Chapter 7: Scouting Mission
"So, you excited to see Smokey? From what I heard when he got back was that you two really hit it off." Miko said as we head out of History.
"Yeah. He was fun to hang out with." I say.
"He seemed to like you too. You guys might me as much of a pair as me and Bulk." She said. I smile and nod. We made our way outside and I scanned the curb for his color scheme, finding him under the shade of a tree.
I make my way to him and I open his scissor door before hopping in, hoping the students were looking at the awesome car that just picked me up from school.
"Hey, partner. How was school?" Smokescreen asks.
"Good. Been waiting for you to show up since I got here." I smirk. He laughs and peels away from the school.
"You miss me that bad?" He teased.
"Nah, I just wanted to get out of there," I say sarcastically.
"Whatever. You totally missed me." He said.
"If you say so," I respond, which was followed by a silence. "Okay, maybe a little bit," I say. He chuckled and sped up, rolling the windows down. The wind whipped my hair in my face and I had to hold my skirt down so that it would not blow up.
Since I missed it the first time, I was in quite a stupor when the cliffside mysteriously opened up, revealing the base. We were the first ones there obviously, due to Smokescreen's superior speed and because we got a head start on the others.
"Where are the others?" Was of course Ratchet's first question.
"Eating my dust." Smokescreen said mirthfully. Ratchet rolled his eyes and turned back to the console.
"So, whaddya wanna do Ren?" Smoke asks.
"I don't know. What do you usually do when you're here?" I ask.
"Wait around for a mission." He answers.
"Seriously? You must be up to something. What about TV, reading, eating out of boredom..." I was surprised. He was such a fun guy and I was surprised to hear that all he did was just sit around on his down time.
"I guess we can watch some TV." He said. "Come're. There's a rec center up those stairs from when it belonged to the military." He pointed me over to some stairs and I heave my bag on my shoulder and make my way up there.
"Chop chop Ren." He teased.
"I'm carrying half my weight in books. I can't help it." I say, making it up the final step and I drop my bag by the couch, plopping down on it.
"Excuses..." He baited. I ignore him, with a small smile and I turn the TV on, finding myself on a cooking show, which I doubted Smokescreen would find entertaining.
"Find something with some action or something funny." He said.
"You got it," I say, turning to the guide. I found a comedy movie that I'd never seen before and Smokescreen stood behind me, tuning into it. That's when we heard revving engines and squealing tires.
I look over the railing to see the others and their guardians. Miko, Jack, and Raf were coming up the steps with their bags, dropping them behind the couch and taking seats.
"You're so gonna get munched Jack." Miko challenged, picking up the two game controllers off the coffee table.
"Oh please! I've been playing this game a long time. You don't stand a chance." Jack changes the TV and I look back at Smokescreen, who just shrugs.
"Oh Ren, I wanted to ask if I could have your phone so you could contact the Bots if you needed them," Raf says.
"Sure." I pull out my phone and place it in his palm. He left to go do his thing and I felt mildly worried about the safety of my phone.
"Smokescreen," My guardian looks over to the Bot that called his named. Arcee. "You were pushing two hundred driving with Ren. I wouldn't exactly call that safe." She said, putting a hand on her hip.
"Oh, we were just havin' a little fun! It was an open road and perfect for a little speeding." He said.
"A little?" She countered.
"Well, I did have my seat belt on," I speak up, defending my guardian. His cocky tone was not helping his case. Arcee sighed, pinching between her eyes.
"Fine, but it's your turn to go on the next scouting mission." She said, walking away.
"Yes! You can come with me." Smokescreen said, turning back to me.
"There won't be any Decepticons will there?" I ask.
"Nah, this is just recon. If there's any sign you'd get a bridge back to base." He said reassuringly.
"Okay. Where are we going?" I ask.
"You're going to Mexico to investigate an energy signature." He said.
"Um, I have a curfew," I say.
"You'll be back in time for dinner," Smokescreen promised.
"How?" I ask and my question was answered when a whirling noise filled the room and I was briefly blinded by a burst of light.
"A groundbridge portal." Smokescreen said with a hint of amusement in his voice at my shock.
He offered me his hand, placing it near the ground in front of me, and I give him a skeptic look before clambering on, holding my skirt close and clutching his fingers tightly.
"I won't drop ya." He said. "What kinda guardian do you think I am?" He asks jokingly.
"I don't think you really want me answering that question." I jest, squeezing his thumb.
"Whatever. You know I'm awesome." He said as he walked through the groundbridge.
When we came out on the other side, I felt so dizzy I almost fell out of Smokescreen's hand. My bones were vibrating and my stomach turned dangerously.
"Can-can you put me down?" I ask, holding a hand over my mouth. Smokescreen hastily set me down on the ground and he knelt next to me.
"If you're going to spew, I don't wanna look." He said, cringing.
"I'm not gonna... I just need a minute." I say, taking in deep breathes.
After a few minutes, I was feeling well enough and I stood. Looking around, I found that we were in a jungle. It was hot and humid. It sorta reminds me of Japan.
"Awesome, you're feeling better!" Smokescreen cheered. Now let's go find that energy signature." He said, pulling out a remote of some sort.
"Sit on my shoulder. You won't have to climb over brush then." He said, placing a hand down for me. hop on, holding onto his thumb until I reached his shoulder. I stepped onto his shoulder and I held tightly to some of the armor on his head.
"That tickles." Smokescreen snickers. I smile, easing down with my shaky legs. I had a fear of heights. Not terribly, but it was enough to set my nerves on edge.
"Wow. It's so pretty here." I say.
"Yep. Signals coming from over here." He said, gesturing ahead of us. I look down at his scanner and see that we were getting really close to the source of the signal.
Smokescreen pulled aside a tree branch and it snapped loudly. He stepped into a clearing and he found himself in the midst of several Decepticons. They all stopped their work and looked at us. Their red eyes glowed and I felt Smokescreen tense under me.
Then, the action began. Shots were fired left and right and I was thrown from Smokescreen's shoulder. I let out a scream and closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.