Ruby - Transformers: The Last Knight

The Pod

"What is it Cade, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, letting the swirling blue power around her hands die out. She hopped up the porch, placing herself between him and Tom.

"I need Bee's help," Cade's eyes were wild and insistent. He looked more worn out than ever with filthy hands and rips in his tan leather jacket;

"I've found out the location of another pod, it's near the stadium,"

Bee whined.

Ruby's heart jumped. It was stupid. She shouldn't get her hopes up. Pods had begun landing all over the world since Optimus left. She liked to think he was sending them, although the world leaders feared the transformers more than ever, and refused to grant them asylum. And they had more than enough reasons, deaths and ruins to feel that way.

But that didn't stop them from coming. Half of the human population turned their backs. Some people tried to work it to their advantage, and a roaring trade in parts, weapons and technology grew too fast for the law to shut it down, not that they stopped trying.

Then there were the hunters. America especially had zero tolerance. Any transformer, decepticon or not, was killed on sight by the Transformers Reaction Force. TRF for short.

For a pod to land here, in this country, so close to her home; there was a chance. A chance it was him.

"Why don't you come inside?" Tom suggested, "We can devise a plan-"

"There's no time for your plans!" shouted Cade, "If I've found the pod, odds are TRF have too, we need to move now, before it's too late."

Tom met Ruby's gaze. His eyes shone, silently pleading with her. She gazed back, feeling that divide down her heart stretch just that little bit wider. 

He knew. She never said a word about it, but Tom knew how missing Optimus was tearing her apart like a slow poison. He knew how her power, unused for a year, was building up in side of her like a time bomb. He'd seen, all those times when she had looked hopefully up into the sky whenever she thought he wasn't looking. He'd seen. He knew.

Behind her, Bee transformed. As the panels of the yellow Camero slid into place, he blasted his horn.

"I won't ask, Ruby. But I'm going," he turned his back on the pair of them, walking slowly to Bee to give her one last moment to decide.

"Go," whispered Tom. "You have to."

Ruby closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against his. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She loved him more than anything. Almost. Equally as much as anything. She loved him, and hated herself for it. She broke away and threw herself in the car.

"Wow," said Cade as Bumble Bee raced out of the drive, "He let you leave with a wanted fugitive,"

"He's not my keeper," Ruby spat back, "Besides, he's not worried about me being associated with a fugitive, it's more about me, still a beyond-classified secret over here. If I'm spotted, the government will snap me up. Or, more likely, shoot on sight."

"Whatever,"

"And because you're a wanted fugitive," she mumbled.

Cade was right. TRF sentinel drones arrived at the stadium ruins at the same time they did. Bee parked in the shadows. 

"Grappling hook," he said to the car as he got out. 

"I got it," said Ruby.

Cade frowned. "You got what?"

"Grappling hook." 

Long threads of glowing blue power shot out of her palms and weaved around the long, spindly legs of the drones. Her body became alive again. Energy set her veins alight; it sparked all over her skin. The smell of it filled the air. And the drones were whipped off their feet before their cameras saw what hit them. They crashed into each other.

"Finish them off Bee, we've gotta hurry!"

Cade grabbed Ruby by the arm and pulled her after him. They sprinted across the ruined pitch, jumping over rubble. Smoking, at the other side, was a large silver pod. 

Cracks ran all over the clear roof. It must have fractured upon impact. Ruby shattered it with one good thump.

It wasn't him. 

The transformer wore an old, battered helm. His metal hide was rusted and dull. He looked old. Older than Optimus. And he was hurt bad.

Cade shrugged out of his jacket and pressed it against the transformer's chest, stemming the flow of green gunk.

"Ruby, come on!"

The alien growled in pain, 

"It's alright buddy, it's okay, we're going to help you, Ruby!"

She snapped out of her disappointment and reached for his wound. The transformer's dusty blue eyes swiveled round, and he saw the bracelet as it began to glow white on Ruby's wrist. Deep rumbling nonsense streamed from his mouth and he suddenly started to struggle. He rolled his shoulders, knocking Cade over.

"Don't panic, she's going to help you,"

"NO!" he growled, and activated a personal shield. It passed harmlessly over Cade. But Ruby went flying out of the pod. She flipped over backwards and landed lightly on her feet, fifteen meters away. 

She checked herself over. Never had an alien robot freaked at the sight of her like that before. When she was confident she hadn't sprouted an extra head, she cautiously re-approached the pod. 

"No, you keep it," Cade was saying, "Ah, come on!"

"Cade?" she called, "Shall I try again."

"No," he replied, emerging from the pod. He climbed down to her. "He's already gone."

He squatted down and put his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," said Ruby.

"He gave me this," he passed her a warped, bent badge, shaped like a coffee coaster.

"Ouch!" She dropped it and shook out her hand, "It burnt me!"

"Yeah right," Cade picked it back up and Ruby peered over his shoulder. 

"I'm serious,"

"It's just a cross, like an alien token."

"Hmph."

The sound of several engines speeding towards them came from over the wall. Men shouted to each other. They were approaching fast.

"Hide!" 

Ruby was way ahead of him, charging for cover. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who headed the TRF team. It was Major Lennox.