So. Many. People.
I inwardly chastised Lennox for his choice in ''hiding places''. Although people were starting to flee when the military showed up and they were told to evacuate immediately, there would not be enough time for enough people to leave. The casualties would be astronomical. /Then again if the Decepticons got their hands on the Allspark/. I derailed that train of thought; it didn't bare thinking.
Lennox signalled for us to stop. Pulling up in the middle of what would have been a busy downtown street and was now rapidly emptying, I couldn't help but feel the corner of my lips curl at the sudden ironic connection. How aptly named our chosen defensive position was - ''Mission'' City. I couldn't help but think what a mission this was indeed going to be.
Within seconds Lennox came running out of a pawn shop, holding what appeared to be radios of some sort. ''Alright mount up!" he yelled to the cars around him, as he quickly handed the radios to Epps. Lennox jumped back in his car and they took off down the street.
As we rounded the corner onto what appeared to be the main street, the roar of an approaching jet shattered the sky. We had all grouped together in the middle of the road, Bumblebee, Sam, Mikaela and I surrounded by Ironhide, Rachet, Jazz and the Military. Lennox had leapt out of his vehicle announcing, ''Airforce has arrived – pop smoke!''
''Raptor, raptor, do you copy?'' Epps tried to communicate with the circling jet. ''We have your visual. Green smoke is the mark, provide aircover and vector Blackhawks for extraction.'' As the jet tore through the sky ignoring all radio communications, my stomach began to turn.
Ironhide transformed after the menacing jet flew past. ''It's Starscream!" he shouted in angry recognition.
''Please tell me you copy,'' Epps pleaded to the airwaves.
''Back up, take cover!'' Ironhide gestured to Rachet and the others. ''Bumblebee'', he called Bee over towards a small van asking for help to lift it. At the sight of alien robots appearing before their very eyes, the humans that were still around screamed and began running. There was no time to try and explain that these were the ''good guys''. Instead, like Lennox and the others, I moved to get out of the way.
In the melee Sam and Mikaela got separated from me. I could feel every muscle in my body tense with terrified tension as my body braced for whatever was about to happen.
''Oh no, no, no,no…MOVE!'' Lennox's voice screamed an order.
''Incoming!'' Ironhide yelled as the sound of a missile sliced through the air and found its target.
The world around me exploded. I was thrown a few metres from where I had been standing only seconds before. Debris rained down on me and smoke stung my eyes and nostrils. My ears buzzed, ringing from the sudden and loud assault. I could vaguely hear someone shouting, ''Anybody hurt? Everyone ok?''
I started to sit up, clutching my head that still hadn't fully recovered from its introduction to the butt of a gun. Where was Sam and Mikaela? The panic started to rise in me as it took a moment to find them. I was about to scream out their names when I heard Sam talking to Bumblebee. My breath caught in my throat and tears began to well up in my eyes. Bumblebee was hurt - badly. Sam was encouraging him to get up, but he had no legs! They had been blown off in the attack. Bee was crawling along the road, a soft whining noise coming from him. ''RACHET!"' Sam screamed.
I stood up as quickly as my legs and spinning head would allow and began to make my way over to Mikaela and Sam, threading my way through piles of rubble and smoke. I could hear Lennox and Epps arguing in the background as I placed a hand on Mikaela's shoulder, she turned quickly and gave me a hug, fighting back tears.
'Are you ok?'' I asked. She nodded. Taking in the scene before me, Sam desperately urging Bumblebee to get up, I encouraged Mikaela to go over to him. ''Go help Sam, he needs you.'' Her eyes widened for a split second, as if scared of not knowing what to do. Then almost instantly she nodded quickly and ran over to him. I stood there gingerly holding one foot off the ground.
''What the hell was that?'' Lennox yelled at Epps.
'What are you talking about?'' Epps angrily spat back.
''Whadda you mean ''what was that?'' They shot at us!'' Lennox's frustration and confusion evident in his tone.
Epps bit back, ''F-22 pilots would never fly below buildings – that's alien, that ain't friendly.''
As I heard Epps radio coordinates to the real Airforce, a large explosion slammed into the ground before Epps and Lennox. Screaming and chaos anew ensued. Another Decepticon had arrived. A huge tank came lumbering down the street, clearly unconcerned about minimal impact. Shaking my head and saying out loud to no one in particular, ''These guys really are arseholes.''
Even as the tank was firing, I couldn't believe how some people were just standing watching. ''Get out of the way! Fuck sake! Move, come on move,'' I began to shout to people to try and snap them out of their shock. Some of them thankfully heard me and began to run away, screaming in the process. Others continued to stay put, some were even filming the events on their i-phones. /Natural bloody selection at its finest! / I thought to myself.
I could hear the sound of engines revving as I saw a blur of yellow and silver/grey race towards the offending tank. Jazz and Rachet. Thank God! Ironhide had also reappeared looking none the worse for wear after his encounter with Starscream. Aptly named.
As I watched all three Autobots converge on the tank, hope began to bubble up inside again. Ironhide deftly dodging missiles like an armoured ballerina, Jazz stealthily sneaking up and grabbing hold of the tank's muzzle and twisting it around to deflect the shot elsewhere before ripping off some of its weapons. Rachet leapt over the tank, an enormous saw slicing through the tank's arm like a hot knife through butter. Lennox and his team had also arrived and were concentrating their fire on the tank. Both Autobot and soldier working in unison to bring a shared enemy down. ''Yeah!'' I punched the air with my fist. It felt good to have something go right. But something was missing – /Optimus! Where are you?/.
A loud explosion and a crash snapped me out of my ''moment.'' The tank was down! However, there was no time to celebrate. I heard Rachet yell out in a slightly panicked tone, ''It's Megatron! Retreat. Move! Fall back.'' He motioned to Jazz and any others nearby to get away. Clearly, he knew they were no match. Once again, my thoughts turned briefly to Optimus and his very noticeable absence but that was all I had time to think before I saw a menacing and towering figure loom out of the alleyway behind where the tank had just fallen.
My eyes must have been the size of saucers and my voice cracked as I took in the hulking, aggressive looking Decepticon leader. ''Holy shit!'' I stood transfixed.
Jazz valiantly, or stupidly, decided to stand his ground and shoot at Megatron. It did nothing but seem to anger him. He fired a single shot at Jazz and sent him flying. /Jazz.. what have you done?/. Even as every fibre in my being screamed at me to turn and flee like everyone else had, I could not in good conscientious leave Jazz to battle Megatron alone. I mentally slapped myself. /Stupid woman! You have an ace up your sleeve no one else here has!/. My ''gift''. I had not used it since the bridge incident and, ready or not, I had to try and use it again.
As Megatron strode towards the fallen Jazz, intent on claiming him as a prize, something in me clicked and I sprang into action. I began to run towards Megatron, screaming, ''Hey, you ugly bastard! Hands off!'' I had almost reached Jazz's location when I stopped short, planted my feet firmly on the ground closed my eyes and summoned my gift. I felt the familiar power surge through me coupled with a wave of indignant rage. I yelled out as I pushed my hands forward, an unnecessary display but I had to release my sense of uselessness, desperation and seething rage in some way.
I focused all these emotions with the thought of pushing Megatron away. Megatron, who had barely glanced in my direction as a lion would towards a mouse, continued to bend down to snatch Jazz up. Jazz heroically prepared to do his best to fight off Megatron – but never got the chance.
Megatron was sent stumbling backwards several paces, almost falling over. Shock very evidently plastered on his metallic face as he looked around wildly in an effort to see what or who had dared to do that to him. A brief feeling of satisfaction bloomed quickly inside of me but was almost instantaneously snuffed out with the urgent need to get away. I wasn't sure I had it in me to do that again.
I screamed at Jazz, ''Get up! Get out of here!'' Jazz looked just as perplexed as Megatron, though did not take as long to process what had just happened and how. He saw his chance to get away and took it. Casting a quick and very puzzled glance in my direction, he kicked his legs out and flipped himself up onto his feet, grabbing me up in his hands in a smooth motion and began to run back towards the others. I was grateful for the ride as I didn't think I could run at that point.
Returning to where Mikaela, Sam and Bumblebee had been earlier, I noticed Bee was now attached to the rear of a tow truck and was looking a little more spirited. Mikaela was at the wheel. Another mental note to ask how and where she got the car from. There definitely seemed to be more to her than meets the eye. Sam, standing off to the side near Lennox, held the Allspark, and our hopes, in his hands.
''There ya' go little lady,'' Jazz deposited me on the ground near where the others were standing with a gentleness belying his size.
I looked up at his visored face and smiled, ''No worries Jazz,'' a typically Australian reply. He gave me a quick nod, stared at me a moment, as if working out it was really me who played a role in saving him or just a stray shot that found its mark at the right moment. A second later he was gone, off to join his team combat the remaining Decepticons.
As I turned my attention to Lennox, Sam and Mikaela, I heard Lennox try to drill into Sam that like it or not he was a soldier now and that he had to get the cube to the top of a landmarked building in the area for extraction. I could tell Sam was hesitant, but he knew it was up to him. I walked up to him and gave him a brief hug, ''You can do it Sam, this is your moment to shine. What was it your grandfather used to say?''
Sam gave a small smile, ''No sacrifice…''
''No victory'', I supplied. I smiled fully now, a strange thing to do in a moment like this but humour had always been my out to diffuse situations, ''I'd take it myself but there is a reason more often than not in the movies it falls to some young fit person to save the world, I'd cark it after a block or two.'' Sam chuckled at this. Sobering suddenly, I warned, ''I will see you again Sam,'' and I stepped back to give Mikaela a moment.
''Sam, whatever happens, I want you to know. I'm glad I got in that car with you.'' And they embraced. My heart both melted and shattered at the same time. I was so pleased for them to have found someone but also somewhat jealous. It would be nice to have someone there for you no matter what.
Both Lennox and Ironhide started to break up the tender moment, /they work well together/. ''Sam, get to the building!'' Rachet and Ironhide flanked Sam as he began to sprint down the debris strewn road, offering cover fire as he went. Up ahead I could see another Decepticon open fire. My heart clenched, /Please, let the kid be ok/.
Lennox broke into my silent thoughts, ''Girl, get that tow truck outta here!'' he all but screamed.
Mikaela finished hooking Bumblebee up ''I'm going, I'm going.''
''I'll ride with you,'' I offered. Mikaela seemed grateful for the company. We both jumped into the tow truck and Mikaela steered the car skilfully through the ruined streets, seeking shelter as the world fell apart around us.
It didn't take long for Mikaela to find a relatively ''quiet'' street a few blocks away from where the fighting was taking place. As soon as she pulled up, she lowered her head on the steering wheel and burst into tears, her emotions contained for so long now let loose. I placed a protective hand on her shoulder and rubbed in slow circles, trying to comfort her. There was nothing to say, what do you say in such a situation? ''It's going to be okay? Because to be honest at that point in time, I didn't know if it would. Empty platitudes would not be an adequate balm, they never worked for me. So, instead, I sat in silence trying to pick up broken pieces.
Then, as suddenly as it started, Mikaela raised her head and looked at me briefly and then back towards Bee. He must have heard Mikaela crying and he had been looking in her direction. When he saw Mikaela look to him in a silent request, he nodded his agreeance.
A look of steely determination descended over Mikaela's face. She threw the truck into reverse and took off back up the street towards were Lennox and his team were pinned down by the large tank I thought they had killed earlier. Fuck these things were hard to kill!
Mikaela shouted out to Bee, ''I'll drive, you shoot!''
'"And I'll hold on tight!'' I offered.
The tyres screeched as Mikaela sped off backwards down the road. Hot wiring cars, driving backwards with ease, clearly the girl had grown up around cars, or with someone who had. Still, I held the Jesus handle in the cabin till my knuckles were white. ''Shoot, shoot!'' Mikaela told Bee.
''Look out, look out!'' I screamed with my eyes half screwed shut.
Bee began to punch and shoot cars and debris out of the way and, as we got closer, he zeroed in on the large Decepticon Lennox and his team were being harassed by. A hail of bullets and shells were being rained down upon the tank. ''Come on, die already!'' I heard myself scream out loud in the car, the tension and anger reaching boiling point.
It was in that moment a well-aimed shot from Bumblebee found its mark in the thing's chest and it fell in a burning heap into the building Lennox and his team had been hiding in. I screamed out loud and punched the air with great enthusiasm and relief. Mikaela also yelled out. She brought the car to a stop just outside the building.
We sat there for a second trying to calm ourselves down from the adrenaline rush we had just experienced. After a minute we both got out of the car and headed towards Lennox and his team. Mikaela acknowledged Bee as he transformed his cannon back into his hand, ''Nice shot!''
''Yeah, awesome shooting Tex.'' I yelled to Bee.
I thought I heard Bumblebee say, ''You go girls''. But then I didn't think he could talk.
'That tank is definitely dead now.'' There was a brief nod of thanks towards Mikaela and I but no time for congratulations and celebrations, there was still plenty of fighting to be done.
''Alright we got business!'' Lennox continued. Further down the street, towards the building Sam was last seen sprinting, we could hear explosions and screaming. A helicopter, perhaps the one with Sam and the cube in it, was knocked out of the sky by a missile. Lennox rallied his team for a final push.
''I'm coming with you!'' I yelled out.
''No. Stay here, it's safer,'' Lennox countered. His men already starting to file out the building and down the street.
I placed my hands on my hips, a sure-fire sign to anyone who knew me, I was about to verbally throw down. ''Look around you Lennox NO WHERE is safe at the moment!'' I paused for effect. ''Now, we can either stand here and discuss varying degrees of ''safe'' and the benefits of remaining in said areas OR you can shut up and accept I am coming with you?'' hands firmly on hips and eyes set on his, I prepared for a counter argument.
Bee made a whirring beeping sound and blinked his eyes, giving a little salute. Lennox stared at me in a silent battle of wills. I briefly thought / any second now he is going to whip out his gun and start counting to three/.
Without another word, Lennox nodded and ran off to lead his team. I turned to Mikaela and Bee, ''Sorry guys, I gotta do this. Optimus, he hasn't shown up. I might be able to help. I can..'' I was about to share my gift with them when I thought better of it, ''I can only try.'' My voice trailed off. The look I gave them was a cross between an apology and a plea. Both Mikaela and Bee nodded. I was sure they wouldn't be far behind anyway as they had both come to care for Sam.
With that, I took off after Lennox and his team. A small voice in my head repeating, ''He's gotta be okay, he's gotta be okay.'' An even smaller voice in my head, more an unsolicited thought, whispered through my subconscious, ''are you thinking of the boy or Optimus?'' Shaking my head as a physical means to rid myself of unhelpful and ludacris thoughts, I refocused my energies on keeping up with the team.
This had indeed been one hell of a mission so far and, as a large Decepticon helicopter flew overhead and landed in the street out from the alleyway we were running down, I instinctively knew things were about to get a hell of a lot worse before they remotely got better – if at all.