Reunited

Low murmurs pierced Brielle's wall of unconsciousness. She began to find her way out of the blackness that had taken her over when she fainted. The last thing she remembered was Mission City, defeating the police cruiser called Barricade, some annoying guy, and Bumblebee. Then, nothing.

Sudden panic overtook Ambrielle and her eyes finally opened as a reflex. She quickly took in her surroundings. Brielle was lying on an uncomfortable bed in a small white room. Sitting along the farthest wall was Lennox and Epps. When they saw that Brielle was awake, they stood up and approached her.

"Don't worry, you're safe." Lennox assured. "We've met before, remember? And this is Sergeant Robert Epps."

"We're in a temporary base about ten miles from Mission City." Epps added.

Using her elbows, Brielle pushed herself to a sitting position. She yawned groggily and cracked her neck a few times; a habit she had when she woke up. Brielle examined her body briefly; her wounds were dressed with bandages. She skimmed her fingers lightly over the fresh set of stitches in her head. She was sore, but alright.

It didn't take long to notice that Brielle was no longer wearing her favorite tee shirt and jean shorts. In place was a patients' dress like what you wear in hospitals. Epps and Lennox backed away when they saw a mix of surprise, embarrassment, and anger play on the girl's face.

"Who the hell undressed me?"

Epps' eyes widened and he quickly raised both hands up signaling that he was innocent. It was funny because the man nearly looked afraid at the young girl's spurt of anger. Lennox began, "We had a medic dress your wounds, then the Autobots' CMO—"

"CMO?" Brielle questioned.

"Chief Medical Officer. Ratchet."

Brielle quickly raised her hand which told Lennox that she'd rather not know.

"Are there any spare clothes?" Brielle asked, changing the subject. Both Lennox and Epps shook their heads, making the girl sigh. Guess she'll have to walk around in a green patient dress for a while.

Lennox inhaled deeply before explaining the current situation. "Look, Brielle, since you know about the Autobots, some things in your life are going to change. It won't be entirely safe for you anymore, got me?"

Brielle took in what he had said and nodded slowly.

"Good. We're meeting with the Autobots and the Secretary of Defense soon. We think you should be there, too." Epps added.

The teen stared at Epps, then Lennox. She could barely process what they were telling her, but she nodded anyway.

"I can get out of this room now, yeah?" Brielle queried, but hopped out of bed before either could answer. After a few needed stretches, Brielle headed for the door. Lennox placed a hand on her shoulder before she left. "Meeting is in a half hour. Get some food in you before then."

Brielle smiled and nodded. "Will do, sir."

It didn't take long for Brielle to run into the two teens from before. It looked like the boy, Sam, had his wounds treated too. The girl standing next to him smiled and waved at Brielle. Brielle, taken back by her friendliness, waved back.

"Hey, Brielle right? I'm Mikaela." She chimed; a sweet smile on her face. "This is Sam." She gestured towards the boy with the somber expression. Mikaela rolled her eyes at Sam's standoffish countenance. "Anyways, we look like we wear about the same size, so I brought you a change of clothes." Mikaela said while handing her a plastic bag.

Brielle's eyes sparkled joyfully. "Wow! Thanks, Mikaela. You didn't have to."

Mikaela smiled and shrugged. "Least I could do after Sam gave you such a warm welcome the other day."

Sam grumbled a bit, but he was trying to lose his grouchy attitude and it was sort of working.

Mikaela and Brielle looked at Sam for a long, awkward moment. It was Brielle who spoke first. "Well, if you're going to the meeting thing, your questions'll be answered." She was trying to shirk off her attitude towards Sam, but the boy made it difficult for her.

The brown eyed boy gazed suspiciously at Brielle, but eventually said, "Oh, they will be."

To others watching, and to Brielle, Sam's inflection and seriousness was very laughable. He wasn't trying to be funny on purpose; there was just a quirk he had that made almost everything he said comical in some way.

A grin graced Brielle's lips. "I'm going to grab something to eat. Thanks again for the clothes! See you two later." Brielle waved goodbye and wandered around until she found a decent place to change.

She felt so much better now that she ditched the hospital dress. Mikaela was right; the clothes were almost a perfect fit. Brielle admired herself in the mirror, something she did on very rare occasions. For being beat up and covered in bandages, she thought she looked damn good. Brielle wore a loose black racer-back tank top that had a white graphic design. Layered over that was an unbuttoned oxford shirt that had a pale blue and red plaid design. Her skinny jeans were ripped at the knees and the place ballet flats brought everything together.

'I may never give this outfit back.' Brielle mused as she grinned at herself in the mirror.

Finally, Brielle gathered her hair and quickly made a side braid and secured the end with a rubber band once she finished.

Now, it was time for food.

Honestly, food was the last thing on Brielle's mind. Although she knew she needed to eat, she was much more interested in finding Bumblebee. The entire situation she had put herself in was like a dream. She briefly thought of her family. They were probably worried sick about her. The thought was very brief and already out the girl's head.

"For Primus sake. The longer you squirm, the longer it takes!"

The voice came from a section of the warehouse-like building that Brielle was approaching. The girl stood on her tip toes and craned her neck to see if she could get a better look. She made out two large shadows that obviously weren't human. The other robot retorted with a series of quick clicks and beeps.

Brielle recognized those beeps anywhere.

"Finally awake I see."

Brielle's entire body flinched in surprise. She wasn't aware of the massive black Autobot behind her until he spoke.

"Easy now." he said as he fiddled with the cannon that was his right arm. The robot saw how Brielle gawked at his cannon. His face turned up to a wicked grin and he pointed his cannon directly at the human. "Unless you want to tussle?" he asked wryly.

Brielle was cautious of the big guy, but not afraid. If anything, she thought the mech's weapon was fascinating. "That's amazing. Do you have more than one?" Brielle asked. She was like a kid in a candy store now.

The black mech seemed pleased with her reaction. Finally, a human that appreciated his advanced weaponry! "More?" he snorted and then a second cannon emerged from his left arm. "There's much more where this came from—"

"Ironhide. Enough with the showing off."

The voice from before echoed from behind Brielle. She turned to see the yellow-green robot from before. The black mech, Ironhide, snorted and his cannons reverted back into his arms. "I just wanted to show her my cannons."

Brielle laughed. The short banter between the two mechs made Brielle realize that they weren't so different from humans. "Just wanted to check and see how Bee's doing."

Brielle made her way to the section where she knew Bee and the Chief Medical Officer, Ratchet, to be. Ironhide wasn't far behind her, but then easily passed Brielle in one easy stride. Brielle felt inclined to jog the rest of the way just to catch up.

Around the corner, in a temporary med room, Bumblebee sat impatiently as Ratchet mended his injured legs. The yellow mech heard Brielle approach and his optics lit up when he finally saw her. His radio clicked on and an oldie filled the room. "Reunited and it feels so good—"

Brielle threw her head back and laughed. After, she bobbed her head and finished the lyrics. "Reunited 'cuz we understood ~"

"Hold still slag it! I'm nearly finished." Ratchet grumbled.

Brielle giggled and took a seat on one of the folding chairs against the wall. She craned her neck to see exactly what Ratchet was doing to fix Bumblebee's legs. The CMO took some type of blowtorch device to Bumblebee's legs. Sparks began to fly which made Brielle wince for Bee, but it didn't seem to hurt the yellow mech.

After a moment, Ratchet glanced over to the human. "Brielle was it?"

Brielle affirmed the question with an "mmhm."

Ratchet turned back to his work. "Not many unarmed humans would have done what you did."

"Not many armed humans would've done what you did." Ironhide interjected. "That took some guts, as you humans say."

Brielle nodded appreciatively at Ironhide. "He had it coming. Trust me."

Ironhide snorted. He found this tiny human's tenacity amusing.

"Finished." Ratchet took a step back for Bumblebee to stand up.

Bumblebee tested his revived legs, gently building up pressure in one leg before resting the other one on the ground. Eventually, he bounced up from the lift he was sitting on and ran in place, playing upbeat jogging music as he did so.

Brielle applauded Bee and left her seat. "It's a miracle!" she teased.

Ratchet cleaned his hands with a massive strip of fabric and muttered something in a series of buzzes and sounds Brielle couldn't even describe. Her pharynx wouldn't be able to mimic those noises in a million years. Whatever it meant, Ironhide nodded at it, threw in a few odd noises of his own, and looked to Brielle again.

"This meeting with the humans is nearing. Bumblebee will show you the way when the time comes."

With that, Ratchet and Ironhide took their leave.

Bee was grateful to have his legs back and he was even more grateful to see Brielle unharmed. However, what she did, although successful, was highly reckless. Bumblebee crossed his arms, tapping his foot expectantly. Brielle's shoulders sagged and she grinned sheepishly at the Autobot. She knew what was coming.

It was odd, Bee thought. Bumblebee spent more time with Sam than Brielle, yet the girl read Bee better and quicker than expected.

"Y'gonna yell at me?" she asked, innocence lacing her voice.

Well, yes. Bee was going to explain to her why she absolutely should not have done what she did, but when those big green eyes gazed at Bee like little twinkling stars, he lost his nerve. His entire frame shrunk and he rubbed his head with his hand.

Finally he spoke, his real voice taking stage. "Brielle . . . Although what you did was valiant and exceptionally remarkable, the odds of you coming out of a similar situation again are slim to none."

The look in the organic's face was one of seriousness. "I know" she began, "And I'm sorry. I don't really know why I even—" she inhaled deeply and exhaled through her nose. "When the FBI said that Mission City was closed for 'unexplained' reasons, I knew better. I just went for it, y'know?"

The Autobot processed her words. He knew what it was like to just go for it; to tackle a situation head on without considering the repercussions. He knew all too well what it was like to be so close to death.

Bumblebee knelt down in front of Brielle and nodded. "Yes I do know, however; the heavy fighting should be done by the Autobots."

Brielle met Bee's gaze. "So you're a speciesist." Her voice laced with accusation.

Bee was taken aback by the charge. He gestured with his right hand as he spoke. "What? No! What I meant was that—"

Brielle's lips curled up in a smile and she chuckled at Bee's flustered state. "Relax, Bee. I'm kidding. I know what you're saying though. Human going against an advanced alien robot isn't the brightest idea."

Bumblebee's spark settled when he saw that Brielle was teasing. She was much more frank with Bee in certain aspects that he did not expect. While it was something Bee did not anticipate, it was something he enjoyed. Just another thing about this human that he found intruiging.

Brielle's weight shifted from either foot and she clasped her hands neatly behind her head. "Hey Bee? What were those sounds coming from Ironhide and Ratchet just now?"

Bumblebee was impressed with the girl's acuity. "It is our native tongue. You can call it Cybertronian."

Brielle's brow rose. "I don't even think Rosetta Stone would help. Italian is hard enough!"

Bee cocked his head to the side. He quickly researched the first reference, but the other remained a mystery. Brielle, suddenly realizing Bee had never met her family, explained. "Oh. My mom is second generation Italian. She tried teaching my brother and sister and me."

Bumblebee processed her words and his face plates rose with interest. He was aware of how family units worked, but the idea was still new to him. Bee's radio clicked on and Dean Martin's velvety voice sang, "Volare, oh oh oh—"

"Cantare, oh oh oh oh. How'd you know I love Dean?" Brielle chimed.

Bee crossed his arms and shrugged nonchalantly. "Lucky guess."

To Bee's delight, Brielle giggled. Unfortunately, it was time to head for the meeting. "Time to hit that 'ol dusty trail" Bee's radio informed.

Brielle snapped her fingers dramatically. "Darn. At least everything will be cleared up, yeah?"

Bumblebee wasn't able to give Brielle a straight answer. "Let's hope so." His lightly accented voice murmured. In order to get to the meeting in the most efficient amount of time, Bumblebee plucked Brielle from the ground and gingerly set her on his shoulder.

"Nice view." She muttered.

Bumblebee's chirps and clicks sounded like laughter. "Let's proceed."

The short walk across the massive warehouse was relatively silent. Brielle absently hummed to herself and Bee internally scoured his radio frequencies to see if he could accompany her tune.

The girl and mech were the last to arrive to the meeting. Once they passed a certain section of the warehouse, a firewall rose from behind them, locking them in. Brielle's pulse quickened, but Bumblebee whispered to her, "It's to block any interference. We're fine."

Bumblebee's reassurance calmed Brielle's heart palpitations.

The yellow mech carefully grasped Brielle's waist and gently set her down on the ground. For such a bulky creature, Bumblebee was surprisingly gentle.

'An alien robot with more manners than most boys.'

Brielle cautiously took a few steps ahead. In the center of the bland room was a long table where the humans sat. Around them were Ratchet, Ironhide, and Optimus. Ironically, it was the people at the table that made Brielle gawk. There was Sam and Mikaela, Lennox and Epps, and the Secretary of freaking Defense at the head of the table. Although Brielle was slightly star struck, that's not what shocked her the most.

Near the SOD was an attractive blonde woman and a heavy set man eating a plate of donuts. There was another female near the two strangers. Brielle nearly lost her balance when she recognized the female.

"Ambrielle, Bumblebee" said the Secretary of Defense, John Keller. "I was told you already met Sergeant Epps and Captain Lennox. You know Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots apparently." He then gestured to the three individuals to his right. "This is Maggie Madsen, an analyst and my advisor. This is Glen Whitmann, er, Maggie's advisor, and this is—"

"Oh. My. God."

The third individual was sitting back in her chair, but sat up when she heard Brielle speak. The brunette gazed coyly at Brielle with her emerald green eyes. After a moment everyone, including the Autobots, began looking from the stranger to Brielle. It was as if Brielle was looking in a mirror. Finally, the stranger spoke, her honeyed voice nearly identical to Brielle's.

"Miss me, my dear sister?"

X X X

Thanks for reading! Feel free to review if you enjoyed the story or have any constructive criticism.

Again, I am grateful for any review, favorite, or watch I get! You're all awesome! :D