Hello! I hope you're well. I must apologise that this update is well overdue... I have been going through some family difficulties recently with my Grandma and every time I have sat down to write I have either felt completely uninspired or just so drained that I couldn't put down anything coherent. I hope you will forgive me.
Millie
Shit.
Millie growled in fury as her hands were lifted high behind her, the unmistakable sound of handcuffs reaching her ears.
Without a second thought, her right heel flew up behind her and connected with the man's crotch. She felt his grip weaken as his body buckled in pain behind her. Spinning, Millie twisted her hands from his grasp and elbowed him in the stomach, adding insult to injury. Winded, the man's grip on the Glock weakened so she used a simple disarming technique to make the gun her own. Within seconds, Millie had the man's hands locked behind his back and the Glock pressed to his temple.
"I warned you not to hurt my brother." Millie murmured darkly into his ear as the other suits scrambled to try and help their senior. Bumblebee's holoform was still held on the ground by one of the men, his arms locked in a dead man's lift.
"What's your name, agent?" Millie asked the man pleasantly as she held the gun in place."
"Simmonds." Came the chocked, scathing reply. "Seymour Simmonds."
"Ooh." Millie taunted, a light chuckle rippling from her chest. "Don't know what your Mama was thinking when she gave you a name like that."
Simmonds gave a harsh pull against Millie's grip, grunting with the effort as she continued to hold him in her custody.
"I don't think so." Millie said as her grip on his twisted arms tightened her hold on him. Turning to look at the other suits, Millie repositioned the Glock on Simmonds head slightly. "Right boys. If you want to take Agent Simmonds home in anything but a body bag, you better release my baby brother and get back into your car. Leave all phones and radios on the ground where I can see them, if you please."
The men glared at her for a moment, staring hopelessly between Millie and Simmonds.
"Now listen here, young lady." Simmonds began, twisting his head slightly to look at Millie. "I'm going to count to five and your-"
"-Oh really?" Millie countered, raising an eyebrow and the man's gall. She clicked the safety off the Glock and returned it to Simmonds' temple. "You want to start counting? Be my guest."
Simmonds' muscles tensed hugely as he felt the cold metal of his own Glock pressing into his skull. His eyes flicked from his captor to his men a few metres from them, unsure how to proceed.
"Do as she says." He acquiesced finally, sagging slightly in Millie's hold.
"A wish decision." Millie agreed, hefting Simmonds up slightly to support the man on his feet.
She watched the men like a hawk as they placed their equipment on the ground and retreated slowly, their steps returning them to the Jeep ten metres back. The man holding Bumblebee released him, so the holoform jumped to his feet quickly and moved to stand beside Millie.
"Do you know what your doing?" He whispered in her ear, worrisome undertones lacing his voice.
"Yeah..." Millie replied calmly, trying to conceal her own self doubt from the Autobot. It was typical really; after twelve years she had finally managed to escape her life of assassinations and murders, yet here she was holding a gun to a man's head to try and save herself and Bee.
"Get in the car, Bee." Talking directly to the holoform so to not give Simmonds the satisfactory confirmation that Bumblebee was in fact an Alien. "Be prepared to roll out."
Bumblebee nodded sharply, moving swiftly around the hood of the camero and climbing in to the driver's seat.
Once Millie heard the door shut, her eyes returned to the four other suits who had finally managed to seat themselves within the Jeep.
"What are you going to do now, criminal?" Simmonds spat, his eyes burning with hatred as the last door of the Jeep slammed shut.
Two shots rang out across the street.
Simmonds could not contain his reactive jump as Millie pulled the gun from his head and aimed at the Jeep. In two shots, she hand managed to hit both front tires of the vehicle. He watched on desperately as the wheels deflated rapidly; the car was now useless.
"Don't want you guys following us now do we?" Millie asked nonchalantly as she began to drag Simmonds backwards, the Glock once again positioned at his temple.
Bumblebee
They were fragged.
Those men knew of the Cybertronians long before he arrived on planet two earth days ago. How the pit did they know?
Bumblebee watched Millie through both his eyes and the eyes of his holoform as she held the man - Simmonds - hostage. The black backpack he had given her was resting across her back as she slowly began to walk backwards, pulling Simmonds with her.
Following her movement, Bee realised that she was moving towards the bike he had bought her. Her eyes flicked to him as she moved backwards, sending a clear message: get ready to roll out.
Bumblebee onlined his engine and rolled forward a few metres, shadowing Millie as she ushered Simmonds to the lamppost beside the bike.
Releasing Simmonds and directing him towards the lamppost, Millie raised the gun at his chest and looked at him blankly.
"The belt." She said, gesturing to Simmonds' belt around his waist with the gun. "Take it off, tough guy."
Simmonds spluttered angrily, raising his finger accusingly at Millie.
"You," he spat furiously as he roughly began to undo the belt. "are a criminal. Worse than a criminal: a terrorist. I will find you, and I will bring you down. You'll spend your life looking over your shoulder, waiting for me."
The belt snapped away from Simmonds' waist as he thrusted it towards Millie. With a tired eye roll, the girl accepted the belt and raised a calm eyebrow at Simmonds as threats continued to roll from his tongue like a waterfall. Bumblebee revved angrily at the insults, but Millie raised a slight hand to him, stepping forward to draw level with Simmonds. The gun remained pointed towards his heart as she moved closer, effectively silencing him as she pressed the cool metal pressed into his chest.
"Listen to me and listen very carefully." Millie quietly drew her height to match Simmonds' as best she could as the man watched her with wide eyes. "I have been called things far worse than anything you can imagine, and done things far worse also.
"You think you'll find me? Well you're gravely mistaken." Millie chuckled humourlessly as she reached into Simmonds' inside jacket pocket. "I can change who I am in a matter of moments; it's what I do, what I've been trained my whole life to do..."
Bumblebee's felt his spark hum with worry as Millie drew her sentence to a close. He saw the muscles in her back tighten slightly as she realised she'd slipped up: Simmonds knew she was trained.
Stepping away from the man, Millie pulled a leather wallet from the Simmonds' pocket flipping it open coyly as she examined the badge within.
"Sector 7?" She asked offhandedly after a moment of examining the badge, raising an eyebrow at Simmonds once again. "Secret branch of the government perhaps?"
Millie was being clever; extremely clever. Bumblebee watched as she recovered from her slip in mere moments, changing the direction of the conversation to something that would anger Simmonds instantly: something that would fill his mind completely.
"Put that down, girl." Simmonds growled in fury, his eyes burning angrily. "You don't have the authority to start asking questions."
"Oh I believe I do." Millie countered brightly as the waved the gun in her hand. "I'm the one with the gun."
A frustrated growl rippled from Simmonds' throat as he glared daggers at Millie.
Bumblebee began to worry that they were beginning to linger for too long now; Millie and himself needed to get on the road and away from this place as soon as they could. If one of the men in suits had called for back-up before Millie had confiscated their radios, then their situation would get far worse very quickly.
Revving slightly, Bumblebee rolled forwards a few metres again. Millie glanced at him, understanding his meaning instantly.
Pointing the gun at Simmonds again, Millie hefted the belt in her hand.
"Arms up and resting against the lamppost, tough guy." She ordered simply, stepping forward and pushing Simmonds carefully against the pole.
"What do you think you're doing?" Simmonds asked incredulously as Millie moved behind him, the gun now pressed firmly into his back. With a single hand, she began to wrap the belt about his wrists that rested against the lamppost high above his head.
"Did you think I borrowed your belt for nothing?" Millie asked innocently, fastening the buckle of the belt so Simmonds was unable to free his hands. She walk around him once again to look him square in the eye. "I have to make sure that your don't try to drag me off the bike as we leave."
Turning around and completely ignoring the man's string of curses, Millie walked briskly towards the bike and quickly pulled off her baseball cap and carefully put on the helmet. She slipped the cap into her backpack before sliding her leg over the saddle and turning the key in the ignition. The bike roared to life underneath her, and Bumblebee had to try and suppress a chuckle as the sound of his engine combined with the bike's drowned out Simmonds' curses completely.
Bumblebee waited patiently as Millie put the bike into gear. She raised her eyes to meet his holoform's eyes and nodded in affirmation: ready.
Accompanied by the screeching of his tyres, Bumblebee turned in the street and began to accelerate away from the Jeeps and Simmonds, the man shouting angrily after the Autobot as he became surrounded by smoke from Bee's tyre's. Millie opened the throttle of the bike and peeled away front the curb, keeping closely to Bumblebee's flank.
"Where to, Captain?"
Bumblebee projected the soundbyte to Millie as she drew level with him.
"As far away from here as possible, Bee." Her eyes remained focused on the road ahead as she spoke. "Those men know about your race. We can't let them find you, so the both of us need to become anonymous once again."
Bumblebee nodded in silent agreement, barely noticing as the town around them quickly melted away to the arid countryside.
Two hours later after following as many roads as they could that were devoid of cameras, Millie's began to decelerate as they approached a crossroads.
"Pull over please Bee." Millie asked quietly as the bike continued to slow beneath her. She changed down a few gears as she pulled off the road and onto the dirt of the verge, putting the bike in neutral and cutting the engine as Bee came to a stop behind her.
She cut the engine as Bumblebee began to transform, standing up from his alt form and stretching happily at the freedom of being bipedal once again.
Millie pulled her helmet off and watched Bee silently as he began to bounce on the soles of his pedes, shaking his arms and servos to relieve his stiff joints. His armour shifted across his form to settle into more comfortable positions while the doors that served as wings fit snugly into place across his back.
Looking down, Bee released a soft chirp as he saw the sadness in Millie's eyes. The girl had her hip resting against the bike and her arms where folded loosely across her chest.
"I'm going to miss you, Bee." She murmured, glancing down at the pale dirt of the desert. "I've never felt this safe my whole life."
Bumblebee crouched down slowly, bringing his optics level with Millie's eyes. He release a small string of clicks and chirps again, causing Millie to smile slightly in subdued amusement.
"We'll meet again..."
"Don't know where, don't know when..." Millie finished the second half of the lyric from Bee's soundbyte, laughing as Bee whistled happily.
"Nobody can resist a good bit of Vera Lynn, Bee" Millie said, smiling at his antics.
"Aye, Sir." Bee played merrily, before his mood began to drop, his optics hardening as he became serious once again. However, his optics brightened slightly again as Millie smiled. He liked it when she smiled; it would cause her whole face to change entirely from controlled and serious to young and carefree - what she should be like at under twenty annum old.
"Bee?" Millie asked curiously as the Autobot realised he's been staring at her. Raising a servo, Bumblebee pointed to pack still resting across Millie's back.
"Paper... Telecommunications frequency... Incoming message from Starfleet, Captain."
Millie's eyebrows furrowed curiously as she shrugged off the pack and opened it quickly, digging through to find a small envelope. She held it up questioningly.
"Is this was you're talking about?"
Bumblebee nodded, playing a round of applause through his speakers. Millie looked down at the envelope and fingered it for a moment, thinking over Bee's bytes.
"Are saying that your communication frequency is in here?"
Bumblebee nodded vigorously, clapping his servos together and playing the applause again.
"Personal... Just for... You and me, baby."
"I get it." Millie said seriously, tucking the envelope back into the backpack. "It's your personal frequency. Don't lose it, don't let anyone else have it."
Bumblebee nodded again, pleased that Millie had caught on to his meaning so quickly.
"Identification... Twenty one... Oh... Six."
"Identification?" Millie asked curiously, looking up from sealing the pack. "You mean like a password?"
Once again, the round of applause rippled from Bumblebee's speakers causing Millie to snort in amusement.
"Two one zero six." She said with a nod, securing the pack across her back and settling it into position. "I won't forget Bee, I promise."
Bumblebee smiled approvingly, glancing up sadly to see the star of this solar system slowly beginning its descent towards the horizon. Millie followed his gaze to watch the sun set. A haze of crimson fire began to blossom on the horizon as the blues of the sky began to burn a deep umber.
Bumblebee vented a sigh as he looked down to Millie again, her eyes moving from the horizon to his optics.
"Let's go... Hit the road, Jack." Bumblebee played softly, before carefully transforming down into the camero. This was definitely not his favourite form; the model was over 30 annum outdated on this planet and he could really do with a tune up. Scanning the World Wide Web he quickly found the latest model of the camero, smiling to himself as he registered the specs. Yes, the newest model would suit him much better when the time was right.
Millie sighed and nodded in agreement, turning her back away from Bumblebee as she reached for her helmet.
Onlining his holoform behind Millie, Bee wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. He felt all her muscles tighten for a moment in shock, before they slowly began to loosen, relaxing as she rested comfortably in his embrace.
"Be careful." Bee whispered gently in her ear, squeezing her slightly in comfort. "Keep your leg clean and dressed until it's healed. If you see anything suspicious, then move; change towns, change states, change countries. Just don't get caught.
A small smile tugged at Millie's lips as she turned in Bumblebee's arms to face him, her eyes shining with gratitude.
"Since when did you care for me so much Bee?" She teased, placing a soft hand on his cheek. "We've known each other what, two days?"
"Since you promised to find me again." Bumblebee replied with a smirk, winking at Millie. "I've decided that you'll repay your debt by giving me a full service once I've can find a more suitable vehicle for a bot of my calibre."
Millie smiled at the smugness in Bee's voice as he complimented himself. She chuckled lightly and pulled him into another hug.
"You got it, Bee."
With a victorious chirp, Bee released Millie as his holoform winked out and his engines roared to life. His wheels spun in the dirt as he accelerated, spinning onto the road and playing a final soundbyte.
"Ta ta for now!"
The sound of bright laughter followed Bumblebee down the road as he accelerated away from Millie. He looked behind him to see the girl watching fondly as he departed, her hip resting against the bike again and the helmet held gently between her hands.
Primus Bee hoped he'd find her again all in once piece.
::Bumblebee, report.:: the familiar transmission from his Prime rang clearly over the primary. Two days on planet and he hadn't sent a report.
Oops.
::Receiving:: he replied quickly.
::Explain your radio silence, what progress have you made?:: Prime's authoritative but understanding voice transmitted across his comm link. ::Have you located the All Spark?::
::Sir.:: He returned ordering the events of the last two days in his processors ready to give an account. ::My arrival and the subsequent events have been... Most eventful.::
Well that's the chapter! And that's also it for the prequal part for the first film. If all goes to plan, well'll be meeting one Mr Witwickey next chapter :)
Til all are one.
-Shakalakaboomboom x