Chapter Seventeen
...
Optimus had strayed far enough from the group in hopes not to hear the sounds of Mira's crying. His attempts failed, however, when he could still hear her voice; shaky and filled with sorrow and remorse, ring out across the black expanse around his mind even if he couldn't hear her physically. This twisted his spark in a hundred different electrified knots, and immediately he regretted his decision of turning his back on her.
He thought about what he'd said to her, and as he replayed the sentence through his mind, her face flashed before the eyes of his memory and pain struck him like an uppercut to the jaw. How could he, her guardian, have said such a thing to her? Optimus had not thought of himself a cruel mech, much less a cruel friend, but realized at that moment he had been. He looked up to the sky and took in the constellations above him, and flickered his optics.
Ratchet. The Wreckers. How could friends he'd known so long be gone? He could hardly fathom them being gone, away from the war, lost to the hands of time without his knowledge. At the hands of humans, no less! His rage began to burn. Optimus Prime decided at that moment that he hated this; all of it. He hated this war, hated the fact it had ravaged earth to the point that it had defiled the humans, and he hated this government. Optimus Prime had never hated a moment in his life; he'd grieved and felt sorry for the Decepticons, but never had hated them.
He hated now.
Emotion twisted through his body life searing Energon until he felt the Shield in fist again, ever withstanding his fierce grip of rage. Looking to his hand, he unclenched his palm and gazed the small, innocently beautiful emblem; so easily taken from its protector, it's holder—Mira. How quickly he'd been to toss her aside, to forget her place among his comrades, his team; by ripping the very piece of himself he'd trusted unto her. The Matrix within him pulled him back from any thoughts meant to skewer his vision of her, a gentle tug that kept him within reason and honor. Flickering his optics again, he signaled the Shield to transform into a larger size, and then activated the camera files.
The files channeled into his optics, and he motioned with a finger to play the footage. His optics portrayed the visual recording much like a 3D film, and he watched first as the Wreckers found their end at the hand of Cemetery Wind helicopters, sending barrages of missiles and cannon-fire down on them from the sky. The Wreckers, ever minding his orders, did not fight back but did their best to shield themselves from the barrage. The attempts failed, and his sparkchamber dropped into his feet when Mira—ever a trembling, screaming mess once the soldiers left—ran towards them looking for any signs of life. She was weeping and Optimus noticed the wetness of her hands; tears, as she scrambled around them screaming for them to get up. Then there was a squeal of sirens and thump of choppers and she took off towards the forest, disappearing.
The footage cut out briefly, then restarted another file. It was dark, and Optimus watched as Mira was wading into the ocean, hands above her head holding a human automatic weapon—a Barrett 50 rifle. She boarded a vessel, and climbed up flights of stairs until she met glowing optics and began to speak to the Autobot—Ratchet. At sight of him Optimus felt like weeping—his oldest friend was before him, for the last time. They began to converse and Optimus noted the coldness Ratchet portrayed to Mira, a fact he himself had regretted previously.
Then, Mira was gone, back into the water and frantically scrambling towards shore. In the background of her panting he heard military commands and thumping boots, and the thrumming of helicopters in the sky. Then, there was gunfire, as Mira continued to run the opposite direction, until she'd settled in an embankment. She tried to set up the rifle, but failed, and her body began to tremble.
Optimus continued to watch, and finally the footage went quiet as he witnessed Lockdown rip Ratchet's very spark from his chamber. This sent Optimus staggering forward a few steps which rattled the earth around him, jostling the Shield in his hand. He watched as Lockdown walked form the scene, unaffected, and left. It all seemed to go by in a blur from there, until Mira's piercing scream and heavy sobs were the only thing he could hear. Optimus ended the footage and just stood in the open darkness, baffled. Never before had he been so hit by grief as he was now, and he flickered his optics.
He realized this was not her fault. Individual's made decisions, and sometime those decisions were wrong. At the time, jettisoning the Allspark from Cybertron's core seemed like a good idea during the war, as did the idea of conferring with Ratchet after NEST's disbanding. These were decisions made out of desperation, and he could not hold them against anyone, much less himself. How hypocritical of him to judge Mira's decisions based on her circumstances, when he himself had made much worse ones?
Optimus had to show this footage to the rest of the team, to curb their rage they may have felt towards Mira. Surely, he knew, there would be rage in the place of trust, shattering all allegiance and friendship this team may have had towards one another. He would show this to them immediately, while the humans were asleep, and put this behind them first. Then, he reasoned, he would talk with Mira; for surely her emotions towards him were shattered and broken.
Looking to the Shield, he folded his fingers around it again and turned, heading back towards the direction of the group. The only sounds were night crickets and the wind chasing small rocks and dust against the Montana plains, the whisping of prairie grass mixed with the gentle howl of the breeze. Then, he looked to the Shield again.
"It's time you were back where you belong."
...
Cade and Bryce, having heard the conflict between the Autobots and Mira, had set their work aside and made their way towards the previous sight of the conferring soldiers. Mira and whom Cade assumed to be Drift, were perched atop the rock Mira had been sitting on, Drift's arm draped protectively and affectionately around Mira's shoulders.
He heard her crying, her sniffling evident even in the night. Cade had listened as she told them about Ratchet, the Autobot's field doctor he'd learned, and their other friends. He felt sorry for them for their loss of friends and soldiers, as well as wisdom. He'd been more focused on the conversation than the fun he was tearing apart, and Bryce had noticed.
"Doesn't sound good," Bryce had worried, casting a look over his shoulder to his sister, "she looks pretty upset."
Cade nodded, "Yeah, that's a tough conversation." They both listened as heavy footfalls shook the earth, and Crosshairs had left their group, followed by Hound and later Bumblebee. Optimus too, had vanished, though Cade hadn't heard what he'd said. Obviously something cold, because Mira had started to sob.
His brief thankfulness for Drift's compassionate side was quickly overtaken by a burning anger he felt inside of him. Now, as he and Bryce approached the two sitting overlooking the expanse of prairie, he realized that feeling was a searing jealousy he didn't think he'd ever get again when it came to another woman besides Emily. He hated Drift for being the one to sit beside her and offer his shoulder for her to cry on, and hated the idea of Drift being the one to make her smile or make her forget her problems. Cade had wanted to be that shoulder, that one to make her smile, that…
….man.
In this moment, he paused, Bryce continuing on. He realized he felt something for this woman, this girl he hardly knew. She ignited something in him he hadn't remembered since Emily's death, something that scared the daylights out of him. He turned to look at Tessa and Merrick, both asleep next to the fire they'd constructed. Tessa had never known a mother, had never had that womanly wisdom teenage girls were supposed to have. She had him, and he wasn't working. She was a woman now with womanly issues and womanly concerns that he as a man couldn't see to. She needed a woman.
But did he? He'd got on fine without Emily, hadn't he? Besides the fact he was broke and looking at losing his house (which was nonexistent anymore). He cooked using the microwave and TV dinners. He still wasn't sure how to balance a checkbook, much less laundry, bills, work, cooking, cleaning, and raising a teenager. He'd done the best with what he had, and they'd survived, but was surviving really living? He couldn't give Tessa everything she needed with his hands in twenty different fires, that was for sure. He'd married Emily because he needed another half, because individuals were not meant to take on the world alone.
And Merrick. The boy needed a dad that was for sure. He felt sorry for the little guy, having lost his dad so tragically at such a young age. Mira was doing a fine job raising him that was for sure; the kid had spunk and morals and happiness. But, he wasn't a man. He was a Momma's boy simply because all he had was a Mom, he hadn't learned to be a boy yet. He hadn't gotten under the hood of a classic car with his dad, or worked a field with his dad, or even went on a camping trip with just him and his father. He wasn't learning the ways of manhood.
With these realizations, Cade realized he liked Mira, far more than he had been willing to realize. She had a wonderful charm with a hint of sarcasm, something he'd always enjoyed in a woman. Her ability to tackle any job was practically perfect. Curiosity was in her eyes, and he liked woman that wanted to learn. Not to mention the fact she probably had the best job in the world, and the best friends for that matter. She was strong, healthy, and could balance on her own two feet. She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but had a simple, country-girl attractiveness that he didn't mind. She was a bit heavier than he wouldn't preferred in women, but that really didn't matter.
She intrigued him, and as an inventor, he liked intrigue.
...
"Rough night, huh?"
Mira, suddenly surprised by the intrusion into her and Drift's conversation, skittered a little before realizing the voice belonged to her brother. Quietly sighing in relief, she sat up and Drift carefully rubbed her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. She returned the kindness and then nodded to Bryce, shrugging a shoulder slightly.
"That's a bit of an understatement," she said tragically, "I think Optimus hates me." This made them chuckle and she furrowed her brow, "I'm quite serious. He's never…he's never said something like that to me."
Bryce lowered to the ground beside her. He had turned into a huge man when she wasn't looking, one that opposed the younger brother she knew growing up. He had thick, muscled arms and a broad, beefy chest with dark ebony colored hair cut into a military style, and the same glasses she remembered: square. Heavy brown eyes the color of chocolate with gold flecks, and the same round face she remembered, with unshaven stubble. Bryce took after their mother's side of the family: broad, beefy, and strong male genes. He was 6'3", roughly 280 pounds, and a genius.
He smiled at her crookedly, "I don't think he hates you as much as he's surprised by you."
"What?" she asked, disbelieving.
Cade, she realized had seated himself behind Bryce as Bryce continued his thought, "You've always been his right hand, Mare," he used her nickname, "and you've always done everything Optimus had asked you, without question, and to perfection." He looked out the expanse of sky and chuckled, "so you to go against his orders is a shock to him. He'll get over it. Optimus adores you…you're his friend. He'll come around."
"You don't know what he said," she uttered quietly.
Cade piped up. She watched him, intrigued by his involvement, "We say things we sometimes don't mean out of emotion. I say things to Tessa all the time that I shouldn't, but does that mean that I love her any less?" He nodded to her, "You say things to Merrick, I'm sure, without thinking. Optimus isn't infallible—he can make mistakes."
"Cade is right."
Mira, instantly aware of her miniscule presence, shot to her feet perhaps more because of hope than surprise. Optimus entered their small circle, next to Drift's alternation mode, eyes shining against the darkness. Mira hadn't even known he was there, much less realized he'd been listening. Her heart hammered loudly against her ribcage in such a fashion she thought it would break her bones. She swallowed thickly as Bryce and Cade rose beside her. Drift's holoform deactivated and vanished on the wind, Mira not even turning to acknowledge.
"Optimus." She stated simply. He approached the rock and rested a hand to her left, flickering his optics to stare at her. She felt tears pull at her eyes again, ashamed tears. "I'm—" He put up his other hand to silence her, and she looked down in compliance.
"There are many things in this world I do not understand," Optimus began quietly, "and many things I do. One of those being that a true friend," he gently slid a massive fingertip under her chin and tilted her face up to stare at him, "is very hard to come by, especially when there is conflict between them." She closed her eyes and raised a hand to touch his finger.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "about Ratchet. I shouldn't of—"
He silenced her with a firm stare, "What happened to Ratchet is no fault of yours. You acted to protect him, and our alliance. Ratchet did what was required of him to keep you, and the Shield, safe. Our future is you, Mira, and what you can teach us about this planet and its people. Ratchet understood that."
Optimus lowered his hand and Cade stepped up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, "You did everything you could, and that's all you can do."
"It was not fair of me to blame you for what happened to Ratchet and the Wreckers," Optimus stated plainly, "a mistake that I apologize for. I do not hold you responsible for the events, Mira. I thought, at first, that I did, but the Matrix has led me to believe otherwise."
She swiped at the tears forming at her eyes. A deep relief had pitted itself in her stomach now, a relief that she welcomed. The fire inside her body slowly began to cool, and her heart began to stop hammering to the point where it was hurting her being. Still shaking, and still crying, she gave Optimus her best smile and nodded. "I still am sorry. I shouldn't have disobeyed a directive."
He looked at her and chuckled, "A dear friend told me once that she was my friend before my soldier."
She smiled. "Smart girl."
...
"Well," Cade said later that night when the Autobots had resolved their conflict against Mira, holding the broken down gun in one hand and a single part in the other, "All I've got from this is a company name, I'm assuming; whether a manufacturer or whatever. I dunno. But other than this little piece here, there's not a scratch on that thing." He tossed the dismembered gun aside behind him, into the darkness. Then, he tossed the piece to Mira, and she turned it over in her hands.
The fire before her crackled and she looked up from the piece to him. "KSI?"
He nodded. "Yep. That's it. The only trace of branding on that baby."
Mira looked to Optimus. "Isn't KSI in Chicago?"
Optimus nodded. "Yes. It was erected shortly after the skirmish with Sentinel Prime. It is a laboratory which develops technology and markets it to the public," he shifted his weight on his feet, "mostly in contracts with NASA, the military, and surprisingly, archeological institutions."
Hound spoke up from behind them, "Yeah, but what would they be doin' marketing technology to the military? Ain't that why the military's got government funding?"
Mira shot a look back to Prime, "Did you just breach a secure network for that information?" Her stare was a playful warning, and Optimus shrugged a shoulder at her question. Bryce, from his place leaning against Bumblebee, chuckled. "I figured. Obviously the contracts with the military are under the table."
Drift, curious, asked the next question. "But why would they want it to be confidential to the world? Isn't is a good thing to sell to the military?"
"Unless what they're selling to the military is not in the best interest to the public,"
Mira pieced together the information. "Unless," she continued the thought, "they aren't selling to the military as much as they're selling to a department." She tossed the piece back to Cade. "Those guys? Trying to kill Optimus? You think the entire military would stand for them killing your friend, and attempting to kill three innocent bystanders?"
Bryce shook his head, "Probably not. But if they're funded by the CIA to do whatever they need to do, then it wouldn't matter."
"Yeah, but what if they aren't? KSI must be in digs with Cemetery Wind for some reason or another, and since they're into technological development, I'll bet it's because of you guys," he gestured to Crosshairs, who was across the fire from her, "The government wants Optimus alive, otherwise Lockdown would've killed him already. They would've killed us on sight too if they had the chance. The U.S. wants them, but not at all costs. They know that if they kill all of us it'll leak out to the public and bingo, Cemetery Wind—and their form of national defense against the Decepticons—is out the window."
"You think KSI is in deep with Cemetery Wind?"
"For whatever reason, yes."
Crosshairs interjected, "Wait, wait, wait a fraggin' nanoklik. So you're saying this KSI company is providing Cemetery Wind with weapons, as well as technology?"
"Where else did the technology come from?" Mira challenged, "we certainly didn't give it to them."
"Lockdown," Crosshairs bantered.
She gave him a look, "Lockdown doesn't know a thing about human tech, Crosshairs. And like he would go and do that and give them a shot at him. No. They've gotten technology from somewhere, technology that can track us, and can match you guys."
Optimus was quiet a moment before he spoke, "We have more questions than answers. We need to get into KSI and find out exactly what their standing with Cemetery Wind is, and how they know what they do about us."
Cade snorted. "And how do we get to Chicago? We're in the middle of Montana!"
Bryce raised a hand. "I think I can help you with that."
