Chapter 12 - "Bad Moon Rising"
by Creedence Clearwater Revival
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Author's Note: DOUBLE UPLOAD BABYYYYY!
If you've received a notification that this story has uploaded and just clicked on the most recent chapter, you probably haven't read the other chapter that came out with this, "Mask", so go check it out!
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My heart was beating fast. I could hear it in my ears: thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump -
The wind was whipping at us due to the train's speeds, flinging our hair around as we hurtled down the tracks.
"Maybe we should jump?"
"Are you crazy?!"
"Maybe! It's the impact or the meltdown, take your pick."
"At 90 miles per hour-? We're gonna get both regardless!"
"Now is not the time to be arguing!"
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Half an hour earlier...
"Optimus is down!" Miko cried out. I gripped my elbows tightly.
"We have to do something! We can't just stand around here doing nothing." I urged with a flair of my hands.
"MECH's gonna grab the Dingus. We need to think of something, quick." Jack started to pace the platform and Raf perked up.
"You mean like a phase 3?"
"Okay," the lanky teen continued, "come on, think." He stopped and faced us. "All right, if MECH wants the Dingus, they have to get on that train."
"What if we get on board first? You know, run some human-on-human interference?" Miko's faux kung-fu moves were cut-off by Ratchet's booming voice.
"Absolutely not!"
"Yeah, that would be suicide."
The pink and black haired girl wasn't having it though and frankly, I was on her side. "Hello, the United States of meltdown? Lives are at stake!"
"Yes, yours! You want me to not only bridge you into a confined space, but one traveling at 90 miles per hour? I can't even count the number of ways that can go wrong. Mass-displacement trauma, twisted limbs, metal burn!" It was nice to hear he was concerned for us but my eyebrows raised at my guardian because, come on, metal burn? Really? He seemed to rethink his choice and mumbled something that sounded like "Well, maybe not the last one..." He didn't dwell on it long though and was soon back on his previous tangent with a shake of his head. "Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix ground-bridge coordinates on something moving at that speed."
"Would it help if we had access to the train's coordinates?
I swapped my gaze from Ratchet to Raf and then back again. The Autobot's optics were wide in shock as he analysed the boy genius' laptop screen. He opened and closed his mouth before sweeping his optics across us. His lips pursed.
"Well..."
"Well...?" I echoed.
"...It's still dangerous."
"When has danger ever stopped you guys? Huh?"
"Carmen, think rationally. You-"
"I-" I started as I stepped forward, now right up against the railing: right in front of him, "want to help. We all do." The rigid yet hesitant look on his face wasn't yielding. I wrapped my hands around the chilled, metal bars between us to try and stop them from shaking. I needed to do this. Juniper-green bore into fluorescent blue. "Raf has the coordinates. We can access the train. We can help for once... Please, Ratchet."
The other three kids and I held our breaths.
The only sound was the faint whirring of the mech's systems until he sagged with a vent of air. "Input the coordinates into the ground-bridge." Miko gave a loud whoop and slugged Jack in the shoulder whilst Raf got to
work. A relieved smile lit my features and Ratchet met my gaze once more with a stern frown. My smile started to wilt- "Don't go doing anything stupid now, understand? I don't want to have to come and get you." -but soon stretched into a soft simper.
He does care.
"C'mon, let's go."
I legged it down the staircase, taking them two at a time with Miko and Jack behind me.
"What in the- what did I just say! Don't run down the stairs." he scolded. I let out a short laugh which made me stumble on the last step. With a sheepish smile directed up at him, we strode over to the tunnel, ready to go.
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I shook my limbs out after passing through the ground-bridge, still not quite used to the odd sensation that seemed to run across my bones each time. At the sight before me I gasped and hurriedly bent down, putting two fingers against one of the prone soldiers necks. I breathed a sigh of relief at the pulse beneath them. I flipped open my phone and dialed the odd, too-long number listed under "Ground Control". Instead of the normal dial tone, there was a ping to signal that the connection had been established.
"Carmen to base, we're in."
/:We read you, Carmen.:/
/:What is your status?:/ Ratchet asked.
"We're good, the soldiers are unconscious though." A loud screech filled the carriage as Jack and Miko pushed the cargo door open and Miko swore. I frowned.
/:What? What is it?:/
I handed Jack the phone as he craned his head up to look at the sky. "MECH's landing on top of the train."
"Shit." I hissed and, with a firm grip on the train, swung my head out to watch a dark green, military-grade helicopter descend closer and closer. Raf was saying something but I couldn't hear it over the sound of the train and the chopper up above. Not a moment later, the train shifted its course sharply and my fingers were scrambling for purchase.
No such luck.
I screamed as I felt my body tilting out - too far, too far - and desperately tried to spin around mid-fall to try and reach for the train-
Hands grabbed at my arm and shirt and wrenched me back inside, the three of us falling into a pile on the floor. We sat there, panting, and I could feel my arms shaking as I lent on one while the other grasped at my tightening chest.
"-men?"
I almost fell out of a train.
"-armen?"
I almost fell out of a train traveling at 90 miles per hour-
A hand gently shaking my shoulder brought me out of my transfixion on the floor. I followed it up and saw Jack and Miko's worried faces. Well, Jack was worried. "You okay?" I let out a shaky breath and nodded. Miko was worried too, but...
"That was crazy! You were totally almost roadkill."
"Miko!"
"Well, track kill- ow!" She yelped as Jack hit her in the arm. She threw him a look of 'what'd you do that for?' and he jerked his head in my direction as if to say 'not helpful!'.
/:-re you guys alright? Come on, say something, please!:/
Jack picked up the discarded phone and quickly eased the young boy on the other end. "We're alright, just a little scare is all. What-"
CL-CLUNK.
3 sets of eyes darted up to the ceiling of the container. A spark. Then another. Then it turned into a steady beam and soon, they were cutting a hole into the roof. "What did that buy us, huh? 20 seconds?"
"Man, Raf is losing his touch."
We backed up against the wall, Miko grabbing an axe and Jack taking the fire extinguisher. I scanned around for anything else but things just didn't seem to be going my way today. I meekly raised my fists in front of me and tried to imitate those fighting stances they took in the movies. A square chunk of ceiling fell down between us and the Dingus and I shrunk back at the sight of the masked men. MECH. It was unnerving not being able to see their faces, just blank slates staring down at us. Like they weren't fully human.
"You want a slice of this? Well do ya?!"
That girl never ceased to amaze me. She was absolutely unafraid of, well, anything from what I'd seen so far. Well, except for spiders ofcourse. She clumsily swung her axe and then Jack hefted up the extinguisher. "What she said."
The tension was thick and just when I thought they were about to jump down and take us on, they disappeared from sight. The three of us looked at each other. At the distinct sound of rotors whirring to life, I hesitantly asked, "Are they... leaving?" Another look. They dropped their weapons and we rushed over to stick our upper halves outside. There, up ahead, the helicopter was flying away.
"Woah, we're pretty fierce."
"Surely they didn't leave because of us. Why would they just up and-" An explosion shone in the distance. Right where we were headed. "...Ah. That explains it." I stated waveringly. We ducked back inside and Jack explained the situation to Ratchet. I hadn't heard my guardian sound so emotional before. Hearing the worry in his voice was touching and my heart cinched. Just when we were finally getting along and becoming partners like the others...
A hand wrapped around my right one and squeezed. There was fear in Miko's eyes, clear as day, so I squeezed back and gave her a weak smile. My heart was beating fast. I could hear it in my ears: thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump - The wind was whipping at us due to the train's speeds, flinging our hair around as we hurtled down the tracks.
"Maybe we should jump?" My eyes bulged at the girl next to me.
"Are you crazy?!"
"Maybe! It's the impact or the meltdown, take your pick."
"At 90 miles per hour- We're gonna get both regardless!"
"Now is not the time to be arguing!" Jack cut us off and it was tense as we matched each other's eyes. He leant on the side of the train opening with a groan. "What were we thinking volunteering for this?"
"Next time, you need to do a better job of talking us out of these situations."
"Nexttime..."
I started to pace up and down the train cart. This was it. We were gonna die, for real this time. We were gonna crash and burn and I'll be leaving Lily and Dad behind, not knowing anything. Not just them, I thought. My friends at school, Jen, Uncle Ant, Raf, Ratchet, the other Autobots-
"We can buy ourselves some time if we're in the back of the train, right?"
This can't be it.
"Miko..." Jack trailed off before he took in a deep breath and straightened up. "Miko, Carmen, at least- at least we're all in this together."
I stopped and turned to face them both. But it is. I gave them a half-hearted smile. "I've really liked getting to know you guys and spending time together. You're pretty cool."
Miko walked towards Jack but instead of hugging him like I thought she was going to, she snatched my phone out of his hands. "Raf, this is important!... Make sure Bulkhead gets my guitar." There was a pause and then suddenly the phone was shoved at my face. "Ratchet wants you." was all she said and I took it from her and placed it up to my ear.
"Yeah?" I rushed out.
/:I overheard Miko's ideas. Remember what I told you: don't do anything stupid. Just hold tight a little longer.:/
I knew he couldn't see it but a wry smile ticked up my lips as tears pricked my eyes. "Stupid's all we got right now, Ratchet... I'm gonna miss you. Really. I-" A loud horn blasted from outside and the three of us whipped our heads around to gawk as the familiar form of none other than Optimus Prime himself drove past.
"Don't read the last wills and testimonies just yet!"
Miko held on to Jack's arm and I held on to her shoulders so we could watch as the Autobot leader transformed and dug his massive heels into the earth. I cringed at the screeching of metal on metal as the train started to slow down. It was piercing but I was too happy to focus on it for long. The locomotive came to a halt right before the crater in the tracks and we let out a collective sigh of relief. I laughed from shock and ran my hands over my head. "We're alive. We're alive! Haha!"
Miko cheered along with me and I squealed when she lifted me up. And as she put me down, she punched Jack in joy. "Hey! Ow- ooft!" I crushed him in a hug and then pushed him away playfully.
"What a rush, huh?"
He just rolled his eyes and grinned. I heard the hiss of hydraulics as Optimus bent down to get closer to our level. His faceplate retracted and he gave us a warm smile. "Let's go home."
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Location: Unknown
It was dark. A single row of lights flickered overhead, casting distorting shadows over a solitary figure seated at a desk. Monitors lined the wall, all with different schematics and images of metal titans engaged in combat. All except one. In the middle of them all was a photo of three teenagers: two girls and a boy, each labelled by name. The man zoomed in on one of the girls. Dark-brown hair, light freckles, and deep green eyes set in a strikingly familiar face. Thick fingers steepled in front of his scarred face as he scanned over it.
"Well well well..."
He reached down and pressed a button on the side of a walkie talkie.
"Damian, find me everything you can on them, particularly Miss Lowe's familial relations." His eyes caught the reflection of the image as he looked it over once more. "It has been far too long if I have missed such an… important development of my old friend's life."