I'm Friends With the Monsters (AOE)

Chapter 12: My Battle Cry

I leaned against a tree, watching them and silently pleaded to whatever deity would listen that Tessa would agree. The world needed us right now! 

"We're safe on our own, or we're safe with them." Uncle Cade continued, glancing back at me and the Autobots. 

I watched Tessa, and for a moment, I inwardly panicked at the prospect that she'd disagree and it would be the end of the line for all of us. But then, she let out this sigh and turned around! "YES!" I cheered. "WE'RE GOING TO CHINA!!!" I whirled around and tore towards the Autobots as Tessa, Uncle Cade and Shane followed behind me.

"Move!" Optimus ordered. "We're retrieving the Seed, but then we're done defending the humans." My stomach sank, but I knew Optimus had drawn the line. He'd been dealing with this world's crap for too long... even he had to have had some kind of breaking point. I was just glad he was doing this one last 'favour' for us before he and the 'Bots went splitsville. 

---

On the way there, Uncle Cade, myself and Optimus sat together, all of us increasingly worried about what the future would hold.

"When you said you were done fighting for humans," Uncle Cade began and I almost groaned out loud. "you didn't mean that, did you?"

Oh, of course he didn't. It was obvious with everything else that happened! Cue my sarcastic inward laugh. 

"How many more of my kind must be sacrificed, to atone for your mistakes?" Ouch. Just... ouch.

"What do you think 'being human' means, that's what we do." My uncle reasoned, and I nodded in agreement. "We make mistakes. And sometimes out of those mistakes comes the most amazing things." He looked at Tessa, who was sitting with Shane and watching the scenery below, then at me. 

"When Gabby convinced me to fix you, it was for a reward. That was it, that was why. For money... and it was me making a mistake. Without it, you wouldn't be here." I, again nodded my head in agreement. "So if you've got no faith in us, I'm asking you to do what Gabby and I do. I'm asking you to look at all the junk and see the treasure. You gotta have faith Prime, in who we can be."

"They are a young race," I began to quote without thinking. "A race that, much like ours, has more to them than meets the eye." I sat down right beside Uncle Cade. "A wise Autobot once said that. And I believed in him."

Optimus managed a small smile, and patted my head. "Your offspring is a wise child. She would have been an excellent agent for NEST."

I grinned at that thought. Me, in NEST. Wow, that would've been so cool!

"Maybe one day-"

"Uncle Cade, NEST was disbanded."

"Ah." He nodded. "Right."

Uncles. Sometimes they're scatterbrained, other times they actually make sense. Sorta.

---

When we got to Hong Kong, I'll tell you this, I felt like a member of G.I. Joe! "GUNG-HO!" I couldn't help but shout when we swung over top of the sky scrapers. My AllSpark energy felt like nearly exploding, but I knew it wasn't from the excitement. We were practically right over top of Mega- I mean Galvatron, and the Seed. I could literally feel where it was, and guided the way.

"Down there! A bit to the left!" I told them, and sure enough... "JOYCE SIGHTED!" I pointed out down below at the bald man on a roof top, with a black bag. Was that really the Seed?!

The bridge doors were open and we all stood close to the opening, wind screeching through our ears-

HOLY CRAP WE WERE UP HIGH!