Disclaimer: Have to say, it was hard to figure out a way to end this chapter. Whether or not to have the battle all depended on what happened prior, but I think I figured it out.
I don't own Transformers.
"Speaking"
Thinking
"So, he's really in jail?" Judy nodded, putting the jug of milk back into the fridge. It was to be expected, really. Sam's frantic shouting awoke his parents, and by the time they got out of their room and went downstairs, Sam was already a fair distance down the road on his bike. Which direction, Ron didn't know. He headed to the house phone, called in, and alerted the police of what happened. The next couple of hours following, to Sam's disappointment, consisted of him being stuck in the local jail while his dad had to wait until morning to go get him.
They seriously thought he was the one who stole it? "Will this be on his record?" The older woman sat down on the stool on the other side of the kitchen island, and stirred her cereal around slowly. She was stressed, and it showed. I could only imagine what was going through her head at the moment.
"I don't think so, Blake. It is his car, after all." Her grip on the spoon was more noticeable, and her words were forced. Sitting my own utensil down, having finished my breakfast, I reached over and rested my hand on the one resting on the counter.
"He'll be fine, Mrs. Witwicky. I'm sure whoever took the Camaro didn't mean for him to get into trouble." Speaking of the car... where did he go? Bee hadn't returned, having to keep up the appearance that he was taken. Or was it to continue the alert that he had found Sam, and that the other Bots could come to Earth now? "How much longer do you think they'll be?"
She hummed over the question, and I sat back down in my seat, retracting my hand. "I'm not sure, but you are more than welcome to go to town and check in on them. Do you know how to get there?"
"Somewhat." Hopping off the stool, I picked up my dishes and moved to the sink, resting them inside. "It's not perfect, but I should be able to get there in one piece. I'll be back after lunch. If not, around supper."
She hesitated, but sighed, relenting to my plan. "Alright. But wear a jacket if you're expecting to be late! It gets cold at night!" Heeding the suggestion, I hurried back upstairs and into Sam's room. I really need to get him to clean. Scooping up an oversized black hoodie laying at the foot of the bed, with sleeves that would no doubt go over my hands, I slung it over my shoulder and retreated to the entryway.
Might as well wear this, since I have no way of carrying it around. I threw the hoodie on, leaving it unzippered, and threw on the shoes from yesterday before finally reaching for the doorknob. However, I paused just as my fingertips grazed over the metal. Whether or not it's a mad rush, I'm going to be thrown into this mess with Sam. "I... I can do this." With that as my final decision, I stepped out into the warm Nevada sun, letting the door close behind me. "Next stop, either Sam or Bee."
Trees bristled in an almost invisible breeze, but still enough to keep the heat from being unbearable. Not many cars drove were out on the roads, leaving most of the noise in the subdivision to come from two boys across the street playing with a basketball hoop, and three young children on my side playing with water guns in a backyard. Squealing laughter brought a smile to my face, before it shifted back to the previously neutral one. I need to find him, preferably before he does. Find Bee, before the Decepticon makes his appearance. "And how hard is that gonna be? It's like a needle in a haystack."
My shoe met a small rock on the sidewalk, and I kicked it off into a ditch. And how am I supposed to handle that? Giant robot fight-I'm like an insect compared to them. How am I going to keep all two-three-of us in one piece? Three, being the addition of Mikaela. The more I thought over it, the more the nervousness and stressed feeling grew. Twisting, and snaking around me, draining out what attempts at a reasonable idea I was trying to find. And how am I supposed to find Bumblebee in this entire town any-?
The sudden loud music made me trip over myself, stumbling a few steps before I hurried to regain my balance. Straightening up, I looked ahead to find the yellow and black sports car, windows down just enough for the lyrics to come out, parked across the street by a series of post-boxes.
"... guess he beat me to it." Finding him, I mean. Looking left and right, I dashed across the road and over to the Camaro. My speed decreased as I approached the driver's door, hand held out to grab the latch, only to reel back a moment. "... if I open this, am I going to be scared by what I find?" Was there a reason, for actually tracking me down? Was this because since I was close to Sam, that made me a target in his eyes... optics? Or was it because I was more likely to have a calm reaction, compared to Sam? I would freak out, but unlike him, I doubted I'd have a mental breakdown. Which... has already happened, unfortunately.
An odd whirl escaped the car, and I had no idea if that meant yes or no. I guess I don't have much of a choice here, do I? Even if I avoid going after Sam, and not join him and Mikaela, Sector Seven will meet up with me at some point. With that haunting thought, I would rather put my trust with the Autobots then being a stationary target back at the house. They at least have the chance to keep me safe for a while. "Okay then. I'm trusting you here." Grabbing the handle, hearing the soft click of a lock undoing itself, I pulled the door open towards me.
The inside was empty, just like I had expected it to be. The radio was still on, playing Sweet Caroline, albeit with the volume turned down. "Heh... had a feeling you were special, Bee." The song from earlier continued, now onto its second verse. Fingers sliding off the handle, I climbed into the car and grabbed for the seat belt. The door closed by itself, and the Camaro pulled away from its parking spot. "So, is this a kidnapping? Am I going to get answers, or am I going to have to guess here?"
"Enemy target closing in... precious cargo." Wow. Random dialogue gives a pretty decent explanation. Pulling the seat belt across me and buckling in, I leaned back against the headrest.
"You know, I had a hunch about aliens, since you managed to destroy all those cars with ease. Then again, there's been movies and other stuff about sentient cars just being sentient cars. So, you gotta understand, I had some options to choose from." When I saw we were approaching the town, I wrapped my hands around the steering wheel. How Bumblebee was able to pull off the illusion without a human was lost to me, but better safe than sorry. "Are you being hunted, or is it the cargo you mentioned?"
"Both," he replied. "Visitors from heaven... not... friendlies... end of the world."
"Got it, got it." Holding the wheel with one hand, I used the other to rake through my hair. This was just... wow. J-just wow. And I haven't even seen his other form yet. "You do know that because of whatever stunt you pulled last night, that Sam is currently unavailable. He's being held at the town's jail." It was one thing to know the truth, but an entirely different thing to hear it all from the Bot himself. Regardless of only being limited to a radio, there was a weight behind the broken words, and it was... kind of overwhelming.
A pitiful whirl broke through the music, and the entire car seemed to sink a little on its axles. "H-hey, it's not your fault, Bee. You didn't know he was following you." Awkwardly, I patted the dashboard before returning my hand back to the wheel. "We can try and find him though, and explain... okay, so do you have any ideas how to explain to him that the car he bought is alive and from outer space? Because I have nothing."
There was no immediate reply, leaving me to guess he was trying to figure that out himself. "Well, you'll figure it out." The sports car continued through an intersection, turning to the right by itself. He, not it. Remember, you're speaking directly to Bee now. As of that moment, the car and Bee were now one. It didn't make sense to consider them separate. "Where are we going?"
Bumblebee continued along, leaving me the confused passenger that I was. The sun shone through the windshield as the unspecified time ticked by, leading me to guess it was sometime past noon now. We had turned onto a back road, tall trees passing by as the amount of houses and businesses vanished behind us. No people, and from the slightly opened windows, the only sound that could be heard besides the engine was the chirping of birds, hidden around us just out of sight. The trees spread apart farther ahead, and he began to slow down, branches slightly scraping at the paint outside, before coming to a halt. It wasn't a large clearing he found, but it was secluded, and we were far enough out that no one would see the random car in the middle of nowhere. The tires crunched on top of the damp leaves and needles that scattered the ground in a badly made carpet, the area barren with soft mud or fully covered in shades of brown and green. Glancing to the radio, and not hearing anything, I popped open the door and climbed out. The sun hid and peeked out from the needle branches far above my head, and the ground sank a little under my feet. It was cooler out there where we were; a much needed change from when I was slowly changing into a baked potato.
"So, why exactly did we come all the way out here f.. for...?" The mechanical whirl echoed around the trees, and I jumped a little in surprise as the Camaro gave a shudder. Pieces began to rearrange themselves, slowly beginning to shift as the outer yellow layer began to crack open to reveal the inner metal form, and my legs found themselves moving backwards, putting distance between myself and the ever-growing alien. Clicks and snaps as parts locked into place, and I felt my back run against a tree, marking how much distance I put between myself and the alien. The front fenders moved to the shoulders, and the cars' doors slid to the back like an insect's wings. They twitched up and down, making sure they were in place, and the Autobot, now standing in his proper form, turned to look back at his much smaller audience.
"Wh... wh...?" Yep, there goes all of my words. Can't form a proper sentence now. Bumblebee looked down, studying my reaction warily as he kept his distance. The antenna atop his head moved downwards, and bright blue lights darted to the side before returning to me. "I, uh... h-hi?" The finally logical response must have been all he needed as Bee crouched down, trying to make himself appear smaller to me. One hand was on a knee, and with the other, gave a small wave. "Hehe." Repeating the motion, I shuffled away from the bark and inched towards him. "S-sorry, I'm just... I-I'm a little stunned right now."
The movement of parts was still heard, each time Bee moved. Gears moving to represent new emotions on the human-like face. I didn't see any sign of a proper mouth, but what kept me in place was how brilliant and expressive the large blue lights that made up his optics. One part of me wanted to faint in shock and fear, the other part-the mechanic in me-was mystified. "M... may I?" Bee nodded, and I lifted a hand to his face. I expected cold metal, but what met my palm was anything but. It wasn't burning, like if I touched an engine. It was... as if it were the same temperature as a normal body. A living, breathing creature. "Incredible."
Bumblebee chirped, pressing his head further into my hand before finally backing up. Even hunched over, he was still several feet taller than me, making me have to look up at him. Well, I'd be looking up at him no matter what. "You're not... scared?" I shook my head, hearing the broken words float out of the radio in his torso.
"A little, but you... haven't given me any reason to run off yet." Which was true. A real life robotic alien, from a planet far beyond Earth and could easily squish me if he chose to. Bumblebee hadn't given any sign of a threat, so why would I run off? Still... wow. The word kept repeating itself, over and over, as it was the only simple phrase to describe the moment. The moment of... amazement, and wonder, seeing and communicating with him freely. "You can understand English, huh?"
He nodded again, and I watched the tiny gears in his optics shift, altering the size of what might have been his pupils. Darker around the edges, and brightening up to a pale blue-white light. Keeping his balance, he leaned away from my hand before raising his own and pointed at me. Glancing at the finger to him, it took a moment to realize what he was asking. "You... want to know my name?" Bee inched forward, giving a quick nod. "O-oh. I'm... Blake. Blake Wile." Do I say something else? That seemed too short. "22, and... currently living with Sam until I land back on my feet." I shuffled in place as the hand retracted, satisfied with my answer. "When I called you Bee, was I close?"
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" Giving a breathless laugh at the choice in audio, the dials spun before a series of violins sounded off in Flight of the Bumblebee. Seriously?
"O-okay, okay. I get it," I laughed, hearing the music fade out as Bee gave his own version of amusement. "Just wanted to make sure I was right." Still in the happy mood, I looked up for a split moment to look at our surroundings, and noticed that the sun had already started moving downwards in the Nevada sky. Afternoon, already? "Hey, Bee? We should probably go searching for Sam. Since, you know, the whole enemy-cargo thing might catch up to him before we do."
The yellow and black striped Bot brought himself back to his full height, and my legs worked backwards for a few steps. His head missed some of the branches, leaving me to only wonder how tall the other ones were. If Bee was, what, close to eighteen feet, then did that mean for the others? Optimus must be a giant compared to Bee. Unlike the transition earlier, the movement from Bot to Camaro was quicker and more fluid. Bouncing on his back axles as his front end landed loudly on the forest floor, the driver's door swung lazily open in front of me. "Thanks, Bee."
Retracing our route back to Tranquility was less stressful than heading out, but the weight of what we were concerned about, for Sam's safety, hung in the air. Bumblebee remained quiet, while I was sitting on the edge of the seat looking for Sam along the sidewalks. "You've been here longer than I have, right? If... something were to happen to him, where should we look?"
"Few... places." Bee took a turn to the left, approaching a very large construction zone. With its size, I had no idea what they were trying to build, but he was right in that it was a good place for a Decepticon to go after him. Why Sam would even be around there, I had no idea. Slowing down, Bee entered through an unlocked gate, pushing the metal across the dusty gravel. "Keep... low."
"Got it." As much as I could with a belt still wrapped around me, I slunk down in my seat. My head was bent awkwardly, chin pressing against my chest, but still letting me have a view of the outside. Several bridges stretched overhead, and the accompanying sound of traffic lead to the decision that this was a highway exit being built. Too much noise means nobody would hear anything. "See anyth-?" A loud echoing crash rattled through the air around us, and Bee's gas peddle slammed down as he sky rocketed towards the noise. The momentum slammed me into the seat, and I gripped the door's handle to pull myself back up. The steering wheel, without as much as a warning, turned slightly to the right before spinning to the left as far as it would go, creating a large spin-out and the sound of the front hood ramming into solid metal.
Two screams were heard through the massive dust cloud we created, and through my window, I saw the crumbled and stunned form of what I knew was the Decepticon pursuing Sam from the beginning. The passenger door flew open as Bee came to a stop, and Sam and Mikaela, both covered in dust, stared up at me in alarm. "Hurry!"
"Sam, what's going on!? What was that thing!?" Sam gripped her shoulders, shaking her out of her frazzled state. Letting go and almost shoving her, he grabbed her bag and tossed it into her lap.
"You have to get in the car. Get in." Hearing the sound of metal moving in the dust cloud, I glanced back to my other side.
He's getting back up! "Sam!" The teen's legs managed to get him to his feet, despite it being obvious he took a fall when he either first encountered the Decepticon, or when he ran into Mikaela. Either way, he grabbed the girl and brought her up as well, pushing her towards the car as her shoes slid under her in an attempt to regain her balance.
"Get in! Go, go, go, go, go!" The two were awkwardly piling on top of each other in the seat next to me, and Mikaela closed the door behind her once she got herself in. Sam was on the edge of the seat, more in the middle between her and me, while Mikaela was pressed against the door itself. Neither moved to the back, choosing to be closer to the door in case they had to bail out.
"Punch it, Bee!" Radio dial spinning wildly, the Camaro spun out of the dust cloud and onto one of the work roads around the construction site. Mikaela briefly looked at the speakers, confused and terrified. It didn't help for her that his choice in music was loud headbanging rock music, or that we could hear the clanging mechanical movement as the Con transformed and began to pursue us, blue and red lights flashing.
"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" She repeatedly screamed, gripping the door and Sam's arm tightly. His face scrunched up, feeling her nails digging into his skin, but somehow managed to keep his cool more than she was. Still, there was panic written there. Both of them. Probably me, too, now that I think about it. My heart was in my head, blood pounding furiously to match my own terror.
"No, we're not. No, we're not gonna die. Trust me. Blake, please tell me the car's on our side." It was a mystery that my own death grip on the steering wheel wasn't hurting Bee, but he must have sensed how frantic and terrified we were, as he picked up speed towards a construction zone in and around the frame of a building.
"We're gonna be fine, okay? We're gonna be-aahh!" The two teens screamed as we slammed through a glass window, shards flying past the windows as we braced ourselves. Lights flashing in the partially darkened space, the police car came flying out of the hole we made just as Bee swerved around the steal beams holding the roof up. Knocking down a shelf full of boxes and tools, he hurried with another sharp turn to exit out of the building.
"There it is!" Sam looked over Mikaela, seeing the Con succeed in his own maneuver. As the squealing and dust continued behind us, as the Decepticon tried to regain what speed he built up, Bumblebee sped out of the building and into another area. Backing up between two shelving units, he shut off his engine and turned off the headlights. A minute click from both sides of us drew our attention to the doors, and Mikaela poked at the lock, trying to pry it up.
"We're locked in," Sam sighed. "And the car won't start either." Breathing deeply to try and steady himself, he turned to me. "Did you know about this?"
"I only know what I was able to piece together from a conversation using a radio. Which isn't much, mind you, but enough." I hesitated, debating on whether or not to add on that, but the scared look on his face made my decision for me. Sam had no idea what was going on, with a twisted police car wanting to tear him to shreds. He needed some form of comfort that things were going to be fine, and that he would make it out in one piece. "The evil alien wants you for something, and Bee here wants to protect you." I patted the dashboard to emphasize my point, trying to demonstrate that, no, the car who's trapping us at the moment wasn't going to kill us. "He's trying to keep us safe, Sam."
"He," Sam mumbled, verifying to himself that his car was indeed a living creature, and waved to the radio in front of him. "He found you then."
"I was going to check on you and your dad after what happened last night. What happened to you two?" Mikaela, letting go of the door, shuffled herself around to face us. Her panic had gone down more than Sam's, seeing that her shoulders weren't shaking as much, but the scared and shocked frown was still present.
"I was driving home after having lunch with friends, and heard Sam screaming." She nudged Sam, and he took that as his cue to add in his part.
"I walked because dad said you went out to meet us. I figured I'd run into you along the way, and then that insane cop car started following. I ducked into the area back there to try and let him go by, but-you saw what happened when you showed up." Sam turned his attention to the radio, as we had no other way to know if we were speaking directly to Bee or not. "How long are we hiding for?" No reply, and he leaned back into what he could of the position he sat in with a shaky sigh. "Well, heh... at least we escaped the monster, right?"
"Sam..." the sound of an engine approaching had us all look up, and the police car drove slowly by in front of us. Red and blue lights blinked without a siren, as he looked around for us. Then, just as sudden as he appeared... he came to a stop. "You jinxed us."
"Crap." The key, still somehow in place, turned, letting the hum of the engine fill the small space. "Time to start." Spinning dirt under his wheels, Bumblebee took off like a rocket, passing the other as he moved to a clearing in the mess of equipment. Once he gained enough distance, the Camaro spun out in a large circle, doors opening up and sending Sam, Mikaela, and I sprawling out onto the ground in a cloud of dust. Spitting out the traces of mud that met my face as I hit the ground, the sound of shifting gears was all I needed to make me scramble backwards, putting as much space between myself and Bee as he began to transform. Sam and Mikaela were just a little behind me, staring as the yellow and black Autobot began to tower over all three of us, casting a shadow over our bodies. It was not as graceful and slow as when I had seen it earlier. This was swifter, faster, much more urgent. Bee turned around to look down at us, taking in our expressions of absolute terror, and amazement at what stood before us. A battle mask slid over his face instinctively, smudged with dirt and speckled with oil, and masking the blue optics that I had seen earlier that day. The glass over them had a hexagonal appearance, with the lower part over what he had as a mouth appearing like an insect's. Still, the two antennas stood out on the top of his head, and the Autobot insignia was displayed proudly on his forehead, stating who he fought for.
I understood enough to know what was about to happen, making my way up off the ground as Bee turned around and brought up two fists, adjusting his stance to a boxer's. The Decepticon sprang through a transformation much faster than Bumblebee's, landing on his feet and giving an enraged roar as he charged forward. "Really hope he's gonna keep that up," Sam whispered under his breath. Keeping us safe, I'm guessing... yeah, me too, Sam.
I'm surprised I managed to get an actual chapter out of such a small part in the movie. The fight scene could've been added, but it didn't seem to fit the moment. Besides, that just gives me a lot to write in the next chapter.
Until next time!
Angel