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Below him, the Autobots slowed down to normal speed, blending in with the traffic as Megatron watched Barricade leave before returning to the clouds. They could all relax now. It was then that he felt his passenger shivering in her seat. A quick scan didn't really answer any questions. "Sarah, your vital signs are elevated. Are you all right?" His voice startled her, but she recovered quickly and nodded. "I'm… I'm fine." She paused. "I'm just scared, is all. I'm just scared." A sigh escaped her. "If I'd known picking up the Shard would lead to this, I'd have just left it there. I used to be a normal, everyday girl, nothing special, but now…" She shrugged with an utterly humorless laugh. "Now I have power no human should ever have access to, I have a whole army of evil aliens out to either kill me or do something else I'm not sure of, I'm on the run with a second group of aliens, I'm apparently the key to universal conquest or the revival of whole worlds, I have no idea where we'll end up, how we'll get there, or even if I'll live to see the end of this craziness, and on top of that I'm talking to a sentient truck." Another laugh escaped her, this one bearing the slightest hint of hysteria. "Look at me, I'm a fugitive. If the Decepticons don't get me, the cops probably will." Her fear was perfectly understandable, but Optimus tried to reassure her anyway. "We won't let that happen, Sarah. Megatron has already sworn to protect you with his life, and the rest of us would do no less." Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax. "…Thank you. I'm sorry I reacted like I did back there. I know you meant well and all… and I know how unlikely or just plain impossible it seems… but…" Shrugging to herself, she sighed. "Megatron's the first person to really care about me. I know I'm just his ticket to making up for stupid mistakes in the past, but it actually matters to him whether I live or die, and that's a lot more than I get from most people. He may not consider me his friend, but I consider him my friend." Saying nothing, Optimus smiled to himself. He had a feeling that Megatron thought more of her than she realized, but he would leave it to his brother to tell her that.
Sarah was relaxing, now that Barricade was no longer on their trail. Her boom box still sat on her lap, but instead of holding it in a death grip she was absentmindedly running her fingers along its smooth curves. A giggle escaped her as the boom box seemed to shiver in her arms. "Oh, you like it when I do that, do you?" It suddenly occurred to Optimus that he couldn't have hoped for a kinder soul to bear the All Spark's power. The girl was acting almost like a mother to her accidental creation, swiftly taming what would surely have otherwise become a Decepticon. She continued to gently trace the boom box's lines, and surprised her alien chauffeur even more by speaking to it. "I'm sorry I manhandled you back there, Rumble. I was scared. But things are all right now, for me and for you too. You can come out whenever you like without having to be scared now, you know. The others know you're not an enemy. You should have heard me yell at them…" She laughed. "I think I scared them as much as they scared you!"
A yawn escaped her and she shifted slightly. Though she tried to hide it, Optimus was aware of this. "You need to rest, Sarah. There's a cot in the back." Thanking him politely, she forsook her seat and headed for the cot, boom box by her side. Placing it next to the cot, she laid down, falling asleep almost immediately. Silence reigned in the cabin for a few moments, until the boom box quietly transformed. Being as quiet as possible, Rumble moved forward to sort of perch in the passenger seat Sarah had vacated mere minutes earlier. "Rumble thank you fo-fo-for take care of human girl, Mister Truck." The squeaky voice reminded Optimus so much of the former boom box's blue Decepticon twin, childish attitude included. "You're welcome… Rumble." A happy little squeak was the only answer he got as Rumble hopped right back out of the seat he'd just gotten up on mere moments before and returned to his previous position. "Rumble guard human girl now." Sending out a signal to the others to tell them to keep their chatter at a low volume so as not to disturb his sleeping passenger and her spindly little guardian, Optimus shifted his focus to the road ahead and tried to figure out where to go next.
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Frenzy is bonkers, Rumble is cute… AND bonkers.