Alright now this story I actually wrote down and finished years ago but I never posted it. I have decided to go through it and post it for what I hope is your enjoyment. I hope you the reader do like it and even if you don't please leave a review as any criticism is welcome as it helps me to improve.
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime as it is a product of Hasbro. I am just a big fan with an idea.
-o0o-
Special Agent William Fowler had seen a lot of things in his years working for the government (most of which had been since he became liaison to the Autobots but he had never seen this kind of situation before. Around 0200 hours late last night a group of thieves had broken in to a military testing facility, and tried to make off with prototype weaponry. They had thankfully been stopped and arrested but it quickly became clear that thieves were not smart enough to have been the masterminds to this hist. So they had conducted a complete search of the complex and had found the smarts of the operation before she could sneak off the grounds of the base. What had surprised them all when they finally arrested her was that they realised she was only a teenager.
But the most shocking thing had come when they discovered that she was the daughter of one Leland Bishop, aka Silas, the leader of MECH, hence the reason they had called Fowler. Since MECH had showed an interest in the Autobots, Fowler had been doing a lot of research on them. His superiors wanted to him to see if they could get any information out of her on the whereabouts of her father.
He was allowed in to the room they were holding her in and was meet with a glare form a tall young woman with light brown shoulder length hair, with blue eyes. She was still dressed in the black gear that they had found her dressed in but all tools that had been on her were removed, along with a back pack. Fowler placed a file on the table as he sat down said that her name was Amber Star Bishop, reportedly died at age 12 but he could see she was a very much alive 17 year old.
"Hello Miss Bishop, I'm Agent William Fowler, I'm here to ask you some questions." He said as he opened the file and looked at her. He quickly noticed that her glare had deepened when he had spoken her last name. He was happy to note that she thankfully got her blue eyes from her long dead mother Cadence Bishop. "You know if you leave your face like that to long it will get stuck that way." The attempt a hummer just caused her to roll her eyes well she leaned back. He would have expected her to fold her arms, if she hadn't been handcuffed to the table. Fowler sighed resting his arms on the table and tried again. "Do you mind if I call you Amber?"
There was silence for a moment before she finally spoke. "I would prefer that you did."
"Alright, now Amber could you tell me how exactly got you involved with those men?" he asked happy that she was talking.
This was fallowed be another eye roll. "Like I told the solders, I had no choice as they threatened to kill me." She snapped.
"Yes it says that in the report that I have here but that doesn't explain how they got their hands on you or the gear you had in your possession. They're not smart enough to even know what the tech was for, little own gotten it for you." Fowler pointed out.
"Fine." She snapped at him again, frustration in her voice. "The tech is mine. I was trying to sell it in a pawn shop to get some money, they saw me with it, grabbed me and then threatened me. That's the just of it."
"Really and where did you get the tech?" he asked already figuring he had an idea.
She seemed to pick up on this and looked at him closely. "There's another reason you're here asking me stupid questions isn't there?" she asked.
Fowler wasn't surprised that she had figured him out. "You are correct. I was asked to come here and question you about your Father. Do you know of his whereabouts or what MECH could be planning?"
The moment he mentioned the real reason for his being there Amber slammed her hands on the table well she got to her feet. "Let me make one thing very clear Agent Fowler." She growled as she towered over him, her blue eyes seemed to glow as she glared and he looked up at her wide eyed in fear. "If I knew where Silas was right now I would hunt him down and kill him myself. He hasn't been a father in my eyes for a very long time, and I had to fake my death just to get away from him. The only thing I know is what I recently acquired from a remote base that I found then blew up when I was done getting what I needed. And before you ask it was in New Mexico."
Fowler hadn't expected her reaction and was surprised to see the intense anger that now came rolling off her. "Alright calm down, I didn't know about your dislike of him." He said as he attempted to hide the shiver of fear that went down his spine.
She humped as she sat down again. "Then it would seem that your file is missing a few chapters. I don't dis like him, I hate him. Oh and if you're wondering about the information I got it's is happily all yours since I didn't believe a word of it. I think MECH has gone crazy as all it had on it was something about alien robots." she snapped well glaring at him.
Fowler was surprised by this news, immediately got up and left the room without a word. He went right to where they were going through her gear and found that they had indeed found some files that she had been keeping on a drive. He quickly found all of the information that MECH had collected on the Autobots and the Decepticons. This gave him an idea that he had to pass by the commander of the base and his superiors.
Also a woman, three teenagers and five alien robots.
-o0o-
"You want me to what?" June Darby asked Fowler in surprise. They stood in the Autobot base with the bots and kids standing around them. When his idea had been approved and Amber had agreed to the deal they offered her, he had given June a call and told her to meet him at the base. His plan was to have June take Amber in until she had to go to the court hearing in a few months, where she would testify against the men who had forced her to help in the theft.
"I understand if this is a bit of an odd request but as Amber is already is aware of the Autobots, I figured that it wouldn't be a big problem. I had hoped that you all wouldn't mind her being here, instead of a safe house or in lock down. I also hope that if she is surrounded by good influences that it might help her with her audited. I've also been authorised to give you an allowance to make up for any added expenses that will be added with her living with you." Fowler explained hopeful well handing June the file.
"Is this because she is Silas's daughter that you want her to change her attitude?" Arcee wondered.
"Yes and no. She has made it very clear that if she were to see him again she would try and kill Silas if given the chance. I would rather give her the opportunity to get over her anger at him and move on with her life." Fowler explained as he turned to Prime. "I know that you would rather that over her committing murder."
"I would but what is to keep her in June's care and not just leaving on her own?" Optimus inquired well he studied the file over June's shoulder.
"As part of the deal after the hearing she'll be given funds and a new identity but that all hinges on her behaviour well in your care. She is to be going to school, no fighting unless it's absolutely necessary. She is to obey the rules and do as she's asked or told." Fowler informed them.
"Why would no fighting be on that list?" Ratchet asked letting his curiosity get the better of him.
"Well Amber may have willingly let us arrest her but I have a sneaking speciation that she is highly trained in many different forms of combat. Unfortunately other than her vital statistics, and the fact she supposed to be dead, there's not much I have been able to find on her. The other thing I have noticed is that she's not very trusting of anyone, so you'll have to be patient with her." Fowler informed them.
"Optimus I think it would be best to not let her know the location of the base until we know we can trust her completely. For all we know it could all be a ruse and she could be spying for MECH." Ratchet suggested.
Optimus thought it over before he turned to June. "What do you think June?" he asked.
June sighed as she looked over the information that Fowler had given her to look at and the picture of the girl. June could guess from the stubborn look on her face that having Amber around would be a challenge but there was something about her. The way she acted that told June there was a reason Amber wasn't trusting of others and there was only one way for her to find out. "If you don't have a problem with her being here Optimus, then I'll let her come and stay with me and Jack." She said looking at the Autobot leader.
"I do not for see a problem with her being here, but I do hope that you three will tell her the rules that we have in place and where she is permitted to go." Optimus said this last bit to the kids who had been quiet up till now.
"You can count on us Optimus." Jack said.
"Yeah, it will be good to have another human in the group, but she's going to need to have her own bot." Miko said as she thought it over. Ratchet shock his helm at her as he got back to work.
-o0o-
The next day they after school they were all waiting for Fowler to arrive with Amber. The kids were playing video games well June, Bumblebee and Bulkhead watched. Ratchet was working well Arcee and Optimus went over reports of Decepticon sightings. They didn't have to wait long as the proximity sensor on the roof went off and the elevator started to come down. When it opened and Fowler led a blindfolded and hand cuffed Amber into the base, which he removed when they stopped by the rail.
Amber blinked for a moment well her eyes adjusted to the light. When she could see the first bots she saw was Optimus and Arcee as they walked over to greet her. Her mouth fell open and she stared at them. This gave all of them time to take in her appearance. Gone were the black cloths and had been replaced with jeans, a white shirt and a denim jacket. Her hair had been pulled back into a simple pony tail which allowed them to get a clear look at her face and spot a scar that was under her right ear. It was an inch in length before it diapered into her hair line. "You have got to be kidding me?" they heard her mutter as Fowler removed her handcuffs.
"Nope. That file you took from MECH was all true. These are the Autobots from the planet Cybertron. They and Mrs. Darby here have agreed to keep an eye on you till the hearing in a few months." Fowler informed her as he put the cuffs in a pocket.
"Hello Amber Bishop, I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, it's a pleaser to meet you. This is Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee." Amber continued to stare as each bot was introduced to her. She didn't notice the other humans till Miko ran up to her and took her hand.
"Hi Amber I'm Miko, this is Jack, his mom and Raf." She said excitedly. Amber gave her a look well she pulled her hand out of Miko's grasp and took a few steps back so she could look at them.
June could see that things were a bit tense for her so she stepped forward. "Amber, I'm June Darby. You're going to be staying with me and my son at our house in Jasper."
Amber raised an eyebrow at her before she turned to Fowler. "You know when you said that I would be supervised I was expecting a military hard soldier, not a civilian and off a base." She said rudely.
"Excuse me?" June asked offended.
"Now none of that Amber or the deals off." Fowler told her well giving her a stern look.
"The reason she was telling you where she live is because unless you earn our trust you'll never know the location of our base. Whenever you're coming or going from here it will be through a ground bridge, not through the main entrance." Ratchet snapped at her, surprising everyone by coming to June's defence.
"But that still tells me that the base is in or around Jasper, and what is a ground bridge?" Amber asked confused.
Before Ratchet could answer Fowler got her attention. "Now hold on. Before he starts to talk tech we need to go over a few things young lady. First you're going to the same school as Jack, Miko and Raf, and it will be as Amber Darby. You're going to be known as Jack's cousin, visiting for the duration that you're here. You tell anyone who you really are and you will be shipped of the closest military post. Also you are to do as both June and any of the Autobots tell you. If they find any reason that you should be removed or you pick a fight with any of your fellow students, I will come and get you myself. Is that understood?"
Amber glared at him. "I understood that when I accepted the deal in the first place. I happen to have a good memory." she snapped at him.
"Don't get sassy with me young lady." Fowler said before he produced the same pack that she had been found with, which was military grade and black. "There's clothes and other essentials in there for you but we removed all of the gear that was in it."
"That's fine, you can keep it I don't want any of it anymore." Amber said as she shouldered her pack.
"Right." He said a bit sceptical. "I'm off, I have a meeting with General Brice. Oh before I forget June here is this month's allowance money for taking her in."
June took the offered envelope and looked inside to find around 2 grand. "It's this a bit much?" she asked.
"Nope, you get more this month to pick her up anything she needs and for school enrollment. The information you'll need to register her for school is in there as well." With that done he left the same way he came.
"So you were going to explain what a ground bridge was." Amber said as she turned back to Ratchet making the old bot sigh and explain about the machine they used to travel across the world in moments. She surprised them all when she not only grasped the concept easily but then started asking him about the mechanics of how it worked, clearly interested. Amber spent the next hour listening to him explain it and the waited to ask questions. Finally June and Jack took her home to get her settled, leaving though the ground bridge.
"Well what do you know, she like science." Miko said as they watched them go.
"It would seem so. I wonder what she would make of some of our other technology." Ratchet wondered out loud.
"Awe, did you make a new friend Ratchet?" Miko asked with a smile. All they got from him was what sounded like a grumble as he ignored her question and returned to his work.
-o0o-
The next day June fallowed Jack and Acree to the school so they could get Amber registered and start her first day. Amber didn't say anything as she stared out the window, her head leaning against her hand looking rather bored. Last night Amber had said very little well she moved into the guest bedroom or during dinner that night. She only talked when June said when they had time she would take her to the mall to pick up more cloths and things a young lady of her age would need. Even that morning she had said next to nothing over breakfast which caused Jack to exchange confused looks with his mom. Nearly at the school June decided to break the silence. "So how did you sleep last night Amber?"
"Fine Mrs. Darby." was the only replay she got from the girl. June bit her lip and didn't try talking to her again until they reached the school. It didn't take long to give the school's office her cover story and get her classes all set. "Alright you're all set Amber. I have to work tonight so you'll be with Jack's friends after school. See you both later at home." June said before she gave both of them a hug and left the building. Amber sighed as she followed Jack to their first class of the day. When she was introduced as his cousin to everyone there were some mixed greetings from the students, well the teachers were all nice and welcoming to her.
The day proceeded like it normally did for Jack and the others well Amber seemed out of place and she didn't bother hiding it from any of them when they asked her. Around lunch time looking around the cafeteria Jack couldn't see her anywhere and asking Miko and Raf to take a look, they didn't either. So they split up and searched every inch of the school for Amber, hoping that she hadn't found a way to ditch them. It was Jack who eventually found her, in the school library of all places, sitting at a table reading a book on mechanical engineering. "Hey Amber what are you doing in here? Its lunch time." he asked as he took a seat next to her.
Amber shot him a look as she closed her book with a snap. "I was enjoying the peace and quiet, reading well I eat. So what are you doing here cousin? I wasn't told you and the others had to keep a constant tabs on me." the way she held out the word cousin in distain made Jack frown at her.
"Your right we don't have to but the others and I just want to make sure that your first day is going well." Jack said, a little taken back by her words. "So um- how is your first day going?" Amber simply huffed as she stood up and left the library not bothering to look back at him. Jack sighed as he picked up the book she had been reading and was about to put it on the return cart when he got an idea.
-o0o-
At the end of the school day, Amber caught a ride to base with Raf and Bee who called for a ground bridge right outside of town. Once she was out of Bee, Amber headed up to the rec area and started to work on her homework, ignoring everyone. This of course didn't go unnoticed by any of them, even Ratchet took notice but returned back to his work. Deciding to make an effort Raf walked over to her. "Um Amber, Miko and I were wondering if you maybe wanted a tour of the base when you were done your homework."
Amber looked up from her work and at him with an unreadable look on her face. "Thanks for the offer Rafael but I'm good staying right here and undisturbed." with that said she turned her attention back to the math problem she was working on.
Not liking her response Miko stomped over and got in the older girl's face. "Hey you know being rude all the time is not a way to make friends, also we were told by Optimus that we had to show you around. There are areas of the base that we are not allowed to go into without a bot present." she snapped not once flinching at the glare Amber sent her way.
"First off Miko, I have no intention of making friends with any of you, just like I have no intention of staying after the hearing. Second, I plan to stay right where I am and not wonder off anywhere in the base since I know for a fact that none of you trust me, also I don't trust any of you. So let's stop pretending to be nice to each other and leave me alone." Amber snapped as she stood to her full height, which was a full foot taller than Miko, and leaned over her. Miko gulped as she quickly backed off, a frightened look on her face, which took all of the bots by surprise. In the short time they had known the exchange student she never showed fear, not even when she was being towered over by a Decepticon.
Seeing his young friend and charge in such a state caused Bulkhead to stomp over. "Hey back off Amber, she was just trying to be nice." he growled at her.
Amber's head whipped around and she turned her glare on him, and it surprised Bulk that he felt shivers run down his frame. Her Blue eyes felt like they could see right through him, even Bee and Ratchet took notice of this change. Before anyone could say anything further Optimus, who had walked in at some point during the conversation, took quick notice of the tension and the source. "Amber." He said sharply drawing her attention and he walked over, putting his hand near the ledge. "You will accompany me, now." His voice leaving no room for discussion.
Amber knew an order when she heard one, so she didn't argue, walked over and climbed on to his hand. Optimus then turned and walked out the room, not even giving any of the others a glace as he wished to talk to their new human charge alone. He didn't say anything until they reached the training room and he placed her on the floor. "Amber you are here not only for your knowledge of our existence but as a curtesy from Agent Fowler, Nurse Darby and myself. We did not have to do any of this and could have left you in government custody. You should take this as a second chance to change the course of your life and you can start by being kinder to the other children."
Amber looked up at him, her arms crossed asking. "Are you making this an order?"
Optimus's optics narrowed, taking notice of her posture and the look of distain on her face well Amber looked up at him. Since arriving on earth he had made it a point of learning as much as he could about human culture and their behaviours. He was in no way an expert but he was sure that she was acting this way to protect herself. "No but a desire that you will heed my words. Also I want you to apologise to both Miko and Bulkhead when we return to the main room."
Amber looked away from him, thinking over his words, realising that he not only had a point but that she may have been a bit hard on the younger girl. Of course she wasn't about to admit that to him but she would have to ask for a bit of help with his one of his requests. "Fine I'll try to get along with everyone and I'll apologise to Miko and Bulkhead. It's just that… I have never had to apologise to anyone before."
This bit of information took Optimus by surprise but he didn't let it show as he carefully reached out and with a light touch of a single finger under her chin, he made Amber look at him again. "Have you never been apologised to before?" he asked kindly.
He saw a small crack in her emotional armor as her eyes glazed over for a second filled with unshaded tears, she quickly blinked them away, well looking away from him. "Only a handful of times and none of them were from Silas. Like that would ever happen." He wanted to see if she would say more but he also did not want to upset her and give her reason to distrust him. So after a quick consulting on the internet, Optimus attempted to coach her on how to make a proper apology. He then picked her up, headed back to the main area where he placed her back on the upper level where she stumbled through an apology to Miko and Bulkhead. They both readily accepted and once again offer to show Amber around that base, which she accepted this time. With Bulkhead and Miko being her guide, Optimus watched the three of them leave before he turned to see that Ratchet was looking at him strangely. "Is there a problem old friend?"
"No, but I am surprised at how well you handled that situation. I must say that Amber knows how to make even the hardest of bot here feel a bit of fear with that glare of hers." Ratchet said as he shivered slightly remembering it before he asked. "I do have a question, are you going to assign me as her guardian or have one of the others double up?"
"Neither old friend." Optimus said and noticing the confusion on the medic's face he explained. "Due to the hostility she has shown to everyone I feel it is best that I be her guardian. I believe that given time I may be able to discover the root of her anger and help her overcome it." This surprised Ratchet even more since Optimus was always busy, rarely around the base and the children.
Later that night well Optimus drove Amber home he studied her as she stared out the window, seeming deep in thought. "Care to share your thoughts?" he suddenly asked her out of the blue causing her to jump a little and she turned to stare at his dash.
"I was just wondering why you would decide to become my guardian, you seem so busy and- I don't want to be a burden by adding to your work load sir. You're a leader and you should be focused on battle strategies, your troops or other stuff like that." Amber commented honestly.
"Amber, in the time you are among us, whether it is for a short time or longer, which ever you decide, you will never be a burden to me or the others. Remember that." He said as he gently tightened the seat belt around her in a kind of hug. It wasn't long after that they arrived at the Darby's house and he opened the passenger door for her. "Sleep well Amber, I will see you in the morning to take you to school."
Amber didn't say anything back, grabbing her bag and hopped out of is cab, surprising him a bit when she wave at him before heading inside. She heard him drive off as she took off her shoes and found a tired looking Jack having some left overs at the table. "Hey Amber how was things at base?" he asked kindly. She chose not to respond choosing instead to head up stairs to her room, surprised to find the book she had been reading in the library on her bed. Amber picked it up and saw a note from Jack. 'Thought you would like to finish reading it, so I checked it out for you. It's due back in two weeks, enjoy- Jack.'
Amber couldn't help the smile that crossed her face and thought to herself. 'Maybe they're not so bad.' With that she settled on the bed and read until she went to sleep.
A/N: Well there it is first chapter done and I will endeavour to have Chapter 2 posted soon. Please leave a review since I like to know how I'm doing.