AN: Don't worry, I'm still here! But I'm going to be more leisurely about updating from now on, as I said before. It's much more relaxing, and the ideas flow better when I'm not trying to force them. BTW, check out my profile if you want descriptions of what Nolan and Aine look like. They're not terribly detailed, but you'll get the important parts. Also, I have links to Elita's Movie-Verse helm, and her alt-mode so you can check it out.
I also changed the summary a little. My 'mystery autobot' of the first chapter won't be mysterious anymore, but hopefully my story will show up more on searches.
Disclaimer: Lemme check...nope, still not mine.
Ch 5 – Heart to Spark
Richard sat on the edge of the roof, one leg dangling, the other pulled up as he hugged his knee to his chest. The sun was going down, but he paid no mind to the fading light, the waning day. He didn't care about getting down, or how long he might be stuck up there. Right now all he could do was just sit there and block out the rest of the world, his mind replaying that awful, awful moment of cowardice…
"The kids? You want the kids? Fine, take them, you can have them, anything you want, just spare me!"
Richard almost wanted to throw up, he was so disgusted with himself. He could make up excuses, saying he was panicked, wasn't thinking clearly, that the robot had somehow messed up his mind…but it didn't matter.
He had been ready to give up his own kids, to save himself. He HAD given up his kids, his own children, to save himself
My god, what have I done? I just let that thing take them, just to protect myself, and…
Wait.
Richard furrowed his brow in memory, lifting his head slightly from his knee.
The robot said it had come for the children, but Aine and Nolan…they went willingly. They even had suitcases ready. They left…on their own free will. The robot turned into a car, they hopped into the back seat, and let it drive them away.
They left with the robot.
They left him, to go with the robot.
They left him, for the robot.
They left him. They left HIM. THEY left HIM!
Richard fisted his hands as rage began to course through his body.
How dare they…how dare they, how dare they, those goddamn brats how DARE they!!
They won't get away with this. Dammit, whatever it took, he was going to GET his kids back, and they were going to learn that they were to NEVER defy him, or try to run away from them. He hadn't been this mad since his wife fled from the house and her husband. He had been about ready to break everything in the house, what with the object of his rage not being available.
No, no, he had to be calm about this. He had to be rational. He wasn't going to take this lying down, of course. He'd call the government, he'd call the army, he'd call EVERYONE, find them, track them down, maybe the army would be able to kill that thing or take it in for experiments, whatever they did for this kind of thing, and he'd get their kids back.
Richard face broke out in a dark smirk. He wondered how they'd feel to see their own little Iron Giant friend being blown to pieces by missiles.
But first…he needed to find a way down from the roof.
It was very silent in the car as they drove away from the house. Nolan was slouched in his seat, arms crossed with a dark expression, Aine was wringing her hands in her lap and looking everywhere except her brother and the dashboard, and Elita…was a car and thus impossible to read, but hadn't said a word in nearly an hour either.
"Are the two of you alright?" Elita asked suddenly, startling Aine back to reality. There was a moment's silence, but when it became clear that Nolan wasn't going to be speaking first, Aine did so instead.
"Um, yeah I'm fine," Aine said with a weak smile, directing her attention to the radio since that was where Elita's voice seemed to be emanating from. "I mean, my nose stopped bleeding awhile ago, and my face doesn't hurt anymore."
"But are you alright?" Elita persisted, and this time the girl couldn't pretend to not realize that her newest guardian wasn't referring to the bruises.
"I-" she stopped, reflexively looking sidelong at Nolan. Whatever she had hoped to see, she didn't get it as he continued to stare steadfastly forward, disconnected from the current conversation. "I'm not…I don't…"
"Your father attacked you, and then all but abandoned you," Elita said quietly. "Does that not upset you?"
"I…I'm uh…" Aine couldn't continue, her throat was closing up. She squeezed her fingers with one hand so tightly she almost feared breaking them. "I…I…"
"Why did you have to butt in?"
Aine nearly swallowed her tongue.
"I beg your pardon?" Elita asked slowly.
"Why did you have to butt in?" Nolan repeated slowly, his eyes burning with simmering anger. "I had everything under control. Why did you have to bust in like that?"
"Your father demonstrated violence toward yourself and your sister. You would have me stand by and allow it?"
"I'd 'have you' mind your own business!" Nolan snapped. "You had NO RIGHT to do that! I've been putting up with Dad's shit for years, so I know what I'm doing! I was going to stop him before you crashed in. I didn't need you come in and 'save' us!"
"With all due respect Nolan," Elita said, her voice even but firm in its seriousness, "I do not believe you had the situation as much under your control as you would have me believed. I will not stand by and allow harm to befall my allies."
"Allies. Right. That's all we are, isn't it? The only reason you even GIVE a damn is because we said we were going to help you. That's it, that's all. If I didn't, then you'd have left us alone, right?"
"S-stop it Nolan!" Aine said, still looking down at her lap as her hands began to tremble. "Sh-she was only trying to help. Y-you don't need to get so, so mad at her. I, I mean, she saw that Dad was hitting you, and my nose was bleeding, and-and she only did wh-what she thought s-she had do to pro-protect us. So, so stop yelling at her…please?"
Please Nolan, she silently begged, please don't make this worse. This tension, this anger…I feel like I'm going to suffocate, please, make it stop…
(-nausea sick her stomach just a little now but it's getting worse it always got worse-)
"I wasn't yelling." Nolan insisted, and he was about to say more when an odd look crossed his face as he realized something. "Elita? How DID you know what was going on? You weren't anywhere near the house, how could you hear anything? Wait…were you spying on us?!"
(-trembling trembling whole body shaking shaking shaking whole body trembling-)
"It is hardy 'spying' Nolan. You and Aine had been demonstrating anxiety toward your father the entire day, but when I inquire as to why, both of you remained reticent. I was concerned, so I kept my scanners focused on your home, in the event intervention became needed."
"'Scanners?'…You were listening in on us??" His voice was raising, he was getting angry again…
(-heart racing, faster, faster, faster, going to leap out of her chest, faster fasterfaster-)
"I could hear ever word spoken, yes."
"That-that-that's a complete invasion of privacy! You had no right to do that!"
"Sh-she was o-only trying to help," Aine forced out.
(-nausea getting worse sick sick sick can't stop trembling hold hands tight don't let them see can't let them see-)
Nolan actually looked shocked. "So wait, you're on her side now?"
"N-no! I'm only s-saying, she saw we were getting hurt and, and she wanted to stop it, right?"
(-chest hurt it hurt starting to hurt it hurt it hurt it was hurting so bad getting worse always got worse-)
"Aine is correct. I had reason to be concerned from the beginning, and acted on it. I could not, in good conscience, leave you alone."
"Conscience? Where's your conscience when it comes to spying on people in their own homes?"
(-gasping gasping can't breathe not enough air can't breathe can'tbreathcan'tbreathe-)
"You would value momentary privacy over your own safety?"
(-can'tbreathe-)
"Yes!"
"…Aine, are you alright?"
"STOP THE CAR!"
Elita slammed the brakes, and within seconds Aine fumbled the buckle loose and was opening the door. Nolan reached over and grabbed her arm before she could get out. "Where are you going?"
"I-I-I have to use the bathroom!"
Stunned silence.
"Okay?"
Aine pulled her arm away and near dashed for the trees, disappearing within seconds. Nolan blinked after her.
"What. The hell. What that?"
Aine ran into the woods, heedless of the branches smacking her in the face, the stones, and debris that tripped and stumbled her every dozen steps or so, until she nearly ran headlong into a tree and collapsed at its base.
Air, air, it was everywhere, but she couldn't get it into her lungs, her diaphragm wouldn't expand and let the precious air in, and her chest was still hurting hurting so bad, her heart beating so fast and hard too fast too hard it hurt-
(-oh my god am I going to die here today is this the day I die am I-)
She hugged the tree with all the might of her little arms and tried to scream, sheer terror filling every pore of her body, but she couldn't do it, she didn't have the AIR, she couldn't scream she could barely breathe.
(-oh my god oh my god ohmygodohmygod-)
Tears streamed down her face as her body trembled violently in her terror that this might be IT, this might be the night her heart finally gave in, that this would be the last attack that would break her.
(-I don't want to die I don't want to die I'm not ready to die Nolan needs me Elita needs me I don't want to die-)
She was mute, helpless, scared and alone, and all she could do was grip the rough bark until it dug into her hands and drew minute amounts of blood, trembling as panic and terror racked her body, unable to move, unable to scream, unable to do anything more than simply endure and hope it would end soon.
20 minutes earlier
"What. The hell. Was that?"
Elita, recognizing a rhetorical question when she heard it, said nothing. She had other matters to ponder anyway, like Aine's unusual biological readings shortly before she demanded they stop right then and there. Nolan, meanwhile, remembered he was still mad at Elita, and took the opportunity to get out of the car as well.
Standing a few feet away, arms crossed, he refused to look at her, instead glaring at the trees on the other side of the road, the opposite direction of where Aine went. If Elita wasn't going to admit she was wrong for butting in where she wasn't supposed to, fine, he just won't deal with her until she apologized.
Elita, however, proved uncooperative in this matter.
"What is this truly about Nolan?" she asked, in that calm, patient voice of hers that spoke of infinite understanding. "Is this because you feel that I do not trust you to protect yourself, that I see you as a child?"
"What? No, it's…look you…see it's…arg," he gave up, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "I mean…look, I've been dealing with this crap for years now, so it kinda pisses me off when someone who's almost a total stranger decides 'hey, this is my business now' or…yeah, something like that. Y'see?"
"I believe I am beginning to. But there is more, isn't there?"
Nolan stuffed his hands in his pockets, still not looking back at her.
"It is almost about what your father said, isn't it?" She asked quietly, somberly.
Nolan hitched his shoulders up. "Don't look too much into it. And don't feel sorry for us either. "I've ALWAYS known he thinks of himself first and foremost. Why would he be any different in a life-or-death situation? Hell, he probably thought you were going to eat him or something, it's hard to keep up a charade under that kind of stress."
"Knowing and suspecting the truth of something, is different from seeing it confirmed with your own eyes," Elita pointed out. "There is no weakness in feeling hurt and betrayed."
"I don't want to talk about this right now, okay?"
"Very well."
They remained in silence for a few moments longer, before Elita opened her driver door in silent invitation. After a moment of contemplation, Nolan went in.
"I understand my interference compromises our mission, and that it put a great deal of stress on yourself and Aine, both now and later, when you next see him." Elita said. "While that was unavoidable, I do apologize for that much. However, I acted with only your best interests in mind. I have no regrets about my decision, and I will not apologize for it."
Nolan felt like he should be mad at Elita, but for some reason he couldn't summon the emotion. Maybe he was just too tired. Constant anger took a lot of energy, and it had already been a long day.
Besides, Richard had been worse than usual, probably because Nolan had been more rebellious and insolent than usual and, if he were to be honest with himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to stop Richard from causing even more harm to Aine, not without resorting to an all out fist fight. At least Elita spared them from that.
"Y'know, I'm learning that it's really hard to stay mad at you," Nolan commented with a sardonic grin. "Seriously though? Spying on other people isn't cool, so don't make a habit of it, okay? This isn't Cybertron, or whatever. Respect our privacy from here on out, and we're all good."
"Should I take this to mean that we are at peace again?" Elita asked lightly.
"Yeah sure. Considering we're going to be hanging out with each other a LOT for the next few days…even I know carrying a chip on my shoulder the whole time doesn't make for a happy work environment. Consider the hatchet buried, or whatever."
"Hatchet? What does a small axe have to do with us here and now?"
"It's a human expression Elita. It's a good thing."
"Ah."
They fell silent again, but instead of being uncomfortable and tense, now it was easy and relaxed. It was a welcome change, Nolan could admit, and Aine would be glad of it when she finished her bathroom break.
Come to think of it…
Nolan checked his watch, which did no good because he hadn't checked the time Aine left, and lacking a starting time left him without a way to determine how much time had actually passed.
"Hey Elita? Is it just me, or is Aine taking a really long time to pee?"
"I am afraid I am not familiar with the biological requirements or needed time for human waste disposal, so I cannot comment," Elita pointed out, almost dryly.
"Well, do you know how long it's been then?" Nolan amended.
"Approximately 16 minutes 43 seconds."
"43 seconds? How the hell is that approximate? Wait a sec, over fifteen minutes already?" Not a terribly long time, but considering Aine was out in the woods he'd figured she'd try to be back as soon as she could. Unless she got turned around and was lost, or was scared off by a snake, or ran into a bear…
"Yes, although I suspect she is using this time to calm herself," Elita said, before Nolan's imagination could really take flight.
Nolan gave the radio an odd look. "Calm herself? Why would she need to be alone to do that?"
Elita didn't answer, but Nolan got the distinct impression he just asked a really stupid question.
"Okay, let me rephrase that: how do you figure that?"
"Earlier, I noticed that Aine's biological signs were changing rather drastically, similar to how they had been when we had first met and she had been on the verge of panic."
"Panic? You think she was starting to really freak out?" Nolan waved a hand to dismiss the notion before Elita could even say anything more. "No way. Sorry, but I think you're getting something wrong here. Aine's one of the calmest, most easy going people I know. I mean, if she can accept YOU as quick as she did, then she's not gonna freak out that badly from one argument."
"Hmm," was Elita's only, noncommittal response.
It felt like an eternity until her heart rate finally began to slow to a normal pace and she felt like she could breathe normally again. She wiped her clammy hands against her white skorts as she leaned back against the tree, taking deep breathes and relishing the ease of each one. She laid one hand across her stomach. The nausea was still there, but it too was fading, and she no longer felt like she was going to throw up anymore.
This wasn't the first episode she'd had. The first one had been five months ago, in March, and in its newness had been truly terrifying. She had been home alone and had collapsed in the hallway, trying to pull in air as stabbing pains laced her heart. At the time, she had sincerely believed she was having a heart attack. Once it was over she realized that, no, it couldn't have been, she was too young and healthy for that. Fearful of bothering Richard or needlessly worrying Nolan, she had instead chosen to dismiss it as a one-time incident and left it at that.
This had been her third episode.
Aine pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. She didn't know what these episodes were, or why they were happening to her. Was it a hereditary disease? A weak heart condition? She had no way of knowing by herself. She HAD considered seeing a doctor…but that would be a lot of trouble, and expense, and it would mean letting Richard and Nolan know about it.
No, it had been better to keep it to herself for as long as possible. She hadn't want to make anyone else worry, or to be a burden. Richard liked it best when everything ran smoothly, and if he knew about Aine's episodes, he'd probably get upset and get mad more often. Life at home was so much easier when he was content, and Nolan was happier if the house stayed peaceful longer. If the truth got out, their delicate balance would be broken, and she couldn't let that happen.
But what about now? She no longer had to worry about maintaining that balance, not out here at least. Would it be alright now?
No.
Not now, not ever.
They had to go back someday anyway, and she'd have to go back to keeping the peace in any way possible. That meant keeping the secret for as long as she could. Besides, she was starting to recognize an episode when it was coming on, so she will be able to leave if she sensed another, before Nolan had a chance to witness it himself.
She curled up a little more, feeling very small and tight inside. She felt if she kept curling up, she could disappear completely.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, she finally got to her feet and wobbled back to where Elita and Nolan were waiting; regaining her even stride by the time she broke the tree line. She could see Nolan perk up in his seat as soon as he spotted her, and she gave a little wave even as Elita popped the front passenger door open for her.
"Sorry for taking so long," Aine said as she slid in. Nolan held up a rectangular plastic bottle of clear liquid.
"Hands please."
Aine obediently held out the appendages as Nolan squirted then with the disinfectant gel, rubbing it all over her hands as Nolan twisted around to replace the bottle back into the supplies back behind the driver's seat.
Elita pulled away from the side of the road, and as they continued on their journey, Aine could feel the atmosphere had changed drastically. The tension that had nearly choked her earlier was gone, and Nolan was relaxed in his seat with one hand lightly on the steering wheel for appearance's sake, no longer glowering or trying to avoid touching Elita's interior as much as possible. Elita, meanwhile, had turned on the radio and was flitting through the stations, settling on one that played soft rock, pleasant to listen to and a nice way to relax at the end of the day.
"We will continue down this way for another couple of hours," Elita was saying over the music. "After which we will pull over for the night, and start again early in the morning once the two of you are rested."
"Fine by me," Nolan said. "We can break out the can opener and Benson stove. It'll be like camping for real."
Aine smiled, relieved by the new balance of the group. She leaned down a little to talk into the radio.
"Hey Elita? Tell us some more about Optimus."
"What would you like to know?"
"Oh anything," Aine said breezily, before her smile turned sly, "like what the deal is between you two."
"What? I didn't-"
"No, but I could tell by the way you talk about him. Sooo…what's he really like?"
Nolan turned his head to look out the window, not entirely concerned with the girl-gossip that was starting up. That's why he noticed the long line of black vehicles heading down the same road they were, going the opposite direction. He turned his head to watch them go, easily half a dozen cars at least. Whoever they were, they looked official and meant serious, get-out-of-our-way business.
"That's not too conspicuous," Nolan observed quietly. "I wonder if the Senator or someone is in town."
The parade of black vans and cars pulled up to the lone house isolated by tall pines and distance from everywhere else. The upstairs was dark, but the lower level windows were lit up, so at least one person was still home. Hopefully the boy who made the 911 call, he was the only one they were interested in right now.
From the lead car, Reginald Simmons stepped out, slamming the door behind him.
"Okay people, I want team A with me in the house, Team B on the outside." He ordered. "You know the drill: examine every nook, cranny, and blade of grass for any NBE radiation, take whatever samples you have to, and report any major findings you come up with. Duane, Grit, you'll be conducting interviews with the other family members, see if any of them saw anything. Remember, we're looking for any and all physical evidence of an NBE presence. We can't leave ANYTHING behind. Clear?"
"Clear." And a dozen inauspicious uniforms scattered with practiced ease. Simmons himself started walking up the driveway with his two chosen agents on either side of him, Team A hanging back until the homeowner opened the door to let them in.
That proved unnecessary however.
"Hey! HEY! You down here!"
Simmons stopped midstride, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"Up here!"
Obediently, he, and everyone else, looked up.
Perched on the roof of the house was a middle aged made, features indistinct in the fading light, waving down at them. "Get me down from here, before that robot comes back!"
Dead silence.
"I think we've just confirmed the presence of an NBE." Duane mentioned. Grit gave him a flat look from behind the sunglasses.
"Gee, you think?"
Nearly an hour later found Richard, dirty and a little scrapped from sliding around on roofing tiles but in once peace and one solid footing again, sitting on his living room couch while half a dozen agents combed through his home in a frighteningly experienced manner, holding little handheld…something or other that made beeping sounds. They were everywhere: in the yard, the living room, driveway, upstairs, one was even kneeling by the stairs (was he planning on inspecting each and every step?).
Richard had tried to protest half-heartedly to the invasion and search (he mentioned something about constitutional rights, he was pretty sure), but he gave up pretty quick, preferring to stay seated on the couch. Hey, if these government goons knew ANYTHING about the robot, then he wasn't going to get in their way.
"Sir?"
Richard looked up to see the lone female agent there, a pretty blonde woman with her hair pulled back in a low bun. She wore minimal make up, but she hardly needed it, and even sitting down Richard could tell she was very tall, probably pushing six foot, very rare for a woman. Her sunglasses were in her chest pocket, so he could see she had green eyes.
She kneeled to put herself on the same level as Richard.
"Sir, my name is Alicia Grit," she began. "I need you to tell me what you saw. We also need you to tell us where your son is?"
"My son?" Richard repeated in confusion.
"Your son made a 911 call this morning, we think he saw something that pertains to national security. We need to know what he saw, and everything that happened."
Nolan…he saw something earlier? Was that why the robot wanted him and Aine? Was that when they made their pact to betray him?
Richard only shook his head, the wheels in his mind already turning. "He's gone. That thing took him."
Alicia Grit started. "Excuse me?"
"The giant robot took my kids, left me on the roof, said that if I told anyway, that'd it'd come back and kill me." Okay, the robot hadn't said those exact words, but he could pick up on the implied meanings. Besides, if they thought the robot was a threat to the kids, then they'd work that much harder to bring them back here, where they belonged.
Grit had a sympathetic look on her face, and she put a hand on Richards shoulder. "Richard, I promise you we will do everything we can to get your children back, but I need you to tell me what happened."
Richard gave her a flat look. "Look, lady, I appreciate what your trying to do, but I'd rather talk to your boss, or someone in charge."
"Very well. Simmons!"
The man in question looked up from where he was examining the broken glass door.
"He only wants to speak to you," she explained. Simmons gave a curt nod and made his way over.
"You're name is Alicia, right?" Richard confirmed. When she nodded, he said, "There's some coffee in the corner cupboard. Go brew up some for me. The coffee maker's pretty simple, so even you'll be able to figure it out."
Alicia drew her lips in a thin line, and even the approaching Simmons looked annoyed at having a civilian trying to order around one of his own subordinates.
"Sorry sir," Grit said crisply, "I have work to do." She moved away as Simmons took over, leaving a slightly confused Richard behind. What was her problem? He wanted coffee, and she was here. What was the problem?
"Sir, you mentioned something about a giant robot before?" Simmons said. Richard looked up at the tall man blinkingly. Right then his mind (finally) caught up to everything, enough for him to realize he was missing a few key pieces of information. For example...
"Just who the hell ARE you people, and what are you doing in my home in the first place?!"
This got him a gold colored badge in the face, and he had to jerk his head back.
"We're with the government," Simmons explained shortly. "Reconnaissance and Discretion Agency."
"Never heard of it."
"Never will. That robot you saw earlier? We have reason to believe it's a Non-Biological Extraterrestrial. It's our job to track it down before it has a chance to cause any damage."
"Extrater – aliens??"
"Exactly. Which is why it's of VITAL importance you tell me everything that has happened."
"Oh my god…"
"Some time tonight would be great, sir."
Richard glowered at the government agent, who was already beginning to grate on his nerves with his impeccably calm snobbery. Still, if he wanted to get his kids back, he was going to have to cooperate with them. Even he could understand that much. Still, he was going have to be careful about the story he told.
"I didn't know about the 911 call, but I got home a little after seven…"
Simmons listened to the man tell about his brush with the NBE, occasionally jotting down key notes, like descriptions and what the NBE said to him. Apparently a little over an hour ago the father had just got home and greeted his children in the living room, when the NBE shoved a hand in through the patio door (hence all the broken glass), and grabbed Richard. After threatening Richard's life if he didn't keep quiet, the NBE left him on the roof, grabbed the kids as they tried to run away, and ran off into the woods with them.
Kidnapping, destruction of property, threatening a human…yep, definitely looks like an NBE-D to me, he thought as Richard was winding down. Great. Juuuuust great.
"Anything we need to know about the kids?" Simmons asked, pocketing the little notepad. "Will they cooperate, try to escape, rebel?"
Richard shook his head. "Well, Nolan might, he's always been rebellious and hard to deal with. Aine…god, she's a delicate thing, I don't know how she'll handle it. She won't fight back, so maybe the robot won't hurt her." Richard now had a slightly ironic smile on his face. "Probably a good thing those kids were taken together. Nolan won't do anything that'll jeopardize Aine, so that'll curb him, and Aine will have him for support when she gets too scared."
Yes, that's how they had always been, hadn't it? They had always been close, them against him almost. It used to irritate him to no ends, how their first loyalties had been to each other rather than to him first. Now…well, it still irked him, but it might prove to be their saving grace. Or at least Aines. Maybe they'll at least be able to get her back, since frankly, he didn't see Nolan cooperating for too long with the alien. How long with its patience last before it runs out and it kills him?
Well, he'd rather have both back, but if he HAD to pick one to save, it'd be Aine. She was easier to control.
"Alright people, we've got what we came for," Simmons was saying to his teams. "Let's pack up and get out of here."
Richard felt strong arms lifting him from the couch, and it a moment of shocked clarity he realized that, when Simmons said 'pack up', he was including himself as well.
"Hey! What're doing??"
"You're a key witness Mr. O'Connell," Simmons explained, leading him and his captors out the door. "We might have need of you later, and since you're the only remaining witness, we can't exactly just leave you right now. Can't risk you telling all your friends about the cool alien sighting you had."
"This is kidnapping!"
"And I've got a little badge that says I can get away with just about anything I want for the sake of National Security."
"You can't do this! I've got to go to work tomorrow! I have clients! You can't just pick me up and take me out of here!"
Richard was shouting his complaints all the way to the van, needing to be pushed in by his insistent new hosts.
Meanwhile, a certain reconnaissance team was just passing the Utah state line into Denver.
"Y'know, I really have no idea why everyone says the food in Utah is so bland," Sam was commenting, finishing up the last of his dinner. "That tasted just fine to me."
"I'm pretty sure McDonalds is going to taste the same everywhere Sam," Mikaela pointed out with a grin, crushing her own white and red bag.
"Hey, you never know. Hey Mickey, check you're Monopoly pieces, what'd ya get?"
"Uh, States Avenue and Illinois Avenue."
"Darn it, I don't have either of those."
"You seriously collect these pieces?"
"You never know, I might be the million dollar winner!" He said this with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Sam," Bumblebee interjected tentatively, "I don't want to disappoint you, but the chances of that happening are-"
"Insanely small? Yeah, but its fun to try anyway."
"Plus the government's gonna take half of it in taxes anyway," Mikaela pointed out, sipping the last of her diet coke.
"Seriously?! Half??"
"The government wants it's cut, sweetie."
"Optimus to Jazz"
"Jazz here. What can I do for ya, Boss Bot?"
"The RDA has new information for us about one of the landed Cybertronians, which you all need to know."
"Hold on a sec, lemme put you on the open comm. so Bee and the kids can hear this too."
With a short crackle, the voice of the Autobot Leader was booming in Bumblebees small cab.
"Secretary Keller has informed me that the RDA has a witness who was attacked by one of the Cybertronians." The human's immediately straightened.
"Attacked?!" Mikaela repeated. "Is he okay?"
"He is unharmed. The Cybertronian merely picked him up, threatened him, and left him on the roof of his house."
"That's…weird." Sam commented. "Why would anyone do that? Just for kicks?"
"He also said the intruder took his son and daughter."
"Oh my god…" Mikaela whispered. "Why?"
"No one knows," Optimus admitted. "But this does not sound like Autobot behavior."
"So we've got at least one Decepticon runnin' around then," Jazz observed. "Well, don't that just beat it? Prob'ly took the kids as hostages, just in case things went sour down the road."
"The attack happened less than 90 minutes ago, so the Cybertronian should still be in New York," Optimus went on. "The government is keeping an eye out, but you two are going to need to hurry before the trail gets too cold."
"On it Boss Bot, we'll keep drivin' all night. Jazz 'n Bee out."
"Sorry Sam, sorry Mikaela," Bumblebee said, sounding sincerely apologetic. "It doesn't look like you'll be terribly comfortable tonight." Sam waved the apology off.
"I'm pretty sure catching the Bad Guy and saving the hostages is a little more important than my beauty sleep. Mikaela, you want the back seat? I'm just fine in the seat."
"Really? Thanks Sam, you're sweet." She gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek before climbing in the back. Sam grinned goofily. Who says chivalry is dead?
Turning off the communications on his end, Optimus leaned heavily against the consol. This wasn't going well at ALL. It could still get worse, granted, but it was early yet. He could only pray that those innocent children would be found safe and alive.
"Not what we'd been hoping for isn't it?"
Optimus looked up to see Ironhide enter the room with a knowing, sad smile. Optimus nodded in agreement.
"News of new arrivals should have been a happy occasion, a reason to celebrate," Optimus said. "They should have been a sign that we were not dead yet. It was not supposed to preclude unknown dangers like this. I want to be optimistic about the second one, but I also have to be realistic. If they have not contacted us by now, then they are not going to. That does not bode well for their allegiance."
Ironhide clapped a hand on his superiors shoulder. "These two are only the first. They won't be the last. I can think of a few who'd get here even if it meant fighting through the entire Decepticon army if they had to."
Optimus gave the Weapons Specialist a wry smile. "Like Chromia?"
"Exactly," Ironhide said pride evident of his bond-mate. "Slag if she lets anything stop her." He gave Optimus a significant look. "And as long as Chromia's alive, then we both know that Elita One is too. They're both far too stubborn to die."
Optimus started slightly at the mention of Elita's name, but his expression relaxed as he fell into old, fond memories. "You are right. Elita is one of the strongest people I know. If anyone will make it to earth, it will be her." His face saddened. "But still, I wish I could know for certain if she is still alright." He let out a lit laugh. "Sometimes, I envy you, Ironhide."
"Envy me?" the mech in question repeated.
"Through your bond with Chromia, you do not have to wonder if she is still alive or not, you can just know. I don't have that with Elita."
On reflex, Ironhide lifted a hand to his chassis, over where his spark was. The bond between himself and his femme, while sometimes painful due to the strain of time and distance, still remained a comfort to him. Though he could not share his thoughts with her, whenever he prodded it he would still receive, not a message, but a sense of 'I'm still here' from her. Yes, the separation could be hard and painful on bondmates, but it was also a comfort to know that the other was still alright.
"Why didn't you ever bond, Optimus?" Ironhide inquired. "Everyone assumed it was going to happen sooner rather than later, and the two of you had been an item for a ridiculously long time even before the war."
Optimus remained silent, for such a long time Ironhide was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer.
"I'm sorry Optimus, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to--"
"No, it is alright Ironhide. In truth, I HAD wanted to make her my bondmate, and had the war never happened we probably would have bonded. But once the fighting started, she refused to allow it…
"…because I could not allow him to tie himself to me"
"What do you mean?" Aine asked, leaning forward in her seat. Even Nolan was listening intently, though he had yet to ask any questions.
"I mean, bonding is like your guys' version of marriage, right? What's so bad about it?" Aine asked.
Elita was silent for a long moment before she answered.
"When humans marry, they exchange a promise to each other that they both consider sacred and binding. But that promise can be broken and made a new with another. Bonding…cannot."
"Why?"
"When we bond, we merge our sparks. Our sparks our the purest forms of ourselves, the cradle of our lives, and merging sparks is a merging of minds and souls, and is the most intimate of encounters on every level. Every thought, every emotion, every sensation is shared and treasured. But more than that, being bonded to another means being tied irrevocably to one another. We can sense each other, feel the other's strongest emotions, even share thoughts across the bond."
The human's eyes widened. That level of intimacy, of connection of minds…it was hard to fathom. Not to mention the commitment that went with it.
"Yikes." Nolan commented. "That's…pretty deep. So I guess you have to be pretty careful who you decide to bond with then, huh?"
"Very much so. Interfacing almost always preludes bonding, as a way to come to know one another in a more intimate manner before the commitment of bonding is made. The sharing of thoughts and emotions is similarly shared, but easier to control and not as revealing, and ends with the encounter."
"I guess that makes sense," Aine said nodding. "Better to know what you're getting into, huh?"
Nolan didn't say anything. There was something about the way Elita was describing sparks merging and interfacing that wasn't sitting right with him…
"With that much sharing," Aine was saying thoughtfully, "I'm not surprised you didn't want to bond yet. It'd take a LOT for me to be willing to open myself up that much to another guy."
"On the contrary, I DID wish to become his bondmate," Elita corrected. "That was not the problem."
"What was it, then?"
"I told you that bonding means merging and connecting sparks forever. When one dies, the other almost always follows shortly after."
Nolan snapped back to attention.
"Whoa whoa WHOA! You mean if he died, you'd die too?!"
"Correct."
"…You guys take the 'till death do us part' thing pretty seriously, don't you?"
"Death does not always follow the other, but only in incredibly rare circumstances. I suspect most do not wish to survive without their bondmate."
"That's…kinda extreme."
"Being bonded means more than just sharing experiences. It means experiencing you're entire world with twice the senses, twice the joy, twice the heartache, always knowing you have this support, this never fading rock to lean against. To lose that, is to lose almost everything."
The kids leaned back in their seats as they absorbed the meaning of this.
"Wow." Nolan said quietly. "That's pretty amazing, actually. So wait, why didn't you want to bond then, if it's supposed to be so great?"
"Was it because of the war?" Aine asked quietly. Elita was silent for another long moment.
"Optimus is the Prime, the one we need to lead us through this war, to lead us when it ends. Every Autobot still alive looks to him to lead them, to protect them. I am the Femme Commander, one of the highest ranking soldiers in the army. If I were to be killed in battle, Optimus would be forced to follow me to the Matrix. I could not risk letting that happen, not while the Autobot cause needed him more than I did."
The teens shared a look. What could they say to that?
"Ah, but the war's over now!" Aine said perkily. "So um…yeah." She trailed off, too embarrassed to say more. Elita chuckled.
"That is a matter to be discussed between Optimus and myself. But thank you for your concern."
"This 'bonding' thing," Nolan said thoughtfully, "it means you know what the other's feeling you said? That you can tell when the other's hurting?"
"Yes."
"So, one bondmate can't hurt the other on purpose, because then he'd feel it too. He'd really be hurting himself if he hurt his bondmate."
"There are those who have abused the bond," Elita admitted, "but because of the shared pain they are few and far between. Only a truly twisted person would be able to deliberately hurt their bondmate."
Twisted. Nice word choice.
"Too bad humans aren't like that," Nolan commented. "I mean, I'm not comfortable with the idea of sharing my every thought and emotion like that…but at least we'd have a lot fewer husbands hurting their wives if they could feel each other's pain."
Everyone fell silent after that, and it continued to stretch on to the point of getting awkward. Nolan thought back over Elita's descriptions of bonding and interfacing beforehand to test the waters, so to speak. Once again, something about her descriptions felt a little off to him, but he couldn't quite place his finger on-
Click.
"HOLY CRAP!" Nolan screeched, eliciting a startled yelp from his sister. "Elita, were you just talking about SEX!?"
"We are not biological creatures, and thus we do not have sexual intercourse the way humans do," Elita said, and she sounded faintly amused. Nolan allowed himself to relax, and even Aine looked relieved.
Then Elita dropped the bombshell.
"But for all intents and purposes, yes, I was referring to Cybertronian sex."
Aine covered her face as she blushed to high heaven, and Nolan was making a choking sound. Elita, having successfully scandalized her charges, was having a good laugh over it.
"We'll be staying here for the night," Elita said, still chuckling as she pulled up behind a billboard. The road was long and empty, and they had left the woods a long time ago.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Nolan got out, still dazed. Aine had yet to recover. Elita was still giggling.
"Laugh it up you," Nolan grumbled as he got out letting Aine change into her pajamas in privacy, which only made the Femme Commander laugh harder.
The road wasn't terrible crowded at this time in the evening, with most of the humans having already made it home, but the ones that remained gave the imposing military vehicle a wide berth as it barreled down the highway.
The military vehicle himself was steeped in his own mind. He had a general idea of where his quarry had landed, having seen her land before he did, so he had a good idea of where to start. And once he got there, he could track her by the radiation that all Cybertronians emitted, which stood out in stark contrast in this primitive, organic filled world. In the meantime, he kept his long-range scanners on full alert, ready to pick up the slighting scent of her, the tiniest clue of where she might be and where she was going.
She was NOT going to escape him this time. He was going to find her, tear her apart piece by piece while she was still alive, and crush her still pulsing spark with his bare hands as she watched, so he could watch the life fade from her optics himself.
Crude? Yes. Violent? Oh sweet Primus, yes. She deserved no less, after what she did.
He felt the familiar rage course through his body as he remembered. His team had been following her and her select officers, and had tracked them to an asteroid field surrounding a small planetary system. She had peeled away, and his team, believing her to be the better prize, focused their attention on her, allowing the rest of her team to slip away. It didn't matter. They thought, working together, even missing one member as they were, they would be able to capture her alive, a worthy prize and a boon to the Decepticon army, the Femme Commander.
They were wrong.
One by one, she picked them off, separated them from each other with traps and feints, shooting them in the back before she disappeared among the space debris. She was patient, allowing long amounts of time between each attack, waiting for just the right opportunity to reappear and strike again. It had been more like hunting a ghost than a live soldier. They were fools for believing they had stood a chance against her, when she was in her element.
He himself had been in time to watch her shoot one of his own teammates in the head, point blank.
She left him for dead on that asteroid. Now she was going to pay for her mistake.
He picked up the pace, intent on driving all night. He didn't need rest. He couldn't wait to find her. It was different now. An alien planet, terrain she was unfamiliar with, far away from her allies. She was alone, and helpless.
Elita One…this time, you're life is MINE.
AN: Next time...the identity of the Decepticon is revealed!
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