Authors Notes- Well, here I am again back with yet another chapter of Until I Break You. Sorry it's been like forever and a half since I updated, life you know? But alas apologies aside as you can gather by now I only own the plot, everything else belongs to Hasbro. Now that we got that out of the way here is is Chapter Five, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Five.
To say that Agent William Fowler was angry would be the understatement of the year. The man was furious. Starscream noted as he stomped through the ground bridge, brown eyes narrowed as he stomped towards Megatron. All the while the kids looked on from their place behind Breakdown. Starscream noted that occasionally one of the kids, namely the one called Miko would peek her head out to watch, before ducking back behind Breakdown whenever Fowler looked in their direction.
"So," Fowler continued after he had finished tearing Megatron a new one, arms crossed as he looked up at the Warlord. "Anything you got to say Megatron?"
All eyes were on the two, as Megatron crouched down before Fowler, scarred features softening, red optics dimming. "I only wish to offer an apology. It was never our intention to allow humans to get hurt."
"Pretty sure you can blame the Autobots for that one." Starscream spoke up. "After all," the Second In Command said, examining his talons the same way a human woman would examine her nails. "They were the ones who engaged our troops in town. If it had been the other way we would have made certain to take the battle FAR away from human populated areas."
"But you know those Autobots." Knock Out chimed in. "They always did like to cause death and destruction wherever they could."
"And where are the Autobots now?" Fowler asked, looking to Megatron once more.
"Turned tailpipe and ran after we beat the scrap out of them." It was Airachnid who spoke. "Though where they're hiding is anyone's guess." As she said this, she looked to Soundwave. The silent Comms officer only shook his head. Obviously he was still not having any luck finding them.
Fowler pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. All anger seemed to fade from him, leaving nothing but exhaustion, and grief in its wake. Obviously the whole thing was taking its toll on him. As the kids watched as he reached into his jacket pocket, and popped a few antacids into his mouth. And it seemed to be affecting his health too, they noted.
"As soon as you do tell me." Fowler said, his voice calm as he turned his back to them. "I'll be preoccupied dealing with this mess, so I might be out of contact for a while." And with that Fowler stepped through the ground bridge once more.
Silence permeated the Decepticon base for the longer moment, as the trio of humans stepped out from behind Breakdown, and looked to Megatron.
"Your human liaison is kind of..." Jack trailed off, trying to find the right word.
"Unpleasant?" Airachnid supplied. Jack nodded.
"Well, you can't really blame him." Knock Out said, arms crossed. "The Autobots are threatening his planet after all, and are behind the deaths of several humans. I think we can all understand why he's that way."
"So," it was Raf who spoke, as he looked around at all the strange alien technology that surrounded him curiosity shining in his eyes. "What now?" he asked.
"It's getting late." Jack answered, glancing at his phone, seeing that it said 11PM. His mom would be home soon, and if he wasn't he would be grounded for a long, long while.
"Then we shall send you home." Megatron said, looking to Soundwave as the silent Decepticon typed something into the console. Another ground bridge opening up before them.
"Before we leave I have a question." Jack said, looking over his shoulder at Megatron, his gaze then going to where their Decepticon guardians stood.
In the time that they had spend at the base Jack had noted that Soundwave's, Airachinid's, and Starscream's altmodes would draw too much attention. Especially since no matter what they would draw unwanted attention. And no matter what they told people, there was no way they would believe them. After all, a high school girl coming to school in a jet would draw so much attention. And Jack had no idea what Soundwave transformed into. But something told him it would draw just as much attention as Starscream. And then there was Airachnid, well... Jack worried at his bottom lip. He was pretty sure he would be the talk of the school if he came to school with a giant spider lady.
"How will having them guarding us work? They kind of stand out." Jack said.
Oh.
The three Decepticons looked from one to another, he had a point.
"Oh, don't worry." Knock Out said, moving towards the three. "When it comes to that Breakdown and I will shuttle you to and from school safely."
Megatron sighed, offering the red Decepticon a grateful smile, as Knock Out nodded to him.
Seeming satisfied with that answer the three kids disappeared through the ground bridge. Silence once again falling over the Decepticon base.
"Well," Starscream was the first to speak, breaking the silence. "What now?" he looked to Megatron. And at that Megatron was at a loss.
Today had been intense Miko thought, shivering slightly as she and the others stepped out of the ground bridge, and found themselves of the residential street back in Jasper. A sigh escaping her lips as she saw that the fight that had happened further in town hadn't reached this area. Uttering a silent prayer Miko looked to the boys.
"Well," she spoke. "It's been fun, but I'm beat, so I'm going to go home." As she said that she began to walk down the street, both Jack and Raf watching her go.
A small smile graced Miko's lips as she headed to where her Host Parents lived. Todays events playing over and over again in her head. Sure, running into that blood thirsty Autobot wasn't something she ever wanted to experience again. A shudder running down her spine, as she recalled the one called Bulkhead looming over her, of cold, metal fingers closing in on her. Threatening to squeeze the life out of her.
Stop it! She thought as she reached her Host Parents house, fishing through her purse for her keys, when the door flew open. And Miko saw her Host mother standing there.
A look of surprise on her weathered face, as she pulled Miko into a fierce hug. Effectively knocking the air out of her lungs, while the girl tried to return the hug.
"You're okay!" The older woman gasped, relief in her voice, as she pulled away from Miko, taking a moment to look the girl over.
"Of course I'm okay." Miko told her, moving to step around the woman and began to walk past her, where her Host father stood.
"Where have you been?" he asked, hands on her shoulders. "We heard about what happened in town. And we tried calling you, and got no answer, so we assumed the worst."
"I was with some friends, we were at their house doing homework." She told him.
Her Host father arched an eyebrow. Obviously not believing her lie. "What friend?"
"Just a guy at school, Jack." Sure, she and Jack weren't exactly friends, but she had been spending time with him when it al went to hell.
Silence fell over the room, before her Host father let out a sigh. "Well, I'm glad you're okay." He said, giving her shoulders a squeeze.
Miko nodded as she moved to climb up the stairs to her room. Closing the door she leaned against it. She knew she should be frightened, there were giant alien robots waging war on Earth, and yet she couldn't bring herself to be afraid. This was just so...awesome! A giddy smile formed on her lips, as she locked the door and flopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. And to make things even better?
She and the others had been assigned guardians to keep them safe. Though, Miko chewed on her bottom lip, brow furrowing slightly. She was still a little unsure about the one called Starscream. To her the seeker didn't look like much, sure he seemed to hold his own against those Autobots. But to Miko he just seemed...She didn't know what it was, but something told her that when things did get hard Starscream wouldn't be able to handle it.
Miko shook her head and sighed and sat up. She knew she should try and get some sleep, but she was too wired to sleep. Getting up from her bed she paced around her room. What would the future hold for her now? And another question where would the Autobots strike next? Miko peered out her window, looking up at the night sky as she thought this.
All thoughts of the Decepticons gone, and were now replaced by images of those Autobots flashing through her mind. Especially of Bulkhead, the terrifying green Autobot seemed to haunt her thoughts. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was just something about him that chilled her to the bone. Giving her head another shake she turned away from the window, and sighed. Shoving those thoughts she moved to her bed once more, and climbed under the covers, trying to get some sleep.
Tomorrow was another day.
Unfortunately tomorrow came far too soon for Miko's liking as her alarm clock blared, jerking her out of a nightmare fueled sleep as it did so. Dark circles were under her eyes as she groaned and grumbled as she stumbled out of bed. And made her way to the bathroom. Running the water as hot as she could she sighed, as all the aches and pains from yesterday faded away. She so did not want to go to school, and she knew it was selfish but she hoped the school was closed after what happened yesterday.
And maybe it would be, allowing Miko to spend time with the Decepticons. But, alas, her luck was never that good as she wrapped a light pink towel around herself, and stepped out of the bathroom. When her phone pinged, alerting her to a text. Picking up her phone her eyes lit up when she saw a message from an unknown number. A frown forming on her lips, it could just be spam. In fact it probably was but despite that she opened it, and it read: "Miko. This is Starscream. I have been informed that your school has been closed due to the Autobots actions". Miko's heart leaped at that. Her prayers had been answers. "So, Breakdown will be by to bring you and the others to our base." Miko read the message over and over and sighed.
Well, this was good, considering there was no way she would be able to focus on school. Not that she was ever able to. Biting down on her bottom lip she typed a response.
"See you then."
And as she did she had to wonder how he had managed to get her number. Something she would ask him when she arrived at the base. Putting her phone down she went through the motions of getting dressed.
Starscream sighed as he contacted Miko. He knew she didn't really care for him as her guardian, and he... well, to him Miko seemed kind of reckless. Sure, she saved his life, but he wouldn't be in this situation if she had just ran. Starscream thought, as he walked down the halls of their base, nodding to several Vehicons as he made his way to the command room, where Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons were. And as he stepped into the command room, and was greeted by Megatron and Agent Fowler once more.
The human looked more agitated than he had yesterday.
"Starscream." Megatron said, turning to face him.
Starscream looked for Megatron to Fowler, the latter glaring at him. "What's going on?" he asked, dread forming in the pit of his tank, had the Autobots attacked again?
"I was just informing Agent Fowler of our new human allies." Megatron said.
Oh, was that all? Starscream heaved a sigh. "Is that all?" he spoke, looking to Fowler.
"Is that all you have to say?" Fowler asked, arms crossed. "You promised me that you wouldn't get civilians involved." Fowler growled.
At this Starscream rolled his optics, as Megatron sighed. Obviously Agent Fowler had forgotten that it was the Autobots who had attacked their troops first. Causing this mess in the first place. And now the human had the nerve to complain to them about the children.
"I assure you, Agent Fowler. It was never our intention to get humans involved, let alone human children..." Starscream trailed off, as the ground bridge opened, and in drove Breakdown.
As Breakdown came to a complete stop at Megatron's feet. Three human children stepped out, all of them looking to Megatron, before turning to Agent Fowler. Agent Fowler looked from one to the other, eyes narrowing as he looked to Megatron once more.
"These are kids!" He exclaimed.
"I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen." Jack spoke up, sounding indignant, as he and the other moved to get out of the way.
Raf letting out a startled cry, as Soundwave extended a tentacle, and picked the small boy up by the back of his shirt. Plopping him down on the console the Comms officer had been typing at. As Jack moved to Airachnid's side, while Miko wandered off and sat in one corner of the room. Her arms crossed as she watched what was going on. Occasionally glancing in Starscream's direction every once in a while.
"Sixteen or not." Fowler said, moving towards Jack. "The Decepticons were supposed to have no contact with civilians, so for your safety I'm taking you into custody."
As he moved to where Jack stood, when Megatron stepped out in front of him, the ground shaking as he did so. The human looking up at the Decepticon.
"I assure you, Agent Fowler. The children are safest in our care." He growled.
Agent Fowler looked up at them, looking ready to come up with a retort, but it immediately died on his lips, as he took a couple of steps back, and growled. Miko watched as Agent Fowler backed down with a tired sigh.
"Fine," Fowler growled, he knew there was no point in arguing with the Decepticon leader any further. "But if anything happens to them, Megatron. It'll be on you." And with that, Fowler left once more, leaving the Decepticons and their human charges alone.
"Is that guy always such a jerk?" Miko asked, leaning against the wall.
Megatron shook his head, and sighed. "He's just worried is all. And I don't blame him. Being our liaison is rather stressful. And adding you three to the mix is just adding more stress." Megatron told her. Moving to where Soundwave and Raf were.
While Miko looked around the control room. Taking in the various sights, her gaze then going to the very same console the others were at. Looking up she bit her lip, as she moved towards them.
"What are you guys looking at?" she asked. "Can I see?"
Soundwave looked down at her, his tentacle reaching out to her, picking her up by the back of her shirt like he did with Raf, and placing her on the console next to Raf.
Now Miko couldn't make heads or tails of what was one the screen as Soundwave continued to type non-stop into the console. Her eyes scanning the screen, before looking to Megatron for answers.
Megatron looked down at Miko, then back up at the screen. "We're scanning for Autobot activity." He told her.
"It would seem that the Autobots have been more active than usual. Obviously scouting for energon perhaps." Starscream said, moving to join them, optics never leaving the screen as a red dot appeared. Followed by some letters that the kids could only assume was Cybertronian.
And at that moment a frown formed on Starscream's faceplate, as he scanned the screen once more. "It would also seem that there is a rather large energon deposit in the area." He commented.
"Then we should move out before the Autobots have a chance to claim it." Airachnid spoke, arms crossed, several other Decepticons nodding in agreement.
Megatron had to agree, all of this fighting had caused a constant drain on their own energon reserves. Miko watched as the Decepticons conversed, a smile forming on her lips as she looked up at the metal titans before her. She knew they would want her and the other kids to stay behind, in order to keep them safe. But, Miko wanted nothing more than to go with them. She knew it was reckless, she knew that, and yet she could be of use to the Decepticons in their fight.
So, she was going.
Nodding to herself she looked up at them once more, as Megatron ordered Starscream, Breakdown, and Dreadwing to move out. The human girl somehow managing to climb down from the console, as both Raf and Soundwave looked rather preoccupied as she dropped down with a faint grunt. She watched as a ground bridge opened before her. Her eyes widening as she looked to the swirling green-blue portal before them. The forementioned Decepticons paying Miko no mind as she slipped through the ground bridge along with them.
Occasionally she would glance around in case anyone caught her before stepping through the ground bridge. And soon finding herself on her hands and knees, every bone in her body vibrating as she looked around. Finding herself in a heavily forested area, and seeing the three Decepticons disappearing further into the forest. Getting unsteadily to her feet she raced after them.
Unbeknownst to her, that she was being watched...
Irritation gripped Bulkhead as he stepped through the ground bridge along side Bumblebee and Cliffjumper. He was getting bored of all these pointless energon runs, sure, he knew it was vital. But he also knew that Lord Prime had his greasy fingers in almost every single energon mine here on Earth. And had more than enough energon to last them a life time, several life times in fact. So, this mission wasn't really necessary.
Hell, Bulkhead thought darkly, as he looked around. For all he knew was that Lord Prime was punishing him for his previous failure. Something that continued to darken Bulkhead's mood as he and the others walked further into the forest. Listening as Bumblebee let out a string of beeps, and Cliffjumper responding, telling the scout to stop whining as they continued on.
Bulkhead's mood growing more and more darker as time went on, there seemed to be nothing here, no wild life, no Decepticons for him to take his frustrations out on, nothing! Or, so he had thought when after what seemed like forever he had heard a noise to the left of him. Looking in that direction his optics lit up when he saw a human girl, in fact, it was the very same one he had met before.
A cruel grin splitting his faceplate as he stopped in his tracks. The girl didn't seem to have noticed him as she looked around, obviously looking for something, before he took a few steps in her direction, finally getting the girls attention. A thrill running through his body, as he saw the fear shining in her eyes, as he stepped out in front of her.
"Hello, kid." He growled, as she took a step back. "Remember me?"
Authors Note- I REALLY shouldn't have typed this all out in one sitting. And now I'm paying for it. Well, whining aside I hope you enjoyed it. And, I wish I had more to say but I don't. So, this is The Exhausted Writer signing off, have a goodnight.