Chapter 5: Guardian
School didn't end soon enough. Today Miko had waited with me and there was an intense awkwardness between us and the boys. Jack could hardly look at me and every time I locked eyes with Raf he swallowed a lump in his throat. What were they hiding? Why are these robots such a big deal?
"Come on. Bulk doesn't like it when I'm late." She said, pulling me along by my wrist, quite painfully I might add. She pulled me outside, where I saw Jack mounting his motorcycle and Raf getting into the black and yellow muscle car. Miko shoved me into the backseat of Bob's SUV and I about flipped when the car started moving on its own.
"Where's Bob?" I ask.
"Well, it's sorta hard to explain..." I hear Bob's voice coming from all around me.
"What- how?" I rambled.
"Ren, listen to me." Miko drew my attention. "Don't freak. Everything'll be explained in about thirty minutes." She said. Okay then. All I need to do was be patient and calm and levelheaded. I took a deep and tried to slow my heart rate. Key word being tried.
We were in the middle of the desert and Jack was in front of us. We were coming to the first turn in miles, but instead of swerving, we head off road to a mountainous rock.
"Whoa! Whoa!" I back into the seat, holding onto the roof handles. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the impact.
However, nothing came other than the sound of squealing tires. I crack an eye open and see Miko hopping out of the car. I reach for the handle, only for it to swing open on its own. I take a shaky breath and hop out and I move closer to Miko.
I hear whirling, clicking, and sounds of metal scraping against metal. I spin around and find the robot from Miko's phone. I gasp and take a step back, craning my neck to look at him.
"Hi." He said awkwardly and in a familiar voice.
"B-Bob? This- How did..." I trailed.
"Okay, his name isn't Bob. It's Bulkhead. And these are the Autobots." She gestures behind us. I spin around and my eyes become as wide as saucers.
There were so many! They were so big. I felt like an insect. I felt my heart hammering in my chest and I look at Miko who was looking back at me with a grin.
"I-I don't know what to say. What are they?" I ask. One scoffed and my attention was drawn to the red and white one.
"We are sentient beings." He said irritably. "You should address us as such." He crossed his arms.
"That's Ratchet, the doc. He's mean, old, and cranky." She rolled her eyes.
"I can hear you." He snarled.
"That's the point." She smirked. Ratchet huffed and turned away from us.
"Hey, Ren." I look up to see Jack and Raf atop a platform. I waved coyly at them, but I cower when I see a robot, bigger than the rest of them.
"Ooh! Here comes the speech." Miko tugged my arm excitedly.
"My name is Optimus Prime." He says in a deep, baritone voice. "I am sorry for frightening you. I'll have you know we take the utmost care in watching out for the other children." He says. I had no idea what to say.
"Sorry Optimus, Ren's tongue tied." Miko elbowed my side.
"Should we inform Nurse Darby?" He asks. I crack a smile while Miko and the boys start laughing. After their laughing fit, Optimus Prime explained to me the details of them as a race, faction, and team.
"Ren will need a guardian, despite the fact that she has not yet been seen by Decepticons. I do fear that she will need some help acclimating to her surroundings. It is also only a matter of time before the Decepticons discover her existence." Optimus announces. I gulped and I took a step closer to my sister. Optimus stood, looking over his team. His eyes flicked between Ratchet and a white, red, and blue Autobot.
"Smokescreen," He says. The flashy colored Autobot jumped at his name and he grinned wildly. "You will watch over Ren." He says.
"Yes! A human partner." He says the last bit a little more quietly. "I won't let you down Optimus." He concluded, taking a step forward, but was stopped.
"Optimus, you can't be serious." Jack's motorcycle says in disbelief.
"I believe that a partner will help Smokescreen to better understand the need to protect the human race." He said. She looked at him dumbfounded and sighed. After that, the Autobots dispersed and I was left to meet my partner.
"Hi Ren, I'm Smokescreen." He says, kneeling down in front of me. He had a kind and welcoming voice that seemed to invite me in.
"Hi," I say. It would be a lie to say I wasn't in shock.
"So, um... You wanna go for a drive? Get to know each other a little." He suggested.
"Sure," I say. He smiled before standing and taking a step back. I let out a breath of awe as he turns into a stunning car. Lotus Exige. It had incredible horsepower meant for racing. Zero to sixty in 4.7 seconds.
"You impressed with the wheels?" I hear his voice, him wiggling his tires, popping the driver's side door open for me. I take a seat and I place my hands on the wheel.
"You're a magnificent vehicle." I hum, feeling the leather seats beneath my thighs.
"Well, I just copied the vehicle if that makes sense." He says. The dash lit up with every word.
"You made a good choice," I say, admiring the interior. He chuckled at my response.
"I think we'll get along just fine." He hums before peeling out of there.