Everybody was staring at Shockwave, frozen. I noticed the giant worms usually attached to him were gone.
"Ready? Ready for what?" I snapped. Personally, I was starting to care less about my attitude. I was possibly going to be free soon. Back to my house that had a fridge full of fresh food and a cold water filter. Back to mom who could cook anything simple and make it seem gourmet...but judging by the look in Shockwave's eye, that was NOT what was going to happen.
"Your first task," he hissed. I froze. As much as I had been told about Decepticons, they did not like humans, and did not believe in humans abilities. And usually, Decepticons just killed humans. Everytime the NEST soldiers came back from a mission, there was at least one body bag filled.
No one went missing. Some were just found dead.
Thats when one of the worms sprung up from the sewer river and spit out of one of it's ends, a grenade launcher, with a belt full of ammo. I crouched down to look at it. An M32.
Hanging around a bunch of soldiers most of my life, I was bound to get weapon education. Most of the soldiers used these, so I wouldn't be surprised if the worm had stolen it not so nicely.
"This is only if you encounter Autobots. I don't want you making a scene," he snapped. How could I NOT make a scene? I had been missing for who knew how long. My clothes were bloody and tattered, I hadn't showered or shaved in four days, worst of all, Shockwave was planning on making me run around with an M32. Only way I would not make a scene was if I disguised as a hoboe who liked toy guns.
"Look at me. I will be noticed the minute I step out of this sewer!" I stated. Shock wave nodded. Then he shoved his hand in the water and a distorted look fell on his face but only for a moment. Then he stood straight up again.
"If it's the gun your worried about, the twins have already taken care of it," Shockwave sighed tiredly. Becca and Addie walked up to the M32 and pointed to a tiny word just above the trigger. It wasn't even a word though, all it said was, "Gtydko."
"Tap it," Addie ordered. I did as she asked, though I wasn't too comfortable being close to the Decepticon. I watched as it shrank into a tiny pistol. The soldiers never recognized pistols since they didn't do much to kill giant alien robots, but my guess was it was a P22. Tiny and hard to kill anything with.
When I looked above its trigger the word was still there, except it the letters were arranged slightly different. But when I stepped back and looked at the word, I realized it was a symbol. Most likely Cybertronian. I kept staring at it, one minute, seeing it completely foriegn, the next, being able to spell out the strange word. Except, I still didn't understand it.
"You've been staring at that an awful long time," I looked up from my observation of the gun to see Addie. A twisted grin was on her metal face.
Shockwave's head lifted at Addie's words. He looked down at me curiously.
"Can you read it? Can you understand it?" there was a scary excitement in the Decepticon's voice. But I had a feeling if I lied and said I couldn't read it, I would be taking a worm ride through the sewer. So, I actually told him the truth.
"I...I can read it, but I have no clue what the words mean," I said. Shockwave looked at me with concern. Not as a mom would look at her two year old who fell down, but a mechanic observing a car with a bad engine.
He finally nodded, then looked up at a pole hanging on the ceiling. There hung the mechanic Decepticon bird. The bird looked at Shockwave with an eager glint in his red eyes. Shockwave nodded again, this time more of a "
Then the bird transformed into a printer. The big kind I usually saw in fancy offices.
"But in English language!" snapped Shockwave. The printer made an angry rrrrrrrr, but started printing. It was a fast printer, only taking thirty seconds to print three papers.
As soon as they were out, the printer transformed back into a bird and gathered the papers in his beak, flying over to me. The Decepticon hovered in front of me for a minute, I just stood there, staring at the papers. Then he nodded his head as if telling me to take them. I hesitated for a second, but when I saw the impatient look Shockwave, I quickly hoarded the papers to my chest.
"That is your task. The directions are in order. You try to run-" the metal worm jumped out of the tank and revealed its wirring metal fangs to me, then sunk back into the sewer river "-I made sure to keep you above the sewer lines," Shockwave said calmly.
"What about transportation? And everybody will be suspicious with me walking around like I've been in a sewer for a week!" I asked. Though the last part was true. Shockwave sighed with annoyance and the metal bird transformed into a printer again, spewing about twenty one hundred dollar bills.
"Now here's a reminder of who you work for. Don't want you to forget," Shaockwave chuckled with a small grin. Once again, not a warm grin, but, the evil grin. Perfect.
That was when another robot bird swooped down. Addie and Becca grabbed me from behind and held out my arm, it was bare due to the fact that I was wearing a torn up t-shirt.
I noticed something was wrong with this particular Decepticon. One of his clawed feet was glowing, smoking. Something wasn't right. That's when I realized his foot was a brander.
It happened so fast, but painfully. One minute, my arm was normal, the next minute, the bird had screeched, and pressed his branding foot right on my left arm, just above my wrist. I roared some pretty classic swear words, then Addie and Becca pushed me to the floor.
Rolling over, I was really tempted to cry, but I knew if weakness was shown I would be worm chow. So I just groaned in exhaustion for the longest time. I don't know if it was for an hour or a minute before I realized what had been burned into me.
Trembling, I lifted my smoking arm to my eyes. It was upside down to me, but very obvious if I had let my arm hang.
The symbol of the Decepticons. They might as well tattooed across my forehead "SHOOT ME".
Standing up, I grabbed the money the printer bird had made and looked up at Shockwave, tucking the directions in my pocket.
"The twins will lead you out of here, up on land, Soundwave will be waiting to drive you to wherever you say, but once again, don't try to run. And don't take too long, or I will take you down and kill you my self. None of the Decepticons can kill you except me now with that brand. Now get out of my sight," Shockwave snarled, and sank back into the sewer river.
Addie, standing on one side of me, and Becca on the other, both transformed back into their Hooters-waitress forms. Becca handed me the grenade launching pistol, but surprised by also handing me about five magazines for the tiny pistol. Addie handed me the M32 ammo belt.
I strapped it onto my pants, slammed the barrel of the pistol in my pocket, and just kept the magazines in a bunch in my hands. Becca and Addie walked ahead of me to a ladder. They lcimbed it in a matter of seconds. I ran after them and tried to climb as fast as the twins, but I was no alien robot. So it took me about a minute. When I was at the top, Becca and Addie were standing, waiting.
There was light, something I hadn't seen in a long time. True sun light. It was a beautiful day. Up ahead in a park not too far away, beautiful girls were playing volleyball in bikinis and daisy-dukes. Some little kids were tossing a frisbee, and all the cars passing by were with windows down. Then I remembered, I was carrying high artillery.
Quickly, I ran behind Addie and Becca, deciding visibility was not the best at the moment, especially with the horrible symbol burnt into my arm, it was much worse than the artillery I was running around with.
That's when I saw Soundwave. Truly he was a beautiful car. A Mercedes SLS AMG. It drove right onto the curve of the sidewalk we were on. Becca and Addie sneered, rolling their eyes.
"I'm going to be riding around in THAT. And Shockwave wants me to NOT make a scene?" I asked curiously. Becca sighed and pushed me over to Soundwave, his passenger door opened to reveal pretty comfy looking interior. Soft leather seats. Then it started to make me think of Sideswipe, and I started to hesitate walking into the car.
I plopped myself onto the passenger seat, thinking of what Hazel was doing. Quickly, I looked back at the kids playing frisbee, if I was still in DC, Hazel could be one of them. I shook my head and looked down at the GPS screen next to the glove box.
Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I felt the crisp hundred dollar bills.
"Um lets take a quick stop to the local homeless house, then WalMart," I told the GPS. The car drove off at top speed to our first destination. When I got to homeless shelter, I quickly got out, leaving the artillery in the glove box.
"Shouldn't you take that with you!" a wheezy low voice snarled, I turned around to look at the car.
"No Autobots or NEST soldiers will be here. I promise," I sighed, and walked into the shelter.
When I entered, a lady was sitting at a desk typing her paperwork crap in the computer. She looked up at me and grinned. She was probably in her late twenties, a pretty face, but nothing special.
"May I help you?" she asked, keeping on a smile, I could tell it was a fake, something to give the hoboes hope.
"I was just wandering if I could use the shower?" I replied as nicely as I could, but my face was feeling pretty grim. She frowned a little at that. I stepped forward and I could tell my sewer fragrance had gotten to her cause her face scrunched up a little bit.
"I'm sorry, but the showers are for residence only," she winced, trying to hold her breath. I pulled a hundred dollar bill out of my pocket and made sure to hand it to her with my right hand, my left one hidden behind the desk. Bribery is not something people should do daily, but after four days in a sewer I was more than desperate for a shower. The lady sighed with annoyance.
"Third floor, be fast," her voice wasn't so sweet anymore, and her fake smile was a realistic frown. I nodded thanks and ran up to shower.
I showered fast in fear of Soundwaves patience, and even squeezed time for shaving. I ran out of the homeless shelter, now I just had to get fresh clothes.
Soundwave drove unlawfully fast to Walmart. I ran in, buying a large coat, fresh pants, and a long sleeve shirt. Running into the bathroom, I changed happily fitting the large coat on my self.
It was big enough to hide my belt, the pistol, and I could put the magazines in the pocket. I went outside to see Soundwave surrounded by a group of curious teenagers.
"How much do you think this thing is worth?" I heard one of them say. They were all about my age. Frowning I walked up to one of the guys, who looked slightly thuggish.
"Hey man, could you back up a little bit? That's sort of my car," I lied. The guy looked me in the eye, "If it is then give me the keys," he chuckled. This guy wanted to have Soundwave. The driver door opened and I quickly ran in, the thugs on my tail.
The door slammed shut the minute I got in.
"I don't like this Walmart," Sound wave hissed as he drove off. I sighed and rested my head against the seat in exhaustion. Then I realized it was time for me to do my task. I opened the glove box where the directions sat.
Opening the first paper, I read the first instruction.