AN: Squeee! Eight reviews! I'm so happy I could melt into a happy puddle of goo right now (I sent messages to several of you to that effect, actually XD). I got to work on this chapter right away, I was so excited. Enjoy!
Edit 10/28: just fixed up a couple of errors and deleted a couple of lines that were left over from the rough draft.
Ch. 2 – A (Mostly) Civil Conversation
Aine's sleep that night was disturbed by images of impossible tall creatures of twisted metal and glowing eyes, and by the time her alarm went off at 6:30 she had already given up trying to sleep and had settled on just lying in bed and trying to rationalize what she saw. As she rolled out of bed and headed downstairs toward the kitchen, her mind kept on going in the same well tread circles.
Okay, first: a large meteorite falls in the lake, which has yet to be recovered. Second, a giant robot-thing shows up on my doorstep, turns into a car, and disappears. Coincidence? Not likely.
Aine pondered that question as she raided the fridge for eggs and vegetables.
Best case scenario, it's something the government made that got out, and they don't know it's here yet. That's 'best case' because it would mean there are people out there who know about it, and are doing something about to.
She set a pan on the stove and poured the oil to heat. If it is some sort of secret government weapon, it still begs the question of why it was on my driveway admiring the cars in the first place.
Actually, that was probably the easiest question to answer. Richard valued his privacy, and with that in mind he bought a lake house that was as far from everyone else as he could manage. Just getting to the city was a chore, as buses were few and far between and on bike alone it would take nearly an hour one-way. For all she knew, it was just passing through what it had deemed a safe area and got curious.
Hold up.
Curiosity meant intelligence. Curiosity meant a certain amount of sentience. If it was truly sentient, then it seemed that less likely to have been made on Earth. Was it sentience that she saw?
Aine remembered how it had back away, hands held up in the universal sign of non-aggression, before it had practically run away from her, and for a second she felt like she couldn't breathe.
"E-even if it is, the real question is, what am I going to do about it?" She asked the empty kitchen insistently as she chopped up the peppers and mushrooms. "I mean, it's not like there's a hot line for lost secret government weapons or potential alien invasions."
Her knife stopped in mid chop.
Alien invasions.
Aine didn't know whether to laugh or be sick.
The knife fell from her hand onto the cutting board, and she felt her knees give way. "What am I supposed to do?" Aine moaned, sinking to the floor. She scooted backwards until her back hit the cabinets behind her and hugged her knees to her tiny body, suddenly feeling incredibly small and tight inside. "Who'll even believe me? Nobody else saw it, they'll all think I'm crazy."
Aine had a rare moment where she felt like cursing their home. In such a secluded area, there weren't any other witnesses to the creature's appearance.
"Probably why it was at my house in the first place." Aine muttered. Though, once she thought about it, it was surprising it had gotten as far as her home as it did, bypassing all the onlookers at the lake side. It must have gotten out of the water pretty quick to avoid detection.
"This isn't helping me!" Aine suddenly snapped at herself. She fisted her hands in her long curly brown hair, undone from the braids she usually kept it in as she slept. "The how's and why's I can worry about later, after I figure out the who's!"
Nolan.
Aine's hands relaxed. Right, Nolan. That was where she had to start. She wasn't sure he'd believe her (it was pretty incredible, she wouldn't blame any skepticism on his part), but if there was anyone that would take her side, it'd be him. She stood up again, still feeling shaky inside but already better that at least she had an idea as to what her first step should be.
The oil was hot now. Aine poured in the beaten eggs and they bubbled and popped.
Richard was the first downstairs, since he had to leave for work earlier than Nolan, which, fortunately, meant that she would be able to talk to him in private. By the time he made it to the table, Aine had, as always, his breakfast and coffee ready, with the morning paper next to it. Aine herself was back in the kitchen, cooking another plate of eggs for the next family member to come down.
Richard ate his omelet, drank his coffee, and read the paper in silence, not once sparing Aine a 'good morning' or 'thank you' for the meal. But Aine knew better than to expect one. The first time she made breakfast for him about two years ago, she tried to make it perfect because she'd thought he'd like it, that he'd appreciate the gesture…that he'd appreciate her. Richard DID like it, so much so he added it to her daily itinerary to cook for him every morning and have it ready by the time he came down.
Preparing all the meals was expected of her anyway, and had been for some time now. He wasn't going to spare any praise for her for fulfilling her obligations.
Nolan was coming down the stairs as Richard was leaving, and Aine slid his plate of scrambled eggs and toast onto the table, his preferred breakfast option. Unlike with Richard, Nolan didn't expect her to make his breakfast, and often insisted she didn't have to. She just did it because she wanted to.
"Morning Aine. Thanks." Nolan said, as he did every morning, sitting down as Aine finished it up with a glass of orange juice.
"No problem. You work hard all the time, you need the protein. Besides, you're too skiiiiiny!" She pinched his arm and shook it to prove her point, and Nolan laughed good naturedly.
It was normal, just so utterly normal, that what happened last night was feeling more distant, already, and Aine was beginning to reconsider telling Nolan about what she saw.
They chatted over eggs a bit, talking about nothing, Nolan eventually telling about what happened at the lake side (which was a short story) while Aine listened in rapt attention. Once Nolan's plate was nearly cleaned, Aine took a deep breath and gathered her courage before she leaned forward onto the table. "Nolan, remember you were asking me about last night?"
Nolan, sensing her sudden seriousness, pushed the plate aside and gave her his full, undivided attention. "Yes."
Drawing another breath and speaking quickly before she could lose her nerve, Aine told him everything: how she came across the creature, what it looked like, what it was doing, and how it transformed into a car and drove off. She described it in as much detail as she could remember, though really there wasn't much. When she was done she fell silent, letting her eyes fall as Nolan absorbed all that she had told him.
Something warm and dry was on her forehead, and she looked up to see Nolan holding a hand to his forehead as well.
"You don't seem to have a temperature," he mused. "You said you weren't sleeping well lately?"
"I didn't imagine it!" Aine exclaimed, moving her head away from his hand. "I know what I saw! I wouldn't just make this up!"
"I'm not saying that you are."
"Then believe me! I really did see a giant alien transforming robot!"
"…"
Aine just sighed and let her head fall onto the table top. "Okay fine, don't believe me. It doesn't matter anymore, it's already long gone. It's probably halfway to Jupiter or L.A. by now probably, not like anyone would notice it there."
"…Maybe I should stay home today. You work too hard, you need a break."
"Say's the boy with three summer jobs." Aine said wryly, tilting her head to give Nolan a smile with one eye. "I'm fine, you go to work. We'll talk again when you get home, okay?"
Nolan gave her an appraising look, as if debating whether or not she could be left alone. Aine let out a puff of air in mild annoyance. She loved her brother dearly, but his protectiveness could get stifling at times. "Really Nolan, I'm not gonna run around town with underwear on my head."
"Darn, I wanted to take pictures."
It took a little more prodding, but Aine was able to push Nolan out the door so that he could make it to work before his shift started. Literally.
"Alright alright I'm going!" Nolan pleaded, as little hands pushed against his back to guide him down the walkway. "Are you planning on pushing me all the way to Target?"
"Don't tempt me. It's very hard to run the citrus black market while you're in the house you know."
"Citrus black market?"
"You know how at international airports they always say 'no fruits?' That's my market, it's actually quite lucrative."
Nolan's oh so witty response was cut off by an unexpected sight: a vaguely familiar wine red sports car that looked obscenely expensive, sitting innocently in the driveway. Nolan recalled the guests last night, and tried to match them up to the cars they arrived in.
"Hey, doesn't that car belong to the Kerrs? What's it doing here?" Nolan wondered. The car was empty, and they hadn't bumped into anyone. Nolan started to approach the car. "Did Dad say anything about-"
Nolan was stopped by a tug on his shirt. Aine had gone from holding her palms flat on his back to fisting his shirt in a death grip, and when he looked over his shoulder he could see that her fair face had paled slightly, and she was staring wide-eyed at the car in terrified fixation.
Even if he didn't know the specifics, it didn't take a genius to put the dots together. And since the car was empty and they didn't see anyone…
"Aine, get back in the house." He ordered, scanning the surrounding area for unwanted visitors. Aine tugged on his shirt, staying silent. "Now Aine. If this guy scares you, I want you to go inside and call the police NOW."
"That will not be necessary; I have no desire to harm you."
The siblings jumped in unison, and Aine let out a little high-pitched yelp, coming even closer to Nolan and clinging to his shirt in fear. Nolan was holding an arm back, protecting the girl and whipping his head around trying to locate the source of the voice. He didn't recognize it, so it most certainly didn't belong to anyone in the Kerr family, at least no one he was familiar with.
Come to think of it, that voice sounded like-
"I apologize if I have frightened you." The voice went on, and the more the mystery voice talked the more it sounded like it was emanating from the (still empty!) car. "My desire was to talk to the young female behind you, but I had hoped that, with you here, she might feel more at ease."
"What the hell do you want with my sister?" Nolan demanded, easing her backwards towards the house, now that it didn't look like she was going to be releasing her vice-grip on his shirt any time soon. "Are you the one that freaked her out last night? Why is Aine going on about giant robots? Did you do something to her?!"
In spite of her fear, Aine still took a moment to feel a little miffed about being talked about like she was deaf or not present.
"I assure you that I have no desire to cause you or your sister any harm, and that I did nothing to her last light, as I'm sure she will attest to." The still unseen stranger went on. "I only ask for a little assistance. I came here because I believed your sister, who already knows of me, would be my best option."
"Assistance?" Aine said, coming out from around Nolan so he didn't entirely obscure her from view, but still being held back by one arm lest she get too close. She was still scared, plain to see from the slight tremble in her voice, but her natural (and in Nolan's mind, over-developed) sense of empathy was overcoming that. "What kind of assistance?" she asked warily.
"I…have found myself stranded far from my friends, with no way to contact them. I only need a little help, to orient myself so that I might make my own way to where they are?"
"You're lost and alone?" Aine translated, concern leaking through her voice. Nolan made an irritated sound at the sudden Disney filter in Aine's brain.
"This is all completely beside the point! And doesn't make any sense AT ALL!" He raised his voice to address the world in general, since the car was still very empty no matter what his ears where trying to insist on, and he was starting to feel stupid talking to it. "Look, I don't know who you are, or why you've got Aine going on about alien robots" (Aine frowned slightly) "but we're not doing anything else until you come out of hiding and talk to us face to face lady!"
Pause. "If I reveal myself, will it appease you?" The voice asked.
"It'd be a step in the right direction." Nolan said.
"…Very well. Please do not panic."
Nolan had enough time to think 'what?', and Aine to think 'uh oh,' before the car exploded.
That was Nolan initial thought, and he had actually tried to cover Aine and protect her from the flying debris, before he realized that the car wasn't exploding, it was shifting. With clicks and whirs the metal frame split apart and moved aside, making room for more complex machines to move and emerge, and as the twisting shifting mass of metal grey and red stood on two legs, Nolan had the thought that it wasn't just shifting, it was transforming from car to something else, just like Aine said it did.
The siblings stood still together, eyes wide and mouths agape in fascinated disbelief as the transformation finished itself, and the nearly twenty foot robot looked down with glowing blue eyes. She (for as insane at it seemed, it defiantly looked like a girl giant alien robot), kneeled down before them, bringing her head closer to their levels.
"I thank you for remaining calm. My name is-"
"GET IN THE HOUSE!"
Despite the robots protests, Nolan was already pushing his sister back into the house at record speeds, and Aine couldn't even squeeze in two words of protest before the door was slammed behind them and every lock and chain in place.
Not that it would actually do much good if the robot really wanted to get to them.
"Nolan, she wasn't going to hurt us." Aine insisted as her brother rushed past her, checking that all the door and closing the blinds. The red bot was actually trying to peer through one when Nolan pulled the curtains closed so hard it's surprising the fabric didn't tear right off.
"Not going to hurt us? Aine, it's a freaking GIANT ALIEN ROBOT!! What makes you so sure we can trust it?"
"She said she only needed help! She's lost and confused! She's not dangerous!"
"Fifteen minutes ago you were ready to hide in the basement! Now you're defending it?!"
"I didn't know anything about her! I was just freaked out, it was a mistake!"
"No, I think you're initial instincts were right on the money the first time around. So would you stop being so friggin' calm about this already?"
Tap tap tap.
The pair were shocked into silence (which seemed to be happening a lot), before in unison they whirled their heads around to stare incredulously out the glass patio door. On the other side, they could see the robot, kneeling by the door, bent down so as to peer inside-
Tap tap tap
-tapping on the glass.
Nolan pulled the blinds closed, and the robot stopped tapping.
"Nolan? I think she knows we're still in here." Aine commented. Nolan either didn't hear her or was choosing to ignore her until she decide to panic properly, and Aine resolved to let Nolan calm down before trying again. While he made sure all exits were dead-bolted three times over she headed upstairs.
Aine's room faced the road, and the roofing led out to the sloping roof of the lower level. From where she was, she could see the robot, standing on the driveway, arms crossed and head lowered. Aine had a clear look at her face, and the expression she held was a mix of concern and frustration.
Aine lightly chewed her lower lip and contemplated the wisdom of her next action. Truthfully, the nameless robot still frightened her a bit, but after talking to her, seeing her emotions, and remembering her curiosity and how...human she almost seemed the night before, Aine couldn't bring herself to just leave her alone. Her conscience kept demanding that she'd at least give her a chance to properly explain herself.
Besides, this was a chance for humanity to make contact with an alien species. How cool was that?
Before she allowed herself to think about it too much, Aine opened the window and crawled out. The robot looked up at the sound of the window, and seemed slightly surprised to see Aine coming out. But she made no move to come any closer until Aine made a beckoning motion.
"It's okay. I won't run."
The robot waited a moment longer, but when Aine only moved to sit more comfortably with her legs drawn up, she took a few steps closer until she was leaning casually against the house. At her height, she and Aine were easily at eye level.
"I'm sorry about my brother." Aine started. "He didn't really believe me when I tried to tell him about what happened last night, so this is kind of a shock for him. He's a good guy, really, just protective."
"So I see." The former car said, with a little smile. Now that Aine wasn't in a blind panic or being shepherded away, she had a chance to take a good look at her unique guest, most notably her helm. It was quite intricate, with spikes and fins that pointed backwards in an aerodynamic fashion, reminding Aine of koi fish. Or a crown.
"It was not my intent to upset either you or your brother." The robot said, startling Aine out of her study. "For that, I sincerely apologize. There was little I could do to completely avoid creating a…disturbance."
"Its fine, it's fine." Aine said, waving it off with her hand. She stood, a little shaky on the slope but quick to regain her balance, and faced her companion. "We humans have a saying: third time's a charm. So let's try this again, one more time."
Aine flipped her hand around in a friendly wave. "Hi there, my name is Aine O'Connell. What's yours?"
The robot smiled, and ducked her head a little in polite greeting (or so Aine assumed).
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aine O'Connell. My name is Elita One."
CLANK!
The robot – Elita – jolted her body backwards, one foot slight lifted, her expression one of surprised perplexity. Aine could hear more clanking sounds coming from the ground, and she carefully walked forwards until she was able to peer over the edge of the roof and see the source.
There was Nolan, attacking Elita's metal leg like a man possessed, armed only with a baseball bat (and not even one of those cool titanium ones, a wooden one).
"Get away from my sister!" He shouted, still banging at Elita's shins, though he had yet to leave so much as a scuff mark. Aine didn't know whether to be frustrated at her brother's one-tracked mind, or incredibly touched that he was prepared to fight off a giant alien robot single handedly to protect her.
"You're brother is very devoted to you." Elita observed, her arms crossed as she passively watched Nolan attack her shins the way a human might watch a Chihuahua attack their cowboy boots. "It is actually quite admirable. However, would you please ask him to cease his attack before he hurts himself?"
Aine stifled a giggle. "Sure. Hey Nolan! Nolan! NOLAN! Quit it already, we're just talking."
Nolan paused in his attack long enough to look up at Aine, breathing heavily from his recent exertion. He didn't say anything, but was warily glaring up at Elita. Aine sighed.
"Nolan, if she wanted to hurt us, don't you think she would have stepped on you by now?"
Stubborn silence.
"Look Nolan…you know what, just wait a minute, I'm coming down."
Aine started to turn to go back through her window and use the stairs, but had a better idea. "Elita? Could you give me a lift?"
Elita obliged, holding out her hand at the perfect level for her to sit, even curling up her fingers to prevent the little human from slipping off accidentally.
Nolan watched unblinkingly as Elita slowly lifted Aine from the roof and lowered her to the grass. Aine didn't make a sound, but her stomach was doing flip flops the entire time she was carried, feeling a bit like a baby bird in someone's hands. Once she was low enough, Aine slid off of Elita's palm, raised her arms and spun slowly around for Nolan's inspection.
"See? Not a scratch. NOW are you willing to believe that, just maybe, she's NOT planning on kidnapping and/or squishing us?"
Nolan hesitated a moment further, before he allowed the tip of the bat to gently lower to the grass, still holding it in a loose grip with his hands. "Maybe."
Aine beamed.
"I still say you're way too accepting of this Aine."
"It comes from reading a lot of science fiction and fantasy books. It builds up a tolerance for the weird." Aine explained brightly. "And now that we're all friends..."
She took a few steps forward so that she was evenly between her brother and her new friend.
"Nolan, this is Elita One. Elita One, this is my older brother Nolan."
"A pleasure." Elita said, bowing her head again. "Please, call me Elita."
"Um, sure, okay." Nolan said, now only holding the bat with one hand in his most relaxed stance yet. He stratched the back of his head with one hand, now looking a little sheepish. "Um, sorry about the freaked-out panic attack. I've never met a giant robot before."
"Think nothing of it. Your reaction was natural, I bear no ill will because of it. I am merely grateful that you did not call your authorities about me."
Nolan shifted on his feet in discomfort. "Yeah, about that. See, I kinda freaked out and called 911, asking them to send the army…"
Elita looked mildly alarmed, but Aine just laughed. "You told them there was an alien robot on our driveway? I wouldn't worry, there's no way they'd believe that."
"I didn't say it quite like that, actually. I don't even really remember what I said exactly, I was pretty frazzled. But see, there's this law or rule or something that 911 operators and response teams have to follow: any and all times they get a call, even if they're not sure what's going on, if they have reason to suspect theirs danger (like the sound of panic in the background)…"
The sound of high-pitched sirens drifted their way, and as one the three looked down the currently empty road where the sirens were coming from, still faint but growing louder in proximity.
"..they still have to check it out, just in case it's for real."
AN: Bet no one was guessing it'd be Elita, huh? Goodness, the entire reason I wanted to write a TF story in the first place was because I believe Elita is a secretly awesome yet undervalued and underused character who deserves to have her own story where she was more than just the romantic foil for Optimus. (How's that for a run on sentence?)
If you want to know what Movie-verse Elita looks like, just go to blacksirius./art/UPgrade-Delta-Elita-1-63993775. If you still can't find it, try searching for Upgrade Delta Elita-1. BlackSirius' picture was one of my inspirations to try a movie verse Elita-centric story. Throw in the inspiration via Ray of Starlight for the plot, and viola!
Incidentally, if anyone comes up with a better idea for a title, I'm all ears.
Till next time!