Aaaaaaand Here we have Chapter 2! This is the rewritten chapter, so I hope you enjoy!
Please note: I do not own Transformers. I do, however, have my own OC's which I have inserted into the story. My OC's include Reese Shields and Chase Sanders. Electra belongs to my sister.
Introductions
Bright lights, sharp pains, hushed voices and beeping, these were all sensations that Reese felt as she began to come to. She deduced that she was probably in a hospital, but she couldn't quite remember why. What had happened? Why did everything hurt? She needed to find answers.
Begrudgingly, Reese opened her eyes, squinting as her pupils constricted as they were exposed to the bright light of the room. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she surveyed her surroundings. She was not in a hospital room like she had originally thought. She was in a concrete room with bright fluorescent lights and grey walls. She lay on a gurney in the corner of the room, hooked up to a portable IV drip and some vital monitors.
"What the heck?" she thought as she took in her surroundings. She probably would have been panicked by her strange location, but her brain was still too groggy to properly react. Instead, she took to inspecting her own condition. She was covered in cuts and bruises. She reached up and touched her face, feeling the stitches that spanned from her left ear to the bridge of her nose. Flashes of what had happened suddenly began flooding back into her brain, one after the other. Screeching tires, shattering glass, giant robots, the memories overwhelmed her mind faster than she could comprehend them. Her heart rate spiked as the panic finally started to set in. She clutched her chest as it felt like someone was pumping it full of air. She needed to release the pressure that was building in her chest. "Where am I? I need to get out of here!"
She jumped off the gurney, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain as her feet hit the floor. A lady with black hair, pulled into a low ponytail, and teal scrubs came running into the room in response to Reese's cry. She grabbed Reese firmly by the shoulders, trying to get her to sit back down on the gurney.
"Hey, I need you to let me help you," The lady spoke sternly but also comfortingly to the panicking girl. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop."
Reese latched onto the woman as if she were a life preserver in the middle of a choppy ocean. Her breath came out in short raspy gasps.
The woman used her full strength pry Reese off of her, forcing her to sit on the gurney. "Look at me. you're okay!" The woman tried desperately to calm the thrashing girl.
Reese looked into the woman's eyes and the woman flinched as she saw the pain and terror that were emanating from Reese's own. "Hey, it's okay, you are going to be okay. You are safe now."
Reese forced her breathing to slow, trying her best to listen to the soothing words that the woman was saying to calm her down. Her body trembled violently, but she forced herself to sit still while the nurse patched up her arm from where she had ripped the IV out in her panic.
"That's it. Deep breaths. You are doing just fine," the woman soothed Reese, rubbing a hand in gentle circles on the girl's back. "You gave us quite a scare there. I'm glad to see that you are finally awake."
"What… what happened? I remember crashing, and giant talking robots. I'm not crazy, I promise."
"I know, it's okay. You don't have to explain. Right now, you just need to focus on getting better. Answers will come with time. In the meantime, would you mind telling me how you are feeling?"
"Like I was just hit by a train…" Reese muttered, holding a hand gently to her head.
"Well, from what I heard, you might as well have been. Bless your heart, you have been through a lot." The woman sat down on the gurney beside Reese, continuing to rub the girl's back. "I'm Nurse Darby, by the way. What is your name?"
"Reese," Reese said softly, barely above a whisper. She could feel her strength lessening with every second. The panic attack had sapped any strength that Reese had.
"Well Reese, I'm here to make sure you make a speedy recovery. For now, you just need to rest, okay?" Nurse Darby helped Reese to lay back down, brushing the girl's bangs out of her eyes. "If you need anything, just holler."
"Thank you, Nurse Darby," Reese mumbled as she felt herself slipping back into sleep. Maybe all of this had just been an incredibly crazy dream, and when she woke up, she would be back in her own bed.
Reese awoke again a few hours later. Bolting upright with a start and confused once again by her surroundings. So that whole incident hadn't been a dream after all. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room again, trying to see if she could gather any more information to where she might be. Unfortunately, the little room was very sparsely furnished. There was a small table and chair set in the back corner, and those bright fluorescent lights, but other than that, there was nothing identifiable about the room.
Feeling slightly better than the previous time she had arrived in consciousness land, Reese swung her legs over the side of the gurney. She needed to figure out where she was. That nurse had said that she would get answers in time, but when would that be?
She gingerly put weight on her legs, remembering the searing pain she had felt the last time she jumped up. This time, because of her gentler start, her legs didn't scream in retaliation. She noticed that the nurse had not reinserted the IV from before, so she wasn't tethered to anything. This meant that nothing was stopping her from walking around.
Quietly, Reese made her way to the door at the front of the room, wondering if it would be locked. Was she a prisoner? It didn't seem like she was. She reached out and turned the handle on the door. It swung open easily. The hallway outside was dimly lit but otherwise seemed cleaned and maintained. Where was she?
She slid out of the doorway and into the hallway. From down the hall she could hear voices and see a brighter light, so that was where her feet carried her. She stepped into a brightly lit room, gaping at the enormity of everything. Then, she saw the Autobots. She gasped and jumped back, tripping over herself in the process. She hissed loudly in pain as she landed in a heap on the floor.
Everyone in the room seemed startled by the girl's sudden appearance and reaction. A large yellow and black robot stepped forward and knelt down a little, looking worriedly down at her. This sudden step forward caused Reese quickly scoot back, eliciting a sharp cry of terror. The robot's optics widened and he too took a step back. A much larger blue and red robot came up behind the first, placing a large servo on the smaller's shoulder plating.
"She is afraid and has every reason to be. Give her a minute," the robot said in a calm, deep voice. The smaller bot looked worriedly from the larger bot, back to Reese, and nodded understandingly.
Reese still cowered in the corner, afraid to look up at the robots that were now watching her curiously. She felt nauseous at the thought that one of them might try and grab her and squeeze her to death again. What were these robots, and why was she here among them?
"Do not be afraid. We aren't here to hurt you," the larger bot said after a while of silence. Reese instinctively tightened into a smaller ball at the sound of the bot's voice. It was an utterly terrifying experience, despite the robot's reassuring words. "Reese, I promise that we are not a threat. We are the ones who saved you, not the ones who hurt you."
Reese looked up at the mention of her name. How did these robots know her name? Had they talked with that nurse from before? The large blue and red bot was kneeling down, much like the smaller black and yellow one had at first. Despite the fact that he was kneeling, he still towered well above Reese like talking metal building. Despite his intimidating appearance and size, the robot's blue optics were gentle and full of concern.
Upon seeing the genuine emotion in the massive robot's optics, Reese slowly uncurled herself from the tight ball that she had been in, though she still kept her distance from the bot. "What are you?" She whispered, afraid that her words might anger the robot.
"We are autonomous robotic organisms who hail from the planet Cybertron. We have taken residence on your planet to protect it from the Decepticons, who wish to ravage and conquer it."
"Soooo…. You're aliens," Reese summed up, staring at the robot in disbelief. "What are you doing on Earth? What are Decepticons?"
"They traveled here after our home world was destroyed due to ages of war. Your planet is rich in the ore that we require to survive, which is what drew the Decepticons here in the first place. The Decpticons are Cybertronians, just like us, but they are dangerous, wanting nothing more than to conquer this world, as they attempted to do with Cybertron. This war should have never affected your planet, or your kind, and for that I sincerely apologize." The giant robot's optics looked remorseful as he answered Reese's questions.
"So, that big silver robot that hurt me, was he one of these Decepticons?"
"Yes, he is the second in command of the Decepticons, answering only to Megatron, the Decepticon leader. We brought you back here, to our base, since you were injured and needed medical attention. Unfortunately, since the Decepticons now associate you with us, they will stop at nothing to come after you again. I fear that it might be too dangerous for you to leave the confines of the base for a while, at least until things calm down a little bit."
"Wait, so you are forcing me to stay here?" Reese looked taken aback. Did that mean she was a prisoner after all?
"Not forcing, but highly suggesting. I cannot risk putting your life in danger again so soon," The robot informed calmly.
"With all due respect Mr. Robot Sir, I have a life that I have to live. I have a job that I have to go to. I will be fired if I don't show up to work. I appreciate you trying to protect me and helping me out and all, but I can't just wait around and do nothing."
"Oh, my apologies, I somehow overlooked introducing myself. My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots."
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Optimus Prime sir, I didn't realize that you were the leader of these other robots." Reese immediately felt her face flush at the fact that she had just talked so informally to the leader of this alien race. Had she just offended him?
"There is no need to apologize. You are quite alright," Optimus reassured warmly. As serious and official as he came across, Reese could tell that he had a soft heart (or whatever it was these robot aliens had inside of them).
Reese opened her mouth to say something in return, but stopped as a very official, though slightly overweight, man came sprinting into the main room. Well, sprinting wasn't the right word for it. He looked more like a beached whale trying to make its way back to the ocean.
"Prime, we have a problem. Reese has gone missi-," the man stopped mid word as he realized that Reese was already standing in front of the Prime. "Oh, it seems you two have already met."
"Yes, Agent Fowler, I have already explained everything to Reese. I apologize for not notifying you sooner," Optimus addressed the man.
Agent Fowler wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow as he struggled to catch his breath. It looked like his little sprint had taken a lot out of him. "Reese, would you mind if we had a word?"
Reese looked at the taller, African American man with a bit of apprehension. It was never a good sign when someone asks to "have a word".
"This is Agent Fowler. He is our liaison to the human world. You can trust him." Optimus seemed to notice Reese's apprehension and gave a brief introduction for the man.
After a few moments of consideration, Reese relented and walked over to Agent Fowler as he led her up some stairs and too a platform where there were some seating arrangements. Fowler sat down on the sofa and motioned for Reese to take a seat in the cushy chair that sat across from it. Reese complied, appreciating being able to ease into the comfortable chair.
"How are you feeling, Reese?" Agent Fowler started the conversation. He carried himself with a completely different air now. He was no longer wheezing and sputtering as he had been when he came sprinting into the main room a few minutes earlier. Rather, he was very calm and collected, holding a serious and professional demeanor.
"I think I will be okay. This is just a lot of information to take in. I mean, it's not everyday that you find out that aliens are real."
"It is understandable that you would be overwhelmed. Normally, civilians aren't supposed to come in contact with the Autobots. It was an unfortunate accident that you were pulled into one of their fights. I just wanted to let you know that you will be safe here, and that you can trust the Autobots."
"Yea, I talked with Optimus for a few minutes before you arrived. He seems to genuinely care about earth and humankind. It's kind of odd. I would have figured that aliens would be here to conquer the earth, not to protect it."
"Well, the whole conquering the Earth thing is what the Decepticons are trying to do, but Optimus and his team are doing everything they can to keep that from happening. By the way, I'm sure that Optimus has made you aware that you should probably stay here at the base until things calm down. Normally, I would prefer to take you into government protection, but with all the Decepticon activity lately, and with how you don't have a personal guardian, I can't help but take Optimus' side on this one. They will be best able to keep you safe."
"Mr. Fowler, I appreciate the protection, but what about my job? I can't just go MIA for who knows how long and not let anybody know. People are going to wonder where I have gone."
"Don't worry about your job. I have contacted your employer and let him know that there has been an accident. You have been given recovery leave for a few weeks. That should be plenty of time for things to calm down."
"A few weeks!? I can barely get a single day off when I'm sick. How did you do that?" Reese stared wide eyed at the agent.
"I'm a high-ranking government official, I can do a lot of things."
"If I'm out of work for a few weeks, how will I pay my bills? Will they even let me back after being gone that long? I can't just go off the grid so easily," Reese continued to argue with the agent. She wasn't particularly thrilled at the idea of being stuck inside a dreary old base with a bunch of aliens for who knew how long.
"Everything will be taken care of, so you have nothing to worry about. We are having some of your things brought from your home so that you will be able to live a little more comfortably here. In the meantime, you would probably do well to get acquainted with the Autobots." Agent Fowler did not seem deterred by the girl's arguments. He was clearly good at his job and already had everything covered. Reese didn't have any other choice but to comply.
"Very well, but I expect that you will let me know as soon as things are safe enough for me to go back home."
"Of Course. Like I said, you have nothing to worry about. Everything is under control. Both Nurse Darby and I will check in on you from time to time to make sure that you are doing okay. Besides, you won't be alone the whole time. There are a few other kids who have made contact with the Autobots. They hang out around the base during most of their free time. They will probably arrive around this afternoon, after school."
"Wait, there are other humans who have met the Autobots? I thought they were supposed to keep themselves hidden from people."
"They are. Unfortunately, there have been a few other instances where, like you, humans found themselves in the midst of scuffles between the Autobots and the Decepticons."
"Oh, I see. Well, I mean, it isn't surprising. Honestly, I'm surprised more people don't know about the Autobots by now."
"We work very hard to keep them under the radar, and we would like to keep it that way. When you are allowed to go back to your daily life, you are not to tell anyone about the Autobots or the Decepticons. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," Reese assured.
"Good, then I think we are done here. Feel free to roam about the base, but you shouldn't leave without either my or Optimus' permission."
"Thank you, sir," Reese stood up and shook Agent Fowler's hand. It seemed like the right thing to do to end the conversation.
"Oh, you don't have to keep calling me sir. Just call me Agent Fowler. That's what everyone calls me."
"Thank you, Agent Fowler," Reese stood a little awkwardly as she didn't quite know what else to say. Thankfully the awkward moment didn't last long, as Agent Fowler turned and made his way to the elevator.
After Agent Fowler had left, Reese turned and looked back at the room full of giant robots. Optimus Prime had since left the room, where he had gone, she had no clue. She decided she might as well introduce herself to the other bots that were there, starting with the orange and white one that was closest to her. She walked over to the railing of the platform, which came up to the monitors that the bot was surveying. She opened her mouth to say something but was immediately cut off.
"Not now human, can't you see that I'm busy?" The bot said bruskly. He didn't even look away from the giant keypad interface where he was working. Reese looked a little hurt and turned away, disheartened. If this was going to be the response that she got from all the other autobots, then she had no desire to be around them at all.
"Don't mind him, kid. Ratchet just takes a while to warm up to people," One of the other robots quickly spoke up when he saw Reese's disheartened demeanor. He was a bulky, green bot. "My name's Bulkhead, by the way."
Reese turned to the large green bot a little awkwardly. "Oh, okay," She mumbled, not really sure what else to say. "I mean, sorry, um, my name is Reese. It's nice to meet you." She stumbled over her words.
"Haha, relax kid, I promise that the rest of us aren't as uptight as Ratchet," Bulkhead laughed at her awkward attempt to introduce herself. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Reese. I hope you don't mind hanging out with a bunch of alien robots for a couple weeks."
"Oh, uh, I don't guess so," Reese stammered.
"Don't worry, you will get used to things around here. C'mon, I will introduce you to the others," Bulkhead motioned for Reese to follow him as he led her over to the other two autobots who Reese had yet to meet. "This here is Bumblebee. He is our scout," Bulkhead motioned to the black and yellow bot who had reached out to Reese when she had first stumbled across the autobots.
"Hellooo, it's nice to meet you! Sorry for scaring you earlier," the scout whirred in a friendly manner.
"Hello, it's okay. I was just kind of freaked out, that's all." Reese gave a small wave back to the bot.
"Huh, I was just about to translate for Bee, but it looks like I don't need to," Bulkhead noted with surprise. "You are the only other human, other than Raf, who can actually understand him."
"Oh really? I guess he just makes sense to me."
"Hey, less work for me to do then, cuz that means I don't have to always be translating for him."
"Oh, c'mon Bulk, you aren't always having to translate for me. Don't make my artificual voice sound like such a nuisance," Bumblebee rolled his optics in annoyance.
"No, no, that's not what I meant…. Sorry Bee," Bulkhead looked away sheepishly.
"Don't worry Bumblebee. I think your voice makes you unique and cool!"
"Thank you, Reese, I appreciate that," Bee's battle mask covered his mouth, but Reese could tell he was smiling. It was evident enough through his optics.
Reese smiled back up at the bot. She had a feeling that Bee was probably going to be the one she got along with the best. He was pretty chill, and he also seemed to be the youngest of the bots at the base, so he was probably closest to her age range.
"Anyways, carrying on, over here we have Arcee. She may be small, but don't let her size fool you. She packs quite a punch," Bulkhead turned Reese's attention to a blue and pink female robot. She was definitely the smallest of all the autobots that Reese had met, though she was still giant compared to human standards.
"Hey there Reese. Glad to see that you are doing better. It will be nice to have another girl around the base to outnumber all these boys." Arcee smirked as she flung some cables over her shoulder. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have to get ready to go pick up Jack," Arcee waved as she threw some cables over her shoulder and walked away.
"Who's Jack? Is he one of the other kids Agent Fowler mention?" Reese implored Bulkhead curiously.
"Yea, he is one the other humans who hangs out here during his free time. He is also Arcee's charge," Bulkhead explained.
"Charge?"
"That is what we call the humans that we are in charge of protecting. Bumblebee has Rafael, I have Miko, and Arcee has Jack. You will like them. they are pretty cool. Actually, I think that we were about to go leave to pick them up from school, so Bee, Cee, and I will be back in a little bit."
"Wait, how do you go outside without being noticed? Aren't you supposed to keep yourselves hidden from people?" Reese seemed surprised that the Autobots would just up and leave to get the kids like it was no big deal.
"We use our alternate form when we are outside of the base," Bulkhead explained as his metal plating began shifting. In a matter of seconds, he had transformed from being a giant green robot, into being a large green Hummer.
"WHOA! Ya'll can transform into cars!?" Reese stared, mouth agape. Suddnely the name "autobot" made a whole lot more sense.
"Yea, that is kind of what we do," Bulkhead chuckled at her response. "You will get used to it, don't worry." With that, he sped out of the base. Bumblebee and Arcee transformed as well and followed behind Bulkhead. Bumblebee's form was that of a flashy muscle car, and Arcee was a motorcycle.
Reese just stood there, watching the exit that the autobots had just left through. This situation seemed to be getting crazier and crazier. Not only was she now living among giant alien robots, but they were robots who could turn into vehicles! She rubbed her temples gently. All this new information was making her head hurt worse.
She was distracted from her headache, however, by a bunch of error messages popping up on the computer system where the autobot known as Ratchet was working. He breathed out what sounded like a Cybertronian curse word as he tried to figure out how to get rid of the error message. He frantically typed on the Cybertronian keypad that was attached to the computer, only for the whole screen to turn to static, before eventually turning off.
"Blasted earth computers. How am I supposed to get anything done around here?" Ratchet huffed as he knelt down, trying to look into the wiring underneath the computer frame.
"I could take a look at it for you. I mean, I work on computers for my job, so I might could figure out the problem," Reese offered to help the robot.
"Please, these computers have been integrated with Cybertronian technology. I doubt that you would even know what you were looking at, even if you tried," The Ratchet scoffed.
"Hey, I understand a lot more than you give me credit for. Just because I'm human doesn't mean that I'm stupid!" Reese glared at the bot, trying to keep her temper in check. She knew that she had a tendency to lose her cool, but she didn't want to get on these giant robot's bad sides, so she calmed herself with a few deep breaths.
She watched impatiently as Ratchet continued struggling with the cords underneath the computer. His servos were much too large to accurately do anything with the human tech. After a few minutes, he threw down his tools in exasperation and stalked out of the room.
After Reese was convinced that Ratchet would probably be away for a bit, she walked over to the computer terminal and began taking a look at its internal components. Ratchet was right when he had said that much of the internal workings of the computer had been integrated with Cybertronian technology. That being said, the basic functionality was still pretty straight forward. Within a few minutes of searching, Reese found the cause of all the problems. A wire had frayed and so the signal was weak getting through to the machine. Ratchet's fumbling around had also unhooked a few wires as well.
Reese carefully reattached the cables to their respective connections, making sure that they were good and secure. As for the frayed wire, that would need to be replaced. Reese patted her back pocket, feeling the roll of electrical tape that she had stuffed in it before leaving work. That should fix the problem until a new cable to could installed.
She climbed out from under the computer console and rebooted the machine, grinning triumphantly as the computer softly whirred back to life and the blueish green screen illuminated once again. Unfortuantely, with the distraction of the computer gone, Reese was reminded again of the headache that was quily turning into a migraine.
"How did you… er… never mind," Reese heard Ratchet stutter as he walked back into the main room to find his workstation back online. He walked over to the computer and checked all the systems; everything seemed to be running perfectly.
"By the way, you have a fraying cable under there. I put some electrical tape on it, so it should work for now, but you should probably make sure to get it replaced soon," Reese called over nonchalantly. She didn't expect the bot to show much gratitude, so she didn't bother to even look over in his direction. Rather, she sank down onto the sofa, holding her head tenderly.
"I suppose I should thank you for your help. I underestimated your abilities," Ratchet apologized, albeit a bit begrudgingly.
"Don't mention it," Reese waved her hand dismissively before curling into a tight ball on the sofa and shielding her eyes from the bright florescent lights overhead. Every sound, the clock ticking on the wall, Ratchet typing on the keypad, the fans rattling in the vent on the wall, all these sounds echoed in Reese's head, making her wish they would all stop. She groaned and put a pillow over her head, trying to block out as much stimulation as possible.
"Are you okay?" Ratchet stopped what he was doing for a moment to see what was causing the human to make such an uncomfortable noise.
"I think my head is going to explode," Reese's muffled voice came from beneath the pillow that still covered her head.
"Oh, that is correct. Nurse Darby said that you had a concussion and that too much stimulation would probably make it worse. I will call her in here," Ratchet seemed to realize that, though Reese was only a human, she was still a patient, and he should at least show some concern for her health, given that he was a medic. He didn't even have to call Nurse Darby, however, as she pulled her car into the main room of the base about the time Ratchet was preparing to comm her cell.
"Sorry I'm so late getting here. There was an emergency at the hospital, and I had to attend to that first." June explained her tardiness as she climbed out of her car. "By the way, how is Reese doing? Is she still in her room?"
"She is up here, and she looks like she could use some help," Ratchet motioned to the sofa where Reese was still curled up in a ball.
"Oh my! Reese, are you alright?" June rushed up the stairs and knelt down beside Reese.
"Just a migraine..." Was all Reese could muster to say, still burying her head under the sofa cushions.
"You should have been resting. What were you doing?" June helped Reese into a sitting position and pulled her to her feet.
"Fixing Ratchet's computer…" Reese held her stomach with one hand and squeezed the bridge of her nose with the other. Why had Nurse Darby made her stand up?
"You shouldn't have been fixing anything! Here, let me help you back to your room so you can rest with the lights off," June helped Reese down the stairs and back to the little room where her gurney was.
Reese laid down, instantly curling back into the fetal position, which for some reason, was the most comfortable way for her to lay in her given state.
"Here, take these and sip on some ginger ale," Nurse Darby handed Reese a glass of the ginger soda and a couple of tablets, painkillers, Reese presumed. She gratefully took the tablets from the nurse and washed them down with a swig of the sweet, bubbly, beverage, the ginger in the soda already helping her stomach a little.
Once Reese had taken the tablets and laid back down, Nurse Darby turned off the lights. "You just rest and keep sipping on that soda. I will check in on you from time to time." With that, the nurse lef the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
The darkness paired with the painkillers and ginger ale were just what Reese needed to drift back to sleep. It had been a crazy day. She had met giant alien robots that could turn into cars, for crying out loud, but that didn't stop her from lapsing into a deep and much needed nap.
Reese awoke a couple hours later, her head feeling better than it had previously. There was still some residual throbbing in it, but that was to be expected with a concussion.
Hearing voices outside, Reese climbed off the gurney, and bringing her glass of ginger ale with her, began making her way back to the main room of the base. She stopped at the threshold of the large entryway, seeing Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead all doing different activities with some children.
The Japanese girl, who was showing Bulkhead the newest addition to her guitar pick collection, was the first to notice Reese enter the room. She set her collection down and bounced over to Reese excitedly.
"Hi, I'm Miko. What's your name? When did you get here? How did you get that crazy gash across your face?" the girl peppered Reese with questions, not really giving her a chance to answer any of them.
Reese self consciously lifted her free hand to cover the cut that spanned from her ear to the bridge of her nose. So far, this girl was not making a good first impression.
"Whoa there Miko, calm down. Don't bombard her with questions like that," one of the other kids said as he came up behind Miko. He was tall, taller than Reese, and had jet black hair. He looked to be about a year older than Miko, sixteen maybe? He grabbed Miko by the shoulder and pulled her back a little bit, giving Reese room to breathe. "Sorry about her, she isn't great at introductions," the boy said kindly, though he gave a sideways glare at Miko. "I'm Jack, by the way. What's your name?"
"Reese".
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Reese," Jack smiled warmly. "Oh, by the way, this is Miko, though you probably already figured that out," He motioned to the Japanese girl who was skulking a little at being interrupted from her interrogating. "Oh, and Rafael is the kid over there," Jack motioned to a very short Hispanic boy wearing glasses. He was sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder plating with his laptop open. He stopped typing for a moment to wave at Reese.
"It's nice to meet you all as well," Reese said as she set her glass of ginger ale down. She really wasn't sure what else to say.
"So… I don't mean to pry, but we are kind of curious as to how you got here. The bots told us there was going to be another human around here for a while, but they didn't give us any details," Jack explained, prompting Reese to tell her story.
"Well, I kind of got pulled into a fight between the Autobots and the Decepticons. I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Optimus told me that I should probably hang out here until things are safe for me to go back home."
"How did you get the gash on your face, though? Is it going to leave a scar? It's probably going to leave a scar… But that's okay, because battle scars are so cool!" Miko butted in.
"I don't remember much of the fight. I kind of hit my head on the steering wheel, and the window, so my memories of everything that happened are a little fuzzy. I must have gotten the cut when I hit the steering wheel," Reese mumbled, turning away slightly and trying to hide the wound.
"Don't worry, the autobots will take good care of you! You will find that it's pretty awesome to get to hang out with them," Rafael jumped into the conversation as well. It seemed he had abandoned his computer and Bumblebee to finally meet Reese up close.
"Thank you, Rafael, I am sure they keep things exciting," Reese smiled, trying to include the younger boy into the conversation.
"Oh, all my friends call me Raf, so you can call me that too, if you like," Raf adjusted his glasses shyly.
"Oh, okay. I am glad I'm not going to be the only human hanging around here all the time. It will be nice to have some other people to talk to," Reese addressed all three kids. She looked forward to getting to know them all better, though she had a feeling that she was probably going to get along best with Jack and Raf. Miko was a little too... wild.
Transitioning into life at the base was going to be difficult, but hopefully the three kids would be good company, and maybe she would even become friends with some of the bots themselves. Who knew what the next few weeks had in store for her!
So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, this the the recently rewritten version. Thanks for reading it to the end! I hope that you enjoyed and that you continue to enjoy the rest of my story. I will continue updating, so keep your eyes peeled and follow my story so you don't miss out on anything! I hope all of you have a lovely blessed day :) - Lucy