Chapter 28: Deep, Dark, Watery End Part 1
(Alternative Title: Not How It Was Supposed To Be)
In a darkened night that covered an empty intersection on a highway, the sky opened up in colors of blues and greens, with a glowing white form falling to the ground. The tunnel closed as swiftly as it appeared, and through the darkness, headlights shined as a blue, gray, and red motorbike came careening onto the highway, and area above the empty driver seat fizzled as a human form appeared.
The engine gunned, and the motorbike picked up the speed along the dark stretch of road.
It took getting Swoop's ship almost a day to work, even with the pilot himself there to help. Swoop was at least more pleasant to speak to than Optimus and Red Alert's brief interaction with Grimlock; Swoop still had a brash, snarky way of talking – to Optimus, as Swoop seemed more interested in Red Alert's profession as a medical officer than to talk trash to him as well.
Though the repair time did give them a chance to talk about what happened. "Everything went off-kilter, like I was going to sleep," Swoop had explained, "fragged me up real bad, that I thought was I was just going through a bad recharge."
"Do you know what caused your mutation?" Optimus asked.
Swoop shook his head, and had looked severely annoyed. "No, just saw a weird black thorn coming at me and I felt like – like I just wanted to hunt down all mini-cons and…well…" he trailed off, but his tone said enough.
Though his words had caused alarm. Something compelled him to destroy the mini-cons? "Anything else?" Red Alert prompted. Swoop shook his head again, and further explained he hadn't been able to recall anything beyond the pull he felt on Grimlock and his team being mentioned.
And when the engines finally started up, Swoop grinned and brought up his flight trajectory. A pattern showed the star charts to what could only be Grimlock's ship. "I'd love to stay and talk, Big Red, but that would be lying." Swoop said.
Optimus shook his head. "Have a safe trip back, Swoop." He said politely.
Red Alert couldn't believe how unfailingly calm Optimus could be in dealing with the unit, but he frowned when Swoop turned to him next. What he said though floored the medic.
"I've always been interested in being a medic; you ever get tired of scrounging it on this mudball, I'd loooveee to get some hands-on training if you're up for it." Swoop tilted his head, optic band flashing in a wink. Red Alert was baffled, wondering if he'd just actually been hit on.
Optimus' helm fins twitched, gold optics narrowed slightly. "Goodbye, Swoop." He said with that same politeness, but underneath was a hard edge.
Swoop snorted, flicking his digits as he went back to the console. "Whatever," he retorted, but glanced back at Red Alert, "though my offer still stands."
"And I will have to decline." Red Alert said. "I am needed here." Swoop shrugged, and he waited until Optimus and Red Alert had vacated the ship, where both watched as the door closed and turned completely invisible once more.
They both heard the sound of engines taking off, and after informing Rachel things should be settling back down, both Red Alert and Optimus allowed themselves to be warped back to the base for a brief rest.
Rad felt the wind underneath him, fear and exhilaration coursing through him as he held the front of the wand. Behind him, the wings on the staff's circle had enlarged, providing him with the lift Kero said would let him fly around. Quite literally, as Rad found once he saw what Fly's power was.
He closed his eyes, letting the disappointment and despair wash away. His mother hadn't answered his calls, too busy-always too busy lately…
A sudden rush of coldness coursed through him. Rad's eyes snapped open, and he saw a jet of water lashing at him from nothing. Rad pulled the wand, steering left to avoid the stream but another tendril launched at him. Rad had no idea where they were coming from, or why the presence felt so cold and hateful-he froze as he saw a flash of dark blue eyes and serpentine hissing, the briefest flash of blue, webbed claws that slashed at him.
Rad screamed, his whole body tilting as he found himself falling-right out of his seat. He landed on the floor of his classroom.
"Mr. White!" His English teacher shouted, pausing from reading a passage of his book. "Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"
Rad's face was red, flushed to the roots as he scrambled back into his chair. "N-no. I'm fine."
The teacher nodded, but his concern turned stern. "Then stop sleeping in class and get more rest at home. This tiredness of yours is interfering with your school work."
Rad looked at his desk as students snickered, and he wished the floor would swallow him up. Though he was also left uneasy. That dream had been visceral, even more than the others. The sensations of using Fly on Sunday, of going out because he was disappointed his mother hadn't wanted to talk to him…remembering it all now put a damper on the fact Rachel was currently back at the apartment sleeping off the time zone difference.
And when she'd see his face if only made him imagine her freak-out over it.
It was just one more thing that kept his mind distracted throughout the rest of the day. He'd spent it avoiding Alexis and Carlos during the rest of the time, or throwing half-hearted insults back at Billy, but nothing relieved him more than to hear the sound of the bell ringing and signaling the end of the school day.
"Rad!" The blond tensed as he halted on the sidewalk a block from the school, uneasy as Alexis rode up on Sureshock. The brunette looked serious and clenched her hands into fists as if gearing up for something. "Is it okay if I come over and see Rachel?"
Rad found himself unwinding, just a touch. His friends trying to talk to him about him was something he was not ready for, but this… "Okay." He said quietly, and Alexis smiled, but Rad flinched when all he could see was the scowl, the betrayal and anger on her face. Rad avoided looking at Alexis as she insisted on giving him a ride to the apartment.
"I'm so glad Rachel's back, aren't you?" Alexis asked.
"Of course." Rad replied, his voice strained.
"She's so smart, I bet she passed her exam with no trouble at all!" Alexis gushed, and Rad felt Sureshock's annoyance.
"You're so sappy, like some turbofox following at the heels." She said.
Alexis stiffened, and Rad could see the blush staining her cheeks, working to her ears. "That's not true!" she retorted. "I just think Rachel's going to make a great paleontologist."
"She's just going to be digging up bones, isn't she?" Sureshock sounded less impressed, but in a bored way than out of any spitefulness. Alexis still turned redder and remained stubbornly silent on the rest of the ride to the apartment.
Rad was rather grateful, as it gave less of a chance for Alexis to speak to him, and potentially ask about why he was avoiding her and Carlos. He silently promised to get Sureshock some oil to thank her for this inadvertent distraction. The journey from the lobby to Rachel's floor level was a mercifully short one, and Rad opened the door after using his potted plant key. "Ray? You up?" he called, before he saw her standing in the kitchen.
His cousin was still in her cotton pajamas, pink with white stripes and frills along the collar and wrists. Her hair was disheveled and hung in her face as her sleepy blue eyes blinked at him. Still, she was here, and that's what mattered. "Oh, hey Rad, Alexis." She said, turning back to her brewing coffee.
Alexis fidgeted as she stiffly walked into the apartment, her face practically glowing red to such a degree that Rad worried she'd pass out. Had she caught the same bug as Kelly? "It's nice to see you're back." She whispered.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, really great sleep too." Rachel said. Then, as if the full sight of him caught up to her, Rachel froze. Slowly, she looked back at them, the sleep gone from her gaze, which was now narrowed at the bruise on Rad's face, the purplish coloring now fading to yellow, while his lip was scabbed over. "Who. Did. That?"
Alexis ducked in her seat, and even Sureshock kept her head down as Rad was put on the spot.
"It, well…" Rad trailed off, "it was an accident. Just-ah-fell."
Rachel's face darkened, her eyes narrowing further. "Don't lie to me, tell me the truth."
"Y-you can't do anything." Rad said softly. "They're kids too and-"
"Rad," Rachel cut him off, her expression still severe, but her voice softened, "let me handle this. Now tell me who did this."
"A-after." Rad said. "Just don't want to spoil your first day back."
Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose, but relented when she glanced at Alexis. "Fine." She grumbled. "I was thinking breakfast for dinner-how's that sound?"
"Sounds good." Rad said. "And Sideways said he'd take me to get my stuff later, is that okay?"
Rachel held his gaze for a moment longer, scrutinizing him. She sighed heavily. "Fine, but you give me the names of those brats who did that to you." Rad nodded, and the blonde looked at Alexis. "Will you be staying for dinner?"
Alexis perked up, blushing. "Can I?" she asked softly, and Rachel nodded. Alexis' blush darkened as she hurried to pick up their land line. "Okay, I'll call my parents and ask if it's alright."
"Rad, get the ingredients." Rachel said, finishing up her coffee while the blond nodded. She set aside her mug, and grabbed the skillet and turned on the stove.
Rad was relieved when his cousin dropped the subject somewhat, but wondered if it was pointless to tell her who hurt him, but he couldn't deny that the fact she showed some concern for his injury relieved him. He listened to Alexis talking her mother, and caught the tail end of Alexis saying she'd be back right after dinner.
Alexis hung up the phone, and blushed as she looked at Rachel. "C-can you walk me home after?"
Rachel raised her brow, and Rad felt Sureshock's irritation. "Can't Sureshock drive you back?"
The brunette blushed harder. "Oh, right." She said quietly, and sat morosely at the table. "So, how was your exam?"
"Finished by the skin of my teeth and hoping I passed." Rachel quipped. "Got myself a Pteranodon." She smirked, as though it were some sort of in-joke. She blinked when her cell phone rang, and took the skillet off the burner as she answered it with a smile. "Hi, Stella. Hmm? No, just woke up and making dinner for my cousin and his friend."
Rad mixed up the pancake batter, but noticed Alexis was looking at the table as though she wanted the floor to swallow her up. "You okay? Wanna help me?"
"No." Alexis muttered.
"Wow, you're so rude." Sureshock said. Alexis glared at her, and Rad furrowed his brow as he heated up the bacon.
The blond could make pancakes, but Rachel didn't trust him to cook anything that was bloody unless she was looking over his shoulder to make sure it was cooked. He wondered who 'Stella' was, but assumed it was someone Rachel met on her dig, a classmate? Rad shrugged to himself, and let the pancake mix land in the skillet.
And soon enough Rad just enjoyed making dinner with his cousin and sitting to eat with her. Oh, and Alexis, who bizarrely was still red in the face and almost pouting. "Uh, is it that bad?" Rad asked.
The brunette grimaced. "No, it's good." She said.
"Still, if you're not feeling well, then I guess I'd better make sure you get home since Sureshock can't exactly call anyone." Rachel said. As she finished off her supper and got up, Alexis blushed again and smiled to herself. "Plus, I've still got some things to do yet." Rachel reached down and wrapped her arm around Rad's shoulder and kissed the top of his head. "Clear up the table, okay?"
"Okay." Rad said, and hugged his cousin back before she went to her room. He saw Alexis looking off, shoulders slumped. "You sure you're alright?"
Alexis glared at him, and Rad tensed. "Yes." She grumbled. "So…why have you been avoiding Carlos and I?"
'Aw crud.' Rad thought. He reached for his key, holding it momentarily as he got up to clear off the table. "I've…just been going through a lot."
"Is it because of what happened to you?" Alexis asked in concern.
Rad's chest tightened, because she was concerned and he missed his friends. He'd wanted to hang out with them, wanted to talk to them just to get his mind off his mother, off the fact the Autobots were still uneasy with him. He grimaced. 'And it didn't get better after what I did to save Buzzsaw from Fly.'
"It's…sort of got something to do with it." Rad eventually said.
"How come you didn't tell a teacher?" Alexis asked.
"It happened after school." Rad replied. He was a bit surprised when Alexis tensed up.
"That doesn't matter," she said firmly, "because until you get home it's the school's responsibility to ensure student safety."
Rad tilted his head thoughtfully. He absently touched his lip, grimacing as he felt the scab and the sting of his eye. "Really? How could I even prove-" he stopped. "Well, there was this guy, er, Kelly's uncle; he stepped in and got the bullies to leave me alone."
Alexis nodded. "That sounds like Uncle Touya; I actually used to think he was pretty scary until I saw he was only really scary with Uncle Xiaolang."
Rad tilted his head the other. "Who?"
"Kelly's dad." Alexis replied.
The blond stiffened. He could still remember the chill down his spine as those brown eyes glared at him, cold voice threatening him. "Are you sure that man can be intimidated? Mr. Li was pretty frightening when he thought I was taking Kelly on a date."
"Oh, you two went on a date?" Alexis asked curiously.
Rad groaned. "It wasn't a date; why does no one ever believe me about that?"
"Because it's obvious she likes you." Alexis said bluntly, and even Sureshock nodded.
Rad wanted to sink into the floor. This was not the conversation he wanted to have. "For the last time, she doesn't like me."
Whatever Alexis was going to say, it was cut off as Rachel came back into the room dressed. "Ready to go?" The blonde asked.
Alexis blushed and nodded. "Yes!" she flushed harder as Sureshock grumbled under her breath. The brunette glare at her, but dragged the mini-con with her after Rachel, who glanced back at Rad.
"Before you go, make sure to clean the dishes, okay?"
Rad nodded, and finished up with putting away the leftovers as the door closed. He checked the time every few minutes, and cleaned up the dishes before putting them away. He quickly locked the door behind him as he hurried to the elevator to meet Sideways.
He grinned when he saw the purple and yellow motorbike roll up to the curb, and waved before running up to meet him.
Rachel trailed alongside Alexis and Sureshock, the mini-con staying slow to keep pace with her. "So how's school going?"
"Good, real good!" Alexis stuttered, blushing as she looked down at the handle bars. "I'm still getting good grades." She paused, and bit her lip. "So, who's Stella? Your…classmate?"
Rachel shook her head. "A woman I met on my exam," she replied. "She was…something," she smiled lopsidedly, because that was a rather apt description of both her and the trip in general, "and I said I'd take her out on a date."
Alexis froze, but Sureshock kept going despite it. "You…you what?" she hunched her shoulders up. "With someone you just met?"
"Well, I plan to get to know her a bit better on the date hopefully." Rachel said. "Still not sure where though, but that's not all that's been on my mind. This past weekend was like none other that it really took a lot out of me." She rubbed her brow. "I could actually use a break, and I'm considering taking Rad to a lake to relax, maybe next weekend if I can wrangle it from his parents."
"Oh? And…would it be okay to have some company?" Alexis asked. "Rad's been…really weird; he won't talk to me and Carlos, and he ignores us most of the time. I thought he was going to give me the brush-off before we came to your apartment."
Rachel frowned, concern coursing through her. Was this because of Mother's Day? Joy had told her that Aunt Cindy was too busy to talk to Rad, and he'd been upset about it. 'That can't be all though.' She thought, and maybe this weekend would get her some time to have Rad open up to her as well. "I'll think about it-it's not as easy to do if it were just me and Rad then. Your parents would need to be called, and all that."
"They trust you, you've always been a good babysitter!" Alexis said.
"Well, you were always well-behaved." Rachel teased her. Alexis blushed again. "Though I guess if you're parents are okay with it, and I can get Carlos' to agree, then I'm all for it if this helps Rad."
Alexis nodded, and when they arrived at her house, and waved to Rachel. "Okay, I'll ask them! Have a good evening!"
Rachel nodded as she continued on, glancing up at the setting sun that steadily grew lower, the sky getting darker as she kept walking. Everything went by, her legs growing more cramped the further up the mountain hills she got. There was something incredibly foolish in making this trek unprepared, but she needed to think.
Though by the time she reached the cave that lead to the Autobot base, her legs were screaming at her. She ignored it as she walked inside, listening for any side they were there. "Maya?" she called. "Can you get High Wire, please?"
"Yes, just a minute." Maya replied from the intercom.
Rachel thanked her before finding the command center. She saw Smokescreen at the console, Liftor on his shoulder as they were looking at the screen. "Hey, long time no see." It amazed her to find herself willing to joke like that.
Even more so when the orange robot grinned back at her. "Yeah, thought you never were gonna come back."
Rachel crossed her arms. "And deprive myself of your company?" she scoffed, smirking.
Smokescreen shook his head, but paused. "Wait, how did you get here?" Rachel was silent and he narrowed his eyes. "Did you walk here?"
"Oh, there you are High Wire, glad to see you." Rachel said noticing the blue mini-con coming into the room.
"How did you get here?" High Wire asked immediately.
"Look, I'm thinking of taking Rad, Alexis and Carlos to a lake, anyone interested in coming to relax with us?" Rachel asked instead. "Plus, it's a chance to get to the bottom of why Rad's apparently gotten distant. Any of your notice it too?"
Smokescreen looked away while High Wire answered her. "Yes, he's been down."
Rachel sighed and glance away before looking back at them. "And, if I were to ask Optimus to use the warp gate for recreational use…?"
"He'd want to set a strict schedule and that it's not a toy but wait to see if his decision to go through with it is misplaced." Smokescreen replied in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Ah, so he's dealt with this a lot?" Rachel asked.
"Not this specifically, just those wanting leave." Smokescreen said. "Still, just go ask him."
Rachel nodded, and gestured for High Wire to follow her. "Come on, I want a ride there-my legs are killing me."
"Which is why you should have called." High Wire chided her.
Rachel snorted. "I needed to think and stuff."
Lying on his back, Rad stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. It was a surreal idea, that Rachel managed to get Optimus to go through with taking them on vacation. And earlier before dinner his frie-Alexis and Carlos calling and saying they could go so long as they phoned home every night to check-in. And now it was already Wednesday and Rachel was getting a motel for them to stay in at the kitchen table.
'She works fast.' He thought, but blinked when he heard the pitter-patter of a keyboard and grimaced. Kero wasn't in the room. 'Darn it, Kero.' He thought and got up, quietly going to Rachel's room and closed the door behind him. He squinted through the darkened room at the laptop screen Kero was at, typing away. "What did I tell you about using that while Rachel's home?"
"This is important." Kero muttered, his features scrunched in concentration.
It made Rad curious at least to why the guardian was so focused. He stepped up to the screen, and blinked when he noticed that it was an email to a 'TDaidouji' about 'poor representation.' "Uh, what is this?" he narrowed his eyes as he read one of the complaints. "'Not a sugar addict'? What?"
"I can't believe she made me seem so-so hyper!" Kero said indignantly. "And I'm fierce-not cuddly!"
"Seriously, why are you so upset?" Rad asked with increasing confusion.
Kero let out a frustrated sound, and minimized the email before pointing at the screen. "This!" he gestured wildly at the website.
Rad leaned in close, tilting his head when he saw it was a site for publishing a webcomic from a studio called CLIP and sponsored by a 'Tomoyo Daidouji'. Someone likely made a translation of the website, where the English was written under the more pronounced characters of the title-which were bright, pink and sparkly that the subtitle proclaimed 'Sakurada: Clear Card Arc.'
"It's…about a girl who tames mysterious forces that cause trouble around her hometown with the help of her friends, magical guardians, and amazing battle costumes." Rad blinked when he read that the forces were turned into cards and found something unnerving about how spot-on it was. "This is like…what I'm kinda doing."
"That's because its based on the previous Cardcaptor." Kero muttered, still apparently miffed.
Rad though took a greater interest in the webcomic, lovingly detailed with character sheets, chapters, and even the inspirational costumes used in the drawings. "It is?" he whispered, and clicked to the character sheet. Given the name, he checked the 'Sakurada' article and stared at the image for the protagonist.
It was a girl with short brown hair, green eyes, and smiling at the viewer. Rad had no idea if this was what his predecessor actually looked like, but it left him with a funny feeling to finally get a clue. "So if I looked to the 'guardian' section would I find you there?"
Kero growled. "Don't you dare! That Chimera is nothing like me!" he huffed, looking away snottily. "And Taiyang couldn't be more different from Yue if he tried!"
Rad raised a brow. He'd known there was another guardian, but Kero giving any information about them was just as rare as talking about his predecessor. 'I'll have to read it later.' He thought, hatching a new plan as he looked at the costumes section. "Say I wanted Create to like me, would it help to show it something of the old Cardcaptor?"
Kero tensed, and narrowed his eyes. "This is a dangerous idea-you have no idea what Create could do if it thinks you're making fun of her."
"I'm not, I want it to at least give me a chance, and if it wants a reminder I can be like her, then I'll try it." Rad said firmly.
Kero stared at him for a long moment, and sighed. "This isn't a good idea." He said, but still brought up one of the costumes. A blue outfit with a winged circlet, and flaps running along the back in two wide strips. "This one; Create-good or bad-will definitely react to showing this."
Rad nodded, and took a photo of it as he wondered what significance this costume would have to Create. He heard Rachel's footsteps, and Kero fell onto the desk, playing the stuffed doll as the door opened.
Rachel frowned. "What did I say about using my computer without permission?"
Rad winced, and rubbed his arm. "Well, I just-uh-"
The blonde looked at the screen, and raised a brow. "You wanted to read a manga?" she asked, but sighed. "If you wanted to, just ask, okay? Don't think you need to sneak around my back."
Rad flushed. "Okay." He said quickly. "Can I use it now?"
"No." Rachel said bluntly. "I gotta make the transaction, so out." She smiled and playfully gestured to her door.
Rad nodded, smiling slightly as he closed the screen and had to delete the email. He felt Kero tense, glaring up at him. Rad ignored it as he walked out, and lowered his voice. "Just use my phone to send this email."
Kero huffed quietly, grumbling even more as he sat sullenly next to High Wire. "Tin can."
"Plushy."
"I know you just insulted me!"
Rad looked at them in warning. "Keep it down."
When Thursday rolled around, Optimus had gathered his troops, as he was taking Rachel's offer seriously. He himself might not have found the idea of relaxing just yet to be appealing, but he would not deny the chance to anyone else.
"Think of it not as a vacation, so much as a time to get to know our human companions better." Optimus said. "And I will let anyone who desires such to go with them; just with the caveat that in the case of emergencies I will ask one of you to be recalled."
Hot Shot raised his servo. "That'll be me then." He grinned.
"Well someone has to keep an optic on Hot Shot, so I'm going too." Smokescreen said, and the yellow mech huffed as he crossed his arms.
Sideways was silent for a moment before speaking up. "I'll go too."
It was a declaration that threw the others for a bit of a loop.
"Are you sure? You want to be sociable?" Smokescreen asked somewhat incredulously.
Sideways shrugged. "Though our…human friends, do not seem frightened of me, I can still see their uneasiness and this will help with that."
Optimus nodded. "Very well. Red Alert?"
The medic shook his head. "No, I think at least someone should be here to keep watch over the readings."
'Do they just want alone time?' Hot Shot wondered.
Maya appeared before them. "I'm newer to this time, and…I'd like to go with them, is that possible?"
Red Alert rubbed his chin. "I'll see if I can rig something up."
Maya nodded. "Thank you." She glanced over to the door, spying several mini-cons. "It looks like there are some others who want to go."
Optimus chuckled faintly. "Yes," he raised his voice, "very well, you may go too."
Cheery beeping reached them, and everyone set off to prepare for the trip as well.
Up on the moon, Megatron was fuming over their recent loss-again. His optics narrowed as he remembered the yellow insect and those strange powers he had-the energy signatures they'd been finding. 'How the frag does that frail organic command such power?' he thought furiously.
His troops were scattered throughout the throne room. Cyclonus was recharging on the other side of the room, Crumplezone leaning against him. Scavenger was bringing up the communication feed as Starscream glared at him, his red mini-con hanging sullenly in his grip.
Demolishor was the only one who risked approaching Megatron. "Sir, what's wrong?"
The taller mech stiffened, and his red optics glared over at the other bot. "What's wrong?" he repeated slowly, and then a scowl twisted his lips. "What's not wrong! I've been shown up by that bigger yellow insect, and now the smaller one is making you all look like fools!"
"Us all." Scavenger pointed out, not bothering to look over.
It just angered Megatron more. "You were the one who let the mini-con escape!"
"That human's power surprised me." Scavenger said neutrally. "And if Starscream and Cyclonus had done their job I would have gotten the mini-con."
Starscream scowl at the green and purple mech. "Don't blame me for your mistake, you old-"
"Silence!" Megatron roared. "I hear blame and accusations, but no solutions to this problem!" he snapped. "What are we going to do about these strange organics?"
"We get rid of that yellow one?" Demolishor suggested. He flinched back when Megatron glared at him.
"I'd never thought of that." He said sarcastically. The mech scoffed, and stalked for the exit. "We'll reconvene later, and I expect you all to have an idea-hard as that may be for you lot!"
There was a long stretch of silence as their leader left, but then Demolishor hurried after him. Starscream shook his head, not believing how badly the other mech had it for Megatron.
As Friday finally came around, Rad was jittery all through school; both uneasy and excited. He had packed for the weekend, and made sure to get the Sakura Book and Kero both nestled in comfortably as he came from his room, and Rachel was looking through her list.
The blonde had got in touch with the school, and was scheduled to appear at said school for a later date. Rad worried about what would happen, and if it would ever change anything. "You ready?" she asked.
Rad nodded and slung his backpack over his shoulder, suitcase in hand. "Yeah; how are we getting to the Autobots' base though?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Our yellow chariot awaits; Hot Shot is going to be my 'rental' for the weekend." She snorted. "Let's get going, he should be here by now."
"Right." Rad replied, and followed his cousin as she pulled High Wire's bike form with them, and Rad locked the door behind them. He was relieved that the mini-cons were allowed to go, because he wasn't sure how he'd handle the whole weekend with no filter from his frie-Carlos and Alexis.
Once they got to the ground floor, Hot Shot was already on the curb. They greeted each other and loaded up the trunk, and climbed in as the yellow bot drove them to the next two houses, which left everyone a bit cramped in the backseat even with taking the passenger side too.
"So is everyone excited?" Rachel asked, hands on the steering wheel to give the illusion of driving.
"Yes!" Alexis said, and ducked in her seat as she flushed.
Carlos snickered. "Sure am." He agreed. Grindor beeped in agreement.
Rad leaned against the window, and stared out as he glanced at Rachel's reflection. 'I have to tell her.' He thought. It was going to get more difficult to hide his activities from her, and the guilt gnawed even more at him, especially for all she was doing now.
The drive to the base was quicker, and Rad took out his phone before biting his lip. "Sureshock, Grindor, please distract them." The mini-cons glanced at him, and nodded. The blond glanced back as the two began to 'freak out' over the trip. Rachel was dragged into it as she tried to calm them down, and Rad hurried after Hot Shot, who tilted his head.
"Where's-"
"Still outside, need to talk." Rad replied, and bit his lip again when they arrived in the command center. Still, he couldn't be picky. "Create," he called, and Kero hung over his shoulder, clasping his jacket worriedly, "please give me a chance." He held up the phone. "Will this help you like me?"
There was a pause, the Autobots glancing at each other, but Hot Shot looked at his shoulder as the card slid from the compartment. The pink card floated down, glowing softly as it was no doubt looking at the photo. The card glowed blue, and Kero flinched as Rad looked down at himself.
His eyes widened; he was wearing the outfit. The costume had appeared on him, in place of his clothes and he could even feel the fabric on his skin and the weight of a strange wand in his hands, the tip bird-like with two red gem 'eyes'. Rad touched the circlet around his head, and blinked as he felt the cool metal around his hair. 'Whoa.'
Rad looked up, and saw the reactions of the Autobots. Optimus stared at him, his expression hard to read but his fins twitched in surprise. Red Alert remained composed, but his optic band had darkened. Smokescreen's jaw dropped, while Hot Shot's optics were wide in shock. The blond straightened up when Sideways leaned forward, tilting his head.
"Is it real or not?" he asked.
"Feels real." Rad said, his face flushing. He held out the staff. "Can you touch this too?" Before the bot could however, Rad saw Create abruptly start to glow a bright, vicious red. He was struck with the sense of visceral rage, pinpointed at him and freezing him on the spot. Rad gasped as in an instant a splash of red paint came over the outfit, staining it in a giant 'X' that covered him.
Create turned away, going back into Hot Shot's shoulder before Rad found himself once more in his original clothes. The blond looked down, and Kero patted his neck before ducking back into his backpack. 'I get it, that was a bad idea.'
When the others had finally gotten the mini-cons to 'calm down', they came upon a tense silence.
Rachel looked around, frowning. "What's wrong?"
Rad sucked in a sharp breath, snapping himself out of it as he forced down the sorrow. "Nothing." He said swiftly. "Just waiting for you all." He grinned at them. "What took you so long?"
"The mini-cons were freaking out." Carlos said. "Took a while to get 'em to calm down."
Grindor nodded along. "Just so excited we got scared."
"Okay!" Rachel called their attention. "We already to go?" The three kids and their mini-con partners nodded. "Right," she looked to the Autobots, "all of those who are coming with us ready too?"
"You bet!" Hot Shot grinned, and Jolt beeped in agreement while Smokescreen was just as enthusiastic in his agreement, but Sideways only nodded sedately.
"Should anything happen, be sure to warp back." Optimus said.
"Yes, sir." The three Autobots replied.
Rad glanced at Hot Shot, and wondered where on him the luggage was situated. Create occupied one shoulder compartment, was their stuff in the other one?
Red Alert stepped over to Rachel, and handed her a device. "Maya's program has been transferred to this. She wished to go as well, and given her appearance can be considered strange, she is free to choose a new design of her making to blend in."
Rachel nodded as she pocketed the device, while Carlos was practically jumping with excitement. The group made their way to the warp gate, and Rad saw her looking them over with narrowed eyes. "Carlos, Alexis, Rad, you'll be with me and Hot Shot." She started off. "Mirror already makes it look like Sideways has a rider so he's fine." She took out the device, and put it into Smokescreen's dashboard compartment. "Mini-cons, you're with Smokescreen, and Maya can pretend to be your driver." She said and pressed the button to let Maya appear.
The girl nodded. "I will do my part to help."
"Well, can I go with them?" Carlos asked, blushing as he looked at Maya.
Rachel shook her head. "Smokescreen's a construction vehicle; it would be weird to see a little kid in one."
Carlos' cheeks puffed out indignantly. "Maya doesn't look that much older, so isn't it weird anyway?"
Maya tilted her head, frowning as she looked at her form. "Hmm, fifteen is no longer considered close to adulthood?" she sighed. "Very well." She closed her eyes, and before their eyes her form began to shift. She grew taller, and where once stood a green-haired girl now was a pale, freckled, curly-haired redhead. Her clothes were had also switched to a jacket and jeans. "There, acceptable?" Her voice though remained the same.
Carlos nodded. "That's so cool!"
Rachel rubbed her brow. "Alright, enough gawking. We've got reservations and I don't want our rooms to be given away." She said, and ushered them all to the Autobots.
Rad climbed back into Hot Shot's cabin, and after the sick-to-your-stomach feeling passed, he was amazed to find they were driving by a large lake, sparkling against the sun. The water was far as the eye could see, a deep blue and there were boats and water-skiers on the lake, laughter even reaching across the expanse of it.
Coldness swept over him, water against his skin as hissing rang in his ears and angry blue eyes glared into his.
"Rad-you okay? You're kinda pale." Rachel said.
The blond gulped, trying to calm his nerves as he found his hands shaking. He clutched his knees, shoulders tense. "Y-yeah." He whispered. "Just, well, still kind of not use to going through the gate." He added. 'Let it be nothing,' he pleaded, 'please let it be nothing.'
A/N: Yes, I am including the reference to the Clear Card arc like this because I like the anime, and to involve it in a way that hopefully won't contradict what happens in the story.
