"Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?" Sam murmured to us with a little grin. I turned to Mikaela, my answer depended on her choice. I felt drawn to the Camaro, but she had the ultimate decision. She stared at him, and then turned to the car for a long moment, considering. Slowly, as if second-guessing herself, she nodded. I reached out, still shaking from the adrenaline in my system, and grabbed her hand. She squeezed my hand and let out a deep breath. Together, we climbed up the small slope. I slipped in first, crawling into the backseat, while Sam held the passenger door open for Mikaela. She got in after me, choosing instead to sit on the middle console. Sam got in on the passenger side while I shifted, looking around for a buckle before shrugging and sitting back in my seat. The robot...or 'he' I guess...drove for a moment until he let Mikaela out to collect her purse and Sam's pants. That was considerate of him. Mikaela got back in on the console, and we all quietly watched as the robot drove himself. After a period of time, Mikaela summoned the courage to break the tension.
"This car's a pretty good driver," Mikaela muttered.
"I know. Why don't you go sit in that seat there?" Sam questioned quietly.
"I'm not going to sit in that seat. He's driving!" Mikaela hissed back.
"Yeah, you're right." We sat in silence for a moment. "Well, maybe you should sit in my lap."
"Why?" I could imagine the look on my cousin's face as she spoke, and it was sassy.
"Wuh, uh well, I have the only seat belt here. You know, safety first." Sam explained quickly. Good one.
Mikaela huffed after a short silence before giving in. "Yeah, alright."
"Right?" Sam questioned nervously.
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Mikaela squirmed in Sam's lap, as he buckled the seatbelt around them. I smirked to myself. Smooth. While the two lovebirds got situated, I gently patted my seat. "Thank you," I murmured under my breath, I knew he could hear me. "I don't think that you had to protect us, but you did, so- Thank you. I owe you for this." The seat warmed slightly, and I smiled to myself. I once again focused my attention to the situation up front.
"There, see that's better," Sam whispered.
I saw my cousin begin to open her mouth. And I smirked.
"You know, that seatbelt thing was a pretty smooth move, Sam," I reminded the two of my presence in the back seat. They both blushed, having forgotten I was even there. The car seemed to shake minutely with what I assume is laughter, and we sat in a comfortable silence. Mikaela once again broke the silence, but with less tact than I expected.
"You know what I don't understand?" she wondered aloud. "Why, if he's supposed to be, like, this super advanced robot, does he transform back into this piece-of-crap Camaro?"
As soon as she finished her sentence, the disguised robot slammed on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. We all clambered out, and Sam was babbling again, this time in agitation instead of fear. I ignored him in favor of watching the Camaro turn around and drive off. We waited for a minute or two before I heard a loud engine coming towards us. I felt my heart stop, thinking that it was the same monstrosity from before.
But we all saw it at roughly the same time. A new Camaro, with the same color scheme as before.
"What?" Sam asked in shock. He had enough wits about him to open the door for me and Mikaela as I slid into the back seat. I smiled happily at the familiarity. I had driven a yellow Camaro in Driver's Ed, and it had been awesome. I repeated my thoughts aloud for the benefit of the bot, but not quite loud enough for Sam and Mikaela to hear. The car seemed smug at the awed looks on Mikaela's and Sam's faces. Still, I reached over the sear and poked Mikaela in the shoulder. Hard.
"Ow!" she hissed, glaring at me. I just gave her a Look and nodded pointedly at the dashboard, my left eyebrow arched. She blinked for a moment, then seemed to come back to herself. Quietly, she murmured apologies about her 'rudeness'. I smiled as the Camaro cheerfully played 'It's All Right' by the Impressions.
A few minutes passed as we drove. I didn't know where we were going, and it didn't look like Sam or Mikaela knew either. I felt a little nervous about this, but I ultimately decided to trust the robot. Hopefully, I'm not wrong. I stare out the windows as the Camaro begins to slow down. As gently as he can, the Camaro drives under a set of gates. All three of us are completely silent as the robot drives up a long driveway and parks near the top. We climb out, looking around warily. I can see what appears to be a major company or government-owned building not too far from us, but my attention is caught by bright lights in the night sky.
"Look!" I point at the dark sky as Sam and Mikaela follow my gaze. I felt the shockwaves as four objects entered the atmosphere. They both gasp at what seems to be 4 massive meteors heading for the earth. Sam flinched at the loud sounds, slightly ducking behind Mikaela. I watched as one of the meteors landed near us, slamming into a hill and completely decimating it, dirt flying everywhere. Sam pulled Mikaela along behind him running towards the crater. I jogged behind them, my short legs making it even harder to keep up. As we arrived, I couldn't help but gape at the scene. A single tree by the crater was on fire, ignited by the heat of reentry. The object in the crater revealed itself to be a bright metallic shape with a multitude of beautiful etchings. The object began to fracture into separate pieces, the vaguely humanoid figure standing. The figure gazed at us in silence before turning away and running. I watched in awe as it moved smoothly, easily silencing its booming footfalls despite it being massive, roughly thirty feet tall. I was startled out of my awed stupor when the yellow boy quietly rolled up behind us. He opened his side doors, silently becoming. I smiled and crawled into my place in the back, Sam and my cousin not too far behind me. The Camaro began driving again, our destination once again unknown. But this time, I couldn't help but smile and relax. I had recognized the look of calm curiosity in the silver figures eyes.
The Camaro drove for a while, only slowing down once we reached a quiet alley in the warehouse district. He parked so Sam, Mikaela, and I climbed out. We scanned the relatively empty area and quickly noticed the bright headlights that surrounded us. Three vehicles slowed to a stop behind us. There was a lime green Search and Rescue, a black GMC Topkick, and a silver Pontiac Solstice. In front of us, a large Peterbilt Semi drove up. It had red and blue detailing and a strange insignia on the front of the grill. I watched as Mikaela shifted forward a bit, but quickly retreated when it came to a sudden stop not a few feet away. I heard air brakes hiss, and it was the only warning before the Semi transformed. It split apart, folding in on itself, parts shifting and splitting as the Semi became a bipedal figure. It was slower than what I had seen before, and I could only watch in amazement as the components and pieces settled into place. It-he I mentally corrected myself- stretched leisurely, rolling his shoulders and neck. I may have been imagining it but I could have sworn I heard a low hum come from the Semi, as I turned my head to see the others transform. It was beautiful, and I momentarily forgot where I was and who was with me as I observed. The Pontiac flipped and dancing into bipedal form. The Search and Rescue pushed himself to his feet before correcting his reversed torso. The Topkick slowly stood up, tense and a little stiff. I gazed around me with no little amazement before I turned back to the Semi. I saw Mikaela grab onto with one hand as they also turned back to him. I reached out to her, grabbing her hand again, as my blood pounded in my ears. I squeezed her hand tightly as the Semi bent down to our level. I recognized him. He was the one who had landed near us, I could tell by his height and the same calm curiosity in his eyes as he stared at us.
"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Witwicky?" he questioned rapidly. His voice was a deep bass that shook my bones. I saw Sam lean in, gaping at the massive face. I almost snorted when the bot backed away slightly, uncomfortable with the proximity. Mikaela clung to Sam nervous about how close the bot was. I stood just barely behind them, but my height helped me hide behind them.
"They know your name!" my cousin breathed.
"Yeah?" Sam responded with a quiet uncertainty.
"My name is Optimus Prime." He rumbled. Optimus turned his head slightly and made eye contact with each of us, before focusing once more on Sam. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."
"But you can call us Autobots for short." the search and rescue ro-Autobot chipped in.
My heart actually skipped a beat. I know that the yellow Autobot had said he was an alien earlier, but it was another thing entirely when Optimus Prime said they were from another planet. I am talking to giant robot aliens. What has my life come to?
"Autobots..." Sam tried the name out on his tongue.
"What's crackin' little bitches?" the Pontiac greeted.
"My first lieutenant. Designation, Jazz." Optimus introduced.
"This looks like a cool place to kick it," Jazz added, spinning and landing in a seated position on a nearby broken car. I watched him and smiled. He seemed nice.
"What is that? How did he learn to talk like that?" Sam asked haltingly.
"We've learned earth's languages through the world wide web." Prime answered.
Huh. So many questions answered.
"My Weapons Specialist, Ironhide." Prime continued.
We all turned around to see Ironhide, the black Topkick, whip out a pair of cannons that were practically the size of my entire body. I tensed and stepped forward minutely, shielding Mikaela as much as I could. I shuddered at the light the two high tech weapons gave off, not even bothering to hide my growing terror.
"You feelin' lucky, punk?" the Weapons Specialist growled.
"Easy Ironhide," Optimus chastised.
I softly exhaled, almost collapsing from relief. So we weren't going to die, yet.
"I'm just kidding! I just wanted to show him my cannons." Ironhide quickly defended himself. I grinned, I liked guns. I liked shooting. So the cannons were pretty f**king awesome when they weren't pointed at me. I made a mental note to mention that to Ironhide later.
"Our Medical Officer, Ratchet." Optimus ignored the explanation in lieu of continuing the introductions. I looked at the lime green Autobot as he seemed to sniff the air, nose twitching.
"Hmmmm. The boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female," Ratchet announced musingly. Oh. My. God. I clapped my hand over my mouth, my diaphragm contracting in an effort to contain my laughter. I watched as Mikaela and Sam awkwardly shifted away from each other. Sam even let out a weak whistle. That's it. I let out an unfortunately loud snort, bending over as I giggled uncontrollably. Mikaela and Sam both glared heatedly at me. I tried to stifle my laughter once more, due to the amused and confused looks I was receiving from the Autobots. I cleared my throat a little, still smiling, as I looked up at the bots.
"Sorry for my outburst. Ratchet's comment caught me off guard." I apologized. Seeing the mild confusion on their faces, I elaborated.
"Sex, mating, procreation, or whatever you want to call it, is more a subject that is only discussed among friends, family, or even mentors. It's considered a more personal subject, one not spoken of in public."
The confusion was cleared up now, and Ratchet apologized to Sam and Mikaela, who just nodded awkwardly. Clearing his throat, Optimus finished the last of the introductions.
"You already know your guardian, Bumblebee." He rumbled. I looked over at the yellow Autobot, Bumblebee and grinned at his exuberance.
"Bumblebee, right?" Sam questioned cheerfully, now that the subject of 'mating' was forgotten.
"Check on the rep, yep, second to none." Bumblebee played the song happily, still bouncing on his feet.
"So you're my guardian, huh?" Sam repeated, beaming up at the happy bot. Bumblebee chirped and nodded sharply.
"His vocal processors were damaged in battle. I'm still working on them." Ratchet grouched, half to himself, aiming a red laser at the yellow bot. Bumblebee choked and coughed lightly, looking somewhat disdainfully at his fellow Autobot.
I stepped forward slightly, deciding it would be rude not to introduce myself and the others in turn.
"My name is Katrina Mae Banes," I announced calmly. I gestured towards Mikaela. "This is my cousin, Mikaela Marie Banes. You already know Sam's name." I introduced those in my little group of humans.