I Swear I'm Not Crazy

8. Robo-Warrior

Song: Someday -Nickelback

We hide out in a field surrounded by abandoned buildings for the night. It's just me, Sam, Mikaela, Bumblebee, and the twin Autobots, Mudflap and Skids. Leo had left. At some point, Sam started a fire in a trash can, as if we were homeless.

But I barely notice it all. I sit beside Bumblebee, who is on the grass, elbows on his knees. At some point, he had gently placed a blanket over my shoulders. I still only wore the jumpsuit, and no shoes.

The Decepticons put out a message hours ago. The only way to stop the destruction to follow is to hand me over. The FBI is searching for me.

"Bumblebee, if you hate me, I understand," I say softly. "I'm sorry."

"Kid, you are the person I care about most in my life," Bee states through the radio, his voice still giving him problems. "Along with your brother... If there's anything you need, I won't be far away."

"He's dead because of me," I answer, tears forming in my eyes all over again. "He came to protect me, and now he's dead."

"There's some things you just can't change," the yellow robot tells me. "So, his sacrifice for us would not have been in vain! Hallelujah!"

"I need to turn myself in," I sigh.

"We- we've got to stick together," Bee says, transforming beside me.

"No," Sam interupts me. "You're not."

"I have to," I argue, standing to face my brother. "People will die if I don't!"

Bee gently drives forward, pushing into my legs. "Everything we've worked for will be wiped out in a day," he says.

He has a good point. Suddenly, I think of something.

"You two," I call to the twins, showing them the scarred Cyberglyphic on my arm, below the harsh bruising from Megatron's grasp. "These symbols that I see in my head, the glyphs? It's like a map to an Energon source, that's what the Decepticons wanted. Can you read this?"

"Read?" Mudflap scoffs. "No-"

"No, we don't really do much reading," Skids finishes.

"Then we need to find somebody who can," I answer.

Leo comes back, then, and the twins start calling him names.

"I heard you have a problem, I think I know someone who can help," he tells us.

"Who?" Sam asks.

"Robo-Warrior," comes the answer.

"What?" I question, incredulous and confused.

"Everything about anything alien, he's supposed to know," Leo explains as we drive to whatever location he told us. "One time we revenge-hacked his site, and maybe I saw some alien drawings or whatever like you got on your arm, kid."

We end up at some little rundown sandwich shop. Leo decides to go in first to see if it's good or not. So, Sam, Mikaela, and I are left standing outside the shop. I'm still wearing the blue, short-sleeved jumpsuit from the psych ward, but that just makes people avoid me rather than watch my face. I've added a beanie for 'disguise', at Sam's request, but still no shoes. At this point, I just don't want to steal any as we have no money.

Only moments later, we decide to enter the shop anyway, only for Leo to point out a familiar face behind the counter and start yelling that he's the one we're looking for.

"Simmons," I state, unsure what to do. I wasn't expecting to know this 'Robo-Warrior'.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sam sighs.