The Complications of Life

By: Nightelfcrawler

Disclaimer: I do not own, merely covet adoringly.

Authors' note: This is a re-telling of the movie-verse, given that do not assume any of it happened the same way. I'm writing from scratch with all new secrets. And while certain characters have been included, do not assume end results.

Warnings: Contains a background of slash relationships.

Chapter Five


It was the sound of something that did not fit their natural environment that woke her. At first Alexis wasn't sure what had stirred her awake, and sat there in silence, listening intently, only able to see the shadow of the ridge across the canyon framing the starry sky. Then, she heard it again. A deep reverberating chord of digital sounds that sounded oddly familiar. She turned her head back to her silent companion, but one check told her he was still out cold. No more liquids had spilled out of his side, thankfully, but he had not yet woken or stirred from his position. Slowly, she rose to her feet, knowing it was up to her to determine who was disturbing them. Carefully she peered out the cave and glanced first left, then right, and froze. Lights shone down the canyon a bit, approaching slowly. About five vehicles were slowly rolling down the canyon. She pulled herself lower down, staring intently at them. There was something wrong… they didn't look like military issue jeeps… in fact, each pair of lights had a different shape and make, none of them military. It wasn't until the roar of an engine gunning sounded, and a sleek silver compact car came speeding closer that she realized the cars were civilian, and rather fancy ones at that. Some kids out joyriding, no doubt. Unless they were heading here, she figured they would just pass by. However, that's when she heard the sounds again. Deep digital sequences of garbled tones, and abruptly the silver car slowed, did a 180 in perfect circle, and stopped to wait for the rest of the caravan. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the side of the silver car. Definitely sporty, it wasn't the kind of car any normal person would take joyriding in the middle of the desert. It tickled her suspicions, and when something strange began to happen, she felt her entire body tense up in surprise and realization.

At first, it was subtle, a small echo of sound, and then clicking of parts, but then as one the entire vehicle began to shift, twist and rotate, splitting into a thousand sections, maneuvering to re-arrange themselves all in a blink of the eye. It took only a handful of seconds, but as her green eyes observed the car became a robot. It was much smaller than her own companion by comparison, standing perhaps half or even one-third of his full height, but the design similarities were there. Smooth metal of alien design, interconnected parts that formed complex working bi-pedal parts. Alexis could immediately appreciate the differences between this car-robot and her partner, clearly designed for flight. The car-robot was smaller, sleeker, and built for speed on the ground, but there was also something else she noticed as peculiar in their differences: this one had two brightly glowing blue lights for eyes, instead of her partners' one red. She idly wondered if this made a difference, but was distracted when the other vehicles caught up with the transformed robot. Being a stickler for details, Alexis immediately focused on the other four. They were of varying size and make, a semi-truck, a second sporty car, a hummer and a large pickup truck. And there was one distinct detail she noted, with her newfound sharp vision: each vehicle was devoid of a driver.

Her suspicions were proven when as one all four remaining vehicles began to shift and change in sequence, each with a unique flair of their own, until five robots of varying shape, size and bulk stood together, speaking in the pulses of digital sounds that she surmised was their language. It was entirely different from the sounds that she had heard from her companion grating and harsh, whereas these sounds were smooth and almost melodic in their form. Unfortunately, she could make no heads or tails of their speech, as their body language gave nothing away as to why they were here. However, her mind tickled at the realization that it was entirely possible they were here looking for her companion. After all, they seemed to be of the same kind, it was possible they had advanced tracking methods that helped them locate one another. However, knowing what she knew about their society, she wasn't about to get too excited. The last thing she wanted was more harm befalling her partner. She wasn't sure she could trust them or not… yet, she also had little choice at the moment. He was in poor shape, and she had no idea if his life was endangered or not, therefore forcing her to make a hard decision on the fly: to trust, or not to trust? That was the pickle.

Fortunately, or perhaps not so much, that dilemma was abruptly solved for her, when one of the robot's piercing gaze scanned their surrounding environment, a light green latticework of lines spreading over the rocks and walls of the canyon, sliding smoothly across the terrain and sweeping over her hidden spot behind the rocks. The light didn't pause, however it did shut off not long after passing her hiding spot, and a small burst of sound accompanied the robot's explanation. Peering cautiously over the rock, she saw all five gazes sweep towards her location, and despite ducking down behind the rock, she knew that they had spotted her. Heat signatures perhaps, it didn't matter, her hiding spot had been compromised. As she crouched there, breath held, she heard soft reverberations in the hard earth as footsteps slowly began to grow steadier and firmer as someone was approaching. She risked a glance upwards, only to see two piercing blue eyes staring down at her from the same robot who had initiated the scan, the one which had been the bright neon humvee. "My apologies…" a deep voice rumbled out in perfectly understandable English. "…but we cannot risk you knowing about us. I assure you, this will not hurt, and you will awake in about an hour." Her heart leapt as she saw a sharp needle materialize out of the robot's finger as it neared closer to her.

She had to act. "Wait!" She said sharply, standing up to her full 5 foot 5 inch height, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin without fear before the robot. Surprised, it did stop, staring down at her with obvious curiosity portrayed on it's very expressive facial plates. "I already know more than you realize." She said firmly. "And if you wipe my memory, you'll not get any information from me."

The robot blinked. "I beg your pardon?" It asked, ever so polite, but clearly surprised. "What could you possibly offer in the way of information?"

She crossed her arms, not daunted by the situation, despite having a towering robot standing over her. "You're out here looking for another of your kind, aren't you?"

She could immediately sense the wariness in the robot as he stared down at her, a subtle tensing of his posture, and shift of his gaze to regard her more critically. "What do you know of it?" He asked slowly, cautiously.

"I was the one with him when he escaped government custody. I know where he is, but before I tell you, you must promise me that you won't knock me out and leave me here, and you won't harm him. He's told me a bit about your politics, and I don't want him getting involved in things he chooses to remain separate from."

"You do realize we could locate him without you." The robot pointed out, seeming a little amused at her confidence. "We tracked him this far, it will not be hard pinpointing his location further."

"True." She agreed. "But he's a friend to me, and I don't think he'll be very happy to find out you left me out here in the middle of the desert after we've been through this much together. Besides," She added doing all she could to pinpoint her importance so she wouldn't be left out of the proceedings. "He's the one who got me involved in this, we're both in the same amount of trouble. You leave me here, I'm going to be caught. I really would prefer that didn't happen. I'm not sure how much you know about our military, but they can be very persistent when they want to be. They will be looking for both of us." The robot stared down at her curiously, then shifted it's head slightly to stare to the side. Alexis instinctively sensed that the others were approaching as the ground shook slightly beneath her. She stood her ground, doggedly refusing to show how her heart was pounding nervously in her chest, nor did she take her eyes off that needle. The last thing she wanted was being injected by ANOTHER alien robot. After a moment, however, she didn't have to shift her gaze much to see the others, as they all gathered around her in a circle. She began to feel distinctly claustrophobic, but still refused to move.

"You are friend to the mech who escaped from your government earlier today?" A deep voice reverberated out from the tallest of the five. To her surprise, his voice seemed kind and soothing. Still, she couldn't be sure it was genuine or not, she didn't know them. Unfortunately, she had already revealed what she knew, so she had no choice but to nod in agreement to the robot's question. "Then I assure you upon my word, we pose no threat or wish any harm to befall your companion. Our mission here is to find him and help him." He slowly knelt down closer, his massive head sweeping down towards her, slightly intimidating, but just as fascinating as she observed the intricate workings of his design. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We will protect him for as long as he wishes it, and permit him to leave when he desires. We will not act against his wishes."

Alexis was a fairly good judge of character, or so she believed. She instinctively believed Optimus Prime's words when he spoke them. Perhaps it was her logic in knowing her partner that led her to believe robots were logical creatures, or perhaps it was her fear of what might happen if she decided not to trust them, whatever it was, she could either trust them or not. Either way, the result would likely be the same. She held her gaze to his glowing blue eyes, and then nodded once. "All right." She said finally. "But I'll have you know that I trust him before anyone else at this point. If he decides not to trust you, then I'll go with his judgment."

"Understandable."

"Now…" The robot with the needle spoke up, said needle retracting back into his finger with a small click. "Where is he, and what condition is he in?"

"He's back in that cave." Alexis said, turning to point the way. "And I managed to stop his fluids from leaking, but I don't think it's the best job in the world." She peered up at the robot keenly. "You are a medic, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Then please help him. He nearly lost consciousness getting us this far, and he hasn't woke since. I don't know how bad off he is, but even I'm smart enough to know when someone's in bad shape."

The medic stared down at her, optics curious. "You care about him, do you?"

Alexis stiffened a little, defensive about that rather personal question. "I helped him when no one else would. Of course I care."

"Then fear not." Optimus rumbled, drawing her attention back to him. "Ratchet is the best medic in the galaxy, he will do his best."

She watched as the medic, Ratchet, moved into the cave and vanished from view. A tense feeling continued to knot in her chest as she wondered what would happen to her companion. Could these robots be trusted? Would he be angry with her for involving them? He was the paranoid sort, she had learned, and didn't trust many people. Still, he needed their help more than anything at the moment. She felt a wash of exhaustion rush through her, and had to force herself to remain standing. "What will you do with him now?" She asked, wondering if she could risk going to watch the medic work.

"If Ratchet believes he can be safely moved, we will return with him to our headquarters." Optimus Prime rumbled. "You are welcome to accompany us, of course, given your close interaction to him, I would think it lax if we did not continue to involve you. I must ask you one thing, however… do you happen to know his identity?"

Alexis lifted her gaze to study the solemn eyes watching her back. "He said his name is unpronounceable, but he told me that he is a scientist, and he remains neutral in your war."

"Hm." Optimus mused. "Our names are indeed unpronounceable to your language, however most of us choose acceptable acronyms that work. I am surprised he did not do this."

Alexis shrugged slightly. "We never had time to go through and pick something suitable."

"Well, as long as he's not a Decepticon." Growled the black robot with a rather sour look on his facial plating.

"Easy Ironhide. Decepticon or not, no mech should be held against their will. Let us wait until Ratchet gives his report." Optimus soothed, placing a large hand on the black mech's shoulder, soothing him. "Jazz, Bumblebee, go and see if Ratchet needs assistance." The silver mech and the bright yellow mech both split off heading towards the cave, however they were stopped as Ratchet's significant bulk blocked the entrance, bright lights on his shoulders flooding the area with illumination. Optimus looked up at the medic, alert. "What have you discovered?"

"He's stable. What the young woman did probably saved his life." The medic growled, stomping over towards them with a frown. "She tied off his energon lines, and he's running on low supplies as it is. I'll need to get him back to base ASAP and hooked up to some fuel lines before I'm happy. He's received some fairly significant structural damage, though some of it appears to have been repaired by untrained hands." His gaze shifted to Alexis, who flushed indignant at the subtle hint. "However, it will make his repairs easier in the long run." He hesitated, his optics dimming a little as he frowned. "There is something odd about his structure, however. I would like a closer look back at the med-bay before I come to any conclusions…" He glanced at Optimus keenly. "However, his initial structure indicates some kind of jet-mode base."

Optimus lifted an optic ridge, as Alexis recognized a look of surprise on his features. "A jet-mode? Interesting. There seems to be more to our friend than meets the eye."

"That's putting it mildly."

"Can we move him?"

"Yes, though it'll take both you and Ironhide to haul him. He's on the large side."

"Very well. Bring him out and we'll transport him." Optimus turned his head back towards Alexis, kneeling back down. "I would like you to ride with Ratchet so he can run some scans to ensure you are not injured yourself."

"I'm fine." She said with a sigh, running a hand through her rather grimy hair. She probably looked like hell. "I'm just exhausted, dirty and hungry. It's been a very long day."

"Understandable. Still, riding with Ratchet will allow you to gather some sustenance en-route. You can also catch him up on anything relevant to your companion's health."

Alexis sighed, but nodded in agreement. She knew there wasn't a choice, and while she wanted to stay close to her friend, it was clear he wasn't going to be carrying her anywhere soon. She watched as the three smaller mechs carefully bore him out on their shoulders towards the waiting flat-bed pickup and semi-truck arranged side by side. They lowered the mech's prone form down to rest diagonally across the two mech's beds, and then lashed him in place with some kind of flexible wire the medic produced from a storage space in his body. Once he was secured to their liking, Alexis watched with fascination as the other three twisted back down into their vehicle shapes. Ratchet rolled up to her, a door opening of it's own accord as his gruff voice echoed out from inside. "Come on, let's get going, girl."

Alexis frowned, but slid into the interior of the humvee, finding it strange to think she was riding INSIDE an alien craft. Being carried around in a giant hand was one thing, but you would have never known that the humvee was an alien if she hadn't see it with her own eyes. "My name is Agent Alexis Parks, not 'girl', doctor Ratchet." She said firmly.

"My apologies." Came a rather amused response. "Now remain still while I scan you, Agent Alexis Parks."

She smiled slightly, and relaxed a little as the vehicle began to move on it's own. "Just Alexis is fine. Just don't call me 'girl'. That's what Simmons does, and it drives me nuts."

"Simmons?" Came the question as a green light flooded the interior of the vehicle, tickling a little as if she were being placed under some sort of x-ray.

"He was a very irritating Agent I had the misfortune of working with from time to time. Trust me, you'd hate him too."

"Humph." Came the gruff response and the light shut off. "You do not appear to be significantly damaged in any way, however you are significantly deprived of fuel and rest at the moment, and I detect a small amount of metal alloy in your system. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"He did it." She said tiredly, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the seat's head rest. "He said it was to be able to communicate with me, which it did. But seeing as you five all seem to be able to use English quite well, I'm a bit confused why he chose that method."

"Hm." Ratchet mused, pulling up a diagram on the display mounted on the dash so she could see as he analyzed his findings. "It is an unusual method, not one I have heard before. I would want to question him as to his reasons for using this process as well. It is possible he did it in order to preserve privacy with someone he could trust, but somehow I think there's more to it than that, considering he didn't supply you with an acronym for his name. Tell me, how did he learn your language in the first place?"

"He plucked it out of my head."

"As I surmised. It's possible his data-transfer system was damaged. Without that he wouldn't be able to access the wireless signals your planet has dancing around our heads like dust mites." Ratchet snorted. "It may be he had to rely on alternate methods to communicate since he could not access your World Wide Web to gather information."

"So that's how you five learned about our languages and vehicles?" Alexis murmured, cracking an eye open to tiredly watch the desert scenery slide by outside as they sped through the open ground at break-neck speed. "You just logged online and downloaded anything you needed?"

"It is a most convenient form of information, one that allows us to be anonymous and gather anything we require."

"Touché." She smiled a little, watching as the desert seemed to meet with the endless expanse of stars spreading above her. "So, dare I ask what brought you here in the first place? I know his story, but that has nothing to do with you."

There was a long pause before Ratchet spoke slowly and carefully. "That I think is something best left for Optimus to explain to you. I would advise you try and gather some rest while you can, we will be traveling most of the night." He fell silent, and Alexis had little choice but to do as he advised. She was able to nap a bit, though the jostling of the humvee was not the best resting place. Therefore when she felt the speed decline, it roused her from her half-sleeping state to open her eyes. All around her were new desert cliffs, tall and straight, glowing golden in the morning sunlight as it spilled over the far ridge and illuminated the most amazing thing she had ever seen.