Rides and Auditions
…
Aria sat quietly in the passenger seat. Music played on the radio so quietly it was hard to tell what was playing, perhaps old country or maybe blues?
Other than telling Ironhide her address, neither of them said a word the entirety of the trip. Everything that came to mind to say she talked herself out of a second later. Couldn't he make some sort of remark? Complain or something?
She shifted in the seat. Outside the window, the dwindling cityscape into something more rural.
What could she say? Ironhide was unpredictable, one second he would joke around, and the next he would openly declare his distaste for humans. He tolerated her at least, but to what extent?
Back on the ship, when she fell offboard, it was Ironhide who spotted her. As much as she owed her life to Optimus, she owed it to Ironhide as well. The details were still hazy of what happened after she got back onto the ship, but the vision of Ironhide's angry expression was clear enough.
What did he actually think of her? Surely, she wasn't one of the ones that he deemed unworthy of his trust. Then again, had she showed him any evidence of that? She was one of the ones he didn't know yet, and therefore she would have to get to know him to earn it.
And to do that, she had to say something.
"Thank you," she started. "Back on the ship, it was you that spotted me when I fell. I know my life is nothing compared to Optimus's, but I'm grateful to both of you for saving me."
The speakers only rumbled in response, or rather lack thereof.
"Just don't go doing it again. We have more important things than looking out for you humans." He finally spoke.
Aria's eyes turned from the window to the center console. "I'll do my best."
"What were you trying to accomplish?" His voice sounded genuinely curious under the condescending overtone.
"I was trying to help. Everyone else was, why couldn't I?"
"The crew of the ship are trained for such situations, not civilians. You should have stayed below and let those qualified do what needed to be done."
"Sam, Mikaela, and Leo were helping."
"They are hardly examples to follow. If anything, keeping your distance from them would be the best for your survival. Staying even farther away from us would be even more so," he added lowly.
"But…" She didn't want to keep her distance from the Transformers. That was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Didn't he realize that when she practically ambushed him on the street and begged Lennox?
Not like she was suddenly going into battle with them. Egypt was a fluke and wasn't going to happen again. Optimus took care of the problem, and Jetfire wasn't there anymore to teleport her to dangerous situations.
"From what I have heard from your arrival to Egypt and your attempt to track us down, your curiosity is dangerous to yourself. Colonel Lennox should not have allowed you access to the base, you're a liability to us now, one we don't need."
Even if he was right, it still hurt to hear. "I'll do my best to stay out of trouble." It was all she could really promise.
Trees filled the landscape outside the window. The road was narrow and traffic was sparce. Her house wasn't far now. Having an actual ride was much faster than the bus. The trip was worth it though, to live out of town.
"This is the destination?" Ironhide asked, pulling up to the side of the road in front of her driveway.
"Yeah." She nodded.
The seatbelt undid itself from around her waist. Wait, he was going to drop off way back here? "You can pull into the driveway."
"I sense a canine on the property. I would prefer not to."
"You don't like dogs?" That was random. "He's inside anyway, so he can't bother you."
Ironhide didn't answer, nor did the truck move.
"Come on, I saw your base, come see mine."
"It is unnecessary," he replied tersely.
For some reason she refused to give up. "You might like it, just come see."
The truck made a sound that resembled a grumble before slowly turning onto the driveway and past the wall of trees onto her property. He stopped again, this time in front of her house.
"It's secluded," he said.
"Exactly." She turned away from the window to better face the console of the truck. "The only line of sight in is through the driveway, and the trees are at least as tall as Optimus. You guys can transform here."
It was the one thing she could offer in exchange for knowing them. Being cooped up in a base in the city would be difficult for anyone. As far as she knew, there wasn't any other place they could freely transform and be themselves.
It was a long moment of silence before Ironhide replied. "Colonel Lennox has authorized this?"
"No, I just did."
"That's not a call you can make."
"I don't think it's a call anyone can make. The government can't control your every action, you don't belong to them. And if you think they don't agree, then what they don't know can't hurt them."
"I will," he hesitated, "talk to Optimus.
There. She got through to him. "It's the least I can do to thank you guys. Come anytime if I'm here or not. Just don't scare my dog and horses and stay out of sight of the driveway." She opened the door and slid down the seat, dropping onto the ground below. "Well, hopefully I'll see you later then."
As she went to close the door, Ironhide's voice sounded through the speakers. "Thank you, Aria."
The door pulled from her loose grasp and shut itself with a click. Gravel crunched under his tires as he backed out onto the road and disappeared behind the wall of trees.
She found herself smiling.
…
A few days later, Aria's ribs felt good enough to attempt horse riding. She spent her day off sitting on Zenith's back as he leisurely walked around with little input. Trotting was definitely a write off at the moment. Azimuth followed, only wandering away when a particular nice patch of grass caught his attention.
As the afternoon passed, clouds darkened the sky and the temperature dropped. She unsaddled Zenith and put it away in the barn just as it began to rain.
Back inside the house, she made some tea and turned on the small TV for some background noise.
There was still no sign of the Autobots. It was possible Ironhide told Optimus who told him no, or perhaps Ironhide thought it was a bad idea all together. Or maybe Lennox caught wind and denied them.
When had life become so boring without them? Work was dull, home was quiet. She needed a new hobby.
A sharp ring cut through the chatter of the TV. Aria paced over to the phone on the side table where Jetfire's spark rested.
"Hello," she greeted.
"Hey Ari, it's mom." Of course it was, no one else called. "Just wanted to make sure you were doing all right."
This was the third time she had called since Aria had first told them the coverup story for her time in Egypt. Taken in for questioning, detained as a suspect and then released when found innocent. She had to repeat countless times that they treated her well and were only following protocol just to cool her father off.
"I'm doing fine. Work is boring as per usual."
"Well, if that idiot boss of yours would give you a chance. I don't know why you still work there, Aria, that man doesn't deserve you as an employee. I know it's affecting you, especially when you don't have anyone else to reach out to other than me and your father there."
"I can't quit. I'm making okay money and get plenty of hours. Plus, there's no way he'd ever hire me as a tour guide if I quit."
"I know Ari, I just want you to realize there are other options." Her mother continued, "Oh, I saw the Aurora Opera Club was holding auditions the other day."
"Mom." Aria fell back on the couch.
"Remember how we used to go all the time? How you used to say you'd love to dress up and sing on stage?"
"Mom, I swear."
"Your choir teacher said you have the voice for it too, but by then you were getting too shy for your own good."
"You didn't."
"I did. You need a hobby and some friends. Just go to the auditions at the very least, I think you'll love it."
Aria bolted upright. "Mom! Opera, of all things. It's been years since I've sung anything."
Her mother was unfazed. "Use your old choir music. Practice a song that shows off your range, go there and sing it. That's it that's all."
She sighed. "When is it?"
"Next Saturday, at noon. Call me when you get back and tell me how it went."
"All right, I will. Thanks, I think."
"You'll love it. Talk to you later."
With a goodbye, Aria hung up the phone. Of all things for her mother to scheme, Opera was unexpected.
She flopped down onto the couch again. There was no way she would make it past auditions if she didn't start practicing right away. But her mother was right, maybe it would be a way to make some friends, or at least get out of the house once and a while since the Cybertonians seemed to want nothing to do with her anymore.
…
Perhaps the week went by fast because of the building anxiety in her chest. She practiced singing at every given opportunity. Looking up videos online and a couple of old music books on her bookshelf.
Once upon a time she had no problem singing in front of people, now it filled her with fear. What if she forgot the words, or missed a note, or her voice cracked?
The opera audition was mere hours away. She had already warmed up her voice that morning and only stopped when her throat started to hurt. Already a bad sign.
After she tried reading, then watching TV, then brushing her horses, but nothing kept her attention for more than ten minutes. She was going to butcher the audition and be laughed out of the venue. Why did she agree in the first place again?
With all other options exhausted and a few hours to kill, she went out to the barn and took out one of her bows and a handful of arrows.
On the outside shed wall hung a target tattered and worn from years of use. Like singing, she was out of practice. However, unlike singing, her muscle memory came back much faster. Each arrow getting closer and closer to the center of the target.
Nerves disappeared in favor of concentration. She was so close to a bulls eye. Just breath, aim, and shoot.
The arrow made a thud as it made contact with the target, only an inch away from the center.
She lowered the bow and made her way to the shed to pull out the arrows. Next round she would do it.
The low rumbling sound of an engine caused her to turn towards the driveway. Black paint glinted through the lilac bushes a moment before a large truck turned onto the gravel.
Sirius bolted up from the grass nearby, barking at the intruder.
Or rather Ironhide.
Bow and arrows still in hand, she jogged over, Sirius at her side. Of all the Autobots, it was Ironhide that came back? But why? Surely it wasn't purely for a visit, he wasn't the type.
Then he did something else even more surprising; he transformed.
Sirius ran ahead, barking even more madly at Ironhide than before.
"If this rodent so much as touches my foot, he will be terminated instantly." Ironhide's metallic face was still twisted into a scowl when he turned his gaze towards her as she came to a stop in front of him.
Aria returned the look after calling off Sirius. "Are you threatening my dog?"
Ironhide's line of sight went from Aria's face, to her bare feet, and back up to her bow. He seemed to ignore her question and instead inquired on her weapon. "Are you training for battle?" he asked, his blue optics met her hazel eyes.
Training for battle? That was a little over the top. "Oh no, just practicing."
"That's a relief." The sturdy Autobot sounded more mocking than relieved.
"And why's that?" She crossed her arms with bow still in hand.
"Archery is a primitive form of combat even for your species," Ironhide stated, looking down at her.
In response Aria drew out an arrow and strung it to her bow, aiming it directly at Ironhide's right glowing eye. "But it's still a weapon." She smirked at his slightly surprised expression.
"You dare point that at me? Even the most advanced human technology cannot penetrate my Trilythium steel armor," he boasted, head high.
She lowered her bow. "Then what's that scar on your eye from?"
In truth it wasn't just his eye, the gash disfigured the top corner of his metal face. Not that it looked bad, just obvious.
"I assure you, I wear this scar with pride," Ironhide's expression changed into a more serious one when he looked back down at her. "The Decepticon that gave me this was far beyond anything your feeble mind could ever comprehend."
"He must have been nasty then."
Ironhide's undamaged eye narrowed. "Do you remember that giant Decepticon climbing that pyramid?"
"The one the size of a building, yes I remember," she replied.
"He was twice his size." Ironhide's optics flicked, staring Aria straight in the eye.
Aria couldn't help but gape at the Autobot. "Did you kill him?"
"No mercy," he answered menacingly.
Regaining the control of her jaw, she closed her parted lips. "So if you're so strong, how come I didn't see you doing anything spectacular in Egypt?"
"If I recall, I saved you. Spectacular enough?"
He was talking about Egypt, right? All he'd done was give her a ride to the ship when it was all over. Was there something she wasn't remembering correctly?
"When?"
"When you were standing in the middle of the battlefield completely unresponsive. You would have been stepped on if I hadn't moved you out of the way."
She'd been unresponsive when she was in Egypt? She pictured the dessert in her mind, Jetfire's body collapsing in front of her.
"Ironhide, get that girl out of here!"
That's right. He had. After Jetfire…
"You cared for Jetfire, that much is clear. But I fail to understand why after such a short time."
"He wasn't all there anymore, but he still helped me. Even came back for me, took me to you guys. I think he believed in me, as crazy as that sounds. Called me a warrior."
Ironhide scoffed. "That, you are not. Do not take anything Jetfire said to heart. As you said, he was not all there after being in stasis for so long. Words like that will get you in trouble. It takes years of training to become a warrior, it is a death sentence to think otherwise."
Aria's eyes dropped to his feet. He was right. What Jetfire said was only to encourage her to move on. Trying again on the ship only led to her near death. She wasn't a warrior, she was a girl with her own life to live.
Wait. "What time is it?"
"Ten minutes past eleven a.m." Ironhide replied without hesitation.
"I'm not going to make it!" It was already too late. The trip would only take half an hour normally. But between walking to the bus and stopping at every station on the way, it would take at least another half hour.
She immediately spun and headed straight to her front door. She needed shoes.
"Are you going somewhere?" The robot alien added.
By now Aria was already on her front porch stepping into a pair of flats and grabbing her bag. "I have an interview at the Aurora Opera Theater in half an hour," she raised her voice slightly so the Autobot could hear.
"I will take you," Ironhide took a step closer. Instantly Sirius was up and barking at him.
"Really?" Aria looked up at him before turning to open the front door behind her, calling Sirius. In response the canine stopped barking and sauntered into the house, never taking his eyes from the robot.
Like a complex puzzle, Ironhide transformed into a black truck. The separate pieces fusing together back into the flawless painted outer shell. Not a trace of the alien robot remained.
The truck's engine rumbled as she made her way to him. When she stood beside the passenger side door, she paused. Last time she touched him he made it sound like she committed a crime.
"Am I going to offend you if I open your door?"
The door abruptly swung open, hitting Aria in the stomach. She gasped in surprise.
"Now that you mention it, yes it would." There was a humorous tone to his voice from inside.
Regardless, she jumped up to the passenger seat and shut the door. "You're not very nice, Ironhide."
"And you are easy to taunt." He backed out of the driveway and was started down the narrow road.
"I see you put on footwear," the radio commented once they turned onto a busier road.
That was a random comment. His attempt at conversation maybe? "Well yeah, it's a social norm. I don't want to look like a homeless person."
"Human's and their social norms. So many useless habits and mannerisms in your society, it's infuriating. Too many in place to move forward as a species."
"Is that another reason why you don't like us?"
"Among many others, yes."
He still had no problem talking down to humans despite the random visit and offer to drive her to the audition. It was rather contradictory.
Aria rested her elbow on the armrest, palm under her chin. "Why did you come then, if you hate humans?"
"Your military was testing my patience. Prime suggested to go for a drive before I blew the base up." He sounded dead serious.
"Good decision." Her voice was higher than usual.
For some reason Ironhide blasting the building to bits wasn't that hard to imagine. What did the Autobots even do on a daily basis? Probably training and exchanging information with the military, but that seemed like a boring life. Did they get days off? Did they have hobbies? She imagined they would drive around town, since that's all they could really do.
Perhaps offering her place to them did mean something if it was where Ironhide chose to go when he was upset.
…
As Aria exited the local theater Ironhide pulled up in front of her and opened the passenger door.
The speakers came to life shortly after she put her seatbelt on.
"I take it your interview didn't go well?"
Aria shook her head and sighed. "No, it went too well. They loved me."
"Then why aren't you baring your teeth as humans do when they're happy?"
Baring their teeth? "Oh, you mean smiling? Because I'm not really sure I want to be in an opera."
Ironhide merged into the busy street. "What exactly is an opera?" he said the word slowly.
So the alien robot drove her all the way to the theater without even knowing what she was doing? That sounded about right for Ironhide.
"It's a type of play that is told through very loud singing." A little over simplified, but true.
"Do you mean like the strange music Lennox listens to on my radio?"
An old Jonny Cash song started playing through the speakers.
Aria covered her mouth to hide a laugh. "No, no. Opera is much different."
The music stopped. "Demonstrate it then," the robot sounded far too serious for her liking.
She tensed. "I-" what was she trying to say? This was more nerve racking than the five people that where just judging her minutes ago.
"Are a coward," Ironhide finished blatantly.
Aria's eyes narrowed, so that's how he was going to be. It was just Ironhide, he didn't have any sort of musical background to judge her against. Just a simple demonstration, for knowledge's sake.
"Fine then," she took a breath, and relaxed while she exhaled.
"Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose"
She stopped after the first verse. It was the song she auditioned with and the judges loved it. The song itself was not really an official aria, but it was more how you sang that mattered.
"Humph," was the Ironhide's only audible response.
"I told you it was different." Aria relaxed back in the seat. "Do you guys have music or sing?"
"No, Cybertonian language doesn't use mechanisms like vocal cords to change pitch in such a way."
"What does your native language sound like?"
The tuck went quiet for a moment, then strange noises like low pitched electronic rumbles ever so slightly resembling a foreign language heavily distorted through a fuzzy radio channel.
He was right, it didn't sound like a language that could produce music, or at least any that humans could comprehend.
"What did you say?"
"I said that unlike human language, ours is much more efficient. At times it's irritating to speak because everything takes so long to say."
He stopped at a red light, towering over every other car at the intersection.
Aria put her hands on her lap, pulling at the hem of her skirt. "Well, that could just be English. There's probably other languages that are better at efficiency."
"We have learned all languages that can be accessed through the internet."
"Really, it's that easy for you? I'm jealous." Nothing sounded more convenient that having a brain that could connect to the internet at will.
He turned onto her residential road, nearly taking up the entirety of the lane.
"You should be. Your carbon based lifeform is laughably flawed. Evolution by mutation is a slow and painful process."
"You know about all that? Through the internet?"
"No, we have humans come in and teach us about culture, science, politics. The more I learn, the less hope I have for this planet."
"Yeah," she agreed, "times are changing."
Ironhide pulled into her driveway, stopping half way between her house and the entrance.
Aria got out, once again practically falling out of the truck onto the ground. She was about to shut the door when a thought crossed her mind.
"Did you tell the others about what I said to you before, about coming here?"
Ironhide's voice flowed out of the truck. "I did. They don't believe the government will allow it, so they are hesitant to come in case they find out."
"You came, though."
"As you said, the government cannot control every aspect of our lives."
"And here I thought you were a stickler for rules."
"Humph. That depends who's giving them."
Aria let out a small chuckle. Ironhide's door slid out of her hand and shut itself.
"See you," she said to herself as he left.
…