This chapter about wraps up the falling out of Revenge of the Fallen, before the next Arc of the story.
I don't own Transformers, nor do I own any songs, movies or recognizable brands and their products referenced in this, so if I could be left to my fics, I'd be much obliged.
Chapter Twelve: The Unseen Enemy
(Alex's POV)
We hadn't moved into our new Diego Garcia house, but it was already starting to feel like home. It's really, truly funny how home is both a place and a feeling. That feeling is hard to describe, too. It doesn't quite have a word for it.
Sam was annoyed because his 'room' could double as a guest bedroom. He'd by far gotten the smallest room, but he'd be here the least while he's at college.
When you walked inside our house, to the left was a short hallway which led to the master bedroom, the right was another hallway which led to the guest bedroom. If you walked through the foyer hall and went straight, it'd lead you to the kitchen, and the kitchen table. Behind the kitchen was the dining room. If you went right from the kitchen, there was the family room. Behind the family room was the office. Between the kitchen and the family room was the stairs that led you to my bedroom. I got the loft room. It's about the same size as the room Sam had at our old house. Our house was pretty much a ranch with an upstairs for only one room, and there wasn't an upstairs bathroom. But I was ok with that, since I got more space.
I already had a plan for my room, too! I wanted to add a little painting studio of to the corner. The rest of my room would just be my room, but I'd gotten into art over the past few months, and painting was by far my favorite. Sideswipe claims it's because it makes a mess, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. I already had an artsy looking rug picked out so I wouldn't ruin the hard wood floor like my mom was worried I'd do; It had a design that looked like random brush strokes, and flicks and splatters of paint, all we had to wait for was for it to come in the mail, and to move all of our stuff from our old house.
That's where I was now, jamming out to Guns 'n Roses "Sweet Child of Mine" with the music player that was compatible with my iPod. Bee, Jazz, and I can all agree that the guitar riff in the beginning is literally amazing, even though we all have a hard-ish time agreeing on music. I'm pretty omnivorous when it comes to music. I like 80's and 90's music, country, pop, Indie/Alternate, and some rock music.
I was so into that epic guitar riff that I didn't even notice Ratchet come up to the window until he transformed and spoke to get my attention. "Alex,"
And I just about jumped five feet in the air. I don't know what I was scared of, really. But just hearing a voice outside your bedroom window when not even 24 hours ago you were in an active warzone, you might jump, too.
"Ratchet!" I gasped once I saw him. "You scared the living daylights outta me!"
"I didn't mean to, Alex." He responded, but there was something in his tone that made me think he was worried. I trotted up to the open window and leaned on the windowsill.
"What's up, big guy?" I rested my elbows on the ledge
"You and Sam are going to come to base. There have been many changes in the past few hours and Optimus needs you both to be there." He responded tersely.
"Well, I've got to tell my mom, she hasn't let Sam out of her sight since we got back." I told him. "Actually, you might be better at telling her what's going on because she's not happy with me right now."
"I will," He nodded.
Once my mom was told about what was going on, and we were on our merry way to the base, I asked Ratchet what was going on.
"So, what's happening? Why all the cloak and dagger?"
"Optimus hopes that you, Sam, and Lennox will be able to convince the Pentagon Representatives of our true intentions. There's been a lot of turmoil following Egypt and many leaders are not happy about it. The Fallen's transmission has caused many to distrust us." He responded, but I got the distinct feeling I wasn't being told everything.
"And?"
"And what?" He responded. I couldn't help but snort at that. A year ago, Ratchet would've never responded like that. I must be rubbing off on him.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"And What? That's totally something I'd say!" I laughed.
He kinda chuckled, and then waited for me to be done laughing, before saying seriously. "There are many concerns around the battle in Egypt, and everything that happened."
Ratchet pulled into the NEST hangar and opened his door for me to get out. The first thing I saw was Galloway losing his absolute crap on Optimus.
"… And don't even get me started on the mess you made in Egypt! Tens of thousands of dollars of property damage just in Egypt! Shanghai totalled up to 230,000 in property damage. And we can't forget the mess your little friends" he glared at me. "caused. The FBI and CIA wasted thousands in resources and money to track them down-"
"You know," I glared at him. "We didn't want to be hunted down like we were terrorists. Last time I checked, we didn't do anything wrong, unless you know something I did that I don't know about."
"This doesn't concern you, kid." He sneered.
"Yes, actually, it does. You mentioned me and my brother in your little rant." I rolled my eyes. "So, to say this doesn't concern me, when the sacrifices that the autobots, my brother, and I made are the reason that the decepticons didn't blow up the sun, is plain stupid at best."
He gaped at me incredulously. "Did you just call me stupid?"
"I'm tempted to call you deaf too."
"Easy, you two." Optimus chose that moment to intervene. "Director, I believe it would be wise to start that meeting you requested soon, before some of my soldiers grow restless."
That's how we found ourselves in a meeting. Mostly it was the autobots, Sam and the NEST soldiers like Epps and Lennox doing the talking. It took a while, and I was bored out of my skull, until the Opportunity to help the Autobots presented itself.
"We've seen the autobots in combat, how do we know that they really aren't mindless killers." A pentagon person who I only knew didn't like the autobots, not her name.
"Their motives." I deadpanned.
"I didn't ask for your opinion." She responded loftily.
"Then why am I here?" I asked.
"Go on," The pentagon representative nodded, realizing I had a point.
"The autobots want peace, and they want a home. Theirs was destroyed. They fight to protect us because they don't want what happened to Cybertron to happen ever again."
"What do the decepticons fight for?" She asked me, but without any bite, just curiosity. At least she was open to hearing what I had to say, unlike Galloway.
"Total domination, destroying the autobots, and ultimate power, that sorta thing" I replied.
Another pentagon representative who I also didn't know his name, spoke up. "Why were they after Egypt?"
"The ancient primes, that came like long, long before any of the Autobots, even old grumpy Ironhide, built a machine that would make energon by destroying suns. Once the Primes realized that Earth had life, they hid it because they had a rule against destroying suns and solar systems with life." I responded.
"What's energon?" He asked.
"It's our fuel, our lifeblood." Ratchet responded. "It sustains us, and we need nothing else to survive."
"The decepticons wanted it because they would make enough energon to dominate the universe. The machine was destroyed by Optimus." I helpfully add. "The autobots, on the other hand, never take more than they need to."
He nodded with understanding, before asking me. "How old are you, kid?"
"I turned Fourteen in July." I replied. My Birthday in on the Fourth of July. I always thought that was cool that America and I share the same Birthday.
That prompted some muttering among the representatives. Some where impressed, then there was Galloway: "Why are you listening to a kid?!"
"She knows what she's talking about." The woman who'd been arguing with me before responded. "And quite frankly, the Witwickys know more about this than we do."
Galloway sat back, scowling.
"How will you get energon now?" One of the other representatives asked Optimus.
"The Matrix of Leadership. It is the Allspark now. The knowledge contained in the cube had been absorbed by Sam, which was why the decepticons wanted him so badly. The Allspark could make energon, and after Sam used the Matrix, the knowledge of the Allspark returned to the Matrix, and thus now the Matrix can be used to make Energon." Optimus replied. Since when did that happen?!
"What if the decepticons wanted to gain control of the Matrix?" General Morshower asked.
"They wouldn't be able to use it. Only a Prime can use the Matrix of Leadership. Without a true Prime wielding it, it would be useless in their hands and they know it. And now, since the Allspark and Matrix are now one, any Allspark fragments are virtually useless as well." Optimus explained.
Morshower nodded. "Thank you, Optimus."
Most of the Pentagon people began talking amongst themselves. Most seemed happy to have gotten questions answered, and reassurances from NEST Soldiers, the Autobots themselves, and Sam and I that the autobots were the good guys. They all seemed in almost unanimous agreement to keep NEST, and that they would come clean about the autobots but try to keep them as far from the public eye as possible and still keep the missions and the base secretive; and a few seemed unhappy with Galloway. Can't say I blame them. As people began to file out of the room, Morshower, Lennox, Optimus and Ratchet stayed. Ratchet motioned for me to stay put.
Morshower laced his fingers on the table. "Alex Witwicky, I'm under the impression that Ratchet has been mentoring you in Cybertronian biology."
"Yeah." I nodded, confused.
"Just answer my following question truthfully. I'm not out to stop your internship at all, no matter your answer."
"Ok." I nodded, still confused. What was this about?
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, its really, really cool! Its so much better than school, because it's actually fun, and Ratchet isn't a boring teacher." I smiled, before glancing around worriedly. "Why? What's this about? Am I in trouble?"
"No," Major Lennox answered. "Your knowledge makes you unique, and complicated."
"What we're offering you is a job opportunity once you finish high school and turn 18." Morshower added. "Once I learned of your internship, I realized that having a civilian running around with top secret knowledge that under no circumstance can be shared, things got a bit shaky concerning what would happen next, and especially since Egypt, there was many debates about how we would respond. Though there was some debate if you understand what it would entail, I wanted to make the offer as soon as possible none-the-less. You will be working in the med-bay, with Ratchet. On the side, you would probably be doing minimal ambassador duties, since your brother will be doing most of it. Working alongside Ratchet, Arcee and Jolt to repair the autobots as a Mechanical Specialist would be your first priority."
For the second time in my life, I didn't have anything to say, which was unusual, because I always have something to say (The first time I didn't have anything to say was in mission city when Ratchet was saving Jazz's life). I was too busy gaping and trying to mentally work out what I just was offered in my head.
It sounded like my dream job! How many nights had I stayed up past my bedtime flipping through human-sized datapads of things Ratchet was trying to teach me? How many times did I unsuccessfully try to get out of school to help Ratchet in the med-bay? How many days did I spend in the med-bay absorbing everything I could? To be honest, I've lost count.
"I was hesitant to make this offer to you. I, along with others, didn't know if you'd realize that this means you'd be with NEST for your entire career, and I weren't sure if you would fully understand that." Morshower said, noticing that I was struggling to get my jaw off the floor. "But after Ratchet and Optimus here informed me that you know what you want and aren't afraid to try to make it happen, and are considerably more mature than most fourteen-year-olds, especially considering the circumstances, I wasn't as unsure. If you end up deciding you don't want to, you can back out, but I know high school is when you make lots of decisions relating to your career, I figured I would add this to your list of options."
"Wow," I breathed. "Really?"
Ratchet smiled and nodded. "Really."
"Am I dreaming or something?" I asked, still deciding whether or not I should pinch myself to see if I am dreaming.
"Nah, you're not." Major Lennox grinned. "Feels like it, don't it?"
"Yeah…" I nodded. "That sounds amazing!"
It was from that moment on, I had my heart set on where I was going. I knew that was where I belonged.
After Ratchet and I left the meeting room, I still was just about speechless. In the med-bay, perched on a crate, I pinched myself. "Ow, ow, ow."
Ratchet gave me a funny look and Arcee gave me an optic roll. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to see if I'm dreaming." How well it was working is up for debate.
"I think you may need to try something else, Alex." Arcee replied with amusement. Ratchet snorted a laugh.
"Yah," I nodded. "Probably."
About a week later, we'd moved in completely. All our stuff was brought over from our old house. We were right across the street from Major Lennox, and he and his wife offered me a babysitting job. I accepted it, of course. It's hard for them to find a babysitter that won't be scared of Ironhide and his 'possessed car' antics, much less a babysitter allowed to know about Ironhide.
That day I started school. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it still wasn't fun.
One of the other students, Corbin sneered at me. The idiot sat in front of me in English class and I already hated him. A few other students warned me that he was a bully and just not a very nice person. His only other friends were people just like him.
"Hey new girl, you're weird." He gave me a dirty look.
"Ok." I smiled. I never cared what bullies thought of me. I loved smiling back when nasty kids in my class glared at me, it always made them mad.
"I called you weird!"
"I don't care. Go jump in the ocean." I replied.
After lunch, I went into my locker to grab my water bottle.
"Hello!" A friendly voice said, I closed my locker and glanced at who said that. A blonde girl, and two guys were standing next to my locker.
"Hi,"
"You're the girl?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm Alexandra, but everyone calls me Alex."
"I'm Brenda," The blonde smiled, and then gestured to the two boys with her. "This is Brad, and Kevin."
"Nice to meet you guys." I smiled.
"She," Kevin gave Brenda a little shove and grinned. "Wanted to ask if you'd want to hang out with us."
"I figured since you were new here, it would be nice to have a few friends." Brenda replied.
"Thanks guys." I smiled.
"The way you told off Corbin earlier was great." Brad grinned. "He always makes fun of anyone new."
"We've been friends since Seventh Grade," Brenda explained as we walked to our next class. "We were all new here since our dads work on the NEST team."
"Cool." I responded.
As the week continued, I got to know my new friends, and weirdly enough, life goes back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you and your brother are best friends with autobots; it took a few days, but it went back to normal. On the tarmac, Sam and Bee wait to leave to go back to Sam's College. Sam gave Mikeala an autobot symbol necklace and they're busy saying goodbye. I leaned against Ratchet's grill as I watched. Arcee pulled up next to us in her motorcycle mode.
"You know what's so weird?"
"Hmm?" Ratchet hummed.
"How all that craziness happened, but life went back to semi-normal. I mean, I started school this week and summer break ended, Sam's going back to college."
"Are you still annoyed at being in school?" Ratchet asked skeptically.
"I still can't believe I've got to go to school after saving the world."
Arcee laughed, and Ratchet chuckled. I rolled my eyes at my autobots friends.
"Hey, Alex, come over here a sec, would ya?" Sam called.
I walked over to him, Bee, and Mikeala. "Yeah?"
Sam pulled out a bracelet. It looked like several narrow strips of metal had been twisted into a bracelet, each twist a different color. Looking closer, I realized one was pink, one was highlighter yellow, one was orange-ish yellow, one was rose-gold and the last one was silver.
"Wait," I recognized those other colors. The pink was Arcee's pink, the yellows were Ratchet and Bee's yellows. "Is the rose-gold and silver me and you?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "I thought it meant we're always meant to stick together."
"Thanks, Sam." I put it on, and then just about tackle-hugged him.
"Oof!" he braced himself for my hug that was more of a tackle. "Alex hugs are dangerous."
Bee and Sam got in the plane. It took off just as the sun began to rise.
I realized something. Sunrises are like an ending and a beginning. The night ends and the day begins.
One adventure ends, and another adventure just begins.