Hi everyone! I'm back! I'm happy to say that this story will now have my undivided attention until finals, which are in two weeks. Sorry this took so long to put up. It's been an exhausting two weeks but I'm finally getting a bit of a break. This is mostly a filler chapter and I want to hash out a few details before I do a time skip and get to the Revenge of the Fallen arc. The kidnapping arc will take place after that one.
In the meantime, I'd really like to know what you guys think of the story so far. Do you like it, hate it, don't know what to think? I'd really like to know! Please review or send me a message. I'd love to know what you guys think! We're almost at 200 reviews! You guys are the best readers a girl could ask for! I'm so thankful for each one of you! Please continue being awesome!
We get to see some more Holoforms in this chapter! That of a certain weapons specialist… :D Yay! Thanks again everyone!
As always, I own nothing!
~Mel
Alise awoke the next morning to a blast of rock music quickly sounding in the Topkick. The sudden noise made her jump from her rest, her heart beating furiously and her head moving from side to side to assess what the commotion was about. For an answer, she was greeted with a rough laugh from the speakers.
"Sorry, girly," Ironhide said, amused at her reaction. "The time is 6:42. I believe that this is common time for working humans to arise."
Her heart calming down a bit, she laughed slightly. "Yeah, it is, 'Hide, thanks." She stretched a little and yawned, and then exited the Topkick.
She quickly walked to her room and opened the door. It hit her that she probably shouldn't have left her door unlocked all night, so she made a mental note to no longer walk out without locking it and taking the key. She quickly grabbed her toiletries, some undergarments, and a dress out of her dresser and exited her room (locking the door this time and taking the key) making her way to the close women's showers. Knowing she would be the only one using the particular room, she locked the door behind her and hung up her dress on a stall door. She then stripped, stepped into one of the stalls, and turned on the hot water.
Because she now had more time than she planned to originally, she took her time, carefully washing her hair and body with her supplies. She used her mango scented body wash and hair products and after about 15 minutes, turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. She walked over to the large mirror in front of the sinks and after squeezing out the excess water from her hair, she plugged her hair dryer into an outlet and used it to dry her hair. Her natural waves started to come out as her hair dried, and after a few minutes it was done. She unplugged the dryer and set it aside. After, she brushed her teeth.
Turning around, she grabbed her undergarments and dress and put them on. The dress was black and had a little strip of yellow at the bottom, and it reached to just above her knees. She then turned back to the mirror and looked herself over one last time before determining she looked ready for the day. She then grabbed all her belongings and exited the room.
Before walking back over to where Ironhide was, she stopped back at her room to put away her belongings and grab some shoes, choosing a pair of black heels. She also checked the time on her clock, and it read 7:13. Exiting her room for the last time, she set off in the direction of 'Hide. When she arrived to his location, she saw that he was still in his Topkick form, and the door opened to her as she arrived. She climbed in as quickly as she could and sat in the driver's seat.
"Where're Lennox and Epps?" she asked him. He grunted.
"They were previously out performing morning drills with their men," he answered. "But I believe they returned a short time ago." He then started to drive away from the area they had spent the night at. 'Hide turned the corner and Alise saw a group of men lined up in rows a few hundred yards away from them, two men leading the group. As they drove closer, it took her about 2 seconds to realize that those two men were Epps and Lennox. 'Hide drove up a little further and stopped a few yards behind the two men. Alise noticed that they had caught the attention of some of the men in the rows with their arrival. Ironhide then opened the door for her and she exited, him transforming behind her.
'Hide turning into his bipedal form caught the attention of Lennox and Epps. They both looked back at them and smiled. Will gave Epps a quick pat on the shoulder and Epps nodded in understanding, him turning back to talk to the troops to continue speaking. Lennox, on the other hand, started to walk over to 'Hide and Lise. When he reached them he smiled.
"Talk to anyone interesting last night?" he asked slyly. Alise laughed.
"Thank you so much, Will," she said thankfully. "I can't believe you guys did that! I couldn't have asked for anything better!"
"Well, we knew you'd appreciate it," he said with a laugh. "The only glitch is that he can only call you. It's pretty simple for an Autobot to hack into a cell phone, but not the other way around." She nodded in understanding. The two humans started to walk back to where Epps was standing, Ironhide following behind them loudly. Before they reached him, Alise listened to what Epps was telling his men. He was finishing up giving his instructions to the new recruits, and she just caught the end of what he was saying.
"Lastly, don't be stupid," Epps said matter-of-factly. "The Autobots may not be here to or want to hurt you, but that doesn't mean you can be a pain in their asses either. They can do a lot more damage to you than you can to them. Any questions?"
"No, sir!" the group answered.
"Good."
When Alise reached him and took a spot beside him, Lennox standing on her other side, there was a moment of silence before she was greeted with a chorus of wolf-whistles and noises of appreciation. Surprised and taken back, she looked down at herself. I'm not dressed flashy, am I? she wondered quietly. Looking at her clothing choice, she determined she wasn't, but that didn't stop a blush from entering her features. At her sides, Epps and Lennox gave the group pointed looks. Epps crossed his arms.
"One more thing," he said authoritatively, silencing the men. "This is Alise Brown. She's our residential interpreter and will be staying with us here on base. She is off limits." As Epps emphasized these words, Alise sent him quiet look of gratitude that only he could see, while he gave her a smirk for only her. "Her boyfriend could crush you all with his foot. And he wouldn't think twice about doing it if he hears you were flirting with his girl, either. Oh, and him," Epps turned slightly and gestured over to Ironhide, who was also giving the group a sharp look. "Think of him as her big, mean, protective, older brother. Give her any problems and you won't only be answering to Lennox and I, you'll be answering to him." At that point all the men looked up slowly at him.
Ironhide grunted roughly in agreement, crossing his arms and standing up straighter over the group. He made certain to look in the faces of each of the recruits, who all seemed to get the message pretty clearly. He looked terrifying. Alise stood there next to Epps, trying to contain her laughter.
"Any questions?" Epps said brightly, only reaffirming his statement. He looked at his new men, some of which look like they were about to shit themselves.
"No, sir!" they answered back.
"Prefect. Dismissed!"
The men before them then dispersed, some daring to steal last glances at her and 'Hide before walking away. When they all were gone, Epps turned to Alise.
"Sorry about that, Lise," he apologized. "If any of them give you any trouble, just tell one of us. We'll take care of it." She nodded. "Today's a work day for us. There's still so much we have to put together on the island so we'll be working all day after breakfast."
"Can I give anyone a hand?" Alise asked. Lennox and Epps both exchanged thinking glances.
"Ratch might," Lennox said after a moment. "We have a human medic on site, but Ratch is sorting most of the soldier's medical records in the med bay. He may need some help."
"Alright," she said with a smile on her face. "Sounds like a plan."
"Good," Lennox replied with a smile. "Would you like a morning tour?"
She smiled. "Of course!" The three started to walk a few steps before Alise stopped and turned to 'Hide behind them. "Will you be joining us, 'Hide?"
He shook his head. "I see you are in capable hands. Just don't trip on your own fleshy feet."
She laughed and nodded. He then started to walk away. Turning back towards her two soldier brothers and walking in between them, she listened intently as they started showed her around the island.
Alise had spent her breakfast with Epps, Lennox, Wash, and a few other of their men, and they sat at a round table in the middle of the caf. It was an entertaining morning for her, finding the soldiers together to be a humorous group. She was also happy to find that she was learning the names of the soldiers pretty quickly. After breakfast, Alise started to head in the direction of Ratchet's medical bay. During her morning tour given to her by Epps and Lennox, she was shown where the bay and other offices on the island were.
As she walked, she noticed that many of the soldiers that passed her were carrying heavy boxes or pulling crates along. Some of them looked visually strained, the weight in the packages being too heavy for them to carry. She tried to stay out of their way and was mostly successful. She didn't want to bother them or make their job any harder. However, a few minutes into her walk, she saw a sight that made her chuckle.
On the other side of the pathway, walking in the other direction, was Ironhide in his Topkick form, following a man. The back of the Topkick was filled to the brim with large crates and boxes, and the man looked like he was holding his own also. The sight made her laugh because she knew how much 'Hide was probably loving being bossed around by humans. She laughed.
"They put you to work, 'Hide?" Alise yelled across to the Topkick. She expected him to rev his engine or blink his headlights at her, but to her surprise, the Topkick didn't do anything. Instead, the man in front of him turned in her direction and scowled, but continued walking.
"Watch it, girly," he said to her across the way. She paused. His statement confused her. His voice was somewhat familiar, but he certainly wasn't. She had never seen him before, she was sure of it.
The man was about 6'2 and was heavily built. He had broad shoulders and a fit physique, and was very muscular. The first thing that came to her mind when she regarded him was that he could probably take a serious punch and deliver one himself. He had blazing blue eyes and a large scar over his right one that made his already tough demeanor look menacing. He also had the scruff of an unshaven face. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt that accented his muscles, and gray loose pants. Oh yes. She had never seen him before. He was certainly hard to forget.
Upon seeing her confused face, he grinned at her and continued walking, Ironhide still not responding to her comment. Alise blinked a few times to compose herself, and then she continued to walk, the strange man still on her mind.
She walked over to the large doors where Ratchet's office was located, and was thankful to see that they were already open. They were Autobot sized, and there was no way that she could have gotten them open on her own. She walked into the entrance way and looked around the massive room. There were large counters placed about ten feet above her that had beakers and medical tools that were larger than her setting on them. With that, there were other types of machinery that she had never seen before, and data pads lying all over the place.
On the floor in front of her was a human sized table and filing cabinet. The table was littered with mounds of files, and Alise also missed that there was a person standing behind them. However, when he walked around from the other side of the table, she paused. Her heart almost stopped when saw who it was. Upon seeing her, he gave a very slight smile and nodded.
"Good, you're here," he said. "Lennox told me you were coming." He didn't seem to notice her sudden distress.
He was the man that was at the hospital the day she got her blood transfusion.
She may have been half consciousness when she saw him, but it was most defiantly him. His clothes and his blazing blue eyes were exactly the same as they were that day all those weeks ago and his posture was as polished as ever. What was he doing here? She was frozen in place. The man turned around after not receiving a response, and seeing her state his face scrunched.
"What is the matter?" he asked. After a moment, she answered.
"Who are you?" she asked, taking step back. She was ready to sprint out the door if necessary. The man cocked his head to the side slightly, and he looked confused. Suddenly, realization dawned on him, and he smirked.
"Aaa, so I see you haven't been exposed to the Holoforms yet," the man said understandingly. The tone he used was unmistakable. Alise's jaw dropped.
"Ratchet?" she said disbelievingly. He chuckled and nodded.
"It is I," Ratchet said. She couldn't believe it. Ratchet was... human! Or at least looked like one. She was about to question this again when she saw his rescue hummer form a few feet behind him. It really was him.
"What... what..." Alise stuttered. She didn't know what to ask. She let her uncontinued questions fade away.
"This is a Holoform," he explained, gesturing to his human form. "These forms allow us to drive our vehicle forms without suspicion. With practice, we're able to use them to navigate as humans, such as now. We may only access them when we are in our vehicle forms. They're completely solid, and we feel everything you would."
"Wow," she said, amazed. "Do all the Autobots have one?"
"Yes. And so do the Decepticons."
As she was gathering her thoughts, a sudden realization struck her.
"So that man I saw outside... That was 'Hide?"
"Which one?"
"The one with the large scar over his eye."
Ratchet nodded. "That would be him."
It took her a moment to recover, but then Alise was able to operate once more. Taking all the information in, she walked over to the table where all the files were. She was no longer scared of the Holoform, now knowing it was one of her trusted friends. In the back of her mind, she realized that if all the Autobots had a human form, that meant that Bee had one too. Hmmm...
"Put me to work, Ratch," she said brightly. He nodded and pointed to the files.
"File these alphabetically, if you may," he said. "I have some work of my own to accomplish, but I started for you." She nodded. Suddenly, the Holoform in front of her disappeared in a cloud of electric sparks, making her jump. Then the rescue hummer transformed behind her, and Ratchet turned into his bipedal form. He then walked over to one of the large counters and started to put away some of his supplies. Shaking her head, Alise started to get to work on the files, placing them all in the order Ratchet wanted. She quickly was enveloped by her work, the thoughts of what a Holoform Bee would look like flying through her mind as she placed the files in one by one.
Alise had stayed in the med bay for about an hour helping Ratchet with the soldiers' medical records. The two had spent that hour mostly in a comfortable silence, neither one of them minding. It was easier to concentrate on their work that way. After that time, Alise exited his office and she started to walk through the base in search of Lennox or Epps, wanting to know if there was anything else she could help with. However, what she didn't know was that they were in search of her also. They were walking through the hallways of the base at the time and spotted her quickly.
"Lise!" Will called from behind her. She quickly turned around and smiled, and started to walk towards them.
"Hey," she greeted. "Need help with anything else? I finished up with Ratchet a few minutes ago."
"Actually, there's someone you need to meet," Epps said. "It shouldn't take very long, but he wanted to talk to you. We're heading to the tech area."
Alise nodded but looked confused. "Who is it?"
"He's one of our superiors, General Morshower," Will explained as they started to walk her towards the tech area. "He's the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and will be overseeing NEST."
"Why does he want to talk to me?"
"You're the only civilian on base. He wants to… evaluate you, I guess. Make certain you're not a threat or will go blabbing about your new job on a secret military base."
She nodded in understanding, but mentally cringed. Knowing that the man Morshower called her in specifically to analyze her made her already feel uncomfortable. For a brief moment, she wished that Bee was going in with her to calm her fears. However, she knew that she really had nothing to fear. She would never tell anyone about the Autobots or her friends or the base, even if her life depended on it.
As they arrived at the tech area, she looked over at the giant screen that was facing a walkway. Lennox gestured to the ladder they had arrived in front of, and she knew that meant for her to climb up, which she did. When she reached the top, she stood in the middle of the walkway, directly in front of the screen. When they climbed up the ladder, Epps and Lennox both took spots on either side of her. Epps gave her a reassuring smile as Lennox nodded to one of the men operating the screen. The man raised his hand and with his fingers started to countdown to 5…4…3…2…1…
A man appeared on the screen, sitting at a desk and looking directly at Alise. He was a stern looking man who looked older than both Lennox and Epps and was balding. He wore the camouflage uniform she had seen her soldier friends wear so many times. His intense look unnerved her on the inside, but she held her ground and didn't flinch. So this is the General, she thought to herself. Epps and Lennox both saluted him, and he them gestured for them to ease.
"Miss Brown?" Morshower asked. She nodded once and then he did also. He put on a pair of reading glasses that were setting on the desktop and after putting them on, he picked up a file that was on his desk and began reading.
"Your name is Alise Lucinda Brown, correct?"
"Yes, sir," she responded. She found that him using her full name a little unnerving.
"And your date of birth is June 23rd, 1983?"
"Yes, sir."
He read a little more of the file to himself before looking back in her direction.
"Both of your parents are deceased?"
She lowered her eyes, but nodded once more. "Yes, sir."
He nodded once last time and then put down the file.
"Miss Brown," he started. "As I'm certain Lennox has already told you, my name is General Morshower and I'm overseeing all anti-Decepticon operations here at NEST. As I hope he has also told you, you are the only civilian working on base." She nodded. "Good. That being said, we do not hire civilians often. In fact, the only reason you were even taken into consideration was because of his and Master Sergeant Epps's high referrals. We looked into your history and background. You're well educated and good at what you do. We also heard about the incident at the convention center in Mission City and the bravery you showed. The French government owes you much." He paused for a moment.
"However, Miss Brown, I don't know you. I don't have any way of knowing you won't turn on us the second our backs are turned. Lennox and Epps think very highly of you, and I'd hate to see their careers go to hell along with yours if something were to happen. I need to know you're trustworthy. So please, Miss Brown. Convince me."
Alise understood him entirely. Even though she didn't like being thought of as a traitor, she could see why he thought the way he did. She was a stranger in his waters. She nodded and took a small breath.
"I've known about the Autobots since they first arrived on Earth, sir," she started, looking the man directly in the eyes. "I've laughed with them, mourned with them, battled with them. They've become my family. Not only them, but the soldiers here, also. You read my file, sir. I don't have much left. But I have them. I would never do anything to compromise their security, whatsoever. It's an honor and a privilege to be here. I won't risk that."
Morshower looked at her for a very long moment, watching her every move. Alise tried not to move in the slightest, but his gaze was making her uncomfortable. Did he not believe her? she wondered to herself, becoming worried for a moment. Then the man on the screen sighed and nodded.
"Alright," he said firmly. "I'm approving your employment. Don't let me regret my decision."
"Never, sir," she answered. He nodded one last time at her, and then to the soldiers next to her.
"Epps, Lennox," he said in departure, and they saluted as the screen switched to black. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then, Epps let out a chuckle.
"I think that went well," he said. Alise looked up at him, wide eyed.
"Ya think?" she asked, not knowing what to think of the encounter.
"Well, he approved you, didn't he?" With that the three of them laughed.
Approved, Alise thought to herself. I wonder what Bee will think…