(A-POV)
I woke in a cold sweat, my heart racing, confused and disoriented. For more than a month, the same nightmare had been frequenting my dreams, more so than usual. It was always the same: my sister and brother crying, Salem's manic laugh, me struggling against my binds until darkness swallowed me whole. This time, though, it had been different.
There was a... presence. Some unknown, unseen person watching. I could still feel their stare boring holes into the side of my head.
Look at me, their appearance seemed to scream. I am here, look at me.
But every time I tried to move my head, move anything at all in their direction, they would disappear, always lingering on the edge of my peripheral. The hysteria it caused forced my body awake, and even as I breathed heavily, gulping down air, it took me longer yet to grasp where I was and what had happened.
I quickly reached for my journal and a pen, electing to write every detail before my memory slipped.
Over the years, I'd found that writing things down helped. It didn't matter if they were nightmares, daydreams, thoughts, or memories haunting my mind. Holding it somewhere other than my own brain gave me clarity, which had been a rarity I'd coveted, especially while my siblings and I had been tucked away in a safe house after my parents died, when all I could do was write.
It had slowly transformed from a daily journal to a dream journal as I got older. Now, I only detailed any changes in my dreams.
As I wrote, I felt a headache bloom at my temples. I looked at the clock.
7:39am.
I groaned. I managed to get just about four hours of sleep. The rest was a cycle that consisted of staring at the ceiling, huffing, and rolling over. Though I loved the idea of going back to sleep, I knew I wouldn't be able to. So I pulled myself out of bed and made myself a coffee.
Nearly two months had gone by since I'd checked out of the hospital. Just as I was told, I resumed my normal life. I settled back into school and caught up with my work. I stayed in contact with friends.
Most importantly, I continued watching for signs of Salem. He was dead, that much was true. But just as Nia had reminded me, there would be others; people who had been close to Salem and knew what I was capable of, conjuring ways to exploit my abilities for any reason they chose.
There were times when I thought I had found something, when Gabriel detected activity in localized areas around the Pacific Midwest, and I believed them to be resurfacing after nearly three years of silence.
Every time, it was nothing.
Gabriel was my intelligence officer, and as such, I trusted the reliability of his information. He was well-trained, as were we all. Either they scattered too quickly to be caught, or it was the actions of some other syndicate not worth our time.
I knew there was something going on. I felt it. Lucas and Alex were convinced it was obsession. Nia and Gabriel thought it to be synchronicity. Maybe they were right.
But I couldn't shake this feeling that I was missing some crucial step.
No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't go away. It was a pressure under my skin, in my very veins, as if it was preparing me for the inevitable.
How many people were part of it all? What else would they do to get what they wanted? People had been murdered for this secret, this burden which I was born with. How many more would die because of it? How does one equate the price of human lives to my own? When would it be enough?
These questions ran rampant through my mind, over and over. I tried to disrupt them by doing menial tasks around the apartment.
Dusting, reorganizing, washing the dishes.
It didn't work.
It was then that I decided I needed to get out of the apartment.
-0-0-0-
I drove to the first place I thought would bring me peace. Or, the first being that would bring me peace.
I pulled into Sam's driveway just as I got the responding text message from him. He's in the garage. Unlocked. Out with parents.
Heading for the side door, I excitedly opened it to find Bee sitting in his alt mode. "Hello, darling!"
To my surprise, he didn't answer.
I quickly scanned his frame, making sure there was nothing wrong that I could visibly see. Just to make sure, I closed my eyes and opened my senses enough for my ability to take hold. I recognized no immediate malady, just a slight, strange prickling sensation.
Such physicalities were too small to be represented in my own body, which is why I hadn't noticed them upon arrival.
"Bee?" I carefully padded up to his side and gently rested my hand on his hood. Still no response.
I frowned. It wasn't like him to ignore anyone. Before I could call his name again, he quietly whirred, almost like an audible sigh.
I crouched down and whispered, "Are you okay?"
"Fell asleep." He played softly from his radio.
Sure enough, if I listened closely, I could hear the difference in the hum of his spark. It was faint, near inaudible, unlike what I'd heard of a spark when its bot was wide awake. It even hummed at a lower frequency than normal.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll let you-" I motioned to rise, but halted when Bee cut me off.
"Stay." He said.
I lightly touched his tire and opened my mouth to insist I leave, but stopped myself short.
If he wanted me to stay, then I would.
"Alright."
I righted myself and climbed into the passenger seat when Bumblebee silently opened the door. I stroked the seat and murmured, "Don't mind me. You can go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
I smiled. "Promise."
As the bot rested, I read on my new phone, courtesy of our very own government. Considering my security clearance and the situations to which I had been subjected in the past, they liked to keep all of our technology updated. This was one of them, the first fully touch-screen phone to ever reach the public.
So I read my digital book until my own eyes grew heavy. I fought back the sudden wave of fatigue. The restless nights were beginning to catch up, and if I didn't rectify the problem soon, it would begin to negatively affect performance levels. If it was one thing I couldn't afford, it was the inhibition of my body. Even my capability to heal was hindered by exhaustion.
If I failed to perform in any capacity when I was needed most, I'd never forgive myself. That I knew for certain.
I told myself that I would try to quiet my mind enough to sleep, even if it was for five or six hours. I, at the very least, owed my friends that much. And I'd have to learn how to beat back the pulsing headaches, which had recently frequented my waking hours.
While I idly rubbed my temple, Bumblebee's spark slowly got louder, which I could hear clearly from my spot in the passenger seat. I didn't know the exact anatomy of a Cybertronian, but I figured I was closest to their spark while sitting inside their alt mode. Whether I was closest in the back or the front was another matter, one I'd like to soon figure out.
"Alestia?"
"Morning, sunshine," I responded with a smile as I leaned forward slightly to stroke the dashboard. "How was your nap?"
"Much needed."
"Do you not sleep at night?"
"No," the bot admitted. "I like to keep watch over Sam and his family. Something bad could happen at night, and I want to be prepared."
I smiled softly. "You're adorable, you know that?"
He clicked and whirred happily. "It's part of my charm."
I laughed. "How long have you been cooped up in this garage?"
Bee was silent for a moment as he calculated the time frame. "Two days."
"Two days? No wonder you're uncomfortable!"
"How did you know that?" He responded, evidently surprised.
"Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out it can get cramped in here, and I'm sure being in your alt mode for prolonged periods of time can't be the most comfortable," I teased, crossing my arms in mock sternness.
"You checked on me, didn't you." Obviously, he already knew the answer.
"What makes you say that?"
"I felt it." Bee laughed. "Like a little burst of electricity. It didn't hurt, it just felt... tingly."
Now, I was interested. "I didn't know you could feel it," I murmured.
"I didn't feel it last time. I think I was in too much pain to notice."
I mulled the thought over. It would make sense. If the receiver was plagued by pain, so much so that it clouded their ability to recognize other physicalities, the tingling sensation would be masked by the pain. And by the time the pain was gone, there would be no need for a noticeable tingling.
But one thing didn't add up.
I hadn't actively used my abilities.
I'd have to think about this new piece of information later, when I wasn't sitting in an Autobot with aching joints.
"I say it's high time you had a nice stretch. I'll let Sam know we're going for a quick drive. You'll be back in no time." I assured Bee, waving my phone around for good measure. He was serious about his role as Guardian, and I didn't want him to ever regret dedicating time to himself.
I didn't like that Sam was keeping Bee cloistered and secluded in this tiny garage. I knew Bumblebee would take whatever was offered with sincere gratitude, and that he probably would never complain. He was a good mech at spark, but he was still a living entity.
And any living entity couldn't exist sanely in a cage.
I bit my tongue and watched in silence as Bumblebee electronically opened the garage door and drove onto the street. I motioned to switch from the passenger to the driver's side but stopped when Bee activated his holoform.
"Oh," I relaxed and resumed my original position. "I forgot you could do that."
He snorted and placed a hand on the steering wheel. "Where to?"
"Anywhere you want, Bee. I don't mind."
His blue eyes slid to mine, and a coy smile graced his lips. "I have an idea."
-0-0-0-
"How did you find this place?" I asked as I looked around. Bee had driven us to an abandoned scrapyard on the outskirts of Tranquility. There were rows of forgotten vehicles towards the entrance, where a large sign still stood.
"I like to explore when Sam doesn't need me."
As we drove further into the yard, the dirt slowly turned into grass and the number of vehicles began to subside, leaving room for a clearing.
Wildflowers, which had bloomed during the summer, were still vibrant as ever despite the creeping chill in the air. The sun was shining brightly, beating back some of the bite in the breeze. When I climbed out of the passenger seat, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, basking in its glow. Bumblebee transformed beside me, reaching up to the sky and letting out a contented sigh as he did so.
Bee performed a series of stretches, accompanied by the occasional pop of a joint. Out of curiosity, I mentally reached out to his form as I watched. For the first time, I felt contentment, which seemed to originate nowhere in specific. It didn't feel like the familiar stab of pain. I only felt warm.
I furrowed my brows and shook my head slightly. It must have been my own emotions clouding my judgment.
"You did it again," Bumblebee murmured.
"You felt it?"
I would definitely have to figure that out at a later time.
The bot only nodded in response as he leaned back and collapsed onto his back, tucking both hands behind his head and spreading his legs like a starfish.
"Better?" I teased as I climbed onto his chest, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.
"You have no idea."
From my position, I could feel his spark thrumming underneath me. It wasn't as loud as when we were driving, nor was it as quiet as when he was sleeping. It was somewhere in between.
Fascinating.
The pitch and frequency of Bee's spark corresponded with his state of mind. I had to listen closely, yes, but it was a good way to tell how the Autobots, who were too good at concealing their emotions, felt at any given time.
Bee offlined his optics. He played music from his radio, keeping the volume at a low level. I sighed as I felt my headache slowly begin to fade away. Finally, some peace. The stress I'd felt lately must have been mounting because they were getting worse. What had begun as a twinge had morphed into throbbing pain. I just hoped over-the-counter medication would continue to dull them.
The reprieve I felt here, in this moment, was refreshing, and I basked in the sun, soaking it up as much as possible. I, too, closed my eyes as I rested my forehead on my knees. I knew my back would soon start to ache, but for now, it was enjoyable.
Moments later, Bee spoke. "You haven't been sleeping, either."
I raised my head. "No," I confirmed softly, "I haven't."
"Chargefrights?" The bot must have sensed my confusion because he quickly explained. "Humans refer to them as nightmares."
I thought about my dreams as of late, and a shiver shot down my spine. Yeah, I'd been having nightmares, all right.
"Me too," he whispered, so quietly I nearly missed it. I could hear a lingering fear in his voice, and it damn near broke my heart.
"It helps to talk about them, you know."
The music stopped, and silence engulfed the clearing.
"Sometimes," He breathed, "I'm back on Cybertron, and I- I know that there's going to be an attack. I'm racing to tell the rest of the Autobots, and I'm trying so hard, but I'm not going fast enough. And when I finally get there," Bee's voice wobbled, and my heart seized at the torment that lay in it. "Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl, even Sides and 'Streaker... they're all dead."
"Other times," Bee continued, "I'm back in Mission City, and my legs are gone. It hurts... so much. I-I'm crawling to you guys, trying to protect you, because Starscream is circling back around. Just before I touch you, because you're always closest, you disappear. You all disappear."
I turned my body towards his face, my arms unraveling from their place around my knees to place them beside me so I can push myself up. I had to do anything, everything, to comfort this bot, who was in anguish; this child, because just like me, that's all he really was. A young mech who had experienced more than he ever deserved, who had seen more violence than he should have.
I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, and when I looked over my shoulder, Bumblebee's holoform crouched there, his hair a mess, his clothes rumpled, and tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
"You and Sam, you're... you're there and then you're not, and I can't find you. I look everywhere," his eyes were wide now as he babbled. "But I still can't find you, and I- I-"
I crushed him to my chest as tears fill my own eyes. He sobbed, burying his face in my neck. The holo's arms fastened themselves around my torso, so tight I can barely breathe, but I cradled his body despite it. I gently rocked him, whispering over and over, "I'm here, I'm here. You're safe, I'm here."
We remained like this until his sobs subsided and he finally relaxed in my arms. I felt and heard him sniff. "I got condensed water all over your shirt."
I pulled back enough so that I could see the holoform's face. "Funnily enough, I'm not too worried about that right now."
Bee giggled, and relief tore through me. I brushed the hair which was matted to his forehead away from his eyes.
He sat back and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "I feel better now. Thank you."
"Anytime you need someone to talk to, I'm here. Please don't ever forget that."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
(TPP)
Gabriel had been staring at the three monitors on his desk for a few hours now. He drummed his fingers on the worn wood, his chin held up by his other hand as he leaned closer to the middle screen. He'd detected unusual movement in northern Nevada, just before the border of Oregon.
He knew of only one person still active in Salem's old inner circle, and through any technology Lucas could hack into, he was able to track them all the way from their starting position in mid-Nevada, near the small town of Eureka.
Gabriel had been tracking him for days, but only now did the sirens in his mind go off. There'd been a spike in some unknown group activity near the Pacific border of Oregon, and he had thought it to be separate. But now that there'd been confirmation of that singular person's whereabouts...
Something was going on.
He didn't know what, or if it was even important, but his gut told him to pay attention. There had to be a reason why this person suddenly switched flights without any obvious motivating factor, why they seemed to now be heading towards that very same group activity.
Something was going on, alright.
Something bad.
Hope you liked that chapter, dear readers! Thank you to all who have commented, bookmarked, and liked this fic. It means so much, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! Have a great day and I'll see you in the next chapter :)
