Sparks
Official Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. At all.
Author's Note: Thank you again, everyone, for your reviews. They're all very much appreciated. I hope you still stick with me after the soap-opera twist of this chapter, though...heh. Um, it has a reason? Really! Oh, and Harry is Sergeant Epps from the movie. I couldn't find a first name for him anywhere, so I made up my own...Now I'm off to either read more of the movie novelization or see about watching the movie itself again...[EDIT Sergeant Epps is referred to as Bobby in the movie...name has been changed accordingly.
- Chapter Five: Cliffjumper and Accidents -
Optimus was actually surprised with how silent Alexandra remained after her initial question about whether or not he preferred to drive. Besides greeting him in the morning, and saying goodbye at night, she said nothing to him for several days. He couldn't quite determine if it was because she was thinking, or enjoying his company - or perhaps both. Optimus didn't mind the silence, though - he'd gotten used to it in the month and a half when Alexandra hadn't known what he really was. It gave him company while he silently did various things across the World Wide Web or Autobot or human communications networks, including talking with government officials whenever required.
The American government was still trying to figure out how to handle the Autobots, and the war they were inevitably bringing with them. The government had, at first, believed that since Megatron and most of the Decepticons were dead, the war would end. Optimus had very gently informed them that there were many, many more Decepticons out there, and since Starscream had fled the planet, they would soon know of Megatron's defeat here. Some would then come looking for revenge - others would come to try and wipe out what they saw as a major obstacle in their own rise to power. The Secretary of Defense, among others, had been less than pleased to hear that - and oddly, even less pleased to hear that there were also more Autobots out there, and that they would come to help fight off the Decepticons. That was about the point where Optimus had learned the total death toll in Mission City - and he had a feeling that only his obvious shock and grief for the loss was what allowed the Autobots to stay past that time. The total had been more than the number of Autobots he merely hoped were still alive out in the galaxy.
Still, the American government had allowed the Autobots to stay, provided that they were supplied with the names and number of Autobots and known Decepticons on the planet. It wasn't a difficult request, and coupled with Ratchet's desire to learn more about human biology while willingly allowing himself to be studied, things were turning out nicely. The government had even given the Autobots a base of sorts in the Hoover Dam, enlarging hallways and rooms in Sector Seven's old base to allow the Autobots to move freely through all but the upper levels. They hadn't said a word, either, about the Autobots using one of those large rooms in the dam for their...graveyard or crypt, the humans would have called it, but to the Autobots, it was a memorial. Jazz's remains lay there on a slab of concrete, pushed together and welded in a few places so he almost looked whole, with a semi-transparent cover over them. It was a room only the Autobots went to.
Currently, though, Optimus was researching various human taboos and protocols, preparing a briefing to send to the other Autobots. With the amount of information the humans put on the web, it was easy to miss something small that would lead to an unfortunate social mistake, such as Ratchet had made when first meeting Sam and Mikaela. While there wasn't really a need for the Autobots to be careful of making such mistakes - anyone who they talked to knew they were alien, after all - it eased their acceptance if they seemed more human.
"So why did you rip the doors and hood off my new truck?" the question from the human driving him startled Optimus away from his search, and he made sure to note where he was before turning his attention to the sudden conversation.
"You obviously weren't going to seek answers on your own." Optimus replied.
"But still, disabling my truck?" Alexandra asked with puzzlement.
"It worked." Optimus pointed out.
"Hunh. Why was it even so important that I knew?" Alexandra asked after a pause. Optimus considered his reply for a few moments.
"We are, for all intents and purposes, one of the greatest state secrets your country has. If you were allowed to roam without hearing the entire story, you might have inadvertently told someone about us who shouldn't have known." Optimus said.
"So I was a security leak?" Alexandra asked incredulously. "You stalked me for over two months because I was a security risk? Why not just call down government agents to explain it, or force the issue sooner? Didn't you think I might tell someone while you were busy stalking me?" Optimus again considered his answer.
"I enjoy your company." he replied finally, deciding not to add Sunstreaker's comment about him needing something to keep himself entertained. It was more that he'd just wanted something to do besides be a leader to the Autobots and a liaison to the government - even back on Cybertron, during the height of the war, he'd had occasional recreational time.
"For a super-advanced robot, you make very little sense," Alexandra said after a pause of her own, then turned thoughtful. "But then, considering how much I understand earth computers and technology, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I find trying to understand an alien robot difficult." Optimus couldn't help but chuckle at that, though he gave no other reply. Alexandra seemed to have no further interest in pursuing the conversation, so Optimus returned to his web search.
Those first few days set the tone for the friendship that then developed between Optimus and Alexandra - they didn't speak to each other all day long, sometimes exchanging only a few words per day for days at a time, but they enjoyed the silent company, the knowledge that there was someone there to talk to should they want to. Alexandra also seemed to enjoy - even while being a bit resentful of - the fact that Optimus always knew the correct route to where they were going, and would take over when she wasn't taking the right one. He also began taking over for city driving when hauling a trailer, since it wasn't hard to tell that it was a difficult thing in some cases, and with Optimus knowing exactly where not only he, but the trailer he was hauling, were at all times, it was easier for him to drive than Alexandra. She still drove in the cities and towns occasionally when he was hauling a trailer - 'to keep in practice' - but mostly Alexandra hid a book by the steering wheel and read it while pretending to drive.
Optimus was enjoying his time so much now that he barely noticed the passage of time, until a new voice over the communications network suddenly made him realize that it had been a month since he'd told Alexandra all about Autobots and Decepticons, and had yet to introduce her to any besides himself. So, when it turned out that he and Alexandra would be arriving in Tranquility about the same time as their new arrival, Optimus suggested a get-together of sorts to the other Autobots, who agreed readily.
---
Alex was somewhat surprised when, just after making their delivery, Optimus took over driving. They were in Tranquility, and he didn't have a trailer, so normally Alex would have been driving, but apparently Optimus had somewhere in mind to go - somewhere in the opposite direction from home. Alex considered questioning him on where they were going, but she'd find out soon, anyways, so she just pulled out her book again and continued reading while Optimus drove.
Alex wasn't all that surprised when the lookout came into sight a while later, though it seemed overly crowded that night, with six other vehicles and...only five people standing off to the side, chatting. Alex quickly determined that the vehicles must have been Autobots, even though she only recognized the yellow Camaro. When Optimus pulled to a stop and opened his door, Alex let out a snort, letting him know what she thought of his kidnapping her, before climbing out.
"Hey." Sam said as she walked up to where the people were standing. "How's the shoulder?"
"Good as new." Alex replied with a smile, and then took a survey of the other four people - no, five, Alex realized as she saw a toddler being held by the only other woman her age. Besides the woman with the toddler, there was another woman - a young woman, actually, around Sam's age, likely his girlfriend judging from how close she was standing to him, and then two men, one black and one Caucasian, who looked distinctly military, even though they weren't in uniform.
"Mikaela, Will, Bobby, Sarah, and littlest but most spoiled, Annabelle." Sam introduced, going from the girl to the two military men, and then the woman holding the toddler, who excitedly repeated her own name, mangling the pronunciation horribly, but still getting cooed at for it. "Everybody, Alex." Alex exchanged greetings with the others, then turned a curious eye to the vehicles, which began shifting, changing forms until seven giant robots stood around the lookout. Optimus looked over at Alex, but seemed to decide she was in good hands and then turned with the other Autobots as they seemed to converge on their companion that had been a red and silver Porsche. High-pitched mechanical sounds emanated from the gathering, and Alex rightly guessed that it was their native language.
"It's nice to see more Autobots making it to earth." the Caucasian military man - Will, Sam had introduced him as - said after a moment.
"Yeah, though I think we could've done without Sunstreaker and Sideswipe for a few more years." Sam replied.
"Hey, they aren't all that bad!" Bobby, the black military man, replied somewhat defensively.
"Just because you can put up with their shit, Bobby, doesn't mean the rest of us can." Will said with a roll of his eyes.
"Language." Sarah said sternly as she held the toddler closer to her.
"Sorry, hon." Will said, giving her a kiss on the forehead - Alex realized they must be married. "Seriously, though - I'm not sure who's more dangerous, Sunny with his homicidal tendencies, or Sides with his 'pranks'."
"Homicidal tendencies?" Alex asked with slight fear. "I thought those sorts of tendencies were reserved for Decepticons?"
"No, stupidity is generally reserved for Decepticons." Will corrected dryly.
"And Sunny ain't that bad." Bobby said, shooting a mild glare at the other military man, who just shrugged in response. "He just has a bit of a temper."
"And a bit of vanity." Sarah interjected. "I brushed by him, with a skirt no less, and he freaked about me getting dust on his paint job."
"Eh, makes him more human." Bobby said with a shrug. Sarah just shook her head.
"So, uh, which one is this Sunny guy? My self-preservation is suggesting that I find out so I don't lose a limb or something." Alex asked.
"Optimus didn't tell you who the rest were?" Sarah asked in surprise, and Alex shook her head.
"It was about four in the morning when he told me. And he'd just ripped the doors and hood off my less-than-six-month-old truck. I wasn't really in the mood to listen to more than the basics." she said dryly.
"He did what?" the comment came from Sam, accompanied with choked laughter.
"Broke my truck. It's still getting fixed." Alex said, arching an eyebrow at the boy.
"I told you he has a sense of humor." Mikaela said from beside Sam, a triumphant look on her face.
"He's also a stubborn, uh, SOB." Alex said, stopping herself from swearing out-right when she remembered Sarah's glare at her husband earlier.
"Which isn't necessarily a bad thing on a battle field." Bobby commented.
"I think we're getting off-topic." Sarah interrupted, giving the black man a slight admonishing look, then gave Alex a friendly look. "You wanted introductions?"
"That would be nice." Alex said with a nod. "Though no introduction for Bumblebee is necessary - I tend to remember the ones that step on my trailers containing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise."
"Technically speaking, Barricade stepped on it first." Sam pointed out.
"Whatever. Bumblebee still helped squash it." Alex said wryly, and Sam had to concede the point.
"Well, we'll start with the others who arrived here first, then." Sarah said. "The black one almost as tall as Optimus, and carrying much more weaponry, is Ironhide, the Autobots' weapon specialist. He and Will get along famously, talking about blowing things up. I think that's why he hangs around our house."
"That and he's abnormally attached to Annabelle." Mikaela said with a small grin.
"This is true." Sarah said with a chuckle as Annabelle, seeming to have followed the conversation at least a little, decided to pipe up.
"I'onhi'!" she bubbled happily. Amazing, in the gathering of Autobots, the big black mech seemed to hear, and turned to look down at the human gathering for a moment, at which point Annabelle held out her arms to him and repeated his name.
"Shh, Ironhide's busy, Anna." Sarah said, sending an apologetic look to the Autobot. Despite what Sarah had just said, though, Ironhide disengaged himself from the Autobot conversation and stepped over, reaching down to let Annabelle latch onto one of his fingers, which she thoughtfully chomped down on. A low, rumbling chuckle came from the Autobot before he pulled away and returned to the other Autobots, where - judging from the way several of the Cybertronian comments seemed to be aimed his way and the laughter that followed him - he was promptly teased. Alex watched with amusement as one of his hands changed into a canon, which was waved threateningly in the direction of the only other yellow Autobot besides Bumblebee.
"That's Sunstreaker, by the way. The one Ironhide's threatening." Bobby commented, bringing Alex's attention back to the humans. "The red guy beside him is his twin, Sideswipe. Don't ask me what makes 'em twins - the closest I've gotten is that they're both Lamborghinis in their vehicles modes."
"What, you haven't managed to get it out of Sides yet?" Sam asked.
"No, I made the mistake of expressing too much curiosity over it - now he's making me guess." Bobby said with a wry grin. "I've gotten most of the obvious ones, but I'm apparently still nowhere close."
"Could always just ask Ratchet." Will suggested.
"That's the one with the lights up from, who sorta looks like he has fangs sprouting from his lower jaw. He's their medic." Sam, the closest to Alex, said in an undertone as Bobby tried to explain to Will why Sideswipe would apparently consider asking Ratchet to be a breach of their friendship.
"I remember Optimus mentioning him." Alex replied to the boy, glancing up. "So who's the other one - the one that was a Porsche?"
"That's the new arrival - I don't know who he is. Bee wouldn't say." Sam answered with a shrug.
"Ironhide did." Will piped up, apparently having finished his discussion with Bobby. "He was almost over the moon. Apparently the new one is Cliffjumper, who's just as combat-happy as Ironhide himself, even if he is smaller." The military man then glanced at Bobby. "I'm thinking we should introduce him to Jorge."
"Oh lord. I bet you they'd start speaking in some weird hybrid of Spanish and Cybertronian." Bobby said with a groan. "We'd never be able to understand him then. You know I actually picked up a Spanish dictionary the other day?"
"Traitor." Will accused.
"Well trying to get him to speak English obviously isn't working!" Bobby retorted, and Alex gave Sam a confused look as the two men continued to argue about learning Spanish versus convincing this Jorge person to speak English.
"Jorge is one of their teammates. He helped us take out Megatron in Mission City." Sam supplied.
"He has a habit of slipping into Spanish and continuing on as if you understand him, no matter how many time you tell him you don't speak it." Mikaela supplied.
"Huh. Sounds like I should meet him, too. Might shut him up to have someone yatter back at him in a language he can't understand." Alex mused.
"You speak a second language?" Sam asked curiously.
"Gaelic." Alex replied. "My mom taught it to me, before..." she trailed off and shook her head. Sam looked curious as to what she hadn't said, but didn't press. The casual banter continued for a little while longer, until both human and Autobot conversations were interrupted by the ring of a cell phone. Alex frowned as she recognized her own cell phone, and glanced down at her hip before striding over to Optimus and giving him an expectant look. Without a word, Optimus transformed back into his truck mode, and Alex climbed into the cab and pulled her bag from behind his passenger seat. Optimus had told her that was the only spot in the Autobot that remained hollow throughout his entire transformation, so she'd taken to leaving her bag there in case Optimus had to transform unexpectedly - or she forgot it like tonight.
"Thanks, Optimus." Alex said absently as she began rooting around in her bag for her cell phone. She found the phone and headed a little ways off from both robots and humans as Optimus returned to his humanoid form and the Autobot discussion continued. "Hello?" Alex answered her phone once she was a sufficient distance away, glad that most people who knew her cell number knew that it could take her awhile to answer and so let it ring.
"Hey Alex, I thought you were going to be in town by now?" Beth's voice came over the line.
"I am, I just stopped to visit some friends." Alex replied.
"Friends? Since when do you have friends in Tranquility?" Beth asked suspiciously, though Alex could hear the gentle teasing in her voice.
"Since I got the spiffy Peterbilt 379." Alex replied promptly, and Beth chuckled.
"I swear, that Peterbilt is like the trucker's version of a Porsche." she said.
"Naw, it's better than that." Alex said, looking with amusement at where two robots that transformed into a Peterbilt and a Porsche were amicably chatting. It was a little too ironic for her, and she let out a brief chuckle. "Was there a reason I need to be home?"
"No, just Josh and I are going out for dinner, and I didn't want you to wander in and wonder where the heck we were." Beth replied. "Plus, you said by suppertime."
"OK, OK, next time I'm going to be later than I said, I'll phone." Alex said with a roll of her eyes, getting the hint.
"Good." Beth declared. "Now we'd better get going, apparently Josh has reservations."
"Ooooh, where at?" Alex asked curiously.
"The Diplomat." the smirk was audible in her sister's voice as she named one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.
"Fancy!" Alex said with a smile, glad that Josh was treating her sister to such a place. "I'll see you when you get home, then."
"Alright. Don't wait up for us, though." Beth said, and then the sisters said their goodbyes and hung up. Returning to the other humans, Alex stuffed her cell phone back into her bag. "Sister." she said by way of explanation.
"How did that not get ruined?" Sarah asked curiously, motioning to Alex's bag.
"Oh, apparently there's a sweet spot right behind the front passenger seat that stays hollow all throughout his transformation. It's rather unreachable in robot form, though." Alex replied dismissively.
"Huh. I wonder if any of the others have that." Sarah said with a mild glare at her husband, who shrugged innocently.
"Never thought to ask." he said.
"You might want to." she said menacingly.
"I will." Will replied meekly.
"Purse?" Mikaela asked Sarah, who nodded.
"Four times." she said.
"Ouch. Only twice for me." Mikaela replied.
"It's not really their fault you keep forgetting your purses inside them, you know." Sam felt obliged to point out, only to find himself subjected to glares from both women. "But, uh, of course they could, uh, try to be a bit more careful about what's inside them when they, er, transform." the boy hastily added, and sighed in relief as the glares went away. Alex couldn't help but smile.
They chatted for a little while longer, until the Autobots broke up and Sarah told Will they needed to get Annabelle back to their hotel and in bed. That seemed to signal the end of the Autobot gathering, as well, as they all broke away and transformed into their vehicle modes. Everyone began to climb into their respective vehicles, only to pause as Optimus suddenly cranked his radio, and the voice of a news reporter was heard around the lookout. Alex frowned, and then her eyes went wide as she realized what the reporter was saying - there'd been a car crash, bad, in downtown. A car had been t-boned on the driver's side by a pick-up truck, then hit from behind by another car that hadn't been able to stop in time. Alex had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the reporter rattled off descriptions of the cars, and the exact location of the crash. It was less than a block from the Diplomat restaurant, and the car that had been t-boned was described as a metallic purple and black Nissan 350Z - Alex didn't even need to hear the license plate number to know it was Josh's car.
"Shit!" she exclaimed.
"Cliffjumper?" Optimus said as he flipped the radio off, and the Porsche sped over to Alex, popping open it's driver's-side door.
"What's going on?" Alex heard Sam ask as she scrambled into the Porsche, knowing without needing to ask why Optimus wanted her to go in the smaller Autobot - he could get her there quicker. And so Cliffjumper did, taking off with a squeal of his wheels, reaching his max speed in a matter of moments. Alex stayed well away from the controls, letting the Autobot drive as they headed for downtown.
"Thanks." Alex had the where-with-all to say half-way through the trip.
"No problem." Cliffjumper replied, neatly passing several cars on the wrong side.
"You should probably read a driver's manual." Alex said at that.
"Have." was the terse reply.
"As long as you know you're breaking laws." Alex replied with a shrug, and she could've sworn the Autobot chuckled at that. It was only a few more minutes until the car began to slow down, proceeding to weave through backed-up traffic at less than half the speed limit, until it finally broke through to reveal a horrible scene. Alex could only tell that there were three different vehicles in the middle of the intersection because of the different colors of the paint - they'd all collided with such forced that they seemed melded together. The police and emergency vehicles had obviously been at work already, as the various vehicles were ripped open and no bodies were to be seen - but nothing had been done about the blood glistening on the pavement all around the crash.
Faintly, Alex heard something that sounded like a Cybertronian swear from Cliffjumper as she got out of the Porsche. Almost immediately, a police officer came over and told her to get back in 'her' car, and Alex stared at him blankly before comprehending.
"My sister -" Alex managed to get out, pointing towards the mangled mess of vehicles, and the officer glanced over before taking her by the elbow and leading her off to the side, where an ambulance sat. One of the EMTs came over almost immediately, and upon seeing how Alex's eyes were glued to the wreck, he forcibly turned her away from it. The next few minutes were a blur to Alex, until she became aware of a female police officer standing in front of her gently asking her name.
"Alex. Alexandra. Morgan. The Nissan - it's my sister's boyfriend's car. They were going out for supper." she said in a daze. The officer nodded.
"Well your sister's still alive, but in critical condition. The others weren't so lucky." she said, and Alex blinked, coming out of her daze a bit as she realized that the officer had said Beth was alive.
"The others...Josh is dead?" Alex asked once the rest of what the officer had said sunk in.
"Your sister is the only one who survived the crash." the officer said with a sympathetic look, and Alex just stared at her for a moment. "Come on, I'll take you to the hospital. Your sister's likely still in the OR, but the doctors can keep you informed. She didn't look too bad when they took her away, though." Alex just nodded dumbly and allowed herself to be led to the police car - but as soon as the door was opened for her, she jerked away violently, having a suddenly mental image of it transforming into Barricade. The officer looked at her oddly, and Alex looked back at where Cliffjumper still sat. Even though she knew the police car wasn't a Decepticon, after seeing that accident, she didn't really want to be in a normal car right now.
"My car -" she said by way of explanation. The officer seemed ready to push her into the patrol car, anyways, but then she noticed where Alex was looking. There was barely a pause before the officer led her in its direction, calling out to another officer that she was going to take Alex to the hospital in the Porsche, so they didn't have to tow it later. Apparently even a police officer couldn't pass up the chance to drive a Porsche, something Alex was unreasonably grateful for right now.
Alex sat willingly in the passenger seat as the officer climbed into the driver's side, adjusted the mirrors, and then took off, only speeding a little. Alex could see her appreciation for the vehicle, and smiled slightly before remembering where they were going and her mood dropped again. They arrived at the hospital quickly, and the officer parked the car, and then led Alex into the emergency entrance, where she spoke to the nurse on duty. When they asked her for some ID, Alex blinked for a moment, trying to remember where her bag was, and then remembered dropping it on the lookout. She cursed, earning her a disapproving look from the nurse.
"It's - I was out of the car when I heard, and I dropped my bag." Alex said.
"Grabbed it for you." a voice said from behind, and she turned to find Sam holding out her bag, Mikaela right behind him. Outside the emergency doors, she could just see the yellow of Bumblebee.
"Thanks." Alex said, taking the bag. She rifled through it and found her wallet, giving her ID to the nurse, who let her into the waiting room for the OR. Sam and Mikaela were allowed to follow, and as soon as Alex sat down, Mikaela wrapped her in a hug and didn't let go.
"Optimus filled us in." Sam said quietly. "Will and Sarah had to get Annabelle to bed, but Bobby's going to see what he can do at the crash site."
"And Optimus?" Alex asked after a moment.
"Back at...your sister's place." Sam said hesitantly. "He's keeping in touch, though." Alex nodded, and all was silent in the room. Eventually, a doctor entered, and Alex looked up wearily, almost not wanting to hear what he was going to say.
"Alexandra Morgan?" he asked, looking between Mikaela and Alex, and Mikaela pointed to Alex. "Your sister is still in the OR, but she's going to be fine. She's lost a lot of blood, but we have a compatible donor, and the rest of her injuries should heal without any trouble once they're properly closed up and bandaged."
"Do you...know how long it will take? For her to heal?" Alex asked, knowing it sounded callous, and the doctor seemed to agree, frowning at her.
"Alex drives trucks for a living." Sam supplied hurriedly, and the doctor understood.
"She won't be out of the hospital for a week, at least." he said sympathetically. "And she probably won't be able to go to work for a month or so after that."
"Oh. OK." Alex said quietly. The doctor said something else, but Alex didn't hear, letting Sam and Mikaela say goodbye to him.
"Did you want something to eat or drink?" Sam asked after a moment.
"Ginger ale." Alex said, knowing that nothing else would stay down, and Sam disappeared.
"Are you and your sister close?" Mikaela asked after he was gone.
"I guess. We're completely different, but we get along, and she lets me store my stuff at her house and sleep there whenever I wanted." Alex replied softly. Mikaela filled the next hour with a soft, easy conversation about Alex's family, even finding out about Alex and Beth's mother, something Alex usually kept quiet until she knew people fairly well. Sam returned partway through with ginger ale, which he obliging let go flat at Alex's request. It was a doctor returning that cut off Mikaela's gentle questions at around one in the morning. He focused on Alex almost immediately, seeming to know she was the sister.
"Elizabeth is fine. She's in a room now, and you can have a brief look, but she's unconscious." the doctor said calmly, using Beth's full name. "You can come in tomorrow in the evening, though, and she should be awake."
"I'll..." Alex jerkily stood from her chair, and the doctor led the way to Beth's room. Mikaela followed behind Alex, though Sam left, presumably to pass the message through Bumblebee or Cliffjumper that Beth was fine. It was somehow soothing for Alex to know that all these people she'd just met - not to mention a bunch of giant alien robots - were concerned about her sister. Or maybe just Alex's emotional well-being.
When they reached Beth's room, the doctor held open the door and let Alex approach the bed her sister was in. Beth had a bandage around her head, and from the looks of the bulges under the sheets, on her legs, as well. There were a few cuts and scrapes visible on Beth's arms, and one hand was wrapped in bandages, but overall it didn't look too bad, even with the IV in one arm. Satisfied, Alex brushed some hair off her sister's forehead, then left, Mikaela a silent support beside her as she returned to the parking lot. As she left, the doctor suggested she might not want to drive, and Alex let a ghost of a smile cross her lips at that even as she told him she wasn't planning to.
"Do you want me to come with you in Cliffjumper?" Mikaela asked as they stepped outside. "Or did you want to go in Bumblebee?"
"He stepped on my trailer." Alex muttered, and Mikaela grinned slightly. "I'll be fine in Cliffjumper."
"Alright. But we'll be coming by to check on your tomorrow." Mikaela said, half in warning and half teasing. Alex smiled briefly at that, and then nodded as they neared Cliffjumper and Bumblebee. As much belated revenge for the wrecking of her trailer, Alex gave Bumblebee a light kick in a rear tire. The Autobot honked his horn at her, and she smiled again before climbing into Cliffjumper, who set off without a word.
"Why did you kick Bumblebee?" Cliffjumper asked as he drove, sounding curious. Alex grinned a bit, then told the Porsche about how Bumblebee and Barricade had crushed her trailer the day she'd found out her truck was really an Autobot. Cliffjumper seemed entertained by the story, though more due to the fact that Bumblebee and Optimus beat the crap out of two Decepticons than anything else from what Alex could tell. It was still a welcome distraction from the events of the night, though.
"Thank you." Alex said as the Autobot came to a stop in front of her sister's house.
"No problem." Cliffjumper replied. "Optimus says that neither you nor your sister own a car, though - mind if I stick around so you don't need to go around in Optimus or use one of those...whaddaya call them? Taxis?
"Sure." Alex said gratefully. "There's a driveway around back you can use so you don't have to sit out on the street and deal with idiots trying to steal or wreck you." Cliffjumper let out a snort at that, and then peeled away, doing a sharp U-turn on the street before heading for the back alley. Alex watched him go, then turned to the house, and the intelligent Peterbilt sitting in front. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the house, feeling surreal as she stopped in front of the door. She reached for the handle, but at the last moment, jerked away and turned back towards the truck. The passenger door opened soundlessly, and Alex took the invitation, striding over to Optimus and climbing inside. She made her way into the back and curled up on the bed back there, the curtains for the back shutting by themselves. Soft music played from the radio in the front of the cab, and Alex eventually slipped into sleep listening to it