Disclaimer: Not mine, nope.
A/N: Aaaaand...action! Enjoy the chapter, please review, and keep in mind that constructive criticism is appreciated! ^.^
- Chapter 4 -
The other waitresses, naturally, were digging for juicy gossip about my trip as soon as I was back at work. I managed to divert them for a bit with presents, but invariably their attention returned to the trip, and I dodged the questions with laughter and innuendo, letting them reach their own conclusions. I'm fairly sure they decided that Magnus and I were sleeping together (actually, they'd probably decided that months ago, they were just being more obvious about the comments now), and that we were one step away from engaged - not that I cared what they ended up thinking. Dan did comment that I seemed different after my vacation, and I realized with some surprise that I was starting to drift back to the way I'd acted before coming to this reality. I wasn't such a party animal, and I'd spent what was left of my Christmas bonus on books and a bookshelf, starting to build myself a library again. It was nice, to have a shelf full of the classics that I could pull out and read at any time. Magnus's gift was the first on the shelf, and even if it was a bit simple for someone with my education, I read it several times, just enjoying the fact that it was a gift from Magnus.
Things couldn't last, though. As nice as it was, there was still the fact that the Autobots were in a war, and had enemies. It was only due to my own extraordinary knowledge that I managed to dodge the (only partially literal) bullet - a group of five rougher looking guys had taken a seat in the restaurant, and when I went to serve them, I happened to notice that several of them were wearing the Decepticon symbol. Glancing outside as I went to place their orders, it wasn't hard to spot the vehicles they'd come in - big and menacing, they were parked in a clump well away from any other vehicle, one for each of the guys at the table. I handed Dan their order as calmly as I could, then ducked into Eric's office, glad he wasn't there as I grabbed his phone and dialed the number Magnus had given me.
"Terry, this is a pleasant surprise," Magnus picked up, sounding distinctly happy - I didn't like talking on the phone, so I didn't call him often.
"Not really. There's five vehicles in the parking lot practically oozing menace, and five guys wearing Decepticon symbols sitting in the middle of the restaurant," I said dryly. Magnus cursed.
"What do they look like?" he asked, and I knew he wasn't asking about the guys in the restaurant.
"Optimus and Ironhide's love child, a couple sports cars in red and black, one in yellow, and a purple Lamborghini," I replied. "Please tell me I didn't just describe Menasor's component parts."
"I wish I could," Magnus said with a grimace. "Have they said anything?"
"Besides their orders? No," I replied.
"Good. Don't say anything to them unless you have to, and don't leave the restaurant. I'll be there within an hour," he said.
"Bring friends?" I suggested.
"I will," Magnus replied reassuringly. "Now go back to work. This may turn out to be nothing."
"Right," I said with a snort, but said goodbye to him and went back to work.
"Hey Bertha - you forgot your name tag today," Chelsey commented as I left Eric's office, and I glanced up in surprise.
"Huh?" I asked, then glanced down at my uniform, only now realizing that I was missing my nametag.
"Those rowdy guys wanted to know your name, since you didn't have a name tag," Chelsey said, nodding to the table with the Stunticons, then she grinned. "I told them it was Bertha." I laughed - I'd been so caught up in them being Decepticons that I hadn't even introduced myself like I normally did, even when I had my nametag. And Chelsey had just conveniently given them a different name for me. Grinning at that, I went back to work, feeling a bit more confident when I showed up with the Stunticons' drinks, and later their food. Once I set the last plate down, though, one of them caught me by the arm, and I had to fight down the urge to scream.
"Hey, we're looking for an old friend of ours that's supposed to work here. Her name's Terry. Know her?" the Decepticon asked pleasantly enough.
"Terry?" I pretended to think. "I think she works nights - I don't see her much. If you have a number, I can pass it on to her to get in touch."
"Naw, you don't need to go to all that trouble, just let us know when she works next and we'll come back then," he replied.
"Well, we're not really supposed to do that..." I said with a frown. "What are your names?" There was a slight hesitation.
"I'm Orien," the biggest spoke up, seeming vastly amused. I didn't miss the surreptitious glances the others sent his way, and was glad for them, since it prevented them from noticing my brief incredulous look before I slipped back into character.
"Oh, I've heard her mention you before," I said, smiling brightly. "Her boyfriend's brother, right?"
"Right," the Decepticon was smirking, clearly impressed with his own cleverness. "I figured I'd stop in and say 'hi' on my way through."
"Let me just go check the schedule, then," I said helpfully, and that seemed to satisfy them, as my arm was released. I headed calmly to the back, neatened up a few things, then grabbed a few orders and headed back out. I dropped off the orders before heading back to the Decepticons's table, smiling.
"You're in luck, seems like she has an early shift today - she'll be here in two hours, at five. You can wait if you like," I told them pleasantly, silently praying that Magnus only took the hour he'd said he would.
"Of course we will," the Decepticon claiming to be Optimus said, looking quite pleased.
"Well then, enjoy your meals, and let me know if you need anything while you wait," I told them. They assured me they would - though I noticed none of them had touched their food yet - and I went back to serving the other customers. I was careful to introduce myself as Bertha to anyone who came in, shushing a couple regulars and winking conspiratorially, writing them notes to explain I was playing a joke on somebody. It was actually quite entertaining, despite the menacing presence of the Decepticons in the restaurant. Chelsey and Dan were vastly amused, of course.
I wasn't the only one that noticed the sudden stillness of the center table when a familiar blue truck entered the lot, however, closely following by another big blue truck with flames, a black pickup, and two corvettes in silver and gold. I tensed as I watched them, wondering what they would do - I was preparing myself, mentally, to either run for my life, or get everyone else to safety. In the end, neither was necessary, as the five Decepticons suddenly moved as one, standing from their chairs and hurrying out - not paying their bill, either, though I'd expected that. They returned to their vehicles quickly, and tore out of the parking lot, the two corvettes taking off after them. The three trucks, however, came to a stop, their drivers hopping out and entering the restaurant, obviously still on guard, with Optimus leading the way. They surveyed the restaurant once, then Optimus and Ironhide took a seat at the table closest to the kitchen, while Magnus, seeing me, stepped around the counter and tugged me into the back. Dan looked over in amusement.
"Careful Terry doesn't catch you with Bertha there, Magnus!" he said lightly, and Magnus gave him a confused look.
"No name tag," I supplied dryly. "I've been Bertha since those guys walked in."
"A fortunate coincidence," Magnus said grimly, glancing around. Spotting Eric's office, he pulled me in there, shutting the door on Dan's friendly warning about hanky-panky in the boss' office. "They were looking for you," he said without preamble once the door was closed.
"Yeah, I know, they asked," I said, then rolled my eyes. "I tried to brush them off, but one of them decided to pretend he was Optimus, so I figured I'd throw them a bone. I told them 'Terry' would be in to work at 5."
"Risky, but perhaps safer than anything else you could have done," Magnus said with a frown. "They'll be back, though. Now that they've confirmed that you work here, they'll be waiting for an opportunity. Megatron has apparently given the Stunticons an open-ended order to hunt down any of our human allies here on Earth. Most of the others are safe, but..."
"I live way out in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking," I finished for him.
"Precisely," Magnus said with a sigh.
"Me quitting and moving is going to come in here at some point, isn't it?" I said thoughtfully, and Magnus grimaced.
"I don't want to force you to do that," he said. "This situation is my fault, after all."
"Bullshit," I told him dismissively. "Besides, I don't particularly mind. San Francisco is nice, but it's not home. I'd rather be alive than cling to a crappy apartment and a dead-end job." I paused. "No pun intended, there." Magnus chuckled slightly.
"I appreciate your willingness to survive, but I'll give you some time to think about it, just to be sure," he said.
"Please tell me you're not implying leaving me here with the Stunticons kicking around," I asked in alarm.
"No, we'll be staying here until they leaving the area, and then Optimus will decide on a more permanent guard - not me, unfortunately, as I have duties elsewhere," Magnus said regretfully.
"Oooor...I could just quit, break my lease, and go with you guys," I replied with amusement.
"You're supposed to be thinking about it, not making a decision right now," Magnus said sternly.
"I am thinking about it - I'm trying to figure out which problem, precisely, I should use as an excuse to break my lease! There's so very many - I feel like a kid in a candy store!" I told Magnus cheerfully, and he sighed. Whatever he would have said next was halted by a knock on the door, followed by it opening slightly.
"I hope to god you're decent, Terry, because we're just a little busy out here, so there's not really any time for some snogging with your boyfriend," Chelsey said through the crack of the door, and I laughed.
"I'll be out right away, Chelsey," I said.
"Good. I'm leaving Magnus's friends for you," she said, and the door closed.
"I'll think about it, Magnus, but honestly, my survival instinct has already made the decision for me. If I had family here I might need more time, but they don't exist," I told him with a shrug. Magnus sighed, pulling me into a hug and giving me a peck on the cheek.
"Just make sure you want to go before you decide," he said, releasing me.
"You make it sound like I won't ever be able to come back," I teased. Magnus shifted uncomfortably. "We'll talk later," I told him dryly, and he looked grateful to be let off the hook. We headed out of Eric's office, Magnus heading over to the table with Optimus and Ironhide while I went back to my tables. For show, I got the three Autobots drinks - coffee for Magnus, tea for Optimus, and a chocolate milk for Ironhide, because he was glaring at me. I didn't stick around to chat with them, however, as we had actually gotten busy - the pre-supper rush - and I was running around quite a bit. The two corvettes - I assumed they were Sideswipe and Sunstreaker - showed up after an hour, and in the midst of the rush, I got them some tea, as well, though they seemed sullen about that - it had honestly been the first thing I'd had on hand when I'd seen them enter.
Fortunately, shortly after that, Marie, the evening waitress for tonight, arrived, and things got easier, so that when I was finally off at six, I could finish my last few tables and leave immediately - or, as it happened, change in the back, then go join the table of five Autobots, who were carrying on a casual conversation about, of all things, baseball. I suspected they were having a more serious conversation over their comm systems.
"Hello gentlemen," I said as I walked up. "Sticking around for awhile, or are you ready to leave?"
"We're ready to leave whenever you are, Terry," Optimus said pleasantly.
"Then may I suggest we blow this popsicle stand? I've seen enough of it for one day," I replied, and with that, they rose and we left, Sideswipe actually paying for the drinks, since none of the others had brought any money in with them.
"Didn't think to grab any when there were Decepticons sitting in the middle of the restaurant," Magnus said dryly as we left.
"I don't blame you at all," I replied with a chuckle. Everyone went to their own vehicles, of course, while I followed Magnus. Climbing in, Magnus motioned for me to take the driver's seat while he went into the back of his cab. He pull the curtain there, and I know his holoform disappeared, as his engine started up and we were heading out, following Optimus.
"The problem we have is this," Magnus said as we drove. "In every other case, with our human allies, their guardians have been able to stay nearby. With my duties, I won't be able to stay in one place very much, and, as you said, San Francisco is relatively out of the way for us. We could assign someone else, but they wouldn't have ready backup, so it would be dangerous. If you move, we could set up a better situation, but unfortunately, though I can get government agencies off your back, I can't get you ID - we wouldn't be able to set up our usual security measures for you, which would leave you in a similarly unstable and unsafe situation, even if you'd be closer."
"Understandable. What are the options, then?" I asked.
"You can move, as I just mentioned. It isn't ideal, but you would be able to maintain your current way of life. You could also move to the NEST base as a civilian consultant, and accompany me as my 'assistant' - it would keep you closer at hand, but has the potential of more serious government inquiries about you," Magnus said.
"Why do I get the feeling there's a third option you don't want to mention?" I asked curiously.
"The UN gave us permission, a few years ago, to set up a base on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons," Magnus said slowly. "It's still being constructed, but the main sections are built, and have been designed with humans in mind. Major Lennox has already been up to see it, and found the experience quite enjoyable, so I'm told."
"So my options are stay here and probably get killed, move and maybe get killed, go hang with the military and get asked pointed questions, or...go to Jupiter," I said, to clarify.
"And be separated from the rest of your species and most of the casual comforts of your home planet, yes," Magnus elaborated. I considered for a moment.
"Yeah, no, I don't think I have the willpower in me to refuse the Jupiter option. You're going to have to come up with worse reasons against it or I am so taking it," I said finally, giggling.
"Really?" Magnus seemed surprised.
"Magnus, you and yours may be attached to your planet, but honestly, even this isn't my planet, and humans are known for having a strong sense of wanderlust and adventure, or so we like to think. And you're talking to a girl whose dad was a complete and total Trekkie," I said dryly. "So - when do I leave?"
"How soon can you pack?" Magnus replied dryly.
"Depends how much help I get," I told him pleasantly. There was a long pause.
"Fine, you talk to her!" Magnus' sudden exclamation was startling after the silence.
"Who am I talking to now?" I asked in surprise.
"Optimus," Magnus replied shortly.
"My apologies, Terry, I just want to be sure that you're aware of the entire situation," Optimus said politely.
"Unless there is some glaring downside to going to Jupiter that Magnus has neglected to mention, I'm fully aware, Optimus," I told him. Optimus, it seemed, was less convinced, and I spent the rest of the ride back to my apartment trying to convince him. I was still debating it with him as Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Magnus helped me pack. Ironhide was 'standing guard' outside - I think he just didn't want to help because he didn't like me.
With the four of us working, packing went surprisingly fast - especially since I didn't have that much stuff - and soon enough I was saying goodnight to Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Optimus - who had finally, reluctantly, accepted than maybe I did know what I was doing. Magnus decided to stay, joining me in bed for some cuddling and talk about the Jupiter base. It turned out he spent a fair amount of time there - Optimus had put him in charge of handling new Autobot arrivals, making sure they were fully briefed before they set foot on Earth and such. The reason he ended up on Earth at all, in fact, was that he briefed the NEST commanders personally about all the new arrivals, giving them the pertinent information before figuring out with them which Autobots should become active parts of the NEST team, and which should stay on Ganymede.
"I'm surprised Sunstreaker got to Earth, then," I commented.
"He almost didn't," Magnus admitted. "However, General Hayes realized that it would seem a bit staged if we go public and we have a dream team of 'perfect' Autobots. He and the other commanders actually picked Sunstreaker in particular, after that, because they figured that despite his record, him being a twin would help the public relate. Or at least result in evil twin/good twin jokes." Magnus chuckled. "They're still debating letting a few more of the...rougher Autobots planetside. It's fortunate that they gave us permission for the Ganymede base, so they actually can pick and choose. We've got some teams coming in lately that have been out on their own for awhile." Magnus fell abruptly silent at that, and I frowned, things suddenly clicking for me.
"That's why you're reluctant for me to go to Ganymede, aren't you?' I said. "You're worried about more Autobots having reactions like Ironhide, but not being as passive about it." Magnus grimaced.
"Yes," he admitted. "Optimus doesn't want to believe that Autobots would behave that way, but I know he's concerned, as well."
"What exactly is Ironhide's objection, anyways? I mean, I know the basics...but what are the specifics?" I asked curiously.
"He..." Magnus paused. "Do you know anything about Nebulos?"
"It was a planet you guys had close relations with before," I replied, then hesitated before continuing. "Didn't it get destroyed by Decepticons?"
"It did," Magnus said with a nod. "We lost a lot of Autobots that day, as well - and not because they were on Nebulos. They had friends, family, loved ones on the planet - some of them had mates. They died from the grief of their loss. Ironhide looks at Earth, as will many other Autobots, and sees another Nebulos. A tragedy waiting to happen. He sees you and I as the first step down a familiar, and painful, path."
"I suppose the fact that a human managed to kill Megatron, even if he came back, doesn't count for anything?" I mused.
"Perhaps if he'd stayed dead," Magnus said with a shrug. "Honestly, I think that's the only reason Ironhide isn't objecting as vocally as he normally would."
"Understandable, I suppose," I replied. "How big a problem might these objecting Autobots be?"
"Considering you'll be on the base where everyone who isn't cleared for duty on Earth, either for that reason or others, will be staying?" Magnus said, pausing for a moment. "You'll probably have a hard time finding anyone other than me to talk to."
"Ah," I said.
"You can still change your mind if you want to," Magnus offered. "Optimus hasn't even contacted Ganymede - I think he's counting on talking you out of it tomorrow morning."
"I'll think on it, but I suspect I'll still go. It's still better than my options here, as far as I'm concerned," I said with a shrug. The conversation turned elsewhere, and we talked for awhile longer before I eventually drifted off to sleep.
It was early the next morning when Magnus woke me up, practically throwing clothes at me as he hurried around, finishing packing the last few things.
"What's going on?" I asked in surprise.
"The Stunticons took a shot at the restaurant. The others went to deal with them, but Motormaster is MIA. We think he's heading here," Magnus said, and I started scrambling into my clothes as Magnus carted the last few things out, tossing them into his cab. I followed close behind him, jumping into the drivers seat without being asked. Magnus barely got him hologram out of sight before flipping it off and roaring out of the parking lot - waking everyone on the block, I was sure.
"Where to?" I asked as we drove.
"We're going to rendezvous with the others outside of the city, then make a run to the nearest NEST base. From there, we'll see about transport to Ganymede," Magnus said. I nodded, and stayed quiet as he drove, guessing that he probably needed to concentrate. I thought I saw Motormaster behind us once, but he was gone just as quickly, and then we met up with Optimus and the others. We made our way out of San Francisco, and headed north. It was a few hours later when we turned off the main highways, and then another half an hour of less-than-wonderful roads and we arrived at a military base. The gate guards didn't even ask who I was, waving all of us through.
Of course, once we got inside and I hopped out, and the Autobots transformed, someone made a comment on my presence. I was amused by who did so.
"Awww, don't tell me you picked up another civilian stray! No offense," Epps complained as he saw me. "What is it with you guys? I swear every time you go out on a mission by yourselves, you come back with some civilian that you had to tell."
"In their defense, I already knew," I said cheerfully. "Also, hi, I'm Terry, nice to meet you." Epps looked at me in surprise.
"Oooooh, you're Terry," he said. "That explains why they showed up and tore outta here like bats outta hell."
"You've heard of me?" I asked, bemused, as I glanced up at Magnus. Epps glanced up at Magnus as well.
"Er - yeah," he seemed suddenly uncomfortable.
I grinned, then leaned in and said conspiratorially, "They don't have cooties, you know." Epps glared at me, and I chuckled before wandering over to Magnus, who had probably been listening in, but was involved in a rapid-fire Cybertronian conversation with Optimus. It didn't seem to be going too well, because he looked frustrated. Eventually, he turned to look down at me.
"The Ganymede base is not viable," he said, sounding regretful. "The Decepticons hit it, life support for humans is out."
"NEST base it is," I said with a frown. Magnus' response was cut off by the screech of tires, followed by a transformation as another Autobot arrived, beginning to chatter in Cybertronian as soon as they were transformed. The others replied, and they were once again engaged in their conversation, ignoring the humans.
"They do that often?" I asked, wandering back to Epps.
"Only recently," he said with a frown. "They've been acting weird for the last few months, honestly. We figured it was you, at first - you shoulda seen the fight Magnus and Ironhide got into awhile back. It was the only reason we humans even found out about you. But I'm thinking it's something more."
"Magnus and Ironhide got into a fight? Like, physical?" I asked in surprise, and Epps nodded. "Damn. And I thought Ironhide was being passive about his dislike of me." Epps snickered slightly, before turning a concerned look back to the Autobots. We watched in silence as the Autobots seemed to get more and more agitated, until finally they broke up, none of them looking happy. Magnus came over to me as the others scattered in other directions.
"There have been some developments. Epps, I apologize, but we will need you to pass on to your government that we will be moving quickly, and won't be able to brief them until later. Also, they may want to divert civilian attention away from the moon," Magnus said.
"The moon? I thought you guys were staying offa there," Epps said with a frown.
"We would if we could - unfortunately, it seems that our predecessors were not so concerned about altering Earth's moon," Magnus said, then held out a hand to me. "Would you mind being carried, Terry? I need to move quickly, and not in my alt form."
"Just don't drop me," I said as I climbed on. "And promise me you'll explain at some point."
"I will," Magnus said, the said goodbye to Epps before moving away. There were apparently quite a few Autobots on this particular NEST base, as well as some distinctly Cybertronian equipment, and Magnus seemed to have to go see it all. Optimus and the others had completely disappeared, and I realized why less than an hour later, when Magnus walked into an empty hanger, only to have Ironhide appear out of thin air. I started badly, and Ironhide smirked.
"Goddammit, warn a girl, Magnus," I cursed.
"Apologies. Space bridges are quite obvious to Cybertronians, I tend to forget they're invisible to organics," Magnus said sincerely, then looked to Ironhide. "Did you get it?"
"Yes, though I don't understand why we're bringing her. It won't be safe," Ironhide grumbled, handing something to Magnus.
"It will be even less safe here," Magnus replied. Ironhide grumbled something in Cybertronian, then disappeared again. This time, watching closely, I could see a faint flash of light when he vanished, reminding me of Q from Star Trek.
"He needs to snap his fingers before doing that," I mused, and Magnus gave me a funny look. "Never mind. What's this about me going somewhere?"
"We received intelligence some months ago that the Fallen had left information about an ancient weapon of great power, hidden somewhere in this system by his predecessors. At first we thought it was the Energon machine, but further intelligence proved that this was something different - and Megatron wants it. He's been pouring the majority of his resources into locating it. We just received intelligence that he finally found it, on Earth's moon. We're going to stop him from getting it. You need to come with us," Magnus said, turning to set me down on a nearby walkway.
"Why?" I asked.
"Your situation here is in limbo, at best," Magnus said, which was an answer, but not a good one. I frowned, and would have asked further, but Magnus presented me with something and told me to put it on before apparently getting distracted by his comms. Frowning, I inspected the pile of cloth and metal, eventually realizing it was a space suit - not one of human build, either. It was a lot less bulky, and the air supply was apparently contained in a tube the size of a thick marker.
"This thing is safe, right? You guys have tested it?" I asked dubiously once I had everything but the helmet on.
"It's Nebulan design - it's safe," Magnus replied with a nod.
"Oh," I said in surprise, feeling inexplicably safer after hearing that. Somehow I trusted a suit made by organics, for organics, more than a suit I'd assumed had been made by giant robots for organics. Chuckling to myself, I doubled-checked the suit to make sure I had everything done up right, then at Magnus' prompting, put on the helmet. He picked me up again, and then other Autobots were entering the hanger, heading for the middle of it, along with Magnus - and in a flash of light, we were gone.