A/N: I actually type this chapter when listening to One Call Away by Charlie Puth.
Shadowdarkcloud: 'Kay!
Spinout: What is getting out of control?
Ragestorm: Awww thank you!
Storygirl747: Hehe thanks!
Guest: Haha that's a good idea. Might I ask? Are you angelwing5952 from DA? Your review were very similar.
Galem: He's the best grumpy doc there is xD
HTTYDTF For Life: thank you!
Shanter: Yup that's right. They're pretty cool and awesome (and badass). I also like Optimus' wise and leadership aura. Thank you :D!
AutobotGuy710: Thank you!
AllSpark Princess: I catch your drift.
TF © Michael Bay, Hasbro, etc.
Chapter 11: One Call Away
"Look at you! So cute! Caged up like that!"
Frenzy ignored the Autobot. He finally had enough and turned himself into a laptop.
"Awww! Don't be shy!"
Barricade sat at the corner of the cell, glaring at the two Autobots standing in front of the bars. After saving Zoe from Airachnid, the mech gave himself up to the Autobots knowing that there was no chance he would win against all of them. The mech was placed in the empty brig of the Autobots' base. His signals were jammed and there was no chance of contacting Soundwave without the help of Frenzy. The smaller Decepticon was caged inside a small cage that looks like a birdcage with energon bars that would hurt him if he touch it.
"Not so tough are you now, huh, you Deceptipunk!" One of the ice-cream twins taunted, moving from the cassette to the mech.
"Yeah! You're behind those bars! You can't hit us!" the other continued.
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE FRAG UP!"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Barricade who snapped.
"Geez! We were only trying to have fun." Mudflap raised his servos up in defeat at the black mech.
Skids nodded his helm in agreement. "It's not every day we get to see a Deceptipunk in our brig."
"Well knock it off! You can annoy the heck out of him once we're finished!" Ironhide shooed the ice-cream twins away as Prowl stood by the large doors when the twins exited the brig, complaining all the way out. The Weapon Specialist grunted before turning to face the Decepticon. His electric blue optics glaring at the black and white mech sitting at the corner. "I'm surprised a Decepticon like you haven't snap yet." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Barricade grunted, "Believe me, Autoscum. I'm very tempted to rip their sparks out." he replied bitterly. "Once I'm out, I'm going to squish every human pets you have and I'll save you for last." He hissed.
"What makes you think you can escape?" Ironhide walked closer to the bars.
The scout smirked, "Your good for nothing securities are no match for me."
The top of Ironhide's servo twisted into a cannon. "Don't get cocky with me punk-aft." His cannon hummed softly as it glows brighter. He pointed it directly at Barricade's spark. "You have no right to sass your interrogator. We have top securities, unlike yours." He growled.
Prowl placed a servo on Ironhide's shoulder. "Ironhide. Temper." The police-cruiser warned.
Ironhide grunted, but backed off. The mech let his cannon shift down, flexing his servos as he moved to give Prowl some room.
"Prowl." Barricade addressed.
"Barricade." Prowl did the same. He cleared his throat, "Shall we start?" he asked, being the polite mech he is.
"The sooner it ends the better." Barricade grumbled.
Prowl nodded his helm in agreement. "The Decepticons have been silent for the past three months since Mission City. Even with the absent of your leader, you suddenly appeared in the late of January and decided to force Adella Zoey Campbell to work for you. What are the Decepticons' plans? What could you possibly gain from a child?" he questioned directly.
Barricade snorted. "The human came to me—,"
Ironhide slammed his servo on the wall. "That's bull! No human in their right mind would come to the Decepticons!" he yelled angrily.
The scout laughed. "Are you sure about that, Autobot?"
"Why you—!" Ironhide stepped forward, his servo turning back into a plasma cannon.
"Ironhide! Stand down! We're here to question him." Prowl reminded the black mech. With a heavy spark, Ironhide backed down, but he didn't transform his cannon back into his servo. He motioned his cannons threateningly at the scout who ignored the presence of the Weapon Specialist. The Tactician Specialist cleared his throat, making Barricade turn his helm to the bot. "And Barricade, do not provoke Ironhide. I suggest you cooperate. We were given the order to kill you if you do not." He warned.
Barricade grinned. "I look forward to it."
"He's out of his mind." Ironhide whispered to Prowl. "We're not getting anything out of this fragger. Let's just kill him. We still have that cassette." he loaded his cannon, huffing a puff of air from his nose.
"No. I am positive I will get something out of him." Prowl whispered back. The mech took a deep breath. "What are the Decepticons planning for the future?" he questioned.
"I'm an intelligent race unlike those humans. I know what would benefit my fraction and not. Do you think I would give away information as important as that?" The Decepticon glared at the Second in Command.
"I am just confirming. The Decepticons do have big plans in near future." The police cruiser confirmed. He didn't need a full statement from Barricade to know that the Decepticons were planning something really big. He placed his servo under his chin, calculating everything from the recent events. His optics widened when he thought up a possible event. "You planned to use the AllSpark fragment to resurrect your fallen leader." It wasn't a question, it was a bold statement.
Barricade looked up.
Ironhide grunted. "So it's true." He said under his breath. "You fraggers really don't learn from the past. Prime finished Megatron back in Mission City and you still want to revive him? Even if your plan succeed, Prime would definitely finish him again." The Weapon Specialist said, stating what seemed to be a fact for him.
"Shut the frag up, Autoscums." Barricade growled. He stood up and stomp over to the two Autobots, staring at the both face to face. He stopped right before he touched the energon-powered-bars. Ironhide readied his cannons, ready to shoot the scout's helm. Prowl remained calm as he observed the Decepticon. "You will never win against Lord Megatron, not even your Prime could keep him dead forever. Lord Megatron can do everything. He can take you all by himself—," he stopped when a voice cuts in.
"So what does that make you?" a female voice asked. Small footsteps could be heard, followed by a much heavier one. The Cybertronians turned to look at the small human entering through the large doors. It was Zoe and Lennox, along with the Prime himself.
The laptop suddenly transformed into a small robot at the sound of Zoe's voice. "Z-Zoe." the cassette said, staring at the brunette, relieved that she was alright.
Barricade stared at the weak human. Her skin was paler than usual. Her lips were slightly blue in color, but other than those symptoms she seemed to be fine. His optics trailed to the small plastic tube connected from her arm to the IV bag. The wheels of the pole squeaked against the metal floor. It was the only thing he could hear beside Optimus' heavy footsteps.
Lennox followed Zoe. She wanted to see both Barricade and Frenzy in her condition. At first, Ratchet didn't let her and threatened to sedate her, but after further sassing the medic, he finally gave up and let the girl do as she wish. As long as she was with Lennox and he would bring her back to the med bay immediately if something happens, and by something he means by the littlest of things, coughs or something alike. The NEST field commander sighed. She sure put up a good argument with the medic
The brunette stopped a few feet from the cellar. She looked up to stare at Barricade's optics.
"Human," Barricade said, staring back at the human girl. "What do you mean by your statement?" he growled, feeling slightly offended.
Zoe sighed. "Optimus gave me a small detail." She closed her eyes to take a breath from her nose. She opened her eyes again. "You used me to get the AllSpark because you wanted to bring your leader back from the dead. And after that you would kill me when you have no use of me anymore." She stated.
"That's true."
"You said your leader can do anything, but in reality he's as useless as a piece of scrap." Zoe said and soon after, a loud clang and an angry yell was heard.
"SHUT UP!"
Lennox quickly stood in front of the brunette.
She stared at the Decepticon calmly when he punched the energon bars. At the sudden act, Ironhide quickly pointed his cannons at the Decepticon as Optimus and Prowl stepped to cover her. It was a good thing Barricade's weapons were disabled, otherwise she would be blasted off in a second flat. She stepped closer to the bars, ignoring Prowl's and Lennox's warnings.
"If your leader can do everything then why does he need you or anyone else for that matter?" Zoe continued. She lifted her head to look at Barricade's angry expression ceasing to a confused one. "From what I learn, Megatron is a cruel leader with the only goal of taking over Earth, typical villain story… He even sacrificed a few of his subordinates to get what he wants." She said, remembering what Optimus told her of Megatron a few moments ago.
"Megatron can do anything, but he can't do anything without his subordinates." Zoe quoted, remembering the story Optimus told her. She learned a lot for the past hour from the wise Autobot leader. "I learned from…someone. A leader can't do anything without his team. That they are a leader because of their team. You can't expect someone to be a leader when they're working solo, right?" she said, revering to Optimus Prime himself.
The Prime was taken aback that the girl would use him as a reference.
"Why work for someone who would easily throw you away when he's done?" Zoe added, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.
"You work for me." Barricade retorted.
Zoe snorted. "I was bored. I had nothing better to do. Working for you might lead to something." She shrugged, giving a reply.
'Scary…' Lennox thought, staring at the girl in disbelief.
Zoe crossed her arms as if what she just said was a natural thing. Meeting Barricade and Frenzy was the most exciting thing that happened in her life. It has its good sides. Her life was never boring again, but the down side to it was her brother's life being threatened. Now, she has nothing to worry about anymore. Her brother was safe and the only thing she has to do now is convince the stubborn Decepticon to consider her preach.
"If he is alive, I bet he's willing to throw you away once he knew you're in the hands' of the Autobots, now wouldn't he? I mean, he is the cruel leader who can do anything." she asked.
There was a moment of silence.
Zoe turned on her heels to walk away.
Lennox blinked and followed the girl. "…it took these guys many years to convince the bad guys to give up, but it only took your less than five minutes." He whispered.
Zoe dragged the pole with her. "I call it manipulating with his own words. His statement has a lot of flaws in it…" She replied, whispering to the man beside her.
"Still… that was kind of cool… even I'm touched." Lennox placed a hand on his chest as the two exited the brig area.
Zoe rolled her eyes at him.
"Adella." The baritone voice stopped the two humans from leaving. The two turned to look over their shoulder. It was Barricade who called her. "How did you know I was going to be there when Airachnid was going to kill you?" the Decepticons asked, completely out of the previous topic.
Zoe blinked. She was expecting a question about leadership and such, but Barricade asked a completely different one. She turned her back to him and started to walk away with Lennox.
"I didn't."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Zoe sat on the bed, letting out a soft sigh. Hopefully, that was enough to convince Barricade and Frenzy to cooperate and not get killed. She didn't know why she kept on helping the two, but she just feel attached to them. 'I guess that's the effect when you're stuck with someone you don't like for more than a month…' she thought as she stared at her brother across from her. 'Aiden's been asleep for a long time…' her thoughts wondered.
"When will Aiden wake up?" Zoe asked, loud enough for the CMO to hear.
The CMO heard her, "Frenzy probably sedate him on a large dose. There's nothing I can do to wake him up. We'll let him sleep." he replied from another room. "Things would be a lot easier if we can get him back home by tomorrow morning before he even wakes up." He continued.
'Frenzy did that because he didn't want Aiden to face the Decepticons if he was awake...' Zoe thought with a small smile. She was glad that the cassette still cares about her feelings. 'That's pretty nice of him…' she added in her mind.
'What time is it anyway?' Zoe glanced over to the small clock on the table beside her bed. The long hand was pointing at the number nine as the smaller one was pointing at the number eight. 'Fifteen to nine… A lot of things happened in a day…' she let out a tired sigh.
"Zoe." The voice of Optimus broke her trail of thoughts. Said girl turned her head to the source, spotting the holoform approaching her. "There is something I need to tell you."
Zoe nodded, telling the Prime to continue.
"What you did was indeed reckless. You should not face a Decepticon on your own. I cannot tell you what will happen if Airachnid got what she wanted." His tone was dead serious and his expression showed concern. She knew where this conversation was going, but she decided to listen to him further. "But that is not the main reason."
Silence.
"I never got a chance to thank you."
The girl blinked. "…what?"
A chuckle escaped his lips. "You knew the dangers if you do not surrender the AllSpark to the Decepticons and yet, you kept the AllSpark safe and refuse to tell them any information. What you did would be considered as an act of heroism to our kind. We thank you, Adella Zoey Campbell, for you have given us hope." He smiled, giving a salute to the girl.
Zoe averted her eyes, a faint tinge of pink dusted across her cheeks. "…whatever. You're welcome." She said, embarrassedly as she scratched the back of her neck.
The brunette laid down on the white mattress and a small smile stuck on her lips. She stared at the ceiling, blinking owlishly at it. Her eyes were getting heavier by the second. 'Looks like it's the medicine… so tired.' She let out another sigh as she closed her eyes.
"Rest, Zoe." The Prime tucked the girl in.
"I feel like a kid." Zoe said, earning a smile from Optimus. "At least I have an excuse for not coming to school tomorrow…" she mumbled.
Optimus' chuckle and Ratchet's snorting at her comment was the last thing she heard before drifting to sleep.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Yawn
Zoe yawned quietly as she sat at one of the chairs in the med bay. Lennox thought it was a good idea to wake her up at seven. She complained saying that she still want to take advantage of having a time off from school. But the soldier insisted that she still get up early. She pulled the 'I just had a surgery yesterday' talk, but Ratchet cuts in and said that with his doctor skills she should be fine as long as she doesn't do anything too extreme.
"Didn't know you're not a morning person." Epps said from beside the girl.
"What do you expect?" Zoe mumbled tiredly.
The African-American man chuckled. "It's only seven. It's not like we decide to wake you up at four." He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm."
Zoe gave a deadpan look at the man. "And the early worm gets eaten." She said, glaring at the fit and healthy man. She wasn't the one who likes waking up early or doing any sports for that matter. The only sport she liked was ice skating, but that was a long time ago. And due to her health, she rarely do PE in school, which she was grateful at. Running around and sweating was not her thing. "I don't get why you want me to wake up early when basically I'm not going to school." She sighed.
"Well… there are a few things we need you to clarify before we drive you wo home." Epps said.
"Like what?" Zoe asked irritably.
"Like how you really met Barricade and why you were hiding it from NEST… questions like that." He answered.
The brunette sighed from her nose. "I took a picture of his 'alt-mode' and he demanded that I give him the negative because he thinks I would report it to you." She stared at the man's expression. The NEST personnel remained quiet, listening intently on her story. She averted her eyes to where her brother slept. "And he threatened to kill my brother if I tell anyone. That's all." She finished.
Epps blinked. "Just that?" Zoe nodded her head. He was expecting an hour long of a teenager's rambling. He didn't expect her to tell everything in less than a minute. He was prepared for a long story, he even prepared refreshments. The man raised his eyebrows and his face showed confusion. "I don't get it… If he threatened to kill your brother, then why didn't you tell us sooner?" he asked as he handed the can of chilled orange juice to the girl.
"I didn't trust any of you yet." Zoe answered truthfully. She took the can and opened the lid, taking a sip from the can. "Besides, Frenzy was with me the whole time."
Epps was a little offended, but the 'yet' at the end of the sentence made him feel a little better. It means that she trust the Autobots and NEST now. He took a sip from his own canned coffee. "Then why are you still defending him? I heard from Will about the preaching you did yesterday, which kind of touched my heart, but still why?" the same way Lennox did yesterday, Epps placed a hand on his chest.
"You try being stuck working under someone you don't like for a month. We'll see," Zoe retorted, rolling her eyes at the man's antics. "There are a few things I could relate to him and Frenzy." she said truthfully.
Epps thought for a moment. Being stuck working alongside Galloway as his personal assistant for a full month? No way. He can't even stand with the guy in the same room, much less work as an assistant. The African-American man raised his hands up—along with the one holding the can. He shook his head. "No way. That won't work with Galloway. Not in a million years. The day I get along with him is the day when elephants fly." He huffed.
"Elephants? I thought it was supposed to be pigs." Zoe raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah… that's too mainstream. I want to try something new." The man grinned.
Zoe nodded. "I saw an elephant fly once." The man suddenly froze. She wasn't telling the truth now was she? There's just no way an elephant could fly. The man eyed the girl's expression carefully. Her face has a serious look and her eyes seemed to be telling the truth. "He has big ears and performs in a circu—,"
This time, it was Epps' turn to give Zoe a deadpan look. "That's Dumbo. He doesn't count. He's a cartoon character."
"A flying elephant is a flying elephant."
Epps stared at the teen. Turns out she wasn't all that cold and standoffish as he thought. She's actually quite funny, in her own sarcastic way. When he first met her, he thought that she hated them all. Well, who wouldn't think that? The girl was cold towards him and Lennox! Everyone would think otherwise. But as he gets to know her better. She wasn't that bad.
"I'm beginning to like you, kid." Epps ruffled Zoe's brown hair as he brought the can closer to his lips, taking a long sip.
Zoe looked annoyed when Epps messed up her hair. "…whatever." She mumbled, taking a sip from the can as she averted her eyes.
"Thank you for watching her for me, Serge—!" Ratchet entered the room, but stopped suddenly when he spotted the two humans drinking the chilled beverages from the cans. He angrily marched towards them, his eyebrows knitted together. "And just what do you think you two are doing?! Do you know how unhealthy it is to drink from canned drinks?! I left you for ten minutes. TEN MINUTES. And you already went back to your unhealthy self!" the CMO went on a full rant.
Zoe simply ignored. She took another sip from the can, making Ratchet angrier. She finished the whole drink and placed the can on top of the table beside the chair.
"Listen to your doctor when he's talking to you, young lady!" Ratchet shouted.
Zoe let out another yawn.
Epps only stared at the bickering pair—well more like Ratchet scolding Zoe than both talking back at each other. It almost seemed like Zoe was making Ratchet angry on purpose. He might begin to like Zoe, but he still doesn't get what's going on inside her mind.
"If you want to drink orange juice then have the natural one! Not the processed one!" Ratchet huffed out as Zoe just sighed.
Suddenly, a groan was heard. Their head perked up and stared at the source. Zoe quickly stood up and went to her brother's side. Bright green eyes stared at her own green eyes, blinking owlishly at her.
"Z-Zoe?" Aiden stuttered.
Zoe nodded.
The young man slowly sat up. "W-Where are we? What happened?" he asked, glancing around the room.
Ratchet went to Aiden's side, placing on the stethoscope. "How are you feeling?" he checked the young man's vitals.
"Like I've been zapped repeatedly with a tazer…" Aiden answered, massaging his temples. "Who is he? I know he's a doctor…but?" he turned to look at his sister.
Zoe got the look Ratchet gave her. "He's a friend of Mr. Lennox. Apparently you slipped in the kitchen and hit your head. Luckily, he was around so he brought you back to his clinic and took care of you." She smoothly lied and earned a good pat to her shoulder from the medic.
"Oh… why is there an IV tube stuck on your arm? DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER ATTACK?!" Aiden suddenly shouted. He stared at her sister worriedly, cupping her face with his large warm hands. He inspected every inch of her body, looking for any injuries. His worry-filled eyes stared at Zoe. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you tired? Did you eat something bad? Did someone hurt my adorable sister?!" he sounded angry at the last question he asked.
Zoe sighed at her brother's 'mother hen' side. "Aiden. I'm fine… Dr. Richard here treated me. He says that I was too tired and stressed, but I'm good now." She jammed her thumb to the CMO in disguise.
Aiden turned to face Ratchet with a smile. "Thank you, Dr. Richard. For taking care of me and Zoe." he politely thanked the doctor.
Ratchet nodded his head. "It's no problem, Aiden. It really is nice to hear someone being polite around here." He said, crossing his arms as he rolled his eyes at the brunette beside him.
Said brunette ignored him. "Whatever."
"You will be discard soon after I run a few tests, if that is not a problem?" Ratchet asked and Aiden shook his head. The CMO nodded. "Excellent, but I do need you to make Adella rest while she recovers from her attack. I'll give her some medicine. Make sure she takes them. I know she can be stubborn, so could you take care of her?" he flashed a smirk at the girl.
'Cheater.' Zoe glared at the medic as Aiden nodded his head.
"Of course. Zoe you should listen to the doctor." Aiden chided.
"…whatever." Zoe replied as her brother ushered her to bed. 'I think I like it better when he's asleep when he's around Ratchet…' she sighed and she sat down on the white matrass.
"I know what you're thinking." Aiden said, pointing an accusing finger at her.
Zoe merely stared at her brother, giving a pout.
"Aiden! Good to see you awake." Epps decided to greet the young man.
"Mr. Epps! It's nice to see you too." The two shook hands and patted each other's shoulder. The blonde man blinked after realizing something. "Wait… not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing in Dr. Richard's clinic?" he questioned.
Epps froze.
"Dr. Richard's clinic is in a military base where Mr. Epps worked. Dr. Richard is a military doctor, you know." Zoe clarified, her expression calm. Anyone who saw her would believe what she said. She was the serious type who was always straight-forward. Her brutal honesty sometimes made everyone hesitate to ask her anything.
"I didn't know there's a military base nearby…" Aiden voiced out his thoughts, rubbing his chin.
"This is a temporary base." Zoe covered.
Epps gave Zoe a thumbs up. "Nice safe." He mouthed.
Zoe nodded.
"Oh, I get it now." Aiden smiled and ruffled Zoe's hair—much to her annoyance. The eldest Campbell excused himself to go and freshen up in the bathroom, located in the same room he was in.
As soon as the bathroom door closes, Epps let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
The African-American man turned to face Zoe, shaking his head. "I don't know how you did it, but good job." He praised.
"I simply master the art of lying." Zoe answered.
Epps gave Zoe a look. "Lying's bad for your health though." He reminded the girl that lying was bad.
"Do you want brutal honesty instead? Tell Aiden the truth?"
Epps crossed his arms. "Lying's good."
Zoe sighed, rolling her eyes. Adults…
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
-x-x-(A few days later, Wednesday)-x-x-
Zoe stared out of the window, watching people and buildings passed by. She got the whole week off from school because her brother was worried, but he just had to take her to the station to pick up Layla and Jade. He could've leave her at home, but no. He was too worried that she might use her time to secretly go around town.
"I can't leave you alone, Zo. Who knows what will happen?" Aiden glanced over to the brunette for a second, before his eyes went back to the road. "It's not that bad… you're sitting at the front and they'll be seating at the back." Her brother cheered her up.
Zoe sighed, as she kept on staring out the window. Her green eyes caught something silver in the wing mirror. A silver Pontiac Solstice was driving behind Aiden's car. Since returning back home with Aiden, an Autobot, specifically, Jazz always passed by their house a couple of times. The Autobots wanted to make sure that the Campbells remain safe and sound.
It made Zoe question her brother's awareness. He didn't notice the car following them in every turn or anything for that matter. Either he was too focused on the road or he really isn't aware of anything happening around him. He didn't question much about before he was unconscious. He really believed that he trip and hit his head.
'Talk about having a dense older brother…' Zoe shook her head.
"Oh! I spot Mom and Jade." Aiden turned on the left signal, signaling the driver behind his car that he was going left. The black car was parked beside the sidewalk. Aiden stepped out of the car to help both his mother and his sister place their suitcase in the trunk.
Jade opened the passenger's door, entering the car first. She raised an eyebrow when she spotted her younger sister sitting in the front. "What is she doing here?" the teen asked.
Zoe glared at her sister before fiddling with her camera, deciding to ignore her sister's snarky comments.
Layla and Aiden entered the car after they closed the trunk. "Zoe, are you skipping school?" her mother began, her voice strained, as if she was trying not to yell at her youngest daughter. She turned to Aiden who just put on his seatbelt with a click. "Aiden, did you let your sister skip school?"
Aiden stepped on the pedal, gently moving forward. "No, no. She was sick. So she was excused from school. Doctor's orders." He replied.
"I see." Layla sighed. "You should take better care of yourself. You will fall behind if you skip your classes. I still expect you to study at home." She continued.
Zoe grunted and her frown deepened. "I can catch up. What they're teaching are easy."
Jade snorted. "What? Are you serious? This is coming from someone who always gets a B minus. If you want to prove that you can catch up, try getting an A plus." she sneered, tying her long hair into a ponytail.
"Jade's right. Don't tell me that you are purposefully failing your grades." Layla sided with Jade.
Aiden stopped the car when the light turned red. He gulped averting his eyes to his little sister and then to his mother. The air was thick, not from the air freshener, but from the tension between his mother and his little sister. He noticed the small changes in Zoe from day to day. She was more…open and bold. She would usually ignore her mother and sister. Perhaps this was a bad idea to bring Zoe along to pick up Layla and Jade.
Zoe glanced back, smirking. "So what if I am?"
The light turned green, signaling for Aiden to move.
"Adella Zoey Campbell—!"
Crash
The right side of the car was hit by another car. Although, it wasn't hard enough to crash the car totally, but it still left a large dent on the right passenger's door. The mirror was cracked, but didn't break into pieces.
Aiden quickly pulled the gear from D to P. "Is everyone okay?" he first checked Zoe before glancing to the back. His sister and Mom seemed to be okay as well.
"That could've killed me!" Jade shouted, glaring at the other car through the cracked window.
"Wait here." Aiden instructed as he went out to talk with the other driver. His mother also stepped out of the car angrily, leaving her two daughters in the car.
"You know, this is all your fault." Jade began, a frown on her lips as her eyebrows knitted together. Her arms were crossed against her chest as she glares at Zoe.
Zoe kept on trying to find the right focus on the camera. "Have you gone blind? Clearly it was the other driver's fault." She retorted.
Jade clicked her tongue. "Everywhere you go you bring your stupid luck with you!" she said. "I still can't forget that thing you did on my thirteenth birthday." She pointed an accusing finger at her little sister.
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything. I simply stood at the side. If you want, blame Mother Nature for it."
"It's not just that! You're also the reason why dad works abroad!"
"Now you're blaming me?" Zoe glared.
"Duh! Maybe you should just leave! And then Dad might not have to work so hard to earn money and pay your medical bills!" Jade blamed.
Zoe snorted, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Maybe I should." She said bitterly, opening the door. "It's not my fault that I was born with this kind of heart. If I can, I'll choose a healthy one." She said lowly.
Jade began to regret what she said. She went a little too far. "Zoe wait—,"
The door was closed loudly.
'The Hag… can't seem to stop complaining.' Zoe thought angrily as she glared at nothing in particular. She made her way towards the sidewalk, angrily staring at her mother yelling at the driver who dented Aiden's car. 'I like it better when I'm spending what time I have left with Frenzy and Barricade.' She sighed, leaning against the street pole. 'Wish they were here.'
"Hey lil' lady? What's with the long face?" Jazz's human form asked as he walked up beside her.
"It's just like what you think." Zoe answered, not bothering to look at the Autobot. The argument between her mother and the driver wasn't going anywhere. "This might take a while…" she added.
"Do you want me to take care of it?" Jazz offered.
"What can you do? You're not an officer." Zoe scoffed, staring down at her camera.
"He isn't, but I am."
Both Jazz and Zoe turned their head to the source. Their eyes widened at the man that stood before them. Zoe blinked confusedly as Jazz's jaw dropped.
"Barricade?" Zoe addressed the man unsurely. The last time she saw him was his hologram of a human, but now he was using the thing he doesn't like to use, the holoform. He didn't mind using the hologram because he said it was only a projection, different from the holoform that can be solid. The brunette stared at the police officer. His hair was short and weren't slicked back. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, his eyes were still red, she noted. "I thought you were in prison?"
Jazz nodded in agreement. "Yeah! You're still on probation till next month! How did you even get out anyway?!" he grabbed the officer's shoulder.
Barricade stared at Jazz's hand on his shoulder. "Don't underestimate mine or Frenzy's skills. It was foolish of you to make the twins watch us." He swatted Jazz's hand off his shoulder. "Like I said, your securities are low-class."
Jazz leaned closer. "If Prime or anyone in that matter finds out, you're dead scrap, man!"
"A month is too long. I shortened it to three days." Barricade took long strides to the scene, an authoritative aura around him. He ruffled Zoe's hair before moving on. "After all, I decided that Adella would be under my care."
"Oh slag, Prime's not gonna be happy with this…" Jazz sighed heavily through his nose. "You can't just decide to break out and take charge of Zoe on your own!"
Zoe caught a small twitch of Barricade's lips from the corners of her eyes. She watched as Barricade deal with the matter professionally. As Jazz was panicking whether to comm. link Optimus or anyone at base, Zoe was staring at Barricade. She quickly looked down to the viewfinder, finding the right focus. She set the film advance lever to rotate it to the next empty frame. She locked it before pulling the trigger down, taking a picture of Barricade handling his first car accident as both a police officer and a human.
A small smile also appeared at the corner of her lips, a chuckle went passed her lips.
Jazz only stared. That was the first time he heard her chuckle.
"Maybe I'm not bad luck after all."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N: I dunno why, but I like writing 'Cade in this chapter! Don't forget to check out the newest cover to this story in my DA account.
I think this might be the last update till later one because I'm having finals! Wish me luck!
Well hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter!
Leave long reviews of what you think of this chapter and how I should improve to make the story better.
Special thanks to:
sugabee14, Iwalani, AdamasintheRough, riley101z, SkyLion27, shadowdarkcloud, Demoness Gone Insane
for adding this story to their favs!
Special thanks to:
Firespark15, AdamasintheRough, Koori no Kitsune, SkyAzusa, SkyLion27, Demoness Gone Insane
for adding this story to their alerts!
Reviews are very much appreciated, and please no flames.
R&R please!