Chapter 7

I have now had Flare as a guardian for just over a week and I found it comforting to know that I once again did not have to face the world alone. I had gotten to know Flare a bit better over the week she was guarding me and I was saddened to learn that her family was dead too. I never asked her about her experiences in the War for Cybertron, and she likewise didn't ask me about what had happened at Agent Fowler's agency's base. Two days ago, MECH had made a comeback and nearly taken a Decepticon called Breakdown and used him as an experiment. One thing that I hadn't told Agent Fowler was that I had made a second copy of the flash drive, because this copy was personal. I was currently going through the flash drive and found a project had been added to the list. Part of the virus that I had implanted into the mainframe would provide me with information every time that it was updated. What are you up to? What is Project: Chimera? I thought holding my chin in my left hand. If they took that Decepticon, they were trying to dissect him…does that mean they're actually going to try and make themselves a transformer? If they didn't get everything from the Con, then I'm willing to bet they'll try again with another transformer.

"Beau, we need to get going." Flare called from the garage.

"I'll be right there," I called back. "I just need to finish something real quick."

"Alright, I don't want to be late again," Flare called. "Ratchet can get pretty grouchy."

I chuckled; I couldn't picture the medic any grouchier than he already was. I closed my laptop that Agent Fowler had been so kind to get me and I stood up and grabbed my leather jacket. I went to where my Glock was and I placed that in my holster. I exited my room and headed to the garage and entered it. I locked the door and turned to face the impatient femme, as I had learned they were called. "I'm ready." I said.

"No you're not," Flare commented. "You don't have your helmet."

"I'll be fine, I have you doing all of the work anyway." I said.

"Fine, don't come complaining to me if we get in a wreck and you get yourself hurt."

"I won't."

I opened the garage door and mounted Flare and she backed up. I closed the garage door with the remote garage door thing and Flare backed us out of the driveway. We followed the now familiar route to the Autobot base and I dismounted once we entered the main room. I kept my leather jacket on and I had a black leather-riding glove on my prosthetic. I had become adept at hiding the prosthetic from prying eyes whenever I went out and it had just become a second nature. Flare transformed and I went to the designated human area. "Any news on MECH?" I asked.

Ratchet briefly turned away from his computer to answer me, "Agent Fowler has not contacted us about it." The medic turned back to his computer and I nodded.

That means there's some type of news, they're just not willing to share it with me. I thought. They don't trust me yet and I doubt they ever will.

"You okay kid?" Flare asked me.

I turned around and looked at my guardian. "Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

Flare looked me up and down as if she knew I was lying to her. "Okay, I just don't want you to become a recluse."

I laughed and shook my head in grim amusement. "I think that it's a little late for that, don't you?" I asked. "I don't have anybody that trusts me and I have done nothing to earn that distrust besides being adopted. I can't get close to anyone out of fear that they work for my father and what makes that worse is you never who works for him."

"That bad, huh?" Flare asked.

"You have no idea." I said walking down the stairs and away from everything.

"Where are you going?" Flare asked.

"Somewhere where I can be alone." I replied walking into the corridor. I walked through the hallway and I finally found a room that had a human sized door. I entered and I was surprised to see that there was an electric guitar, a chair, and an amp. I walked over to it and I didn't plug it in. I pulled the chair over and sat down. I strummed the guitar a few times and winced when I heard the tuning. I personally liked guitars in standard tuning, but this was set up for hard metal, maybe even death metal. I tuned the guitar until it was back at standard tuning and then I plugged it in. I fumbled around with a couple of chords for a while until I regained my familiarity with the instrument. I turned the amp on and turned the volume down a bit. I adjusted everything to my liking and started to play "Seven Nation Army," by the White Stripes. It was one of the easiest songs to learn on guitar and the solo had to be the easiest one ever as well. I finished the song and wondered what song to play next. Even though I didn't know the entire song, I started to just play "Sunshine of your Love," by Cream. The sound to me was unique and I loved it. I played that and replayed it.

I eventually grew tired of that song and I felt like I was about to explode with the built up tension and stress that had been combined with my loneliness. I started the intro the "Paranoid," by Black Sabbath and then I started to sing as I played.

"Finished with my woman 'cause she couldn't help me with my mind/ People thinking I'm insane because I am frowning all the time/ All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/ Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify/ Can you help me?/ Thought you were my friend/ Whoa yeah!/ I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find/ I can't see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind." I stopped singing as I played the solo. I finished the solo and played the interlude. I then started singing again, "Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry/ Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal/ And so as you hear these words telling you now of my state/ I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could but it's too late." I played the outro of the song and then finished it. I sighed and let the final note ring throughout the room I was in. I didn't feel any better and wondered why I still felt like crap. One more song, that should do it. I thought to myself.

I racked my brain trying to remember a song I knew, and I settled on one, "Fade to Black," by Metallica. It was my favorite song by them and right now I felt like that song suited my life more than I could have previously imagined. I started playing the intro and started the beginning solo. I worked my way up and then I was ready to sing once again. "Life, it seems, will fade away/ Drifting further every day/ Getting lost within myself/ Nothing matters, no one else/ I have lost the will to live/ Simply nothing more to give/ There is nothing more for me/ Need the end to set me free/Things not what they used to be/ Missing one inside of me/ Deathly lost, this can't be real/ Cannot stand this hell I feel/ Emptiness is filling me/ To the point of agony/ Growing darkness taking down/ I was me, but now he's gone/ No one but me can save myself, but it's too late/ Now I can't think, think why I should even try/ Yesterday seems as though it never existed/ Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye." I stopped singing and played the solo. I felt tears come running down my face and I kept playing. I finished the solo and the song and I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes and turned the amp off. I unplugged the guitar and sat back down on the chair I had found. I carefully set the guitar down on the ground and wiped the tears from my eyes. I felt better now that I had expressed my feelings to something, even if it had been an empty room. I waited until the tears stopped before I wiped the remains of the saltiness away. I finally stood up and opened the door. I was shocked to see Jack, Miko, Flare, Arcee, and Bulkhead standing outside. Shit, they heard all of that. "Umm, hey." I said.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Flare asked me.

"Positive, why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

"We all heard the sound of Miko's guitar being played and came to investigate," Jack said.

"Yeah, dude, you're a total shredder!" Miko exclaimed.

"Sorry, Miko, I didn't know it was your guitar." I apologized.

"That's alright, dude, as long as there isn't damage to it." Miko said looking pointedly at me.

"Then we heard you start to sing." Flare said. I inwardly winced. Yep, they definitely heard all of that. "The choices of song sounded depressed."

"I'm fine, can everyone just take a step off and leave me alone?" I asked. "Especially those two!" I pointed at Bulkhead and Arcee. "I know that they don't trust me and I doubt they ever will, so here comes the biggest question, why to the two of you care?"

"Beau!" Flare exclaimed.

"Flare, let him be," Arcee said. She looked at me and let out a sigh. "It's true that I don't trust you, kid, not yet. It hurts to see a youngling that depressed though. As to why Bulkhead and I care, that's because Flare is family to us. We care because she cares."

I snorted and shook my head. "Drop all of the phony faces and come right out and say that I don't belong here, I know I don't. I'm surprised that Optimus let in a potential threat like me in the base anyway." I said. I looked at Flare and asked, "Can I just go home?"

Flare sighed and looked at me and motioned for me to follow her, which I did without hesitation. I just wanted to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. When we reached the main room, Flare transformed and I got on. She quickly got me home and I was about to enter the house when she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

I took a deep breath in and then let it out before I answered, "I'm sure. I just need to be alone for a bit."

"Alright, I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know." I said before I entered the house.

Three days later…

I was outside mowing the lawn when Jack's mother got home. I was surprised to see a black SUV pull up behind her. I stopped mowing the lawn and hid behind a brush to watch what was going on. A man dressed in a MECH uniform exited the SUV just as Jack's mom exited hers. My eyes widened. They figured out where I live! I thought at first in a panic. I was shocked when the man went after Ms. Darby though. What on earth? "My god…" I whispered. It couldn't be possible.

I burst out of my hiding spot and tackled the man just as he was about to taze Ms. Darby. I turned the Taser on him and knocked his ass out. "Beau?" Ms. Darby said in surprise. "What are…"

"Go inside and lock the door." I interrupted. "These aren't good people and they're here for you."

"What…"
"Just go!" I yelled as three other MECH agents came out of the SUV and towards Ms. Darby and me.

I got into a defensive stance and the agent swung a fist at me and I dodged it. I brought my prosthetic hand up in a fist and connected with his right temple beneath his mask. I was surprised when the mask cracked and the agent crumpled to the ground unconscious. My surprise didn't last long as pain soon took its place. A fist had connected with my back and I stumbled forward. I turned around and faced the MECH agent that was left to deal with me while the other went after Ms. Darby. I evaded the next three attacks but then I found myself one the ground writhing in pain as electricity coursed through my body. I fought the Taser as long as I could but I eventually lost the battle.

I woke up in the back an SUV and found that my hands were zip-tied together, along with my feet at the ankles. I groaned as my muscles tensed up from the memory of the electric attack. The back door opened and I was shocked to see Silas peering down at me. "Well, well, well," he said. "What do we have hear?"

"None of your damned business." I snarled.

Silas smiled and looked down at me with an odd expression in his eyes. "I do believe that it's time we welcomed you back into the ranks of MECH, Beau." Silas said. He turned to a man next to him and said, "Cut him free."

"Yes, sir."

I was soon cut free from the zip-ties and I glared at my adoptive father. "What do you want?" I asked.

"All will be revealed in due time, Beau," Silas answered placing his hand on my shoulder. "All in due time."

Authors Note:

I do not own the lyrics to "Fade to Black," or "Paranoid," those are owned by their respective bands, Metallica and Black Sabbath.