Chapter 19

The black Honda Civic sped down the dusty road, its destination: San Francisco. The car held many items, mostly bags filled with clothes and food, but the most notable things in the car were the two humans sitting in the front seats. The human known as Jackson Darby sat in the driver's seat, rocking his usual black leather jacket with a pair of sunglasses that hid his emotions. Next to him in the passenger's seat was his girlfriend, Sadie Prime; blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a nice tank top and shorts that showed off her legs. If anyone saw them passing by, they would have assumed that they were a normal couple. Little would they know that the girl was actually an alien from another planet known as the stealthy Autobot Arcee, turned into a human from an ancient artifact called the Genetic Exchanger.

The couple drove down the road at a good 90 miles per hour, looking at the vast range on their left and right. Instead of taking the freeway, they had decided to take the more scenic route. Mountains and plains were stretched across the land, the dry weather showing its true colors as a small wave of heat could be seen in the air. The very few clouds in the sky moved slowly, rarely blocking out the bright sun that heated up the Earth's surface. Especially here in Nevada, the temperature would be extremely high sometimes and that's when the AC comes in handy.

"Jack look at that" Arcee gasped, pointing out her window. Jack slowed down his speed to get a better look at what his girlfriend was pointing at.

Sure enough, a family of black bears were wandering across the plains, probably headed for shade underneath a tree. There was a mother bear that was followed by her two little cubs, playfully pouncing on each other while they walked.

"They're so cute" Arcee gawked, wanting to get a better look at them. "You think we could go and check them out?"

"I don't think so babe. The mother would probably think that we're enemies and attack us as soon as we got closer. The safest thing we should do is stay in the car. Besides, I'm pretty sure these guys are lost. Most black bears live around Lake Tahoe and that's further up north."

"Oh alright" she answered, slightly disappointed that she wouldn't get to see the wildlife up close. "You know, they remind me a lot of Bulkhead."

Jack laughed. "I guess you're right. They're both pretty big and I'm almost positive those little cubs will grow up to eat just as much as he does."

The couple laughed at the thought of the similarities between a black bear and Bulkhead. They took a couple more looks at the family before speeding along.

A couple minutes later, they saw even more wildlife, this time a lonely bobcat walking along and not too far behind, a pack of coyotes scowling the land for prey. Jack slowed down once again so they could get a good look at the animals.

"That's got to be Wheeljack, just check out its face!" Jack said, looking at the bobcat.

The large cat had a slightly droopy looking face, stern but strong too. He had fur that covered his face and a small part near his mouth that closely resembled Wheeljack's own scar.

Arcee laughed, imagining Wheeljack's face instead of the bobcat's and seeing that it made a perfect match.

"And what about the coyotes?" she asked, curious to see who might resemble them.

Jack scratched his chin, thinking carefully before coming up with an answer. "The best person I can think of is Bee. He's got that quietness that coyotes love and he's a follower, just like the members of the pack."

"Yeah, I guess I see it." Arcee said, shrugging. They moved along, hoping to spot more animals to inspect.

After around another thirty minutes of driving, they found a slightly different landscape. Large mountains towered over the land but there were still small areas of flat plains. A ram like creature was on its own, sipping water from a small pond, completely oblivious to the predator stalking it on the mountain side.

"Look Cee, a desert bighorn sheep. Who do you think that reminds you of?"

Arcee looked closely at the animal's facial expression and saw a grumpy look. Instantly she knew who Jack was referring to and started laughing.

"Ratchet!"

Jack laughed. "You got it, and you see the mountain lion? I saved the best for last. Who do you think that resembles?"

Arcee stared at the mountain lion, watching every single detail and every move it made. The animal stalked quietly and cautiously, placing its paw only in areas that would make the least amount noise. It was looking for the perfect opportunity to pounce on its prey, trying to find a better position that would require the least amount of effort. Arcee looked at its face, seeing determination and confidence smeared all over it. She didn't know much about sexes, but something told her that this one was a female because of its look and slender way of walking.

"I don't know Jack, who does the mountain lion resemble?" She really had no clue who that could be. Bumblebee wasn't that cautious and she was thinking Optimus but he would never sneak up on an opponent like that. She was really at a dead end and she was curious to see who Jack would name.

"Come on, it's you!" Jack exclaimed. "The mountain lion is stealthy, but also deadly when it needs to be. It attacks only when it knows when to do so. It's majestic and sexy at the same time. You're the only one that can match that description, especially the last bit."

Arcee rolled her eyes. "Nice going Smooth Operator but you'll have to do better than that to get another session out of me."

Jack laughed as she turned to look at the lion once again. Now that he mentioned it, she really did see the resemblance. Arcee could see herself doing the exact same thing the mountain lion was doing, waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike its opponent down. She couldn't help but smile and waited to see when the lion would pounce.

Not too long later, the desert bighorn sheep finished its drink, walking slowly over to the side of the mountain for shade. Unfortunately for it, that was exactly what the lion was waiting for. Once the sheep was in range, the lion pounced, flying into the air and bringing down its claws onto the sheep's neck, instantly killing it. The mountain lion pushed at the animal, making sure that it was dead before digging into its lunch.

Jack stopped the car completely so they could watch the victorious lion eat its meal. Suddenly, its head shot up, probably sensing that it was being watched. The lion scanned the area before seeing the car, staring directly at Arcee who was staring back. The former two-wheeler felt like she could read the emotions of the lion clearly, probably because its the same emotions she gets when she takes down a Decepticon. The feeling of the adrenaline pumping through her but also the feeling of accomplishment. Arcee could have imagined it but she swore she saw the lion smile at her before returning to its meal.

The female turned back to her boyfriend and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go babe, I think we should leave her be while she eats."

"Her?"

Arcee shook her head and chuckled. "Just drive."

The two of them continued on their trip, happily chatting away about the wildlife on Earth.

...

"Oh yeah, we sound awesome!"

Miko, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack strummed furiously at their guitars in the command center. The tune of Back in Black filled the entire base as the three guitarists bobbed their heads to the music.

Bumblebee and Raf sat on the couch playing video games, also enjoying the fresh tune that filled the air. Back in Black was a classic and it's nice to hear Miko play something that actually sounds good. Even Optimus couldn't help but tap his foot to the beat as he worked on the Genetic Exchanger. The only person who seemed to dislike the music was Ratchet.

The medic had stopped working to cover his ears. Before, he had to deal with one loud guitarist but now he had to deal with three! It felt like his brain was about to explode from the loud frequency coming from the huge amps.

"MIKO! WOULD YOU TURN THAT THING OFF?!" he yelled.

Miko looked at him and smirked. "WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU."

That was it for the medic. He had enough of their rock music for one day. Ratchet angrily stomped over to the outlet where multiple cords have been plugged in. In one fowl swoop, he unplugged them all, stopping the music instantly.

Miko and the wreckers were still strumming at their guitars for a bit before they realized that they were no longer making any sound. They looked at the guitars with a confused look before turning to glare at the medic who was happily whistling to himself.

"Don't be such a downer doc. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that others don't" Wheeljack said, scowling at him.

"Well Wheeljack, I suppose you do have a point" Ratchet said, obviously speaking with a sarcastic voice. "How about you three continuing playing that repulsive sound you call music while I sit back and listen to it instead of working on the Genetic Exchanger's repairs?"

The wrecker glared at him but realized that he did want the artifact repaired soon. He let out a sigh of defeat and turned to the two behind him.

"I hate losing but the doc's right. If we want the artifact repaired soon, we should probably let him work."

Bulkhead and Miko thought for a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. Although Miko did give the medic a glare as she walked by.

"Come on guys, we'll play some video games with Raf and Bee" she suggested, climbing up the ladders with the wreckers not too far behind.

I hope you're having fun Jack because we can't have any here.

...

What a day. Jack thought.

He and Arcee had been driving for the entire day and had only made about half the trip. Half the trip would have taken around five hours to make but instead, the couple had stopped multiple times to look at the wildlife or a landscape. While Jack didn't have a problem with it since Arcee loved to look at nature so much, he just hated to have to sit in a car for an entire day. Luckily, he had planned for it just in case they were stalled so he booked a night at a local hotel.

They had just arrived and had gotten their room, a one-bedroom suite near the top floor. Jack had asked for this room because there was an amazing view from their window and he knew that Arcee would like that.

"Well, we're here" Jack said, sliding his card key into the door lock. There was a quiet click and a green light appeared, indicating that the door was now unlocked.

They quickly scurried in, bringing their bag with food and their cosmetics with them. Since they were only staying one night, Jack didn't see the point in unpacking everything so they had just brought the essentials up while the rest stayed locked in the car.

"What a day" Arcee sighed happily, falling onto the bed. "I've never seen so many animals and landscapes in one day, and to think that our vacation hasn't even started yet."

Jack chuckled and went to open the drapes. He spread them apart, revealing the view of the vast plains along with a couple mountains nearby. The sky was darkening since it was getting late but it wasn't too dark so that they couldn't see a thing.

"Wow" Arcee said, sitting up and looking out the window.

"Yup, I thought you might like the view. I made sure to book a room near the top floor so you can get that better look out our window."

Arcee smiled at him. "You know me so well."

They looked out the window for a while longer before they started to do their nightly routine. Arcee hit the shower first while Jack put their food into the fridge. Once Arcee was out, Jack went in. He spent a bit longer inside, enjoying the feeling of warm water on his sore back and arms.

A minute later, he walked out, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He was still drying his hair with a smaller towel the hotel provided. Jack looked around the room and was surprised to see Arcee sitting in the bed, watching him with a strange grin on her face.

Jack raised an eyebrow at what his girlfriend was grinning about but he got his answer soon enough.

"Come here baby" she said quietly with a bit of seduction. She stretched out her arms and practically begged him to come over.

Jack threw the towel into the bathroom and walked over to Arcee, feeling her arms wrap around him and hoist him on top of her.

"I thought I had to earn another session" he teased, brushing his lips across hers.

"I have to admit, that mountain lion one was pretty good. Besides, I thought you could use the comfort after an entire day of driving."

Jack grinned childishly. "You know me so well."

Arcee rolled her eyes before pulling him down.

It's going to be a good night. She thought.

...