Chapter 16
Within an hour we were all piled into Bee for the more than three hour drive. Leo and Simmons provided most of the conversation. I remained silent for the whole ride. No one had mentioned that I could read the strange symbols yet, but I couldn't make head or tails of the riddle. I was lost deep in thought when I felt a gentle squeeze around my chest. I grabbed the seat belt and squeezed back. I don't know how long I was in Bee but eventually everyone was scrabbling out. Simmons was looking through some binoculars at the museum.
"Let's get this show on the road Simmons," I said.
"Air and space museum, land of dreams in there," Simmons said. Suddenly I heard ripping fabric and Simmons said, "Hold those."
"What is that?" I heard Sam ask in a tone of voice that I usually didn't hear from him.
"I wear them when I'm in a funk. It's a baseball thing," Simmons said pulling on some coveralls. Mikaela was fixing his collar as he checked his watch. When Mikaela was done she gave both of his shoulders a slap. "Sharp mind and empty bladder." Simmons then threw a bottle of pills at us. "Slip that under your tongue. It has the same high polymer that's in Oreo cookies, ticks the polygraph every time." Sam passed one to Mikaela then to me.
I cheeked my pill. I needed a drink of water before I would be able to swallow the pill. Simmons pulled out a Taser. "Let's get going," Simmons said testing his Taser.
Leo started freaking out, "Whoa, guys, guys. I'm not an alien bounty hunter. Guards have guns, I don't want to die!"
Simmons started bumping him with his chest pushing Leo against Skids. "Kid, kid, kid, kid," Simmons said with each bump he gave Leo. When Leo could no longer move Simmons put his hand on Skids' roof and said, "If you screw up this mission you are dead to me. Now tighten up that sphincter." After a few more minutes of discussing our plan we headed in. At closing time Leo was supposed to distract the guards at the door and he and Simmons would take them out. Sam, Mikaela and I would hide until all the guards were unconscious.
Once inside I headed straight for the water fountain and took the longest drink of my life. I then headed into the bathroom to clean myself up and answer the call of nature. I then headed out to the main hanger to find a place to hide. I don't know where Sam and Mikaela were, but I chose an old military jet. Shortly after 5 o'clock we all came of hiding with Simmons dragging Leo behind him and Leo's jeans were around his ankles.
"What the hell?" I asked as Simmons came into my field of vision.
"You are an amateur! A rank amateur!" Simmons said as he dragged Leo. When he reached Sam, Mikaela and I he said, "5 guards, 5 guards. Get your stuff and get out of here." Mikaela let the little con out and Sam got the Cube fragment out of a bag that Simmons had some supplies in. Simmons pulled out an Energon detector that he had used when he took Sam, Mikaela and I into custody. I was already wandering off, following something. I felt like I was being pulled in one direction.
"Follow him, follow him he knows where he's going," I heard Mikaela say to Sam. I soon felt everyone following me.
"You got what I got?" Simmons asked as we came to stand in front of an old, black F-22 fighter jet. I looked at him in amazement. I hoped that this bot would be able to help us.
"Yeah," Sam replied.
The little con in front of us transformed from his little toy car alt mode. "Oh there he is. This guy is a legend, like chairman of the board. Yo, freshman, point the shard and watch the magic happen." Sam did as he was told and pointed the shard at the jet and it flew from the tool he was using to hold it. A blue wave of electricity flowed over him. Mikaela run over it and noticed something.
"Shit!" I heard her whisper. "It's a Decepticon."
"Decepticon? Behind the MiG!" Simmons yelled. We took cover under a plane. We watched as the black fighter jet started to transform. His transformation process slow was and rough. When he was done he started ranting.
What sort of hideous mausoleum is this? Answer me pawns and knaves! Show yourself or suffer my infinite wrath! You little spinal cord based organisms." Something hit his head, "Bugger it!" We slowly came out of our hiding space with our hands up. By now the old Decepticon had reached a set of doors big enough for planes to come through.
"This guy did not age well," the little con at our feet said.
"Behold the glory of Jetfire! Prepare for a systems override!" the old con said.
"I don't think he's going to hurt us," Mikaela said.
"I command these doors to open. Fire! I said fire!" the old con said as he slammed himself into the door, and suddenly a missile flew out of somewhere in his back area and went over our heads. "Oh bullocks! Damn these worthless parts!" he yelled breaking down the door. He stepped through the door pulling a part of his ass back up, "Itchy, wretched rust in my arse!"
"Whoa Jetfire! Wait a minute!" Sam called after him.
We ran out the door after him. "Oh the museum is going to be angry, very angry!" Simmons said looking back as we ran through the broken doors and open field that was filled with planes.
"Jetfire, please! We need your help," I said running after him.
"Right, I'm on a mission," Jetfire said hitting a tail wing of a plane. He turned around breaking a wing off another plane.
"Whoa, whoa! We just want to talk!" Sam said.
"I don't have time to talk! I'm a mercenary doom bringer! What planet am I on?" Jetfire asked.
"Earth," Sam replied.
"Earth? Terrible name for a planet. Might as well call it dirt, planet dirt. So tell me, is that robot civil war still going on? Who's winning?"
"Decepticons," I answered.
Jetfire spit something on the ground beside us, but was sure to avoid us. "Well I changed sides to the Auto bots."
"What do you mean changed sides?" Sam asked.
"It's a choice, an intensely personal decision, but who wants to live a life filled with hate," Jetfire replied.
"You mean you don't have to work for those miserable Decepticons?" the little con asked.
"If the Decepticons had their way they would destroy the whole universe," Jetfire replied.
"I'm changing sides, I'm changing sides too Warrior Goddess. Name's Wheelie," the little con said proceeding to hump Mikaela's leg. "Yeah, yeah, say my name."
"What are you allowing to happen to your foot just now?" Sam asked.
"At least he's faithful Sam," Mikaela replied with a look of what was a kin to pride on her face.
"Yeah well he's faithful, he's nude and he's perverted," Sam said pointing at the little con. Sam kicked him off Mikaela's leg, "Can you stop?" he asked then turned to Mikaela, "I don't want to argue with you." He finally turned his attention to Jetfire, "What were you saying?"
Jetfire was suddenly in our faces causing us to fall backward and land on our backs. "I told you my name is Jetfire! Stop judging me. I have issues of my own, and it started with my mother."
"Someone shit the bed this morning," Wheelie said.
"My ancestors have been here for centuries. Why my father, he was a wheel, the first wheel. Do you know what he transformed into?" Jetfire asked.
"No," Simmons replied.
"Nothing! But he did so with honor, dignity, damn it," Jetfire said. Suddenly a parachute came flying out of his ass pulling him to the ground. We ran up to him as he pulled himself up so he could look at us. "My boosters are fried," he said.
"Look I think we could help each other. You know things I don't know, I know things you don't know. I do," Sam said.
"Dude I don't think he knows anything, honestly," Leo said.
I smacked Leo up the back side of a head. "Mind yourself Leo. Respect your elders, even if they are another species," I snapped. Sam and then proceeded to tell Jetfire about the symbols.
"These symbols, they come in waves, all of this is in my mind. Megatron wants what's in my mind, he and someone called the Fallen," Sam said. He had craved the symbols into the ground.
"The Fallen, I know him. He left me here to rust. The original Decepticon. These transcriptions were part of the Fallen's search. I remember now, the Dagger's Tip and the key," Jetfire said.
"Hold on what do you mean? The Dagger's Tip, the Key? Allison isn't that part of the riddle?" Sam asked. Everyone's attention turned to me.
I knew now was the time to come clean. I had to reveal that I could read the symbols. "Yeah. I can read these symbols, but I have no idea what the riddle means. Can you help us?" I asked looking at Jetfire. I felt all eyes on me.
"Yes I can help, but right now no time to explain," Jetfire said pushing all of us together, including the Auto bots. I felt an energy whirling around me. "Stay still or you'll die!"