Michael's POV:
"...and since you now know of our existence, I fear that, as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours." Optimus said, finishing his story.
I remained silent. I knew that these three were more than capable of taking care of themselves, as they all had their strengths. I, however, wasn't sure where I would fit into all of this. Aside from saving Cliffjumper, and knowing the events to come in the future if nothing changed too much, there wasn't much for me to offer.
'Perhaps I'll find my own strength in this war with time.' I thought to myself.
"Got it. If we spot any strange vehicles, call 911." Jack said, wanting to finish this and leave as soon as possible. "Can we go now?"
"Are. You. Insane?!" Miko whisper-yelled at him. "I'm living a dream here in 'Botswana, and I will not allow you or anyone else to shatter it!"
I agreed with her, in all honesty. I mean, who would want to pass up a chance to be part of something like this? Unless you wanted to live a completely normal life, of course.
"It is best that you three remain under our watch." Optimus said. "At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions."
"Optimus, with all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here, as anywhere." Ratchet said, uncertain.
"Children?!" Jack asked, offended.
"They have no protective shell. If they go underfoot, they will go...squish." Ratchet added, taking a slight step forward for emphasis, making the three flinch. I, however, remained unfazed.
"Then for the time being Ratchet, we must watch where we step." Optimus replied.
Then, the Proximity Sensor went off. I immediately knew who was coming.
"What's that?!" Jack asked, surprised.
"<:Proximity sensor. Someone's on top of the silo.:>" Bumblebee replied through his beeps and warbles.
"Proximity sensor. Someone's up top." Raf translated. Ratchet went over and checked the visual feed.
"It's Agent Fowler." He said, in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"I thought we were the only humans who knew about you guys." Jack said, surprised that they weren't the only ones who knew about them, as he referred to himself, Raf, and Miko. I suppose they hadn't noticed my presence yet.
"Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world, as he tends to visit only when there are... issues." Optimus explained. I just rolled my eyes. "It is best if you do not meet him at this time."
Jack, Miko, and Raf went off to hide. And I ran down to join them.
'Might as well also reveal my presence to them as well.' I thought as I jumped the railing and ran over to the trio. They were surprised to see me there with them, but said nothing.
Then, the elevator lowered, and Agent Fowler stepped out.
'Here we go...'
"7 wrecks, 34 fender benders, a 3-hour traffic jam, and of particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle, of unknown make, a red 1970's Dodge Challenger, and a black and yellow custom muscle car." He finished in annoyance.
Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee exchanged looks with each other.
Jack, who was peeking out from our hiding place, looked back at us, as we also exchanged looks.
"So, anything you want to get off your tin chest, Prime?!" Agent Fowler asked rudely.
"We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler." Optimus replied.
"They're back, aren't they?" Agent Fowler asked, ignoring Optimus's statement.
"If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left." Optimus said grimly. "Your planet is much too valuable."
"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon." Agent Fowler said, wanting to just take care of it himself.
"Oh my fucking God..." I muttered. Miko, Raf, and Jack looked back at me for a moment before continuing to listen.
"Hear me, Agent Fowler. We are your best, possibly your only, defense against the Decepticon threat." Optimus said firmly.
"Says you." Fowler challenged.
I resisted the urge to yell out at him. I knew he grew to respect and care for the team as time went by, but that was no excuse to be so rude to them now, especially when they were willing to put their lives down for a planet that wasn't even theirs.
Then, Bulkhead spoke up, and I knew what was coming.
"Hey, fleshy!" He called, getting Fowler's attention. "Did anyone get splattered on the freeway? Team Prime knows when to use force." He said, grabbing a nearby tool.
3
"And how much to use." He added, putting pressure on the tool.
2
*CRACK*
1
"BULKHEAD I NEEDED THAT!" Ratchet yelled out. I desperately tried not to laugh, while Jack, Miko, and Raf snickered at the scene.
"Enough!"Optimus said sternly. "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I, however, cannot."
"Then do us both a favor and handle this Prime. Under the radar." Fowler said, and he walked back towards the elevator and entered. "Or I will." He finished, and the door shut.
"Pretty big bearings, for a human." Bulkhead said, as he walked up next to Optimus.
"Agent Fowler is only concerned for his world, Bulkhead. As he should be." Optimus replied. Then the four of us walked out of our hiding spot.
"He may be concerned for this world, but that doesn't mean he should be so disrespectful to you. He doesn't understand what you go through." I said, annoyed at the thought.
"I understand your frustration, Michael. But, there is not much we can do to change that at the current time." Optimus said. I just hummed, and looked away.
I knew he was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it.
"Soooo.... who are you?" Miko asked as she, Jack, and Raf turned towards me.
I smiled.
"My name is Michael. Michael Crovan. I sometimes go by 'Mike', but prefer Michael most of the time." I answered.
"How did you get involved with the 'Bots?" Raf asked.
"And where are you from?" Jack asked. "I don't recall seeing you at our school, nor were we ever informed of getting another student." He added.
I smiled again.
"I'll explain later. It's a long story." I replied.
Before they could ask me any more questions, Ratchet spoke up.
"Optimus, I'm detecting a large Energon signal. It could be a mine."
"Understood, Old Friend. Autobots, prepare to roll out." He said, and began walking towards the Groundbridge, deploying his mask as he did so, when Miko spoke up.
"Hey, what can we do?" She asked.
"Remain with Ratchet." He replied before turning away.
I smirked, while Miko and Ratchet groaned in annoyance. The medic activated the Groundbridge, and we watched as the Autobots departed.
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus called, and transformed, the rest of them following suit. They drove through the bridge, and disappeared, much to the shock of Jack, Miko, and Raf.
"What... just happened?!" Jack asked, astounded.
"I transported them to the designated coordinates via the Groundbridge." Ratchet replied.
"What's a Groundbridge?" Raf asked. Ratchet sighed.
"A scaled-down version of Spacebridge technology." The medic explained. "Since we don't currently possess the means, or the Energon, for intergalactic travel."
"You're stuck here.... on Earth." Jack said.
"With the likes of you, yes." Ratchet replied, a hint of disdain in his voice. "But I constructed the Groundbridge to enable travel from here, to anywhere on your planet." He added proudly.
"Woah! Does it work for humans?!" Raf asked excitedly.
"Naturally." Came Ratchet's reply.
"You mean... I could just shoot on over and visit my parents in Tokyo?" Miko asked.
"Within moments. In fact, allow me to send you there. All four of you." He said, smirking.
"Watch it Ratchet." Miko and I said together. We looked at each other, and smirked.
Ratchet just stared at us in surprise before turning back to his work. I was honestly tempted to call him 'Hatchet', but my better judgment told me not to.
"So, now that we've got nothing else to do, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Miko asked, looking at me. I sighed, knowing I would have to tell them sooner or later.
"All right. I'll tell you. You might wanna sit down. It really is a long story." I said. "It all started back when I was 12..."
And so, I told the three kids everything from start to finish. They were absolutely amazed at my story, and very sympathetic about the loss of my family. I felt uplifted after that. It was the first time another human was kind to me in a long time.
About 20 minutes after I had finished my story, Jack, Miko, and Raf began to look around the base. Miko then approached a device on the floor.
"What is this anyway?" She asked as she went to poke it.
"Broken. Don't touch." Ratchet said as he passed her walking up to the console. She went to touch something else when Ratchet spoke up again. "Don't touch that either."
"Is there anything we can touch?" Jack asked, as he walked up to Miko.
Ratchet was about to reply when an error popped up on the screen, making him scowl.
"Blasted Earth tech!" He exclaimed in annoyance. "This system is chock full of bugs!"
"Why are you guys using human computers?" Raf asked.
"It certainly wasn't by choice." The medic said. "It was handed down from the previous tenants when we inherited this former missile silo. I make modifications where I see fit." Then, more errors popped up on the screen, and he groaned in annoyance.
"I think I can fix that." Raf said, as he went to go get his laptop. I decided to watch so I climbed up to the higher level and walked over.
"Really?" Ratchet asked disbelievingly. "You know that this is complex technology, don't you? I mean it isn't a child's toy." He chuckled.
"Now try it." Raf said, ignoring his remark. Ratchet did try again, and to his surprise, all the errors disappeared. He turned and looked at Raf in shock.
"Not so useless now, are we Hatchet?" I asked, smirking. He just glared at me.
"And I thought you were quiet and respectful." He said, annoyed.
"Oh, I am." I replied. "But I can also be savage and not hold my tongue when mad, so here's a piece of advice for the future: 'Don't make me mad'."
"I'll keep that in mind." Ratchet answered back.
About 5 minutes passed in silence until Optimus commed the base.
"Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates NOW!" He yelled above the sound of explosions in the comm.
Ratchet scrolled through the login history, selected the coordinates, and activated the bridge. It was quite a sight, watching it active in front of your own eyes. Soon, all the bots came back, followed by a blue fireball. Jack, Miko, and Raf stared in awe as Optimus transformed, flipped, and landed on his knees. I was very impressed. I could also perform acrobatics, but I wasn't sure how well the bots could, except maybe Arcee given her small body and agile frame.
"Cutting it a bit close." Ratchet said as Optimus recovered from his landing. "What was all that about?"
"It was a mine that the 'Cons were already cutting through when we arrived." Cliffjumper replied.
"What was that explosion?! Was there a fight?! Can I come with next time?!" Miko kept asking.
"Look!" Arcee said sternly, but before she could continue, Jack stepped in.
"Hey, hey Miko, why don't we go see what the 'Bots keep in their sock drawers?" He said, as he pulled her away.
"Seriously?" She replied in a 'really' tone. I chuckled, but then stopped once I saw Arcee fall to the ground.
"<:Arcee! Are you okay?!:>" Bumblebee asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, just... dizzy." She said, as Cliffjumper helped her sit on a crate.
"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko asked.
"Robots with emotions." Raf stated.
"Robots, who can die." Jack realized.
"Robots, who are just as human as any of us." I finished.
Ratchet scanned Arcee before coming across what I knew to be Dark Energon on her servo.
"What is this?" He asked, as he used a small scalpel to scrape it off.
I shuddered at the thought of being near it.
'Such a dark power...' I thought. 'Something like that shouldn't exist in this, or any world.'
My mind then went to that of Unicron, and thought of how he truly was the incarnation of destruction. I thought of how better off the world would be without darkness in existence. But then I remembered something else that I had learned while playing Kingdom Hearts back home.
A perfect balance between light and darkness. One cannot exist without the other.
I shook my head in thought, but then they were interrupted when Arcee spoke up.
"I don't know. Some of the 'Cons were covered in it. Leaking it." She said.
I then realized that Megatron used a few of the Vehicons as test subjects since Cliffjumper was never killed. Even though I was relieved that he was still here, it made my blood boil at the thought of Megatron using his own troops as test subjects, not caring about any of the lives lost, even those of his own faction, so long as it benefited his cause.
"Go take a decontamination bath, now!" Ratchet ordered, as Cliffjumper helped her over to the Energon shower.
"O-Optimus, I hate to bug, but, no bars." Jack said, as he held up his phone. I then remembered about my phone having problems.
Maybe Raf could fix it for me before he left for the night.
"A security precaution. The silo walls isolate all radio waves." He answered.
"Well if I don't call my Mom, like, now, I'm pretty sure the cops will probably be out looking for me." Jack said.
"Have you broken a law?" Optimus asked as he leaned down closer to us.
"Curfew. It's after 10 PM." Jack answered.
"I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year." Raf said, concerned.
"Earth customs. I hadn't considered." Optimus realized. "But the issue of your safety remains."
Optimus then turned to Bulkhead as he walked up.
"Bulkhead, accompany Miko home."
"Alright! My host parents'll freak!" She yelled excitedly.
"And maintain surveillance, in vehicle form." Optimus added.
"Curbside duty. Got it." Bulkhead replied.
Miko groaned in annoyance, as Optimus turned to Bumblebee.
"Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf."
Bumblebee nodded, while Raf smiled.
"Ratchet-" "Busy." The medic interrupted.
"Arcee, you'll accompany Jack." Said Optimus, as Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Arcee then yawned.
"Still dizzy..." She said, trying to sound tired, but then Ratchet cut in.
"You're fine. Says your physician."
Arcee just sighed, and walked away.
"And Cliffjumper, while Michael will be staying here, you will accompany him wherever he needs to go outside the base." Optimus said. Cliffjumper grinned.
"You can count on me, sir." He replied. I just smiled.
About an hour later, after the kids left, I was watching YouTube on my now fully working phone, courtesy of Raf, before going to bed. I smiled to myself at the day's events. I finally had a place to call home, and friends to share it with. I put my phone away, and drifted off to sleep. The future seemed fine now...
But I had no idea of the events that awaited me the next day...