Twist of Fate
Chapter 7 - Taking Matters
Walking out of a high-class restaurant onto the busy street, Katherine was finally able to breathe. She had been working for the newspaper for just over a week. And her most recent assignment was to interview the manager. The report was about a serious of recent break ins in the neighbourhood and the restaurant was the latest victim. During the conference with the manager, she kept getting a sinking feeling from the pit of her stomach. It didn't take her long to discover the feeling was coming from a man on the other side of the room. He was eyeing her like she was a piece of meat and found he was a pig. The entire meeting reminded her of the Television show, CSI.
She glanced at the Topkick parked at a parking meter. Though unable to see his expression, she could tell the Autobot was tired of sitting there, but it couldn't be helped. With Ironhide being her guardian, he had no choice but to sit there during the day under the hot sun. There was no doubt in her mind, he would start grumbling about being alone for so long and it was something she wasn't looking forward to. However, there was never going to be a chance to hear the mech's annoyance. The creep who eyed her, came out.
"Hello Miss Lennox," he said. "I couldn't help overhear your interview. If you are not doing anything tonight, I would like to treat you to a night on the town."
Katherine rolled her eyes before turning to the man. "I'm sorry, but I have plans."
The man slightly narrowed his eyes. He was not the type to be turned down. "What would be more important then spending the evening with me?"
"Well for one, I don't live in town," Katherine said. She didn't like the way the man was looking at her.
From his spot, Ironhide could see clearly what was going on. According to his sensors, her heart rate sped up and she was getting uncomfortable and scared. With her taking a step back, He activated his hologram; but stood back a moment longer. He wanted to see what was going to happen before acting.
"But you can always come back into town. You are exceptionally beautiful."
Katherine took another step back as he advanced further towards her. She could tell he was getting angrier by the second. "Sir, I was just here for an interview that is all. I didn't come here to get a date. I only lost my long-time boyfriend short time ago and I'm still trying to move on."
"Well then," he said impatiently. "Perhaps you weren't good enough for him and he decided to leave. I would be better for you. He probably has fun on the side."
Katherine gasped; eyes widened. She was now completely horrified but at the same time, angry. He knew nothing about her. "You have no idea who I am! My boyfriend just died!"
"All the better. I have all I need to know. You're Katherine Lennox, survivor of Mission City," he said. He reached out and grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the entrance to the restaurant.
Katherine tried her best to pull free, but his grip was too strong. A sick feeling overwhelmed her. She knew what he planned to do, and it was something she did not need.
Ironhide's rage flared. What the man just said about her deceased boyfriend was uncalled for. Jumping out of the truck, he marched straight over to the two. Not caring an audience was forming, he reached over, grabbing the man's free arm and easily snapped it behind the guy, forcing him to release Katherine.
Before Katherine knew it, the asshole was pushed up against the wall of the building, with Ironhide pressed tightly against him.
"The woman said she is not interested, you arrogant asshole," Ironhide sneered in the man's ear, keeping a firm grip on the sleaze ball's arm behind his back.
Katherine took a step towards the street, nearly tripping over her own feet. It took her a moment to realize Ironhide just came to her rescue. She looked at the hologram and she saw something in his eyes that slightly scared her. She had never seen Ironhide that pissed off before. Not even with the two other times he was pissed at her.
"Who the hell are you?"
Even with the pain in the creep's voice didn't phase the mech. "That is none of your damn business," Ironhide answered. "The only thing you should be worried about is me. Touch her again and you will be dead!"
"Ironhide?" Katherine asked cautiously.
Bright blue eyes glanced to Katherine to see fear evident on her face. Behind her was the ever-growing audience. His eyes turned back to the man. With one more sneer, he pushed himself against the dude's pinned arm before pushing back, putting distance between the two.
The man yelped in pain. For a moment he thought he felt his shoulder pop out of joint, but to his relief it didn't. He stepped away from the angry hologram. "Is that a threat?"
"You never want to cross Captain Lennox."
"Captain Lennox?" he fearfully turned to Katherine. "You are the sister to Captain William Lennox?"
Ironhide stepped in front of Katherine, blocking the path. "You will not look at her! Do you hear me?"
Silently, the man stepped back further away from Ironhide until nearly crashing into a few onlookers. It was then he turned and fled from the scene.
"Serves him right," Ironhide mumbled before turning to Katherine. With one glance at the woman, his eyes softened. "Are you all right?"
Katherine nodded, feeling relieved. She quickly advanced and wrapped her arms around him. She needed someone to hold her. Ironhide was in complete shock when she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. Not sure what to do, he did the first thing that came to mind and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
With her head still buried in the hologram's chest, she whispered, barely audio. "Thank you."
He nodded and looked up, seeing everyone looking at them. "What the hell are you looking at?! Show's over, you can scram now."
She didn't bother looking up. "Can we get out of here?"
With another nod, the two broke away. He grasped her hand and strolled over to the truck. The door opened on its own, allowing her to get in. He helped Katherine in before the door closed and the hologram walked to the other side, climbing in. The engine revved up and pulled out, heading out of town.
Katherine leaned against the window, silent tears falling to splash against her hand. She couldn't believe she was being attacked by a human. He practically ignored everything she was saying. So focused on her struggles, she didn't even pay any attention to where Ironhide was heading until he stopped. She wiped her tears and looked out the window. Straight ahead, was the cliff the two visited the day of the memorial.
Slowly getting out, she looked at the scenery before walking over to the edge, being sure not to get too close to fall off. Behind her she could hear gears and hydraulics move and whirl. In seconds the ground shook a moment as he sat on the cliff like the first time.
"Take this time to recollect yourself," he said softly.
"He doesn't even know who I am, and he made mocking comments about Charles," she said angrily. "He is so fucking arrogant."
"He had no right to say those things," Ironhide agreed. "But I'm sure he'll leave you alone for now on."
"But that's not the point," Katherine protested. "He accused Charles of adultery. The man hasn't been buried for more than a week and he gets blamed."
Ironhide looked at the angry woman with question. "What's adultery?"
Katherine went to vent more about the man when she snapped her head around and stared at the giant mech. "Wha…"
"It's a simple question," he pressed. "What is adultery?"
Katherine went from angry to embarrassed. She stuttered on her words for a moment until Ironhide told her not to ramble. Finally getting the words out so Ironhide could understand, he began to ask her more questions. The more questions he asked the more embarrassed she was getting, but the questions kept coming. Finally, she jumped to her feet, getting angry again.
"You have unlimited access to the Web! Why don't you find out yourself about sex!" She turned and stormed off towards the old lighthouse.
Ironhide smiled. He pulled a dirty trick but wanted to do something to help make her forget about the creep. He already knew everything there was to know about sex. He just wanted to see Katherine blush. And seeing her face light up in red hues made her attractive. Attractive? Where did that come from? His smile faded as he turned to the ocean. He found himself becoming fond of the woman, while at first she was nothing but a nuisance.
It was now almost to the point he'd do anything for her, just like when Chromia was alive. But she was lost to him, dying in his arms. Nothing could be done to spare her spark. If the spark were not damaged, Ratchet would have been able to transfer the spark to a new body.
Realizing he was thinking about the past again, he pulled away from the ocean to find where Katherine stormed off. He soon found her on the balcony lighthouse. He could tell that she was just allowing the cool breeze to hit her face, but it did not sit well with him. A short scan of the railing gave proof it wasn't safe.
Standing to his full height, he stepped towards the old structure. "That railing isn't safe."
"Oh, lighten up will ya," she mumbled. The wind suddenly picked up, swirling around her. The railing beneath her hands, shook a moment. Giving a sudden fearful look, she looked up to Ironhide who was making his way to her. As if in slow motion, the railing jerked once more, rattling before finally giving away. With nothing to hold onto, her body lost balance and fell forward.
From the trajectory of the now broken away piece of old iron, Katherine clenched her eyes shut. This was it for her. She was now going to join Charles as her body dropped down towards the sharp rocks at the bottom of the lighthouse. No scream could come out as she watched in horror as the rocks came closer. At the last moment, something black blocked her vision of the rocks and she was no longer falling, but the wind was knocked out of her for several seconds.
Everything was completely still while gasping for breath. Once she was able to breathe again, she slightly turned her head to see the concern look of Ironhide. Taking her time, she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, realizing she was in both hands.
"Are you all right?" he asked, deeply concerned.
"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "Just a little shaken up. I guess I should have listened to you. That's three times now."
Ironhide would have smirked as she admitted to being wrong, but he was too concerned. "Perhaps we should head back to the farm." He gently set her down on the grass before transforming. Opening his passenger door to let her in, he wondered why he didn't feel like saying a sarcastic remark. He never had problems doing it in the past, with his fellow comrades when they would do a stupid mistake, so why now with no quick retort?
When she was in, he revved the engine and slowly made his way back to the farm. He could tell that she was in shock as her heart rate was still high but was slowly calming down. Hoping to help her feel better, he turned on a radio station that was playing some type of upbeat song. By the time they got to the farm, Katherine was pretty much under control of her own emotions. She climbed out of the truck and headed inside.
Far on the other side of the country, Bumblebee with the two teens arrived in Maine, taking only two days, which normally would take 60 hours. It was quite the mystery with a human baring the symbol of a robotic race in which no one knew existed, well except for a selected few. The symbol was an Autobot signiant and with Ironhide being the only mech to see the symbol and it slightly alerted him. When Ironhide saw the dying man, there was no doubt in his memory banks Charles looked straight at him and wasn't surprised to see the mech. In fact, it was as if Charles knew who Ironhide was.
"Any luck on finding where Charles was found?" Bumblebee asked through the radio. Though he had his voice back, he still liked speaking through the radio.
"I've been searching all night," Mikaela said from the back seat. "And I think I found us a clue. There's an US Military instillation that's been abandoned."
"Well it's a good place to start," Bumblebee answered. "Besides, we have nothing else to lose."
"Besides time," Sam added quietly. "Luckily with your speed we made it here in record time."
"How far are we to this abandoned base?"
"Three miles." Bumblebee had already done a search on any abandoned places located in the state while on the road. It took awhile to narrow down the search to five possible locations, which were known as secret facilities.
"Good, I know I could use a rest."
Bumblebee being mindful of traffic and speeding signs, continued. At the appointed time he predicted; they arrived at the installation. It was simple to see it had been deserted for some time, but also appeared as though it had recently been a target. Bee carefully drove over a fallen down part of a fence and continued until he reached the compound. Two large double doors were destroyed from the outside, as if it had partially exploded. Slowly, he drove past what was left of the metal doors and continued until he couldn't go any further.
When he stopped, the three found themselves surrounded by broken desks and partially burned papers were all over the floor. A filing cabinet, turned on its side, laid in one corner.
"What happened?" Sam asked as he slowly stepped out.
"From the looks of the place," Bumblebee answered as Mikaela stepped out. "It was abandoned extremely fast. From the fallen fence and doors, it looks like this compound was attacked recently, but didn't do a good job. Just by the scorch marks and exploded doors tell me Decepticons."
"I would guess the same," Mikaela agreed. "My gut tells me we're in the right place. Sam, why don't we start on these papers? There might be something in these."
"Sure," Sam agreed. "I'll start on the filing cabinet."
"And I'll keep watch in case of activity."
Mikaela looked at the Camaro. "Why would there be any activity?"
"If the damage done was by the Decepticons, they could have followed and are waiting to strike," Bumblebee answered. "They could realize valuable documents could still exist."
As time turned into hours, the teens were getting nowhere. Mikaela picked up every piece of paper from the floor and found nothing indicating anything about Charles. Sam on the other hand, found something, though wasn't what he was looking for, but was interesting enough.
"Hey guys," Sam got the Autobot and Mikaela's attention. "Listen to this. 'Unknown to the US Army, but hidden deep within a cavern of Hoover Dam, lies the main headquarters'. That's where Sector Seven had their headquarters and stored Megatron."
Bumblebee activated his hologram and walked over to the teen. "Why would there be a file here dealing with Sector Seven?"
"Unless this was not a US Military compound. What if this was a Sector Seven base, hiding in plain sight? Maybe the Decepticons know something we don't."
"At this point anything is possible," Bumblebee agreed. "I've been here since the 1980s, and been keeping tabs on the Decepticons whereabouts until Blackout and Scorponok left the country."
"Scorponok?" Sam questioned.
"He's a Decepticon who attacked with Blackout when Captain Lennox was in the Middle East. I believe he's still alive too as Captain Lennox informed us that the beast buried itself underground."
"Maybe," Sam started. "Our old friend Agent Simmons could shed some light on this?"
"That's an idea," Mikaela smiled. "I'll grab my camera and take some pictures around as evidence to make him talk."
Bee looked to the female. "Good idea. Perhaps we should just gather the articles up. Get some answers. If this was a Sector Seven operations base, then all these documents could be important to something or someone."
"Hey Bee, why don't we see if there's any other rooms with more possible files? Sam suggested.
Bee considered it a moment before turning back to his real body. Reaching into the glove compartment, he pulled out the same type of mechanical wrist band Ironhide had. Snapping it to his wrist, he walked back over to Sam. "Let's go."
"Perhaps even information on Megatron when he was held in Hoover Dam," Sam replied. "Mikaela, will you be alright here?"
"I'm sure I'll be fine," she answered. "Ratchet said even as a hologram, they still have some consciousness."
No sooner said, Sam could here a click. He turned to the Camaro as the hood popped up. Sam smiled as he watched Mikaela get her camera. With a shrug he made his way through a door the car couldn't get through and the two disappeared.
The search through the building took most of the day. Luckily, the teens had made sure to bring lots of supplies to hold them over. Eventually all they could find was gathered, leaving Bee's trunk full of documents and most of the back seat. With the teenagers back in the car, Bumblebee revved his engine and made his way out of the building.
"Bee stop a moment," Mikaela asked as they exited the compound. The car was quick to comply. Stepping out, Mikaela took more photos of the exterior structure and surrounding areas, including the broken fence. With it nearing nightfall, there wasn't going to be much daylight left. Once satisfied, she climbed back in.
"Let's contact Optimus to see what steps to take next?" Bumblebee suggested.
"And then to a motel to take a shower." Sam looked at himself. "So much dust."
A light laugh came from the car. "Bumblebee to Optimus Prime. Come in sir."
There was slight static from the radio before the teenagers could hear the Autobot leader on the other end.
"Optimus Prime here. What do you have to report, Bumblebee?"
"Sir we found an abandon compound first thing this morning. It's been the first sign of any type of US Military base since we arrived in Maine. However, I don't think it belonged to the US army."
"Care to elaborate further?"
"Sam found a file saying, 'Top Secret' and it mentions about the hidden bunker in Hoover Dam and being unknown to the US Military. Sam and Mikaela believe it was once a Sector Seven operation base. Not only that, but there's evidence to support a recent air strike."
"Decepticons," Optimus answered.
"We think so too," Bee agreed.
There were a few moments of silence before the tall mech's voice was heard. "Perhaps there is more to this secret agency than what we were told. Anything on Charles?"
"Optimus," Sam interrupted. "We haven't had a chance to look through all the papers we found scattered throughout the compound. Wouldn't Captain Lennox be able to help us on finding where Charles was, before being adopted?"
"Unfortunately no. The army were only told of an infant found near a base and they found a home for the human."
"Optimus," Mikaela jumped in. She was sitting in the back with the interior light on looking at one folder she kept in her hands when they were putting everything in the trunk. "It just occurred to me and it's a long shot. What if it wasn't the US army who found Charles? What if it was Sector Seven? When we did have their confrontation, Sector Seven was working in the army laws but not with them."
Silence reined through the radio for more several moments.
"Return back to base," Optimus finally commanded. "We'll go through what you uncovered. Perhaps Agent Simmons could shed some light on your discovery. Optimus Prime out."
"Let's get a motel, shower and go to that café we saw this morning?" Mikaela suggested.
"I agree with you there," Bumblebee said. "I sense you two are getting hungry."
Optimus looked at Ratchet as he continued in holoform to restoring Jazz. Ratchet was able to get the tools needed to repair the fallen comrade, but only could do the repairs as the hologram.
"Ratchet," Optimus said, getting the medic's attention. "I'll need to you to keep watch. Bumblebee has found some interesting top-secret files Agent Simmons could answer."
"Will do sir. Going to retrieve him?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
He transformed and made his way out of the junkyard, afternoon sun shining against his flaming paint job. It didn't take him long to get on the highway. Ever since Mission City, Optimus kept a close optic on Simmons. Optimus was generally quite passive around humans but with Simmons and everyone involved with Sector Seven, he was willing to make an exception. If the US Army knew of Megatron in the first place, then the battle at Mission City wouldn't have transpired. He was tempted to let Ironhide blast the man for stupidity. But he was an Autobot, not a Decepticon, and would never take a human life nor allow his men to do it either.
Understanding it was going to be a long drive, he kicked it into high gear to arrive at Hoover Dam in record time. Since Megatron was released, Agent Simmons stayed at Hoover Dam, wallowing in his mistake. It was nearing dark when Optimus slowed to normal speed as he read a sign saying Hoover Dam ten miles. His velocity continued to lessen as he approached the great dam. He never bothered to stop as he past the security guards who identified him. It first surprised the Autobot leader, as the lookouts didn't try to block him. Not wanting to dwell, he continued until he made it within the central section and stopped directly in front of Agent Simmons, who was gaping at him with disbelief.
"What the hell?" Simmons snapped, not recognizing the truck. "Who let you in here? How did you get past security?"
Not answering, Optimus allowed his transformation to speak for him, making Simmons slightly flinch. The last time he had the pleasure of the Autobot's company, Sector Seven had just taken the kids into unlawful custody and were stopped by the giant mech, tearing his car to pieces.
"What do you want?" Simmons asked, now vaguely apprehensive.
"Were you the only Sector Seven agency? Or were there other locations?"
"Where is this question coming from?"
Optimus knelt to the human's level and glowered at the man with intensity. For once the great Autobot leader could see fear in the man's eyes. He would have smirked as the Decepticons left fear into the man, but the lives of all the citizens in Mission City prevented the expression.
"I'm the one asking the questions," he growled. "Don't make me repeat the question again. If it weren't for your stupidity in holding Megatron here in proximity of the Allspark, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Ok," Simmons held up his hands in surrender. "Yes, there were a few locations."
"Where?" Optimus snapped.
Simmons flinched more and leaned against a fallen beam from when Megatron broke free. "Ah…. ahh…. Florida, Hoover Dam, Texas, Maine and a few in Canada."
"You may have answers we need. Do you know anything about a man by the name of Charles Griffin?"
"Charles Griffin? Not to my knowledge. What is this all about?"
"Charles Griffin was found by a military installation and adopted by a family in the state of Maine. But shortly afterwards, they moved to California. Did Sector Seven lie to the US Army?"
"They could have. You know we were a secret organization. We had to cover ourselves up somehow." Simmons could see the mech wasn't backing down.
Optimus stood back to his full height and opened his communications.
"Optimus Prime to Bumblebee."
"Bumblebee here." Came over the radio
Simmons slightly jumped as the giant leader now was talking to the mech who he had in his captivity before N.B.E-1 broke free.
"Bumblebee. Any luck about those files?"
"Sam and Mikaela have gone through a few and found information about a few infants. But nothing yet on Charles."
"Keep me informed. I am with Agent Simmons now. Optimus out." He turned off the transmission and bent back down to Simmons. "Now, I know you heard that. Perhaps you could help shed some light on the matter."
"What do you want me to do?" Simmons asked. "I mean I have no idea what you are talking about. I didn't know what went on in other locations. I only knew what went on here and California."
Optimus transformed back into the truck and opened his passenger door.
"You think I'm climbing in? You have another thing coming."
Suddenly a man dressed in dark jeans and a shirt appeared out of nowhere in front of Simmons. He grabbed Simmons by the collar and lifted him up.
"You have two choices," he began in Optimus's voice. "You can either come with me and help us find the answers we're looking for or..."
"Or what?" Simmons stuttered.
"You'll be forced in, which to your society is consider abduction." Optimus added. "I would love to rid this world of you. You and your little agency caused many lives and that doesn't sit well with me. But Autobots protect, while the Decepticons make mayhem. Now do we have an understanding?"
Simmons' eyes widened in surprise. He was gazing into the eyes of a humanized Autobot.
"Ok. Ok. I get the picture!" Simmons squeaked.
Optimus's holoform nodded and then disappeared, causing the former agent to drop to the floor.
"Hey! What the hell was that for!?"
"Get in!"
The tone in the Autobot was not to be taken lightly. Deciding he didn't want to really piss this mech off, he carefully climbed into the truck. The door had shut on its own and locked. The engine roared to life and Simmons watched with fright as the gearshift and steering wheel moved on their own. Before long, the truck was speeding back down the highway, heading...Simmons didn't know where, but he guessed it was where the other Autobots were hiding.
It was nearing midnight before Optimus arrived at the junkyard with Simmons. With an abrupt stop, the doors unlocked, allowing Simmons to climb out. It didn't take Simmons long to scramble out. The trip was silent and quick. Never in his life had he ever thought it was possible for vehicles to drive that fast. When he was safely of the ground, Optimus transformed and walked towards Ratchet's station.
"Ratchet?"
"Sir yure back."
Optimus turned and gasped. "Jazz!"
"Damn straight," Jazz grinned. He walked over to his leader and shook his hand. "It's good t'be back. Ratchet was able t'get me back online an hour ago and just finished debriefing me on what's happened since I was deactivated. Are ya really sure Megatron is gone?"
"Perhaps, but I'm afraid Starscream, who fled Mission City may remobilize the other Decepticons. Starscream, Barricade and Frenzy are unaccounted for. And from what Captain Lennox has informed me, he fought Scorponok in the Middle East and he's also unaccounted for."
"Frenzy?" Simmons asked.
Jazz looked down to see the one human he never wanted to see again. "What's he doin' here?"
"Has Ratchet updated you on Bumblebee's mission?"
"Yes and informed me of the human who perished in the battle having an Autobot symbol. Is that why he's here?"
"Yes. Bumblebee found an abandoned base and it looked like it was attacked recently. I fear it was Decepticons. There are files containing the Allspark and Megatron. It's presumed it belonged to Sector Seven. Agent Simmons is to help fill in the blanks."
"Excuse me," Simmons interrupted. "Robots, what do you mean by a man having an Autobot symbol? And you never answered me about Frenzy."
"It's Autobots," Jazz corrected. "We are known as Autobots. I'm Jazz. And he's Optimus Prime, our leader."
"Whatever," Simmons shook his head. "What do you mean by symbol."
Jazz touched the side of his head, giving the human a holographic image of Frenzy. "This is the bugger. Sneaky shit."
"I remember that!" Simmons answered. "Chopped off it's head. When your human friends left Hoover Dam, that thing attacked us."
"Guess that answers that," Jazz answered. "Frenzy... terminated."
Without looking Optimus answered. "To answer your other question. The Autobots and Decepticons have faction symbols and Charles Griffin bared the Autobot mark. But why would a human have faction symbols as a tattoo? Captain Lennox informed us Charles was found by the military and adopted into a home. He had the signiant since he was a baby. Before the attack on Mission City began, Starscream attacked a construction crew. Charles was one of the casualties."
"Would you like me t'help Bumblebee with his research?" Jazz asked. "I would love to get back into action."
"No. Bumblebee is on his way back. He should be here by tomorrow."
"If it's going to take that long," Simmons jumped. "Then why did you get here so quick?"
Optimus turned to the human and glared at him. "Hoover Dam is not my favorite place as you tortured Bumblebee there. You also held Megatron and the Allspark." He turned away, intending to take the night shift. "Make yourself comfortable Simmons. You'll be staying here for awhile."
"Wait a minute! You said I was to help you, not to remain here. This is kidnapping," Simmons snapped.
Jazz bent to the human. "So was taking Bumblebee hostage. If you can help Optimus with this tattoo mystery, perhaps he may not think of you as a bad guy. T'his books, you are."
"Are you telling me that I have to get in his good graces?" He watched as Jazz nodded. "Well I do feel guilty for keeping everything in secret. I can't change that."
"Then help Optimus in what he needs without question. As soon as you give him the answers, he's looking for he'll let you go and perhaps you'll never have to see him again."
Simmons observed Jazz stood back to his normal height and followed where the Peterbilt truck went. Knowing standing in the middle of a junkyard was not a good idea, Simmons turned and spotted the old house. Needing sleep, he went into the house to find an available room.
Author's Notes: I know it sound's like Optimus is a bit out of character, but I'm sure he would react that way if something had pushed him over the edge. And perhaps having the Allspark and Megatron hidden through a secret organization could be that limit...