Thank you everyone that's left a review! I love them as any author on this website does, and I sure hope the story lives up to your expectations. And now, because I don't have much else to say, I'll share some music. If you, like me, like folk/celtic/dance-ish/almost-medieval music, then listen to Blackmore's Night. Currently, I especially love 'Violet Moon' and 'World of Stone'. Just in general, they're great.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
I re-uploaded this chapter to change a small error, but is otherwise completely the same as before.
~Ironhide
Sam, staring straight ahead with his eerie hazed-over green eyes, gave a surprised and confused look, pointing at himself. I accidentally let out a snort; yeah right. If that kid is as ignorant as he looks, then I'm the toothfairy.
Optimus gave me a warning look, but all of this went unnoticed by the humans. They were focused on Sam, like they were sure there was something off about him. Well, I don't like looking at us either, we look weird as humans.
I mean, Ratchet with a heart? Pfft.
"Yes, you." the humans were loud, impatient, and annoying.
"Well, I don't know him. Never met him a day in my life." Sam blinked, showing off his creepy eyes again. "I'm just here with my brother, we're going-" Sam paused, having no idea where normal people go, "-to the movies?"
They stared at him, unconvinced. "I thought you were parting ways."
"Well, not us." Sam pointed between himself and Bumblebee.
"Right, well, I'm checking with Alex now then. I want all of your names." one of the humans pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.
"How do we know you aren't just trying to rob the place?" I stepped in. "You could be criminals and be acting, and when we give you our names, you'll steal our identity or something. This is a real suspicious meeting, you know."
They all stared at me, even Sam. Dang, he's got creepy eyes! They weren't focused on anything, or if they were, it'd have to be a few yards behind me.
"What?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"I'm Agent Simmons with Sector Seven." The main guy flashed a badge. "Questioning my authority could be a federal offense if I so said it."
"Right... well..." I quickly backed off.
"I'm going to have to take you all in, then." Agent Simmons decided, nodding to his cronies.
"We haven't done anything wrong here." Optimus put his hands up. "We will leave now, peacefully."
"I don't think that's an option anymore." Simmons turned to him. "Resisting authority, suspicious activities, I want you all to come with me."
"What are you doing here anyways?" Ratchet questioned, not rudely. "If we were suspected of breaking and entering, then why not send the local authorities after us, rather than such a high position?"
"Continuing to resist authorities." Simmons pointed to one of the others. "Write that down. Now come on."
"Wait," Bumblebee objected, reacting out loud to something that hadn't been. Optimus had just sent us a short transmission that I knew immediately Bee wasn't going to like.
But Optimus gave him a sharp look, which this time hadn't gone unnoticed.
"What?" Agent Simmons questioned. "Unless you have something to hide? Is there something I should know, that will change the situation? Hmm?"
"Look here, we aren't looking for any trouble here." I tried again, with a different approach. I put my hands up and gave an easy laugh. "Alex is an old friend of ours." I gestured between Prime and I, "and he asked one of us to stop by here and find some old stuff for him he's trying to sell on the internet. And we all were just meeting up here in this town for a day or two, and we're right on our way. We don't get together very often, so it's not like we carpooled. Right?"
While I was talking, one of the other men had muttered something about the car count to Agent Simmons, and something else I didn't catch. But from his expression, whatever it had been completely eradicated any viability my excuse had.
"A likely story. I think it's best if you all came with us." He suddenly got a smirk that told us it was over. All pretenses were gone. "You and your friends obviously don't know the area very well, so maybe we can come to a bit of an understanding." He stepped aside and gestured to the door.
But while he'd been talking, we'd been coordinating our own plan. The entire room stood at an impasse while the final details were hammered out. Optimus's holoform glanced towards me, and I noddeed.
Then everything flew into action. Optimus, Ratchet, and Jazz all disappeared while three engines started simultaneously outside. Bumblebee and I both grabbed the blind kid and we high-tailed it out the door. Samuel, who had no idea anything about our plan, gasped when his feet were lifted off the floor, but didn't struggle. It would take too long pulling him out manually, trying to avoid tripping him, so his guardian and I are going to get him out of the building ourselves.
At the same time, all the humans lurched into action. But we were out the door before any of them could catch us.
"What're you doing?" Sam asked when his feet hit the ground again.
"Get in." I heard Bumblebee insist, rushing him towards the yellow vehicle Bee had chosen. I, on the other hand, let my holoform disappear as soon as Sam was in the clear. I pulled out of the driveway after the other three, expecting Bumblebee and Sam to be right behind. But something went wrong. I couldn't hear what was said, but knew the instant the humans caught up with us.
"Optimus! They've captured the Boy and Bumblebee." Jazz initiated an open communications link.
I swirved around a tight turn, not slowing down even though the agents were distracted with their catch.
"Aren't we going back for them?" I questioned as Optimus took his time answering. I already knew what his answer would be, and I couldn't argue with it, but I didn't like it.
"We can't chance doing any more damage on this planet than we already have." Optimus chose his words carefully.
"What about the Boy?" Ratchet questioned. Even he wanted to secure both of their safeties. Now was an opportune chance to leave him with his own kind, to allow them to sort his future out on his own planet. And yet, that kid isn't going to handle human society so well like he is. He may not be as ignorant to the world around him as such a handicap would allude to, but how long has it been since he's been among humans?
"Bumblebee will keep track of the boy." Optimus insisted.
"And the glasses?" Ratchet challenged.
"Bumblebee's got them. He will relay the coordinates as soon as possible."
"We can't just leave them!" Jazz objected, slowing down and forcing me to slow down too or swerve to avoid hitting him.
"We have no choice at the moment." Optimus insisted, a great weight behind his voice. I know him well enough, he's already thought this situation to death. If there were even a chance that anything we could do would help with no chance of hurting the humans, we wouldn't be running away with our tails between our legs right now. "We must regroup and find the Allspark. Perhaps a more favorable opportunity will arise."
"And what if it doesn't, Prime? What if we find the Cube and leave the planet, and the humans still have Bumblebee and Samuel under lock and key? You expect us to just abandon them to the humans?" Jazz was getting angry. It was his objections that had taken us so long to agree on this plan in the first place. He's got a sense of how things are going to work out, and his caution had practically insured it wouldn't work. None of us would, by the time we ran out of there.
"Then we won't make their sacrifice in vain."
"Sa-" Ratchet started, only to get cut off.
"We aren't leaving the planet with the Cube." Jazz blurted out, surprising us all. The communications link went completely silent; mutual shock resonating between us.
"What do you mean?" Optimus asked patiently.
"I mean, we're leaving them behind for nothing. We won't even make it back to the Ark with the Cube." Jazz stated harshly.
"You've been wrong before." Optimus insisted. "Arcee can attest to that."
"My instincts are never wrong. Only how I interpret them, and I am confident we won't get the Cube." He sounded pretty sure of it.
"How long have you figured this?" Ratchet demanded.
"Only just before we found the Boy. But long enough."
"We've come this far, and I don't believe it all ends here." I sped back up, forcing the both of us to reconnect with the rest of the convoy. "We're going to get the Cube, Bumblebee, and Sam back. We've chased this thing so far already. Maybe the Decepticons take it off Earth, and we get it from them? But it isn't over with just you and your creepy 'feelings'."
"We stick to the plan." Optimus confirmed.
Even though our communications link was open, he didn't join us. He didn't relay any updates on the situation, or tell us how he'd manage to escape, but it was apparent he was alone as he exceeded local speed law to gain on us. No one was unaware of the yellow scout silently flying over the road, and as he came up behind me, turned over into the other lane to pass me. Bumblebee then passed Jazz and Ratchet silently, not slowing down as he even passed Optimus, pulling back into line in the lead.
"Bumblebee?" Jazz questioned, surprised as the rest of us.
"What happened?" Optimus questioned, attempting to hail him and bring him into our conversation.
But Bumblebee maintained a constant, silent speed, slowly putting distance between us.
"Has he already analyzed the coordinates?" I wondered.
"Well I suppose we have a new lead then."
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
~Sam
I could feel the energy the helicopter created just as I could feel the wind it pushed downwards into my face. The grip on my arm that guided me forwards, towards it, was too tight. But I didn't fight it. I can't feel a familiar aura anywhere, and in every direction there are only humans.
"Step up." The man instructed, and I climbed into the helicopter. He released me as I did this, letting me settle in. I pulled the seat harness on and faced downwards to 'watch' the ground sink bellow us. The Autobots said- they promised they wouldn't let the Decepticons take me back. But they didn't say anything about humans. They never said they'd keep me from the humans. In fact, they said I should return to the human world. They probably aren't coming back for me. They probably think this is for the best. And I guess I don't have any particular attachment to them aside from the fact they saved me from my master- who will come after me if the Autobots won't -but I do trust them by now.
But I can't imagine never hearing that thrumming again. I shuddered.
"You alright there?" The woman sitting next to me asked. She and the man behind her weren't with all the others. They're younger and had completely different backgrounds. They're probably scientists, and she has a Austrailian accent.
"Yeah." No. Do I look alright? I've just been kidnapped by humans, seperated from those who I was actually starting to enjoy being with, and I'm probably going to fall back into my master's hands any minute now. My last glimpses at their auras still lingered in my memory. The one Megatron hates, Optimus, was disappointed and horrified at the humans, but none of them stopped the humans from taking me. They'll probably say, oh well, and figure I'll get over it.
"You're blind?" She asked, just realizing it. I turned my face towards her and sensed her recoil just the same as the other humans had when they first seen my eyes. "Oh, sorry."
I rolled my unseeing eyes and turned the other direction. I put my face to the breeze and sighed, wondering where they were taking us. They probably want me because I was with the aliens, so therefore, they have questions.
"So, how'd you get roped into all of this?" She asked a few minutes later.
I turned back around to face her, gauging her intentions. She seems to be in the same boat as me, considering she had very little in common with the pilot and our esquarts. But she could be here voluntarily, or at the very least not resent the others on this helicopter. So should I tell her the truth, or should I come up with a story?
Why not tell the truth? But then again, why should I? I don't even know what my situation is, let alone how that would affect it. They want to quiz me on the aliens, that much I know. Anything I tell them won't change it. So what the slag?
"I was kidnapped by aliens a few years ago, and just escaped."
"Oh." She fell silent again, and I don't blame her. Every time she says something to me, she realizes how worse my situation is by the minute. Not that it matters to me because becoming blind may have actually been the best thing to happen to me there. I certainly couldn't 'see' like this beforehand.
So I sighed and decided to break the silence this time. She isn't in league with them, obviously, so I might as well try to make allegiances. "You?"
"I intercepted an alien hack and decoded the signal." She answered, somewhat proudly.
"I decoded the signal." The man in the backseat interjected.
"It was a group effort." She allowed. "This is Glen Whitmann, I'm Maggie Madsen." She held out a hand in greeting, before remembering that I'm blind. She started to take it back, but I reached out to shake her hand.
"Sam Witwicky." I allowed. A few days ago, I didn't have a name. Now those Autobots forced it back on me. I still don't too much care for it; old habits die hard. But I guess it is my name.
"Wait, Witwicky?" She quickly took her hand back and shared a look with Glen. I faced forward, still very aware that Glen was shaking his head. "You wouldn't happen to be related to any 'Captain's', would you?"
I sat up and squared my jaw. Archibald, once again. They're definitely here for knowing too much too.
"Yeah. I am." But I didn't elaborate, and neither of them asked. So others know about how my great-grandfather ties into all of this? Which means that the government does too. I suddenly felt like there was something else going on here that I wasn't getting. They aren't just bringing me in for being found with the aliens, are they?
When we got there- at the Hoover Dam for some reason -we went through a general booking process. After that, we were lead into a room where more humans with unrelated auras waited. This was a group of five humans; all male, all about the same age, and each with very similar backgrounds. They're soldiers. And there was also a politician already here.
"There you are." That man, the one who I first met at the house, greeted us.
"Why am I here?" I asked. From the moment the helicopter touched down, my skin was prickling. My heart rate sped up and I'm certain there's something off about this place. It's a vaguely familiar sensation, but I just don't know. Not since I first encountered the Autobots' holoforms have I felt so unsure about the situation. I don't even know if I want to run away and never think about this place again, or find the source and never leave it.
"Same reason you're all here." Simmons announced. "Because you know about the aliens."
"I knew it." Glen hissed behind me. One of the soldiers stepped up.
"What is this place?" He was a good man, I could tell that much. But he obviously knows very little.
"This is Sector Seven." Simmons replied, more willing to answer questions now. "It's been here for over a hundred years, and we intend to be here for that much longer." That sounded like a threat. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."
I hope my style isn't getting too confusing here. I've found myself writing a lot in a way where the in-between is heavily implied, but not explicitly stated. So that's all intentional. Sometimes the in-between is elaborated a bit more as it's remembered, not as it's happening, and sometimes you've just got to settle with the implied. I often find implied material heavier than the explicitly stated. But if you have any questions about what happened or what didn't happen, then feel free to ask and make sure to check the next chapter's AN for a bit of clarity.
Otherwise, if you're keeping up with the implied you're also probably doing well at picking up on the foreshadowing and you probably aren't even reading these AN's. In any case, it doesn't really matter to me. I just hope you'll give me some feedback to tell me if the implied parts are too much and I need to explain more in-text. I'll never know if you don't tell me.