting their victory. "I picked up a Decepticreep reading for a second."
"It must be Rumble," Bumblebee guessed.
"We'd best get after him before he causes more mayhem," Jazz agreed, "Autobots, Transform and scatter!"
The Autobots transformed into the car modes and promptly scattered, Tracks taking to the air again. Becca felt her lip curl in disgust at the damage they left behind as the roar of their engines faded. She didn't know too much about this war between the Transformers and didn't care to. They should get away from her home. Their battles didn't just damage cities. There'd be plenty of casualties among the humans living in the cities.
Snarling to herself, she stalked back down the alley. Even the rat had fled its meal. Becca wove between overflowing trashcans and muddy puddles as she reappeared in the streets some ways. The autumn chill had long since fled, leaving winter to take its place. Illinois had a long winter, and the thick clouds promised yet another day of rain. The wind was cold and miserable and she pulled her hood tighter over her ears, wishing she could stay in the sheltered alleys the entire way back to her nest. She'd be able to reenter them soon.
Should she go to a shelter this winter? Would they even let her in? She doubted it. She really should think about getting a nest in a state further south and wondered how long she had until the first snow. She'd moved into her current nest in late spring and had enjoyed it. As for spending the winter in Springfield… she didn't have enough clothing. She didn't want to be caught in the snow without shelter though. Even the abandoned factory she'd made her nest in would be better than that.
If she chose wrong, she'd freeze to death. Becca sighed. She'd waited too long.
Entering the alleyway was a relief after the biting wind and she brushed her hood off her head as soon as she could. She had to wear too many layers in this state. Maybe she'd go back down Arkansas. She could even go to Alabama, maybe all the way to the coast. Becca had never seen the ocean before. She bet it was warmer down there. Could she make it far enough south before the snows started? It was already Halloween. Probably not.
She pressed a fist into her stomach as it growled, trying to silence it. She'd go scrounging later. Begging had worked when she was younger, but had lost effect now that she was almost an adult. Becca had no intention of selling herself as other women did.
If needed, she'd just steal someone's wallet. She wouldn't mug someone, no, too much could go wrong and she didn't want the police to have her description. People panicked more if a blade was held to their throat then if their wallet just vanished. It was the same reason why she didn't break into houses. Possessions sold could be identified and tracked back. Cash was much safer. It wasn't like people knew the serial numbers of the money in their wallet.
Becca slowed her steps and began walking silently when she realized the rats had fled from this area. Something was wrong. Should she load the leather sling wrapped around her waist? It was a perfect long-distance weapon, and the weight of the stones she threw with it could shatter human joints and cave ribs or skulls in as easily as it could rats'.
The wind had picked up its pace to a near howl but she ignored it as she closed her switchblade and clipped it on her belt, reaching over her shoulder and wrapping her hand around the hilt there. Normally she would stick to her switchblade but she was edgy after seeing the Transformers fight. So she slowly drew the machete from the sheath on her back – the reason they wouldn't let her in the shelters. There was quite an interesting story behind how she had gotten it...
Her edginess payed off in spades and she froze as she half-turned a corner. Slumped against a chain link fence, head down, was one of the Transformers. It was the small blue one from the fight, a Decepticon from the crest. Some sort of pink liquid ran from its right shoulder and chest onto the ground. She guessed it was their equivalent of blood. Great, an injured alien. Just what she needed. It was no wonder the rats had left.
Becca toyed with the idea of finishing off the intruder, but decided against it. These things were made of metal and she didn't want to risk chipping her weapons. Besides, the injuries didn't look life-threatening. Odds were it could still fight back. Not worth it.
She took a step back and the Decepticon raised his head. Becca froze, certain she hadn't made a sound. The Decepticon's eyes were hidden by a red visor, but she still felt their strength. Her machete came up but she didn't move forward.
"Not going to attack me?" The Decepticon asked with a wry smile.
Becca knew they had learned English, but hadn't expected a sense of humor. She said nothing. The Decepticon looked away from her to its shoulder, not threatened by her presence. That irked her as she was used to her machete having a different effect, but was hardly going to argue with the alien. It reached up and touched its shoulder, testing the wound. Now would be a good time to leave.
Becca wavered in doing so though. She'd never met one of the aliens before and the fight she'd just witnessed was the first time she'd seen them in real life. What were they like? Did they even care about the damage they were doing to her home when they'd decided to include it in their war?
The Decepticon looked up at her, expression edgy. "You still here? What, going to rat me out to the Autobrats?"
It sounded surprisingly human for a giant robot. No, not giant. She didn't think he was much taller than her standing up.
"Not talking huh?" The Decepticon quipped, standing.
The motion looked a bit strained, and it held its injured arm to its chest. Becca was right. It was barely half a foot taller than her. Becca's throat constricted when she saw the white gun in its good hand, wondering when it'd palmed that and why she hadn't noticed earlier. She'd notice if a human pulled a gun, which may be the reason why she hadn't seen it do it. The Decepticon clipped the gun onto its back.
"Run along human," the robot ordered her, "I don't want to waste energy shooting you."
"You mean you don't want the Autobots to hear your gun firing," Becca corrected.
The Decepticon scowled. Becca looked down. There was an unsteady trail of blood drops, if the pink stuff was blood, leading from the direction the Decepticon must have come from. It wouldn't be hard to track.
"Ah frell," the Decepticon cursed when he followed her gaze and saw the trail. They could hear car engines in the distance, closing in.
Becca heard a raw note in his curse and recognized it. Fear. The Autobots and Decepticons were enemies in a war. She didn't know much beyond that and had no way to know if Autobots took prisoners. Nor was it her concern.
"Good luck little Decepticon," she taunted as she lowered the machete.
The Decepticon glared at her as she took a step back to leave, such a vicious look she realized she'd hit a nerve. She felt a smile tug at her lips. No way. Was it insulted that she'd called it little? Had she really just met an alien robot with a napoleon complex? Though it was small compared to the other Transformers…
"Leave fleshling," the Decepticon practically hissed as it tried to staunch the bleeding, "or I'll splatter your brains on the wall."
Becca could take a hint. She shrugged and walked away, threading her way back down alleys. The sound of engines became louder. If there was going to be another battle, she wanted to put some distance between herself and the combatants. Watching them fight was interesting, but dangerous. They weren't very careful when it came to collateral.
From everything she'd heard, Megatron and his Decepticons were the bad guys. In the fight she'd just seen, the Decepticons had been traveling overhead and the Autobots opened fire the instant they'd seen them. It had been a stupendous surprise attack. They could have waited for the Decepticons to get beyond the city to avoid damaging it. They hadn't.
The Transformers' hatred had consumed them. She didn't want it consume her planet to. Not that there weren't days she thought humanity deserved to go to hell. Becca replaced her machete in its scabbard, grumbling about how the jacket she'd snitched from a donation bin made it difficult. It was just another reason to head to a southern state.
She heard several gunshots behind her, though they sounded like a Transformer laser. Poor little Decepticon. Becca chuckled. It served it right for invading Earth.
The Autobots were just as bad as the Decpticons. They claimed to want to protect Earth and stated if they left the Decepticons would remain unopposed. Humans currently had no technology capable of fighting them themselves so it made sense to Becca. Earth was rich in energy-sources. It wouldn't be ignored now that it was found. Not fair perhaps, but perfectly realistic.
Despite the Autobots' claims, their group had just started a fight in the middle of Springfield, a city with well over a hundred thousand humans, just to attack the Decepticons. She couldn't see any other reason why they hadn't been willing to wait until it was safer to engage them but hate. She hated hypocrites like them worse than bad guys who did what they wanted and made no attempt to apologize or sweet-talk. At least the Decepticons were frank about their goal to strip-mine Earth and enslave humanity.
She stopped walking as she reached a turn and put her hands on her hips. The small blue Decepticon was there, looking behind him and ahead, evidently on the run. There was the sound from engines overhead, likely from the flying car.
"If you go left you'll end up back where you started," Becca called out.
It jumped and spun to face her, blaster raised. Becca stepped back. She hated staring down a gun's barrel.
"What?" It asked.
"The alley," she jerked a thumb at it, "you go left and you'll be back where you started. These things twist and turn. If you keep going straight and hang a right at the next turn you'll come out near highway 97."
It stared at her blankly. "You're helping me? Why?"
She shrugged. "Why not? Besides, those Autobots started a firefight in the city for no good reason. They could use a good tweaking."
It stared at her for another second and then smiled, amused. "A human with a sense of humor. Who'd a thought?"
She eyed it. "You'd better get a move on small-fry, or you'll get caught."
It made a hmph sound and looked around, probably trying to determine the position of the Autobots. Becca supposed its voice was masculine, which would make it a he.
"Son of a," he stared to swear. "They've surrounded me. Gah!"
He cringed.
"Great," he muttered, "I think they got a ping on my radar before I shut it down. Oh, I don't want to force Soundwave to fight all four of them. He's already injured."
"Soundwave?" Becca repeated.
She knew this tone. When humans used it, they were generally so frantic and distracted they'd answer any question put to them without realizing it, so focused on something else.
"My guardian," he explained shortly. "He had to leave before he got offlined but he's outside the city waiting for me."
Becca raised an eyebrow in an arch, a movement she'd practiced until it was right. It seemed Transformers reacted the same when they used that tone.
He paused and then looked at her, realizing what she'd done. "That's dirty."
Becca shrugged.
"I'll have to remember that trick," he muttered to himself, "assuming I survive the next few minutes."
Remember that trick? Becca wasn't even sure what to make of that. He glanced at her.
Becca beat him to it when she said, "you're going to ask me for help, aren't you?"
He leaned back, surprised. "I'm that easy to read?"
He sounded almost disappointed. Becca nearly laughed but was hardly going to give the alien the satisfaction.
"It's what I would do," Becca said instead. "You don't have much of a choice."
"Will you?" He asked.
She thought about it, but she did want to annoy those Autobots. It wasn't like helping one Decepticon would change the course of the war.
"Won't they still be able to track you?" She asked.
"I think your body heat will shield my signature," he said, though he didn't sound sure. "I've never worked with humans before."
"What about Berger, when Megatron framed the Autobots as villains?" Becca asked.
"We used him more than worked with him," he dismissed.
The engines had grown louder.
"And I'm Rumble," he added.
Then he transformed. Becca's eyes widened and her hands shot out as his form shrank and he turned into a microcassette. She stared at his other form. It was small enough she could hold him in one hand.
"You really are small compared to the other Decepticons," she muttered as she tugged the blue microfilm inside her jacket.
She turned and jogged down the alley until she reached a wooden fence. She jumped, the toe of her boots scrapping against wood as her fingers reached the top. It took only a second for her to be up and over, and then she was on to the next street. Becca dodged behind a hotel parking lot and came to a corner store several blocks away. She slowed to a walk and resettled her jacket to avoid looking suspicious.
The yellow Volkswagen, Bumblebee, drove her way so she stepped into the corner store by the gas station. After nodding to the person behind the counter who greeted her, she went to look at the magazines. She was in a position in front of the window, which let her look at the street as she picked up a magazine and pretended to scan an article. Bumblebee drove by without stopping, albeit slowly. Sirens started to echo as the humans crept out of whatever hidey-hole the fighting had forced them into and began to do damage control.
She remained in the corner store for several minutes more but left without buying anything. The man behind the counter glared at her as she walked through the door. The best way to avoid suspicion was to walk so she walked, hood pulled low and hands in her pocket, her back blissfully against the wind. Without the sun or a watch she had no idea how much time had passed before the buildings vanished and she was left in forest. It felt like a few hours. Bradfordton should be nearby if she remembered the map of Springfield she'd studied right, a tiny town next to Highway 97, but there was no one here.
Becca felt she was mistaken before she saw or heard anything. A presence. She felt it. Her instincts had been honed for years dodging cops, drunks, gangs, and drug dealers who might see her walking alone at night and think of her as an opportunity. Slowly, she turned.
The giant blue Decepticon was there. She partially crouched and stepped back, her right hand raised and the dim light glinting off the switchblade. She hadn't even needed to think to draw it. Then she realized how stupid it was and lowered the switchblade, closing it with a snap of her wrist.
Soundwave watched her without moving, silent and still. Becca dug her fingernails into her palm when she realized her hand was shaking to steady it. Where had he come from?
He was massive, but injured. The glass plane across his chest was cracked and more of that pink blood seeped from his side. The metal around the wound looked burned. One of his arms was twisted as if the shoulder was dislocated but he gave no sign of pain. Earlier he'd had a gun but it was gone now, likely lost in the fight.
And still he'd stayed close, waiting for Rumble, not leaving despite the danger he'd be in if the Autobots found him in the injured state. Becca could hardly remember the last time someone had put their safety aside for her. She'd been eleven she recalled, not long after she decided she'd be better living on her own then with her mother.
She reached into her jacket and withdrew Rumble, still in his microcassette form. Liquid coated her fingers and she realized he was still bleeding. He didn't return to his normal form, which made her wonder how much blood he had lost and how much more he had to lose.
Hesitantly she held out her hand to Soundwave, Rumble resting in her palm. The goliath warrior still didn't move. She felt the second presence an instant before something massive swooped by her head and snatched Rumble from her palm. Becca couldn't help but gasp as the creature resolved into a red and black bird the size of a condor. It landed on Soundwave's shoulder and passed the cassette to Soundwave. He took the cassette, still looking at her.
Becca didn't step back. She met his gaze. He could kill her in an instant, swat her. Unlike with Rumble, she couldn't recognize human traits. It was… alien, which was fitting. Then Soundwave inclined his head to her slightly, a handful of degrees.
She did step back as he jumped into the air and flew off without transforming. Becca remained in place until the sound of his flight vanished and remained there some minutes more, puzzling over what she had seen and done. Her arms had goosebumps, which she rubbed to dispel. Curiously, she raised her hand. There were no scratches on it from where the giant bird's talons had swooped down to grab Rumble. It had been very careful and precise not to even scratch her. Intelligent then.
Becca lightly slapped her cheeks with her palms to shake herself from the shock.
"Wake up," she ordered herself.
The event was over. She had a life to get back to. She needed to get back to the factory before night fell or it started raining. Then she needed to pack her things and see how far south she could get before the snow caught her. There was no way she was staying in Springfield. She had to wear so many layers she'd fumbled as she clipped the switchblade back onto her belt. That fumble could easily get her killed.
So could getting involved with Transformers. If one of them wanted to kill her she'd be dead. She wouldn't get so close to them a second time.
I thought I'd introduce a human element. She's not going to become a main character since this is about Transformers, but, hey, why not?
The Deceptions mentioned are the group that decoyed the Autobots to the dam in the previous chapter. They're on their way back to the Nemesis. What a place for a battle, right in the middle of a city... No wonder Becca's cross.