Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 4
"So you're in town with your uncle" Alexis said.
"Yeah. Last week he decided he didn't spend enough time with me. So some how he managed to convince my parents to let him take me on a road trip across the country" Rad laughed before taking another bite of his burger. After her outburst Alexis had introduced herself and now seemed determined to prove that she wasn't clinically insane. So she naturally invited him to dine with her at the local cool kids hang out.
Carlos had tagged along to get to know the new kid in town-which apparently were few and far between- and act as big brother/chaperone. Right now he was flirting with a girl in a mini-skirt and tube top. Such dedication in the protection of his friend was awe-inspiring.
"So, where are you from?" Carlos asked. The tube top chick had spotted an older, hotter guy and split.
"Baltimore" Rad named the city where his father had promised to marry his mother when he was seventeen and where he'd taken her back to ask her to marry him. It had been a pretty night; Rad knew that for a fact. The babysitter had canceled at the last minute and the Autobots were on high alert so his parents had had to take him along. He liked the inner harbor, especially where the historical ships had been anchored. Rad had leaned over the edge so far trying to get a better look at The Constellation he fell in. His father was forced to jump in after him in his dress clothes. After the harbor patrol had announced that everything was all right and no harm had been done his mother declared the night a complete failure. Naturally his father salvaged the night by going down on one knee in his soaked clothes, long hair drooping into his face; in front of the harbor patrol and group of spectators and asked her to do him the honor of becoming his wife. The crowd had cheered when she said yes and Rad had jumped up and down clapping (he was three). Good times. A week later his mother had announced that she was pregnant again and the good times had gone out the window.
"I hear Baltimore's pretty" Alexis smiled. "And big." The second part was said almost wistfully.
"Yeah. Real easy to get lost though"
"Who needs the big city life? We got plenty out here without those dang new fangled cities" Carlos said in an old-timer accent. Rad and Alexis stared at him for a minute.
"You do realize that made absolutely no sense what so ever, right?" Rad asked. Carlos laughed. "I'll take that as a no" Rad said. Carlos became very engrossed with his food after that.
"Is this your hotel?" Carlos asked.
"I guess. You said it was the only hotel in town. But I don't see Si- the car anywhere" Rad said looking around the parking lot for any sign of Sideswipe.
"Hey Rad!" Ben yelled as Sideswipe drove into the parking lot and parked next to the kids. "This dump is the best this town has to offer," he said getting out of Sideswipe's driver seat.
"It's not that bad… it's ummm…" Rad couldn't find anything really good about the place.
"The town it's self though has some possibilities for fun" Ben smiled handing Rad his suitcase.
"You, hold this" Ben told Carlos, handing him a rocket launcher that had been pinning his own suitcase down. Carlos looked scared out of his mind but he didn't drop it. He was probably afraid it would go off.
Rad sighed. At the rate Ben was going their cover would be blown long before they found Saka.
"RATTLE SNAKE!" Ben yelled grabbing his other, bigger rocket launcher from the trunk and firing on a rattlesnake that was sitting in the sun a hundred yards away. The following explosion rocked the parking lot. Carlos and Alexis took cover behind Sideswipe and various people near by hit the deck.
Rad on the other hand watched the flames and smoke unfazed. His indifference was partly because he was use to this kind of stuff (he grew up around the Autobots) and partly because he- like his uncle- found the raw power behind the wanton destruction enchanting.
"Is he loco!" Carlos yelled.
Rad turned back toward his new friends with a smile. "Probably".
"Are you sure your parents won't have a problem with me staying here?" Rad asked as Carlos unrolled a sleeping bag on his bedroom floor.
"Sure. It's only until your uncle makes bail" Carlos reassured him.
"Or until he's indicted on weapons charges" Rad sighed. He only hoped his uncle had the sense not to try to escape.
Well he couldn't do anything about Ben right now. He might as well do some research on Saka, or Miyamory as he called himself here. Rad was in the prefect place to do some research; after all, where better to start than with one of Saka's students.
"So what's summer school like?" Rad asked hoping he could steer the conversation toward Saka.
"It sucks but Mr. Miyamory makes it fun" Carlos smiled.
'That was easy' Rad thought. He suddenly felt a spurt of anger. Of course Saka would treat a bunch of kids he had no real connection to him great but he would beat and torture his best-friend's son (AN: Did I forget to mention that Hao and Dr. Onishi were best friends until Dr. Onishi married Misa? Sorry!).
"Mr. Miyamory?" Rad asked, wanting more information.
"Yeah. he's a teacher at the middle school. Has been since it first opened" Carlos said.
"How old is he?" Rad asked slightly concerned about this point.
"Not to old. His son's still in high school"
Rad didn't quiet understand what Saka's son still being in high school had to do with Saka's age. Rad himself had just finished his freshman year and his father was twenty-nine.
"You can get to meet Mr. Miyamory later" Carlos said.
"Huh?"
"He and his family always comes over for Friday night dinner"
AN: I know Rad's the same age as Carlos and Alexis but if you grew up where he did do you honestly think you wouldn't learn enough to skip a grade.
