Redline
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Part 4
It was a little ironic how the best-kept 'secrets' of the U.S. Military were often either common knowledge, or hidden in plain sight. For instance, Sector Seven and Area 51 were both 'classified' projects that had been semi-obvious to the ironically-oblivious public in some way; Area 51 having been made into the stuff of legends, and Sector Seven having been successfully hidden inside of the Hoover Dam itself.
It was almost laughable.
And, in true Military fashion, NEST was not well-hidden from the public eye, either; but instead its secrecy relied upon location, location, location. As it was usually a base that was accessed almost always from the air, there were only a handful of service roads in, and the one that Bee had chosen was not very well-marked or maintained. It was nothing but two twin tire tracks where the use of heavy Military vehicles had bushwhacked a wide path through the dry, desert scrubland, the only thing that gave away that the road had any destination at all besides your typical backcountry campground was a rusted, red gate about two minutes' drive down it.
The gate was open, but a large, filthy sign erected over one of its pillars read 'DANGER AHEAD—PRIVATE PROPERTY, KEEP OUT'.
The main reason for such secrecy was, of course, the existence of the Autobots. It had been a semi-poorly kept secret thus far, to the displeasure of U.S. National Security—mostly due to leaked videos of the destruction their landing on Planet Earth had caused. There was only so much you could do when the World Wide Web has thousands of reposts of videos and photos of alien crash-landings a minute; except for try to contain the situation to the best of your ability.
And so, the location of the robots' newfound home seemed to have been kept successfully quiet through desolation and harsh security measures. Sam and Mikaela were both under oath not to mention anything that had to do with Sector Seven, NEST, or the battle of Mission City to any outsiders.
Mikaela and Bee had reached the facility after a twenty-five minutes' drive from Eugene, just as Bee had said they would. After about ten minutes of travel on a very dusty road covered with gravel that popped and crunched under the Camaro's tires, Mikaela caught a glimpse of the large Military outpost, visible from some ways down the trail due to its massive size. The tall guard towers and huge hangars loomed beyond a surrounding perimeter wall that stood out from the barren landscape of scrub and reddish brown dirt like some kind of ominous detention facility. Bee sped them toward this, with a trail of red dust following behind them, halting just in front of the imposing structure. Entering NEST was standard protocol for Bee, but the men leering from high up inside of the watchtowers still made Mikaela feel a little uneasy.
It was a feeling she always got whenever she visited headquarters, because as a civilian outsider, they were still wary of her and strict security protocols applied to her—even though certain people, like Cpt. Lennox, and of course Optimus Prime, thought she and Sam had as much of a right to be there as anybody did. It was very flattering, but Mikaela did not want anything more to do with the Autobot's war than she had already been involved with, if she could help it.
Military personnel greeted them just inside of the main gate. Bee had been cleared almost immediately, but Mikaela had to step outside of the vehicle for a quick once-over and energon sweep.
Once the guard had finished and she was allowed to get back into the car, she sighed with exasperation, smoothing the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her pony back over her head with an unconvincing word of thanks. Bee, however, couldn't contain his excitement about being back on base and wanted to show off—squealing his tires in a rather large burnout, he exclaimed over the radio, 'Peace out, dawg!' and sped off toward the airstrip.
Mikaela grinned and swatted at the dashboard while she watched the man who had cleared them in the rearview mirror. Through the cloud of tire smoke she saw him pull his radio out of his breast pocket and inform his superior that her and Bumblebee had arrived.
"You bonkers Camaro," she snickered, wrinkling her nose. "Now it stinks like burned rubber. Thanks, dude."
"Anytime." She could have sworn the Autobot had winked at her.
NEST was super active, even for a Saturday. As they drove through the base in search of the Autobot's private hangar, Mikaela saw glimpses of some of the NEST higher-ups flitting in and out of several offices and supply buildings alike, as well as monitoring the usual array of training and shooting practice drills. She watched as lines of these soldiers marched in strategic formations, all decked out in the usual camo, each one holding up a rather large gun to their chest. Other groups of soldiers who were off-duty could be seen hanging around outside of the mess hall, or else sitting on shady benches and smoking; yet others still were crowded around parked rows and rows of all-wheel-drive military-issue vehicles currently being loaded with supplies.
The base's main airstrip was also a flurry of activity. Around ten planes were currently parked on the asphalt, their loading bays open while soldiers scurried up and down the access ramps.
Mikaela frowned. "Are you guys getting ready to go somewhere, Bee? There hasn't been decepticon activity or anything, has there?
"I dunno," the Camaro answered as they passed by the largest plane of all. Mikaela glanced into it just in time to make out an interior full of none other than three large four-wheel-drive jeeps parked and overladen with guns and ammunition. "Last I heard there haven't been any 'Cons 'round lately, but they could be doing something else—just 'cause NEST is where we live doesn't mean it isn't used for other things, too."
"Fair enough," she said thoughtfully.
The Autobot's Hangar was located on the other side of the gigantic piece of wasteland that made up NEST headquarters, and their private (rather large) section of airstrip was located directly adjacent to the main part of base. It was currently (and thankfully) devoid of both planes and soldiers—it seemed like the Military had finally given the 'bots a much-needed day off.
She felt her stomach flutter with nerves as she watched the enormous, semi-circular building approach. Clearly large enough for an Autobot to stand in, their home-away-from-home had a shiny tin roof that reached a good seventy or eighty feet at its peak, with a pair of huge double doors that made up the vehicular entrance; smaller, normal-sized doors were located here and there around the exterior of the building for human access. All doors had been shut tight against the blazing heat outside.
Bumblebee slowed to a halt in front of this, and Mikaela felt her sense of anticipation spike. She rolled down her window but regretted doing this immediately—the blast of heat she was hit with was worse than she was expecting and she choked, breathing thick fumes of hot tar and jet fuel.
"Oh my god," she coughed, her eyes watering against the temperatures. "It's so hot out! I'm not getting out 'til we're inside."
The big double doors of the hangar ground noisily open, revealing shadowy depths that were invisible against the blinding brightness of the sun. She couldn't see a single thing until Bee had rolled all the way in.
Bee's second home always looked even larger inside, somehow. She supposed this had to do with how far the room actually extended—it was a deceivingly long, concrete-floored space that had been filled with several large television displays and computer monitors, all centered around a series of staircases and catwalks that allowed the NEST officials to speak with the Autobots face-to-face instead of having to look up at them all the time. Around this unit, the 'bots had clearly done their best to convert the roomy hangar into as much of a 'home' as they could—there was a defined communal space that resembled an automotive shop and several private 'parking stalls', all sectioned off with welding curtains to make stasis rooms. Mikaela counted one for each Autobot.
All of the 'bots looked around at Bee immediately as he rolled inside. Mikaela saw all of them freeze—Ratchet, who had cleared a space at his workstation for once, was engaged in a very intense game of something that looked like chess, battling a smaller robot that had to be Arcee with huge machine parts for chess pieces. The game had been so intense that Mikaela could tell at a glance that the Autobot medic was losing and was not too happy about it.
Ironhide and Sideswipe were lurking in the very back of the communal shop space, each relaxing on precarious-looking, welded-together stacks of hubcaps that were obviously meant to be chairs for the giant 'bots. They had been talking when they'd noticed Bee, but instantly they'd ditched the subject in favor of hailing the yellow-and-black 'bot as though he was a long-lost brother they had not seen in years.
And Optimus Prime was dead-center of the room, examining a very official-looking document and accompanying set of blueprints displayed on the largest of all the computer screens. He minimized the program quickly as Bee rolled into the hangar.
Being the Autobots' noble leader, he was the first to greet them. As he stepped away from the collection of screens and into the better, more well-lighted part of the room, Mikaela couldn't help but marvel at how shiny the giant 'bot's armour was—little white sparkles of fluorescent reflection flashed all over his body as he moved.
"Welcome back, Bumblebee." His voice was heavy with the weight of authority and leadership.
"Bumblebee!" cheered a slightly higher voice that belonged to Arcee.
"Yo, dawg," said Skids as Mudflap pushed him bodily out of the way.
"Bee! How ya been?"
"What the hell, dude?" Sideswipe grinned down at the yellow-and-black vehicle. "What's goin' on?"
"Old squishy too busy to come along again then, hey?" came Ironhide's voice as the black robot pushed himself to the front of the crowd of Autobots to get a better look at his friend.
Bee released Mikaela's seatbelt and she knew that this was her cue to step out of the Camaro. She did so as gracefully as she could, readjusting her short skirt, and, ignoring how weird it felt to be standing in front of so many Autobots who she had not officially met before, she waved up at them and flashed them all a huge, glowing smile. "It's awesome to see you guys," said Mikaela before addressing Bee. "I bet it's good to be home again, isn't it, Bee? Man, he hardly shuts up about how much he misses you guys," she teased.
Being so accustomed to seeing Bumblebee transform, it did not phase her when suddenly, a robot materialized precisely where the Camaro had just been. "You're damn right," said Bee passionately over his radio.
"So what you been up to, Bee?" asked the robot Mikaela had previously identified as Mudflap.
"And what made you decide to tag along this time, squishy?" Ironhide teased her, grinning. "Long time, no see…"
"Yes. It is nice to see you here, miss Mikaela," said that unmistakeably resonating voice that always seemed to catch her attention at once, belonging to Optimus Prime.
Optimus never really had to speak louder than any of them to make himself heard. Somehow, his voice had the capability of being carried to the very ends of the room and also straight into the very center of Mikaela's chest, buzzing with each syllable. She felt her heart twinge as the other bots fell silent at once, and she found her eyes immediately snapping up to look straight into the Autobot leader's.
The large screen behind him glowed almost as brightly as these eyes, but not quite—his optics were electric-blue and the most visually-drawing things in the room, in her opinion. Looking into them had always made her feel strange, somehow—it had been the same ever since the first time they'd met. Their sheer brightness and intensity was unholy and otherworldly made her almost believe that he was staring right into her very soul.
Mikaela blinked. "N-nice to see you too, Optimus. It's been a while," she said, trying to ignore the way her voice sounded ridiculously high-pitched compared to his deep, resonating one.
Optimus knelt down on one knee, lowering himself to her level to talk while the other bots hung back out of respect for their leader. The closeness made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, and she found herself trying her best not to let her face go red.
"It has. I hope all is well between you and Sam?"
Mikaela cleared her throat and was happy to hear her voice sounded a little deeper, this time. "Uh, yeah, we're okay," she lied. "Sam's just away for the weekend with his family."
Standing in front of the Autobot leader in her short skirt, being subjected nonstop to his penetrating gaze was making her feel self-conscious and naked even more nervous than she already had been. She hadn't expected him to ask about her and Sam's relationship, and, truth be told, even if she'd known Optimus Prime better, she would still probably have had a hard time explaining to him how her relationship with Sam was currently going. Being here, in front of him, was enough to make the words stick in the back of her throat—which was not something that usually happened to Mikaela.
Mikaela was outgoing—not always, but when she felt like it. She usually didn't like talking to people who tried too hard to get her attention, or people who tried too little to get it—this was mostly because, to the outside world, she was very beautiful, and people had a habit of treating her differently because of it. Truth be told, she just wasn't that into always having to deal with it—she just didn't care that much, but what she wasn't used to was other people not caring. This was another reason why the Autobot leader threw her off. It was like, this kind of curveball, and she found herself drawn to him because of it—like she had asked Bumblebee earlier, she wondered what it would take to shatter the Autobot's stoic exterior.
She didn't have a crush on him, or anything, though. She was just curious about him.
But she could not stop looking at him right now and it was freaking her out. His mere presence and appearance implied his incredible importance as their leader, and it was both fascinating and intimidating. It was in the way he composed himself, taller than all the rest, towering over her even while down on one knee, seemingly radiating sheer power and authority—it made her feel so tiny. He was not like Bee—Bee always had an air of silliness about him, no matter what he was doing. It made the smaller 'bot more relatable somehow, made him easy to be around to the point where she could sometimes even forget that he was a giant alien robot—he was more human.
Optimus Prime, though? He carried with him the knowledge of the incomprehensible amount of years he had been alive for, all of the good and the bad things he had lived through, and the weight of the current phase of their war. He felt old, and sturdy, and so much more than human.
"That's good to hear," said Optimus. If he knew that Mikaela had lied, he didn't say anything. "I think it's your birthday next weekend, isn't it?"
"Yes, Sir," Mikaela replied, thankful that he brought up a subject that she could elaborate on. She felt a little foolish, conversing with someone as old and learned as Optimus Prime without anything interesting to add, so she decided that it was the perfect time to bring up part of the reason Bee had offered to take her along on his trip to NEST. "Yeah, um, about that. Bee had a really good idea about something, and I—I was wondering, if…"
She swallowed hard. Even though she knew that Bumblebee had probably already told most of the bots at least part of the story when he'd asked if he could bring her along, Mikaela was a pretty private person, and no matter how much or how little he had said to them about Sam and her, it did not make her any more eager to discuss her personal life with these robots. She was comfortable with Bee, and—not that the Autobots weren't a friendly bunch—she just didn't know them like she knew him.
She knew she had to tell the truth regardless, though. It didn't feel right to ask for their help unless they knew everything.
Or, almost everything.
Mikaela closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Um, actually, Optimus… Sam and I haven't been doing too good."
A ripple went through the crowd of robots. Mikaela noticed a few raised eyebrows and many of them shared a sidelong glance with each other. Sideswipe whistled.
"Damn," he said. "Lucky they haven't bonded yet."
Something about this apparently bothered Optimus, for he turned to Sideswipe with a scowl and said, "Things are different here, remember, Sideswipe. Humans are not Cybertronian… to fall out of love when so young, as sad as the concept may be, is not always pitfall for their species—but rather, for some, a necessary element of human development."
"Um," said Mikaela, somewhat confused. "Thanks… I think?"
Optimus chuckled. "You have nothing to worry about, young human."
She looked in turn at each of the other robots in the room. "We didn't mean for it to happen," she tried to explain. "It's just, we've got a lot going on in our lives, you know? I'm always working, and Sam is going to be going to college. We're kinda going in completely separate directions… but we're not giving up yet. Bee's been helping us work through it a bit—he's a great bot to have around, guys. I'm really lucky to have him as a friend."
Mikaela looked affectionately at Bumblebee and patted him on the highest point of him she could reach—his mid-shin. Bee made a mechanical sort of whine noise in reply that sounded most like a robot equivalent of 'awwwe'. "You're gonna make me blush," he replayed.
"Really, Bee," she continued with a meaningful look at the yellow-and-black 'bot, "Thanks. And as for Sam and I," she turned back to Optimus, "Well, I have this idea of how to fix things. But, uh, I kind of—accidentally—found out what he's getting me for my birthday—he's got me this super sweet ride, oh my god. And he wants us to take a nice trip in it, all by ourselves… go spend a couple of nights in Las Vegas!"
"That sounds great, Mikaela!"
"It does, God. But there's a problem. I was saying to Bee, it's been years since I've driven anything standard. I'm… a little out of practice, to say the least. And as Bee probably mentioned to you guys, I could use a little extra help with that… it's partly why he's brought me along, he said. He'd help if he could, but the Camaro's an automatic and he's probably going to be pretty busy around here, right? His one day to visit, and all…"
"He mentioned that," said Ironhide, looking sideways at Bee before asking Mikaela a question. "But I was thinking— you work in a shop, and you're a human med—mechanic, aren't you? Couldn't you just convert the thing to automatic yourself?" he asked.
Ratchet answered the question for her. "Earth machines are not like us, Ironhide, remember. Humans cannot simply switch their internal mechanisms at will. It takes a considerable amount of time, mechanical aptitude, and expertise for a human—or as you may call them, squishies—to be able to complete the process. Which I don't doubt miss Mikaela has," he nodded to her respectfully, "but I hardly doubt that she could complete such a task by next weekend on her own."
"Right," said Mikaela, "Well, I'm not that great of a mechanic, and I also don't exactly own the car. It's a rental. And Sam's not supposed to know that I know about all of this."
"…Oh. You guys do that?" Sideswipe asked, looking kind of offended at what she had just said. "Rent out cars? For anyone to smear their greasy little hands all over—ruin their paint jobs?"
"Was this the same surprise that Sam had asked you to advise him on last weekend, Bumblebee?" asked Optimus sternly, and her eyes snapped back to the Autobot leader's. God, she wished that she could look somewhere other than straight into his eyes whenever he spoke—the prickling feeling of over-awareness only increased each time and, again, she willed her face not to turn pink.
It was lucky it was somewhat dark inside of the Autobot's hangar…
"Yeah," said Bee. "I, uh, might've been the one to tell her." The poor yellow 'bot looked down at his feet.
"You did not tell us that part..."
"Please, um—Optimus—" interrupted Mikaela, worried that Bee was going to be in trouble. "It wasn't really his fault, though. Actually, things probably would've gone a lot worse if he hadn't told me. We'd been really distant, sometimes arguing and stuff, and… now I think I understand. And without Bee here I would be pretty mortified if next Saturday came and Sam handed me this drop-dead gorgeous machine and I had to sit there and pretend to know what I was doing and knew how to drive stick or whatever and I crashed it and he'd never get his deposit back, or something. I mean, I'm a great driver—I'm just out of practice, and—"
Optimus held up a gigantic hand to silence her. "It's quite all right, Mikaela." His voice was so calming she immediately felt her defensiveness melt away. "I understand—and that is why I have agreed with Bumblebee, that one of us must be appointed to instruct you on how to, as you put the term—" and either she was crazy, or something like a hint of a smile flashed across the Autobot leader's face, "—drive stick."
It was probably the most awkward way he could have put it. Mikaela flushed, unsure as to if the Autobot leader knew how much of a human innuendo the phrase was when put like that or not—it was probably innocent—but even if he didn't, the other bots probably did have some inkling because the room was suddenly ringing with the sound of several of the robots' hearty laughter and a resounding crash as Ironhide threw himself bodily to the ground, pounding the concrete floor with his fists.
"Drive stick," he croaked when he'd finally finished, "Drive stick. Oh, boy, Optimus, I never thought—Primus, you shouldn't talk that way about a squishy—"
Sideswipe, too, had tears of mirth—or rather, oil?—coming from his eyes. When he was done, he whistled. "Damn, Chief," he choked. "I didn't know you like 'em raw."
"Autobots, control yourselves." Optimus looked annoyed. "That is not what I meant, and you are aware of it. Human linguistics dictate that the use of slang is appropriate in casual environments. I only wished to make miss Mikaela feel a little more at home, by—"
"Yeah, right," choked Sideswipe.
Optimus ignored him. "Mikaela," he said in a forcefully level voice, "Bumblebee had also said that it was your wish to learn to drive a truck someday."
Oh, God—had her face already been red? Because now it was scarlet—Mikaela turned to Bee and swatted him against the ankle again. "Jesus, Bee, you really do have a big mouth, don't you?" she tried to laugh, but Optimus was still staring at her with those optics, and it felt like the bottom had just dropped out of her stomach at the idea of going for a drive with Optimus Prime…
"Is this still accurate? Because if it is, I would be more than happy to—"
But Mudflap, Skids, Sideswipe and Ironhide could not resist. Mudflap and Skids were on the floor laughing and Sideswipe wolf-whistled. "Sounds like the boss wants you all to himself," he snickered. "I get dibs on you for next time, kay?"
"Damn, squishy," Ironhide winked at her.
"Silence!" Optimus had barely raised his voice, but the coldness of his tone made the room instantly drop a few degrees. "This attitude exactly is why I wish most to be the one to instruct her," he growled. "I don't think Sam—or Bumblebee, for that matter—would think very highly of me if I let her be taught by a bunch of fools who could not take matters seriously! Autobots, Mikaela asked for our help, and it is our duty—as friends of Sam's—to provide her with that help in a respectful manner."
"Aw, slag. We do respect her."
"Yeah, we were just playin', Prime."
"I am aware," Optimus continued as though he had not heard them, "That most of you in this room are certainly lacking in self-control and the ability to act serious. So, unless miss Mikaela objects—and you of course will have the final say—" he nodded to her, "—I would prefer it if I were to be the one to teach you."
Everybody in the room looked at her. "I—uh," she coughed, feeling put on the spot. Holy shit. "Wow. Um… sure, Optimus, that's…"
The unfinished sentence hung awkwardly in the air.
"Are you positive that you would not be more comfortable with another Autobot?" he asked again, sensing her discomfort. "Though I can guarantee that I am able to act more professionally than some." he glanced at Ironhide and Sideswipe, who were currently looking anywhere except at Optimus. "I am also aware that my vehicular form can be… somewhat daunting."
She could have sworn there was a smile in his voice this time, but his face remained passive and none of the other 'bots had thought what he'd said was funny, so she assumed she must have imagined it again.
But Optimus Prime… wanted to be the one to help her practice driving—! Was she sure that she could handle herself behind the wheel of a big rig? It had become such a distant dream of hers that she couldn't fully believe that it was a thing he was actually offering. Her own little motorbike seemed just about as big and powerful as a tiny little bug compared to the Autobot leader's magnificent alt-form.
She had set out with Bee that morning with the distant hope that she'd get a little practice on a standard, if she could find a suitable 'bot who'd agree. But a truck… well, there was no real argument against it that she could come up with. It was experience on a manual transmission—she knew enough about it to know that the concept for a truck was basically the same as a car at its core, and that if she could drive a big rig, she should be able to handle that little Camaro no problem.
There was really no downside—not any that she could currently come up with, at least.
A few of the bots, however, seemed to be getting over their fear of arousing Optimus's frustration, and were starting to voice their opinions again—Sideswipe and Ironhide in particular. It looked like they were both still very keen on having her practice with them, too.
"You sure you don't want to pick me—oof," started the Stingray before Ironhide elbowed him in the middle.
"You think she'd pick you over me? You haven't got cannons like these." His arm transformed into a truly massive cannon, which he flexed and blew smoke from the end of, showing off. "I'll keep you safe, squishy. You won't have to worry about any 'Con's around when I'm with you."
"In your dreams," Sideswipe shot back. "You gotta have more than just muscle to show 'em 'Cons who's boss."
"Yea? And you think you got the brains to beat these cannons?"
"Even if I don't, I definitely got the skills, I'd smoke you on the road and you know it—"
But this, apparently, was too much for Ironhide, and the room was suddenly filled with the loud clashing of him transforming into the enormous black Topkick. "BRING IT ON!" he roared at Sideswipe over the revving of his engine. "I'll take you on right now, just watch me!"
"Autobots!" This time, Optimus really did raise his voice, and Mikaela felt goosebumps erupt on her arms that had nothing to do with the ambient temperature. "Enough."
Mikaela immediately got the impression that Optimus was probably the only force in the entire universe that could make either Autobot back down from such an invitation, even if only for the moment. The room was filled with renewed silence as both robots glared challengingly at each other. "Tonight, on the tarmac," finished Ironhide.
"You're on," answered Sideswipe.
"Mikaela?" said Optimus quietly, and Mikaela jumped, having been so distracted by the bickering robots that she had almost forgotten that Optimus had asked her a question. "Have you made a decision?"
"Uhh…" she started, staring up at the Autobot leader. She still had not come fully to a decision that felt like the right one, but she was also very aware that there was no real downside to her accepting Optimus's offer. In fact, if she didn't, she knew that she'd just end up mad at herself for being chicken. He's only a truck… she thought to herself. Why should she be so freaked out about the idea of driving a goddamned truck, even if the truck happened to be a rather attractive sentient robot?
Fuck it.
"Hell yeah," Mikaela answered strongly, sparing only a second to think, 'Good God, what am I getting herself into?' before continuing, "I've decided, Optimus, it sounds awesome. Seriously. Bee got it totally right—" she flashed a sassy smile as she looked up at the enormous robot towering over her and winked. "—I've always wanted to drive a big truck."
She had to giggle a little bit to herself as the rest of the bots whistled and whooped in appreciation and even Optimus himself looked a little embarrassed at what she'd just said.
"Damn!"
"High-five, squishy! Nice one!"
But it had all been in good fun. She wiggled her eyebrows and winked at Sideswipe and Ironhide, which made Optimus give a deep, resonating chuckle.
It wasn't every day that she got to give an intergalactic war hero some cheek, after all.