A/N- Back at it again at Krispy Kre- I mean The Next Adventure! Thank you for coming.
Disclaimer: Transformers is owned by Hasbro. I only own my OCs.
One week earlier, if anyone were to tell Ellie that because she'd decided to go for a stroll around her new town, it'd be the start of a domino effect that would lead her to the discovery of robotic aliens…she wouldn't have called them crazy. At least, not to their face. At most, she'd say, "Heh, very creative. Might make for a cool sci-fi adventure. Or maybe a profitable toy line."
But even with that forewarning in mind, it wouldn't have prepared her for the bombshell that she's seen and heard, especially after what the Autobots have told them, about fighting a millennia-long war against the Decepticons, and that their war has been brought to Earth.
Talk about a wake-up call to reality falling over like a ton of bricks.
"...And since you now know of our existence, I fear that, as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours," Optimus told the four children, finishing his explanation.
The news keeps getting better all the time, Ellie thought. Bumblebee truly was serious when he said earlier that they could be in danger, just because the Decepticons saw them with the Autobots.
Then Jack tore her from her musings when he said with a nervous edge in his voice, "Got it. If we spot any strange vehicles, we'll call 911. Can we go now?"
Ellie turned to him with a small frown on her face, not sure if he was serious with his notion or not. Yeah, because a couple of guys in blue are totally going to believe us, let alone stand a chance against giant, blaster-wielding robots.
Miko disagreed with Jack as well— though for a very different reason— but unlike Ellie, she was not afraid to make it known and got up in Jack's face with a heated look. "Are you insane? I'm living a dream here in Bot-swana, and I'm not going to allow you or anyone else to shatter it!"
Ellie just stared at her. Bot-swana? What the—?
"It is best that you four remain under our watch," Optimus said, regaining their attention, "at least until we can determine our enemies' intentions."
"Optimus," Ratchet said as he approached him, "with all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere."
"Children?" Jack repeated, looking insulted, while the other three kids just shared puzzled expressions.
"They have no protective shell!" Ratchet insisted, ignoring Jack. "If they get underfoot, they will go…squish."
To emphasize his point, he raised a metallic foot and brought it down with a resounding thud.
Ellie took a small step back, eyeing Ratchet warily. I'm sensing a little bit of hostility from this one.
Optimus, however, smoothly mollified the Autobot's concerns by replying, "Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step."
Before anything else was said, an alarm suddenly went off throughout the room, a green light flashing. Everyone looked around.
"What's that?" Jack asked over the noise, sounding worried.
Bumblebee buzzed an answer, earning confused looks from Jack, Miko, and Ellie. Thankfully, Raf was there to translate.
"It's a proximity sensor. Someone's up top."
Meanwhile, Ratchet stepped up to the large computer monitor, which had been blinking in response to the alarm. He pressed a button, and a video feed popped up and showed a helicopter on a landing site on the roof of the base, with someone climbing out of the vehicle and heading for a lift.
Ellie had no idea who the apparent intruder was, but the Autobots clearly did.
"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet confirmed, his tone betraying some annoyance.
"Another human?" Ellie wondered aloud.
"I thought we were the only ones who knew about you guys," Jack added.
Optimus turned to them. "Special Agent Fowler is our liaison to the outside world, designated to us by your 'Secret Service.' He only tends to visit when there are certain…issues regarding human and Cybertronian relations." He glanced over to the elevator across the way, which began to activate to life. Then he looked back at the children with a small hint of urgency. "It may be best that, for now, he doesn't know of your presence here."
The four kids looked at one another, then hurried over to a corner and lined up behind the wall, well out of view from where the long stretch of elevator was. They had taken cover just in time; as soon they had pressed their backs against the concrete, they heard the lift descend all the way down to the level on the platform above them. There was a small ding, followed by the sound of the doors sliding open.
From where she was hiding, Ellie tried to stay as perfectly still as possible as she heard light footsteps coming from where she couldn't see. When she looked over at the Autobots in her view; however, she couldn't help but question to herself why most of them looked like they would rather be anywhere else, much less why Optimus didn't want this Agent Fowler to see her and the other kids.
She found out why the second she heard him speak.
"Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders, a three-hour traffic jam," Agent Fowler listed off in a very peeved tone without so much of a greeting. Clearly, this was a man who did not waste words, instead getting right to the point. "And on a particular note: numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make, along with a black and yellow muscle car."
That last part was directed toward Arcee and Bumblebee, who simply exchanged knowing glances— Bumblebee looking somewhat guilty, and Arcee giving off the impression that she really couldn't have cared less with her arms crossed.
Meanwhile, Ellie felt her heart skip a beat. Was Agent Fowler referring to the mishap that she and the boys got caught in the night before? Did he know that they were there? She waited for him to mention any humans sited in the incident, but he didn't add anything else. She released a quiet breath of relief. She looked over at Jack, who was peeking around the corner, and just like that her anxiety skyrocketed again. She grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him back before Agent Fowler could see him, earning her a look from the older boy, which she blatantly ignored.
"So, anything you want to get off your tin chest, Prime?" Agent Fowler promptly asked Optimus, who had approached the platform.
"We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler," Optimus replied evenly.
"They're back, aren't they?" There was a grim bluntness in Agent Fowler's tone.
Ellie tilted her head, listening in more intently. Huh, he really doesn't waste words.
"If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable."
"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon," Fowler declared.
"Hear me, Agent Fowler," Optimus insisted, "we are your best— possibly your only— defense against the Decepticon threat."
"Says you," was Fowler's terse retort, and Ellie had to give him some credit. Even though he was coming off as rude, she was sure that if it were anyone else, they probably would've backed down instantly from Optimus's earnest forewarnings, let alone the fact that said person was standing up to a thirty-foot tall robot. That might've been why Fowler was assigned to the job. He didn't care who he was talking to and sounded so sure of himself.
Whether he was right, though? Ellie found that doubtful. She kept her breathing steady, trying to stay still with the other kids, who were trying just as hard to be quiet.
"Hey, fleshy! Did anyone get splattered on that freeway?" Bulkhead suddenly piped up, sneering at the adult human with irritation. He plucked a large, claw machine-like contraption from its stand nearby. "Team Prime knows when to use force, and how much to use." As he finished, he squeezed the machine in his fist until it broke apart, giving off blue sparks.
"Bulkhead! I needed that!" Ratchet barked angrily.
"Enough," Optimus Prime rumbled, his booming voice making Ellie freeze in place, before he turned back to reason with Fowler. "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe." The Autobot leader straightened and added in a grave tone, "Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I, however, cannot."
At this, Ellie leaned forward slightly to look over at Optimus with faint surprise.
"Then do us both a favor and handle this, Prime— under the radar…" Agent Fowler ordered, and Ellie could hear him walking back to the elevator, ending their meeting with the warning, "…or I will."
With that, the elevator door closed, and he was gone. Warily, the four children emerged from their hiding place by climbing up the stairs closest to them, until they found themselves up on the same platform Fowler had recently frequented. That way, they were able to be closer to the Autobots.
"Pretty big bearings…for a human," Bulkhead remarked.
"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Bulkhead, as he should be," Optimus defended.
"Not much for hospitality, though, that one," Ellie said, mostly to herself, though it was well-heard, as the others looked over at her. Luckily, before she could grow uncomfortable, Miko broke in with her two-cents shortly after, diverting their attention.
"I know, right? What a chump," the transfer student said. Then she marched up to the railing in front of Bulkhead, a huge grin on her face. "That was so cool! You squeezed that thing like it was nothing!" she told him, referring to the now broken contraption he still held in his hand. "You really do use a wrecking ball for a punching bag, don't you? How strong are you, really?"
Bulkhead placed the device down where he he'd gotten it, trying to ignore the withering look he was getting from Ratchet. "Pretty strong, if I say so myself," he said with a somewhat sheepish smile.
"I bet you could bench press a freight train if you wanted to!"
Bulkhead's blue eyes blinked down at the girl, before he let out a deep chuckle. "Heh, maybe."
While Miko continued to pepper Bulkhead with questions and praises, Raf approached Bumblebee and started to ask him questions of his own. "What model car do you transform into? It looks familiar."
Bumblebee replied through chirps and bleeps.
Raf's face brightened. "No way! An Urbana 500?"
Bumblebee nodded.
"Awesome! I got a remote control car of that make on my last birthday! How fast can you go?"
The yellow Autobot and the younger boy proceeded to engage in a rather animated discussion that only they could fully comprehend.
After Raf had asked Bumblebee about his speed, Jack looked up at Arcee, smiling nervously. "Speaking of which, how fast can you go? I mean, we were going down that highway pretty fast last night…?"
Arcee merely looked him up and down with a slow raise of her brow. Then, almost reluctantly, she answered, "I can go from zero to sixty in three point five seconds."
Jack whistled, impressed. "Nice."
Arcee said nothing regarding the compliment, but a corner of her lips twitched upward ever so slightly.
Meanwhile, Ellie was only half listening to the conversations that the three children were having with the Autobots. She was a little more interested in observing the area around her. She slowly turned about, taking in every detail she could of the place; the long stretch of elevator that disappeared into the ceiling and had multiple stops in-between, the many platforms and passageways, the pipes and cables snaking up and down the walls, the massive ventilation system.
"This place looks like some kind of secret military bunker," she concluded quietly, placing a hand on the railing.
"It is."
Ellie stiffened, not expecting that voice directed toward her. She turned to face Optimus, who had approached her by the platform as he explained, "This place was once used as a missile silo by your government, until it was given to us to serve as our base of operations. Since then, we have gradually cultivated our own alterations to the base, to help fulfill our needs in our fight against the Decepticons."
Oh, so it's like one of those fallout shelters that were all the rage back in the Cold War, Ellie mused, taking in the new information. She didn't think that any of those were even still around anymore, but considering she was in the company of alien robots, she suspended that disbelief.
As for the "cultivated alterations," she skimmed over the holographic green computer screens, the console underneath it, the large repair and medical tools lying about in some places…and of course there were the things that she hadn't the faintest idea what they were: the enormous glass cylinder-shaped chamber across the room, and the wide archway tunnel supported by metal beams that appeared to lead to a dead end near the exit.
But even with that, the place was nothing short of remarkable.
She smiled. "I see."
Then, having overheard their conversation from where he stood by the computer console, Ratchet scoffed, grabbing their attention. "It certainly hasn't been an easy feat, trying to modify primitive human resources to match ours. There are still major setbacks."
Ellie's eyebrows furrowed momentarily, before her face softened as she rested her arms on the railing. "Still, though…working only with what you have, learning to adapt and overcome….that's pretty impressive."
The only response she could hear from Ratchet as he turned away from them was a quiet grumble of, "If that's how you want to see it…" While Optimus simply turned and locked his eyes back onto her with what Ellie could assume was an analyzing look; she was still quite new to distinguishing robotic expressions— not that she fancied herself much of a physiognomist in the first place. Ellie quickly averted her gaze, clearing her throat.
Then the computer made a low beeping sound, making Ellie glance over and see an icon pop up on one of the screens. She squinted her eyes slightly; it looked like the face of a red robot, but she wasn't too sure. She didn't have time to consider much about it until Ratchet growled irritably, "Blasted Earth tech! What did I tell you?"
Bumblebee bleeped with a questioning look.
"Cliffjumper's signal just popped back online."
"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asked curiously, but her question went unheard by the Autobots. It seemed like the tone of the entire room had shifted at the mention of this Cliffjumper.
"How is that possible?" Optimus asked, his voice lower than normal— well, lower than Ellie's heard it previously.
"It isn't. It's just another bug— the system's chock full of them!" Ratchet answered, gesturing to the console.
Arcee stepped forward, looking to Optimus with a glimmer of hope. "If there's any chance that Cliff's still alive…" she let the sentence hang in the air.
The Autobot leader understood immediately. "Ratchet, prepare sick bay. We may need it," he ordered. A silver battle mask slid over his face, making it to where only his eyes were visible, before he turned away.
But then he was stopped by Miko calling out to him. He looked back at the approaching girl.
"What can we do?" Miko asked.
"Remain with Ratchet," he replied.
Miko's shoulders sagged as she groaned, "Awww!"
"Ugh," Ratchet released an almost similar groan, only his was more out of annoyance than disappointment that he had to stay with the humans.
The parallels made Ellie almost smile.
Then her look of amusement was replaced with one of astonishment when, after Ratchet pressed a couple of buttons and pulled down a lever, there was a powerful whining noise as the giant archway tunnel seemed to suddenly explode to life. The geo-metallic underside was replaced with a bright, swirling vortex, with electrical surges pulsating around its edges. Ellie stared, mesmerized, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus commanded. He ran straight for the vortex before he transformed into a red and blue semi-truck. He was quickly followed by Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead— who transformed into what looked like a large, green SUV. They sped into the vortex, and in a flash, they were gone. Ratchet pushed the lever back up, and the vortex slowly disappeared.
Ellie wasn't the only one fascinated by the phenomenon, as shown by the other kids' chorused cries of disbelief.
"What just happened?" Jack asked, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
"I transported them to the designated coordinates via the ground bridge," Ratchet answered offhandedly.
Wait, ground bridge? Ellie thought, confused.
"What's a ground bridge?" Raf asked, unknowingly voicing Ellie's thoughts.
Ratchet sighed, obviously losing even more of his patience. "A scaled down version of space bridge technology."
"Oh, yeah, that clears it up," Ellie muttered wryly without thinking about it, only to instantly close her mouth when Ratchet shot an exasperated glimpse her way, before he turned back to the monitors.
"Since we don't currently possess the means or energon required for intergalactic travel…"
"…you're stuck here, on Earth," Jack inferred.
"With the likes of you lot, yes," Ratchet said tetchily. Then he turned back to the ground bridge foundation, his initial annoyance fading into something akin to pride. "But I have constructed the ground bridge to enable instant travel from here to anywhere on your planet."
"Like a teleport," Ellie whispered, smiling in amazement. What other surprises were waiting for her today?
"Wow!" Raf exclaimed ecstatically. "Does it work for humans?"
"Naturally."
"You mean I can just shoot over and visit my parents in Tokyo?" Miko asked.
No more expensive plane tickets or overall flight hassle, Ellie thought with approval.
"Within moments," Ratchet answered before he leaned in closer, a near ominous smirk creeping up his face. "In fact, allow me to send you there immediately, all four of you."
Just as he had leaned in, Miko responded in kind by getting right in his face, her hands on her hips. "Watch it, Ratchet," she retorted, making the Autobot inch back in surprise.
Ellie fought back a snort. She had to hand it to Miko: she wasn't one to back down from a threat when she saw one.
After that the conversation ended, more so on Ratchet's side as he turned his back on them and returned to the computers, having decided to simply ignore them while he worked.
Seeing this as their cue to look around the base freely, the kids broke off into different directions. Raf decided to stay up on the platform, where human-sized computers and hard drives sat, and look over them curiously. Miko slid down the ladder and wandered around the center of the base, touching anything she could lay her hands on. Jack followed Miko, though he was more lenient on just looking and not touching.
Meanwhile, Ellie had taken the stairs— or the long way down— and walked towards the other side of the room, eyes roaming around, taking everything in. She spotted a huge passageway at the end, a hallway leading to who knew where, but it told Ellie that there were more rooms in the base. Much more to see.
I wonder if this place has any sub-levels, she pondered, glancing at the elevator. Perhaps it went further down than this room.
For a moment, she thought of following the path down the corridor, but she stopped when she heard Miko ask Ratchet what something was, only for Ratchet to answer not to touch it without even looking up from his work— twice.
Best not test my boundaries for the time being, she determined, not wanting to be more on the receiving end of Ratchet's bad side.
She moved away from the hallway and instead walked up to the giant glass cylinder that she saw earlier. She peered inside, then craned her neck to look it up and down, noticing a blue glow emanating from inside. She hummed, trying to deduce what it could be.
"Wow! It's huge! What do you think it does?"
She recoiled from the boisterous voice coming from right beside her. Somehow, Miko had managed to sneak up on her— that, or Ellie was just too invested in her observations to hear her approach.
"Um…I don't know," Ellie replied gingerly. "But you're right, it is indeed…huge."
"Like everything else in here, right?" Miko quipped, lightly elbowing Ellie in the arm. She turned a full three-sixty, looking around her with a smile. "This is amazing— we're with actual, fighting robots from space! Sure beats dirt-biking, am I right?" Suddenly, her eyes glinted. "Oh! You know what this calls for?"
She pulled out a pink cell phone and flipped it open. Then she wrapped an arm around an unsuspecting Ellie and pulled her close, angling the phone out in front of them.
"Selfie!" Miko exclaimed, beaming big, as she snapped a picture of the two of them.
She let go and checked out the photo, while Ellie stared at her with a disconcerted expression. Did she really just do that?
"Sweet," Miko said with a nod of approval, before turning the phone around to show Ellie. Ellie grimaced at the confused look she was pulling in the picture, but what she was mainly worried about was if there was anything incriminating captured in it. Fortunately, all else that was shown was a bit of rock wall behind them.
But even so…
"Maybe not post that online, Miko," she warned. "You know, top secret base and all?"
Miko waved a dismissive hand. "Relax, I'm not gonna. Besides, it's for my photo diary. I never miss a scrapbook opportunity." Then she gasped. "Oh! By the way, let's exchange phone numbers! We're alien buddies now!"
"Sure," Ellie said quietly, obliging with Miko's request with some reluctance. She wanted to ask Miko to delete the picture altogether, but she had a feeling that would be like asking the sky to stop being blue.
While Miko was fiddling with her phone, Ellie looked over to see Ratchet talking to Raf, who was typing on a laptop that was hooked up to the console. Curious, Ellie started walking back that way, Miko following suit as she put her phone away.
"There, now try it," she heard Raf say to Ratchet as she climbed the ladder to the platform. The Autobot in question turned back to the computer and pressed a button, causing the several pop-up windows to disappear. Ratchet looked at Raf with shock written all over his face.
Raising an eyebrow, Ellie went to stand behind Raf, looking from his laptop to the larger computer. "Did you just fix the bugs in the system?" she asked.
Raf nodded modestly.
She smiled. That didn't really surprise her, seeing how he's been saving her from failing her Computers and Design class. Nonetheless, she was no less impressed with his skills. "Oh, you're brilliant," she commended, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yes, yes, good job," Ratchet grumbled under his breath, turning away.
He sure grumbles a lot, doesn't he?
The brief silence in the base was abruptly ended when Optimus's urgent voice rang from the computer.
"Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates now!"
Without missing a beat, Ratchet reactivated the ground bridge. In mere seconds, the rest of the Autobots raced through, Optimus taking up the rear. It looked like something was chasing them inside— something big. Ellie looked for a split second— until her body went rigid, her breath catching.
A great, hulking wall of blue fire was roaring after them.
Almost against her own volition, Ellie spun away from the ground bridge and gripped a hand tight onto the railing just as she felt a wave of heat wash over her, the smell of smoke invading her nostrils.
Her grip tightening even more, she glared down at the floor with her jaw clenched as she fought to keep her breathing and heartrate steady while blocking out the ringing in her ears.
It just had to be fire.
A short time later, Ellie gradually came back into focus, her grip loosening. Blinking a couple of times, she looked up to see Jack leading a disgruntled Miko away from the railing, Raf following suit. Releasing a quiet breath, she shook her head and forced her body to move. She made her way over to the other kids. While Jack was trying to keep Miko occupied, Ellie glanced over and saw Arcee talking to the rest of the Autobots with a despairing look on her face.
Ellie frowned sadly. Their supposed rescue mission must've gone wrong— horribly wrong.
Then Arcee swayed on her feet, losing her balance and collapsing. She quickly grabbed a nearby crate for support. The rest of the Autobots stepped forward to help, but she put a hand up to stop them.
"I'm fine! Just dizzy," she insisted, though it came out strained.
"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko whispered, almost in disbelief.
"Robots with emotions," Raf added, a small frown on his face.
"Robots…who can die," Jack said softly.
The same way humans can feel, and suffer, Ellie thought, rubbing her arm with a weary sigh.
Meanwhile, Ratchet was knelt down before Arcee; a blue, holographic beam of light protruded from his arm and scanned the female Autobot up and down, until it suddenly turned red when it focused on her hand.
"What is this?" Ratchet asked lowly.
Arcee held up her hand for them to see; it looked like a splash of some sort of dark, steaming liquid, almost like a chemical acid.
"Don't know…Cliff was covered in it…leaking it," Arcee said, cringing from the memory.
Ratchet took a surgical scalpel and delicately scraped off a portion of it. "Go take a decontamination bath, now," he ordered Arcee as he closely examined the substance. Bumblebee gently helped her to her feet and led her to the glass cylinder.
So it's like a sanitary station, like they have in experimental laboratories, Ellie quietly gathered.
"Uh oh," Jack murmured from next to Ellie, diverting her attention to him.
"What?" Raf asked the older boy, who was raising his black cell phone in the air and moving it from side to side. Then he brought back in front of him with a frown.
"I can't get a good calling connection," Jack said.
"So?" Miko asked.
Ignoring Miko's question, Jack looked up at the Autobot leader. "Optimus?" he hesitantly called, causing the Autobot leader to turn to them. "I—I hate to bug, but…no bars." He held his phone up to show him.
"A security precaution," Optimus explained. "The silo walls isolate all radio waves."
This did nothing to ease Jack's worries. "Well, if I don't call my mom, like, right now, the cops will be out looking for me."
Optimus leaned in closer, brows furrowed. "Have you broken a law?"
"Um, curfew, actually. It's after ten p.m."
Upon hearing the current time, Ellie felt her stomach drop. Oh, crap. Have they really been inside the base all through the afternoon and into late at night? Her grandmother was probably pitching a fit at home.
"I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year," Raf said with a slight sense of foreboding.
"Earth customs. I hadn't considered…" Optimus said thoughtfully, straightening to his full height, "…but the issue of your safety remains." He turned to the rest of the Autobots. "Bulkhead, accompany Miko home," he announced.
"Awesome! My host parents will freak!" Miko gushed to Jack, who leaned away from her.
"And maintain covert surveillance, in vehicle form," Optimus finished.
Bulkhead nodded in understanding. "Curbside duty. Got it."
Miko visibly deflated. "Awww!" she groaned, not for the first time.
"Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf," Optimus said.
Bumblebee and Raf locked eyes with one another, the younger boy smiling happily.
"Ratchet—"
"Busy," the Autobot in question cut Optimus off, not lifting his head up from the monitor next to the glass chamber, which Arcee was currently stepping out of. The blue Autobot seemed to be feeling better than when she entered.
Which was why Optimus instead addressed her, "Arcee, you'll accompany Jack."
Jack looked over at Arcee nervously, not sure how to feel about the new arrangement. Arcee, on the other hand, was less than pleased.
"Ooh, still dizzy!" she said, feigning illness.
"You're fine, says your physician," Ratchet waved her away, not buying it one bit, as he moved over from the monitor to a giant (by human standards) microscope and slid a petri dish containing the dark liquid matter underneath the lense.
Arcee shrugged with a sigh as she started to make her way toward the others.
Ellie's eyes flicked between Optimus and Ratchet, wondering which one of the two was going to end up looking after her. Once again, Optimus glanced toward Ratchet's direction, but the latter was still in the process of observing the strange substance, a look of deep concentration on his face. This was obviously too important a matter to the Autobot scientist to simply put on hold to take one of the humans home—of whom he didn't even bother to hide his disdain for.
So I guess that leaves…
Ellie's thoughts trailed off as she slowly turned to look up at Optimus, who appeared to have come to the same conclusion, going by the fact that he had moved his own gaze from Ratchet to meet hers.
The Autobot leader stared right down at Ellie, who could only stare back.
Hoo, boy.
In all history of "Awkward Long Drives" that Ellie has been through, the first prize, hands-down, went to the time her grandmother decided to give her the serious talk about the birds and the bees when she turned thirteen. She was begging for the sweet stroke of death's hand that day.
But Optimus Prime giving her a ride home that first night after meeting the Autobots— after everything she's learned and seen— would come to a close second.
At least, the first half of it.
Any other time, she wouldn't mind some silence on a long drive to make way for uninterrupted contemplation, but admittedly, there was something a tiny bit off-putting about sitting inside of a sentient vehicle that drove itself. Semi-trucks alone were massive and intimidating; never mind one that could transform into a bipedal extraterrestrial. And of course the leader of the Autobots would be something big like a semi. She didn't expect anything less when she'd watched him fully transform into his vehicular mode in front of her, before they left the base. Whenever she snuck a glance over at the empty driver's seat— the steering wheel turning all on its own and illuminated by the soft, blue glow of its insignia and the radio system— she had to remind herself that she was fine, that she was more or less in good hands.
But even if that wasn't the case, what could she say to him? What does one say to a giant robotic being, particularly one like Optimus Prime? He may not have been against human company like Ratchet obviously was, but Ellie had the impression that he wasn't much for idle chatter either— not like Bumblebee and Bulkhead were with Raf and Miko. Even Arcee, as hard-headed as she came across, had at least some form of middle ground with Jack, small as it was.
Optimus and Ellie? That was still uncharted territory.
So she just sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching the desert landscape roll by her underneath the clear night sky as they drove onward. The electric lights of Jasper in the distance ahead glowed like a beacon.
As it turned out, she wasn't the one who would end up instigating a conversation. After a while, she felt more than heard the radio suddenly crackle to life, the surrounding speakers giving Optimus's baritone voice even more depth, if that were at all possible. She flinched.
"You have been quiet since our return from the energon mine," he said. "Is there something the matter, Ellie?"
Ellie took a second to recompose herself. That voice still needed some getting used to, among other things. "Um, no. I'm alright, sir."
"Please, no need for formalities," he told her. "In the light of our current circumstance, I would prefer that we are on a…first name basis. You may call me Optimus."
"Oh. Alright, then…Optimus."
Ellie mentally cursed herself, feeling her cheeks heat up. Considering she's never once heard the other Autobots call him, "sir," or any other title, she should've known that.
Well, at least he calls me Ellie and not Elinor. God knows how embarrassing it'd be if he found out my middle name, she thought with a small sigh.
She was silent for a long moment, reconsidering her former answer, before she confessed to him, "It's just…all of this, what you've told us…it's a lot to take in."
"I understand. The weight of the situation, as well as what is at stake, can be overwhelming. I am only sorry that you had to get involved with our conflict against the Decepticons."
Ellie turned her gaze toward the dashboard— if that was where she was even supposed to look. You can't exactly look a vehicle in the eyes.
"You don't need to be sorry about that," she insisted. "That was an accident. If anything, I'm sorry that you have to take refuge here in the first place." Then she looked away and said softly, "Losing your home to the war must've been so awful."
Optimus was quiet for some time, which made her grow uneasy at first, thinking that she shouldn't have brought it up— that she may have overstepped a boundary she couldn't begin to fathom. But then he spoke up again, his tone lower, gentler.
"It was a great loss, but what's past is past. All we can do now is look ahead and work for a better future. However…I appreciate your understanding."
Ellie managed a small smile, even though deep down, she had an inkling that there was much more weight to the matter than he had let on. In the meantime, she considered herself fortunate to have gotten such a compassionate response at all. She sat back in her seat, her shoulders relaxing.
They had entered the suburbs of Jasper by the time they had finished their brief discussion. As Optimus carefully drove down the streets, he inquired to Ellie the location of her residence, in which she directed him in kind.
"It's on North Drive, at the house with the red door. Just there on the next left— no, sorry, the right…on the right…" she pinched the bridge of her nose with a grimace, screaming internally. Why are you like this? "Again, sorry. I only moved here last week…I'm still learning my way around."
"That's quite alright," he reassured her, before he smoothly added, "you'll adapt and overcome in time."
Ellie's eyebrows rose, wordlessly staring at the steering wheel. Was he referring to what they were talking about back at base earlier?
As he was turning onto her street, Optimus asked her, "Will your creators be upset that you 'broke curfew,' as Jack put it?"
Ellie tilted her head slightly. "Creators…?"
"Ah…" Optimus was quiet for a moment, thinking, before he corrected himself, "I mean, parents."
Despite the familiar weight in her chest that came and went in a flash, Ellie could somehow feel her lingering embarrassment from earlier gradually dissolve away. Huh…I guess even he can get some words mixed up sometimes.
"Right. Well, it's just me and my grandmother," Ellie clarified, "but she still…oh…"
Her voice trailed off as her face paled, her eyes fixed on her upcoming house, where she could see the silhouette of said grandmother pacing across the front window. Ellie couldn't see her face, but she's lived with the older woman long enough to know which worried/angry posture meant, I'm going to kill that child if she's not dead already.
"Ellie?" Optimus said, his voice laced with concern.
"You…you should drop me off right here. You don't want her to see you, trust me," she told him, trying to remain outwardly calm.
Slowly, warily, Optimus pulled to a stop by the curb not far from her house, where Ellie climbed out with care. She turned to face him.
"Thanks for the ride home," Ellie said, clutching the strap of her bag. "I'll see you…tomorrow, then?"
"Yes, and you are most welcome."
Regardless of the sense of oncoming dread, Ellie smiled at him. "Good night, Optimus."
"Good night, Ellie."
She turned and started toward her house, her smile fading. Well, she thought as she reached the front door, time to enter the lion's den. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped in. Entering the small foyer, she was immediately ambushed by her grandmother. Isla came to a halt in front of her, hands on her hips and eyes blazing.
"So," she said icily.
"Hey, Gran," Ellie greeted. Her voice started out normal, but ended up sounding very small. It amazed her how much her grandmother actually did resemble a lion when furious enough.
"Do you have any idea how late it is?"
Isla's voice was remarkably even; that terrified Ellie more than anything.
"I— I know. I'm sorry. You see, I was invited to hang out with some classmates from school, and I just lost track of the time, and before I knew it, I…well…yeah."
Ellie hoped that she didn't look and sound as pathetic as she thought she did. After all, it wasn't a complete lie. But in the end, it didn't matter. She shrank back when Isla's rage finally broke over her.
"And in all of that time, you didn't think to check your phone once?! That perhaps I was worrying myself sick about where you were?! Or that something happened to you?! You can't tell me you didn't see all the missed calls and messages I've sent!"
"Ah…" Even though she had a good reason for not being able to check her phone (albeit one she couldn't explain), Ellie still felt ashamed. Isla had that effect on people. "I'm sorry, Gran. I had my phone turned off the whole time. I didn't see them until I started home."
"You had your phone turned off?!'" Isla demanded shrilly. "I've never heard anything so preposterous coming from you!"
"Well, I usually turn it off when I'm at school— you know, rules. And I guess I…forgot to turn it back on when I left," Ellie explained feebly.
With that, Isla went full rant-mode, going on about things like how thoughtless Ellie had been and how she didn't know whether or not to call the police. Some of her sentences even shifted from English to Gaelic midway through. That was how mad she was.
While that was happening, Ellie took out her phone, and sure enough, she had five missed calls, and eight text messages from Gran.
No, wait. She had nine texts now.
Just as Ellie opened up her message inbox, her phone chimed, receiving a text from a new number— Miko's number, she remembered. She opened it up and saw that it was the selfie Miko took of them earlier. Attached underneath the photo was a written text:
Had fun! Can't wait 'till tomorrow!
That was then followed by a ridiculous amount of heart-shaped and silly-faced emoji's.
If Ellie wasn't currently under fire, she would've smiled. That crazy girl was growing on her.
Suddenly, the picture gave Ellie an idea. She looked up at her still seething grandmother. Once the elder woman had stopped long enough to catch her breath, Ellie put on apologetic smile and said, "Again, I'm really sorry for being out so late and not calling you. But if it means anything…I made some new friends."
To her great relief, her grandmother's harsh glare began to recede slowly, and it gave her the green light to show her the text Miko sent as an alibi. However, when Isla looked at the picture, her tight frown returned. "And who is this…sprightly looking young woman?"
"Miko Nakadai. She transferred here from Japan. She's…a little rough around the edges, but she's really nice once you get to know her."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"And these…other friends you mentioned…they treat you kindly as well?"
"Of course."
"And you plan on spending more time with them in the future?"
Ellie hesitated, then nodded yes. She held her breath while her grandmother actually seemed to consider her words, her suspicious glare slowly fading away.
Finally, Isla released a heavy sigh as she rubbed a hand down her face, her uptight posture waning.
"I know you can handle yourself fine out there, lass," she said, her voice level again but no longer carrying anger underneath it, "but I still feel inclined to tell you to be mindful. At least send me a message every once in a while to tell me you're not dead in a ditch somewhere. Just so I know when to set the table for two for mealtimes. Am I clear, Elinor?"
Ellie silently thanked any and every god out there in the heavens.
"Yeah. Ten-four. I'm—"
"Yes, yes. You've already apologized thrice. Don't wear it thin," Isla chided with a tired shake of her head. "Just— try not to make this a regular occurrence. You're lucky tomorrow isn't a school day."
"Okay," was all Ellie could say, since she herself wasn't sure if she'd guarantee that.
"Good. Now, you must be tired, then?"
She nodded.
Isla regarded her granddaughter with something close to a smirk. "Alright, off you pop."
Without a word, Ellie did as she was told, still grateful that she had in some way managed to get off the hook— for the time being, at least. All it took was her getting righteously chewed out to get there.
After a quick trip to the bathroom to use the facilities and wash up, she retreated into her room, grabbed her pajamas from her dresser, and placed her bag by her bed as she sat down, exhaling in relief when she carefully dislodged her prosthetic leg and set it aside. After changing, she shifted over to the center of her bed, about to lie down, but her eyes caught the window. Curious, she crawled to the other side of the bed and peeked out. Optimus was still parked on the curbside where he'd dropped her off, hiding in plain sight, yet watching over in secret. She silently moved away from the window and laid down on her back, content to be able to rest finally, and gazed straight up.
"What a day," she whispered. Without looking, she took her phone from the bedside and held it up before her. She looked at the text Miko had sent her once more. A smile tugged at her lips before she saved the picture into her own gallery. Then, after a moment of thinking, she typed in a message and sent it Miko's way.
See you then.
"Alright, then," she quietly said to herself as she plugged her phone into the charger and laid back, closing her eyes, but her smile remained until she slowly dozed off.
Bring on tomorrow.
A/N- Oh, hell yes. I've been waiting for this, you don't even know how long. I've always, ALWAYS wanted to write a Transformers fic with a human character befriending Optimus. Because dammit we need more stories of Optimus with a human companion! Well, I mean I do; I don't know about the rest of you. But I have a mighty need and I must have it fulfilled.
And holy scrap, is Optimus and Ellie's first one-on-one time awkward. I figure that if Ellie has trouble enough talking to most humans, she won't fare any better with the military leader of a group of giant alien robots. She's just lucky that Optimus Prime is a Polite Boy™. It's a start, sweetie. Give it time.