Transformers: A Matter of Fate

THE RUN-IN

Mark quickly rushed behind one of the trees, staring around as Hound shot off gunfire. Cyclonus brought out two large blades to counter, attacking the Autobot violently. He chewed his lip trying to keep out of the way of the stray blasts. It was only a few minutes later when a wounded Cyclonus backed up, holding his bleeding side. "Enough of this foolishness. You live to fight another day." Cyclonus noted "This is not the last you'll hear of me."

Hound aimed once again, firing his guns as Cyclonus transformed up, dodged, and swerved, taking off into the sky. Mark relaxed at the fact that the mech didn't come flying back for him, or to cause more trouble. "Ye still back there, little guy?" Mark tensed up "Don't be afraid, younglin'. I'm a friend, one of the good guys unlike him."

"I'm not sure you'd consider me a friend." Mark replied, his voice cracking as he stepped out "Thanks for saving me... Hound, right?" He asked.

"Yessir." Hound crouched a bit "And what's your name, youngling?"

"Mark." Mark replied.

"Mind tellin' me what a human like you is doing so far out here alone?" He asked "I didn't think ye young ones ever stepped outside your housing units unless with a guardian of some sort yet." He explained "You can't be older than what? Yer early teens?"

"Yeah..." Mark nodded his head "I should be getting back home right now. I bet my parents are majorly worried about me." He replied as he began to walk past Hound "It was nice to meet you, Hound. And uh... I guess welcome back to society or something since you guys are back in good graces with the humans?" he explained "Well, bye."

Hound looked after the boy thoughtfully, wondering why the human would be so nervous. And what had he meant about him not being anything of a "friend" to the Autobots? By the time Mark had made his way back into town, and Hound had stayed behind a few minutes to make sure Cyclonus wasn't coming back, it hit him. A few weeks ago, an amber alert that had gone out across the country for a young boy that looked oddly like Mark. One Markus Franklin Savoy, the son of one James Savoy who had mercilessly hunted down the Autobots.

"Mark", short of Markus. Aw, slag. He thought to himself as he transformed down. He knew the others wouldn't know what to make of this, just like he didn't.

...

It was somewhat his luck that Hound came across Mark again as he drove back into town. The human kept his head down and appeared to be trying to keep himself out of sight. Hound quickly noted that the boy had developed sunburns and looked especially dehydrated and, at least by his scans, hungry. "Markus Savoy." Mark jumped out of his skin as he turned towards Hound "You've been on the run a long time."

"How did you-?"

"We keep our tabs on human affairs. A while ago you showed up in an Amber Alert." Hound noted "How in Primus's good name did ye ever make your way down to Texas?" He questioned "Didn't you and yer father live in Washington DC?" Mark remained silent "Ye know I have nothing against ye, kid. Ye may think that we hold grudges based on blood, but you would be incorrect."

Mark turned around, crossing his arms slightly. "Sure, but you are going to turn me in, right?" Hound was silent, not providing an answer "I thought so, but I'm not going back. Not after everything that happened with you guys and my dad." He shook his head "My family's names been dragged through the mud and if I go back... All I'm gonna be is the son of a psychopath." He then added "So thanks for saving me, but I'm not interested in going back."

Hound gave a quiet rumble of his engines, following Mark as he tried to escape. "Look, you look hurt, tired, and hungry." Hound noted, trying to reason with the boy "What's more, Cyclonus now knows about you, and I want to keep ye under close watch for today. The last thing we need to be is responsible for the disappearance of a child." He then noted "Can you at the very least agree to come with me for a little while?"

Mark shook his head. "I know that trick. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Hound sighed, this kid was quite the stubborn little guy, that was for sure. But he wasn't going to put them on the news for kidnapping a kid either. Taking a deep breath, he threw open his door, blocking Mark who walked right into it. "I can be just as stubborn as you seem to be." Hound told him bluntly "Yer coming with me." He added.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't scream for help." Mark replied.

"I won't turn ye in." Hound noted "I just don't want to leave you alone and have them find you dissected on the side of the road for fun." He noted, Mark looked over at that, his mouth agape "Cyclonus is not one to be trifled with, young one. So I ask you to listen to me and get inside. Once I am certain he is not coming for you I will drive you where you wish to go. And you can go on your way."

"Really? Are you serious?" Mark asked carefully.

"Why would I not be?" Hound asked honestly "I have no quarrel with you, like I said. Yer just a kid."

Mark looked down, seemingly thinking it over for a long moment before finally climbing into the vehicle. The door closed and a seatbelt slid over him as Hound pulled out, driving from the scene. "So... You're Savoy's son..." Hound spoke, uncertain of how to make conversation "To be honest I thought his son wouldn't be so... Normal."

"How well did you even know my dad?" Mark asked "When I saw him, he wasn't the man they talked about on the television. I don't... I don't even know that man." He admitted quietly "My dad... He used to tuck me in at night and take me to the movies... He... He used to call me his "greatest treasure", and..." He shook his head "I just don't understand what could make him do such horrible things to you guys."

Hound decided it was best to not bring up that he had done terrible things to humans too. He could practically feel the pain in Mark's words, and he understood. No one wanted to find out that their parent was a scumbag, they wanted to think they were the kind people they tried to present themsevles as. "Well... I'm sure that even the cruelest of people have some small bit of kindness in him." He forced himself to say "At the very least he treated his own kin kindly."

Mark didn't respond to the Autobot about that, he only looked out the window as a rumble erupted from his stomach. He clutched it slightly, having almost forgotten the real issue here: he was starving. "What do ye say I grab you something to eat?" Hound questioned "In my glove compartment, there should be a government issued credit card which we have been given. With any luck, the account won't be locked anymore now that the humans trust us again." He explained.

"I don't want your pity."

"I'm not going to let ye starve."

The glove compartment popped open, and Mark frowned at the card in front of him. If he took this, he accepted help from this Autobot, a mech he barely even knew. He wouldn't have even been surprised if Hound was lying and had already called social services. Yet, as his stomach rumbled again, he sighed. Maybe just one bite to eat, maybe he'd even let him out and he could make a run for it after. "Maybe one burger, and a few hours with you." Mark replied "But then I'm gone."

"If that's what ye want." Hound replied "But ye may want to think about it."

As far as Mark was concerned, he had thought about it. And the last thing he wanted was someone preaching to him, he didn't need anyone. And as much as this mech seemed to want to convince him that he cared about his well-being he wouldn't fall for it. The world had lied to him enough to know never to trust a person based on their kindness again. And that was a fact he was sure of.