Optimus walked back into base at around the same time the others returned from picking up their charges. Wheeljack had said his goodbyes outside on the roof next to the Jackhammer, so he was gone, now.
"I got Miko." Bumblebee assured Bulkhead.
"Thanks, Bee." Bulkhead smiled. "And sorry I couldn't make it, Miko."
"Oh don't worry. If you had been there, I'd have gone to detention, but since Bumblebee has no idea that me being late equals me having detention, I'm free! So everyhing worked out well." Miko grinned.
Bulkhead scowled. "Miko, I told you to stop skipping detention! You're going to get in trouble eventually?"
"Eventually?" Miko scoffed. "I'm already in trouble!"
She started to climb up the ladder to the human area.
"Hey, Livia!" Miko called. "You ready to be destroyed again!?"
"All you three ever do is play video games." Arcee stated. "Don't you ever get bored of sitting in the same place?"
"Absolutely. But Ratchet hates everything else I like, so I'm confined to the couch." Miko answered before looking around the empty area. "Where is Livia?"
"Probably using the bathroom or something." Jack replied calmly, sitting down.
Miko huffed and ran over to the ladder again, since the bathrooms were by the barracks, which had been converted into giant bedrooms for the bots.
Jack looked at Arcee. "Hey, Livia can understand you, right? And she's somewhat cybertronian, so do you think she can read cybertronian?"
Arcee scoffed. "Can humans read languages they understand without being taught to read?"
"No, but she was raised by Olivebranch in a library, so maybe she was taught." Jack said.
Arcee paused. "Maybe."
Miko ran out of the hallway and growled. "LIVIA! WHERE ARE YOU, YA STINKER!?"
Optimus's attention was now drawn to the human girl and he frowned. It was not often he utilized his spark in such a way, but...
He reached into his connection to Livia, attempting to locate her.
And her presence was gone.
Livia stepped into a small gas station and looked around curiously.
It was shaby, to say the least. She wasn't surprised, it was located on a lonely highway in... Livia realized with a start that she actually had no idea where the Autobot base was.
Or where she was. At all.
Whatever.
Livia had no money and she wasn't very fond of the idea of returning to her old ways of stealing and beating the scrap out of people who didn't deserve it.
Well. Some of them deserved it.
Once she was done resting in the air conditioned gas station, Livia left, heading back down the road again. She kept a sharp eye out just in case one of the bots came by.
There was a small part of her that was sad nobody had found her yet. She'd been gone for almost two hours now...
But now that she had left, Livia felt like there was no going back.
There was a small humming noise and Livia looked up in surprise before letting out a yelp as the Jackhammer landed right over her.
Livia covered her head as the wind blew wildly and then there was silence after it set down. She looked over as the doors began to open and Wheeljack stepped out.
"You're a long way from base." He stated.
"I know that." She snapped.
Wheeljack raised an eyebrow. "Do they know you're out here? By yourself?"
Livia glared. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were with Optimus and Bulkhead."
"That whole party is over." Wheeljack told her. "I was leaving when I saw you out here. Thought I'd drop by and say hello."
"Hello."
Wheeljack smirked. "So you're new, huh? How'd you meet Team Prime?"
Livia bit her lip. That was a long and exhausting story. Besides, the Wrecker seemed to be in a talkative mood. Or maybe he was just curious. Which was a problem considering she needed to get out of dodge before the Autobots found her.
"Long story." Livia told him curtly before turning away from the ship and continuing her walk along the road.
Wheeljack frowned and followed after her.
"Not the talkative type?" He questioned.
"I have places to be." Livia replied.
"I could give you a lift."
Livia rolled her eyes. "Need I remind you what happened last time you brought your giant alien spaceship into a populated area?"
"I have an alternative mode. Got it with Bulkhead and Prime on our way back." Wheeljack told her, transforming into a sturdy white car with orange and green details.
"In that case, my answer is no."
"You don't like it?"
Livia huffed. "I didn't say that. I don't need a ride. Go away."
"Alright, fine. I'll just go back to the Jackhammer and tell Bulkhead you're running away..."
Livia stopped dead in her tracks. "I'm not running away!"
Wheeljack scoffed humorously. "I've ran away a thousand times. I know what a person running away looks like, even if they are tiny and squishy."
Livia glared. "Fine! Fine."
Wheeljack opened his passenger door and Livia got inside, her arms crossed in anger.
"So why are you trying to run away?" Wheeljack asked.
"First you coerce me into riding with you, and now you're trying to be ny counselor?" Livia demanded.
"Yup."
This was not how Livia expected her trip to go.
She opened her mouth to say something snarky again, but the ground in front of them suddenly exploded and Wheeljack's alternative mode went flying back, flipping around multiple times before it stopped on it's side.
Livia gasped, clutching the seatbelt that Wheeljack had wrapped around her last second. The thin strap squeezed her against his seat so hard she could barely breathe.
Without warning, it released and Wheeljack began to transform, leaving Livia on the ground. Before he could get very far, a rocket slammed into him, knocking the Wrecker away from Livia.
Livia stood up and looked at their attackers.
Humans. MECH, she realized quickly.
Livia ran back to Wheeljack, who was groaning on the floor as energon leaked out of his chest.
"Wheeljack, you have to get up!" Livia told him, smacking the side of his face repeatedly. "Those guys stole Bumblebee's tee-cog! They could do anything to you!"
Wheeljack's hands moved slowly to push himself up, but he slipped. He was too weak right now. She needed to buy him time.
Livia watched as the men approached, but before they could reach the Wrecker, Livia ran out, screaming at the top of her lungs. The sight confused them at first, but their moment of hesitation did not last long.
Almost easily, one of the men grabbed Livia's fist before she could punch him and pulled it behind her back. Livia growled and jabbed her heel into the edge of his shoes.
There was a small cracking sound and the man cried out before tossing her forward. Livia lunged with the momentum and clawed at the man who tried to grab her. She latched onto him with her entire body and he fell over.
Livia knocked him out right before someone yanked her off. She slid through the dirt before launching herself at the newest attacker and trying to pull their mask of.
Livia had been in plenty of street fights, so she knew how to dance to the rhythm of her partner. These men were trained, tactical, and could most definitely beat her. So instead of fighting like a sensible person, Livia attacked them like some rabid dog-snake hybrid.
She only managed to knock out one more person before two people latched onto her and held her up.
The only man who wasn't wear a mask approached with a curious expression.
"Watch out, sir, this one's a fighter." The man who's toes Livia broke told him, limping closer.
The boss nodded. "As to be expected. Although, I wasn't expecting to find you today. Our target was the robot, but it seems we've found a bonus."
Livia glared. "What are you going to do with Wheeljack?"
"Dismantle him. Use him for parts."
Livia growled and lunged forward, but she was quickly yanked back by the two men behind her.
This man was going to kill Wheeljack. The moment the idea popped into her head, Livia did not hesitate. She opened up her spark bond and screamed.
"OPTIMUS!"
Immediately, she felt his spark reach out to hers and now that she was accepting him again, Livia had no doubt he would know exactly where she was.
Livia was pulled toward a helicopter as the other men collected Wheeljack. She made sure that their job was as difficult as possible by dugging her heels into the Earth, bucking, kicking, clawing, swirming, randomly going limp, and anything else that came to mind.
She figured it was only a matter of time before they tased her or knocked her out, but surprisingly, the only thing they did was stick her wrists into a pair of handcuffs.
Just as Livia got to the helicopter, a groundbridge opened.
And Megatron stepped through.