Among the Stars

by J. N. Williamson

"The greatest weakness of must humans is their hesitancy to tell others how they love them while they're alive." — Optimus Prime.

There is more to them than meets the eye.

Disclaimer: I am in no means associated with the creators of Transformers, nor do I own anything.

Claimer: I merely own my Original Characters and their fictional appearance within the cray-zay world we so love.

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Chapter Four: Iredescent.

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If there was one thing that meant more to him than his dedication to a cause that by all counts shouldn't exist, it would be his love and devotion to his daughter. And though the man proved to be a pain in the ass, he was good at what he did —despite approaching things in ways that would be inappropriate— and that much anyone with a eyes could admit.

Denial.

It was ever present—like a predator prowling behind caged bars, rattling and howling in hopes for an unfortunate soul to stroll by and take pity on the monster it had become, Thomas Banachek had seen enough in his life to know that the man seated a distance from him was broken beyond belief.

Not that he could blame him. For all the years he had known the man, not once had he ever seen the man act out in rage and violence but knowing that there was a first for everything, it was at that moment that Banachek knew that no matter what he did, denial would overshadow his words.

For the conflicting emotions brimming behind the man's eyes was that of desperation, rage, pain and guilt. But most of all, hope.

And it was something that the solely needed, because there was no doubt in his mind that a hurricane was approaching—one which they had never seen before.

Pathetic.

Though she tried to bring up a strong front, the pained whimpers that would wheeze past her lip at the slightest pressure made the woman gnaw at her lip in absolute mortification—though at herself mostly.

Whimpering like a dog being kicked, she had voiced her thoughts, which had proved to be a mistake on her part. And despite being the same rank as the man, she dared not go against his orders. But having suffered through much worse than the useless limb that refused to cooperate, Jessica Simmons had taken his words to heart and in simple terms, sucked it up and moved on.

But guilt was ever present. Being the reason that they weren't getting towards their destination faster than planned, Simmons couldn't help but let out a whimper once more when the pain became a little unbearable.

"Just take a deep breath," Robert Epps murmured as her grip slackened before tightening their hold on his shoulder. It surprised him that she had gotten this far without collapsing, though looking at her fatigued expression, he knew it was fast approaching.

Having developed a slight fever through the night, Epps knew that if she didn't get medical attention ASAP—no. He refused to think of anything negative. "Let's have a look at that leg."

Though they had stopped two hours prior to cleanse the wound with clean water, something that the group couldn't exactly afford to waste —though not that he would exactly dub it as waste— Epps could see that the constant pressure she was putting her body through was causing her pain; as the clean bandage they had wrapped around her leg had soaked through completely.

"I'll be fine," Simmons found herself whispering, a reassuring smile tugging at her lips as the group came to a slight stop. "I just need a little breather." Leaning heavily against the man, Jessica could barely contain the whimper as she tried her best to move the useless limb.

But like all the times the group had stopped, silence was the last thing that Jessica needed—because no matter what she did, the events of what had placed them in their current situation would flash before her; questions arising within her mind, ones which she could not answer.

It had happened so fast—his words being the last thing she registered before darkness had engulfed her. She still found it hard to believe that she was still alive and breathing, though death still loomed closer and closer.

But that still didn't answer her question. Whatever had attacked them, it was something out of this world—and it had struck a cord of familiarity within her that she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"English, please. English." It was the rambles of Spanish that broke her train of thought, her surroundings finally registering through her mind. Her gaze slid across the sandy landscape before settling on the overturned —knowing deep down that it had seen better days— tank, a slight reprieve from the blaring sun before hobbling forward, wincing as she did so. "Just give me a second."

Catching the concerned gaze from Epps and Lennox, Simmons merely brushed them off with a wave of her hand and stared intently at soaked bandage. That was her blood. How much had she lost? In simple terms, Jessica Simmons found herself sceptical, though it should not be mistaken for ungratefulness, as her heart was still beating. It just added more fire to the flames.

Shaking her head from the dark thoughts that crossed her mind, the young woman couldn't help but recall the words spoken to her by the ethereal woman. HHad it been a figment of her imagination or was it as real as it could get?

"I've never seen a weapons system like this. The thermal shows this weird aura around the exoskeleton," blinded briefly at the intense rays of sun reigning down upon her face, Jessica Simmoms blinked rapidly as she stared at the thermal camera clutched in Epps hands before turning her attention towards Lennox. "—like it's cloaked by some kind of invisible force field."

Despite the theory being rather hard to process, Simmons merely bade the time by breathing deeply through her nose. "That's impossible. There's no such thing as invisible force fields except in, like, comic book stuff, right?" Donnelly questioned, his face expressed in utter disbelief at the mere thought of what Epps had said—something that Simmons found herself agreeing upon.

"Man, I don't know." A brief look of confusion spiked through her system at Fig's uncertainty, his gaze flickering back and forth before fingering the cross around his neck—and much to her dismay, Lennox seemed rather interested in what the man had to say.

"My mama, she had the gift, you know? She saw things. I got the gene, too, you know. And that thing that attacked us? I got a feeling it ain't over."

Then I guess that makes two of us, Simmons thought with a slight deadpan, Fig's words doing nothing but making them all shift in slight trepidation. "How about you use those magic voodoo powers and get us the hell out of here, huh?" Though leave it to Donnelly to break the ice, Jessica Simmons thought with a deadpan expression.

It churned her stomach, the sudden nausea that washed over her. A whimper once more tumbled past her lips, a sound that William Lennox was quick to pick up on. "You okay?"

No she wasn't. But she simply spared him the truth by nodding her head, gaze returning towards Epps as he handed the thermal camera towards Lennox. "When I took that picture, I think it saw me. It looked right at me."

A sense of dread filled her stomach as his words registered through her mind and the events once more flashed before her. "Like Fig said," Simmons spoke up as she once more mustered a strength she never knew she had by pushing herself up on trembling feet, her legs shaking at the sudden pressure before flicking her gaze between the group of men before stopping at the small form of Mahfouz. "—this ain't over."

Holding the thermal camera, Lennox merely sighed softly under his breath before taking a small step backwards, "All right, we got to get this thing back to the Pentagon right away. They got to know what we're dealing with here."

I don't think they know. I don't think anyon—. Though a small part of her hissed that her assumption was wrong on that part, Jessica Simmons merely pushed the raging turmoil of emotions within her aside before readjusting her arm across the shoulders of Epps. "Just take it easy," he eased before looking back towards Lennox. "My radio's fried. I got no communication with aerial."

Turning towards the Qatari boy, Lennox briefly kneeled before him and gripped his shoulder in reassurance. "Hey, Mahfouz. You know, how far do you live from here?"

Mahfouz merely stepped forward before pointing towards the mountainous landscape before and around them. "Not far. Just up that mountain."

Lennox smiled in slight relief, something that Simmons shares wholeheartedly with the men around her. "Do they have a phone?"

Mahfouz once more nodded, "Yes." Leaning heavily against Epps, something that she found herself doing more often, the relief she felt was short lived as a pang of pain shot through her body.

Lennox noting her pained expression frowned in concern, though decided against voicing it—another thing she was thankful for. "All right, let's hit it."

Author Note: I hope this chapter didn't disappoint, as I was hesitant at posting it. Though one might call it paranoia, because I honestly think that my writing skill has taken a step or two backwards. But aside from that, I honestly hope that you enjoy it. I hope that you enjoyed the little brief point of view from Banachek and how this chapter turned out. Though I would also like to thank those who have read, followed and favorited this story—as it means the world to me to know that you guys —though I hope so— love what I'm writing. I can't do this without you guys, despite the words sounding cliché. So once more, thank you so much.

But other than that, let me know what you thought.

Love,

Jesse.