Look, I updated on time! Nailed it!Thank you so much, everyone, for every favorite, follow, and review on the story. It really means a lot to me, and I appreciate it wholly. Anyway, hope you guys like fluff and action!
Despite the very sudden Bot hiatus, college was smoother than Kay anticipated. Doing homework for a majority of the break was a major plus, keeping her from being absolutely demolished by piles of papers and presentations.
Neya had been safe the entire time with Sunstreaker, the Bot basically becoming another student with how often he kept his holoform glued to her side. When Kay returned, Bee next to her and another man who had burst forward and tackled Sunstreaker, Neya first demanded if Kay was alright based off of the new assortment of scratches and bruises then burst into a slew of questions to know what had gone on. Kay expertly answered while avoiding the delicate details, not wanting to put Neya in more danger than she was in.
Weekends were intense. Ratchet had warned Kay that having Sides, Streaker, and Bee together was going to be dangerous but she had brushed him off, trusting her ability to control a few mechs. She was definitely wrong, but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun.
"Come on, Bee, you're letting Sides beat you!" Bee pushed his already screaming engine harder, suddenly bursting past Sideswipe who had been beating the duo in their race. Sunstreaker was further behind, Neya not used to the intense speed of the Bots yet.
Kay cheered loudly as Bee crossed the marker for the finish line, throwing her arms into the air as Bee drifted to a stop. She could feel the happiness radiating off of him, his engine tiredly rumbling in laughter along with Kay.
"I let you win!" Sideswipe called to Bee, resting beside the duo. His own engine was rumbling tiredly, the Bot sinking on his wheels.
"Yeah, right!" Bee called back as Sunstreaker finally crossed the line, Neya cheering from his driver's side seat. It was a welcome change from her terrified form the first time they had gone joyriding. Sideswipe had found the light clearing deep in a forest outside the city on one of his patrols, a weekly thing required by one of the three mechs for them to be useful while away from base, and almost every weekend was spent exclusively here since.
"That was awesome!" Neya cheered from outside Bee's driver's side, appearing there very suddenly. She pulled the door open and hauled Kay out, jumping up and down in her excitement. Kay laughed with her, nodding.
"Isn't it great?"
"Now you're going to show me your power, right?" Kay gave an exaggerated sigh while Bee, who had formed his holoform alongside Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, laughed. Kay shot him a half-hearted look that only served to make him laugh harder.
"It's not really that big of a deal," Kay tried to deflect. Sideswipe let out a surprised sound.
"Not that big of a deal?" he demanded, stepping forward. "You resurrected Optimus, for Primus' sake!"
"I haven't gotten to see it in action, either," Sunstreaker added with a light shrug. Neya stared expectantly at her roommate and new friend, pouring every ounce of pleading she could into her gaze without it turning into a puppy dog look.
"Fine," Kay finally sighed, unable to help her small smile at Neya's cheers. "So, basically, what you need to know is my powers are based off of alternate dimensions." Neya paused.
"Like, one small change?" she asked to confirm. Kay nodded.
"One small change, two small changes, entirely different forms of life, everything. My main ability is transporting myself and others through those dimensions," Kay continued. "I can use the power in other ways, though, like manipulating time, which is also pretty easy to me, creating shields, which is harder but still efficient, and teleporting, which takes the most energy out of me." Neya's jaw was practically on the forest floor. "I'll show you the easiest one and take you to a dimension." Before Neya could speak, Kay let her power go, feeling the rush of energy surrounding the two of them. Her senses dulled in the familiar transition feeling, and then the two of them were back in the forest, the same spot even, just without the Bots. Colors seemed different as well, to both. They were more vivid and clear, with the spectrum visible at the edges.
"Where are we?" Neya demanded, letting go of Kay's hands and looking around in awe. Kay shrugged with a simple 'I don't know' hum.
"This is the fun part. There are so many different dimensions that I don't know." She held her hand out toward Neya with a smile. "Wanna go exploring?" Neya nodded and the duo took off.
Twenty minutes later, a lot longer since they were walking and not riding with the Bots, the women were in their college town, both looking around with wide eyes. The mosaics of stained glass embedded within the old, aged buildings were even more colorful and gorgeous in this dimension, the colors lancing out of the glass in sharp rays of beauty. Even the old bricks that composed the buildings seemed more vibrant and youthful, if that was possible.
Society, on the other hand, appeared unchanged. Fashion was the same, fixation on devices was the same, friendships and relationships were the same. It was a relief to Kay, especially as the two entered a cafe they loved to frequent and she was able to pay with her debit card as if it were any other normal day.
"This place is beautiful," Neya sighed dreamily as she sipped at her caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso and flavor. Kay nodded in agreement, mouth full of a still steaming ham and cheese on a croissant sandwich. "How does that work, though? Is physics different here?" Kay gave a shrug, swallowing her bite.
"I can only assume. I travel between dimensions, I don't get knowledge of how it works." Neya nodded sagely, even as she sipped her macchiato and left a small foam mustache behind. The two finished and stood, stepping out of the cafe and turning back for the forest. They talked as they walked, laughing and joking, only absently taking note of their surroundings.
"That's different," Neya suddenly said, pointing to a cop car. Kay shrugged.
"Who knows, cops probably have different speed trap spots here," she said while continuing forward, closer to the cop car Neya had pointed to.
"No, I mean the printing. It doesn't say Baltimore police, it just says police." Kay slowed, looking towards the cop car closer. Her eyes flickered towards some fancifully printed words, her heart free-falling with a bolt of shock. Fear-fueled adrenaline had her eyes snapping forward, looking to the emblem on the front.
Barricade.
While Kay's instincts were screaming at her to run, she held herself back, reigning in her racing heart. She reached out with her power, carefully brushing it against the form in front of her while holding the Matrix power at bay. A resurgence of shock washed through her. This wasn't just this dimension's Barricade, this was the Barricade from her dimension.
The driver's side door suddenly swung open, a fierce looking man decked out in full police uniform, enraged scowl, and glowing red eyes spinning towards the two.
"Get moving!" he snapped, jerking his head towards the way Kay and Neya had been walking. Kay nodded twice and pushed against Neya, avoiding eye contact with the holoform. "Wait a second," the voice called again, still sharp but also curious. Neya stopped and turned but Kay planted her hands and pushed, hissing at her friend to move her butt.
"But he said-"
"Go!" Neya nodded, eyes wide at Kay's tone, and kept marching forward.
"I said wait." Kay jerked to a stop as Barricade grabbed her arm roughly, tugging her away from Neya and spinning her. He glared deep into her eyes, Kay trying to avoid eye contact but knowing the inevitable was coming. "It's you!" Kay winced then jumped backwards as Barricade suddenly lunged for Neya, Kay ripping him back by the hold on her arm. She grabbed his arm herself even as his alt began to transform, allowing her power to flare up.
"Neya, tell them I found Barricade!" Kay commanded before, with a hard rip against Barricade's hold to escape, she leapt forward and hit Neya. Her power rushed forward, engulfed Neya, and then Neya was gone, Barricade's real form scooping Kay up in a hand before transforming again and taking off towards the outside of the city with a loud, snarling engine. Kay gave the dashboard a swift, angry kick, receiving a slap from somewhere in return.
Barricade suddenly slammed to a stop outside the city, Kay's body continuing forward with momentum and her head smashing against the same spot she had kicked on the dashboard. Kay quickly sat back with a groan, holding her throbbing nose. Luckily it was fine, no blood or broken bones, and because her glasses were Cybertronian they were fine, not a scratch or crack marring them.
"Take me back, femme. Now." Kay scoffed, acting braver than she felt.
"Well, first, you just smashed my face into your dashboard, so that's not going for you. And second, you didn't say please." Barricade's holoform snapped to life, lashing out and fully backhanding Kay across the face.
Kay gaped at the growling Decepticon, raising a hand to her cheek while two thoughts raced through her mind. One, apparently she was still numb to being slapped, as the ringing in her ears was already fading and the pain had simply been a sharp scratch followed by nothingness. Second, he just slapped her.
"Take me back!" Barricade shouted, his voice loudly echoing throughout the car. Kay could see the rage burning deep in his eyes and couldn't help her fear. She was in a confined space that was the body of her enemy, there was no way she'd be able to fight successfully without the use of her powers and gadgets. Even then, all she'd really be able to do is form a shield around herself and hope it would last longer than Barricade. On the plus side, and majorly balancing out the situation, she was Barricade's only way back to his home dimension, and he appeared to want to get there badly.
"Well, what are you going to do when we get back? Just squash me at your earliest convenience?"
"If you keep refusing me, I'll squash you before that," Barricade snarled. Kay finally sighed, giving a nod while calling up her power. She was severely overpowered in this situation, but Sides, Streaker, and Bee could balance it out. She just had to warn the trio.
Barricade watched in silence, waiting as the golden power spread throughout his entire form. Energy flooded his system suddenly as well, his energon levels rising steadily from the dangerously empty fumes he had been running off of for Primus knows how long. He knew he was scaring the femme without being able to follow up with his threats, but it was his only weapon in the situation.
The world around the duo very suddenly faded, Kay's eyes glowing brighter than even Barricade's own electric red eyes. The home dimension struggled to race forward, wanting to claim its occupants, but Kay fought it fiercely. She kept the two hovering in limbo, forcing her power outwards to where Bee was staring at her return spot nervously.
A new bond suddenly flooded her chest, flimsier-feeling than Alpha's but definitely stronger with the proximity. Bee's holoform jumped, his eyes wide as he looked around. Sides and Streaker were asking him something but Kay ignored that, forcing her message through.
~I'm coming through with Barricade, be ready for a fight.~ She watched the mech nod and turn to the Twins, giving an order. The holoforms disappeared, Streaker nudging Neya away from the area as the three transformed.
"You warned them!" Barricade hit Kay again, the shock causing the woman to lose her grip on her power. The two suddenly snapped into existence, sound assaulting Kay's rattling mind from every side. Barricade quickly transformed, Kay finding herself clutched in his fist as he growled at the Bots. "Stay back or she's dead!" Barricade threatened with a squeeze. Kay herself let out an exasperated sigh, pulling once more for her power. She was far stronger than her last encounter with Barricade, and not exhausted from being on the run from the government and a short battle like she was with the Fallen. She was not about to let another Decepticon break her ribs.
With a small growl on her part, Kay formed a shield around her body then heaved. Barricade tightened his grip in surprise but Kay simply pushed harder. Once there was enough space Kay dropped the shield under her feet, falling to the ground and rolling to take the impact.
"I'm sick and tired of Decepticon's breaking my ribs," she muttered, nonchalantly brushing some dirt off of her shirt. Barricade looked between her and the three young Bots ready to pounce, then very suddenly turned and transformed, racing off through the forest. Sides and Streaker gave chase instantly with battle cries, Bee transforming and holding his doors open with his engine revving in waiting. Kay turned and held her hand out for Neya, pushing her friend into Bee's passenger seat and leaping into his driver's seat.
Bee gunned it, his powerful engine roaring as he dug massive tracks into the dirt. Chunks of dirt flew into the air, shredding through leaves and small branches, and then Bee was taking off, plastering Kay and Neya to the seats. The mech drifted onto the road a few hundred feet away from the clearing, chasing after the tire marks left behind by Barricade and the twins. There was no cheering or whooping from the occupants this time, merely keeping still and watching.
Baltimore was beginning to rise in the distance, the time between houses decreasing and the chances of getting pulled over skyrocketing. Bee very suddenly slowed to the speed limit, a light grumble coming from his engine. Kay opened her mouth to ask but paused, watching as Sides and Streaker in their identical-except-for-color alt modes rolled up as well.
"Optimus say to let him go?" Kay guessed, glancing at the city.
"Yeah. Doesn't want us transforming in the city." Bee pulled into a small parking lot, the twins close behind, then opened his door, allowing Neya to get out, Streaker activates his holoform and walked over, placing a small kiss on her forehead as he took her hand. As the duo walked back to Streaker's alt, Bee shut the door and started off back towards the college. They were quiet all the way back to Kay's dorm, Bee using his holoform to escort her. Kay watched Streaker park as they walked into the dorm, smiling when Bee silently gathered her in his arms.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked, prodding at her ribs lightly. Kay nodded, sitting on the couch and pulling Bee with her.
"Yeah, I had the shield up pretty quick."
"You're pretty awesome," Bee commented with a smile, simply looking at Kay. His smile widened as she blushed, still not used to compliments. Kay was sure she would never get used to it based off of the fact that Bee complimented her so much that she should have gotten used to it by now. Seeing as she hadn't, she was sure she never would stop blushing.
"You're awesome-r," she shot back. Bee shrugged.
"Not by much." Kay rolled her eyes with a smile and turned her back to Bee, snuggling herself firmly into his holoform. She couldn't wait for the summer break where they were going back to Diego Garcia and she could snuggle with his true form. Bee wrapped his arms tighter around Kay, planting a kiss to her temple. "I love you," he said quietly.
"I love you more."