Chapter Twenty-Five
...
The man known as Harold Attinger watched her with cold eyes, as he perhaps pondered his next statement as if it was going to change the world. Mira wondered if God had taken this much time in creating the universe, and had such an expression on his face when He looked on the cruel humanity of the world before wiping it clear with the flood, erasing all the evil.
Then again, it made sense, this man's hostility towards her. He hated her because of her love for the Autobots—the "aliens" he so called them. She could understand how the war which was ravaging their planet would make him mad; it infuriated her as well. But, what she couldn't understand, was his complete ignorance to the fact that so far people had not been successful in outlawing the Autobots during their stay on Earth—what made him think we'd be successful now?
His statement—finally—broke her thoughts, "The other version of this conversation is you do time for treason, and your boy grows up in foster care," he shot a look to Cade, "and your daughter goes through the necessary refocus groups set up across the world to rid her mind of the brainwashing that the Autobots are ever so good at conducting."
"It's not brainwashing. Every decisionswe make is based purely on our hearts—they leave it to us." Mira interjected bitterly, "they force us into nothing."
"—except their war," Attinger graveled at her, "You forget that they drug us into this war when they arrived here. We were fine until the alien Autobots came—the Decepticons weren't harming us, they were leaving us alone. And then your buddy stepped in and then everything went to hell."
She furrowed her brow, utterly confused at him, "It was a matter of time," she shook her head, "the Autobots came because the Decepticons were this close to finding the Allspark," she pinched together her fingers for emphasis, then set the cuffs back on her lap, "if they wouldn't of come when they did, then we'd all be either dead or enslaved."
Attinger scowled at her and Cade continued her thought, "They saved us—we couldn't bring down their kind, the Cybertronians, even if we tried—we still aren't that successful. Seems to me you needed the proper tech, which you've stolen from them."
"Something else for them to hold against us," Mira sneered at him, "Let me ask you something, Mr. Attinger," she leaned forward, her fingertips on the edge of the table as the cuffs pulled at her skin for release, "….what if the Autobots never came….and you were wrong?"
The question slapped the air like a whip cracking on skin. It was evident because Attinger straightened in his seat and his face contorted in a look of pure, demonic hatred towards her. It reddened also, and he pushed his chair back as he rapidly stood to his feet. Thrusting a finger across the table to point threateningly at her, he screamed like a demonically plagued man, spittle flying from his mouth and into his beard.
"They are killing us!" He screamed, "They are all MURDERERS! I have lost everything because of them! You are a blind fool to think they are here to help us! They'll kill you, like they've killed EVERYONE ELSE!" Mira rolled back in her chair as he practically leaned across the table, Cade doing the same, eyes wide at the man with rage in his voice. Finally, he straightened his coat, and smoothed down his tie.
"You're wrong." Mira stated simply.
Attinger's mouth fell open.
She was about to continue, when the floor quaked beneath her. Actually, the entire building shook for a moment, the rumbling beneath their feet settling now. There remained a pounding vibration, like that of footfalls, ringing through the floor's energy. This excited Mira as she looked up to Attinger, who touched the earpiece in his ear and swore. "It looks like like my murderers have come for me."
"Shut your mouth," Attinger hissed at her.
She shrugged a shoulder. "Just pointing out the obvious, chief." She smiled at Cade and then reached up for the Shield around her neck, touching the end with the tip of her thumb. Instantly it scanned the cuffs, inserted a probe, and released them. Attinger came at her across the table, but she whipped open the purse and flipped the Baretta out in her hand, leveling it at the man, now standing before her. He backed up, put his hands up, as Savoy and the other man sprang into the room, the door closing behind them. "Move, and I'll blow him to the heavens." She said plainly. Removing the Shield, she tossed it to Cade and he freed himself. "Seems like you have this all under control, Mr. Attinger. We can obviously see who's in charge here," she pointed with her free hand to Savoy and the guard, Cade handing back the Shield. "Relieve them of their weapons, Cade, and call Optimus."
"I'm going to kill you," Attinger growled, "You don't deserve to live. You're a disgrace to this country, this planet—this world." He looked at her with raveningly devouring eyes, like he was an animal upon its prey.
She tipped her head to the side and smiled sarcastically, "Not if I kill you first, you fragger." Stepping back, she touched her ear, where the comm was ringing to life with messages. Cade was talking to Optimus in hushed tones, a gun pointed at Savoy and the guard. Mira backed up, to position her back towards the door, and gestured to the chair. "Sit down, Attigner. Put your feet up, I insist."
He sat.
"I wasn't joking," she glanced over her shoulder, "you too, boys."
The three of them sat, and Mira took the cuffs. Removing another set of Savoy's' cuffs, Mira pushed their chairs together, and then each gave them another chair to put their feet on. Cade kept the two guns pointed at the three of them, and Mira set to work cuffing their hands to the chairs in front of them. She cuffed them around the back of the chair's back-support, so they would not be able to sit back, their legs up on the chairs still in a most awkward position.
"They aren't going anywhere," she chuckled.
"I swear to God I'm going to kill you," Attinger mumbled to her.
She winked at him, "Looks like you're a little bit tied up at the moment for that."
…
After having scanned the new 2015 Camaro concept, Bumblebee wasn't too enthused at the idea of shattering the glass in the front of the KSI lobby. But, glass shattered anyway, as Bumblebee crashed through the front window nonetheless. It rained down around him and the other bystanders, sending the building into a frenzy of chaos and panic. They scattered everywhere as Bryce roughed is way through the front door, gun at hand, shouting orders. He hurried up the escalator, Bumblebee following him in his bi-pedal.
The others wasted no time as well. Crosshairs and Drift crashed into the window to Bumblebee's left, Crosshairs swinging around and skidding into a stop, crashing into a pillar. Debris danced around him, the humans screaming, as well, Drift powering into his helicopter mode, hovering above them high into the cathedral ceilings. He was going up, scanning floors for Mira and Cade, detained somewhere within the buildings.
Suddenly Optimus erupted into the front of the building, through Bumblebee's opening, shattering more glass and debris. He roared like a demon, rage overcoming him in a passionate fury. Bumblebee had noted the lust in Optimus' eyes—lust for revenge, for war. He had waged war on the humans without verbally saying so, but Bumblebee had been with his mentor long enough to know when Optimus considered a battle personal rather than necessary. This was one of those times.
And it was personal—Mira was a part of them. She was them, as far as he was concerned: Mira was the epitome of Cybertronian grace and strength—she did not take no for answer, even when it was an order, and stood for peace. She wanted nothing but revival in her home-planet, a revival of innocence and purity. Mira was good at listening, as well as talking and asking questions—she was especially good at teaching and explanations. Bumblebee enjoyed her willingness to be wrong, but her ferocity not to be wrong for long.
She was as much like Optimus as a femme could be—honest, strong, honorable, and just. He liked her immensely, always had. She didn't shirk anything, despite the massive size difference between their races, and worked just as hard as any soldiers he'd ever met, even in her position of rank. He found her playful banter enlightening and funny, and he loved her sense of humor.
So, logically, the only he could see doing was to get her out and safe, something he knew Optimus was very passionate about. They all had decided, without Optimus' approval, that they were a perfect match, and that Optimus loved Mira the way he loved Cybertron—if not a bit romantically, though Bumblebee had decided that wasn't true. There would be nothing that could wedge them apart, even their arguments, they all knew that.
"Autobots, move forward!" Optimus fired a few rounds into the air to scare off the humans, shouting orders as he, Crosshairs, Bumblebee, and now Hound cleared the escalator and headed down the massive hallway towards where they'd found the labs. He glanced over his shoulder at Bumblebee, but didn't slow, and nodded towards Drift, "Bumblebee, find Miriam and Cade, and bring them back!" The words were so loud and vicious off his glossa that Bumblebee wondered briefly if he'd been possessed. "Go!" He barked.
Bumblebee turned off, down the hallway to the right where Drift was hovering just high enough. Dodging humans and unwilling to squish any of them, he threw his body into the air and latched onto Drift's landing gear, and he began to go up. "They are on the sixth floor," Drift said through his radio communication systems, "We will find them there, and rescue them."
"Allllriiighty, then!" He found a clip from the internet, "let's get the girl and go home!"
…
The air suddenly came alive with thrumming, and Mira hurried towards the window, stumbling over a chair. Keeping a gun leveled at the gentlemen strapped to their chairs, she stepped back in surprise as Drift's helicopter form quickly dominated the room outside their conference chamber. His blades barely cleared the walls by an inch, but they cleared nonetheless, and he disappeared above them. Mira pounded on the glass, along with Cade, "DRIFT!"
Then, Bumblebee appeared, hanging by an arm and waving at them with a cheeky smile. Mira smiled at him, and he fisted his hand, punching out the glass beside them, and sending a part of the infrastructure hurling across the room, taking tables and chairs with it. Mira stepped over the debris, pushed aside the guard in his chair, and stood at the opening. Bumblebee had a hand extended to her and his optics were bright, as if saying hello. Wiggling his fingers, Drift spoke.
"Make haste," he said hurriedly, "Optimus is in the labs, and he requires our presence immediately!" Mira, not having to be asked twice, jumped aboard Bumblebee's hand, extending hers to Cade to bridge the gap. Cade looked slightly dumbfounded.
"Let's go!" She hollered above the intense noise of Drift's blades humming loudly, whipping hair in all directions. Cade nodded, jumped the gap, and her hand collided with his. Interlacing their fingers, she pulled him towards her and they both sat as Drift lowered back down the way he'd come, until they landed on the floor, safe.
Tessa and Merrick ran into a massive hole in the wall, the backpack over Tessa's shoulders. Instantly she released Merrick's hand to wrap Cade in a hug, her small, thin body trembling in his muscular arms. Mira replaced the Baretta in the belt of her waist and knelt to her knees, throwing her arms around Merrick in a hug. She squeezed his body into her, kissing his cheek repeatedly and smelling his youthful smell.
"Let's goooooo!" The radio cheered behind them, as if in victory. Drift and Bumblebee were already halfway down the hall, weapons bore, not waiting for them. Mira nodded, stood, and Cade quickly swooped up Merrick before she could even take his hand, and the four of them hurried up the now stopped escalator, and made their way into the lab.
They found the place a chaotic mess of sparks, gunfire, screaming employees, and debris. The Autobots had wasted no time, and make quick work of destroying the lab and the property. Crosshairs was firing shots into the air, atop a huge shipping crate, laughing manically as if he were psychotic. Hound was kicking away walls and boxes and stands, ripping things from the ceiling and swearing under his breath, while Optimus was firing shots into computer stations and telling the humans to leave in a voice almost as demonic as his actions.
Mira was horrified as the humans ran rampant around them, and shouldered the opposite way they were filtering out of the room. Panic had seized her as the Autobots blazed on in incoherent fury, her wondering if they had finally lost it under all the pressure—and grief of seeing their comrades so evilly treated. Suddenly, the glass enclosure where Brains had been sheltered shattered into a million glass pieces, Brains hopping out and hobbling over to Hound, who lowered a hand for the bot to crawl onto. He lifted him up, set him on his shoulder, and continued in his destructive passion.
There was a voice, erupting from the madness, and Mira spun around to see Joshua Joyce approaching Optimus, finger pointed at him, his face red with rage. Her stomach dropped, and she ran from her place to intercept him, Cade minding the children yet not far behind. She came to a slow as she neared him, now standing between Joyce and Optimus, who was staring hotly at the man. He had seemed to cool, and she locked eyes with his optics, as if to tell him she was unscathed and alive. He seemed to relax and lowered his weapon from the man.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Joshua addressed them in the same manner he had first addressed Mira and Cade, "that's company property!" Mira raised her hands as if to calm him, stepping directly in front of Joyce, as if to stop not only him from advancing, but Optimus as well.
Prime did not move, he only pointed, "They are not your PROPERTY!" He boomed, voice echoing off the walls as the last of the human chaos began to end. At this the other Autobots ceased their destruction, all approaching behind Optimus with their weapons ready. Mira spun around, eyes widening at Optimus as if she'd never heard him yell before, which she had. He continued his sentiment, now more grieved then enraged, "They were my friends. Allies. Comrades…" he looked away from Joyce, and then to Mira, "…they were my family. You have taken them," he pointed to Mira, "and you have threatened to take her. No more of my family will die at your hands."
Hound stepped up between them, bringing his shot-gun like weapons around, looking dangerously evil. Brains slid down his arm and seated himself on Hound trigger hand, chuckling sarcastically. "Ain't so tough now, wid Hound in yo face! Huh!?"
Mira, panting, looked at Joshua, "Hound, please—" she hurried up to him and touched his hand, "please, don't. Please."
Joshua chortled, "No, no, go ahead," he bowed sarcastically, "show the world your real colors. Show them all what we here already know." She glared at him and stalked up to him, balling her hand into a fist. Instead, she spun her wedding band around, diamond down, and cracked him across his face. He doubled over, hand to his affected palm, and retracted it, to see a small, thin red line of blood trickling from his cheek to the corner of his mouth.
"How dare you," she hissed at him.
"Keeping talking, missy," he pointed a finger at her, "and I'll have you sued for espionage."
"Yeah, because that's your biggest problem," Crosshairs snorted from Prime's left, "Just let me shoot him," he looked up at Optimus, "Please let me do it, just please."
Optimus put up a hand, silencing him. "Why don't you tell your blood-thirsty family members that this," he gestures wildly with his arms as if he were trying to fly like a grounded chicken, "is all the spoils of war, Optimus. Dead metal, innovation—science. That's what happens here—science."
"They are not your science!" Tessa erupted from where Cade was standing on the sidelines. Cade immediately intercepted her, where she started to cry and tremble, a hand over her mouth. Joyce just look at her with pitiful eyes, and shook his head. Mira smiled at her softly, nodding, and looked back to Joyce.
"Because if we do not do science here, someone else will!" Joyce defended himself and pointed at Mira, "and you and the humans you've deceived will not stand in the way of technology, no matter how hard you try! Technology waits for no ma—"
"We are not your technology!" Optimus boomed again, this time whirling around to round-house a nearby workstation. The glass of the desk shattered, and Mira ducked, Joyce skittering to the ground out of surprise and panic. The glass rained down around her in her hair, and Joyce looked to Optimus who stalked forward, taking a knee and offering his index finger to Mira. She placed her hand against it and stood, brushing off the glass shards, when one stuck her in her finger. She winced, pulled it out, and without realizing it, left a bloody handprint on Optimus' finger. He did not care.
"Let me vaporize his aft," Hound muttered.
Optimus shot a look to Hound and then to Mira, "Are you alright?" He asked her gently. She nodded, smiling at him, and patted his hand gently.
"I'm fine."
He stood again, glowering at the man. Joyce continued his less than sentimental sentiment, with enough sarcasm to kill a horse, "I own you're entire genome, Autobot. I broke you, and now I own you…and I can make you."
"You don't own anything," Mira challenged him, pounding forward, "all you own is a concept. A human form of Cybertronians—you own nothing, because they are living beings which control their own actions, emotions, and thoughts," she looked over her shoulder at them, and then stepped forward, thrusting a finger into Joshua's chest, "you own a lifeless, powerless, pathetic machine."
"And they are so different?" he challenged coldly, quietly. Mira rocked back onto the flat of her feet and wrinkled her nose, extending to slap him again when he intercepted and grabbed her arm. He squeezed hard, then sneered at her, and released her roughly, sending her tripping over the debris which Optimus had smashed and into the fallen workstation, where she crumbled to the floor. "Less than impressive show, lady."
This enraged not only Optimus, but the rest of their crew. Cade bolted for her, as did Merrick and Tessa, Bryce finally appearing from halfway across the lab with a computer bag. He saw what was happening, rushed to intercept the conversation, only to come to an abrupt halt when Optimus had handed his gun to Hound, dropped to a knee which shattered the cement below him, and thrusts his fists into the earth, causing more damage. He growled, flickered his optics, and put his face in Joyce's, who backed up half a step after paling a few shades. Mira stood, from the help of Cade, and they brushed the debris off her. Pain shot through her hand, and she realized a larger piece of glass had embedded itself there.
"If you ever lay a hand on her again," Optimus snarled at the man, "….I will kill you."
Joyce said nothing, only paled again.
"The world will know what you do here," Drift interjected, sheathing his sword in the mechanics of his back, and then crossed his arms over his chest to make his point.
"The world isn't going to care," Joyce spit back, as Optimus rose from their stand-off, "they will approve. You don't seem to get it," he sneered over at Mira, "we can make you now. I can make you. We don't need you, anymore. Not now, not ever again."
This sucked the air from the room, as well as Mira's heart. She froze, Cade tearing a piece of lab-coat abandoned from one of the stations in half and began to bandage her arm. Her stomach sank to her feet, and she looked to Optimus, where he had the equal expression etched across his features, and deeply engrained in his eyes. She felt heat overtake her body; rage like a roaring animal on the verge of a mental catastrophe take her body, but she stayed motionless, still. She watched Optimus looked to her and then looked away.
"Autobots," he sneered back at Joyce, his face enraged with hatred, "we're done."
He abruptly turned, and left the way they'd come. The others filtered out after him, Bumblebee looking down to Mira and the rest of them, having stopped beside them. He knelt, extended his hands for them to climb on, and once they had, left the room with the humans literally at hand.
"We're done?" Brains asked, disappointment flooding his voice, "You mean, we aren't gunna kick any aft?"
Hound looked to Crosshairs as the two of them exited the lab behind Optimus, who'd already ducked under the opening and was walking down the hall, replacing his gun in his back mechanics as well, where it hung dormant and in waiting, "I've been itchin' to kill somethin' lately."
"That guy was a prime candidate," Crosshairs, unaware of his joke, took a few seconds before chuckling, "…not that that was intended," He glanced over his shoulder at Mira, who looked down at her scarlet stained palm and rubbed the bandage with her other thumb, "You okay back there, sheila? Awful quiet."
She looked up at him and shrugged, then reached for the Shield. Removing it, she rested it on the bandage, the heat hot with seeming rage at the statement from Optimus. If this was supposed to be part of the Matrix, which was no essentially Prime's spark…was it this hot? This enraged? Was she literally holding his heart in her hands? Then, running her thumb across the emblazoned metal, she shook her head and looked up at Crosshairs, the other humans waiting for her response.
"No. No, I'm not."
He shared a look with Hound, and Bumblebee ducked under the opening, making sure to mind his balance with them in his hands. Optimus was stepping through the clearing in the lobby ahead of them, Drift not too far behind him. Mira's heart twisted as she watched him cast a look to them, and then look away, a painful expression of defeat on his face.
