The dust had settled on the battle torn sands around the Autobot base. Soldiers kicked up new clouds as they worked to pack up as much as possible of their supplies, weapons, equipment, and belongings into the bright silver semi-trailer parked by the entry hangar. This base was to be abandoned now that the Decepticons knew its location. The military base was under similar orders. Clear it out, knock it down, leave it to the wastes of time.
While the humans packed up their assets, the Autobots prepared to load whatever they could carry, mostly medical supplies and tech, and destroy the rest. Hoist and Arcee raided the Med Bay while the others scoured the grounds for any and all dead Decepticons.
Knowing the military's penchant to do whatever it took to advance and protect itself, Optimus ensured they couldn't create another mech. The bodies might be further researched or harvested for their weapons, systems, and living metal.
The broken bodies and various unclaimed limbs were dumped in an unceremonious heap in one the deepest blast holes on the field. When Optimus was satisfied that all had been collected, he gave the signal. He and Bee fired large energon rounds into the flaming pit. Ironhide emptied his arsenal into the wretched corpses, finding a modicum of gratification in the act.
When they were done, all that remained was dead slag melted into an obsidian hunk of metal marbled with beige veins of vitrified sand. In no form meant to be a burial, the mass grave was filled in and left to be forgotten by all but the desert.
By the end of the day, the base had been fully emptied and evacuated save for a scattered few humans and the Autobot team. Optimus made final checks to his trailer. Hoist, Arcee, and Mirage worked to fit every last ounce of stored energon into their carrying capacities. Sandstorm had already transformed and waited impatiently for his two ARC pilots that would fly with him tonight, Archer and Tommy. The other three would go with Optimus in his large sleeper cabin.
Daniel sought out Ironhide as the clock ticked down on their departure time. He stood near the old ARC hangar door, scanning for any enemy movement out in the dunes.
"Hey, Ironhide! Do you have transport duty?" she asked him.
"No. I'm more the run-and-gun type. If we get into a fight on the road, we don't want to risk something in my aft getting broken." he responded, optics never leaving the horizon.
"Well… would you be willing to make an exception? For a war hero?" she prodded coyly.
He finally looked down at her. Crossly, he responded "Did you get knocked about yesterday? I just said I ain't haulin'."
She attempted a subtle pout. "Oh, okay. I was just going to see if you'd be willing to take Archer from the ARC unit for the drive out of here. He's probably your biggest fan in the world and it'd mean a lot to him. He lost his arm in that fight, you know. But he hasn't lost hope that he can still make a difference fighting alongside y'all." she paused, staring into his optics trying to gauge his pliability. Seeing no crack in his stone cold demeanor, she shrugged. "It's okay, I'm sure he'll be fine with Sandstorm's protection. It's only a four hour ride by air."
He made no move beyond a snort before returning to scanning the badlands. Disappointed, Danielle returned to Bumblebee who was just finishing being loaded up with small items to be hauled.
Lennox exited from the hangar and made his presence known. "Alright everyone, it's time to leave. Bombers are enroute, we have ten minutes to get outta dodge. Say your goodbyes and let's go!" With a sigh as he patted the hangar wall next to him, he headed over to the loaded down mech in JLTV form and climbed into the driver's seat. He pulled away and joined the large specially-cloaked motorcade already out on the highway, fleeing the military base.
Arcee transformed into her motorcycle, Hoist into his black Toyota Hilux, and Mirage into his Ferrari. Optimus, attached to his trailer, allowed Heather, Sadiyah and Cole to settle inside. In his glovebox, Ratchet's emblem lay safely removed from the Med Bay wall.
Bee pulled up to Danielle and popped his driver's door open, welcoming her with a blast of cold air and a plucky guitar rolling from the radio.
"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong"
She smiled, giving his roof panel a friendly pat. Looking over him, she saw Ironhide approaching Sandstorm as Tommy ran a preflight checklist, much to the Bot's displeasure.
'Hide's gruff voice boomed with authority as he addressed the pilots. "Sergeant First Class Lionel Archer, change of plans. You're coming with me. No arguing." He transformed and popped open the passenger door towards the aircraft.
With wide eyes and a growing smile, Archer fumbled with the seat harness. Cole popped out from the Peterbilt and over to the copter. He climbed up the side and helped Archer unbuckle and climb out carefully. He shuffled quickly over to the impressive Topkick and clambered inside, quickly strapping in.
"Best. Day. Ever!" he shouted as the door slammed closed. The engine grumbled to life before pulling away slowly. Archer could be seen beaming and already talking a mile a minute to his idol.
Cole turned to Tommy, shouting over the climbing whine of the turbine engines. "Mind if I copilot?" Tommy gave a simple thumbs up and Cole hopped into the rear cockpit, strapped in, and donned the helmet and ear protection. The glass windows closed around them as the rotor began to spin up.
Danielle watched as Ironhide, Optimus with his trailer, Arcee, Hoist, and Mirage drove down the dirt path, still charred and cratered in many places. Sandstorm took off and quickly passed his allies, climbing and making his way towards the long stretch of highway they would be flying over for the next several hours.
Danielle took in the empty base one last time, her memories of meeting the Bots, Raptor, the ARC team, and herself, all wrapped up here. About to be gone forever. The Camaro purred under her hand, prompting her to climb in. As he drove to follow his teammates, she watched the base shrinking in his rearview mirror.
When they reached the highway, far off in the distance she could see a rising mushroom cloud. Minutes later, several explosions detonated from the base they had just left. Vision lost beyond the dunes, the only receipt of the demolition was the new head of billowing smoke rising into the dusky blue sky.
Danielle watched the plumes until they were entirely gone from sight, lost between the distance and the fallen cover of night. Eventually, she found her eyes growing heavy and her seat began to warm, softening to envelope her and lead her into a quiet slumber.
Hours later, she was roused when the smooth motion of highway travel came to an end. Street lamps and stop lights lined avenues around them. Paying little attention, she absently watched the lights stream in and out of his windows until they no longer appeared. The paved street gave way to a secluded dirt road guarded by old growth and massive pine trees.
"Bee? Where are we? Where's everyone else?" she spoke into the cabin, finally noticing the missing caravan.
"We're going very far away from here, and we'll likely never return. I saw that you longed for something to hold onto of your old home, and this is the last chance you'll get for that."
Slowing down, Bee shivered subtly as he rolled over a large patch of sand in the road that was much lighter than the rest, as wide as he was long. Coming to a crawl, he turned right into an empty driveway, thick with weeds and choked by grass. Crickets sang from their hidden perches all around them, with staccatos of frogs accompanying their droning chorus.
Stepping out of the vehicle, Danielle felt her chest tighten with an ache of nostalgia and loss. In the shine of Bee's headlights, she could see the faded chipping paint, the rusted house numbers tacked to the wall over the front door. This was her old home.
She realised she had never had the time to take in the true damage of the missles last that forced them to run. Even in the limited light, she could see the garage had been flattened. What remained was a half-standing home blackened by fire and time, overgrown by saplings and vines. Windows were empty portals, blown out by Starscream's missiles all that time ago. The roof sagged on it's timbers, many walls destroyed or crumbling, succumbing to the elements.
"Bee." she whispered, her voice laden with grief and a sense of there being nothing here for her anymore. She could still imagine the spot where Raptor had parked, silent and sentient. She remembered quiet nights alone, listening to the songs of the woods around her. The home had been sparse of meaningful items, and everything left would have long since disintegrated by now with no one to take care of it.
But maybe not everything. A memory, long buried, sparkled in her mind; precious metal. She had a ring that had belonged to her grandmother, passed down to her by her own mother after her father died. She wondered if it was still here after all this time, and if it was, how she could get to it through this jungle.
A soft brightness glowed around her before a gentle hand touched the small of her back.
"Let me go in to find what you're looking for?" Bee asked, his holoform solemn. She met his gaze, realising he must have seen her desire over the bond and felt her anxiety of attempting to navigate the dense brush in the dark.
Hugging herself but careful of her bandages, she accepted his offer. "Thank you. It's a ring. Silver band, purple-ish blue-ish dark stone. I don't have anything else like it. I kept it in a little wood box, with a painted rose on top, in my room.
With a single nod, the holoform dissolved into the night. A soft beam of light illuminated through the cracks of the walls and roof where he now stood, shuffling through the undergrowth inside. The minutes dragged on, the night chill beginning to crawl into her skin. She climbed back into the Camaro to warm up while she waited. The dash clock blinked by, fifteen minutes… thirty… then Bee's voice bloomed in the cab, startling her from her wandering thoughts.
"I think I found it."
She watched him climb through the interior of her home, obscured silhouette lancing through the destruction. When he emerged, he opened the driver's window and handed her the little wooden box, it's compartment swelled shut by moisture.
Trying hard not to break the trinket, she managed to wrench the orante lid open. Inside was just the one item she was hoping to find. Dingy in the cabin lights, she put the ring on her right index finger and examined it. She knew, under all that grime, it was a polished silver band weaving over itself to cradle a brilliant round Alexandrite, flashing purples, teals, and deep blues.
Tears brimmed on her eyelashes as she took in the sight, feeling the cold seep in from the metal band before slowly warming to her skin. Hugging her hand to her chest, she leaned back in the seat and whispered "Thank you, Bumblebee."
Even as she fell asleep on their long drive to catch up with the rest of the squadron, Bee could feel that she had found closure, finally. He was only grateful to have made the right choice to bring her back here one last time. No nightmares would dog her tonight.
Nearly ten hours had passed in a blur of asphalt and desert, broken only by the rising of a new dawn that blushed across Danielle's sleeping form. She slowly stirred, looking out the windows at the foreign landscape.
Bee spoke up without her needing to ask. "We've crossed two state lines and should be at the new joint base within the day."
The morning rose into noon, the pair only taking a short break at a reststop for her to freshen up, relieve herself and find food for the rest of the trip. Hours marched on, the desert giving way to jutting rocks. Eventually, mountains rose in the distance. The massive dry, red, prominences surrounded the road, each twist and turn a more concealed mystery from the last.
As the sun began its surrender to the West, Bee pulled off the empty highway towards a natural craggey alley that hadn't been visible from the road. He picked his way along carefully until the path widened into a dead end. They sat quietly for a moment, Danielle working her way up to inquiring about his plan, before the mountain face gave way. It rolled to the side, revealing a long dimly lit tunnel leading deep into the heart of the mountain.
He drove in confidently, speeding down the rocky tube towards their new home.