Chapter 14:
You know, I can take alternate dimension. I can take alternate dimension where fictional giant alien robots are real. I can take that the alternate dimension matches the fiction pretty much exactly. I can take magical blue glowing sticks that can turn into weapons. But time travel? Into the past? Gotta draw the line somewhere.
I slammed Fowlers door when we got back to the base, ready to go into a fit to express these blooming emotions, but alas it would not be. Ratchet took my chance at a tirade.
"Rachel! Come look at this!" Ratchet demanded, not even bothering with a grumbled greeting or rude comment. Optimus Prime was behind the medic looking at the control console screen intensely. I raised my eyebrow at Fowler who shrugged, just as confused as I was.
"Well hello to you too. What is it?" I asked, walking over to the niche. Optimus looked down at me.
"Rachel, I hope your trip was beneficial?" The Prime greeted. I nodded, and smiled up at him. Leave it to the Prime to have some manners. He offered a hand towards me, waiting to pick me up.
I would totally be freaking out about being offered to be carried by the Autobot leader if it wasn't for Ratchets tone earlier. Don't mind me, I'm just getting a lift from Optimus- freaking- Prime. So freaking cool.
Ahem
Right. Save the fan freak out for later.
Prime gently brought me up to his shoulder, where I carefully got off and sat down, crutch laid across my lap and looking towards the screen. On said screen was video feed from one of the storage garages, specifically the one that stores the magical alien-stick-of-blue. In the video, the blue rod just sat on top of a box, multiple cameras pointed at it. In the feed's top right corner was white marks with the date and time. It was set at 4:50 pm today.
"The artifact disappeared right- there," Ratchet pointed. And sure enough the stick just wasn't there anymore. Rewatching the moment slowed down led to the same result. There, then not there suddenly.
"It can't have just disappeared," Ratchet mumbled, optics focused on the screen. He suddenly turned to me, and a red net of light scanned me, bringing shivers and a deep sense of my privacy being violated. He looked down to his arm.
"Hey! What-"
"Check your pockets," Ratchet ordered. Confused, and getting a bit annoyed, I complied, even turning the pockets inside out to prove nothing was in them.
"I've been making sure to check them regularly you know."
Ratchet hummed in thought, glancing around the room before settling on Fowler's car. The medic lifted his arm and scanned the car with the same red lights he used on me, the light traveled from the hood to the trunk. When the lasers got to the trunk his arm made a series of small beeping sounds. Fowler, already a step ahead, opened the trunk, revealing the bags of shopping items I had gotten. No blue artifact to be found.
I was about to make a comment along the lines of good riddance, when I caught sight of a shining blue light inside. Fowler noticed it too, and moved a bag, a brighter blue glow uncovered now. Fowler reached in, and pulled out the very glowy object we were looking for.
"Apparently we were carrying illegal contraband. Take it. Quickly," Fowler said.
The Agent carefully held it away from himself and fast walked towards Ratchet. He was probably scared of it choosing to switch owners. I can tell you I was tired of it.
Or maybe rightly cautious because of the radiations unknown effects on humans.
Yeah, or maybe that.
Ratchet bent down, reaching out a hand for the stick. Fowler quickly, but carefully set it in the medic's hand, backing the hell away from the thing as soon as he could. The Agent looked at his hands in worry, then his car, then preceded to wipe his hands onto his suit. Like that would help.
"So, what? It doesn't have to teleport to me directly? It can be in the vicinity?" I asked, watching as the stick grew in Ratchets hands in that strange building-itself-larger-from-nothing way. How was it doing that? Then again, in the Bey movies, hadn't the Allspark shrunk down from its giant size in the same way? It would make sense it could grow too and make itself bigger despite the lack of any legitimate material to do so.
Ratchet turned back to the screen and brought up a map next to the video footage. On the map a red bleep traveled out from the base onto the road. When the blip was about 5 miles out, the artifact disappeared.
"So… what's this about?" I asked, at a lost. What was that red blip?
"I put a tracker on you," Ratchet offhandedly informed.
Wait. He put a tracker on me?!
"You put a tracker on me?! When was this?!" I asked upset. I began rubbing the bridge of my nose. Calm down Rachel. Calm down.
Ratchet rolled his eyes. "When you were recharging of course," he responded as he continued trying to fiddle with the video, trying to slow it down to speeds that no human camera would be able to capture. My annoyance reached a peak. No one puts a trackers on me in my sleep!
"And just what gave you the idea that's-!"
"I ordered the tracker to be put on you Rachel," Optimus interrupted, turning his head slightly to look at me. "I apologize for not informing you of this decision, but we wanted to be sure you were not a threat to this bases security."
Ouch. A threat? Me, a threat? Ha!
This was sobering. Here I thought I was getting along really well with everyone, but then, first time out with no Autobots and they wanted to make sure I wouldn't, what? Run away? Stab them in the back? Reveal closely held secrets? Other thoughts flooded my mind as well. Had they put a bug in too? To listen in on the conversation I had with the General in Area 51? Did they know the deal I made? How long have they been tracking me?
I know I shouldn't feel betrayed. They'd known me for, what? Less than a week now? It was reasonable to not trust the chick with the knowledge about them and with a weird connection to a weird weapon.
The Autobots were the good guys, I could trust them, right?
Right?
This tracker thing makes me uncomfortable.
"I want it off, and I want down," I looked into Optimus' optic in my view and demanded. Ratchet visibly pushed down his annoyance, and resisted rolling his optics again. He faced towards me, servos on his hip.
"The tracker was for your safety. The Decepticons know of Agent Fowler, so a kidnapping is always possible, especially considering Fowler insisted on no Autobots as escorts, though on my spark I don't understand why! If it bothers you that much, I can take it off later," Ratchet relented. I glared.
Thank you. That's all I wanted. Not that I'd say that aloud to the jerk.
Optimus brought his hand up. I walked onto the servo, and waited for the ride down.
"How was your meeting with General Bryce Rachel?" Optimus asked.
I mockingly smiled. "Just dandy. I realized that not only am I in an alternate reality where fiction is real, but I also went back in time by 7 years! Wonderful." Optimus brought me down as I spoke, and I got off his hand once I reached the floor. Both bots looked at each other thoughtfully.
"Into the past, you say?" Ratchet looked back towards the screen, then down to his servos. All four of us considered the strange glowing rod with uncertainty.
9
I set the last of the groceries down next to the TV, and finally face planted into the couch, leaving my crutch on the floor. I had gotten everything out of Fowlers car and took it up the stairs. Then, I'd gone to the bathroom in two trips, one to lug the toiletries there, and another to bring my new cotton maroon PJs and to get ready for bed. It was a long day, yet, despite my tiredness, sleep evaded me as the days events replayed in my mind.
First and foremost was the artifact. All evidence so far pointed towards the artifact being the source of my misery. How it could send people into alternate dimensions and time periods I haven't the slightest clue. Though, the thing was super OP if it could do all of that.
Super OP…
Hey, what if I was in a bad fanfiction or something? That would be great. I could switch on some Mary Sue powers and just wish myself home.
Seriously though, how did I know this was real? As in, how did I know I wasn't just in a coma? Or hallucinating? What if I was actually talking to rock that I thought was giant alien robots?
Okay, I need sleep.
I wonder what kind of place I'll get. It's probably not going to be anything fancy, this was Jasper after all. What I'm really excited for is a laptop, with actual internet access! It's 2011… still I'll take what I can get! It'll be interesting getting to know the details of this Earth. Positive thoughts!
And that tracker, ugh! I tried to figure out where it was put on me with no luck. Which brings me back to the glowy diviner rod topic, because the thing had followed me! Well, not follow as much as appear near where I am. If this was going to continue, I should at least wear protective gear at all times. Maybe... I'll bring it up to Ratchet later. Yawn.
Something cool looking maybe… like a biker outfit… and by biker I mean motorcycle... Dad said he once owned a motorcycle… it'd be… mmm...
…
