Misleading Title
Earlier that day,
"You alright? You've been rubbing your arm since I met up with you." Brook asked Ellen, the two of them were in the center of the city where a food festival was taking place. Brook currently had a cruelty free roasted blue carrot on a stick in her mouth, it was surprisingly sweet.
"I don't know, it's like harry potters scar right now, it's been really sore in the past twenty four hours, it's a sharp pain on a rare occasion like it's trying to burst out of my arm, then sore again. It's not stopped since, maybe when Ratchet is found, he'd know what to do to it."
"Nothing fatal?" Brook mumbled through the carrot.
"I don't think so. If it persists I'll have to look into funding someone who can help." She pulled her sleeve down.
Brook shoved her half eaten carrot in her face, "Maybe you're lacking vitamins dude, you might be getting scurvy. Come on try it. It tastes like a cruelty free future, say no to child slave labor bud."
Ellen pushed her arm away, staying as far as she could from touching the carrot, "Um, there's more slobber than carrot dude but thanks, enjoy your bounty of Earth."
Brook shrugged, then stared at her arm, "So just throwing this out there, can I touch it?"
"You want to-what?" Ellen blinked.
"Can I? Like get a proper grab on that thing like putty or slime, get all around it like Mmmmm!"
Ellen scrunched her face, but Brook was upfront about any idea that popped into her head, "I guess sure, just don't ask in that tone or make sound effects? It's weird and quite frankly feel like I'm getting violated than anything."
"Don't worry I don't have a fucking amputee, or inanimate object or arm fetish Pfft." She stated loud enough that it seemed to disturb a few people.
"Oh! Brook why? I wasn't even thinking that." Ellen expressed disgusted, shuddering and gagging to the thought. "Let me stay in my bubble, is that so hard to ask?"
"Whatever, gimme me a touch up of that expensive arm already." She placed two grasping hands around her forearm as her eyes widened, the sensation of a steel like weight hitting her, "Shit wow, that's solid holy hell."
"It felt heavy when I first got it." Ellen added.
Brook smirked. "It's kind of gross if you think about it, the metal equivalent of flesh, skin and bone just taped up to yours?"
Ellen rolled her eyes, "Uh, duh yeah it's called a transplant, very common. Nice try, you're not going to gross me out twice in a row."
"Oh shit you got me." She tapped certain parts of her forearm, "What's the capabilities of that thing? Like weight limit? Impact? Can you take it off to prank folk?"
"I only have one arm like it, so it's a couple ton about the size of an average car, if both of them were like it, that would be tripled, but the lack of coordination and balance just makes that impossible because of my size. But the force behind it, about 4000 Newton's of force."
An impressed grin grew on Brooks face, "That's twice as much force needed to crush a human skull." Ellen narrowed eyes at her, "I looked it up once! Loads of people look up that kind of stuff all the time, like how to cook quinoa, how to eat pus- a cat! Why is my poop green. Where's the best place to bury a body etc."
"I have a question, where did you end up going that night I left you? You never said." She asked suspiciously.
"Just wandered mostly, went into some bars that kind of thing."
"Did you get into a bar fight or something?" she asked.
"Huh?" Ellen pointed to a red mark showing through Brooks top and the top start of her pants. It was small put noticeable like an old wine spill, "Ah shit it opened up. I shouldn't have jumped that fence. It's been a week I thought it would have healed over already" Brook grumbled.
"Opened up?" Ellen squeaked.
"Yeah this dude straight up stabbed me in the hip, there's already some nerve damage there so no biggy." She poked her hip, "Can't feel shit."
"What happened? Let me see." She started pawing at her cloths as Brook put a hand up to block her.
"No. It's fine." Brook persisted.
Ellen hopelessly tried pulling Brooks hand down, her face smooshed up against her palm, "You need to get to a hospital so they can patch it up prope-"
"No hospitals!" she snapped, grabbing Ellen by the scruff of her collar. Brook exhaled, containing herself. "I know you panic when you worry but I'm fine. I don't do doctors and nurses touching and prodding me with needles. I've survived worse."
Ellen exhaled frustrated, "Will you at least let me have a look?"
Brook gave a hesitated nod lifting her shirt half way.
"Er, Brook?" Ellen said gesturing how she had lifted her two feet off the ground.
"Oh fuck! Sorry El!" She put her down gently, patting her down like a random security check at an airport, she dusted her off, straightened her cloths, checked the back of her neck and then checked the rest of her with utmost accuracy.
"You don't need to check me over; you wouldn't hurt me, not even by accident." Ellen calmly reminded.
"You put way too much faith in me El. Like leaving a cat in the baby's room; I wouldn't risk it." Brook grit her teeth, "The fuck is wrong with me?"
"I don't do faith. I do trust, is that better?"
Brook averted her eyes, "I just. I mean I lose my temper so easily. People think I'm going to hurt them or something, I'm just yelling." She argued solemnly. "Or flipping a table."
Ellen stared at her with sympathy, "Let me check that wound." She said firmly.
"Oh. Right." She weakly responded, rolling her shirt up again, "All this drama o-FUCK ME YOUR HANDS ARE COLD! YOU ICY BITCH!"
"Hmm." She mumbled looking it over, "You are good at this. Almost looks passable."
"Told you." Brook mumbled.
"But a cut this deep doesn't just heal up in a week Brook. You should really see a doctor, but if your minds made up, can I at least get a clean patch on there?"
"Sure."
She starting digging into her bag. "Never had to use this until now, Ratchets first aid kit came in handy after all. Don't worry it's still in date."
"Ooh. Symbolic Pfft." Brook humored.
Ellen raised the first aid kit into the air, "Ba-ba-ba-BA!" she sung.
"The fuck are you doing?" Brook demanded on the defensive.
"You know? When you find items in games?" Ellen excitably said. Her face dropped when Brooks face didn't budge."Just, keep still." Ellen got to work.
"So uh, this Ratchets a doctor too right?"
"Mm-hmm. He likes the odd science thing now and then too."
"Hmm."
"What happened to that man, Brook?"
"There were three men, actually El. Let's get the facts right."
"Were?!"
"Don't be dramatic I just put their lights out, I choked them, so no head concussions I was even nice enough to prop them up against a wall out of sight so no one else mugged them either." She rubbed her hands, "Not that they had anything worth taking."
"You-"
"Of course I checked, it's like survival 101, its resources. Again. I was nice enough to come to the conclusion that their stuff was too shit that I left it alone."
"Hmph, nice enough." Ellen snorted. "Choking someone out."
"Um hello? They stabbed me El, what if this wasn't me? If I showed up with a tank stapled to my asshole, you'd still be like 'D-uh, Brook why'd you take their tank? W-ah.'"
"I know and I'm glad you're okay. It's just really odd for me hearing it said so casually and you have a slight advantage to an average man. Did you call the police?"
Brook flapped a hand to what sounded like a ridiculous question, "No I didn't call the police, the most they'd get is a night in a cell and then let off, and it would be a waste of time."
"You don't know that."
"Oh I do. Plus I used the knife to seal my wound. So let's hope I haven't contracted any fatal virus' Pfft."
"So you cauterized the wound. With three men, with the mentally of believing stabbing bystanders is okay and running free?"
"Not without their stabby stabs." Brook said bluntly. "Even if they wanted redemption, where would they get support from? Our already hugely in debt country? A huge ass waiting list to see someone to tell you to go onto another huge ass waiting list, only to be told you're not a priority and being homeless and starving is perfectly fine? No matter what I did, those men are stuck in a hole that they can't climb out of."
Ellen looked at her feet, "I...don't think I have an answer for that. It's frustrating, everything sucks right now."
"Sucks the dark ooze of an anus is how much it sucks. The solutions simple, but because of time and whoa-!" the ground shook, then stopped seconds later. "An earthquake?"
"There hasn't been an earthquake here for eleven years." Ellen pointed out.
"You looked up this place? God you're so consistently nerdy." her expression tensed up. "So then, what the fuck? Does the air feel eerier after that?"
"I suddenly feel a little anxious yeah." Ellen shuddered.
Brook pulled a face, "Dude, you're always anxious."
"Oh yeah..." The pressure in the air felt heavier, muggier, Ellen looked above, and she thought she saw a plane or something similar, she looked at Brook.
"I saw it too. It headed west." She said.
"Could be a Bot, could be a Con, let's follow them, back to the parking lot." She slowly tried to find an opening through the large crowd, "Seriously though don't bust my tires, they take it out of my pay."
Brook shook her head, "It's sad how much of a tool you've become El. By the way try seeing if the machine accepts the ticket, I know how to rig those things."
Ellen rested her forehead on her bike. "Don't tell me how you found out, please no."
Brook shrugged, "What? Online videos how else? Sicko."
Among the sea of a sudden congestion build up, Brook was reading a stolen magazine she snatched past the open window of a truck, to entertain herself from being frozen still in their current spot. She winced now and then to the sound of Ellen tapping her fingernails against her accelerator.
"El, your tapping is Chinese water torture dude, think you can turn it down a notch or even better not do it at all?"
"I thought you hated passive aggressive people?"
"Ah-ah-ah. Remember the rules of Brook."
"Urgh...right, contradictive. What am I supposed to do? You have your hundred pound feet propped against my back and reading, meanwhile I'm driving so you know what? I can tap as much as I like!"
"Christ El! Chill!"
"Me chill?!" she grabbed her magazine and tossed it. "There! Now we have equally nothing." She huffed folding her arms and slumping.
"Wow. Littering. I thought you were better than this." Brook tutted shaking her head, "Do you know how long until that decomposes? Shit I'm shaming you, Shame."
Ellen sighed, "Can't get past the traffic or crowds of people." She squinted her eyes, "hold on everyone and everything's stopped, no movement at all, not even a panic. What are these people doing?"
Brook snorted, "The people here are pretty dense, from busted trailers, dinosaurs in the woods, robots running about everywhere and there all just like 'whatever it's just bears?' Dude, no joke I carried a refrigerator on my back, no one bat an eyelid. Maybe it's their water? I bet it's nuclear, this city is radioactive, and that's what happens when you make everything electric."
Ellen ignored Brooks ramblings as she looked on ahead, "Hm, I recognize that Hawaiian shirt." She got off her bike leaving Brook as the anchor.
"Oh no that's fine just leave me." Brook complained.
"Park it up for me? Thanks." Ellen called back.
Brook pulled a face, got up, picked the bike up with ease, propped it up against the bridge railings and proceeded to follow after Ellen. With good timing as Ellen had tripped into the crowd from a hard shove, with a high risk of being trampled on, Brook brushed people out of the way with some colourful choice of words as Ellen felt two hands under her arms pull her up.
Brook pat her down, put her arms on either side her shoulder and acted as a wind breaker, "How embarrassing." Ellen blushed harshly.
"I know right? These people could have killed you, idiots! Fuck your shitty expensive nuclear water!"
"No I meant m-thanks Brook." She sighed.
"I got you little buddy." She grinned.
"Death by my own kind, can you imagine?"
"It would be kind of tragically funny, Ooh art project idea."
"You mind being my cattle catcher?" Ellen asked.
She gave a brisk nod and took point as people avoided her like a sweeping plaque, especially how she purposely started snarling at people, "Alright one side, move along, Don't touch her! checks in the mail, don't touch me I'll murder your children!"
"Brook!"
"What? Don't worry I'll leave their pets alone ha! It's a joke! Hello? Is this thing on?" she tapped an invisible microphone.
They ran up to Denny and Russell, confirming Ellen's thoughts, they were both on the bridge, "Denny, are you evacuating these people?"
"Ellen? Yes, trying. But this guy keeps trying to pitch a movie." Denny pointed to said man of the law, Russell's face was in pain. "I don't know how to save him."
Ellen quietly said to Brook, "The plot must be terrible, poor kid. He looks exactly like me when I saw Patrick Stewart's name on the Emoji Movie poster."
"Shit, I remember that time. Don't think about it, it's better that way." She replied back looking at the man. "I'm tellin' you man, it's the water for sure."
"Help me." Russell mouthed.
Brook tongue clicked, "I hate seeing kids suffer, Listen up I got an idea; it's going to be hil-arious." She started rubbing her hands together menacingly.
"How?" Brook ignored her, "Brook? Don't do something erratic. Brook don't you ignore me I asked you a question."
"You want this crowd moving or not?" she climbed onto a car much to the annoyance of the owner and unzipped her jacket she held it open, "Alright everyone I'm packing C4 you don't have to stop partying but you can't stay here! I mean something something, blood I guess! Your souls are mine! I love Mortal Kombat!"
Everyone screamed and ran in panic, "This isn't moving the crowd this is an opening on black Friday!" Ellen cried. "A scare?!" she yelled to Brook.
"No worries, this is just bag of washing up powder, disguised as cocaine." She reassured?
"I can't even describe the amount of embarrassment I'm feeling right now! Scares like these are punishable! Not to mention its disgusting behavior to panic these poor people! Russell! Help me divert the traffic, Denny calm the people. Brook get off the roof you barbarian and go stand in a corner!"
"Ellen! Y-"
Ellen went on tippy toes to get close to her face and hissed quietly, "Y-ep! Ep-ep! I am not talking to you for half an hour, you lunatic! Over there! Over there, right now!"
The corner of her top lip twitched in confused disgust. "What the h-ell was that sound? Whatever fine I'll watch the sparks fly butt lord." She looked over at the statue, "All I see is a blob of colour moving at spastic speeds. Some evil looking asshole, nothing's happening...nothing's happening Ooh! Grimlock! My bro Grim over here! Okay there's another evil looking asshole, some huge fat blue and red guy. Some buggy looking thing, probably an evil assho-oh! Look at that! El look at this cool shit your missing! Oh shits blowing up! There's a lot of glowing stuff going now! You are going to regret not seeing all this Ellen!"
A little while later,
"The city is finally cleared." Russell said dusting his hands. "That guys plot was weak."
Ellen, with hands on her hips and an impatient foot tapping. "And emergency services are on the way...as well as our military forces and the FBI thanks to Brooks announcements of terrorism!"
"Sometimes heroes have to play the role of villain to save the majority." Brook argued proudly. "You're welcome."
"That makes no sense!" Ellen tried the comm link rolling her eyes, "I can't get contact from anyone. What happened over there? Are they all okay?" she said in Brooks direction.
"Probably? Maybe? Eh? Either way you suck at your job El. A-nd you missed the whole thing. Like everything, there was this purple ball, then a blue ball Pfft blue ball from the sky. A portal, all that sci-fi shit."
"No shut up, spoilers!" Ellen protested, hands over ears. "I'll just ask Bee for details later. You're terrible at telling stories."
Russell thumbed a finger over his shoulder, "Me and Dad will warn Bee and the others about the cleanup crew coming."
"I'll make face." Ellen nodded, then shoved Brook. "Meet me outside the city you big idiot!"
"Off I go Pfft." Brook ever so slowly wandered off in the opposite direction.
Ellen face palmed. "She makes more work for me." She turned to Denny, "You got this? I can come with?"
He gave a thumbs up, "We're good. We'll see you back home."
Ellen sighed as she saw sirens approach, "Okay big smiles now." She looked over her shoulder as she saw an empty smoking island. "It sucks being a responsible adult. I missed the great evil! The triumph! The lack of tension afterward!"
Ellen gave a handover to the clean up crew, brushed her shoulders off, brushed her fingers through her hair, then hopped onto her bike to meet up with Brook, when she did, "Boo!" she cried from behind a tree.
"Were you waiting here all this time?"
"God damn you El, you were supposed to shit yourself!" Brook pounced on her shoulders, making the bike almost fall.
Ellen tried swatting her away, "I'm aware that you're around now, so I'm in a cat like ready state." She got off, "Here take my bike will you?"
"Mad at me are you? I'm on parking duty twice today."
"Of course I'm mad! What goes through your head sometimes?"
"Nothing yet, usually unwanted things, do I piss now or later? Does this contain almonds? Stuff like that, why do you ask?" She grinned.
Ellen groaned, "And why do you have washing powder and passing it off as an illegal substance?"
"Um...reasons." Ellen gave a swift wack to the front of her jacket making the bags of washing powder explode in Brooks face. "Are you, fucking serious?" she coughed.
"Luckily no one was hurt. Wish you would have used a different method. As in anything else, literally anything."
Brook tutted, "Stupid, scared people are like sheep, if they don't move you have to force them to move or they either drag you down with them or they all die because they froze. Like how you fell into that crowd."
"Don't call those people sheep. Not everyone can keep their cool, there are always other options."
Brook stopped dead in her tracks, "Don't talk to me about options."
"I didn't-"
"You know where I came from; you know the things I and others had to do to survive." Brook warned.
"I didn't mean your situation; you know I wouldn't make a personal attack, but I'm sorry if you though that way, It's upsetting you would even think that."
Brook ran two hands of fingers through her hair, her beanie slipping off as she continued, "Forget about it. I fucked up yet again; still so sure about me, not accidentally hurting you? I have to try harder."
Ellen nodded, "If you just stepped back to think about it. Trying to discipline yourself takes years. There's also another reason but you get touchy about it; reaching for help, medication. Just to name a few" She nudged her.
"Who you nudging?" Brook teased.
"You're so, emotional." She teased back.
Brook swung an arm, wrapping it around Ellen's neck as she lifted her off the ground and proceeded to give her a noogie that could make a fire. "Sorry! We're not getting a divorce are we?!"
Ellen gagged while trying to breathe from the feeling of being strangled by a Burmese python, "Pardon the immaturity but, Ew gross, and put me down you bloody Spartan!" She dropped to the floor. Her hair was scruffy, he cloths out of shape as she tidied herself up, muttering something about whiplash and a grizzly bear. "You know. That blast looked so familiar, probably because it was a portal in the sky, I can name every movie or series that had that tired cliché in."
"I don't doubt that. First the light, then the fake earthquake, then we saw some huge fucker fly past the bridge, the sky looked all freaky and then a portal and lightning and shit, it's popping off today."
"I think it's safe to say that the others are probably back now."
"Well with your three hour unedited, uncut monologue to government jobbers. I'd say they got 'back' twelve times over."
"You're such an ass."
"A huge ass."
She chuckled, "Don't say that like you won or some-"
"I mean it's like what, 40-33 on our score record, I'm way ahead of yo-What's up El? Timmy down the well?" Brook waved a hand in her face, "Asshole I'm talking to you. Shitface? You're not having one of those instant death heart attacks are ya?"
They reached the top of the hill that overlooked the scrap yard, suddenly like time had frozen her, Ellen was still.
"w-who is that?" she said pretending to be confused so not to ask the real question she had in her head, the colors, the build, the height, those two distinct audio receptors that stood up either side his helm.
Her eyes fixated, she put a hand behind her, trying to find some kind of thing to sit on but to no avail she just found herself sitting down hard on the grass. Her chest tightening, her breathing erratic, her breathing was raspy and gasping. But she quickly got it under control and merely fixated her gaze.
"El? Ellen?!" Brook said staring at her frozen, trance like face. Suddenly, she shot up and started to walk forward, her movement was sluggish as though walking was a new thing to her, she dared not speak, or think too much into it, she felt like crying, she felt angry. She didn't know what primary emotion to feel.
Brook merely watched where her gaze fell and put two and two together, that she was seeing something highly disturbing, she didn't want to disturb her so she merely followed and observed.
"Has. The air always been this thin?" she said flatly.
"Airs fine El." Brook replied, hovering a hand by her arm.
"Huh. Weird."
Brook circled her thinking she was going to collapse at any moment, "You hallucinating? I told you not to touch those brownies, they weren't pistachio flavored! "
"Sure you can have ten bucks." Ellen rambled robotically, pressing the '10' dollar bill into Brooks face.
"No I wasn't sayi-! Ooh! It's Ben!" Brook awed holding it up to the sky, then without hesitation shoved the hundred dollar bill under her beanie.
Meanwhile about two hundred meters away, two bots exchanged in conversation,
"Ellen? Then, she received my message?" this particular bot looked around eagerly, "Is she among us? If not, where?" he persisted.
"About that, she...well." came the voice of Bumblebee.
The first speaking bot, Optimus Prime, turned concerned, "Has something happened? Is she alright?"
"O-Oh no, she's okay." Replied Bee.
He placed a hand on his chest, "Thank the Primes."
"It's just; I think she's not sure if she wants to see you."
He slowly bowed his head, coming to a conclusion immediately, "I understand. The idea of one returning from the grasp of death all of a sudden after several years puts strain on a human mind on existential ideas. It would also appear as an insult."
"An insult? What do you mean?"
"It took many years for Ellen to come to terms with her parents demise, humans do not come back. Cybertronians were not supposed to return from the Allspark once journeyed there. I came back. For the first few years, she always hung on to hope that her parents would return. She hoped that everyone was wrong, that there was another option. She finally accepted the one result, it was her only choice. Bumblebee. I came back."
"I see your point." Bee said. "We don't know for sure, her reaction could be the complete opposite."
"I hope you are right." Optimus looked around again, "Although I must admit, unlike her, I find myself rather impatient in seeing her."
"She's fine Optimus." Bee smiled.
His optics brightened in realization, "That's right; I have no doubt as you have been here with her." He then approached dangerously close, leaning his face in, "Tell me, is she receiving adequate levels of nutrition?"
Bee blinked, "U-Uh, I believe she's eating well yes?"
He raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Her health? From her hereditary medical history she is prone to certain conditions."
"She's mentioned nothing note worthy." Bee shakily reassured.
"Is that not out of habit?"
Bee twitched a smile, "Optimus, I'm sure eventually she will show herself. Right now I believe my team deserve recuperation, we all do."
He looked around again, noting his exhausted team, noting his own well being as well, "Agreed."
Optimus was looking around the scrap yard, merely glancing at nothing in particular. He wondered about Cybertron, he wondered about old friends, he wondered about family and what he would do now, as Bumblebees equal.
Everything felt as it was before, but it was hard to tell only being on Earth.
He noted a small area that looked like someone had set up camp, the signs were very recent, he walked over to it, an unfolded chair and an unfolded table. Paper weights, game console, laptop, rucksack. He cocked an eyebrow curiously at the rucksack, it was old. In human terms. It's stitching barely holding together, old pins, and old pen drawings. He picked it up between two pinched fingers and carefully looked it over, "I know this bag." He thought curiously.
The bag that was first bought before Ellen went to middle school; he had picked it out himself when browsing many of the human online shopping sites, since he was limited outside the base. He had no idea how to choose because he had a different mindset from the average human, he had to observe, but most choices were influenced by society, or personal choice. Every choice he made no matter how simple had to be thought carefully about. Even as simple as a school bag.
He went with something practical, thinking as himself, but was also impractical thinking as a human. It was a bit on the big size for her at the time, but you could pack two households worth of stuff in it it was that big. It had many pockets, inbuilt supplies, weather resistant as well as environmentally resistant. Came with international emergency numbers and tiny hazard lights.
The impractical side was that it had, impossibly made cup holders, gadget holders, motion activated streamers, glitter dispenser. Cheese grater, a small rodent med kit. A tiny fish oxygen tank and shined all colours like a newly hot waxed car to the point it was deemed distracting for school children and drivers.
She loved it. It surprised him actually.
But seeing it now shows how she continues to cherish it and how it's survived this long.
He remembered when she put it on and fell flat on her face, "Am I going to war?" was her response, but spoken seriously and slightly worried.
"No." He responded lightly. "But it will endure."
"You're kicking me out?! I don't even have my social security number!"
Bringing himself back to the present he found himself chuckling a little. She kept it for this long. He set the bag down stood up and felt a presence, then saw an outlined figure in the corner of his optics. He turned to face them, he thought he might as well make formalities with Denny and Russell.
She stood there.
He hadn't noticed she had been standing there, or for how long, even mistaking the identity, which was odd to him.
She bore no expression, like she was watching the clouds above her head. It was deadly silent. She kept thinking that she couldn't let up, she can't let up. Why should she express this feeling of weightlessness, this joy, happiness, relief? A gag in her throat that made her want to throw up, the pain in her chest, When it could so easily be taken away again and again. Like some kind of purgatory, She knew this wasn't his fault not really but she didn't know where else to direct her frustrating. No, she won't get hurt again. No matter what Ratchet said or the time she's spent with the others.
The same thing keeps happening.
Optimus smiled very fondly, he found his foot accidentally moving forward on its own of which he had to contain.
Ellen frowned; there was something different in his smile, subtle. But it was there, like a sense of inner peace, was it because the war was over that he could finally relax?
His smile slowly faded to her expression, he knew the reason but didn't know how to remedy all this and could only say what he felt, "Ellen, I am-"
She heard his voice, clear as anything, it hit her like a gust of wind. Everything else was silent, no birds, no breeze, no sound of the others in the background, just his voice as he continued with what he had to say, Ellen didn't know what he was saying, it was Earth tongue but it was just his voice she was focused on, making it seem like some kind of different language.
That was all she had to hear as her expression melted, she placed cupped hands over her mouth as her breathing rose, her nose sniffled and a quivering lip fazing in and out of a wide smile, so wide it hurt the muscles surrounding her jaw. She started shaking with disbelief. Like a sudden jolt of electricity, she finally forced herself to move, tripping over her own feet that led to a jog, then a run.
Optimus sharply knelt down noting her wobbly footing, she ran so fast he wasn't sure if she could stop herself, she leapt into him like a long jump, digging her nails into the arms that caught her. Her breathing become even shorter almost hyperventilating, as the situation hit her.
Being held by familiar metal arms that carried a radiating heat of a warm blooded creature, with twitching gentle digits that always took care in how to carry her. She looked up into bright royal blue optics as hypnotic and captivating as a black and white spiral. She took a long, deep inhale. And released it all out as a glass shattering wail that was heard in all directions.
Bumblebee was caught off guard, falling onto the ground in panic as he heard her scream, "Primus no!" he cried running off to find her with his Decepticon hunter in hand. "Autobots! Rally to my position!"
Strongarm, Sideswipe, Windblade, Drift, Grimlock, Fixit, Denny, Russell all threw up their arms in panic as they all ran to the same place, spouting off theories of Megatronus coming back, or Steeljaw, or Unicron or something worse.
All froze to what they encountered, most looked horrified. Optimus had his arms around her, she was pressed up against the top of his chassis, her hands were hanging tightly onto the collar of his neck, so tightly her finger tips had rub burns that started looking sore and red. Optimus bowed his head forward, his helm lightly touching the top of her head. The others could hear him speaking something quietly to her.
But from their perspective, except for Bee and Brook (Who peered out from behind a beat up old car, purposely distancing herself) was having a different opinion altogether. The others arrived at the conclusion that this looked hostile, threatening and Ellen was possibly already beyond saving.
Sideswipe pointed a finger, "The old bots gone insane! He's crushing her like ripe human fruit!"
"Optimus no! Don't eat her she's not fruit! We don't even eat fruit!" Grimlock added.
Bee watched their stances as he put himself in front of them spreading out his arms to stop a stampede. "She's fine. There's no danger here. Back to your positions, all of you."
"But sir!" Strongarm protested the obvious problem.
"Right now, I mean it, this is not our business." He continued.
"Wow, harsh." Sideswipe said. "You just let the old timer murder humans? Blind loyalty at its finest."
Bumblebees optic twitched, "No one's murdering anyone!"
After what felt like the longest half hour, Ellen's eyes were sore and red, she kept her head low. She breathed deep, all her energy was drained. She felt the numbness in her back and toes. She relied on him to keep her from falling. She finally lifted her head looking him over, then struggling to lift a hand to his face and retracting fast to the slightest touch, "This is real...your real." With a passing thought of déjà vu, she lifted a hand again stroking, poking and knocking on parts of his face. If something was graspable she would pull and shake on it like a toddler grabbing hair.
"I think we can establish that, that is indeed my face plates." He lightly replied, unlike Ellen he was in an exceedingly pleasant mood to polarize her wary and grim one as though they had swapped defaults moods for the day. She pulled a hand back as he placed the tip of his finger on her cheek and pressed it ever so slightly making her face 'smoosh'. "But unlike mine yours is as endearing as ever."
"G-Good g-grief." She uttered embarrassed, turning red in the face. He smiled, starting to kneel to put her down. She slightly stumbled on her feet, "I'm okay. I think I cried my lunch away." She said holding a hand to her head. "W-What happened? You're just...here now. I...It's like my brain can't process this."
Bumblebee, with folded arms, looked over his shoulder often, distracted from trying to focus on his team to what was going on behind mount scrap metal. His attention diverted to Brook suddenly as she seemed to be heading towards the gate. "You're leaving?"
She sighed, hoping it would be a silent departure, "I'm going to wander the city again...I'll be back whenever."
"You're not going to say bye to Ellen?"
"Why would I? I said I'd be back, are you always this needy? She has her old man, I'd just add to her worries." She pondered, "That wailing she did, shook me a little, poor thing."
"Poor thing?"
"Yeah. Poor thing, you hard of hearing? I try to distract her, be it to annoy, anger, make her smile, because when she's not doing anything she thinks, she thinks on things too much and ends up lowering her mood because unlike me who screams and yells and just says the first to pop into my head, El has more restraint. Which is unhealthy. And like now it just all came out at once." She looked up at him, "This, Optimus. She really loves this guy, Dude. Why the fuck did he leave her? I-I mean I know why but-shit!" she scoffed, "Ah fuckit. My hormone levels must be out of whack, stupid female shit."
Bee optics softened. "We all wish that we can take away others burdens, it just doesn't work that way."
"Again. Stupid female shit, I saw a guy fall over the other day and instead of laughing my ass off as usual I started balling my eyes, all so it stops me from eating my own kids, thank you evolution." she huffed.
Bee smiled at her trying to divert the subject, "Listen, I'm sorry for being so untrusting- I mean with all the stuff going on-the pressure of measuring up-sorry. Please stay."
"Thanks for the invite, but I'm coming back regardless Pfft. I'm just going out for a while." She waved at him turning towards the exit.
"Oh right...you already said that didn't you?" he chuckled nervously. "Uh stay, safe?"
Strongarm approached from behind with other team members and wasted no time with the questions. "So, you said that you had a human partner? Like Arcee and Bulkhead. Optimus too?"
"Her guardian? Yes. And like what Denny is to Russell." Bee explained.
"Annoying!" Grimlock answered cheerfully.
Strongarm arrived to a quick conclusion, "Wait, how is that possible? She's human."
"Then how-?" Sideswipe scratched his head.
"Adopted! Primus have mercy adopted!" Bee shuddered trying to erase a mental image.
Sideswipe sneered at him, "What's with you? I was trying to say, how is she so scruffy looking? You'd think she'd have some connections."
"Look, just try to keep that in mind when he gave life back to Cybertron. When we said our farewells." He looked at Strongarm "Remember when I said the four kids were with us when Megatron reappeared? Well Ellen actually lived with us way before those events, we all looked after her. Optimus raised her, here she is now."
"Huh...why didn't you and the others mention that on Cybertron?" Strongarm questioned.
Bee's expression lowered, "Keeping the children nameless and their location hidden was hard enough, not to mention hard. I miss my own charge; I wonder everyday what Rafs doing now, if he's doing well? But to mention Ellen? She would be terrorised, Cybertron as far as its people knew, Optimus was dead. So to those who believe Optimus was at fault during the War?"
"So, to wound his charge would be like wounding Optimus Prime himself." Strongarm said.
"That's the logic of those seeking their form of justice or revenge for Cybertron." He sighed, "There was another reason."
"Another?"
"There were certain things, after we were forced to leave Cybertron, like logs, information, artefacts that Optimus had locked away and could only be opened with his genetic signature."
"I thought you said she was adopted!" Sideswipe interrupted.
"If you let me finish!" he sighed. "Years ago, in human years anyway, Starscream had located Ellen, he fired upon the building she was occupying, thankfully she was alive but lost an arm, as a way of giving her an advantage, in case she was in a situation like that again and would need to get herself out, Optimus had tiny fragments of metal removed from his arm, melted down and reformed into a working arm for Ellen."
"Nice. I feel sorry for any city nearby." Sideswipe scoffed.
"You would think that, the complete opposite actually, Optimus never let her stay anywhere overnight ever again. Or certain times of the day, hourly slots, even places to go. It was mostly our base."
"Wow, I almost feel bad for her." Sideswipe said. "Limited to where you could go? It would drive me crazy, no wonder she's such a drag. So, what's your point Bee?"
"Urgh...she's a literal key to all of Optimus secret scrap okay?! If our high council got a hold of her, they could use those items as evidence, both for and against depending on what angle they chose. Do you have to downplay everything I do and say Sideswipe? How about next time you tell a story, I'll have an attitude too? You young bots are so 'whatever' about everything, when I was a scout, every choice meant a huge risk!"
Sideswipe froze, "Touch-y." He whispered to Grimlock. "I can't tell who's supposed to be the ancient bot here."
Bee stopped, "I'm not that old!...am I?"
"Of course lieutenant, you're the definition of mature." Strongarm praised.
"I think Bees going through what humans call a 'mid-cycle crisis'." Sideswipe said.
"The War ended six years ago!" Bee yelled.
A couple hours past before Ellen and Optimus moved as much as an inch from their position, "You have only managed five words at a time." Optimus humored.
She brought her hands up, "Look at my hands I'm shaking like a leaf, My head has a throbbing headache too."
"Perhaps you should sit-" Optimus suddenly staggered slightly groaning.
"Dad?!" Ellen announced in a panic, looking him over for any leaks.
"I'm fine. I am alright Ellen." He brushed himself off as Ellen went slightly red. "I recently underwent a recent upgrade from the-" He looked her over, "What's that identification card?"
She plucked it off her top collar, "This? Oh right. I er, I have a job."
"You have a job?" Optimus repeated a rising pitch in his voice suggested a hidden excitement.
Ellen's sparkled exaggerated animated eyes to his nod of approval, "I do! I have a job!"
He nodded, "I could not be more pleased with your contribution to your society and hopefully financial stability...you did finish higher learning?"
"I did." She nodded to his commanding tone.
"What of further education? College?"
She nodded again, "I graduated, they had this big old buffet, music, friends and family were taking pictures in big groups together and I, well I was alone because I didn't have time to socialize with how serious I took my studies and my friends from school went to different colleges and I mean...w-well you would have appreciated the atmosphere and the event was very well organized." She grinned widely, the edge of her lips twitching as she struggled to keep it.
His expression fell slightly, "Much has changed, though some things remain the same. I would have very much wished to have been there, Ratchet too if he was not so obviously otherwise engaged, As you did not mention him being present."
Ellen chuckled nervously, "Heh-heh y-eah about him, we have a few things to share at least." She smiled. Then she wiped a hand over her face, her fatigue, sadness, struggles all present in her expression.
He knelt, cupping his around her entire arm, "it is frustrating...isn't it?"
Ellen put her hand on his, "Y-Yes. You feel softer than before...Hey, you're not fat anymore. Well, almost. What happened to Optimus Prime-Ribs? Sorry I mean Optimus 2.0? Ha-ha, remember Miko? I-Is no one going to mention them? Just me?"
"You are just as complimentary as before. You are also looking well." He then frowned. "If not a little drained, have you been gaining significant rest?"
Ellen blushed a little, "Dad please. The others are over there I've been trying to establish boundaries." She gritted her teeth.
He blatantly ignored her as he knelt down placing and poking an index finger, on the forehead, shoulder and stomach, "Is this not too much muscle mass for a human female to posses?"
"It's perfectly healthy y-es." She clicked her fingers, "Speaking of muscle-!"
"And?" He added, giving her a regimented look.
She sighed, "My BMI is on point, I had a fitness test just a couple of weeks ago, I have had a routine physical too. My blood levels and pressure are healthy, my nutrition is slightly questionable in the high fat and sugar contents, I could develop cataracts in my eighties, I still have a problem with skin conditions but that's improving, I'm taking medication for stress, I'm seeing my Councillor once a month, I have a blister on my right toe and a non cancerous freckle on my lower neck."
Optimus nodded satisfied with her medical history.
Sideswipe lent his head closer to Strongarm, "I don't speak 'golden age' but is the old bot lecturing her? The scrap was that? A report? The entire history of Cybertron?"
"Don't be ridiculous Sideswipe, he's clearly only- mmm. What are they doing lieutenant? And what's a blister?"
"Uh, well." Bee fumbled on his words.
"Hey how about-" Ellen continued.
"What is this?" Optimus took a sudden grab for her weapon that stuck to her back.
Ellen dumbfounded that he took it like she shouldn't have it, "U-Uh well-Weaponry."
"You are armed?" He asked disapprovingly.
"Yes? A precaution when I'm out on the job. It's not exactly an approved weapon, but I had a recommendation to-"
"It's Cybertronian." He interrupted, "though the metals are of Earth." He pondered. "Ratchet?"
"Mm-hmm."
He smiled lightly. "That reminds me, how is my old friend?"
She made a choking sound, "Well I-Uh-He-See the thing is...Dad. The last time I saw him, okay I guess? But that was a few years ago, Bee told me he's possibly missing."
"Missing? When?"
"Shortly after I started college. But Bee reassured me that he's more than likely doing okay, it's just a matter of finding him."
"Of that I have no doubt. Ratchet, missing? Its unheard of." He nodded solemnly understanding, "Then, you were left alone?"
She scratched her arm, "I did okay."
"Truly?"
"..."
"I can handle it." He said lightly."You do not need to consider my feelings." She lowered her head, he lifted it again with a finger, "Ellen, It is me. You can confide in me."
"I had made friends and of course I had old friends, couple of Autobots I hung around with now and then that stayed on Earth, but they weren't someone like Ironhide or Ratchet where their age and maturity made it feel like you had a sense of security you know? I had really low days, the only thing that kept me focused was this." she motioned to her badge, "I went to places that had Autobots there, certain places in China, Britain, Griffin Rock. Just trying to find out what was going on."
"You pursued a specific career, for us? Ellen, all I wished was that you grew up healthy and pursue your own ambitions. Most importantly that you were safe from Decepticons, that finally came when the War ended and you were free to go wherever you pleased, without being a target of my enemies."
"I'm not a rehabilitated animal released back into the wild; you guys are my family too. If I didn't know what was going on I couldn't really pursue anything else until then. It was hard even trying to do that somedays, when I would turn up empty on a lead. Then after so much disappointment, I didn't get that hopeful after any leads were given to me. Then, these last few months happened and I felt a sense of normality again." She looked at him, "now you're here. I got some saving left; I can go back to college If I wanted to."
"Yes you will. In pursuit of your own ambitions."
"I have been meaning to travel, explore." She joked. "Where did you go?" she then asked softly.
"The Primes rescued me, shortly after Cybertrons revival. They brought me to the realm of the Primes, training me to face Megatronus."
"They somehow gave you back a physical form yet they couldn't deal with the problem themselves?" Ellen frustrated, her expression darkening.
"It is complicated, but I was dubbed their 'champion'. A vessel to wield their power to defeat Megatronus. To accomplish this they put me through intensive and harsh training."
She groaned, "If you're trying to present a good argument on their behalf its falling short."
"I am unsure how they were able to accomplish such impossible feats, but the Primes of ancient times had powers that could bend the rules of time and space itself."
"...Yeah. That's a better argument." She replied sarcastically.
Optimus sighed hearing her continue to object and remain unconvinced, "I had been training under Micronus for quite some time I-"
Now aloof she folded her arms, listening to him with her eyes shut, "They banish on evil entity and suddenly they think they can just sit on their fat lazy aft an-...Pf-fft?!" Ellen blurted into her sleeve, then started fake coughing to cover it up.
"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked suspiciously.
"E-Er, Mm, nothing. Please continue."
"To prepare for this great evil Micronus' training came with realism of hard choices-Ellen please hold your composure." He sighed.
Ellen was wheezing into her hand as her face went red, "I-I can't! I'm going to die! That's not a real name! That's not real! It can't be real! I thought you were saying it in simpler terms, so I could understand."
"Ellen." He started firmly, "Micronus was considered the first and the father of all minico-Ellen please."
On her knees at this point, "It's just the lack of creativity! Most of the Primes have 'us' at the end it's for the Latin translation. Most of your names have meaning, usually something mystical or noble, Micronus translates to micron, micron is a unit of measurements its one millionth of a meter!" she laughed.
Optimus' stern expression slowly faded, "One millionth of a meter." He repeated, the realization hitting him.
"You get it now?"
Optimus face froze; his body froze as he summoned all mental discipline to stop the tiniest of quivers on his lips. He released a build up of heat escaping through his grill as he forced a- "Yes. It's the first time I am able to understand the logic behind your humor. How unfortunate for Micronus to possess this name." He carefully bore a small smile.
Sideswipe, this time. quietly said to Bumblebee. "It makes sense, but its not exactly that funny."
"Goodness! Have I finally succeeded in breaking that molded face to its knees?" Ellen sniggered.
"A devastating blow indeed, but not on this day my little friend." He announced, and then he gestured with his fingers to her of how 'close' he was to being defeated in the humorous category.
She let out a small gasp, "I knew it." She whispered. "Is he actually small?"
Optimus' optics avoided her eyes, "...he is. Ironically I have seen taller minicons." He shook his head, "Micronus deserves our respect. He banished Unicron alongside his brethren, which was no small feat."
She raised a finger.
"Do not say a word." Optimus said realizing the mistake in his choice of words.
She grinned. "Hey, it's your subconscious thinking that. Don't pin this on me." They stood before all occupants, she looked at each of them and frowned, "where's Brook?"
"She went exploring, didn't want to get under your foot when Optimus was here. She said she'd be back." Bee explained.
"Oh." She said disheartened, she looked up to Optimus, "I wanted to introduce you, she's helped me get through a lot. There's allot of hunters out in the forest, they might mistake her for Godzilla wearing a hat."
Optimus gave her a concerned look.
"I'm kidding-Kinda. She's a friend visiting; she's also the huge bill on my bank statement for collateral damage."
He frowned slightly. "Are you currently attempting to be humorous?"
She got all frantic all of sudden. "Hey-you want to go for a walk? A drive? Ooh look, here's my graduation day." She lifted her phone. "Looking smart right? I have other pictures, Eve, Roche, Brook head butting the dean, other Autobots, this is cute, I got a picture with Cody. His Dad says hi! You never mentioned that you went to Griffin rock now and then; I know Bee did but- Dogs! You have to see my dogs! Look! Look! This is Agent Smith-Riker-Jean Luc-Teal'c-Fury-Scully-Peter and Jon."
Optimus watched her bounce on her heels as she continued rambling, trying to ram the past six years in, he swore he saw a hallucinated image of her briefly looking like a small child again.
He knelt down putting a palm over her hand that was holding her phone, "We will have plenty of time now."
She looked skepitically at him, "You don't know that, I don't know that...I'm not risking it."
"Ellen, what happened to your policy of establishing boundaries?" He lent in to speak quietly, "Sideswipe in particular, may use this to his advantage to question your position."
"He can try." Ellen looked at the others, "Bee? Any activity?"
Bee shook his head. "Haven't picked up any signals."
"Well Alright then." She jogged on ahead, eager and excitably. Optimus cocked his head, "What? There's a place in the city with killer chicky finggys."
"Ellen I do not think-"
"We got nothing going on here Optimus. Go into the city, take a break." Bee assured.
He nodded, "Very well. Let us be off then."
A/N I hope I got them crusty emotions flowing? I hope so, I REALLY hope I lived up. Lets see what I can with this, :) Onward!
You know what I did find interesting in RID? The political turmoil occurring on Cybertron, The invasion of Earth. But do we get any episodes into the insight of that? No, kids hate something mentally stimulating, character development, conflict, *eye roll* the last couple episodes, followed by plot twist? kinda? High council manipulated most events? Ohhh, my goood, wait what? then boom finished. Ratchet get on the high council, you too Jazz, season 3 And Bulkhead was th-erree.
Whoa...sorry. got too salty there :P If they made this a separate thing, it wouldn't be too bad but when its a straight up sequel to Prime? A show that fit a more maturer child/teenage/young adult audience to a show that was specifically aimed at kids, Um, its like I'm drinking a cold Pepsi with ice on a hot day, then someone gets me a refill and they've put some of that own brand cheap supermarket stuff thats called something like 'popsi light' and its been left out in the heat with the lid off, so not only is it warm, but flat and the ice has melted instantly making it watered down too. N-asty. X'D
But hey, that's just my opinion, alot of people enjoy the show, I couldn't get through all the episodes, But the ones I did. I liked certain parts of them. mostly the season finales, I liked the end of season 2 where there was some tension between Bee and Optimus for leadership. I'm like yes, more of this please! Sorry didn't mean to make this a review X'D
To get to the point, I might do some more focus on that side of things ;) As I have little faith in myself in doing anything, everything I've just said might be void If I write something that's even worse. (I hope not, I have fun writing new scenarios) but hey, Fanfiction :D