Chapter 5 - "The Start of Something New"
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The blackened sky was pinpricked with thousands of tiny dots of light, Jasper's pollution slowly covering some of them as we got closer. Neither Ratchet nor I spoke a word as we traveled along the bumpy road. I twiddled my fingers and glanced out at the barren landscape once more before I decided screw it and broke the stuffy silence.
"Thank you for giving me a ride home."
Nothing.
My confidence faltered but I kept going. "I know you don't like me all that much... I don't know why but- I just-... sorry, I..." I shook my head, "what I'm trying to say is thank you for watching out for me... and I'm sorry you're stuck with me."
I couldn't tell what he was thinking; he didn't exactly have a face or anything that showed his emotions while in vehicle mode. After a good few seconds had passed, I resigned myself to watching the streets as we entered town. His sigh vibrated through the interior and my eyes were drawn to the radio where the sound had come from.
"You're welcome." came his gruff, reluctant reply. The corner of my mouth quirked up in a bittersweet smile. "Now, where exactly is it that you live? It's no use just driving around aimlessly until you tell me to stop."
I gave him directions and ventured to try and find out more about him. "So, how come you're an ambulance?"
"Well, from my research of your planet this vehicle is used in a profession very similar to my own and so I took it on as my alternative mode."
"Similar to- oh, turn left up here- similar to your own? Are you some kind of doctor or something?"
"I'm a medic, yes."
My head tilted and I added that piece of information onto my growing picture of him. Kind of grouchy for a doctor.
"Huh. Turn right at the second stop sign."
"You sound surprised."
"I mean, it makes sense with you being an ambulance and all, you just seem..."
"I just seem...?"
We turned on to my street and I saw my house up ahead.
"That's my house up there, the one with the short, brick fence, fourth on the right."
"You didn't finish what you were saying." he stated as he pulled up to the curb. Nerves built up in my stomach as I saw the front light still on.
I undid my belt and grabbed my school bag but paused with my fingers hovering over the door handle.
"...no offense or anything, Ratchet. It's just-... you just come across a little... harsh at times." I quickly tried to salvage my answer so as to not upset him. "Not to say that you haven't been nice as well! Just that so far, you've made your dislike for me- well, humans- clear and in my experience, doctors are usually a little bit nicer and you are nice, at times-" I cut myself off and screwed my face up, knowing I was just digging my own grave deeper. My fists were clenched tight - pendejo, pendejo! - and I quickly launched myself outside. "I'm sorry, I don't even really know you yet. That was rude and- and I'd really appreciate it if we could just... forget that whole exchange ever happened."
Ratchet just sat there for a moment until he rocked on his tires slightly. "I'll be here in the morning to take you to base. I have work to do so we'll be leaving early."
I blinked. I opened my mouth to say something and shut it to think over what I was going to say. "Okay. Sounds good. I'll see you in the morning then." I started walking backwards to my porch and watched his door swing close. I turned to go up the steps and paused. I swiveled around to face him again.
"Goodnight, Ratchet. Thanks again."
Just like before, he said nothing. I shifted anxiously on my spot before turning around once more and softly making my way to the front door. I took my keys out of my pocket and, ever so quietly, unlocked it. Stepping inside, I made sure to lock the door behind me and then started to tip-toe towards the hallway on the left.
"I was wondering when you'd come home."
I winced. Busted.
I haltingly spun around to face my Dad who was leaning against the wall between his bedroom and the kitchen. His face was void of any emotion except for the firm set of his brows. It was the classic "I'm kinda mad but mainly disappointed" look and it was one of the main reasons why I didn't like to break the rules. I hated when he used it on me.
Knowing I'd have to answer him eventually, my shoulders sagged and I dropped my bag on the lounge. "Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to stay out so late. I got caught up and didn't realise the time." I almost felt like I was sitting back in Ratchet, trying to determine his thoughts.
He shuffled and crossed his arms across his pajamaed chest. "Jen told me you were hanging out with some new friends. That true?" There was a twinge to his voice and a glint in his eyes: suspicion with a pinch of curiosity. I smiled demurely.
"Yeah. I only just met them today, really. We've been getting to know each other. They're... pretty cool, actually." I absentmindedly kicked at the floorboards and looked down briefly before meeting my Dad's eyes again.
His features softened. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before moving over towards me. I looked up at him, his green eyes glinting as they caught the porch light filtering through.
"I'm happy for you, kid." he soothed as he wrapped me up in his embrace. "I was startin' to get worried you were gonna become a hermit for the rest of your life." I let out a sound of mock-offence.
"I swear, you and Jen both think I don't have any friends or anything!"
"Well you hardly ever go out anymore-"
"I still spend time with the girls at school-"
"-they don't come over as often either-"
"-We're all getting busier and I do go out with them, just not all the time."
"Rarely." He pulled back and held me by my shoulders. "You're still in trouble for being late though."
I groaned good-naturedly and let my head loll back.
"Don't you 'uuuughh' me, young lady. Trash duty for a month."
"A month?"
"Don't make me make it two!"
"Okay, okay, a month!"
He looked way too pleased with himself. Cheeky bastard. He ruffled my hair and gave me a light shove towards the hallway. "Go to bed already, you crazy kid, you." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and stepped into the corridor but stopped just as I was about to turn right towards my room.
"Oh! By the way, one of my friends is gonna be picking me up a little early tomorrow... if that's alright?"
Dad pursed his lips and looked up at the ceiling imploringly.
"Yeah, yeah that's fine." he sighed over dramatically and I hugged him again in thanks. With a final "goodnight", we went to our respective rooms and I set my alarm for around 7. That should be early enough to appease Ratchet.
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7am did not appease Ratchet.
Oh no.
At 6:30am, I lurched awake at the very startling, very loud sound of sirens in my front yard. I leapt out of bed and out into the hall, skidding around the corner into the lounge room and fumbling open the door. As soon as Ratchet saw me, his sirens shut off.
And he sat there. Waiting. As if he hadn't just woken up the entire neighbourhood.
I couldn't speak at first. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief with my mouth gaping open like a fish. Finally, I broke out of my stupor and speed-walked over to him, throwing furtive glances around to make sure no one would see me whisper-shouting at an ambulance. "What on Earth do you think you're doing?!"
"What am I doing? What are you wearing?"
I looked down at my baggy grey t-shirt with a giant sleepy otter on it and my fluffy, blue, polka dot pants affronted. "What-"
"Never mind, just get changed and be quick about it. We've dallied for too long."
"It's 6:30 in the mor-"
His sirens blared again and I yelped, hurrying back up the porch and inside. Thankfully, he stopped as soon as I made it to the steps. I slumped against the wooden door and huffed. Was he trying to get caught or something?
Honestly, I thought to myself as I rushed to get ready, for someone who's so adamant about keeping their existence a secret, he's not doing a very good job at being subtle.
Having changed into my usual getup of my favourite khaki jeans and a red, plaid button-up, I ducked out and headed to the bathroom. Hair: done. Make-up: basic. Teeth: minty. With all of that finished I went and riffled through my school bag and put my phone, wallet, inhaler, and keys into my cross-body then raced out the door.
A frown settled over my features as I stormed over to Ratchet and got in with a huff.
"What happened to being 'robots in disguise'?"
He scoffed at me and started to drive. "You think that by turning on my sirens I somehow managed to reveal myself? Please. I highly doubt any humans would jump to the conclusion that an ambulance using its sirens means it's actually an alien being."
My cheeks burned in annoyance, "No but you brought a lot of attention to yourself and to me. People are gonna wonder why an ambulance was waiting outside my house and then they'll start asking questions and I'm gonna have to come up with a bunch of lies to get them off our backs."
Ratchet made a low humming sound as he mulled it over but ultimately dropped it and continued out past the city limits.
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The couch let out a pfft as I tried to get comfortable, it's old springs creaking after who knows how many years of disuse. I figured that I could try and get at least another hour's worth of sleep in after my rude awakening this morning but I had the bad luck of being unable to fall back asleep once I got up unless I was absolutely knackered.
Suffice to say, I was bored.
Ratchet had practically ordered for silence so he could work so I couldn't watch TV or anything until the others got here. I glanced over at the little digital clock again. 7:32 am. We'd only been here for about 30 minutes! I should have grabbed a book or something…
A metallic clanging noise suddenly echoed throughout the base. I sat up and looked over at where Ratchet was in his lab area. "Optimus?" I heard him call out and I was up off the couch when a startled yell followed. I raced along the crosswalk and rounded the bend into the lab and froze.
"What the hell?!"
A gangly, spider-like robot turned to face me, its single, purple optic staring me down. Ratchet brought the pipe he was wielding down on top of it but it dodged and flung itself on to the platform I was on. It swung one of its sharp legs at me and I ducked, screaming as I scrambled to get away from it. It followed, pointed limbs striking down trying to skewer me. My foot kicked out to try and knock it back but it was undeterred, forcing me up against the railing so I had nowhere else to go. There was an angered shout and suddenly the creature was gone: flying through the air after Ratchet had managed to hit it with his pipe. I grasped at my pounding chest and balked as it got right back up. This thing just would not quit! What even was it?!
"Run, Carmen!"
Ratchet's booming voice snapped me out of it and I fumbled to stand up right. The spider-robot-thing leapt at Ratchet-
A blue beam came out of nowhere and shot it down. Optimus Prime strode into the lab area, standing tall and impressive as he looked down upon the creature. It collected itself and went to go again but Optimus' massive foot crushed it.
"And stay broken." Ratchet threatened, and my tight grip loosened from the railing ever so slightly. Even though the thing was dead I couldn't fully let go, my body still tensed and shaky and, from the looks of things, the two Autobots weren't exactly relaxed themselves.
"Are you alright, Carmen?"
I blinked a few times to focus and smiled warily back at Optimus. "Yeah, I'm- I'm good." Their doubt was obvious so I decided that it was pointless trying to brush it off at the moment. "Just a bit shaken is all. What... was that thing anyway?"
There was a deep frown marring Optimus' face as he stared down at the crumpled remains. "I have a grave suspicion. Dark Energon."
Dark Energon? At Ratchet's horrified, disbelieving look, the pit of unease in my stomach deepened. Optimus bent down and picked up the crushed robot and placed it inside a glass canister.
"If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead."
"That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online, but Dark Energon? It's so scarce that it's virtually non-existent. What would it be doing on Earth?"
"It was transported. By Megatron." I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Megatron. Leader of the Decepticons, harbinger of doom. Transporting dangerous chemicals of some sort to our planet.
"For what purpose?"
"To conquer this planet, by raising an army of the undead."
I choked. "I'm sorry, did you just say 'an army of the undead'?!"
A part of me hoped that the big guy was just pulling my leg but at the unyielding downturn of his face that hope was dashed.
Ratchet scoffed at us, "Well, Megatron would need to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world would he find that many Cybertronian dead?"
The sound of engines approaching halted our conversation and we moved out towards the main area. Jack, Miko and Raf were laughing and chatting away with their guardians and I couldn't help but feel a twinge. Hang on, was I... jealous? I quickly squashed it down.
"Autobots" Optimus called out, "prepare to-..."
Everyone waited as he paused.
"Roll out?"
Optimus waved it off and finished with "-remain here. Ratchet, you'll come with me."
As Ratchet walked past me to get ready, I softly chimed "good luck." He turned his head to look at me quickly but kept on going. It wasn't long until they were both heading through the ground-bridge.
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Spanish Translation:
pendejo = stupid