(A/N): Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been enjoying the fic thus far, even if you're just clicking back periodically to see if I've updated or not. This is my first Transformers fic thus I'm still a little nervous writing it, but I do absolutely love this chapter, and consider the verbal conflict perhaps the best foreshadowing I've done in quite some time. Once again, thanks for giving my fic a chance :)
Cool water cascaded down heated redness, little bubbles containing the rainbows conjured by the soap popped beneath a soft sponge as it massaged suds into the metal. The dirt was carried off in the little streams that drizzled down newly revealed chrome, gathering in pools below on the ground.
"So dirty…"
Bristles scrubbed underneath metal grating, dislodging the built up grime from neglect and grueling work.
"Such a dirty boy, don't worry, I'll get you all nice and clean..." Lexus' golden, sand coloured skin glided against the watery surface as she went onto her front, scrubbing at a stubborn patch of ground in dirt. When she had awoken to news of another sweltering hot day coming their way, instead of getting fully dressed she'd opted to just put her hair back and throw on her bikini top with some shorts. She had exchanged her wrenches and tools for a bucket of water and a sponge, the solvents for soap, the WD-40 for wax… and was giving her poor Semi the tender loving care it so desperately needed. There was nothing she could do about the cracked glass of its windows or mirrors, she'd have to replace those herself later, for now she just concentrated on rubbing down the body of the poor neglected vehicle.
Planting her hands to make sure she didn't slip, the mechanic pushed herself up onto her knees, wiping the sweat, suds and water from her brow. Sighing in familiar fatigue, Lexus smiled looking around at the soapy mess she'd made on top of the truck "Filthy boy," she cooed, spreading the water around with her fingers "Let's rinse you off."
Swinging her legs around, she peered over to see which side she had left her flip flops before she climbed down. Her feet hit the metal step of the side door, and when her hand went to its handle a sharp crackle of static discharge made her suddenly grab hold of it to make sure she didn't fall when she recoiled. "Damn, that was strong," she grumbled before dismounting entirely, sliding into her black flip flops on the ground.
The foam of her soles squeaked and squelched as Lexus made her way over to the hose, taking the end of it and unravelling it just enough to where she could drag it. Turning the tap on, she pulled the tubing back, aiming towards the truck with the long pressurized end.
Her hand squeezed the trigger, water shooting out in a wide horizontal spray, the misty droplets kicking back onto the mechanic. The golden aviators that sat upon the ridge of her nose began foggy from the sudden cold, and she didn't see Jim approaching when she pushed her sunglasses back up.
"You talk to that thing like it can understand ya," Jim grumbled "You know it can't talk back to ya, right?"
Alexandra shrugged, aiming the hose higher "I don't pay you to talk back to me," she responded, watching the water blast away more soap bubbles.
"And I'm not lettin' you talk back to me when we've got an issue with yer side project, it's about that cop car."
Rolling her eyes, Lexus wondered what on earth could possibly be wrong now "What about it? I fixed the siren it shouldn't be going off anymore-"
"It ain't the siren that's the problem, it's the registration, it doesn't have any."
She shut the hose off, a frown settling onto her brows "What do you mean it's not registered? It's a patrol car!" she didn't quite believe Jim, not that she thought he was a liar, but she knew he liked to pull her leg from time to time "It has to be registered to the city!"
"Except it's not, I called the County Office, they've got no record of it and there's no city name cited on the car!" Jim protested, waving his arms in the direction of where the now fully repaired vehicle sat in the shade in a parking bay.
"Maybe it's from another county-"
"Already checked, nothin'."
"Maybe a collector had it?" Lexus questioned and Jim's beady little eyes suddenly bulged in disbelief.
"Who collects cop cars Lexus?! Who?!" he threw his arms out wide, inviting her to try and take the bait. She straightened, smirked, folding her arms.
"There's a market for everything Jim, you collect those weird little slime goblins-"
Jim's pug-like face scrunched up as his nostrils flared, pointing a little stubby finger at Lexus "First off, they're called Boglins, they're a collectors item, and-" he pressed his lips together, and Lexus could only watch as the gears in his head turned. He paused, two stubby fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed "And I guess I have to make s'more calls, you've got a point."
"You mean," Lexus couldn't help but grin "I'm right?"
That was a victory Jim would not let her have "You ain't right until a collector tells me down the phone 'hippity-hoppity that's my property'! Which it ain't! It's ours now, but maybe one of those uptight bozos could take it off of our hands, I'll make a few more calls, if for nothin' to get outta this heat." Jim waddled off after wiping the sweat from his brow, Lexus watched him clamber up the steps of the little outbuilding they called a front office before she shut the water off.
Flip flops squeaked as Lexus carefully put the pressure hose back, not wanting to damage any of her expensive equipment or the hose itself before she came over to check for any suds she'd missed. Chrome grills gleamed in the harsh sunlight, the dull red having been restored to its shiny glory again. Little droplets trickled off of the black grating between the grill slats, pattering down to the undercarriage where the water. Walking around, she checked the blue paint over meticulously to make sure she hadn't missed any gaps. A warm smile of accomplishment slowly spread over her face.
"There, all done," she ran her hand over the metal that was slowly reheating after the blast of cold water earlier "All nice and pretty," Lexus whispered to the truck, marvelling again at the chrome finish… until a new reflection made her face sour.
Keeping one hand on the truck half in protection, she turned around to see a black, garishly decorated Humvee peppered with rainbow lights and arrogant signs. Alexandra felt like getting in the Semi and driving away, but she wouldn't abandon Jim, nor would the thing in the Humvee leave until it had what it wanted.
A man in a black suit opened the gate, pulling it back to allow the occupant still in the vehicle to drive on in. The junkyard had always been Lexus' little hiding place from the world, she was safe here, which was why she lived inside of the yard too as opposed to elsewhere. Here, her name didn't follow her, and the shame she bore on her shoulders that came with it felt less heavy. As soon as the passenger in the Humvee opened the door and a finely polished Berluti's stepped on the dirt, Alexandra suddenly felt like Atlas. A knot formed in her throat as a grinning man, dressed in an excessively fine suit, laid eyes upon her and grinned.
Her hold on the Semi Truck's hood tightened.
"Sister!" The man bellowed, Lexus felt trapped as he crossed the courtyard briskly, ensnaring her in a crushing hug she did not return.
"Wyatt," she greeted as cordially as she could when he released her "What are you doing here?"
She looked up at her brother, his finely combed and slick back hair unmoving in the sour wind that made the sand hiss.
"Ah! Baby sister, always behind the times!" Wyatt laughed and pulled out his phone "Haven't you heard? I'm moving into the area!"
The colour drained from Lexus' face "You're moving here? From Forth Worth?"
Wyatt turned his phone around so that she could see the screen, though she didn't exactly have a choice given how he looped an arm around her and pulled her close "Oh no! I'm not moving here to live, I meant my company! We're expanding again and I just bought the latest place they dug up that sweet black-gold, see?" he zoomed in with his thumb showing her the location, swiping to show construction photos "We're practically gonna be neighbors sis! Well, for a time, I can't be here year round obviously but I wouldn't be where I am today were it not for me sticking around to make sure things go smooth-"
Lexus weaved out from underneath him, her hand skimming along the red paint of the Semi truck, the warming steel sending a wave of calm through her "The only reason you're where you are today Wyatt is because of Mom and Dad," she squinted "Don't tell me they told you to keep an eye on me, again, did they?"
The businessman sighed "I wouldn't be adhering to the Lord's word by lying, Lexi, they're worried, but no, they didn't, only to be there for you and-"
"-To lead back the lamb that has lost its way from the flock." They both said at the same time, Wyatt with sincerity and Lexus with venom.
"I'm not lost, Wyatt, I've not been lost since I was seventeen, not since I woke up and saw what Mom and Dad were doing," Lexus' lips pressed into a tight line as Wyatt responded.
"They're leading people to god, Lexi, how is that bad?" Steel grey eyes that were too identical to hers for comfort tried to beseech her. It might have worked on their parents, but it would do him no good here.
"How bad is-?! They're con artists Wyatt! What they're doing is abhorrent! If a god truly did exist-" Wyatt gasped at her blatant blasphemy, at her disrespect, while Lexus revelled in the fiery rage summoned from the pit of her memories she tried so hard to stay buried "They would never allow or approve of what they're doing!"
Now, Wyatt's face slowly sunk down until the lines in his face were prominent and set in a frown "So what? You're going to continue running from the word of god? You think his light can't reach you in this grubby place-"
"This grubby place," she swung up onto the Semi Truck, wrapping her hand around the steel of its side mirror and keeping her foot on its cabin step "Is my home, Wyatt, I'd choose it a thousand times before I ever went back to Forth Worth,"
"Lexi, this place is a scrapheap! There's nobody here to look after you when you're sick or talk to you when you're down, cars can't talk Lexus!"
"Cars also wont proselytize you at the dinner table to put on makeup or else you won't find a man," her gaze bore down defiance upon Wyatt. She didn't want him here, and whatever she could do to make him leave faster, all the better. "Why are you here? You wouldn't have come here without another reason, I know you, you don't get the luxury of time."
Wyatt put his hands in his pockets "Hmph, you're right, I don't," he confessed "Let's talk in a language we both understand then, Alexandra - money," he inhaled deeply "The vehicles that your business acquired recently from the city, I was informed by a friend you are looking for a buyer, I'd gladly take them off of your hands, including the Semi," pulling out his checkbook, he scribbled something out for Lexus to take.
She snatched it, then tore it in two.
"They're not for sale."
A strand of black hair quirked up as Wyatt tilted his head, his face warping with frustration "Alexandra, now you're just being childish-"
"They're not for sale, Wyatt."
He balked "Alexandra listen to yourself! I'm willing to throw you a bone here!"
"What makes you think I need a bone? Is it because Mom and Dad told you I couldn't make it by myself? Which is why I need saving? Is it because you think a woman shouldn't be in a place like this? Fixing up and scrubbing up metal? You might not like it Wyatt, but I do, and no matter what amount of money you put on that tiny piece of paper, I'm not taking it-"
"Damnit Lexi I'm trying to protect you!"
"I don't need protection Wyatt! What I need is for you, for Mom, and Dad- to leave me alone!" Lexus screeched, her vocal cords aching in agony as the birds flew away from the noise.
Wyatt was quiet for a long moment, closing his eyes in contemplation, sighing as if the weight of the world rested upon his brows "You know what?" he sighed "Fine, okay, you win Lexi, don't say I never warned you for the storm that's coming ahead."
"Why? Planning to manipulate your stocks again to survive another market crash?" Alexandra jabbed "Wyatt, get the hell out of my Junkyard."
Putting on his expensive sunglasses that Lexus could only guess were worth more than some of the fixed up cars in the lot, Wyatt pivoted, and once more, left her in the dust. She watched him go, his security guard at least having the courtesy to close the gate behind him as they drove away. The mechanic never took her eyes off of the Humvee until they were a speck in the distance. She didn't even realize Jim had exited the reception area until she heard a brisk, blunt-
"What an asshole."
After a long, silent moment, when Lexus couldn't even hear the Hummer's engine on the roads, she sighed "Jim, you can go home early today if you want," she opened the door to the truck to climb inside the cabin "I… need to be alone right now."
The small man shrugged "Whatever you say Boss, and hey!" he pointed at her, getting her attention as she tried to retreat inside of the truck "Don't let that dirtbag get to ya, you're doing just fine, you don't need his cash- and you don't need him."
A small smile managed to slip onto her lips "Thanks Jim."
In that cabin, in that small, enclosed space she had worked so hard to perfect, Alexandra found her solace. It was silent, the radio off, the new air conditioning unit working so perfectly that the rage she had summoned to deal with Wyatt had slowly returned to dormancy. It left her head throbbing, her eyes closing, then the exhausted mechanic fell fast asleep after putting on her shirt she'd slung in the cabin to protect it from the water earlier. Her flip flops fell to the floor, her toes leaning off of the edge of the wide seat as she curled up.
Descending into darkness, Lexus let sleep overcome her, retreating from the painful memories seeing Wyatt had brought to the forefront of her mind.
When she opened them again, at first, she thought she was still dreaming, except once she sat up and saw the darkness outside, she knew better. "Geez," she groaned, stretching and rubbing her eyes "How long was I asleep for-?"
Clank.
Now she was awake. She sat bolt upright and looked out through the window. There were lights at the gate, or rather, in the gate. For the car's engine roared and drove into them again, trying to bash them down.
"Oh hell no!" Alexandra went for her phone, intending to call the cops, then go for her gun she'd left back in the garage but- "Damnit! Seriously?!" she hissed at her phone, seeing the dooming words of 'no signal'.
The car crashed into the gate again, practically bending it in half. She owed Jim an apology, but she wasn't about to let some dumb kids break in and vandalize her property! Pulling the door handle she jumped out of the truck and staying low, ran back towards the garage. She found her gun where she had left it on the table, flicking the safety off with her thumb before moving out, going around a large pile of scrap to get a clearer shot through the gaps in the chain-link. It was only then, when the car rammed the gate again and it came under the light did her heart freeze.
The car had no driver.
"What the-?" No, it had to be a trick of the eye, the darkness and the tinted windows, surely!
The car reversed, burning out rubber on the dirt intending to finally clear the gate when Lexus took her shot, taking out one of the car's tires. For good measure, she shot three holes in the side, then the last two went through the windows. She really hoped there was nobody inside to hurt.
"Oh blast it! I'm done with this slagging stealth!"
Skkrrt skrrt skrrt.
Lexus froze on the spot, dropping her gun as she couldn't believe her eyes, was that a giant robot?!
"C'mere you little fleshling-!"
Suddenly she was staring down a gun far, far bigger than her own, the light inside of it briefly illuminating her form. She'd never seen a weapon so large in her life, perhaps the only thing to match it were the missiles on the military documentaries Jim liked to watch on his lunch break. The light at the end of the inside of the barrel made her stomach sink as she gazed into oblivion.
Everything inside of her cried out to run! Run for the reception! To the phone! If she could even make it without becoming a burn mark on the sand first! She went to take off, hoping she could get out of the way in time when-
BAM! CRUNCH!
"Leave her alone."
Alexandra turned around, and where the truck had been standing, now stood another gigantic robot. It was far bigger than the one that had tried to shoot her, she could only stand speechless as the other cars, the other vehicles she had spent days fixing all drove by themselves towards the big red and blue robot. The giant gun it was holding in its hands hissed with smoke from the discharge that the smaller robot took directly to what Lexus guessed was its chest.
"Autobots," The large one addressed, pointing at a smaller robot at the gate "Transform, and attack!"
(A/N): Cat's out of the bag now, next chapter will be the Junkyard brawl! Be sure to follow and favorite to be notified when I update, and let me know what you think so far in the reviews!