I would like to thank EmoPirateLuv for the follow and Shadowstreaker27 for the favorite before I begin.

Chapter 6

It had been three days since the run in at the agency's base with MECH soldiers and I was still feeling depressed. I rarely left the house and when I did, it was only to get some food. I had started rehab for my body and tried my best to get myself back into shape, but I just didn't have the motivation anymore. The worst part was I was still experiencing phantom pains of where my arm used to be. Even though I had the prosthetic in place, I still had pains and I didn't understand that. I was currently in the dinning room sitting at the table eating some Honey Nut Cheerios and sipping some Chai tea. I was still uncomfortable with the idea that I had a prosthetic limb and a huge ass scar that spanned my face. I let out a sigh and finished eating the cereal. I stood up and took the empty bowl into the kitchen and placed it in the sink, along with the spoon I had used. I went back to the dinning room and finished my tea. I should for a ride. It'd do me some good to get out in the open and ride. I need the fresh air anyway. I thought.

I went to my room and changed into riding attire before I headed to the garage and opened the garage door. I locked the house and placed the keys in my right pocket. On my left hip I had a Glock-18 just in case I needed to defend myself. I had the permit and everything in my wallet with my fake ID of Beau Johnson. I mounted the Ducati and backed out of the garage. I shut the door and started the engine. I put on my helmet and got on the street. I headed towards the highway and accelerated to highway speed while shifting into gear. I looked into my right mirror and saw two black cars with purple tinted windows following me. Are they MECH? I wondered.

I got off onto an exit and the two cars followed. I frowned and accelerated to ninety miles per hour, yet the cars kept up with me. Damn it! I swore. Oh my god! My eyes widened when I saw guns come out of the hoods of the vehicles. I swerved and avoided the first gunshots and I was surprised to see that they weren't actual rounds that went past me. They were purple balls of energy or something like that. It has to be MECH! I thought avoiding another shot.

The cars continued to fire at me and I continued to evade the shots. I couldn't help but wonder what they were using as ammo, it seemed that the rounds were nonstop. I slowed down and the cars sped past me. I smiled as I turned around on the abandoned road that we had been using and I was shocked to see a motorcycle that looked identical to mine come zooming towards me. What the fu-… I never got to finish that thought because I found myself flying through the air and the motorcycle flying towards me transformed into Flare. She dove and caught me before I hit the ground.

"You okay kid?" she asked.

"Fine, thanks." I said as she set me down gently on the ground.

I turned around and saw that the two cars transformed as well and I un-holstered my Glock. "Put that away, kid," Flare said. "That won't harm them."

"It could make them blind." I replied pulling back the slide and aiming at the one on the left. I found that the thing didn't exactly have eyes like the Autobots did; it was more of a red visor that stared back at me, so I didn't know where to shoot. I took a deep breath in and held the pistol steady and then squeezed the trigger. The robot on the left clutched its face and cried out in agony as Flare charged the other one. I holstered my pistol and watched Flare at work.

The silver things on her arms became knives and she used them efficiently to take care of the other robot, removing the head from the body. She turned around and shot the other one that I had shot with a blue energy shot to the head and it collapsed. "Ratchet, call Agent Fowler." She said touching the side of her head.

Great, what did I do? I wondered.

"Two Cons," Flare said. There was a pause. "I took care of them with some help from a familiar face." Another pause as Flare seemed to be listening. "Beau." Flare winced and opened her mouth and then closed it. She waited until she deemed it safe to talk and said, "I understand that, Ratchet, it's just that they were chasing him for some reason. He shot one in the face and blinded it." A long pause this time. "I understand Optimus, I'll bring him. Flare out."

"What was all of that about?" I asked walking over to my totaled motorcycle.

"You need to come back to the base." Flare said looking down at me.

"I thought I was free to walk." I said frowning behind my helmet.

"You are, but if the Decepticons think that you are an ally of ours, you're in grave danger."

"So I have two organizations hounding after my blood?" I asked.

"Pretty much, unless you come with me and hear us out." Flare said.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but what about all of the carnage you left behind here?" I asked.

"Agent Fowler will clean that up."

"What about my motorcycle?" I asked. "How are you able to look like it?"

"That is a discussion for another time, and we'll discuss the motorcycle issue later, kid." Flare said transforming into her vehicle mode.

"Fine, I just don't want to leave it here." I muttered.

"Get on and we can get a move on." Flare said.

I mounted Flare and she rode off the way she had come. It was relaxing to ride like this, knowing that I didn't have to control everything. At the same time, though, it was a bit odd to experience. My eyes widened in shock when Flare went off the road and headed towards a large rock structure and I thought she had blown a gasket. I was about to question her when the rock face opened and revealed the base's tunnel. I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a bit. We stopped in the main room and I dismounted Flare and removed my helmet. Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee where all there and I heard Flare transform behind me.

"Hello, Beau." Optimus said.
"Optimus." I said respectfully. "Why am I here?"

"Decepticons attacked you and that leaves you in grave danger," Optimus answered. "We can offer you a guardian in case a Decepticon decides to try and attack you again."

"Why would a…Decepticon attack me? I was never affiliated with you before." I asked curious.

"Because, kid, I saw your motorcycle a day ago and scanned it as my alt form," Flare said. "The Decepticons don't want to take any chances."

"So they thought that I was you?" I asked.

"Correct, they ambushed you believing that it was me, hoping to lower the Autobot ranks." Flare said.

"I'll just get a new bike." I said simply.

Optimus shook his head and said, "Megatron would not fall for that, and he would believe that you are still connected to us."

"So what are my options?"

"I urge you to take Flare as your guardian."

"And if I refuse a guardian?" I asked.

"You're as good as dead, kid." Bulkhead said.

I looked at Bulkhead and asked, "Since when did you start to care about a kid that was raised by MECH? After all I recall before I left all of you looked at me like I was worse than trash. Why start caring now?"

Bulkhead opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. He looked around for some help and I just kept glaring at him. "Because you're now involved in our war." Bulkhead said weakly.

I snorted and shook my head. "That was the most pathetic answer I think I've ever heard," I said. "I know Fowler must've told you who my adoptive father was. I just want to lie low and avoid any possible violence I can."

"We have been informed that Silas is your adoptive father," Optimus said kneeling down in front of me. "I also informed the rest of my team what you did to help protect Agent Fowler's base."

"I bet their reaction was something along the lines of what a damn good ruse," I said looking the Prime the eyes. "Gain their trust and then exploit it!"

I was met with only silence and the tension in the air was so strong it could've been cut with a knife. "Pretty close actually." Flare sighed.

I turned around and looked at her. "Yeah, well I can tell you that I don't want to work for MECH anymore and do any of you have any idea how hard it was for me to walk away from the only father I've known since I was practically eight?" I asked still feeling anger. "The only family I've had since I was eight?" I said more quietly.

Flare knelt in front of me and I was aware of the ground shifting as Optimus stood up. "Look kid, the time that you were here, I got to know you pretty well," Flare said. "I just want to give this a shot. I don't think I could stand seeing a youngling like you become another casualty in this war."

I sighed and looked away from Flare. What harm could it do? I just saw Flare take out those two things they called Decepticons. I would've been left defenseless against such a foe. I looked back at Flare and gave a nod. "Fine, we'll do this your way." I said.

Flare visibly relaxed and smiled at me. "Thank you, Beau," she said.

"Now that all of this is settled, can I go home?" I asked.

"Of course," Optimus said.

I nodded and Flare transformed behind me. I put my helmet on and mounted the motorcycle behind me. Flare rode out of the tunnel and I focused on the ride more than anything. I opened up the garage when she pulled into my drive way and I walked her in. I closed the garage door and she transformed. I was surprised and I turned around to look at her. She was kneeling and looking at me like she wanted to talk, so I removed my helmet and asked, "Why did you transform?"

"I find it easier to talk to you like this." Flare responded. "What's going on? I can see how depressed you are."

"It's nothing, I'm fine." I tried.

"Don't give me that scrap," Flare said. "What's on your processor?"

"My what?" I asked confused.

"Your mind." Flare clarified.

"It's the fact that I ended another human's life," I said softly. "It bugs be, all right? You have your confession out of me. I killed someone and yet here I am without any sort of repercussions except a 'good job' and a 'thank you' that's what really bothers me about this!"

"I felt the same way when I joined the Autobots and I killed my first Decepticon." Flare revealed.

"How did you deal with it?" I asked.

"I looked to see if my killing was justified and just," Flare said looking me in the eye. "I found that it was because I defended myself and my comrades."

"How did you deal with the nightmares?" I asked.

"I always thought of a place I had felt at peace before I was caught up in the war," Flare answered. "Whenever I would have a nightmare, I would picture myself in my place of peace and went back to sleep with an empty mind."

I sighed and looked at Flare with a new found respect. "Thank you," I said. "I needed the talk."

"Anytime, Beau, anytime." Flare said transforming back into her vehicle mode.

I unlocked the house and went inside. I headed to my room and placed my riding gear on their hooks on the bedroom door. I closed my eyes and wondered, What is my happy place? I opened my eyes and removed the holster and Glock from my hip. I found my real dad's old 45 and closed my eyes. Why do I feel like absolute crap? I viewed my reasons for killing that MECH soldier and reviewed them in my mind. I was defending others, I was defending myself, are there any other reasons more justifiable than that?

"I hope that you're not going to do what I think you're going to do."

My eyes snapped open and I realized that I was holding the 45 to my head. I looked in the doorway and saw a woman that had golden hair and blue eyes. She was a good foot shorter than I was and she was dressed in a golden colored shirt with silver running down the wrists. The pants were black. "Flare?" I asked in confusion.

"Who else would it be, kid?" Flare asked placing her hands on her hips.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I just didn't know that you were capable of producing a human form."

"I'm glad that I stopped in to check on you," Flare said looking at the 45 in my hands. "I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I hadn't."

"I was only thinking." I said.

"About what? Killing yourself?" Flare asked.

I set the gun on the bed and ran my prosthetic through my hair. I hadn't even realized that I had been placing the gun to my head and sitting down on my bed until Flare came in. "I didn't even know what I was doing," I said truthfully. "I was only thinking about what you had told me and I thought about why I killed the MECH soldier."

"What did you find?" Flare asked softly.

"That defending others and myself is the only acceptable reason to kill a person." I said softly. "It doesn't make me feel any better though."

"It never gets any easier." Flare said.

"You think that I'll have to kill again?" I asked.

Flare shook her head. "No, but I think that you'll have to face your demons at some point," she said. "I think that you'll have to face Silas and MECH at a point somewhere down the road as well."

"I hope that I can go down that road peacefully." I sighed.

"So do most that eventually have to go down that road."

"Thanks again, Flare," I said. "I don't want to think about what would've happened if I had pulled that trigger."

"Do you have any other weapons besides that gun and the one you were carrying?" Flare asked.

I shook my head and looked up at the ceiling. "No, just the kitchen knives since Ratchet still has the knife Silas gave me."

"Good, because I'm removing those from the house until you're stable." Flare said.

I opened my mouth to object, but decided against it when I saw Flare's pointed glare. I nodded my consent and grabbed clothes for a shower. I entered the bathroom and closed the door. I stripped down and got into the shower as I turned on the hot water. What I really need is a guitar, I thought. I haven't played one in roughly two months, but that might help me relax.

I finished my shower and dried off. I put on deodorant and shaving cream on my cheeks. I silently debated whether or not to keep the goatee, and decided against keeping it. I put shaving cream on the goatee as well and started shaving. I finished and looked at my naked face. It was a foreign site to see. I had my father's cleft chin and my mother's prominent jaw line. I sighed and got my clothes on. I wore black shorts that went down to my knees that had a silver line down their sides and I also put on a blue sleeveless tee. I sighed once again and opened the bathroom door. I headed to my room and climbed into the full sized bed. I looked at the clock and it read 7:11 PM. I closed my eyes and hoped that the nightmares wouldn't come tonight.

Author's Note:

MECH will return next chapter

PS~ if someone could do a cover art for me i'd be one happy author, my drawing abilities stink. If anyone could do that, PM me and i'll send you an email address that you can send the picture to. Thanks