Be A Bumblebee
"What's this one mean?" She queried, pointing to a string of strange symbols carved into the sand.
"Warrior." He answered, his blue optics never leaving her fascinated expression.
It had been a little over a week since Bumblebee and Brielle took off that day. Just as Brielle suggested, Bee was getting out more, much to Mrs. Witwicky's dismay (there's a psychotic alien living in my garage!). Since Brielle and Bumblebee weren't familiar with Nevada's ecosystem, everyday was an adventure for both of them. Sometimes they would watch the sun set together and when they did, they would share stories about themselves. Unfortunately, Bee's voice box has been regressing (so he claims), so he saved his voice solely for conversations with Brielle.
Today was her first lesson in Cybertronian alphabet 101. Although the symbols were wonky and difficult to memorize, their alphabet system was much like the English alphabet: twenty-six characters that were put together to form words. Now, the pronunciation of the words in Cybertronian was an entirely different story. Brielle preferred listening to Bee prate about in his native tongue rather than attempt it herself.
The girl softly repeated the mech as she tried to commit the symbols that formed the word to memory. She lay on her stomach with her hands propping up her head and her legs kicking back and forth. Bumblebee, sitting next to her, carefully examined her face as her lips formed the syllables: "war-ee-or." No crinkles of confusion formed on her brow as she studied the Cybertronian. Brielle's expression was 'serene,' as Bee had come to understand.
The scout found human features positively fascinating. The protective organ encasing a human's muscles and vitals—the skin—stretched in ways the mech never thought possible. It was simple to analyze the creases in a human's face and deduce their current emotion, although it could be much more complicated than that. Sometimes Brielle caught Bee staring and he coughed embarrassedly.
After a comfortable silence Bee murmured, "Reminds me of you."
Brielle's brow furrowed at the simple phrase. She turned on her side to face the mech and asked, "Why?"
As Bee spoke, he began to wipe away the symbols he had written and began writing new ones. "You show no fear when entering battle. Swift, clever, fearless. A warrior. Although I wish you wouldn't jump head first into battle." Bee mumbled the last part.
Brielle snorted. She never thought herself to be a warrior, just lucky. "Yeah, I'm fearless alright." She commented sarcastically.
Bee finished writing in the sand and said, "Humans have another word for people like you."
The organic examined the five-lettered word inscribed in the sand. Only one letter was recognizable to her, so she looked to Bee with a defeated expression.
"Crazy."
Brielle glowered playfully at the mech and the two dissolved into laughter.
Once she made sure everyone was out of the house, Marie locked herself in her room. Ever since Brielle started hanging out with the Autobot Bumblebee, her presence was scarce. Anthony quickly made new friends and played football with them almost every day, and Marie thanked God her parents had time-consuming jobs. It was finally time to get down to business.
The dark haired girl rushed to her closet and reached up to the highest shelf. On her tiptoes, she managed to grab a box full of old magazines. Once she set the box down on her bed, she rummaged through it until she held a small flash drive in her hand.
'As if I wouldn't make a backup.' She thought to herself.
Glen and Maggie had the privilege of staying to work with the Autobots. Since Marie was still in high school, she didn't have the opportunity (or maybe it was her attitude). She was going to inform Brielle of the possibility of working with the Autobots, but Marie knew her sister would insist on something combat related, something that could get her killed.
Now, it was time for Marie to do some digging. She felt that there was more to these aliens than they were letting on, and she loathed it when she didn't know every little detail. Brielle called it being nosy, Marie called it being thorough.
The girl stuck the drive into the side of her laptop and went to work. She dug through the alien frequency and recorded her findings in a pink notebook. Admittedly, most of the information was too difficult (too alien) for her to comprehend. She found a bit of information on the All Spark: a large, metallic cube with the power to create life. From what she understood, it was possible to resurrect an 'offlined' Cybertronian. Marie jotted down the information rapidly. On the side margin, she absentmindedly began doodling a picture of an Autobot. Marie sighed when she saw her half-assed sketch of the Autobot Jazz.
Before the meeting at the temporary base a couple weeks ago, Marie managed to overhear the Autobots discussing their fallen lieutenant.
"You can't let the humans dump him in the sea with Megatron!" one of them growled, his cannons whirring excitedly.
The other spoke much calmer, more diplomatic. "It would be a great dishonor to our first lieutenant."
The next spoke in a series of chirps and whirrs that his comrades seemed to understand.
Finally, the leader spoke. "We will not allow Jazz's remains to rest with Megatron's. First, we will reassemble his body, and then bury him properly."
Marie knew she acted catty towards the Autobots, but it was only self defense. She didn't appreciate being talked down to like a primitive ape just like Brielle doesn't like being talked down to by their father. Marie hatched an outlandish plan. If this All Spark could give life, and if they had a shard of the Spark left, maybe they could resurrect their fallen friend. It was a stretch, but it just might work. Brielle really seemed to like the Autobots, especially Bumblebee. If Marie suggested her idea to them, maybe their hostility towards her would lessen. For Brielle's sake, she would make this work.
Marie searched deeper into the code. Her minty green eyes locked in on a specific signal within the jumble of alien text. She knew that the Decepticon who created this frequency was offlined, but its master wasn't . . .
"Soundwave?"
Information on this specific mech appeared on her computer screen. There wasn't much at first, just his name and affiliation (Decepticreeps !). Then, Marie began to dig deeper . . .
Somewhere near the Earth's atmosphere . . .
The big brute of a mech honed in on a frequency, his frequency. He locked in on the location in Tranquility, Nevada. Whatever this organic femme was doing, it could be a future threat to the Decepticons. Thinking it would be illogical for himself to handle the situation, as he was ordered to scan the Earth's atmosphere until the shard of the All Spark was found, Soundwave sent fourth one of his many infiltrators to take care of the meddling femme.
"Do not provoke unneeded attention, Rumble."
If Soundwave heard Rumble's sarcastic snort before he was launched into Earth's atmosphere, he did not acknowledge it.
Acting was not Brielle's forte. That was the third disapproving stare she got for not keeping her eyes on the road and her hands on the steering wheel. The girl sunk back lower in her seat as she tried to mimic driving 'her' Camaro. Before departing the desert, Bee said that he wanted to take her somewhere he thought she'd like. That was all he would disclose and Brielle being the curious girl that she was couldn't resist.
The girl thought it wise to roll up the tinted windows. "So much for fresh air." She muttered. Once she knew no one could see her, Brielle pulled out her notebook from her bag and began to write small words in Cybertronian, well, from what she could remember at least. Most of what she wrote was just a myriad of invented symbols, but there was one word she wrote always wrote correctly without fail: warrior. Brielle felt embarrassed when Bumblebee compared her to a warrior. She was hardly a black belt much less a lean, mean fighting machine.
Miss Piper muttered idly to herself as she put together newly created symbols in an attempt to recreate the Cybertronian alphabet. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Bee's holoform sitting in the passenger's seat, watching her intently. Eventually Brielle felt that there was something different in the atmosphere of the Camaro. Her eyes slowly rose to meet the electric blue eyes of the holoform beside her. Brielle jumped back in surprise and Bumblebee chuckled amusedly.
"Perhaps I should drive." He said, a half grin playing on the holoform's lips.
Brielle shoved her notebook and pen back in her bag and said, "But you already are-?"
The holoform ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair. "I drive using my holoform and you're free to not pay attention to the road. Not that you weren't already doing that, but it would detract attention from us and you get to have the windows open."
Brielle waved her hand passively. "Don't do that on account of me. And I think you'd attract attention with your holoform alone."
Bee furrowed his brows. "Is this one malfunctioning? Because I can alter it—"
"No, it's not that." Brielle interrupted. A silly grin tugged at her lips and she covered her mouth with a delicate hand in an attempt to stifle her laugh.
Bee's radio cut on and a dramatic voice shouted, "Out with it, woman!"
The organic threw her head back and laughed. She honestly could not believe that the mech didn't know what she was getting at. Brielle was never one to beat around the bush, so she nonchalantly stated, "Your holoform is considered very, very attractive to the opposite sex. "
Bumblebee paused a moment. His holoform examined itself curiously and Brielle dissolved into a fit of giggles. When Bumblebee still looked like a lost puppy, Brielle thought it best to show him what she meant. She took hold of one of his arms and then used her fingers to contour his muscles. "Honestly, you look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model."
Like a child, Bee began contouring his human arms too. The feeling of his own skin startled him and his eyes widened in amazement. After, he searched the web for Abercrombie and Fitch models. Now he understood what Brielle meant. His holoform was considered physically fit and according to recent polls on a teen magazine website for femmes, blond hair and blue eyes is considered 'sexy' as the humans say.
"Oh." Was Bumblebee's brilliant response. In the few seconds that he used to research this, Brielle was looking at his face fixedly, still having a hold of his arm. The warmth from Brielle's hand along with her soft skin fascinated the mech.
Brielle noticed the look in Bee's eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"
Bee's holoform shook his head as if to shake away the haze over his processors. However, his sudden curiosity would not waver. He took his larger hands and grasped one of Brielle's hands. "Do you mind if I-?" He did not finish his question. He didn't need to. Although Brielle looked skeptical, she nodded her head in agreement.
The holoform looked slightly embarrassed. He thought an explanation would relieve Brielle of her skepticism. "A human's sense of touch is much different than an Autobot's. Human skin is so sensitive to touch and temperature."
Brielle's body relaxed. She just now noticed Bee's voice faintly hinted at a British accent. "I bet it's weird seeing me at eye-level like this."
Bee nodded vigorously while turning her hand around in his palm. "I feel so short."
The femme snorted lightly. "Still taller than me." Suddenly, a glint shone in Brielle's eyes. She had a silly idea that involved messing with her robotic friend. Suddenly her eyes grew wide and she took on a look of complete seriousness. "Did you know that if your hand is larger than your face, you have cancer?"
Oh yeah, she was going there.
Bee raised a brow. "Surely that isn't accurate."
Brielle retracted her hand from Bumblebee, aghast at his ignorance. "Is too!"
Never had Bumblebee heard of such a primitive way to evaluate the possibility of a disease. He raised his right hand to his face to see just what Brielle was getting at. "Surely Ratchet would have heard of such a—"
SMACK!
Brielle laughed until she cried. She pushed Bee's hand right into his face and a red mark began to form. "You should—haha- definitely brush up on human pranks—hehehe- Bee." The organic said between exasperated breaths. The mech couldn't believe that he was so gullible. He couldn't help but chuckle at his own naïveté.
The car suddenly halted. Bee's holoform disappeared and his voice now came through the radio. "Is that a way to treat the mech who's about to surprise you?"
Brielle's eyes widened like a frightened child's. She'd completely forgotten about this surprise Bee had for her. Although she knew he was just mocking seriousness, she didn't want to jeopardize her surprise.
The crestfallen look on Brielle's face was payback enough. For now. He chuckled once more before his radio clicked on. "To the left, to the left . . ."
Brielle's head automatically turned to the aforementioned direction and she spotted what looked like an old shop called 'Wilson's Wildlife.' In the windows of the shop were a multitude of exotic and domesticated animals in the form of posters, paintings, dolls, jewelry, and much more.
"I noticed that you take interest in wildlife, so I assumed you would enjoy this shop." The Autobot explained.
Brielle's smiled with delight. "It looks so cool, Bee!" She said while getting out of the car. Ambrielle gave the Camaro the best hug she could muster. "Thank you thank you thank you!"
It took a moment for Brielle to realize the peculiar stares she got from passersbys. She coughed embarrassedly and gave the top of the car a quick pat before scurrying to the shop.
Brielle thought she'd died and gone to heaven. The inside of the shop was like the inside of a large tree. The walls were wooden and gnarled and clever decorations made you think you'd been transported to a fantastical land. Not only were there animals, but mythical creatures too. Brielle might be here a while.
After picking up a stuffed Chimera doll and a book all about Servals, a shiny pair of yellow and black earrings caught her attention. Upon closer inspection, Brielle saw that the little yellow studs were in fact little bumblebees. Tiny gleaming crystals covered the entirety of the studs. Just behind the earring stand was a poster with a painted Bumblebee on it. Under the picture it read:
Bumblebees are not designed to fly.
Its body is too heavy for its large wings,
wings that should not be able to keep it in the air.
Bumblebees refuse to accept their limitations.
It flies in spite of what it has been told it cannot do.
It knows its strength.
Be a bumblebee.
Brielle smiled to herself. 'Be a bumblebee.' Her thoughts lingered on her friend waiting outside. Although he acted as guardian over Samuel Witwicky, Bee had more or less taken Brielle under his wing too. She was thankful to have him in her life. Without a second thought, Brielle plucked the poster and earrings from their places and headed for the cash register.
Although she had her purchases ready to go in a plastic bag, Brielle lingered a bit more when a photography book on Madagascar's wildlife caught her eye. She flicked through the pages until a group of teens surrounding Bumblebee caught her attention. They looked harmless enough. Just three guys and two girls checking out a fancy Camaro. It alarm her until Brielle recognized one of the males.
The girl rushed out of the little store and sped towards the teens crowding around Bee. She mentally gave herself a once over and then confidently strutted towards the teens. It was very important for her to act smooth as silk, especially because he was there.
The boy she recognized wasn't anything special. He stood at a whopping five-foot-one and was a little on the heavy side. Even Brielle, standing at a mere five-foot-five, loomed over the pipsqueak like a Sequoia. His chocolate brown hair and hazy gray eyes popped out against his pale complexion. Although most would mistake him as a grade-schooler, the boy was really the same age as Brielle.
After a long moment of the boy examining, no, worshipping the Camaro, their eyes locked. The whole gang of teens followed suit soon after. Brielle definitely felt small with five pairs of eyes on her, but she had to keep her cool, confident countenance.
"Brielle?" the small fry piped up. The guy looked like he'd just saw a ghost the way he reacted to her.
Brielle pursed her lips. 'Alright, Brielle. Time to channel your inner Marie.'
Brielle tossed her hair back with a flick of her head and lifted her chin haughtily. "So, this is where you moved to, Chris." She said, raising a brow. She motioned to the yellow vehicle they were congregating around and asked, "Mind telling me why you're stalking my car?"
One of the boys whistled. "This your ride, pretty girl?" The blonde and ginger girl crossed their arms defensively at the raven haired boy's comment. The one who seemed the most surprised was Chris. In fact, he didn't even bother hiding his utter shock from her.
"Why are you in Tranquility?"
Brielle boldly swaggered to the driver's side and waited a moment for Bee to open the door for her. Although she looked the picture of perfection on the outside, her heart was racing and her hands were shaking. Bee aptly took notice and immediately felt concerned. Her readings weren't even this high when they first encountered Barricade. The twin tossed her bag into the car and said, "Dad got promoted."
With a snooty nod and a sly smirk, Brielle entered the car and drove off, leaving the star-struck teens in the dust.
Once out of sight, Brielle inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if that situation was enough to make her hyperventilate. "Oh God, why does he live here? Jesus! Damn it! Of all the freaking places-"
Bumblebee couldn't stay silent any longer. "Who was that, Brielle? What's the matter?"
Brielle groaned pathetically. She was so embarrassed she didn't even know what to do with herself. Bumblebee, thinking there was a real threat, cursed in Cybertronian. He growled out her name firmly, drawing out every syllable.
"Ambrielle Denise . . . "
Uh oh. Bee used her full name. He was serious. As embarrassed as she was, she knew she could trust Bee and she was worrying him unnecessarily. "That was Chris Bartel. He went to high school with me back in Illinois. He's . . . my ex."
"Ex what?"
Brielle chided herself for not being more specific. "He's, uh, my former mate."
Bee hmmm'd to himself thoughtfully. "You're lying."
Brielle was taken aback. Her face scrunched up with confusion and she matter-of-factly said, "Uh, no I'm not. Why would I lie about that?"
Bee's processors whirred. Try as he might, he simply could not believe that such a meager male specimen was once mated to Brielle. "We are speaking of the stout one, yes?" Bee asked. He needed to double check. Even when Brielle nodded, he still didn't fully believe her.
"Why would you mate yourself with such a pitiful human specimen?" Bee asked, sounding slightly disgusted. Brielle couldn't help but chuckle as Bee's tone.
"I go for personality."
"Clearly."
The pounding in her chest resided as she dissolved into laughter. Brielle wasn't great at making friends, so when she managed to get herself a boyfriend, everyone was surprised. Then they were disappointed when they saw the kid. Truthfully, he was Brielle's one and only boyfriend. They dated for just over a year, but he chased after her since freshman year Biology.
"Would you believe me if I said he dumped me?"
The mechanical sound coming from the radio sounded like a snort. "Lying isn't a good trait to have, Miss Piper."
Brielle threw her hands in the air, her mouth open in a smile. "I'm not lying! I swear!"
Although Brielle was laughing, Bee thought that the way humans chose Spark Mates was unorthodox by Cybertronian standards, Primus, even by Earth's own standards. Whatever happened to 'bonded for life?" Even humans idealize this, yet they rarely execute it.
"Very well. I believe you, although I scarcely believe that a specimen such as yourself would allow herself to be paired with such a—"
"Wait wait wait." Brielle stopped Bee's mini lecture. "What's that supposed to mean exactly?"
Bumblebee paused slightly. Had he offended her? "Just as you were referring to my holoform as an 'Abercrombie and Fitch model' earlier, surely you are aware that—"
"Bee!" Brielle used her hands to cover her beat-red face. Just as she thought; Bee complimenting her. She didn't even think that he meant to or knew exactly what that he was saying by human standards. Nonetheless, Brielle felt embarrassed. It was clear that she was no good at receiving compliments because she always turned into a meek little giggle machine.
Before Bee could further question Brielle's odd behavior, he sighted two familiar figures walking along the sidewalk. He chirped and whirred excitedly and caight Brielle's attention. She didn't see what the fuss was about until she spotted the familiar pair.
"Oh hey, it's Sam and Mikaela." She said.
'Primus, don't let them see us.'
Bumblebee didn't anticipate his charge coming into town today. For the past couple weeks, the mech had been telling Sam that he was leaving to attend to classified Autobot business. Instead, he was in town with a femme. Even on Cybertron, that sounded bad.
Brielle recognized the low mechanical hiss as a Cybertronian expletive. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the dashboard, she knew that Bee was hiding something from her.
"Bumblebee . . ." Brielle drew out every syllable, her voice rising slightly in an accusing way.
'Uh oh. She used my full name. She's serious.' Bee thought tensely.
If there was one thing Brielle didn't like it was secrets. Right now Bee was acting like he was keeping one from her and whatever it was; it had to do with Sam and Mikaela. There was only one way to find out for sure. Before Bumblebee could lock his doors, Brielle got out of the car and Mikaela immediately noticed her. The brunette waved at Brielle, pleasantly surprised. Sam was surprised as well, but when he saw the vehicle she exited, he angrily tromped towards his Guardian. He stopped a few feet from Brielle and Bumblebee and began motioning towards the girl then to the Bee over and over again.
"What is this?" he asked.
Silence.
"What is this?" he asked again.
Brielle gave him an ignorant stare. She had no idea why he was being so pissy, but she felt the need to diffuse the tension. Raising her hands, her expression changed to 'deer in headlights' as she said, "It's not what it looks like!" in a breathy, damsel-in-distress tenor.
Sam did not look amused.
Brielle sighed with annoyance just as Mikaela arrived to the scene.
"Hey, Brielle." Mikaela's voice was warm and friendly, so she was obviously not in on the whole thing, whatever the 'whole thing' was.
Sam pointed a reproachful finger towards the Camaro. He jabbed it towards him a few times, trying to form words, but all that came out was angry babbling. Finally, he made dramatic sweeping motions towards the nearby buildings.
"This does not look like the Autobot base! Unless Ironhide decided that red is his color now." Sam growled, pointing towards a nearby Coke machine.
The girls began to put the pieces together. Brielle couldn't believe that Bee felt compelled to lie to Sam just so he could leave the house.
"Hold up." Brielle raised a hand up towards Sam's face to stifle his wacky tirade.
"Who says Bee wasn't going to the base?"
The girl shot a wary glance at Bee, signaling him to keep quiet and play along. Miss Piper placed her fists on her hips and elaborated.
"Bee was on his way to the base right now. I happened to run into him and begged to come along. That's all."
"Oh really?" Sam questioned, not buying it at first.
It was as if Brielle's minty green eyes melted to a pool of electric green acid. To Sam, it felt like she was burrowing into his soul and ripping it apart from the inside. A cold shiver ran down his spine as her lips parted, defying his previously condescending tone. "Really."
There was a long, cold silence before Sam awkwardly nodded his head. God this woman terrified him. Sam gained his composure and cleared his throat. "Fine then. If you can go, then so can we."
Brielle gritted her teeth. 'Shit.'
Upbeat chirps and whirs came from the Camaro before the radio clicked on.
"So come with me, everything you see is everything you need. Take a road trip. Go soul deep . . ."
"Then it's settled." Mikaela chimed. "Let's go."
Brielle sighed with relief. It looked like they were all talking a little road trip. Fun times.
Sam, Mikaela, and Brielle haven't seen Optimus and Co. since they left the makeshift base weeks ago. Now their Autobot friends got a serious upgrade from the shabby warehouse they resided in before. Their base was much larger and they were free to roam around without fear of being spotted by civilians.
"Jeeze, Bee. Is this place in the middle of nowhere or what?" Sam complained, although with good reason. All that could be seen was sand and cacti for miles.
The boy's girlfriend chided him by nudging his arm. "Well of course it's in the middle of nowhere. How would you feel if you happened to see a giant robot walking around near Walgreens?"
Brielle found the couple's banters to be highly amusing, mostly because Mikaela always won. The third wheel (or fourth?) was lounging in Bee's backseat in the most unladylike fashion (if laying completely upside down is considered unladylike). The girl felt the blood rushing to her head, her heartbeat growing louder in her ears. Finally, she was the one to ask what was on all their minds.
"Where is this place exactly, Bee?"
The radio changed from an upbeat pop song to a string of old news reports. "On the southern shore of Groom Lake, a large military airfield – bzzkt—other names include Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, and most recently Homey Airport."
Why did that sound so damn familiar? She was one hundred and ten percent positive that Anthony mentioned those names before. Hell, Brielle may have even heard the very same news reports coming from Anthony's room late at night.
Sam and Mikaela gave each other questioning glances. Brielle hmm'd inquisitively. She was usually a genius when it came to tidbits of useless knowledge, but this one stumped her more than it should have.
"Why do I get the feeling we're thinking too hard about this?"
Sam craned his neck to face her. Instead of seeing Brielle's lovely face, he was greeted by her knees instead. "Why are you sitting . . . never mind. What do you mean thinking too hard? It just sounds like an airfield to me."
It was Bee now who felt frustrated. He knew that Brielle knew, but she indeed was thinking too hard. His radio changed once more and an eerie tune filled the cab. The three recognized it as the opening theme to the X-Files. Once over, a rock song took its place.
"Beams of light up in the sky
Malfunctioned machinery, lost in time
Don't understand, I'm wondering why
How can this happen it's so out of line
Strangers among us
from beyond the stars
Whatever you know keep your silence
Unearthly ones from galaxies afar
There will be violence
They know something
that we don't know
What cannot be seen they'll never show
Hangar eighteen—"
"Area fifty one!" Brielle chimed, nearly hitting her head on her way back to right-side-up land. "Jesus do I feel stupid."
Sam and Mikaela were agape with this sudden realization, but Brielle was the only once bouncing up and down giddily like a nerd at Comicon.
"The Area fifty one?" Mikaela's rhetorical question was overshadowed by Sam's incredulous demeanor.
"But that's . . . is it even possible for us to even? Wow. So this means that aliens really do chill at Area fifty one. "
"Oh, Anthony would be so pissed right now."
It was Brielle's older brother who filled her mind with fantastical theories of the unknown. She loved to listen and keep up with the current conspiracy theories, but she never thought she'd actually ever make contact. That was just silly. She and Anthony always agreed that if there was life out there and if they were truly advanced, they wouldn't bother with Earth because of our 'primitive' technology and 'barbaric' ways (Bumblebee told Brielle about being captured by Sector Seven one starry night. She still fumes about it sometimes. "Fucking government" she would mutter).
Yet here she was inside of an extraterrestrial being and possibly one of the sweetest creatures she's ever met. Not to mention they were on their way to meet a few more otherworldly beings. Brielle felt a worm of guilt wriggle in her stomach. Part of her thought that this should've happened to Anthony, not her. He would absolutely die if he met Bumblebee or any of the Autobots. Brielle made a silent promise to herself that she would introduce Anthony to them one day when it was safer.
Getting into the base was a story the teens would never to share with anyone. So many hands, so many pat downs . . . it definitely felt violating. The group was finally escorted to the hangar furthest from the airfield. They were told (ordered) to not enter the other hangars under any circumstances. Of course the humans' minds whirred with what other otherworldly beings were locked up and experimented on.
The little organics exited Bee's cab and the mechanical chorus commenced until an alien robot was standing before them. Brielle felt joyful when she saw her friend's lively blue optics staring down at her. Her heart did a back flip when she saw another pair of blue optics appear from behind the scout.
"Hey, Ratch." Mikaela chimed, her gorgeous smile making Sam melt beside her.
The medic acknowledged the three with a hearty nod. "Mikaela, Brielle, Sam. Nice to see you all again." He then turned his attention to Bumblebee. "Long time no see, youngling." Bumblebee returned his greeting with a quick recession of dial tone (Cybertronian) and Ratchet laughed at whatever the scout said.
Luckily, Bumblebee called ahead and informed Optimus and the others of their visit. Brielle breathed easy knowing that Ratchet wouldn't be going on about what a 'nice surprise' it was to see them.
"Hey, where's Ironhide and Optimus?" Sam's question was currently swimming through the femmes' minds too.
Ratchet folded his mechanical hands behind his back. "Optimus is currently convening with William Lennox. Apparently your government has a proposition for us. As for Ironhide—"
"IRONHIDE! You're supposed to be the daddy!"
"I do not think your parental units have properly educated you on the human reproductive system. It is impossible for this stuffed object to have—"
"NO! YOU'RE the daddy and I'M the mommy! And THAT'S our baby!"
A low grunt sounded from inside the hangar. Ratchet continued his sentence as if uninterrupted. "Our weapons specialist has been residing with Lennox and his family as their guardian. He frequently watches over Will's daughter, Annabelle."
Brielle and Mikaela 'awwwed' in unison. They looked at each other with little baby faces and the back to Ratchet.
"That's so cute." Mikaela cooed.
"Don't say that in front of Ironhide." Ratchet said, serious as a heart (spark) attack.
Brielle and Mikaela giggled. Looks like the big tough mech had a soft spot after all (hand over your man card!).
An exasperated Ironhide exited the hangar with Annabelle nestled between his hands. She didn't look older than four or five but her porcelain skin, sapphire eyes, and curly blonde ringlets were enough to make the two females green with envy. The little girl hugged Ironhide's thumb lovingly while a raggedy old stuffed cat hung from her other hand. Ironhide glowered at the humans (don't you dare say a word or I'll atomize you all). Oh, it wasn't the humans Ironhide had to worry about. It was the CMO, who chuckled heartily at his old friend. The black mech gave a warning growl and Ratchet tried to compose himself, failing miserably. Ironhide gently set the little girl down and she skipped towards Sam, Mikaela, and Brielle.
"Hi!" she sing-songed while giving them a cheerful wave. The trio greeted her in return. Then, Annabelle's sapphire orbs locked with the yellow mech's behind her. Astounded that there was yet another Autobot she hadn't met, she ran towards Ironhide's leg and jumped up and down excitedly. "That's your friend too! Right!"
"That is Bumblebee." He answered. No one present had ever heard Ironhide's voice shift to such a warm and loving tone (was this really Ironhide, or?).
"Hi, Bumblebee!" Annabelle chimed.
Bumblebee knelt down and his radio clicked on, a southern twang permeating the air. "Howdy lil' miss."
Annabelle cocked her head to the side curiously, obviously picking up on Bee's lack of a voice. Ratchet explained to the little Lennox. "Bumblebee's voice is broken. He can't use it very much." A crude explanation, but good enough to sate the child's curiosity. A very unladylike snort came from Brielle. The group, save for Annabelle and Bee, gazed at her curiously. The victim of their stare averted her eyes and coughed nervously.
Brielle decided it was time to change the subject. "So what's Lennox talking to Optimus about?" her voice was quick and high-pitched; signs of guilt. Although the girl was really guilty of nothing except being graced with Bee's voice more than anyone else standing here.
Before the Autobots could respond, the individuals in question emerged from a separate hangar behind them. Optimus greeted his human allies and his scout, not the least bit surprised of their presence (although Brielle thought Sam had forgotten about his looming suspicion anyway). Annabelle ran into her daddy's arms and he scooped her up and spun her around a few times. Once releasing the giggling little girl, she ran back to the safety of Ironhide's leg and Lennox jogged over to the kids.
"Hey there, Cap." Sam greeted. Will grinned and nodded in his direction, but not without a little correction.
"It's Major now, actually."
"Oh, fancy." Brielle teased although she was genuinely impressed.
Optimus Prime's god-like voice caught everyone's attention. "Because of the remaining Decepticons, the United States government thinks it would be in the country's best interest to ally themselves with the Autobots in order to eradicate them."
Their attention turned to Lennox as he continued where Optimus left off. "Under the leadership of General Morshower, we would work alongside the Autobots. They're calling it the 'Nonbiological Extraterrestrial Species Team." Even Will rolled his eyes at the unnecessarily long title. "Or just N.E.S.T. for short."
The teens sighed with relief when they didn't have to commit the long name to memory. Their interest peaked dramatically at the mention of such an organization. What was all on their minds was the fact that Lennox and Optimus were comfortable sharing this information with mere civilians.
Mikaela smiled persuasively and her sweet as honey voice asked, "So, you gonna hook us up with summer jobs, right?" Lennox threw his head back into a peal of laughter. He knew that was coming.
"Well, normally I'd say no, but since you guys are sort of special cases, maybe."
Mikaela was excited, but realized this might not be all it's cracked up to be. "What would we be doing? Not pushing papers around or anything like that, right?" Lennox knew that was coming too.
"Well, actually—"
"I have requested that you become my pupil, Mikaela. After assisting me with the repair of Bumblebee's legs, I've realized that I need a pair of hands that can reach where I cannot." No one expected the CMO to chime in, but Mikaela's heart fluttered excitedly at the offer. Always keeping her cool, she flashed a smile at Ratchet and nodded gratefully. "Sounds like a plan to me."
It was Sam's turn next. Lennox explained that he could act as a liaison for the Autobots, although it was more like a liaison-in-training. He would merely learn the ropes and how to speak to governments in a diplomatic manner. The boy's breath hitched. His fists formed into little balls and it looked like he struggled to find the right words.
"Lennox, Optimus, I appreciate the offer. Really I do. It's just . . . I need some normalcy in my life. I'll be applying to college soon and there's a lot I have to do to prepare for that, ya know? Besides, I've had my share of Alien Armageddon."
If Optimus was disappointed, he did not show it. "It is understandable, Sam. It was merely an offer. You are free to accept it at a later time if you so choose."
After a warm glance from Sam to Optimus, it was time to find out what Brielle's awesome summer job would entail. Close combat? Weapon developing? Cybertronian Intel? Espionage?
"Actually Brielle, you could take up the liaison bit. I was also wondering if your sister," an annoyed huff came from Ironhide, "would be interested? Maggie and Glen are great at what they do, but they don't have the ability to hack like Marie does."
'The fuck did he just say?'
So, what Will was basically saying was that Sam, Mikaela, and Marie were offered internships and Brielle got the leftovers. Fucking awesome. It took all of Brielle's strength to resist the urge to have an all out hissy fit. Bumblebee saw her apparent (at least to him) agitation and went to her side. The yellow mech looked to Optimus and began uttering his native tongue. Optimus answered calmly and Annabelle giggled at the 'funny noises.'
Optimus just informed Bee that he requested Brielle to work closely with the Autobots, but Lennox refused. He was his best friend's niece and if anything happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do. Optimus knew he could persuade him otherwise, but did not attempt to when Bumblebee vigorously refused.
::Not a chance, Optimus! She could get killed! No. Absolutely not::
Optimus hummed thoughtfully. ::You are very fervent with your standing, Bumblebee. Odd, you did not act the same when you entrusted Sam with the All Spark. Why so protective, youngling?::
Bumblebee paused, not knowing how to respond.
The humans acknowledged the mechs' conversation, but Brielle wasn't going to wait politely for them to finish. She was being screwed over like always, but this time she wasn't going to sit down and take it.
"With all due respect, Major, I suck at liaising. I'd be much more useful doing, uh, something else." 'Anything else!'
Lennox inhaled deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, Brielle. I just don't know what else you could do. I wouldn't be able to face you uncle if something happened to you."
Brielle understood where he was coming from, but she was a teenager damnit (I'm invincible! I know everything!). "Uh, Will. In case you forgot, I took down Barricade on my own. I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."
Lennox grumbled to himself. Oh, he just couldn't wait until Annabelle was an 'all-knowing' teenager.
"How are your injuries by the way? How'd your parents take the news?"
Oh, he was good.
Bumblebee wished possessed Ratchet's capabilities to examine Brielle's wounds. He asked Ratchet via comm. to examine them quickly and the CMO did so, reporting that they were healing at a normal rate. Bee allowed the air to exit his intakes peacefully.
Brielle's hands clenched tightly. She began chewing on her lower lip and her thoughts were lined with expletives, mostly 'This is bullshit! This is bullshit!' The funny thing was that Brielle understood that it was a highly dangerous position she was asking for, but she knew she could do it. Her father's voice echoed through her mind.
'Let me do it, you won't be able to . . . Don't even bother, you can't do it . . .You'll never be able to . . .'
'SHUT UP!'
Brielle composed herself with the skill of a rabid badger. She gritted her teeth and gave a half-assed smile.
"Look, Major Lennox. If I need training, why don't you just put me through it? I know I can do it, whatever 'it' may be." Her voice never rose to a plea, although it came dangerously close. Lennox rubbed the back of his neck. Her big green eyes were getting to him, but he had to stand his ground. It would be as if he sent his own daughter out to fight giant alien robots. Not going to happen.
Finally, Optimus interjected.
"I believe that you should give Brielle a chance, Major Lennox. She has more than proved herself to us." The wise mech gazed down at Brielle. His ice blue optics radiated a sort of warmth that left the young woman with a sense of serenity (nothing can hurt me! I'm invincible!).
Bumblebee did not like where this was going. Was Optimus seriously considering allowing Brielle to face Decepticons? This must be a joke. Bumblebee wouldn't know what to do with himself if Brielle ever came in harm's way again, especially against Decepticons. The girl didn't truly understand what she was getting herself into.
The Backstreet Boys started singing, "Don't leave me girl, don't leave me, don't go . . ."
Brielle turned to Bumblebee, who was crouched on his haunches beside her. Her brow furrowed sympathetically, realizing how selfish she was acting. Bumblebee expressed on more than one occasion how he did not like seeing Brielle in danger, and she was throwing that back in his face by wanting to be out in the front lines. She sighed heavily and placed her hand on the side of Bee's face. Her voice chimed like an angelic bell when she whispered his name, "Bee . . ." The moment was cut short however when Lennox received a message through his walkie talkie.
"Major Lennox, we have a situation,' the voice gave Lennox coordinates to the 'situation' and continued, "A Decepticon has raided a civilian's home. We think they kidnapped a young woman inside the home. The house belongs to one of the civilians from the Mission City skirmish."
A large lump formed in Brielle's throat. Her hands covered her mouth, heart pounding. Why would the Decepticons kidnap a random person? Well, they wouldn't. Lennox looked crestfallen much to Brielle's despair. He and the Autobots all knew what Brielle was afraid of and the fact that they wouldn't verbalize it only confirmed her terror.
"Lennox . . ." Her voice was a mere whisper.
Will answered the distress call and made a sweeping motion to the Autobots. "We need to go. Bumblebee, get them out of here." He said as he motioned to the teens.
"Lennox!" she managed to find her voice, although it was shaky. "What's the address? Who's house is it?"
Lennox did not answer.
Her voice was a bout of angry whispers. "Oh Jesus God no. Oh God, please no . . ."
Optimus knelt down towards Brielle and said, "We will take care of this. In the meantime, stay out of sight. We will take further actions once the situation has been assessed," he then turned to the weapons specialist and instructed, "Ironhide, escort Miss Lennox to the main hangar and then meet us at the location. Autobots, rollout!" The mechs, save for Bumblebee, shifted to their alt. modes. The black Topkick drove off with a confused little Annabelle in the passenger's seat (Daddy what's happening?).
A military Jeep arrived and Lennox hopped in. Ratchet and Optimus followed suit at unspeakable speeds. Brielle gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself from having a nervous breakdown. Was it Marie that was kidnapped? How'd they know where they lived? What do they want? Is she still alive? The girl ran after the three cars only to be scooped up by Bumblebee's gentle hand. She struggled to break free, but to no avail. "Bee! Please! They have Marie!" Without a word, Bumblebee drew Brielle close to his chest and he transformed around her. Landing in the driver's seat, a seatbelt slithered around Brielle so she couldn't budge. Mikaela entered the passenger's seat and Sam hopped in back.
Mikaela placed a hand on Brielle's shoulder to comfort the girl. "She'll be fine. Optimus and the team can handle it."
Although Brielle wasn't Sam's favorite person, he tried to comfort the girl too. "Yeah, don't worry Brielle."
"Do you have siblings, Sam?" Brielle asked calmly.
Sam shook his head.
Brielle hissed out through her teeth. "Then don't tell me not to worry."
X X X
Uh oh, has Marie been kidnapped? I know she comes of as a catty beeyotch, but she means well, honest!
P.S. and by the way: I made Annabelle a few years older in case you hadn't noticed, heh.
Feel free to R&R!