Hey, guys! Another chapter for all of you lovelies! I just came back from seeing Bumblebee the movie and man, that was pretty awesome. Definitely fluffier than normal, with not as much action as I would usually enjoy, but it was still amazing and I loved the references to G1.
Another thing! I am looking for ideas for fluff chapters! While I have an overall arc for the time between the second and third movies, I'm really struggling with the small plots that the main plot is hidden in. So, if there's anything you've wanted to see in the series with Kay, like a Sam-Kay-centric chapter, or Kay on a mission, or anything like that, shoot me a PM and it just might become a chapter in the story! And, of course, I will absolutely give credit where credit is due. Thanks in advance for your help, guys!
The sun was halfway to its peak when the group reached a steep curve in the road. Bee carefully pulled off the road, letting everyone out. Simmons held his phone, looking over a set of coordinates.
"There's a large structure near where the stars crossed the horizon," he announced. "This way." They began in a single file line, the Bots transforming and slowly following the humans. They pressed forward steadily, quiet in their anticipation. That is, until they'd been walking for almost twenty minutes.
"You sure you know where you're going?" Leo demanded after a particularly troublesome trip. His ankle had twisted, luckily doing no damage, but he was about a foot away from his head bashing into a sharp outcropping when Kay was able to grab him and pull him away, the two tumbling to the ground together in a tangle of limbs.
"It's gotta be around here somewhere," Simmons responded. Kay let out a half-hearted sigh.
"Awesome, sounds great," she stated, though Sam's response to turning a corner had her hopes lifting. He suddenly ran forward, everyone piling after him until they were all around the corner. There stood another temple, looking far more like a place of worship towards its deity than the last building. It was amazing and intricate, carved straight out of the rock face with a door easily large enough for Bee to pass through.
"You see the size of this?" Simmons said, gazing with wide eyes. "You see this?"
"My gosh," Kay managed, still awestruck as she ran forward. Everyone was voicing their awe even as they ran for the door, excitement beginning to fill Sam and Kay in waves. Kay leapt the large step in one go with a boost from her power, turning and carefully hauling Mikaela up while still scanning the entire place. She could feel herself shaking, adrenaline filling every part of her body.
"Kay." She ran up beside Sam at his call, looking around with him. While still amazing with its history painted over the sand covered walls, that was all the building had. It was empty. "It's here somewhere," Sam stated, refusing to give up.
"Yeah, why?" Leo shot back, hot, exhausted, and ankle still throbbing from the small twist. "'Cause we're trusting Grandpa Blackbird who doesn't even know what planet he's on?" Kay had felt the flood of disappointment and sadness, but what she hadn't felt was the sudden loss of adrenaline in her veins.
"In his defense, this is the biggest doorway I've ever seen in my entire life," Simmons stated, looking specifically towards the hole.
"Okay. Well that's great. Let me do a quick search, all right?" Leo spun in place, scanning the empty room quickly with his eyes. "Nope. Ever cross your mind, guys, that archeologists have been here before? There's nothing here!" Kay looked to where Sam was sitting in front of one of the murals, his jaw tense as he stared forward. There was fear in his eyes. Fear of true failure, that all this had been for nothing.
"Real life is heartbreak, despair, kid," Simmons shot back to Leo, almost getting in his face. "Sometimes you get to the end of the rainbow and the leprechauns went and booby-trapped it!"
"I'm listening to you? You live with your mother!" Kay decided to intervene then.
"You two are fighting, really?" she demanded with a small look.
"It's not over," Sam said quietly yet determinedly.
"It is over, it's done," Leo shot back.
"Why we even still listening to you, anyways?" Mudflap suddenly demanded with a turn towards Sam. "What you ever do for us except ding my rim?"
"Killed Megatron, how 'bout that?" Skids retorted in Sam's defense.
"Well he didn't do a good job of it 'cause he's back now." Kay took a slow breath in to calm herself. Her powers flared with her temper, and whatever was keeping her adrenaline going was giving her powers enough energy that they were surging forward with every negative comment, ready to rid the situation of pessimists for a good while.
"Are you scared?" Skids shot at Mudflap.
"Scared? Scared of your ugly face!" Mudflap pushed at Skids, tensions flaring incredibly high.
"I'm ugly? Well, we're twins, you stupid genius!" Skids ran forward, hands now locked on Mudflap's shoulders and his momentum shoving his twin backwards. Simmons, Leo, and Mikaela had to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed.
"Bring it, then!" Mudflap threw Skids into the hair easily, the green Bot arcing gracefully before landing on his feet. He spun and ran at Mudflap, grabbing him again and hauling him backwards. With a final heave, he hauled Mudflap into the air and spun, sending his body careening towards Sam.
"Guys!" Sam shouted in fear, leaping out of the way just before Mudflap's back hit the wall. Kay jumped at the loud crash then literally had to leap out of the way as Mudflap lunged at Skids again, the two rolling backwards towards her. Skids pushed off Mudflap and backed up slightly, taunting him some more before Bee grabbed him by the back of the neck, hauling him into the air.
"Come on, Bumblebee!" Skids pleaded even as Mudflap leapt into the air and was also easily caught by the back of the neck. "Bumblebee, listen-" He was cut off as Bee hit the two twins together, lightly but enough to make a point, then turned and tossed the two out the doorway with an annoyed yell. They landed on their faces, spitting up sand as they pushed upwards. Kay couldn't help her amused smile at the situation actions, but she was quickly distracted by the whistling everyone else was hearing. She stood to her feet and hastily gathered by the mural Mudflap had been thrown into, pieces of the wall cracked and whistling as old, stale air rushed outwards. Simmons pulled off a chunk, revealing a dirty metal rod of some sort, Cybertronian etched deeply into it.
"Oh my God," Sam breathed.
"The symbols," Kay finished for him, her mind happily aching in response to her viewing them.
"Bee, shoot it!" Sam quickly exclaimed, everyone running away to allow some space. Bee stepped forward, brought out his cannon, and shot once, ancient air rushing forward. The smell hit Kay like a tsunami, but a wave of nausea hit her physically, something yanking as hard as it could on her power. She ran up to the cavern just beside Sam, inspecting everything with him and his flashlight. She motioned Sam in first, keeping close to his side to make use of the flashlight while still gazing around at the metal faces staring down at all of them. She did not feel good at all, a headache pounding her mind with every pair of dead optics she made contact with and her stomach roiling in the adrenaline overload. There was something else, though, the draw on her power affecting her far more physically than it ever had before.
"Check this out," Simmons breathed in awe. "Wow!"
"These are the bodies Jetfire was talking about," Sam noted.
"The tomb of the Primes," Simmons finished. "Yo!" Kay jumped at the sudden shout, not expecting it. Her eyes had been locked on the Matrix, something about it pulling her attention. "Yo!" Simmons yelled louder. There was a large echo, giving away the size of the tomb. Kay finally gave in, stepping towards the Matrix. Sam looked to her then towards the silver artifact, his eyes wide.
"The Matrix," he breathed, bringing everyone's attention to it. Kay carefully knelt, the entrance to the tomb just behind her back, and slowly reached out. It glowed brightly as her hands neared, her power surging forward to meet the glow. Her hands made contact at the same time.
The Matrix exploded in a massive burst of power. Everyone but Kay screamed in surprise as a bolt of energy shot forward, slamming into Kay's chest. She went flying backwards, out of the small entrance, past a surprised Bee, and straight into the opposite wall with a loud bang.
"Kay!" Sam shouted, scrabbling out of the temple in fear. Kay had somehow kept hold of the Matrix in her flight but let go as she hit the ground, the silver artifact clanging away dull and no longer glowing. Bee quickly knelt beside her, his optics wide in his shock and doorwings rigid, and carefully turned her onto her back. Her eyes were wide open and she was still breathing, but the contact between her body and Bee's hand sent a much smaller jolt throughout his entire system. Sam dropped to his knees next to her, reaching out and carefully cradling her face, but was also hit with a small jolt of blue light, forcing him to let go.
Kay herself knew she was not in the real world. Instead, looking around at a light fog and a golden glow with two large Cybertronian forms nearing in the distance, she recognized an old dream. Now, however, was very different.
The Matrix had connected with the imprint of the AllSpark, all attached to her power, and had unlocked everything. Cybertron's history flowed through her mind like a second memory, like a culture she had taken a keen interest in and spent her entire life learning about. The closest form was the light Cybertronian from her earlier dream with glowing golden optics, the second form a dark Cybertronian with a sour demeanor. Primus, the creator of the Cybertronians, and Unicron, the Bringer of Darkness.
"How do you feel, now?" Primus questioned with a small smile. Kay was still blinking, rubbing at her temples as the headache was finally gone and replaced with a library of memories she had but was yet to experience.
"I remember everything," she breathed. "What, what exactly happened? I think I understand, but I'm not sure." Unicron gave Primus a look, not in the mood for conversation.
"When you and that Sam put the AllSpark in Megatron's chest, the AllSpark needed to find a new container for its knowledge. While shards existed, and some knowledge was put into them, most of the AllSpark sensed your power and decided you were the best option for a new vessel."
"But why my power?" Kay asked. "Just because it's different?" Primus paused for merely a moment.
"Yes. You had this latent knowledge deep within your mind, but your power is not pure energon, not a compatible conduit for the knowledge. While it attached the knowledge to your mind it could not fully translate it, leading to the headaches. Now you touched the Matrix and it felt the AllSpark, an object of similar creation, and joined it. Your body was flooded with pure energon, allowing a full connection between your mind and the AllSpark within you." Kay's hands were stuck to her face in her open-mouthed listening, her mind digesting everything the Cybertronian creator was saying. There was still a problem, though.
"How are we going to wake Optimus now?" Primus smirked lightly at that.
"Look at your hands." Kay quickly pulled the appendages away, staring at them. The usual wisps of her power were floating around them, but now it a mixture of the yellow and blue. Yellow in the center, blue on the edges, and the thinnest line of green where the two colors met.
"What's this supposed to mean?" she asked, not understanding. Unicron let out an annoyed growl, very suddenly flashing forward into Kay's personal space with a dagger of pure, glowing energon to her neck.
"You're a big girl, figure it out." Primus placed a hand on Unicron's shoulder, pulling him back firmly but calmly. The dark mech scowled deeply but allowed the dagger to dissipate, standing straight once more. Kay's heart was racing now, but with a small amount of focus she found her tendrils forming into something of similar shape to the Matrix, sparking with the concentration of energon. She let it dissipate then looked back towards the two with a small smile.
"Thank you." Primus let out a small laugh.
"Don't thank us yet." With that, the apparent fog Kay was standing on gave out, sending her into a sudden freefall downwards. She gasped in air for a scream but found herself back in the physical world, sitting upwards suddenly with the loud gasp.
"Kay!" Sam's arms were around her instantly, holding her tight with a large sigh of relief. Kay hugged him back, slowing down her racing heart while looking around. Mikaela was just behind Sam, a look of intense relief on her features, while Simmons was staring out the door, his eyes widening. Bee was somewhere behind her, based off of the sounds.
"How long was I out?" she asked as Sam pulled back.
"Like, thirty seconds, but still. That was terrifying." Mikaela moved around Sam for her own strong hug on Kay. Simmons ran out of the building with a sudden shout, Leo on his heels.
"What happened?" Sam asked of his friend. Kay looked to the old container of the Matrix's power.
"I absorbed the Matrix," she replied. "Now we just need to get me to Optimus." Sam let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Of course you did." Kay held up a hand, showing a small version of the energon dagger to a now wide-eyed Mikaela and Sam. Sam quickly stood, helping both women up. "At least now the energy can protect itself." Kay laughed lightly, though the sound turned into a yelp as she found herself scooped upwards and hugged carefully but closely to Bee's spark. She could now feel the thrumming of the orb that kept the Bot alive, that contained his soul and everything he felt. It was the most calming and right feeling she had ever felt.
"Sorry for the scare, Bee," Kay said, peeking up at his optics with a sorry smile and a small kiss to a nearby armor plate.
"Just never again," he replied with radio clips, once more hugging Kay. Bee stepped outside with Kay still in his hands and Sam and Mikaela on his heels, Simmons turning from a perch on a tall rock formation.
"Sam! Kay!" he called with a wave of his hand. Kay switched her glasses from normal to sunglasses, staring in the distance as a low buzz began to register in her ears. Two large planes with black dots falling from each were in the distance. Bee let her to the ground before she could jump, the girl flashing Bee a knowing smirk before taking off, passing Sam and Mikaela to quickly climb the rock formation. Simmons handed her his small telescope as she reached him.
"You believe you can bring him back?" he asked.
"Absolutely," Kay replied, watching Optimus' form be slowed by a trio of parachutes
"Let's go," Sam announced as he walked past. As a group, they ran back to the road, Bee and the twins easily beating the humans. Bee waited with open doors, his engine revving in impatience. He took off as soon as everyone had piled in, racing towards the location Jazz had supplied him with after a single demand. Kay could feel her bond with Alpha once more, having not noticed the strain it was under over the large distance. Alpha was prodding it with slight confusion.
You feel… different, she stated. Kay thought for a moment then sent a quick summary of the situation to Alpha, feeling shock slowly but steadily fill the bond. So you now have energon inside of you? Isn't it radioactive to you humans? Kay paused, not having thought about that tiny fact.
I do, and yes, I think it is, Kay said. But, at the same time, I think I'd already be dead based off of the amount of energon it shoved into me in one second. Alpha conceded, retreating from the bond with a mechanical threat of punishment if Kay were to get hurt. Kay couldn't help an almost silent laugh out loud, brushing off the threat but sending the love she felt for the femme back over the bond.
Kay refocused on the real world just as a flare shot into the air, arcing into the sky.
"That's them right there, see the flare?" Sam pointed out.
"Right over there! See it?" Bee sped up even more, racing towards the flare. Kay was watching the horizon intently, her glasses still lightly tinted, but was focused on a different object. Was that a…?
"Missile!" she screeched seconds before it hit the ground in front and to the right of Bee. The Bot swerved with a collective terrified scream of the occupants within, two more missiles hitting terrifyingly close. A fourth burst just in front of Bee, spitting up dirt onto the windshield. The Bot finally turned into an area like a dig site, more missiles exploding just beside the small caravan. Kay looked to Leo who had been strangely silent just as he took in a quick breath in and began to freak out, tears streaming down his face.
"Oh, God, please! Please! God, please!" he echoed over and over.
"Leo, stop freaking out. Stop freaking out," Mikaela said sternly. Leo was still crying loudly.
"Shut this guy up, huh?" Simmons demanded.
"Please, just let me live, just let me live!"
"Shut up and let Bee drive!" Mikaela tried again. Kay looked towards where Simmons was pulling out the taser.
"All right, that's it!" He spun around and jabbed the taser into Leo's neck, the man shouting in pain for three seconds before passing out. "I can't take this guy anymore," Simmons grumbled, returning the taser back to his pocket. Bee spun around another pile of dirt, racing forward. Two more missiles hit before Starscream finally appeared, transforming and dropping just in front of Bee with a snarl. Bee went straight through his legs, avoiding two more missiles skillfully. Starscream let out a barrage in his anger, kicking up massive plumes of dirt straight into the air.
"Hide in the dust! Use the dust!" Simmons exclaimed. Bee did just that, getting away from Starscream before drifting to a halt. Leo's head hit the window with a thud, effectively waking him back up in time for everyone to pile out.
"We've got to split up. Bumblebee, you're the decoy. You lead the Decepticons away, all right? We're gonna get to Optimus," Sam stated, keeping close to Kay's side. Kay gave a firm double tap to Bee's hood, her silent command to him to be careful. He gave a short hum back in the register of the Cybertronian scout dialect, only for her ears.
"I'll help draw their fire with Huey and Dewey there," Simmons responded with a thumb towards the twins. He then turned to Kay, pointing at her. "You get to those soldiers, young lady, understood?" Kay nodded once, the adrenaline racing through her refusing to allow her to speak. "Good luck."
"Thank you," Sam breathed back. With a tug on Kay's arm and his hand wrapped firmly around Mikaela's the trio took off, running as fast as they could towards the soldiers and, more importantly, Optimus. Bee's tires screeched behind them, the Bot taking off with Starscream hopefully following him.