Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any songs played by Bumblebee
Summary: Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?
Rating: T
Before It's Too Late
Chapter 4: Windows to the soul
The plane touched down in Peru a couple of hours later, and Leo's eyes snapped open. He turned to say something to Alice... but she wasn't there. He undid his seatbelt and jumped up out of his seat, frantically looking around for the Decepticon Pretender. An air stewardess came over and started trying to get Leo to sit down. Leo snapped at her about having to find someone and barged past her, determined to find Alice.
"Sir, you need to sit down." The air stewardess hissed.
"I have to find Alice!" Leo insisted. "She's... she's not well. She might hurt someone, or herself. Did you see where she went?"
"Who is Alice?"
"She was sitting next to me!" Leo snapped. "She's... my... fiancé! We're here to celebrate our anniversary... can you help me find her, please?"
"Sir, you need to sit down." The air stewardess repeated. "We'll find your fiancé."
"You don't understand –"
"What don't I understand?" The air stewardess asked.
"She's..." Leo hesitated. He was going to have to extend his lie, to show why he was so worried about the whereabouts of Alice, without saying that she was a psychotic alien robot with a killing instinct. "She's in witness protection. We both are. We're coming to Peru to start a new life. Please... you have to help me find her. Anything might've happened." He was surprised how easily the lies came to him.
"Very well. We'll call the local police and get them here." The air stewardess said. She was wondering what this young man may have done to be under witness protected. "Can you tell me what your fiancé looks like?"
"She's kinda tall, blonde..." Leo paused. "She looks like that."
"Did I miss something?" Alice asked. She was standing behind the air stewardess, blinking at Leo in confusion. "Why do you look so worried?"
"Where the hell have you been?" Leo demanded. "I thought you might've done a runner!"
"No... I was using the bathroom." Alice frowned.
"So, this is your fiancé then?" the air stewardess asked.
"What's a fiancé?" Alice asked.
"This is the extent to how ill she is." Leo explained to the air stewardess. "Can we get off the plane now?"
"Maybe you should let me get a doctor." The air stewardess said nervously. "I don't think your fiancé is feeling very well at all. I'll tell the pilot to call the airport and send a medical team. You two wait here whilst the rest of the passengers disembark the plane." She walked towards the cabin, leaving Alice and Leo standing alone, at the back of the plane.
"We can't let her get a doctor." Alice hissed. "I'm not human." She grabbed Leo's wrist and began to drag him towards the door to get off the plane. "So, let's get out of here, before the awkward questions start getting asked and... you have to tell me what a fiancé is. Oh, and if it's something bad, I will beat the crap out of you."
"That's believable." Leo said. "Well, if you want to get out of here before they get you a doctor we should move fast... and get away from the airport quick. After that, we can decide where we're going. We can stop off in a town and buy a map, changes of clothes, food... whatever else we need... and I'll tell you what a fiancé is."
"What are we waiting for?" Alice asked with a grin.
xXx
"Morshower, just let me take a couple of guys and check this out." Lennox pleaded, standing in front of the General. "Optimus seems really worried about whatever's going down in South America and he'll probably try and go without our say so. Just let me and some others go to keep an eye on him." Lennox sighed. "You don't want us to go because of everything that happened in Egypt, do you?"
"Lennox, I'm fine with you lot going." Morshower said. "I can't let you go though, because Galloway is saying you pushed him out of a plane. He wants action taken against you, and I've had to ground you until further notice."
"Well... send Epps with Optimus." Lennox insisted. "Come on, just send the two of them and keep it off the radar. They can report directly to me and if anyone asks... we can say Epps is ill and Optimus is... erm... indisposed elsewhere... I dunno... grieving about Elita?"
"Lennox, you always seem to forget that I'm the one who will take the blame for your crazy ideas if they go wrong." Morshower sighed. "And I'll be taking the blame for this one too."
"You really mean it?"
"If this really is a Decepticon threat, I want it neutralised. Immediately. Sending Epps and Optimus is the best chance we have of that happening." Morshower said. "Go and tell them what's happening. I want them on a flight to Peru as soon as possible. If anyone gets in your way, like Galloway, direct them my way and I'll deal with it."
"Thank you, sir."
xXx
To say that Mikaela was annoyed would be an understatement. Just as she was going to have a proper conversion with Sam about his feelings, seeing as he hadn't said those three words to Mikaela yet and she had said them to him, Bumblebee had called, telling him that Leo was with Alice and boarding a flight to Peru. Sam had then proceeded to drag Mikaela out of the dorm, outside the building, where Bumblebee was waiting for him and Mikaela after driving back from the airport.
"Come on, Mikaela." Sam said. "Cheer up. We're going to Peru to find Leo... and Alice. It's just another adventure, and Megatron hasn't been spotted so this one might not involve so much mortal peril."
"I know that, Sam." Mikaela sighed heavily. "I just wish we got time to ourselves... that never seems to happen anymore. We're always dealing with an alien war."
"Well... maybe we'll stay in Peru a little while longer than we need to and have a holiday." Sam shrugged. "Just some time to ourselves."
"I guess... I'm just getting the feeling that I don't matter to you anymore, Sam." Mikaela said, turning to look at him. "I know you don't want to rush into saying the 'L' word, but I've said it and you still haven't. Are you ever going to say it, Sam?"
"Of course I will, 'Kaela. You mean everything to me." Sam insisted. "It just –"
"Isn't the right time?" Mikaela asked. "Wow, Sam. How many times have you used that excuse? Ten? Maybe more?" she folded her arms. "I'm not going to wait around for you forever." When Bumblebee pulled up to the curb at the airport, Mikaela stepped out of the car and walked into the terminal. Sam got out and patted Bumblebee on the hood.
"Bee, what am I going to do about her?" Sam sighed.
"Love won't wait, forever and a day..." Bumblebee began to play a song through his speakers.
"Bee... what song even is that?" Sam asked and followed Mikaela into the terminal without waiting for an answer. According to Bumblebee, that was a good thing, because he didn't even know what song it was himself.
xXx
Alice and Leo collapsed in a heap in an alleyway, laughing. The air stewardess had eventually worked out that they were lying, and had sent airport security after them. An extensive chase through the Peruvian airport had followed, involved Leo being tasered and carried out of the building by Alice. They had waited in a warehouse, whilst Leo recovered, and then had run away again when security found them. Leo had managed to get security off their backs by dragging Alice through a crowded market, and yelling something in Spanish that made all of the people there block the path for security.
"Do you think they'll be able to find us?" Alice asked, sitting up and stopping herself from laughing anymore. It was time to be serious.
"I'm not sure." Leo said, scratching his head. "They might've given up and just put out wanted posters... or they might give up. It's not like we were hurting anyone... and I don't see that we're in the country illegally. We're just... tourists."
"What did you say to those people, to make them help us?" Alice asked.
"Oh. I said: Ayuda! Estos son los hombres malos! Which means 'help! These are bad men!'" Leo explained. "My family comes from Puerto Rico so I know quite a bit of Spanish. It's helpful in some situations... like this one."
"But why did they help you?" Alice asked. "They have nothing to gain. They might even be punished by those security men. All of they've done is bring harm to themselves and their families, just to help some strangers."
"People are like that, Alice." Leo shrugged. "Sometimes they just do crazy things, no matter what the consequences might be."
"Like you walking across the street and, well, saving me from that guy?" Alice asked.
"Yeah I guess..." Leo contemplated. "Though I wouldn't say that I saved you. I'd say that I saved him."
"Why?" Alice asked. "Because I'm a Decepticon, right? He might've made me mad, and I would've hurt him?"
"Yes." Leo replied, getting to his feet. Alice looked down at the dusty floor and stayed sitting down. "We should get moving." Leo said, not turning back to look at her. "If we stay in one place for too long it will make it easier for them to find us."
"Leo...?" Alice quietly.
"What?" He turned to look at her, and looked down at her sitting on the floor.
"Do you really think of me like that?"
"Like what?" Leo was puzzled.
"Like a monster." Alice said. "Do you see me like that?" She didn't know why it mattered so much. All she knew was that she cared what Leo thought, and she wanted him to like her.
"Erm..." Leo crouched down in front of her, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't really think I can make a judgement on you, Alice. When I first met you, I would've given anything for you to notice me... for you to like me. Then, you tried to kill me. Now... now I'm not sure how I see you. You're different. Something's changed and I'm not sure what it is. You seem... a lot more... human... then you did before."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you." Alice said. She felt more human, like she had found somewhere to fit in. And Leo... it made her feel warm inside, hearing him say that. It also made her feel slightly nervous, because she didn't know why she felt this way... especially about a human. She looked up and saw that Leo was holding out a hand, to help her to her feet. Alice took his hand. His skin felt warm against... she looked at her hand and rolled her eyes.
"Well... that doesn't seem very human." Leo grinned at Alice's mechanical hand that was grasped in his.
"I really need to get that fixed." She grumbled as Leo yanked her to her feet. Alice looked up and found herself staring into Leo's eyes. Leo blushed and looked away, but she continued staring at him.
"What?" Leo asked.
"I'm not sure." She smiled. Alice had a basic understanding that humans usually blushed when they were embarrassed. Leo was embarrassed that they had made eye contact. Alice knew that he found her human form attractive – he had made it obvious several times before he had discovered the truth about her. She wasn't embarrassed by the eye contact. She had found it intriguing. Leo's eyes were a deep brown, and seemed to reflect the light back at her as if they were made of some sort of crystal or glass. She remembered something from her research into human physiology and behaviour about the eyes... many people had described them as windows to the soul. It made Alice wonder what people saw when they looked into her eyes. "Did you know you have really pretty eyes?"
"Erm... no. But, thank you for telling me." Leo said.
"Are your eyes really the windows to your soul?" Alice asked.
"Some people say they are." Leo replied, running his fingers through his hair. "Where did all of these questions suddenly come from?"
"You looked away when I looked in your eyes." Alice shrugged. "I thought there might be some sort of reason for it, but the only one I can come up with is embarrassment. Why are you embarrassed about making eye contact with me?"
"I'm not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Then why did you look away?"
"It just... made me a bit uncomfortable." Leo confessed.
"Why?"
"It just did."
"There has to be a reason, Leo."
"Okay, fine." Leo snapped. "I looked into your eyes and I didn't see anything I expected."
"What did you expect to see?" Alice asked.
"I expected to see hate and rage..." Leo replied. "But I didn't see anything like that. I saw affection and... fear. You're scared of something, Alice. I want to know why. If you're scared of it, I probably should be too."
"Leo..."
"Why are we here, Alice?" Leo asked. "I haven't pressed you for answers now, but I'm getting suspicious. What are we here to do?"
I'm going to have to lie to him. She thought. She didn't know why the idea of lying to him hurt her so much, but she was going to have to. "I want to revive a bunch of ancient Autobot assassins to take out Megatron." Alice declared. It's half of the truth at least.
xXx
Epps disconnected the parachutes that were attached to himself and Optimus Prime, after they had jumped out of the C-17 over Peruvian airspace. Both of them knew what they had to do – Lennox had made it clear. They had to go in, find Leo and defeat any Decepticons, and then get out. Epps was feeling pretty confident, but he could tell something was bothering Optimus. The Autobot leader was grumpy, and wouldn't really interact with anyone. It made Epps wish that he had better company than the alien robot.
"So, where do you think the Decepticon is?" Epps asked.
"I don't know. We need to head to Machu Picchu. That's where they'll be heading." Optimus replied. "We have to get there first, and destroy what remains there."
"Optimus – there are two of us." Epps said. "What are we going to destroy?"
"I'll be the one doing the destroying." Optimus said. "You won't stand a chance against anything we face, Epps."
"What, because they're gonna be robotic assassins?" Epps asked.
"That, and because they're the Cybertronian Elite – they're the best of the Autobots and the Decepticons." Optimus explained. "They formed a pact to take out the leaders of both sides and rule Cybertron together. If the Decepticons revive them, it's going to be bad for the Autobots and the Decepticons. They've been hidden underground for so long, they won't know what's happened. They'll try to take out me and Megatron, and anyone that stands with us."
"Well... that's not good."
No, Epps. That isn't good.
Thank you so much for all of the feedback! Your comments really brighten my day and I enjoy reading them.
The song Bumblebee is playing through his speakers is "Love Won't Wait" by Gary Barlow, just after Take That split and got back together. It's not a very famous song, but it's one I like and I couldn't really think of anything else for Bumblebee to say.
I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!
I Caught Myself.