Out of the Dark → Transformers

Always A Pleasure

*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

The ride back to Washington was a lot longer than the ride down to North Carolina, to be completely honest. It was probably because I didn't even want to go back to base. I would have much rather stayed down in North Carolina with my friends. Being able to see them was probably the highlight of these past four months, besides meeting Optimus, of course. I only wished that I could have had more time with them. Because of this whole Decepticons being after me situation, I didn't know when I would be able to see them again, and that bothered me so much. I was my old self when I was with them, and I actually found a little closure with my family's death just being able to speak with them. I just hoped that I would be able to see them soon. For now, Optimus was my only rock.

It was a dreary day here in Washington DC, though, not to mention a very wet one. Rain flooded the streets, thunder shook the ground, and lightning lit up the evening sky. I felt bad for Optimus having to drive in all this crap. If I were him, or any of them, I would absolutely hate being exposed to the elements like this. I honestly didn't know how they did it. I wasn't exactly sure how long they've been here, but it would be quite a while before I got used to this. It was just a good thing we were almost back at base.

"Does this bother you?" I asked Optimus.

He glanced over at me. "Pardon?"

"The rain; does driving in it bother you?"

He shook his head. "I've grown accustomed to it. Sometimes it is rather calming, especially in times like this."

Now I was confused.

"W-what do you mean?" I questioned. I couldn't quite figure out what he meant when he said "in times like this."

"I'm worried something bad may happen within the next few weeks. It has been exceptionally quiet these past few days, and I don't like it," he answered.

I still didn't understand. To me the quiet was a good thing. It meant that I was safe, and it meant that everyone around me was safe. That's all that I wanted.

"Isn't quiet good, though? This is honestly the first time I've had quiet in four months, and it's fantastic to be honest. It means that I'm safe, and everyone around me is safe. That's good," I countered.

"Yes, but I'm just being cautious. If anything happens to you I could never forgive myself," he murmured.

I let out a sigh. "If anything happens to me it's not your fault."

He shot me a serious look. "I concur. Your father specifically asked me to protect you, and I complied without so much as hesitating. If I were to let anything happen to you at this point then I would never be able to forgive myself. You do not realize just how important your safety has become to me over these last few months, Brenna."

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. There was no way I could respond to anything he just said. My dad must have offered him a lot of money to keep me safe. Wait, do the Autobots even get paid? Oh well, I don't know. All I know is that I'm now more confused than I was when we first began our conversation.

"Did my dad pay you a lot of money or something? Is that why you're so keen on keeping me safe?" I blurted out. Why do I not think before I speak?