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Last time

The ambulance was still for a moment, then with a subdued voice, he spoke.

"Optimus," it paused, "I am picking up a human life form not 50 feet from our location."

XxXxXxXxXx

Hailey cringed at the deceptively mild tone of the ambulance.

The three robots turned around, guess they could see in the dark, until Optimus noted that there was a faint glow against the grass.

Moving cautiously, he walked until he could see the little human figure pressed like a fingerprint to the ground, barely illuminated from behind by the tilted headlight of an upturned vehicle.

"We won't hurt you," he said the first thing that came to mind. When dealing with humans it was important to cut off the hysterics before they started. Bumblebee had already told him the details of his introduction to Sam Witwicky.

Humans always seemed afraid of his comrades, usually because they were so much bigger then they were, so different. He hated to see people live in fear, Autobot or otherwise, so over the years, he was quite good at putting people at ease. Humans on the other hand, with their paranoid natures and unpredictability, when encountering something alone made them hard to predict. Yelling was usually involved.

"Are you injured?" he asked, sounding concerned to even Hailey's ears. What he was wondering though, was what this human doing in a ditch?

It didn't make a sound, save a few hurried breaths.

"No, .I'm...uninjured"

The voice was faint but was obviously on the high scale.

'A girl' Optimus concluded.

"Would you mind coming up here, I'd like for our medic to take a look at you, just to be sure," It was a gambling move— to ask her to come out from the 'safety' of the ditch. But he didn't want her to stay down there. Ratchet was the only one with altered scanners configured to read humans.

He watched her as she slowly got to her knees and her feet. She took a few steps forward, then a couple sideways, always keeping her eyes on Optimus. He obligingly backed up a few steps, which she matched with her smaller steps, and motioned to Ratchet to step up to the bat. Ironhide stood still in the background, frowning absently.

Perhaps sensing like Optimus that this human was considering a dash, when Ratchet got withing range, about ten feet, he knelt down on one knee to appear smaller before preforming his scan.

She didn't move a muscle during the process, a blue light traced down Hailey's body from her crown to her shoes.

"You are correct. There is not so much as a contusion of the soft tissue, no internal damage whatsoever. How is it that you ended up in a ditch?" Ratchet asked her after concluding the scan and reading the results.

"I...I was run off the road by the car behind me. I tried to jump over the ditch to get away from him," she added as an afterthought, a little more at ease while none of the robots made any attempt to approach her closer.

"That was no car behind you. I assumed you witnessed our fight with Barricade, the Decepticon," Optimus spoke again; Hailey nodded as she absorbed the new vocabulary.

"We are known as Autobots, the Decepticons are our enemies and have been for a long time. We have no intention of harming humans. We landed on your planet not long ago. You are now one of the few humans who know of our existence."

"So we'd appreciate if you don't go yelling about us," Ironhide butted in. Hailey looked at him when he spoke, she had almost forgotten him he was so quiet, then turned her head back curiously at Optimus, who suppressed a sigh.

"Ironhide is correct..." he trailed off, about to address her when he did not even know her name.

She picked up on his pause, "Hailey, my name's Hailey Faulkner."

"Hailey," he finished, "We ask to keep what you saw here tonight a secret; we do not want the whole world knowing that we have landed on their planet. One day, but not now."

"Alright...S'okay...I won't tell," she told him, growing less nervous with the simple connection between Autobot and human: speech.

"Thank you," he said kindly, "Now," he began as he stepped closer and Ratchet stood up and went to stand more in Ironhide's direction, "is there a way for you to get home, I think you've had enough after a night like this."

He was not expecting her reaction...not at all.

It was to dark to tell if her skin went pale, but she clapped her hands over her mouth and her eyes widened to show whites all around.

"Oh my god! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" she squeaked, alarming all the Autobots. What now?!

"Ohmygod what time is it?! Lucas!" She ran and slid down back into the ditch.

"He's"

"Going"

"To"

"Kill-me," she grunted with every tug, trying to pull the bike up by the handlebars, then squeaked as a large hand came down over her head to rest on the bike.

Optimus, being the closest, had been the first one to kneel down and help lift the bike out of the ditch. Instead of setting the bike on the ground by her on the road he held it up to inspect it, turning it this way and that.

"I do not think you are going anywhere on this bike Hailey" he spoke down to her.

"What! What's wrong with it," she asked forcefully.

"This," he gestures to the bars that led down to the wheel from the handlebars, "has been damaged," he lowered the bike down to her.

She quickly ran her hands down the bike part of mention as soon as he held it low enough; her hands encountered a large twist in the long pole of metal. Her fingers gently traced the wounded bike part absently as her thoughts went on about how bad this day was.

"Optimus," Ratchet called, "if Hailey is unable to ride the motorcycle, it might be best if we help her; one of us will drive her home and Ironhide can carry her bike."

"It seems that may be what we have to do. Hailey, will you ride with one of us? There is no way that you will be able to drive home; I won't mind 'giving you a lift'. Optimus offered, after all, it wasn't her fault that a Decepticon chased her; he couldn't just leave her out here, miles away from wherever she came from.

Hailey was still sulking and depressed that her brother's motorcycle damage was now on her head, she barely heard their offer, just nodded her head. She watched as Ironhide became a metal mobile before settling comfortably in the form of a dark pickup truck. Her hands fell back to her sides as Optimus picked up the CBR and placed it as securely as he could in the truck bed. While he had been doing this, Ratchet had transformed in the background, turning once more into the Yellow Hummer.

"Optimus. If you will be escorting Hailey home, I will report back to base and see you back there," he said in farewell, and drove off without another word.

"Well Hailey..." Optimus began, then interrupted himself to transform, "Which way do we go?" he asked calmly as he opened the drivers' side door.

Hailed climbed up and awkwardly slid onto the high seat in the cabin; she didn't like that she was sitting inside a PERSON, even if it was a robot shaped like a car. She sat stalk still and gave him the general directions to where her neighbourhood was, then folded her hands in her lap as the truck rumbled up down the highway, Ironhide in tow.

"I don't like that another human knows we're here Optimus," Ironhide spoke in Cybertronian over the radio to Optimus.

"So far humans have been able to keep our secret Ironhide; if necessary, I will ask Sam to speak with her. Maybe if we're lucky she'll wake up and think it's and think it was all a dream," he joked.

Ironhide wasn't amused.

"This is kinda cool"

Preoccupied with speaking to Ironhide, Optimus almost didn't hear Hailey as she spoke to his steering wheel. She was looking down at the little insignia on the horn button with a little quirky smile. He had nothing to reply to this so he just stayed quiet.

"It's kinda cool to be driving a truck that can drive itself," she said again, this time to the cab in general it seemed, as she tilted her head around. Nothing to do, she tapped her feet together nervously. "I was freaking out. I'm going to be in trouble with my brother; that's why I was yelling back there," she offered.

"Is there some reason you're going to be in trouble?" Optimus asked, hoping that they weren't to blame.

"Ya...you know my bike?" As if he could forget with Ironhide's grumbling over the airwaves.

"It's not mine," she mumbled miserably, nearly making Optimus pull the brakes in surprise, "it's my brother's. I borrowed it this afternoon, kinda...without his permission. He's taken the habit of locking it up and hiding the keys so I don't get on, but I take it anyway. I should have been home hours ago; he was going to give me a lecture, but now he's just going to freak. He's going to go absolutely nuts. He's going to have kittens, he's–"

"Ironhide, this may be more of a problem then I thought, getting her home; apparently her brother will be awake and watching for her to arrive. The bike is not hers, it belongs to him." He spoke in Cybertronian again while Hailey listed physically impossible things her brother was going to do.

"He's gonna go through the roof. He's–"

"Hailey."

"Ya?" she spoke down to the steering wheel again; the familiar lull of the engine almost making her forget this was not a normal ride down the highway.

"If your brother will be up waiting for you, we will have trouble getting you home."

"Why?" She questioned for a few seconds in the silent cab, "Oh! Oh, you guys can't be seen. Right!"

She was nodding her head, which gave Optimus worry that she was taking their secrecy as a minor thing.

"Sorry," she rubbed the back of her neck in a nervous gesture, "I'm tired here. Can't you guys just drop me off at the end of my street? I can walk up the rest of the way you know. I'll be okay."

Optimus saw no argument with this idea, it was simple, and would fit both of the Autobots nicely.

"Alright Hailey, when we get to your street, tell us and you can go the rest of the way on your own. Remember–" he warned.

"I know. I'm not supposed to tell anybody about you guys. I can't tell anyone," she smiled innocently at the cab, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

Optimus was placated by both the words and the smile; her smile reminded him of Mikaela's, her being the only human he could use as reference. She looked like to be around Mikaela and Sam's age anyway, as far as what he could tell about human age.

"How old are you Hailey?" He questioned out loud, instantly wishing to take it back; she wasn't supposed to become more involved with this. He started thinking of excuses of why he said this; he couldn't introduce her to Sam and Mikaela, he was supposed to drive her home and she could forget about the while thing.

But then again, what were the odds of her forgetting being run off the road by a machine that then fighting against others right in front of her?

The question took Hailey by surprise to say the least.

"Umm...there's my street!" she pointed at the windshield to the curve of a suburban street.

The vehicles rolled to a stop, Hailey jumping out so Optimus could transform again to have arms to lift Hailey's bike off Ironhide. The pickup made noises deep in his engine in relief at having that awkward thing off his bed. Hailey stood next to her bike and waited for Optimus to transform again.

"Well," she began awkwardly, not used to saying goodbye like this, "I guess this is goodbye then, bye guys. I guess I won't be seeing you later; try not to get shot by the bad guys, 'Kay?" she joked at the two stoic trucks.

Not really knowing how to say goodbye to a stranger like this Optimus did not respond; though he did smile, even if she couldn't see it. Ironhide was just impatient to get rolling again, and he basically ignored the small human girl; Bumblebee was better in human interaction situations.

So, deciding to be the first one to move Hailey wobbly turned the bike around and began walking it up the street like it was an ordinary bicycle. She didn't look back until she was halfway up the street; she sneaked a glance using her hair as a curtain to peek through. They were gone.

Using her keys she unlocked the garage and shoved up the car door up. It made the usual racket that probably alerted Lucas she was home while she rolled the cranky steering bike to its spot next to the wall.

Walking on autopilot, Hailey zombie-walked up the path to the front door and unlocked it with her keys; she could hear the TV through the door.

She wasn't really surprised to see Lucas, dressed in old jeans and socks, an oversized T-shirt over a wife beater, leaning against the back of the couch, so pent up with suppressed energy that he was jittering both hands and feet.

"Do you have ANY idea what time it is," he bit out of his clenched jaw.

"I have been waiting for HOURS for you to get home," his voiced was stressed and high like he was an insane man, "where have you BEEN? You aren't going on that bike again EVER Hailey.UNDERSTAND?! Give me the keys."

Hailey carefully uncurled her palm and stretched it out to him. He swiped them away; in one hand he held the key ring, the other fished down into his pocket. He drew out a slinky, grey chain triumphantly. Carefully he threaded the key ring with the chain then clipped it around his neck.

"There," he dropped his hands down again, apparently calmer now that he had blocked his sister from his bike. He smiled condescendingly and looked down his nose at her; she started to fidget under his gaze.

"This probably isn't the best time to mention this..." she mumbled, hating that she had to say this but knowing that she had to.

"What," he glared down at her. She couldn't possibly have anything to say to him that wasn't going to just piss him off more.

"I was...kinda had an accident," she edged toward the door to go to the bike.

It was silent.

Hailey was shouldered out of the way when her brother exploded in motion out the door without saying a word.

She followed him slowly with her hands in her pockets as he first whipped his head up and down the garage, expecting to see a twisted wreak that he was going to kill her for.

"Where is it????!" he shouted at her.

A little pissed off thought entered Hailey's brain that if it was a smoking heap of scrap, he would have heard the truck dump it here.

"I put it in the garage. It's not that bad..." she mumbled too low for him to care.

He ran through the still open garage door, and Hailey saw him physically deflate with the sigh of relief at seeing the still shiny crimson bodywork in one lovely piece. He jogged over at a slower pace to better inspect the bike; Hailey knew she wasn't going to get away with such a close inspection.

"What the F!"

Yup, he found it.

She came up behind him.

"What the hell did you do? HOW did you do this? What did you do, hit it with a rock?! I don't even..." Lucas finished, anger cowed by confusion and befuddlement. He leaned back to give her a look.

"How," his eyes were wide in martyred suffering, shaking his head at her, "I don't even know how to fix this. It looks like I need to hammer it straight. It's solid steel. What did you do?"

"I was in an accident. There was a car," she lied, well, sort of.

"I'm not going to have somebody calling us up to sue am I?" he seemed really disaffected by the fact that she was in an accident.

She just shook her head a bit.

"Where's my helmet?" he asked suddenly.

Where's?...

Hailey looked down at her hands, then back to the handlebars of the car. Oh.

OH...

The helmet. The bike. The ditch.

He picked up her bike, nobody picked up her helmet...

Oops...

Hailey felt dumb and stupid, and...well...stupid.

"I think I left it back there. It was by the Greyside place, by the golf club," she amended.

"All the way out there? You okay? You walked it back," he finally showed some concern over her health, casting a quick glance over her again.

"Ya, I'm fine."

"Lucky."

"I'll go get it later, I'm going to bed," Hailey was tired, so tried to just wave herself out of the garage.

"Hey-lee," Lucas said in a warning tone, "you will be paying for what you did to my bike. Just wait, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

It wasn't worth responding, so Hailey just went back inside and straight to her room. She left the TV playing in the living room for him when he came in. He wouldn't be out there long probably.

She crashed on her bed without turning on the lights, laying belly down on the sheets. Her bed was in the corner of the room, the headboard against the wall with the window; the walls were beige with posters of tropical places and celebrities. The comforter trying to swallow her was purple; she had done a dark blue stencil of an Asian-style phoenix on the back of her door last summer.

Something dug itself a nice hollow under her rib cage, Hailey rolled onto her side and unbuttoned the flap on the jacket pocket. It was the pretty glass thing; Hailey played with it in her hands, it was warm from her body heat and smooth. Very pleasant to handle overall. She rolled herself around and under her covers, still in her clothes; she had taken her shoes off before coming to her room.

Nestling herself snugly like a little bug she put the ball on her night table before wrapping her hand up in the comforter and bringing it up to her nose to sleep.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Optimus, a word."

"What is it Ironhide?"

"That girl, I'd like some kind of monitor on her."

"You don't trust her Ironhide? I know that it's not best that another human has learnt about us, but we have never set any kind on watch on any of the humans we know."

"That's it Optimus: she's not like any of the others. When you think of it, she is the first really total uninvolved citizen we have made contact with. Sam and Mikaela: they were with Bumblebee constantly in the beginning, then with us in the battle. Captain Lennox was involved due to his position in the military, and is already trained in government secrecy, same goes for Simmons. The largest number of humans who know about us are government and wish for us to remain secret for their own sakes, and we have tabs on their activity anyway. There was no need for surveillance of any of them: they are right in sight of us. This girl, she is not. We have no assurance of what she will do, and no way to see and stop if she does."

"I do not like this line of thought my friend, but I am afraid that you are right. I would like to trust this human, but for the meantime, what kinds of surveillance do you have in mind?"

"Like Sam, I think Hailey should have one of us in disguise with her. Sideswipe or Sunstreaker in particular. One of them would keep them both from being underfoot. I recommend Sunstreaker," he added maliciously.

"I agree with your idea that we should send one of the twins. However, I think Sideswipe should be sent instead. Sunstreaker is too impetuous to sit around and pretend to be a car for long, while in the base at least we can keep an eye on him to keep him from misbehaving."

Ironhide didn't put up any more argument, no matter how much he wanted the more helpful, in his eyes, to stay.

"Sunny! Sunny, you're not going to believe it hahaaa! I'm going out into the human world! Sunny," Sideswipe burst into Sunstreaker's personal quarters.

"What!" Sunstreaker sat up from his recharge bed.

Recharge beds were one of the many adaptations the Autobots had made to the base, it was hooked up to a human made electrical power grid, syphoning off electricity that they converted into a weak form of energy that they could recharge on. It was no Energon, it didn't even come close, but without recharging occasionally somehow, they became very sluggish; they needed some form of energy fairly often on this planet, but it was very watery energy. Perhaps when they had more Autobots they could hook up an Energon collector. Wheeljack could do that, easy.

"What do you mean you get to see the human world?! No way!"

"That's what Optimus just told me. I have a mission to watch over a human girl; she knows about us but apparently we don't trust her enough, so I'm going to pretend to be her car and watch to make sure that she doesn't go blabbing off about us."

"No no noooo bro. I need to get out of here, I'm gonna go cracked if I stay in here; I haven't seen the sun since we landed in that first place. I wanna see some sky!" he gestured helplessly to his brother leaning against the opposite wall.

"You can ask Optimus you know,"

"?"

"If you want to get out of here, ask Optimus. I'm sure it doesn't matter which one of us goes, ability-wise; it's just watching one human, and it's not even for that long–just a few weeks, maybe some months."

"Really?"

Ya, I don't mind."

"Thanks swipe, you're the best bro," he held up his palm, Sideswipe lightly slapping it with his own; a gesture one of them had picked up scanning the Internet and shared with the other. None of the other Autobots did high-fives except Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

XxXxXxXxXx

"No Sunstreaker"

"Come on Optimus," Sunny pleaded once he had cornered boss bot exiting the medical bay after having a talk with Ratchet.

"Please."

"Sunstreaker, the whole problem is your attitude toward work. You are a warrior like Ironhide," Sunny cringed inside at this, "with even more energy, an assignment that is little more then listening and monitoring is not what I think you are suitable for."

"But that's what I've been doing here, just sitting around and looking at screens!"

"Exactly, if you cannot do the job here, how do you expect me to let you go out where you could blow our cover simply because you got bored or reckless."

"Optimus," he tried not to whine.

"I'll give you this: if your brother does not mind passing this assignment to you–"

"He doesn't," then silenced as Optimus just looked at him.

"If he does not mind, and you can successfully do your duties for one week without slacking, 176 megacycles cycles or so, I will consider you for the job."

A week later, Lucas had a fit that somebody abandoned their car on the big driveways in front of work.

FIN

Austin Powers: Twins, Basil! TWINS!

Lol. REVIEW BAY-BEE!!!!!!!

I challenge you to guess who I'm going to set Hailey up with.