Rain fell upon the soft, sandy soil and and the sounds of drops hitting the puddles in small pores of the ground echoed in his ears. His hair was wet and drenched from the downpour and his clothes were no more dryer.
His eyes searched around for any sign of what he found their only days earlier, a light that he was drawn to when coming back from school. A light that wanted to suck him in show him worlds unknown.
The light was gone, faded away into the cold and weathered black of ten o'clock sky.
He looked off into the distance and sighed, whatever, he thought. And with that, he walked off back into town. His phone vibrated in his left pocket, his mother was worried sick anyways and he sure as hell wasn't going to find that light out here.
Six Months Later…
Phoenix, AZ
January 9, 2015
10:07 AM
"Mr White," She shouted at the boy whose head fell slump on his desk whilst waiting for the dreaded bell to ring. "Someone wake Jamie up?"
Out from the back of the room a ball collided with the back of James White's neck, startling the slumbering teen who only got a couple hours of sleep the night before.
He turned around and saw a large boy, Varsity Jock, laughing to his friends.
Jamie groaned and slumped back in his chair.
"Yeah Misses Cohen?" Jamie mumbled, turning his eyes to see the football players still laughing at his dismay. Albeit muffled by their arms and jackets as to not unsheath the wrath of their history teacher.
"Tell the class the fundamental idea behind Facism," Mrs. Dianne Cohen, the World History teacher at the front of the room said with her hands on her hips.
"Well, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy," Jamie said, "Just like how it's written on the board."
Mrs. Cohen turned around to see that she indeed left it written on the whiteboard from the day before. As were all the notes for review
"Thank you for pointing that out," Mrs. Cohen said, picking up an eraser and turning around to wipe the whiteboard clean off all review material.
Highways were his favorite. Driving and cruising down a long stretch of road. Reminded him of home. Seeing how fast he could go without arousing the authorities or hitting someone else was part of the thrill that speeding down The Ten into Phoenix gave him.
He was an adrenaline junky. What more could a daredevil like him possibly want.
"Hot Shot," A voice cut off his radio blasting Sum 41, "Why have you strayed so far from base?"
"Taking my wheels for a spin Prowl," 'Hot Shot' replied jovially, his holographic driver flipped off a trucker who nearly hit him receiving a drawn out honk.
"There are miles of open road in the desert for that, you cannot alert the De-"
"Blah blah blah Prowl," Hot Shot snickered, "I have my signal cloaked from everything but Telatrann One!"
Hot Shot laughed at the exasperated groan of Prowl on the com. Prowl then went on to explain that The Decepticons have been able to break signal encryptions in the past.
"I bet Bitstream can break mine," Hot Shot sneered, shutting off his commlink.
He continued on his path, reaching the loop 202 and driving onto it. Only to slow down when his nava computer pinged for him to go back a few miles or so.
"Energon on the move?" He wondered, "Better check it out."
Hot Shot raced to the off ramp about as fast as he got on. He drove down to the highway and onto a side street leading out of the city into the desert. Veering off of the road and driving through the cacti and shrubbery he moaned as the dust scratched and ruined his bright sunflower yellow paint.
He came up to the edge of a hill and peered down into the valley below to see several Cybertronians gathered around one Decepticon, Bitstream.
Hot Shot revved his engine and transformed into bi-pedal form. He flipped his visor down over his eyes, crouching down he used his visor to zoom his vision on the teal Seeker.
"Using his onboard computer," Hot Shot whispered, "What is here to hack here?"
"You!" A voice answered in a threatening and violent tone, Hot Shot stood up to his feet and before he could draw his weapon or make a remark a larger blue and white mech rammed a hammer into Hot Shot's chest.
Hot Shot was flung backwards into the valley and at Bitstream the other Decepticons feet.
He groaned as he rolled over onto his front and tried to stand himself up with his hands and feet but was pushed down by the foot of Bitstream.
"I told you I could find an Autobot anywhere on this planet Breakdown," Bitstream said in a low voice.
Breakdown slid down the hill on his side and landed on his feet and ran up to Bitstream with a wide smirk on his face.
"Shouldn't have doubted it," Breakdown chuckled, his hammer folding back up into his left forearm and his hand taking its place.
"Not the brightest Autobot, but I am sure that his capture will entice Optimus Prime to come out and lead us to the Allspark," A navy blue and silver mech said, his voice was a mere sound behind layers of computerization and autotune.
"He won't," Hot Shot mumbled under the seeker's ped.
"Again, I am sure he will," The mech said again, kneeling down to stare into Hot Shot's fearful and angered optics with his cold, red optics, "He cannot afford to lose one troop on this world."
The mech stood back up, easily much taller than Breakdown and the other smaller Decepticons, identified as Knockout, Dead End and Barricade. He was near equal to Bitstream in height, maybe a hare or so shorter.
"Soundwave to Starscream," He said into his commlink, "We have succeeded, send for a Groundbridge."
The seven mechs present then all were illuminated by a bright green portal in front of them. Breakdown and Dead End walked through it, Knockout knelt down to Hot Shot and injected a toxin that put the young Autobot into stasis almost immediately.
Barricade then picked Hot Shot up and slung the bot over his shoulder and walked through the Groundbridge. Knockout and BItstream followed after.
Soundwave glared at the sky above, then at the dirt under his feet.
"Disgusting," He mumbled, then following his comrades and prisoner into the Groundbridge.