Chapter 11: Good Night, Sleep Tight Part 2
Rachel was responsible for a human, but she was barely any older than Hot Shot in terms of maturity. Optimus didn't regret leaving her to watch him along with the children, but wondered if even she would grow weary and tired of his attitude. Much of the other commanders on Cybertron certainly had.
"Optimus, sir?" Red Alert ventured. The tunnel currently around them was too cramped for transformation, and so they didn't have to speak loudly with the close proximity they had.
"Yes, Red Alert?"
"I'm worried that Hot Shot's wild imagination is beginning to affect the children. He's already convinced Carlos that this 'dragon' was real and that he and Rachel were attacked by trees." Red Alert explained. "Frankly, it's starting to become troubling that he's yet to deal with his grief."
"Perhaps it's not grief, but a symptom of loneliness." Optimus said. "Hot Shot identifies with the children, because he might feel they are the only ones who understand him. He does not have anyone to confide in since the space bridge…" he trailed off.
Red Alert though understood without him needing to continue. "Perhaps it only malfunctioned. Space bridges can be unpredictable at times. You must not blame yourself sir for what happened. He jumped in at the last moment; we do not know where he could have gone. Perhaps he's still on Cybertron and waiting to come to earth so he and Hot Shot can give me a processor ache."
Optimus chuckled lightly. It wasn't something he often did anymore, but then again Red Alert wasn't just another one of his soldiers. "Thank you…Red."
The ambulance rose a bit on his wheels, as though stiffening up, but then slowly relaxed once more. "Sir…"
Whatever Red Alert was going to say, Optimus interrupted it before he could continue. "It is my hope that I will not have to force Hot Shot to confront his issues. He shows promise, but only if he can move forward."
"Hot Shot is getting better," Red Alert sounded grudging to even say it, "he's just been restless."
"Yes, he has." Optimus let a sliver of amusement color his voice. "He does have a medic who cares about his well-being so much."
"With all due respect, sir, never tell Hot Shot this. He'll think he can get a free pass." Red Alert gripped. He went quiet, and Optimus saw him drive just a bit closer as his voice lowered to audio straining levels. "And with further respect, I care about everyone on this team."
Optimus noted that the ambulance had veered close enough that just a bit more, and he'd brush up against him. This was not the time though it had happened, and he made the boundary quite clear. "Red Alert, we can talk about this later. Right now we have a mini-con to retrieve."
Red Alert pulled away abruptly, his voice cracked with embarrassment. "Of course, I must have forgot myself for a moment. It won't happen again."
"On missions." Optimus emphasized. Red Alert didn't reply, but then he moved back in just a little bit more.
"Understood, sir."
"Hey, where'd Hot Shot go?"
Rachel's eyes widened. She looked to the side street where Hot Shot had been parked, but noticed he was suspiciously absent. Her eyes narrowed sternly. 'He'd better not have ditched us.' There was always the chance he'd simply gone to do a sweep of the perimeter, but Rachel wasn't putting it past him to go stretch his wheels the moment he thought she was distracted. 'And it worked.'
The blonde went to retrieve Alexis, who'd been leaning against Sureshock's moped form as she stared into a shop window. "Come on, we gotta find Hot Shot."
Alexis looked alarmed. "Did he leave us here? How are we supposed to get back home?"
"I see him, there he goes!" Carlos yelled. People jumped and gave him dirty looks, but Rachel ignored them as she saw that the boy was pointing to the end of the mall street where she could just make out the spoiler of a yellow car.
"After him!" Rachel exclaimed. She got on the back of Sureshock as Carlos hopped onto Grindor and the two mini-cons drove through the tiled street. People shouted after them as they zoomed through the crowds, but Rachel's eyes were only for the car which was rapidly getting away.
When they moved onto the subway tracks, they found themselves stopping at a fork in the tunnel. Rachel looked left to right, and gritted her teeth. "He's so gonna get it, bored or not." She then took a deep breath, and both kids covered their ears. "Hot Shot, you get back here right now!"
"Sorry!" Hot Shot called back, but it was hard to tell which tunnel it came from. "Can't find the mini-con just sitting around!"
Rachel rolled her eyes and pulled Laserbeak from her pocket, and let the machine bird circle around her head. "Go find him."
The bird beeped before taking the left tunnel, though before it did so the blonde let the bird sync up with her phone as a beacon to lead Hot Shot back. Rachel watched it go, sighing as she rubbed her brow and got off the moped.
"We might as well do our part too. No sense in just waiting around for them."
Alexis frowned. "Are you sure? What if they can't find us?"
"No worries, I charged my phone before I left home today." Rachel held up her cell, letting the girl see the sharp pinging pattern that Laserbeak would follow back. "We're only in trouble if it runs out of juice."
"You know, you're acting pretty chill." Carlos pointed out. "Not that I want you to be angry, but what's the deal?"
"Like you said, being angry isn't going to help us." Rachel's smile thinned, and both kids felt a chill run up their spines. "Though don't think I'm not mad, just not at any of you. Keep behaving and it will stay that way."
Carlos nodded nervously, and Alexis flushed as she shyly ducked her head. Even Sureshock and Grindor avoided eye contact. Satisfied, Rachel led the children down the other tunnel. She kept one eye on the debris which began littering the way, signalling that it was one of the abandoned tunnels, and on the kids and mini-cons to make sure they were safe.
The group soon found themselves in a decaying tunnel, but it looked less like a subway than the other had. There were broken glass shards around the edges where rotted doors were and cracked stone walls indented from the walls.
"This must have been an attempt to expand the shopping center." Alexis observed. "I wonder what happened to it."
"It's not that uncommon. Sometimes there's not enough funding and city officials just cut their losses, or there wasn't much interest in completing it." Rachel said.
Alexis puffed out her cheeks. "If I were President-"
"Save the platform speech for someone who cares." Carlos said.
Alexis glared at him. "Oh, and using the city's money responsibly isn't worth anyone's time?"
"Probably no one but an accountant's." Carlos muttered.
Alexis opened her mouth, but a gasped slipped out instead of another insult. She pointed up at the ceiling, her eyes widening. "I don't believe, there it is!"
Rachel frowned, but then she saw it too. In front of one of the buildings, the ceiling had cracked away enough to reveal a green panel behind crumpling drywall. "The mini-cons so far have been active, maybe this is the reason it can't get out of storage." Her frown deepened. "Help me find something to get up there. Maybe we can find a ladder around here."
The kids and the mini-cons nodded, and the group began looking through windows and peering around dusty stores. Rachel pushed aside a wooden plank from a doorway, and blinked when she spotted a ladder lying on the floor.
She smiled slightly when she found it was in good shape. "Who wants to go on up?"
Carlos looked at the ladder skeptically as Rachel pulled it out of the store. "Are you serious? I ain't getting on that thing. It could break!"
Alexis crossed her arms, smirking. "What's the matter? I thought you liked being on an adventure? And what's more adventurous than getting on a creaky ladder?"
Carlos scowled at her. "If you're so sure, why don't you go it?"
Rachel looked between them. "Believe me, if I could, I'd use it myself. I promise nothing will happen to either of you; I'll be right here holding on."
Alexis blinked, and her face reddened before she held her hand up abruptly. "I'll do it then!"
Rachel smiled gently. "That a girl." She placed the ladder against the wall, missing the way Alexis' cheeks reddened deeper. The brunette peered nervously at Rachel as she stood beside the ladder, and carefully climbed up. "Don't worry, I've got you."
Alexis stiffened, but relaxed slowly. "I know you do." She whispered and continued upwards. Rachel noticed that for Carlos' bravado, he still looked worried about Alexis' safety. Grindor patted him on the shoulder, while Sureshock kept a careful eye on Alexis as well.
Alexis put her hand on the wall to steady herself, using the other to pull and dust away from the dry wall keeping the mini-con panel encased. She let out a low grunt, her fingers grasping tightly around the panel as she tugged. "Al…most -I got it!" The panel came free, but Alexis teetered back, her foot cracking through the ladder step. "Ahhhh!"
Rachel jumped back, catching the girl before she could hit the ground. She held her securely and rocked her gently back and forth as Alexis' arms wrapped around Rachel's neck. "It's okay, I told you I wouldn't let anything happen, didn't I?" she questioned softly.
Alexis breathed heavily, her shoulders stiff. "That was so freaking scary." She whispered, her eyes lowering to her lap. "But you said you'd catch me, and you did."
Rachel smiled comfortingly. "I made a promise, and I try to keep my promises." She gently set Alexis back on her feet, and was pleasantly surprised when Sureshock beeped something and Alexis' expression softened.
"Yeah, I'm okay." She clutched the panel to her chest. "At least we got this little guy." She smiled, but her eyes widened in terror. "Look out!" she cried and jumped at Rachel, who had little time to process what happened when she was knocked to the ground and Alexis was lying on top of her.
Rachel grimaced, and saw Carlos looked scared. Her gaze followed his, and she felt a shiver of fear when she saw the hooked cable embedded in the ground where she'd been standing. Slowly, she followed the cable back to an orange and blue town truck, and it's headlights flashed menacingly. "Run!"
'Please be okay, please be okay…' Rad chanted in his head. He'd hung up on Kero after getting information on Sleep, and started running back to the theatre for Kelly. He was worried about her, but seeing Mr. Li's hard face in his head spurned him to run faster. The theatre was dark when he ran in, the screen alight as the previews had already started.
Rad sprinted up the steps, but when he got to Kelly, he jerked back from touching her. Sprinkled through Kelly's hair was a shiny powder. "Oh no." he flinched when he heard giggling ringing through the room. He looked around suspiciously, but the echoing effect added to it had him looking up at the ceiling.
Through the air vent, he saw sparkles blowing into the air. They began to cover the room, and Rad's eyes widened. He sprinted down the steps, but knew he wouldn't make it to the exit in time. "Release!" he shouted and as his key turned into the sealing wand, he pulled Windy from his pocket. "Blow away this dust, Windy!" The circle appeared beneath him, and from the card a burst of wind blew out.
The gale twisted and curled, going through the entire room to sweep up the dust. Rad saw the shiny sparkles disappear from the crowd, and Windy settled all the dust at the foot of the screen before returning to him. Rad was not enthused when none of the occupants began to stir.
'This isn't good. How am I supposed to find Sleep if she's in the vents?' He took out all the cards he'd caught over just little more than a week and thought carefully about forming a plan. He doubted using Windy to douse Sleep would work, as it seemed counterintuitive for her to be affected by her own powder. He could use one of the cards to draw Sleep out, but that didn't guarantee she'd go where he wanted her too.
This complex was huge, and she could just as easily give him the slip and he'd have to spend who-knew-how-long trying to find her. 'I need to lure her out, but how?' Sleep had her choice of candy, and so it was doubtful she'd be fooled like Rain had been in any case.
First things first though, he needed to seal off any escape routes Sleep could take.
Rad tossed Wood into the air. "Go and seal up the vent exits, Wood!" Green wisps flooded up from the card all the way to the vent, where he could hear the branches spreading along inside of it. He felt a churning in his gut, but he knew there was at least one way to get her into the open.
The blond darted out of the room, sprinting back to the lobby and looked around at the ceiling. He could still hear Wood sealing everything up, and saw leaves sticking out of the grates. "I know you can hear me!" he hollered. "I'm the one you want, isn't it? Take your best shot!"
Rad kept a close eye on his surroundings, feeling a chill run down his spine that he wasn't sure was from fear or Sleep's presence. Sparkles from above got his attention and he saw a whole shower of powder falling towards him. The blond dove for the counter, sliding under the barrister as the powder landed on the floor.
He scowled as he heard giggling, and finally got a look at the spirit. Sleep was tiny, real tiny. He hadn't seen such a small being since Sweet. 'How can the smallest cause so much trouble?'
She was a very light blue, wearing a one piece suit with a six-pointed star on her front collar, on the insoles of her pointed slippers, and on her forehead surrounded by two crescent moons. Her hair was short and wild, while one ear was feathered and oversized, matching the wings on her back. Sleep waved her wand with a crescent moon tip, and blue powder flowed from it. Rad ducked back to avoid it landing at his feet.
"You little stinker. Don't you know it's not nice to mess with people at the movies?" Rad asked.
Sleep only smirked at him. She jabbed her wand straight for him, and Rad rolled behind the counter.
"You're not getting me that easily." He hissed, but her giggle implied she was thinking the same thing as she flew back into the air and circled around his hiding spot.
He watched her soar to the hall where the theatres were, and he knew what he had to do. Rad didn't know what would happen with Wood if he used another card, so he had to make this count.
The blond followed after Sleep, keeping to the wall as he checked inside each theatre until he found her silhouette across one of the silver screens. He crept up the steps, keeping low as she stared at the movie playing, her head tilted to the side.
He opened his mouth, but even as Sleep looked at him sharply, he still pressed forward. He tossed Windy into the air as Sleep pointed her wand toward him. "Become a binding chain, Windy!" Yellow streams burst from the card, swirling around the spirit and tightened around her. Rad then pointed the wand at Sleep. "Return to your power confine, Sakura Card!"
The tiny spirit was slowly sucked into the shell card which appeared, and floated to him once the sealing was done. Rad sighed as she looked over the card, noting absently that the star on Sleep's forehead was green on her picture.
'I think I'm getting better.' He thought tentatively hopeful. Sure, Create was still a black mark against him, but he was gaining a definite track record of successful sealings.
The person in the seat he was standing next to groaned, turning in their chair as they rubbed their head. Rad knew that was his cue to leave, and ducked out of the theatre before anyone noticed him. When he got back to his own movie, Kelly was rubbing her eyes.
She blinked owlishly up at him. "What took you so long?"
Rad shrugged. "Turns out I was the one who needed some air. I miss anything good?"
Kelly furrowed her brow as she looked at the screen, her expression confused and wry. "I honestly couldn't tell you."
Red Alert could be patient, unfailingly so, but when Hot Shot skidded to a stop in front of them without the children or mini-cons, Optimus did not fault him for snapping. At least this once. "How could you have left them behind? You were given orders to stay with them and you couldn't even do that!"
"Hey!" Hot Shot retorted sharply. "It's not like I just left them with the Decepticons around. They're probably back at that mall. I'm pretty sure we'd know if something was wrong."
Not a moment later, a little orange bird flew in and circled around Hot Shot before landing on Optimus' hood. The Autobot leader tried to keep his own voice steady. "You were saying?"
"Uh, they're still waiting?" Hot Shot didn't sound sure though.
"Perhaps I should have taken Rachel's suggestion and gave their suits a communicator function." Red Alert said.
"That's it! We can just call Rachel." Hot Shot bounced on his shock absorbers. "No big deal. Hey-Ray-whoa! Slow down, what's wrong?"
Concerned, Optimus took charge. "Red Alert, open the line."
"Yes, sir." The ambulance replied and Optimus could hear Rachel's ragged breathing on the other line.
"Rachel, what is happening? Are the children alright?"
"The kids are alright-at least for now. Hot Shot though is dead when I get my hands on him!" Rachel snarled, her voice sputtering like she was on the move. "He left us with a Decepticon. It's chasing us and we need help!"
"What? I-I-I didn't know!" Hot Shot protested, but Rachel cut him off severely.
"Just get us out of here; Laserbeak has my co-ordinates." Then the line cut off, and there was only static.
Optimus didn't waste time; he pre-emptively halted any more of Hot Shot's protests or Red Alert's remarks. "Mechs, you heard her. We must aid the children immediately. Laserbeak, lead the way."
The bird beeped before taking off, and Optimus hoped they wouldn't be too late.
"Do…do you think it's gone?"
Rachel peered around the door in the old subway card they had taken refuge in. She'd heard the truck drive by, and couldn't see it. "I'm not sure, Carlos, but I don't hear anything." She looked back to see Carlos' scared face, and Alexis was curled over the mini-con panel, her eyes shut tightly as both Grindor and Sureshock tried to comfort them.
"This was a terrible idea." Alexis whispered. She must have been too frightened to even glare at Rachel for allowing this, or Carlos for suggesting it.
Rachel though did blame herself. She was supposed to keep them all safe, but it was feeling uncomfortably like that day in the mountains. That had ended better than she could have hoped, but would they be so lucky a second time? This Decepticon knew it wouldn't just be her down here if she tried to lead it away like she had done to the other 'Cons before. 'I can't let them get hurt-I won't let them get hurt.'
Determination rose within her, and she made herself look as strong as she wanted to feel. "Listen, we're going to be okay. We'll find the Autobots and then get the heck out of here." She put her hands on their shoulders and squeezed gently. "We need to move though, okay? Just stay with your mini-cons and don't let go."
Alexis' expression crumpled in horror. "No, you're gonna do it again!" she gripped Rachel's arm tightly. "You can't leave us-what if you don't come back?"
"If it'll keep you safe, I'd do this a million times." Rachel said firmly. She pried the mini-con panel from Alexis' fingers and replaced it with her cell. "If we run into anything, the mini-cons will take you back to the mall, and wait for the Autobots there."
"What about you?" Carlos asked.
Rachel's mouth tightened grimly. "I'll double back and meet you there too." 'Hopefully.' She couldn't think like that though, and after coaxing both of the kids out of the cart, she reassured them again. "Remember, don't let go."
Rachel cautiously took point, peering around corners as they made their trek back to the mall. The walls began to look familiar, but she was really starting to hate fork in the roads. Around them the tunnel shook, and when the wall burst open, Rachel only had a moment to act before the dust cleared. "Go!"
Both Grindor and Sureshock took off at mach speed, their wheels screeching against the ground as they zoomed down the left tunnel.
Rachel waved the mini-con panel when one of the 'Cons glanced at the fleeing children. "Hey! Looking for this?"
Megatron's head snapped over to her, his eyes flaring maliciously. "Insect." He growled. "You're still alive-how unfortunate."
Rachel could admit that this 'Con still scared her, but she wasn't as frightened as she'd been the first or second time they'd met. Perhaps she'd grown numb to facing mortal danger, or if her protective instincts were already in high gear. "And you're still a dick, I see."
Megatron narrowed his optics. "You must know you can't possibly win."
"Who says it's about winning?" Rachel asked as she crouched slightly, her legs tensing. Like a runner, Rachel launched herself back down the tunnel, and she could hear the Decepticon leader's roar.
"Blasted ceiling!" His antlers must have gotten knocked against the top of the cavern. "Shoot her!"
"What about the mini-con panel?" Starscream questioned, only for Rachel to hear a loud smack.
"I've grown tired of your backtalk-just do it!" Megatron howled.
Rachel jumped when the first blast struck close at her heels, debris flicking against her back. She ducked to the side and avoided another shot, but the sight of a dreaded truck driving towards her made her queasy. It served to distract her though, and she screeched when a shot hit her in the back.
The panel fell from her fingers as she skidded along the ground. Her back felt sore, and she was grimly aware that had she not been wearing the mesh she'd have a hole blown through her. 'This is just great.' She gritted her teeth, wincing as she struggled to get up. She fell back though, biting back a scream as pain shot through her. 'I'll be lucky if it just bruises.' When Cyclonus walked up to scoop up the panel, she amended the statement as he pointed his wrist gun at her. 'Scratch that, lucky to live.'
"Say goodnight, organic. It's not been fun."
Rachel jerked her chin up defiantly, but before she could find out if the suit would protect her from a point blank shot, another voice cut in.
"Not so fast!"
The blonde was shocked when a familiar hook shot over her and knocked the 'copter's arm away, deflecting the shot to the wall beside him.
Cyclonus looked just as surprised, stepping back even. "A-another Autobot?"
Rachel's eyes widened. 'What?!' she craned her neck, and behind her was a blue and orange robot. The one who'd tried to run her and the others down was protecting her now? It didn't make any sense, but right there on his chest she could see the Autobot symbol displayed.
"It doesn't matter how many Autobots Prime has," Megatron growled and he powered his cannon, "I'll blast through you all!"
"Is that so, Megatron?" A more familiar voice interjected. Rachel looked beyond the Decepticons as Megatron glared over his shoulder at the trio of Autobots who had transformed and levelled their weapons pointed at the Decepticons. "You're surrounded."
Megatron scowled, grounding his teeth before his gaze settled darkly on Rachel. "Soon, insect." He hissed, his tone then turning bitter. "We have what we came for-" his mouth twisted-"retreat." He spat, his form then dissipating.
The other 'Cons all looked at each other, but followed suit.
Rachel spotted the children lagging behind the Autobots, but they backed up when they saw the orange bot. She didn't blame them, and backed up as well when he looked down at her.
"Sorry about earlier. I must not have been in my right processor." He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression startlingly sheepish. "I just kinda…freaked. It's felt like forever since I've last seen anyone-hope I didn't scare you too bad."
Rachel stared at him blankly as she processed what he was saying. The words rang in her head, but she found logic failing her. 'He calls trying to kill us 'scaring us'? Robots can get cabin fever?' It didn't stick though, and suspicion coursed through her. She saw Hot Shot approach, his expression so earnest and open that she felt her insides freeze when he spoke, his tone filled with a pleading kind of hope.
"Smokescreen? I thought…the accident at the space bridge…" he trailed off, tongue-tied.
The orange bot reached out and pulled Hot Shot into a friendly headlock, rubbing his knuckle over his head. "It was crazy. I go through just as the slagging bridge malfunctions. Some way to start a mission, huh? Sorry to have kept you waiting, buddy."
Hot Shot wriggled, trying to pull himself out of the new Autobot's hold. Rachel just kept staring at them, her brain still trying to comprehend this into something that made sense.
'He's Hot Shot's friend, he's an Autobot-damn it.' Rachel's logic took her a place which left a bitter taste in her mouth. They couldn't start something here, but the blonde stuck close to the children and the mini-cons, her insides churning with distrust as she kept a suspicious eye on Smokescreen.
It had not been a bad day, Rad was happy to find. Aside from Sleep causing havoc at the movie theatre, and getting glared at by Mr. Li when he'd picked Kelly up and dropped her back off at her house, nothing too bad had happened.
So it was with rapt attention that Rad listened to Rachel's account of what went on. Any envy he may have felt at being left behind was squashed with the mention of rogue vehicles and megalomaniacal aliens.
"So there's a new Autobot, huh?" Rad asked once Rachel was finished.
His cousin nodded. "His name's Smokescreen." Her face went stony then. "I've already told Carlos and Alexis this, so I'll repeat it once more. Be careful around him."
Rad blinked. "I thought you said he saved you?"
"That doesn't negate what he did before that." Rachel retorted. "Look, I'm not saying he was out to get us, but there's something wrong. If he really did have cabin fever, I'm not sure I want him around any of you until he's dealt with it." Her gazed lowered. "Please don't fight me on this, a lot's happened today."
'A lot's happened to you in general.' Rad amended silently; his cousin had been almost stabbed, she'd been shot at, and then spent time being checked by Red Alert while shooting nervous glances at Smokescreen.
For Rachel's sake, Rad would abide by her rule. He hugged her, but let go when Rachel winced. She grimaced. "Sorry, but turns out that getting shot through mesh leaves a bruise," she still managed to roll her eyes in self-deprecation, "who knew?"
"So what was Red Alert's diagnosis then?"
"I take it easy, and to check with my earth doctor should things not clear up." Rachel replied. She shrugged, only wincing mildly.
Rad didn't like seeing her hurt, but couldn't deny that it was better than seeing her dead. "Well, I'm glad you're…relatively okay."
Rachel chuckled dryly. "So am I."
