Optimus watched as Red left the room. It shut behind her quietly and he looked down.
Even though he had suspected something to be amiss with the girl from the very beginning, Optimus still felt betrayed.
But now that he had the necessary information, Optimus had no reason to linger. Smokescreen needed him.
Sure, the metal clamps kept his hands from moving, but he was Optimus Prime. Nobody captures Optimus Prime.
The bot's servos shifted, transforming into blasters. The clamps creaked, drawing attention. But none of the humans reacted quickly enough and they popped.
And then Optimus simply stood up.
"GET THE BLASTERS!"
The room launched into action, every human and bot moving around as quickly as possible. Optimus swung his arm out crushing the stairs and trapping most of the humans on the operating docks.
He knocked out the others gently and transformed, barreling through the doors and out into the hallway. Guards outside opened fire, but their bullets could do nothing to stop a full-sized Cybertronian Prime on his way to save his kid- Autobot.
Optimus barged into another room that had doors similar to his. By now, the entire complex was flashing with red lights and blaring sirens. Smokescreen was trapped on a table, but expecting Optimus to come to his rookie's rescue, a group of soldiers were waiting.
Optimus transformed again, activating his blasters
"Put your hands up!" The agents yelled.
Optimus paused, looking at their cannons, which would no doubt stop him just as they had during the attack on the Autobot base. He put his arms up.
And blasted the ceiling.
Concrete tumbled down and Optimus lunged to the side, stepping over to Smokescreen. Before he could get there, one of the soldiers who had evaded the falling debris managed to shoot him. Electricity coursed through Optimus's body and he stumbled.
This time, Optimus knew better and he pulled the metal device off of himself, throwing it back at the soldier. It crashed into him and knocked the soldier unconscious.
Optimus grabbed the clamps around Smokescreen's wrists and yanked them off before releasing his leg.
Smokescreen moaned, feeling weak from the energon loss and his previous wounds. Optimus grabbed Smokescreen's arm and helped him up.
"How are you?" Optimus asked him in concern.
"I'll manage." Smokescreen replied, looking around. "Where is Victoria?"
"She is working with our enemies." Optimus informed him lowly. "But we will see her again."
"Working with- You mean she's the one that did all of this?" Smokescreen asked, shocked.
Optimus nodded.
"Smokescreen, roll out."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
Red watched emotionlessly as Silas went on a rampage, punching the doctor who had oversaw the construction of Optimus's containment.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION!?" Silas demanded, throwing the beaten doctor against the wall roughly. "DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE JUST LOST EVERYTHING!?"
The doctor was too dazed to reply.
Silas threw him to the ground, his furious gaze landing on the soldier nex to him.
Silas growled. "Get out of my way before I attack you too."
The solider quickly stepped to the side and Silas stomped forward, shaking with unchecked rage.
Red followed a few paces behind him. "We still have the Autobots' human connections to exploit."
Silas huffed. "We've always had their human connections to exploit, except now the children are gone and thir families are missing, most likely in protective custody. Fowler is the only clue we have and attacking him would be foolish."
Red didn't reply. It was true. They'd lost everything except broken groundbridge technology. They were back at the square one.
The most they gained from this venture was some intel they couldn't use.
Silas and Red stepped into his quarters and Red shut the door behind them. Silas ran a hand over his military-cut hair and sighed.
"I suppose I owe you a trip to the library now." He stated.
Red sat down and shook her head. "Perhaps when we are finished with our mission. We have work to do now."
"Until we get another lead, we've got no mission." Silas growled. "Our mechanics and architects will be working around the clock to fix damages, but for you and I, there is no work to be done."
Red leaned back. She should be furious that she'd spent a week in enemy territory for nothing, but she couldn't find it in herself to be upset that they'd escaped.
Silas stood up and walked over to her. "I am sorry, Red. We wouldn't have killed your mother unless it was absolutely necessary."
Red waved him off. "It's fine."
The leader of MECH reached down and gave Red a hug, the scent of smoke and blood filled hee nose and Red relaxed. If anyone else had tried to hug her, she'd have broken their spine.
But Silas was special. He was hee father.
The man pulled away and offered her a small smile. "Let's go."
Red nodded and stood up, leaving his room and entering her own, which was across the hall. Nothing yet had been put inside, considering it was just built, but an outfit sat on the bed.
Red quickly pulled it on, the wig sliding over her hair easily. She glanced at the mirror.
Unrecognizable.
Just another face in the thousands that Red put on.
She left and Silas was waiting outside her door, looking equally unnoticeable. The two of them walked through the hallways in civilian clothes. Had anyone else tried this, they'd have been shot.
But there was something oddly noticeable about how Red and Silas walked. Her eyes were hard and unflinching, their stances confident and stares were unforgiving.
Nobody said a single word to the two of them.
It took almost an hour before Silas and Red reached a library, considering how far away their base was from the nearest civilization.
The two of them stepped inside and parted ways. Silas headed for the history section and Red simply sat down in one of the aisles.
She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, the smell of paper rising around her. Red let her constantly tense muscles relax and she simply sat there, enjoying the silence.
For a moment, everything seemed peaceful. Quiet. The words and knowledge of thousands of people surrounded her, covering the girl like a blanket. A library was a special kind of place.
Only certain people come here. It is always quiet, peaceful, full of intellectuals and their companions. It was not a place of war or battle, but one of freedom.
These books gave people the opportunity to escape the world, to fade away, trapped in an entirely new world where they themselves face no danger or heartache. All the pain and sorrow of reality becomes irrelevant.
Everything here could be interpreted in different ways and there was no one who could judge you within the bounds of the book covers.
It was beautiful really.
It was the one place that Red could ever find herself truly at peace.
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️▪️
Ratchet paced, glowering at the stupid human monitor before them. If MECH was hiding Optimus and Smokescreen, they would never have found them, not even with his old computer.
But he certainly could never find them with this stupid scrapheap!
Bulkhead walked over. "Maybe, Ratchet, you should take a break... Optimus and Smokescreen will be fine. Besides, if-"
"Ep!" Ratchet glared at the other Autobot. "Back up before you break my useless equipment."
"Hey!" Fowler scowled. "It took a lot of arguing for me to get such high tech equipment. The least you could do is pretend like you like it."
"When Optimus and Smokescreen could be desperately in need of our assistance and our base is ransacked?" Ratchet demanded. "No thank you!"
Suddenly the lights on the monitor began to flash.
"Bulk-!" Ratchet paused and his eyes widened. "It's working! I've found them!"
Arcee sat up. "Where?"
"Not far, thankfully." Ratchet turned to them. "I'm coming with. They may require medical assistance."
"What about us?" Jack asked. "We've still got MECH and Victoria after us."
"She did shoot Miko." Bulkhead said, glancing at his charge, who was asleep on the couch.
"I'm here." Fowler assured them. "We'll be fine."
Arcee glanced at Jack in concern before sighing and transforming. "Then lets roll out."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
"My liege, Soundwave located two Autobot signals." Breakdown stated, approaching Megatron. "He thinks one of them is the Prime."
The warlord didn't move a muscle or speak a word, facing outward silently.
"Should I assemble the armada or get Star-"
"No." Megatron turned around, a malicious grin on his face. "I will handle this personally."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
"Time to go." Silas suddenly appeared in the aisle, his mask back in place.
Red stood up swiftly and followed him outside.
"What is it?"
"We've located the escapees." Silas informed her.
Red climbed into the back of their van and pulled off her disguise. Silas sped back to the base at a speed that was no doubt thrice the speed limit. Red grabbed the gear in the back and equipped it before tossing some up front to Silas.
The two of them stepped out of the vehicle and took in the sight of their base for a split second, which was in an orderly panic as they rushed around to prepare.
Silas and Red ran to one of the helicopters and Red pulled out the traditional MECH mask, but Silas stopped her.
"The Autobots know who you are now. We want them to see you and feel betrayed. The distraction will be an advantage." He told her.
Red nodded and set it down as a pilot and two soldiers ran in to accompany them.
And then they were off.