Guess who? *hides behind Megatron's leg* DON'T KILL ME! I know I've been gone for so long without so much as a word to most of my loyal followers, but believe me, it's not on purpose. *Megatron leaves* Well shit.
So, I'm guessing you all know that I've been gone for probably a whole year without updating my main stories and taking forever with my one shot ideas that hit me a long time ago. I just finished writing the last one down in my notebook and now I'm trying to figure out how to write my main stories down in order or just complete one at a time. I'm a grown ass adult now and I have a full time assistant manager job that leaves me drained at the end of every day and my back hurts all the time. I know that's not a valid excuse for my loyal followers but it's the truth. I can't keep up with it all and I don't want to quit on the one thing that kept me happy throughout most of my high school years. But I'm not in high school anymore and I need to focus on the important things now. I'm not saying that I quit, I won't ever quit this site, but I do need to put my priorities first. So I just need about a weeks time or so to focus on something other than writing and then I'll get back into it. I'll have to re-watch most of the series' that I'm writing and keep going with the one that's already finished. I think that may be the TMNT series if I remember correctly. I haven't watched that show in months and I heard that the 2012 series is now complete. So I have to binge my shows to get my inspiration back.
Here I give you a one shot that has to deal with angst and I think I may post a second chapter with a happier ending later. It truly depends on how stressed I am to complete it or not. Getting right to the point, I have looked up my information about certain things in my one shot that you will read and I know I don't have 100% of the facts right, but at least I looked it up instead of bullshitting the answers. I will leave a note at the bottom as well once you're done reading.
I won't keep you from reading any longer, so read on, folks!
I own: My OCs
I don't own: Transformers, Oreo or anything else that has a trademark or has been invented by someone else.
Warning: this story mentions miscarriage, death and heavy angst. If you feel any discomfort while reading, please skip this story altogether or just skim through to the happier parts. You have been warned.
1st Person POV
Breathe.
It's what my lung keep telling me I should do, but they can't.
My body can't fight the water and my lungs are on fire. They need air and I can't move.
The hand that's somehow still holding me keeps dragging me down further into the water until it finally stops. The water is dark and my back is jarred against something hard. Right as my leg gets caught by something, my head knocks against rock and my mouth opens.
I watch the air bubbles escape from my mouth and water gets in my lungs and I panic. My arms move frantically in the water to escape to the surface and get to air, but it's no use. The burn of no oxygen frightens me and I can't feel anything besides my body convulsing from no air.
So this is it. This is where I'm gonna die.
It gets harder to think and I let my remaining consciousness focus on Smokescreen. I don't think he knew this would happen and it's not entirely his fault that his actions led to my death.
And my family. Oh god, Mom would never forgive herself if she lost another kid. Dad would lose himself with grief and Viv would grow up alone without a sister. I can't do this to them, I can't.
There's a brief second of pain and everything starts getting fuzzy.
Maybe I can get the chance to see my older and younger siblings in heaven or get to see what Jesus truly looks like once I get there. Maybe I can find out if Primus and God are the same being.
I just need to breathe.
If only I could breathe...
A few hours earlier...
"I'm gonna beat you, Jack! I can taste victory already!" Miko exclaimed as she put one foot on the coffee table and leaned closer to the TV as if it would help her win the video game.
"No way, Miko! I'm still in the lead and there's one lap to go!" Jack reassured himself as he tried desperately to stay in the lead.
"So, anyone bet their Oreos that Miko will out-maneuver Jack and win?" I asked as the rest of us watched their tournament.
Raf, Viv and I stood around the couch watching as we snacked on Oreos while Smokescreen, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead stood around the recreational area and watched.
"I bet you that and the last Berry Cherry Fruit by the Foot at home that she's not gonna win." Viv bet as she and Raf rooted for Jack.
"Don't doubt my skills, Viv!" Miko dared and stuck her tongue out in concentration. "We Japanese girls have talent up our sleeves!"
"Nani?" Viv and I say together in Japanese and snickered as Miko gave us a quick glare before turning around to finish the game.
"Since when do you All-American girls know how to speak Japanese?" Miko asked and Jack gave her a surprised look.
"Miko, that was rude." Jack swore as Miko's car passed him. "Hey, no fair! I wasn't focused!"
"C'mon, Jack, you have to go faster than that! She's gonna beat you!" Viv pushed his shoulder a little as Jack started to lose.
"That treat is mine!" I cheered as Miko's racer passed the finish line before Jack's and high-fived her when she held her hand out.
"Noooo!" Jack and Viv both groaned in unison as Jack leaned back on the couch with his hands on his face and Viv slumped on his shoulder.
"I was so close!" Jack moaned.
"But I like the cherry..." Viv murmured.
"I call dibs for that Fruit by the Foot anyway. Mom can always get more from the store whenever she goes on the next shopping trip." I said as Miko nabbed some of my Oreos and I handed her the glass of milk we all shared to dunk them in.
"But Mari, that might be next week because it's nearly that time again." Viv said and my eyes widened in shock as the date clicked in my head.
"Oh shit, I can't believe I forgot about that. Has it already been a month since Mom and Dad last reminded us about it?" I asked and Viv nodded.
"Yeah, I can hardly believe it, either. Time flew by in a hurry." Viv said and looked me in the eyes. "You think Dad's gonna get alcohol this time or do you think Mom will be the one to get it? I'd rather be at Jenna's house for a sleepover when they do."
"I have no clue. But I don't think they're gonna go overboard like you think they are." I said and Miko stuck her Oreo between us.
"Excuse me, what time are you guys talking about? There's no holiday this week to celebrate. Especially not one where people get drunk. Not unless it's their anniversary?" Miko asked as Viv and I give each other the same look.
"If I tell you this story, you're not gonna like it or the explanation that comes with it." I said and Viv nodded.
"Mari can mainly tell you. I don't think I can handle it after a certain point." Viv murmured quietly and hugged one of the pillows on the couch as I rubbed her brown haired head.
"What? What is it?" Miko asked.
"Miko, don't try to push Mari or Viv to tell you something that clearly upsets them." Arcee started and I shook my head.
"No, I can tell you. I've told this story a few times before and I'm more comfortable telling it than Viv is." I said as I looked back at the Bots standing behind us. "But before I begin, how many of you know how the human female body works?"
"Not a clue..." Smokescreen thought out loud while Arcee and Bumblebee shook their heads and Bulkhead stuttered.
"Miko might've told me a little about that." Bulkhead shuddered and I wondered how it took Miko one try to single-handedly ruin Bulkhead's innocence of humans with one conversation.
"From what I've conversed with June, I've gained a small amount of information on human females." Ratchet piped up from where he was working and it made me wonder if he could actually hear everything from within range.
"Well, when a human female carries their baby, it grows in her womb here until it's ready to come out." I said and demonstrated with my hands of how I would hold a very pregnant stomach. "Before you ask, babies are teeny, tiny humans that pretty much eat, sleep and poop until they can depend on themselves."
"Carry on." Smokescreen chuckled nervously once he realized I knew what his question was and put his raised hand down.
"Mom and Dad were about a year into their engagement when Mom got pregnant for the first time. About a week before Mom could go to the doctor to check the gender of the baby, she had a miscarriage and lost it." I explained and Raf gasped out loud as he covered his mouth with widened eyes behind his glasses.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry guys." Jack apologized as he laid a hand on Viv's shoulder.
"What does a 'miscarriage' mean?" Smokescreen asked.
"It means that the baby didn't survive. It died in the womb." Arcee solemnly said. "I'm sorry your mother lost her child."
"Thanks, Arcee. I'll be sure to tell her. That was a long time ago. It was about 4 years later when Mom and Dad had gotten married, had stable enough jobs and minds to try for another baby. So they did and when Mom found out she was pregnant again, she made sure to keep herself healthy and they were both careful. That pregnancy was successful." I explained as Wheeljack popped up unexpectedly.
"So that's when you came into the world, right?" he asked as I pointed to the entrance of the base and back at him a few times.
"Where the hell did you come from?" I asked and he laughed.
"I was working on my ship when I came in for a break. Overheard your story and decided to listen in." Wheeljack explained and I imagined him in ninja attire sneaking in the base like he did. "You be sure and tell your mother that I give her my condolences. No one should have to lose a kid like that."
"I will, but you got one thing wrong." I said and Wheeljack raised his equivalent to an eyebrow. "That baby wasn't me. That was our 'older' brother, River."
"Wait, hang on! You mean you're not the oldest, Mari?" Miko exclaimed in disbelief and Viv nodded.
"Nope. River was our technical 'older' brother." Viv said as she nibbled on an Oreo. "Mom said she liked to believe the baby before then would've been a girl. Our 'eldest' sister."
"Was-was it SIDS that took River or was it something else?" Jack stuttered uneasily.
"It was SIDS. He was about 5 months old when it happened." I said as I picked at my bracelet, not 100% comfortable with re-telling the story.
"What's SIDS?" Smokescreen asked quietly.
"SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This can happen to any baby under the age of 1. River was healthy when he was born and showed no sign of anything wrong with him. No one knows why this happens to babies around that age and it can only be diagnosed once they're gone. All I know is that the disease took our brother. He was the true firstborn." I explained and felt the heavy silence. "Mom was really scared with me. I was born about 2 and a half weeks early from my due date and I had juandice. I was ready to go back home from the hospital after a week and a half."
"Is that disease fatal?" Ratchet asked, now more interested in the story than his computer.
"No, I don't think so. I mean, I'm still alive after 20 years, so they got me back to normal." I explained. "Jaundice is basically where the skin and eyes turn yellow because of the lack of the liver working right."
"Was that the only thing wrong with you?" Miko asked.
"Yeah, and I'm mildly allergic to certain types of fish, but I barely eat that anyway." I said with a small wave of my hand.
"I'm allergic to mangoes. I have no idea where that allergy came from." Viv said as she cleaned her purple glasses.
"So your mother lost 2 babies..." Jack trailed off and held Raf close since the younger boy looked like he was gonna cry.
"No, she lost 3. The last one was our younger sister. My twin." Viv said and Jack looked like he was gonna be sick.
"You were a twin!?" Miko's eyes bugged out from her head and Viv nodded.
"I was born first, but my twin's umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and she didn't make it..." Viv cleared her throat and tucked her brown, shoulder-length hair behind her ears. "Her name was Lillian. I wasn't supposed to know about her until I turned a certain age where Mom and Dad thought I could be able to handle the news."
"What age would that have been for you kids?" Wheeljack asked.
"Probably around 16 to 18. That's when Mom and Dad decided to tell me about our 'older' siblings. They told me not to tell Viv about our 'younger' sister until they said it was ok, but our loud-mouthed cousins dropped the bomb about having dead siblings." I shook my head at the memory. "I handled the news pretty well when they told me but all they had to do was keep their mouths shut around Viv for another 6 years and they still couldn't do it."
"Just turning 10 wasn't the best time to be told." Viv said. "If you look at it from our perspective, I'm the 4th child and not the youngest and Mari is the 3rd child and not the first. It can seem confusing to those that don't know the whole story."
"Yeah, that shit fucked with my head for a while." I commented and nearly jumped out of my skin when I noticed Optimus and Ultra Magnus had both managed to sneak by me undetected. "Jesus, I swear, all of you are ninjas! When did you two get here?"
"We have listened in since the very beginning of the story. I am truly sorry for the loss your family has suffered through." Optimus apologized with sorrow in his deep voice.
"I offer my condolences as well." Ultra Magnus said, still seeming a little confused at some of the stuff I said.
"This is why we don't like explaining that story. It leaves everyone in a gloomy mood and we don't want that." I said and rubbed a hand through Raf's spiky hair.
"Lillian was spelled L-I-L-L-I-A-N, right?" Miko asked and Viv nodded. "Did your mom try to keep you two connected somehow and then change it so that way you and Mari could stay connected?"
"I think so because if Lillian were here, my name would've been spelled V-I-V-I-A-N instead of V-I-V-I-A-N-N-E and pronounced differently." Viv thought, her eyes shined their brilliant bluebell. "I think she would've gotten more depressed about losing Lillian had she kept my name Vivian since they rhyme."
"You both have beautiful names. I like how Marianne (Pronounced: MAH-REE-AN) and Vivianne (Pronounced: VIV-EE-AN) are pronounced. It makes them very unique." Jack complimented and Viv blushed.
"Aw, thanks Jack!" Viv bashfully waved.
"It does get annoying when someone not only spells, but pronounces them wrong. That's the only catch about having names that are unique: never spelled correctly, never pronounced correctly and never found on a Coke bottle." I rolled my eyes, thankful for the change in subject before turning to Viv. "At least your name has a higher chance of being spelled and pronounced right."
"Well, here's to names like ours." Viv raised her nibbled Oreo towards me and I 'clinked' ours together.
"We need more cookies." Miko announced as she shook the empty package that once held what we ate. "Mari, help me get some more milk and cookies."
"Sure." I got up and followed her down to the nearby kitchen they added for us.
"Look, Mari...I didn't mean to pry into your life like that. I had no idea that you had dead siblings. I'm sorry." Miko apologized as soon as we walked in and she grabbed the last pack of Oreos from the cupboard.
"It's fine, Miko. I consider you guys good friends despite only recently meeting you. Besides, it was only a matter of time before we had to tell you the story about our tiny family anyway." I said as I grabbed a fresh cup and then grabbed the milk from the fridge. "Mom would've explained it also, but she would've ended up crying at the end and Dad would go for a beer at the very beginning if he told you."
"I still feel bad. I owe you something. Maybe a seat with me, Bulk and Jackie to the next smash-a-thon, or Slash Monkey concert. We can bring Viv or Smokescreen! Not unless you and Smokescreen are looking for time by yourselves." Miko smirked and leaned in. "Are you gonna admit it yet?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said as I put up the milk.
"You can't play dumb with me. I know you like Smokescreen, Mari." Miko kept smirking as she rested a hand on her hip and leaned on the counter.
"And I think you ate too many Oreos." I said as I took the container from her. "I'll be taking these. And no milk either!"
"C'mon, Mari! It's obvious that you both like each other! You both like the same things, you listen to the same music and I'm pretty sure he's around the same age as you if he were human. What's stopping you?" Miko tried to snatch the container back and I managed to keep her from taking it.
"Have you ever thought that maybe it's because he's not human?" I asked and she gasped, colored pigtails nearly shooting up in excitement.
"So you do like him!" she near shouted and I frantically hushed her so no one came running in.
"No, no! I never said that, Miko!" I whispered once I covered her mouth. "Do you even think that a relationship between a human and Cybertronian would work? That's one good reason how something like that could never work."
"Oh, c'mon, Mari! We're still kids of this generation that don't care about age, same sex and step-siblings when it comes to love! Well, maybe not that last part as much, but you get what I mean. You have my support for however long you guys stay in a relationship." Miko said as she batted my hand away and took back the Oreo package. "And I'm still hungry for Oreos, so gimme!"
"Alright, fine! I like Smokescreen!" I blushed as I raised my hands. "Now you have me curious as to how it's obvious we like each other."
"Whenever you have to work, Smokescreen waits for you in the parking lot even if it's raining or melting heat. Smokescreen always takes you wherever you want to go if you don't feel like driving and he always brings you with him during his patrols through the town. Not to mention the looks you give each other whenever you're not looking is proof enough. But you just admitted it, so there's no going back now!" Miko said and I clapped a hand over my face when I realized how right she was with the staring. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it, Mari! I'm sure Jack and Raf will be happy for you! The Bots may take a little time to warm up to the idea, but I'm sure they'll support your relationship, too!"
"But what if they don't? I know Viv would have mixed feelings, but Mom and Dad won't approve. What if Smokescreen decides that I'm just a waste of his time? What if he finds a female Cybertronian who's leagues better than me? What if he decides I'm not good enough for him?" I stated some of the thoughts that have been plaguing my mind for a while. "Smokescreen can live longer than we can. That alone can never work when it comes to a relationship. There's probably someone out there for him that could be his soulmate and I highly doubt it's me."
"Mari, Smokescreen would never trade you in for another girl. You two were made for each other! You just haven't admitted it yet." Miko stated and I sighed.
"You say that about every power couple you ship, Miko." I deadpanned. "Most of the stuff you said also just means he's doing his job as my guardian."
"That's besides the point. And don't ever say you aren't good enough for Smokescreen. He may be doing his guardian duties, but I know he likes you for you. He wouldn't ever try to change you and he's always going to look out for you. He also chose you for a reason."
"Yeah, because he wanted his own human partner like the rest of the Bots." I pointed out and looked at her from the corner of my eyes. "Can you really say that he likes me? Like you really think so?"
"I know so, Mari." Miko reassured as she put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll even help you find the right words to say to ask him out."
"Somehow I find that really scary." I smiled anyway as she punched me lightly on the shoulder. "But thanks, Miko. You're really the only one that knows about this. Now let's go before the others send Jack to get the cookies and milk."
"A little late for that." said boy in person came walking through the door. "What's taking you both so long?"
"Mari and I were just having a little girl-to-girl talk about boys." Miko answered as she slung an arm around my shoulders and winked at me.
"Yeah, we're coming." I said as I grabbed the milk with my remaining hand. "So who was playing the winner again?"
"I don't think we're playing anymore. The Bots are getting ready for a mission." Jack said and gave a look at Miko. "I'm not letting Miko sneak past Ratchet this time."
"Jack, why say this information in front of the person you don't want getting past you in the first place when you could've just distracted her for a few minutes more?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I would've texted you to keep her busy for a few minutes but you left your phone on the table." Jack pointed behind him and spread his arms out as Miko stepped forward. "I'm being serious, Miko! You have to stop going after them before you get hurt or worse!"
"Miko, don't. Hold the milk." I demanded and set the milk in her outstretched hand. "There. Now you have to give that to Viv and Raf when we walk hand in hand back to the rec area together."
"What kind of lame excuse is that?" Miko asked and I frowned at her.
"Miko, I'm the legal-aged adult here. You need to listen to us when we say that it's dangerous to go out there without the Bots knowing." I told her and Miko frowned.
As cool as it would be to go with the Autobots, some of the places they go to usually involve fighting Decepticons and after seeing some of the action myself, I was ready to never go into the range of fire ever again. I don't see how Miko can stand nearly getting killed every time she follows them on the battlefield. Miko had a very knowing smirk suddenly cross her features as she looked at the milk in her hand.
"Miko-"
"THINK FAST!" Miko yelled as she splashed the milk in Jack's face.
Had the situation been a little less serious, I would've already been on the floor in tears at Jack's gaping fish face. Miko sprinting out of the kitchen snapped me out of the shock as Jack gasped in surprise and attempted to wipe the milk from his eyes.
"No! Miko, stop!" I shouted as I chased after her.
We got halfway to the groundbridge before I grabbed her around the arm and attempted to bring her down to a stop.
"Miko, do you have a death wish or something!?" I grunted as she tried to slap me away.
"No, but don't you wanna watch Smokescreen put some dents in some Cons? How many times can you say you've seen him in action?" Miko struggled as she and I got closer to the open bridge.
"Only once is good enough for me! And that was the day we met!" I argued back and looked to see if I could signal someone to close the bridge.
"What if he doesn't come back from this mission at all and you never told each other how you feel?" Miko spat back and I recoiled in horror.
"Why would you say something like that!?" I gasped and noticed Jack finally making his way over.
"That was a low blow, Miko." Jack glared daggers at the younger girl and grabbed her other arm. "You're not following them today, Miko. Hey, Ratch-"
Jack got cut off by a near whack in the head when Miko struggled harder to get away from us.
"This isn't for me, though! C'mon, Mari! You have to confess to him and what better way to do it if he's in trouble out there!" Miko begged as she grabbed my arms in an attempt to get me to go along.
"Confess what to who?" Jack asked as Ratchet finally looked our way.
"What are you 3 doing?" Ratchet asked as Raf and Viv looked our way.
"We're going on an adventure!" Miko exclaimed before pulling me close. "Sorry, but you'll thank me later."
Before I could ask what she meant, Miko flipped around me, did a ninja kick move off of Jack and used the momentum of the kick to send us both falling forward. I let out a surprised yelp as I felt myself fall and suddenly felt a whirlwind of nausea in my stomach. The bright colors of the groundbridge flashed by and suddenly we're outside in warm sunlight.
My back hits the ground and I let out a wheeze as I try and catch my breath and keep the nausea at bay. I closed my eyes so the peeping sun would stop blinking in the tree branches above.
"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked so well." Miko's voice came from my left side and I opened my eyes.
The groundbridge was shutting down to my right and Miko had gotten up to dust herself off. Before I could even scold her, Jack's milk stained figure jumped through the groundbridge before it could close all the way.
"Not well enough, Miko." Jack's glare could melt diamonds as he stared at the younger girl. "Miko, what the he-"
"Oh, don't start with me, Jack! I haven't seen any action in weeks! This is the perfect opportunity to get some more snaps of Bulkhead pounding some Cons into the dirt and you can't stop me!" Miko argued and I sat up once I knew I wasn't gonna toss my cookies.
Literally.
"Are you alright, Mari?" Jack asked as he helped me up.
"Give me a minute." I moaned as I rested my hands on my knees.
"Yeah, the groundbridge will do that to you the first few times you go through it. Don't worry. You'll get used to it." Miko said and Jack went back to glaring at her.
"No, she won't. What were you even thinking bringing Mari out here when she told us first thing that she doesn't want to get anywhere near the action!?" Jack argued as he threw his hands up in exasperation. "You can't just throw someone in the groundbridge with you just so you can get your adrenaline rush, Miko! And we could be in danger just by standing here!"
"You-"
"Will you both please stop!" I interrupted Miko before their argument could continue. "We're already out here anyway and we need to find the Bots before we run into Cons or something just as dangerous."
"What could be more dangerous out here than the Cons?" Miko asked with a hand on her hip.
"I don't know about you, but I don't plan on being eaten by a pack of wolves or a bear out here." I retorted as I stood straight. "Which way do you think they went?"
"I've got tracks." Jack motioned nearby where some tire tracks left in the mud stood out. "The only question: who's tracks are they?"
"Those look like Bulkhead's tracks." Miko commented as she stared at them. "I know his tracks anywhere."
"Are you sure, Miko?" Jack asked her as he crossed his arms.
"Of course I'm sure! What, I can't tell my own Bot's tracks from the Cons? Do you not-"
"Please, stop the arguing before you give me a migraine." I pleaded as I took a look at the tracks. "They're pretty fresh from what I can tell and it looks like they're headed in that direction."
I pointed down to the left where the tracks were turning into the thicker sets of trees and bushes. There was just enough light to see through the smaller looking canopy with nothing but a few bugs lingering in the air. It looked safe enough.
"What if it's not our Bots we're following?" Jack asked as he pulled out his phone. "I have no signal to call for backup out here in case we run into the Cons or M.E.C.H."
"I guess we have to have faith. And if we're wrong, we get our asses out of dodge before we're spotted." I said and he nodded. "We probably need to keep any talking down to a minimum."
"Well this is already boring." Miko huffed and I bit my tongue before I could continue any arguments.
"Miko, let's just find the Bots so we can get back to base." Jack pinched at his nose and sighed as we followed the tracks.
We travelled in silence for about 10 minutes before Miko finally got bored. She sang under her breath whatever lyrics she could understand from Slash Monkey before complaining about the tree branches getting stuck in her pigtailed hair.
"Jesus, they really went far on wheels." Miko puffed as she and I walked together as Jack took stride a foot behind us. "On the bright side, we can all get our daily exercise in and you're not seeing any fighting. Which, by the way, really is cool whenever a Con isn't trying to turn you into ash."
"Nice to know, Miko." I panted as the walking uphill started to get to me. "Just try to talk a little softer, please. I really don't-GAH!"
I tripped over a tree root that got hooked around my foot and landed a little too hard on the ground.
"Are you alright?" Jack asked as he and Miko helped me up.
"Peachy." I deadpanned and dusted myself off.
"We should've ran into the Bots by now. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this." Jack voiced his concern as he looked around.
Suddenly, a loud cry filled the air and the flapping of metallic wings followed suit. I looked up in surprise and my eyes widened when I seen what looked like a gigantic metal bug fly overhead with two more flanking it's side. The two bugs beside the leader cried the same as they flew by without even seeing us.
"Whoa!" Miko exclaimed as she looked up.
"What the hell are those?" I asked as they flew away.
"Insecticons."Jack answered as he took our hands and pulled us under the trees. "Very, very bad news. And that only means one thing."
My eyes followed the giant alien bugs where they landed somewhere near a thicker set of trees and rock.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." I moaned when I realized that we're been following the wrong tracks the whole time.
"Awesome, we just found out where the Cons are!" Miko cheered as she started towards the direction the giant bugs went.
"Wait, Miko are you crazy!?" Jack reached out to make sure she didn't take off. "You can't go running towards them without a plan! You could get killed!"
"But this is our chance to help the Bots! We've found where the Cons are and all we have to do is call for help!" Miko countered back.
"With what signal? We can't call anyone unless we find them and we could get more lost than we already are trying to go into the woods." Jack argued back.
"We can't just sit around and do nothing! I wanna help Bulkhead and maybe get to see some action while I'm doing so." Miko said and she started off towards the bug's destination.
"Jack's right, Miko. We can't get too close!" I called out to her as Jack and I followed her. "We need to at least think of a game plan before we go blazing in."
"You're agreeing with her?" Jack asked in disbelief as he looked at me with wide eyes.
"Hell no, but she can't go waltzing in like she owns the place by herself." I said and my eyes flickered to something behind his head. "Wait a minute..."
I trailed off as I walked closer to the building that took my attention. It was still further out, but it was the tanks and wire fencing that truly caught my attention.
"What is it, Mari?" Miko asked.
"That's U.S. military. Why are we near government property?" I asked and heard the Insecticon cries nearby. "What type of mission has the Cons searching through military property for?"
"I don't know. I've only heard bits and pieces of the Autobots mentioning the Cons building something. They might've been using whatever top-secret military equipment to do so." Jack said as we got closer.
We all remained quiet as we approached the wire fence and noticed a giant hole in said fence where no doubt the Decepticons came through. No Insecticon cries were heard, but giant footsteps could be heard not too far away.
"We definitely aren't going in." Jack said as he blocked Miko from going in the hole in the fence to take more pictures. "We need to hide and wait for Optimus to get here."
"What if they have a phone in there we could use? Or maybe we can shoot the Cons with those tanks!" Miko said as she took a picture of one of the tanks.
"No!" I gasped when my gaze fell upon a sign on the broken fence.
The warning sign had all of the typical warnings about trespassing on government property, but what had my heart leaping in my throat was the name of the property: Fort River Ridge.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked in alarm as he looked around for Decepticons.
"This is Fort River Ridge!" I told him as the lack of security alarms had my heart beating faster. "This is Dad's old basic training camp and where he was hired for 4 years. He and Mom were coming here for a retirement party for his old CO. They're in danger!"
I ran forward through the giant hole to find a door at the building near us and ignored the other two as they yelled my name. My main focus was finding my parents and why the alarms weren't going off when danger was literally around the corner. The Insecticons nearby surely should've alerted someone by now.
"Mari!" Jack ran up to me with Miko following him. "You're just as crazy as Miko!"
"Hey!" Miko frowned.
"I have to find my parents, guys! The alarms aren't sounding and Cons are here! We have to warn them!" I pleaded as I tried to open a nearby door that was locked. "Shit!"
"Mari, calm down! Agent Fowler notified the Bots that all humans were evacuated once the Cons started to arrive. Your parents will be safe." Jack said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "I trust that he got them out safely before he Cons could do more damage."
"Yeah and I seen your mom take down a guy when she demonstrated her self-defense moves. They're not helpless." Miko tried to comfort me. "We can still find a way inside to a phone or maybe set up a distraction for the Cons."
"How would we even set up a distraction like that? It could get us killed." Jack asked.
"Something like an explosion could bring the Bots right to us." Miko said. "We don't even have to leave."
"And that could attract the Decepticons just as easy and they're here." Jack pointed out the flaw in her plan. "If we get spotted by one, we're dead meat."
"Sorry, Jack, but I'm gonna agree with Miko on this." I said as I walked over to a discarded sack near a military jeep. "Like it or not, we can't get inside there and with the Decepticons around us, we need to get the Autobots over here somehow."
"How are we supposed to do that and most importantly, without being seen?" Jack asked as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. "God knows if the Autobots are around the area to begin with."
"We're gonna have to try, Jack! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Miko shot back.
"She's right. And if we think of a plan together, maybe it can work out." I said. "We just have to believe and trust one another."
Jack was silent for a few seconds before he let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Alright. But where do we start?" he agreed and I opened the sack in my hand.
"Well..." I trailed off when I pulled out a grenade. "It looks like we cause a distraction via explosion. Rambo style."
"Oh my God, we're gonna die." Jack moaned and Miko socked him lightly in the shoulder.
"Chin up, Jack. We need guts and glory out here." Miko said as she rubbed her hands together like a mad scientist. "Now what's step one?"
Before I could answer, the roar of an engine started coming our way and my eyes widened.
"Hide!" Jack whisper-shouted as we all ducked behind the nearest tank. "I know that's not Arcee. Who is it?"
"Smokescreen, maybe?" Miko guessed with a small glance towards me and I shrugged, hoping that she was right this time.
A red car suddenly passed by near where we stood and we back-pedaled further behind the tank to keep from being seen. It must've gotten past the building and perimeter fence before it was out of sight, the engine fading with it.
"Was that...?" I trailed off as I pointed to where the red car disappeared to.
"That looked like Doc Knock." Miko said with a look towards Jack, who gave her the same grim look.
"Who's that?" I asked, only ever seeing Eradicons and Vehicons up until recently.
"Knock Out's the lead medic of the Decepticons. Apparently loves racing and values his finish over everything. Not a nice guy." Jack described and Miko scoffed in agreement.
"No kidding about his finish. If he gets one speck of dirt on him, he whines like a girl who broke her nails and threatens to cut someone up for surgery." Miko said and I rolled my eyes.
"He sounds like a prissy diva." I commented and Miko gave a small laugh. "If he hates messing up his paint so much, why is he even out here?"
"I don't know. But it's gotta be important enough to make him come out here." Miko said. "He's done enough threats to us for one lifetime. How about we use the grenades to mess up his finish as payback?"
"That sounds like a good idea, but we have to plan it more carefully than that." I said an stopped hiding behind the tank. "We need to follow him to wherever it is they're meeting up at. Maybe we could blow them up with the grenades."
"Whoa, it's gonna take more than some grenades to take them down, especially an Insecticon." Jack mentioned as we all carefully made our way past the building. "If you're gonna use those things, I think it would be better to use them away from us and the Insecticons. It's almost impossible to outrun one of them once they start chasing you."
"You have to let me use a grenade, Mari." Miko said as we continued past the Jeeps and military jets. "The only explosive I've ever used was on Wheeljack's ship."
"You could blow your hand off, Miko!" Jack protested immediately and Miko groaned at his over-protectiveness.
"How come you're not bugging Mari about this, huh? Why do you have to nag at me?" Miko crossed her arms with a glare.
"I'm a 20 year old adult, Miko, not a teenager. Dad did teach me how to use the fake ones for fun before, so I pretty much know what I'm doing." I said to cut off any arguments. "If I really need you to, I'll let you throw one at Knock Out."
"Are you sure handing her one of those is the best idea?" Jack tried to shove down any reprimanding that I must deserve for handing a minor a dangerous weapon.
"Not really, but it's better than nothing if we run into trouble. I know that we're outside of our comfort zones, but we need to get to the Autobots and protect ourselves from the Cons. Are you with us or not?" I held a hand out to him and Jack hesitantly shook it.
Before anymore could be said, an Insecticon came into view with it's back turned to us and we just so happened to be right in the open where it could see us if it turned around. I could feel a heart attack coming on as I froze and looked at the other two. Miko's eyes were wide with surprise and Jack was ready to start tearing his hair out in panic. Coming to our senses, we all slowly backpedaled behind a Jeep as another Insecticon joined the other. They started to mess with something mechanical and strings of noises came from their throats.
"Jesus, they're huge! It would take all the grenades I have just to kill one!" I thought to myself as I counted out the grenades.
Altogether, we had 10 grenades and a small pistol in the pack. The odds are definitely not in our favor and we only need these for a distraction. They can't be used willy-nilly and they can't be wasted.
I glanced around to see if there wasn't anything looking our way before making a quick break for the building near us. As I took the first few running steps, I heard a noise behind me and it was more than likely Jack trying not to yell my name.
I got to the door and quietly opened it, celebrating eternally that it wasn't locked and I would've been screwed had it been locked. I kept it open and peeked out to see if the Insecticons had seen me. They were still chatting to each other in their language, but they had shifted slightly to the right where it would be possible to see Jack and Miko if they ran.
As I glanced at the other two, I seen Jack holding back Miko as she was gearing up to make a run for it. I waved my arms in the universal sign for 'not yet' and Miko stopped.
Glancing back at the Insecticons, I watched them chatter for a few more seconds before they finally turned back to the mechanical something they were messing with. They started to lift it with their hands and heaved it over their heads and started to walk the opposite direction with it. Jack and Miko took that opportunity to run my way once they were sure the Insecticons weren't going to turn around and see them.
"Next time, tell us when you're gonna run off, Mari." Jack puffed as he quietly closed the door.
"Are we in a kitchen?" Miko asked and I looked around to see all kinds of pots, pans, various foods and containers holding spices. And a semi-brilliant plan popped in my head.
"We are. You guys help me look for something flammable. Cooking oil, lighters, propane gas can, anything." I ordered and started digging around for any of the above.
"You got a plan?" Miko asked as she and Jack started looking with me throughout the kitchen.
"Yes, but I don't know how well it's gonna work." I said as I grimaced at zucchini in a pot. "Found anything yet?"
"I found this." Jack pulled out a fancy cooking lighter from a drawer near the stove.
"That can work. Do you guys see any cooking oil around? It can be used or perhaps find a propane gas can?" I said as I looked around the stoves for a propane gas can.
"Back here." Miko summoned from a supply closet where various cooking supplies were kept, but most importantly, where the unused oil was kept.
"Great. We might need two, but I believe we have everything we need now." I said as Jack and I carried two heavy containers each out of the supply closet.
"Hey! This brings back memories!" Miko exclaimed as she grabbed an emergency fire ax nestled next to the fire extinguisher.
"Don't you remember how well that worked the last time you used an ax, Miko?" Jack asked and Miko rolled her eyes.
"Puh-lease. This time Soundwave won't be here to take it away from me." Miko said as she gave a swing away from us. "But I still want a chance at throwing a grenade at Doc Knock."
"You may get the chance." I said as we walked out of the kitchen and into the dining area. "So this is the plan: whatever it is the Decepticons are after, we blow it up."
"We what!?" Jack exclaimed.
"You heard me. We blow it up. If our distraction can call the Autobots over, we can at least blow up whatever it is the Decepticons are after." I explained as we walked to the door. "The worst case scenario would be us getting caught or dead, but not if we play our cards right."
"That's not half bad. But how is that gonna work with this stuff?" Jack asked as he gestured the oil and lighter.
"We use the oil to lead a trail to whatever it is the Decepticons are after, plant a few grenades at the base or possibly inside depending on what it is, get to a safe place and use the lighter to start the trigger fire. There's a good chance that it's not going to work 100% that way, but if we need more oil or something different to get our plan working, we can always get more." I explained. "If the Insecticons are gathered up at their target, we can use a few grenades or maybe shoot a few rounds from the pistol from different spots to draw them away. If we manage to blow up their target successfully, we can hopefully make the explosion big enough where the Autobots can come looking. We'll be in the clear."
"That sounds like a good plan to me." Miko agreed as she carried the ax away from us. "Now we just have to find their target."
"We just need to follow the sounds of the Insecticon calls and their wings flapping." Jack said and I nodded as we headed out of the door with our supplies in hand.
We carefully made our way outside and followed the sounds of Insecticons and busted buildings. Tire tracks and large footsteps littered the ground as we got closer to what looked like some old training grounds and a clearing with nothing we could hide behind. Taking a leap of faith, we sped-walked as fast as we could to a nearby power hut protected by a large wired fence. The door to the gate was locked, but the fence itself was bent from an Insecticon that probably fell against it where we were able to sneak inside from the door.
Right as we got passed the door, an Insecticon suddenly went flying over the hut and I froze in fear. We all stayed silent in hopes that it didn't see us and it kept going. Thankfully it kept flying and we entered the power hut to keep from being seen.
"That was too close for comfort." I said as we stopped for a quick breather.
"You think big, old nasty is gone yet?" Miko asked as she pointed to a window nearby and Jack peeked out, only to widen his eyes and look away.
"We found what they were looking for." Jack motioned us to look out the window and I seen from far away an Insecticon land by some big satellites with a few more of it's kind and a red mech talking to them: Knock Out.
"So it's the satellites they're after. Now we just need to get the plan set up and pray." I said and peeked around Miko where she was peering out at the Decepticons.
Aside from the power hut we're in now, the only other spots that had decent enough cover for us was a dugout that hadn't been destroyed, a few jeeps, a bathroom and another hut that connected to a main building. The only place of escape was the hut connected to the main building and that looked like our possible getaway card.
"Jack, do you think you can get to those Jeeps on the left side? That's gonna be where we start the fire. If you need a quick getaway, I think they hide the keys somewhere in in the dash so you can get the hell out. Miko and I are gonna split up between that bathroom and that dugout to set up explosions so we can divert their attention and hopefully get them away from the satellites. Once we set up our distractions, we're gonna run to that little hut where it's connected to the building and then you light the fuse. Once you light it, you run to us and we can all hide in the building until the Autobots come for us." I explained as I pointed out the hiding spots. "I pray that this works. We only have one chance to blow the satellites to hell and I say we make it count."
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Miko nodded in understanding at gestured at the pack I held. "I call the grenades! And I'm taking my ax with me."
"Here. You get 3, I get 3 and Jack gets 4. He's the one that's gonna have less cover that us and I would feel more comfortable that neither of you use the pistol since you don't have any training whatsoever with one." I said as I handed them their grenades. "Make them count and please, please be careful. No blowing each other's faces off."
"I know I won't." Miko said and she took off with her grenades and ax to her position at the bathroom.
Jack and I took off together to the Jeeps as quick and quietly as we could. I kept my eyes on the Insecticons and Knock Out as we got closer and sped up if one of them even directly looked in our direction. We made it without them seeing and I cursed after seeing that I misjudged how close we were to them and I couldn't race to the dugout without them seeing me.
"I need to wait for Miko's distraction or I'm gonna end up being seen." I whispered to Jack as he got his stuff ready and held a grenade close. "If something goes wrong in my end, I'll shoot once but if things somehow go right, I'll shoot twice and that's your queue to light it up, alright?"
"Don't be jinxing yourself, Mari." Jack said with concern written all over his face. "If we're not allowed to die or get caught, then you aren't either."
Before I could say anything else, a giant explosion made me jump and let out a squeak. Jack and I peeked out and looked at where the explosion came from and seen a few jeeps on fire on the other side of the bathroom where Miko was supposed to be hiding at. There was no sign of her so she must've ran to the building. The Insecticons were starting to head that direction minus a few others and Knock Out, so I took off running before they could turn back around and see me.
I immediately ducked into the dugout and tried to calm my ragged breathing. Once I got it under some control, I carefully peeked my head up to see if any of them had seen me. Luckily, their eyes were still on the burning vehicles that the other Insecticons started poking at and I took that as my queue to start using my distractions. I looked around the dugout and found a few supplies left behind from possible recruits when the Decepticons arrived. There were a few more grenades and it counted up to 6 grenades total.
I took one of the grenades, pulled the pin and threw it as far away as I could before ducking down and counting to three. The sound made me jump and I did my best to do my impression of a Mario run throughout the dugout to keep from being seen. I repeated the action with a second grenade and ran to the end of the dugout before tossing a third grenade. As the explosion went off, the flapping of giant wings got closer and I held my breath as I prayed not to be seen. Once they were gone, I peeked up to see only Knock Out and one last Insecticon still standing by the satellites and on the lookout.
"Shit." I whispered to myself. "I need them away from that thing."
With Insecticons right close, I couldn't run through the dugout without them possibly seeing me and my arm can't throw that well from where I'm at to make the Insecticons go farther away. Deciding to take the risk, I put the remaining grenades in the pack, pulled the pin to one and quickly stood up to toss it at the Insecticons before taking cover.
The explosion and their surprised roars must've meant that worked and footsteps started getting closer.
"You insects probably set off testing bombs the humans placed around for their training purposes. It's not like they can do much damage to you." a snarky kind of voice came from Knock Out and I knew exactly why no one liked him. "All of the humans left because they knew we would eradicate them if they got in our way and the Autobots are being led farther away with each passing minute so we can get what we need. Now the sooner you insects stop fooling around and get to work, the sooner we can get back to the warship."
I carefully peeked out from the dugout and seen Knock Out with the Insecticons and peeked over at the now unguarded satellite. Jack was already running and pouring the cooking oil as fast as he could and had to stop halfway to go and get the other container. I had tuned out most of the conversation with the Cons in favor of watching Jack and I looked back at them. Knock Out rolled his optics and started to turn-
I screamed so loud that my throat stung and I heard my heartbeat in my ears. I didn't even think before I did it, I was just focused on them not spotting Jack. I opened my eyes, not even realizing that I closed them, to find the Insecticons and Knock Out with optics on me and clear surprise on Knock Out's face.
"Well, what do you know? There is a human here." Knock Out said and I ran through the dugout.
Footsteps made me lose my balance and a hand suddenly blocked my view. I stopped just before it could grab me and I turned the other way, only to have that way blocked by a hand as well. I quickly got to the ladder and pulled myself out of the dugout, but got stopped by a foot planting itself in front of me.
"I could have easily stepped on you, but I wouldn't want to ruin my paint with your organic junk." Knock Out sneered from above and I ducked around his leg and about ran into one of the Insecticons. "You won't be able to get away, so stop running. It's useless."
"You wouldn't manhandle a woman though, would you?" I asked as I turned around to face him.
"You're barely out of youngling-hood, dear. Why are you in one of your human military bases? You're not a soldier." Knock Out asked as he looked me over from where he stood and I peeked away to see Jack high-tailing it back to his hiding place; maybe he done his part in the plan.
"Don't you know it's rude to try and guess a lady's age? Shame on you." I shook my head and tried to buy Jack enough time as I watched him duck back into his hiding place.
One of the Insecticons got closer and I stepped away as fast as I could in fear.
"Keep your dogs away from me. I don't feel like being eaten today." I said.
"I wish I could say that they don't bite, but that would be lying. Now come here." Knock Out finally reached out to me and I stepped back real fast. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I can't stop them from playing fetch if you run."
"Please don't." I pleaded and he still reached down to grab me around the middle and lifted me off the ground. "Just don't let them eat me. I'm too young to be eaten!"
"For someone who has never seen one of us before, you're taking it real well." Knock Out observed as he studied me over. "Tell me, human, have you ever been in the presence of a Cybertronian before."
"No. You guys seemed cool up until you had the intent to kill." I lied between my teeth and looked at the ground. "I'm afraid of heights and being eaten by your dogs."
"You seem like a fascinating case for study. I suppose you don't have any family waiting for you out there?" Knock Out said and I carefully started to pull out the pistol I hid in the waistband of my jeans.
"Not here. They're farther away." I said. "And hopefully so is Miko."
"Did you just say 'Miko'?" Knock Out asked, optics going wide as I watched Jack pop out and start waving his hands like a madman.
"Eeyup. I hope whatever you guys were after wasn't all that important." I said as I pulled the pistol free, aimed it upwards and shot twice for our signal. "LIGHT IT UP, JACK!"
"Jack!? You're with the Autobots!" Knock Out pieced the puzzle together and I nervously smiled as I watched a flame shoot towards the satellites.
All eyes were on the oil-charged flames as they shot forward to their intended destination. And then suddenly, the flames just stopped in their tracks and just kept burning the grass and stuff beside it. A good 5 feet stood between the planted grenades and the flame Jack lit and a heavy rock of dread hit the bottom of my stomach.
"So that was your plan to destroy the satellites?" Knock Out scoffed as his grip tightened on me and I tried not to hyperventilate. "How pathetic. You all, go find the other two Autobot pets. I've got this one."
"JACK, MIKO, RUN!" I screamed and attempted to get out of Knock Out's hand, but it was useless as the Insecticons roared and transformed. "Don't hurt them, please! They're just kids!"
"And you are still just as much as a child as they are." Knock Out said as he walked back towards the satellites. "But you may not live to see much more. Now hand over that weapon before I break you."
I did my best to calm down so I could process the words. If I give up the pistol, I still couldn't fire randomly to warn the Autobots if they were near. Even if I tried to shoot Knock Out, it wouldn't do much damage and Knock Out would carry out his threat if I did. I looked back and forth between the red optics that glared at me and the other sharp-tipped hand that was held out for the pistol.
"The weapon. Now." Knock Out growled and I swallowed nervously. "I won't ask again."
I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. When I opened my eyes, I slowly lifted the pistol and held it out to Knock Out's waiting hand. Before I dropped it, I looked to the satellites that seemed close enough in range and prayed that what happened next didn't kill me.
"Not happening, you giant walking cherry." I spat and took aim.
"Don't you-"
I fired the last few rounds in the pistol at the satellite with the pack of grenades at it. On the last shot, I felt all of the air leave my body as Knock Out squeezed me and turned sharply to the side. I dropped the pistol and looked up in time to watch something light up.
The deafening sound of an explosion filled my ears and suddenly, I'm in freefall. I hit the ground with a thud and I couldn't breathe. My back hurt and my head felt jarred, my neck feeling like I got bad whiplash. Air found it's way back into my lungs after a second and I gasped and sputtered as I took a moment to recover. My ears rang a little and I could feel heat everywhere like summer weather. After a minute of catching my breath, I sat up slowly with a wince and looked at my surroundings.
The satellites has been blown to smithereens and the one beside of it fell over and the one to the other side was on fire. An Insecticon was already over there to survey the damage and some of the others were starting to join it. Knock Out was crouched down a few feet away from me, shielding his head and still within grabbing distance from me.
Taking the moment to make sure I didn't have broken bones, I stood up on shaking legs and started to run. As I started gaining a little more speed, I overheard Knock Out shouting something before the sound of familiar transforming came from behind me.
I gasped and ran faster towards the buildings that could at least give me enough hiding space, daring myself to not turn around in fear of tripping. All at once, a fierce motor got so loud in my ears and suddenly, something knocked into my legs and sent me falling sideways.
I screeched as I fell inside the passenger side seat of Knock Out and felt the door close against my legs. I sat up immediately and grabbed the handle, trying to pull the door open, only to hear the 'click' of the lock kick in.
I squeaked when the seat belt suddenly wrapped around me like snakes to keep me in place. I tried to struggle against them, but they held me back to the seat and rubbed painfully against my skin.
"No! Let me go!" I shouted and tried to kick at the dash, but the seat belt maneuvered to where they held my legs down.
"You little parasites blew up the satellites and compromised out position to the Autobots! Lord Megatron will have my paint for this!" Knock Out growled angrily as the rear view mirror flicked my way, feeling his glare through the glass. "And if he has my paint, then I will have your fleshy hide in return."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You might mess up your nails, miss-priss." I snarked back, feeling glad the plan worked out with only a few kinks. "Or you might scratch your hands on-"
I got cut off when a seat belt strand wrapped around my mouth and held me tightly.
"It would be wise to keep your trap shut before I silence you with more...'violent' means." Knock Out threatened and squeezed the seat belt around my mouth and I froze.
The only thing I could do now is try and see which direction he was taking me. I couldn't really move my head around, so I looked out the windshield and watched the trees and buildings go by in a flash.
A 'bang' sent Knock Out swerving with a shout and me grunting when the seat belts pulled against me. Knock Out stopped and I groaned in relief when the seat belts stopped pulling on me.
"What's your hurry, Doc Knock?" a familiar, cocky voice filled my eardrums: Smokescreen! "Missing a hot date with your buffer?"
"I'm going to be late for a surgery, if you must know." Knock Out said as I tried to look around one of the seats for Smokey. The seat belts retracted as Knock Out started to shift into robot-mode and I gasped as I slid through all of the mechanical shifting into Knock Out's palm. "And my patient, here, isn't up to any visitors. They're bad for her health right now."
Knock Out turned around and held me out like a shield and I focused on Smokescreen, who had his blasters out at the ready and a surprised look on his face once his optics made contact with me.
"Mari!?" Smokescreen exclaimed and took a step forward, glaring holes at Knock Out. "Let go of her, Decepi-freak!"
"My patient got herself into some trouble by messing around where she shouldn't be. As her doctor, I don't think it would be wise to let her go without properly diagnosing her." Knock Out said as he put one of his fingers against my neck. "Stand down before I break that pretty neck of hers. I'm leaving and she's coming with me."
"Smokey, I swear I had a plan that worked but this wasn't supposed to happen!" I babbled and closed my mouth when Knock Out pressed the tip of his finger harder against my neck.
"It might not work out for you, my dear, but so long as I get a lab rat out of this mess I believe everything works out perfectly." Knock Out said and Smokey growled before pausing and putting away his blasters.
"Hey, Doc, do you ever pay attention to human sports? There's a popular one I like called baseball. And I happen to be a pretty good catch." Smokey said with a hard emphasis on 'catch'.
I didn't have any clue what he meant until I was suddenly slung forward and I shrieked. Something warm encased me and I felt myself immediately slow down and the adrenaline kicked in.
"I gotcha, Mari!" Smokey's face was all I could see and he was running, the sounds of two Cybertronians fighting in the background fading as he did.
"What the hell was that!?" I asked once I got my voice back.
"Arcee jumped him from behind and I caught you before you could hit the ground." Smokey explained. "What are you doing out here? I thought you told me you didn't want to ever be out here with us whenever there are Decepticons around to get you?"
"One word: Miko." I summed it up and Smokey nodded. "She and Jack are back around the other end of the base. I don't think any of the Insecticons got to them, but they're in danger and we need to find them ASAP."
"Right. Which way did they go?" Smokey asked as he transformed around me and I ended up in the driver's seat.
"Over there near the smoke. We blew up the satellites." I said and pointed to where the smoke grew heavy over a building. "We were trying to help you by not letting the Cons take what they wanted and alerting you guys at the same time. The plan had a small hitch or two and I got caught so Jack wouldn't."
"Well, at least your knight in shining armor came to your rescue, princess." Smokey joked and I chuckled, hearing the 'wink' in his voice.
"That was terrible, Smokey." I rolled my eyes and tried not to blush.
"No way, I'm getting better at making you blush." Smokey said and immediately stopped when some Insecticons came into view.
The Insecticons were trying to crush the cafeteria hall into pieces for something. I seen through the window the shape of two humans trying to escape the falling roof and grabby hands that poked through the windows.
"Jack and Miko are in there!" I exclaimed and pointed at the cafeteria hall before Smokey transformed and set me down by a nearby building.
"Stay here and out of sight. I'll comm the others to come help me save them and we'll have you bridged back to base." Smokey ordered.
"Smokescreen..." I started as he stood. "Just...please be careful and don't let them get eaten by those cockroaches."
"You got it, princess." Smokey winked and headed off to fight.
Smokescreen shot at the bugs and they let out viscous calls as they turned their attention to him. Smokescreen managed to kill one and the others charged at him. One stayed behind to keep grabbing at Jack and Miko.
Miko quickly tossed something out of one of the large holes in the building near the bug before running off. An explosion made me shield my eyes for a second and the Insecticon roared as it crashed to the ground. They both ran through one of the bigger holes and I ran out so they could see me as I waved my arms wildly.
"JACK, MIKO, HAUL ASS!" I screamed as blaster fire seemed to rain from Smokescreen's battle to the side and they rushed over. "Guys, are you alright?"
"We're alright. We just got cornered by that guy and his friends, but I found some dynamite and chucked it at his face!" Miko exclaimed with a smile and disheveled hair sticking up in all directions.
"Which way did Smokescreen go?" Jack asked and I realized the fighting was gone with no Cybertronians in sight.
"We just need to follow the sounds of the fight and we'll find him and the other Bots." I said as we headed back near the way we came from. "That's where-"
I stopped short when three Vehicons were suddenly right in front of us and took in that there was no where to hide or any doors to run to. We're fucked.
"Fuck! Haul ass into the trees!" I turned tail and ran for the safety of the trees where they hopefully wouldn't catch us.
"We're toast!" Jack yelled as we burst through the bushes and low-hanging branches.
Loud engines and wheels on dirt turned into transforming and whirring of blasters that had us going faster. The Vehicons steps slowly got closer and they fired a few shots at us. One got too close and I tripped, sprawling forward.
"Mari!" Jack and Miko both shouted and I looked up in time to watch a blast destroy a tree near us. I covered my head and screamed as branches and debris fell near or on me.
"Hold it right there, meat sacks!" one of the Vehicons shouted and they surrounded us. "L3NNY, tell Knock Out we have the humans and are about to head in his direction."
"Are you sure we can't just toss them off the cliff, D3NNY? I'd love to see one go 'splat' from this height." one of the other Vehicons said and I sat back to scoot away from the last one closest to me.
"I'd like to see you try, Con!" Miko defended herself with a hefty branch as a weapon and Jack held onto a smaller branch and hovered over me. "Bulkhead will smash your ugly mug in before you could do it! Go away!"
"Well that was cute." the one called L3NNY said as he bent down to pick the branch out of Miko's hands ans she exclaimed as he picked her up.
"Miko-NO!" Jack yelled as he met the same fate and another hand grabbed me by the back of the shirt.
"This one must be scared. It hasn't said anything since we arrived." the unamed Con said as I tried not to get choked by my collar.
"You're gonna choke me!" I flailed and tried to pull myself up from his fingers.
"Hey, Cons! Catch!" Smokescreen's voice echoed as he and Wheeljack both jumped out of the trees and knocked into the Cons holding Jack and Miko. They caught Jack and Miko as a bomb came flying at us from Smokesreen's hand.
"K3NNY, look out!" L3NNY yelled before getting shot in the head and K3NNY took a few steps backwards, placing me in his hand as D3NNY met the same fate.
The explosion was deafening and hot. I had my hands up to shield my head as K3NNY let out a scream of pain and we started sailing backwards.
"MARI!" comes a frightened scream from Jack and I hold a hand out to them as gravity pulled K3NNY down, not on his back, but off the cliff they mentioned before.
I don't scream, but I hold onto dear life to the hand that held me and try to breathe properly as my hair whipped in my face. K3NNY was either dead or knocked out because he made no noise as we fell. The fall lasted about 15 seconds before K3NNY's backside hit the water whith his arms in the air and me still in his hand.
I felt pain on my left side as the hand that held me hit the water with less force than I imagined and concentrated on holding my breath. I'm not a professional swimmer, but I could still hold my breath for a while. I let the pain subside and did my best to keep from breathing through my nose as we started to sink. I pushed against the large fingers holding me tight, but they wouldn't budge.
"Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" I thought and started to panic as we sunk deeper into the water. The murkiness of the water already made it hard to see, but I could see the charred faceplate of K3NNY along with the now mangled body as the light started to fade the further down we went. Hands clawing at anything, lungs burning for air, one thing settled on my mind:
Breathe.
And CUT!
Joking, this is gonna be a two chapter thing because I've worked on this thing for too long now. I should have the next chapter within the next week or two depending on what happens.
So, Coronavirus is the reason I've managed to get this far with writing because everything is closing down and I think my town will eventually go into lock down before long. I will take this extra time when I'm not with family to complete my writing with whichever story I want. I still have to work because I work in a grocery store and I'm essential, so my time is still taken up by that. But I will continue to write and complete the works I've started.
For now, you all stay safe out there, wash your hands, don't overbuy stuff, take necessary precautions, and please be kind to everyone during this difficult time. We need to work together to bring the world back to normal and we can't do that when we're panicking and being selfish.
In the famous words of Transformers: Til All Are One!
Please read and review! Flames will be used for bonfires and roasting smores! :)