I wrote a different story for Chapter 23 originally, but it lacked plot, so I completely changed it. Here ya go. This begins before she leaves the hotel.
As far as anyone could tell, Red looked the same as she had before meeting the Autobots. But Red wasn't just anyone. She could see how much brighter her eyes were, the dulled sharpness of her gaze, and the small smile lines at the edges of her mouth.
She was completely different and Red couldn't bring herself to believe that it was a bad thing.
It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.
She owed them for that.
A scream suddenly split the air and Red quickly stood up.
How on Earth did MECH manage to find her?
Red quickly moved around the room and grabbed her weapons, equipping them and heading for the bathroom. She hunkered down in the tub and waited.
A few moments later, the glass of her window burst open, followed by the triggering of her bomb and the room shook with the explosion. Red deactivated the other bomb and put the remote in her pocket.
Then she charged out of the bathroom, shooting her gun at the-
At a metal tentacle?
Red blinked away her puzzlement and shot again, but the bullets pinged off of it. She took a step back and frowned. It was quite large.
Red turned around and ran out the door, moving down the hallways where the large tentacle couldn't find her.
Red scowled. Day two of freedom and something weird was already trying to kill her. She was off to such a great start.
Why can't her plans ever go right?
Red stopped running and looked around again. Why wasn't there more screaming? Part of the hotel blew up and there was a tentacle in the building. Over a hundred people were here, why couldn't she hear their panic?
This time the ex-MECH agent moved forward slowly, one hand on her gun and the other... in a cast. Still broken.
Red reached one of the employee exits and hesitated.
Something was terribly wrong.
Still cautious, Red grabbed the handle and pushed. Sunlight streamed into the hallway and Red stepped out, her eyes adjusting to the bright morning light for a moment before seeing the scene ahead of her.
"Interesting." Megatron knelt down. "It seems you and I only meet on fields of death."
Red's eyes flickered across the ground, which was littered with seemly unharmed, but definitely unconscious bodies. Some of them had been stepped on by the high-heeled, silver titan behind Megatron. Another stood next to him, a visor over his face.
Red looked back at Megatron and snarled. "What do you want?"
"Absolutely nothing." He smirked. "Just a reminder to our dear friend Optimus Prime and your fellow comrades."
His arm snapped outward at lightning speed and snatched Red up. "A reminder that I do not take embarrassment well."
"What are you talking about?" Red demanded, glaring into his glowing red eyes with annoyance.
"Your little trap with the vehicon body." Megatron sneered. "You cannot expect to take me down and not suffer retribution."
Red stared at him for a moment before laughing. "Then you won't get what you want here. I don't work for MECH anymore."
Megatron stood up. "You clearly have no idea what I intend to do."
"Leverage? Blackmail? Mass murder?"
Megatron frowned and turned around as Soundwave opened a groundbridge. Red pressed a button on her trigger and there was an explosion as the other half of her hotel room exploded.
The Decepticons turned to look at it in surprise. It was a small distraction, but enough time for Red to pull out her gun and aim it into Megatron's eyes.
He grunted as it fired, bullets raining down on his sensitive optic lenses. Unfortunately, the warlord was far too accustomed to pain for such a trivial thing to make him drop Red, like she'd hoped.
He crushed the weapon and huffed in annoyance, turning around and walking through the portal.
"Soundwave, contact Optimus."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
Ratchet looked over at Optimus when the monitor began to beep and a transmission came in.
"What is it?" The Prime asked, looking over hopefully.
"Not Red." Ratchet narrowed his eyes. "It's the Decepticons. They're requesting a call."
"Get the children out of sight." Optimus ordered, looking around the base for anything that could reveal their location.
The Autobots moved their charges off to the side, despite Miko's complaints. Then everyone lined up behind Optimus and Ratchet, waiting anxiously.
"What do you think they want?" Bumblebee asked.
"Omega keys?" Smokescreen suggested.
"Whatever it is, we're not helping. We shouldn't even answer the call." Arcee scowled.
Optimus frowned. "They would not have called without something of great importance to tell us."
"So?" Ratchet asked.
"Answer them."
Ratchet nodded and pressed a button. The screen immediately shifted into a view of the control deck.
"Wasn't expecting that." Arcee stated, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the chaotic scene before them.
"AHHHHH!"
Starscream and Knockout went running past, both of them covered in come black substance and on fire. Megatron was unconscious on his cracked throne and his hand looked to be ripped off.
Soundwave was the only bot that seemed to be unharmed, but he was currently battling Red. Both of his tentacles were out and trying to catch her, but Red was treating him like an obstacle course.
The girl seemed to be enjoying herself as she evaded him, even kicking a dagger into a wedge between his plating.
Soundwave, frustrated, emitted a high-frequency screech from his vision. Red gritted her teeth and covered one of her ears with her uninjured hand.
Optimus shook himself out of his surprise. "Soundwave."
The Decepticon turned around quickly, annoyed to find that the Autobots had accepted his request after the human attacked them. Megatron was going to be furious when he found out.
Well, Megatron was going to be furious about this anyway.
"Let the human go." Optimus ordered.
Red chucked a grenade at him, nearly blowing off the communication officer's foot, but luckily for him, Lazerbeak shot it away just in time.
"Clearly, she's too much for them to handle." Bulkhead chuckled.
Soundwave looked at the wrecked room and then silently made his decision. A groundbridge opened up and Red looked at him with a smile.
"You want me to leave so soon?" She teased.
"Take it." Optimus told her. "We will find you."
"No need." Red saluted to Soundwave. "I'll be fine."
As Red turned around and ran toward the groundbridge, Optimus caught sight of the back of her shirt, the top left side of it was burnt and bloody. She hadn't gotten through this battle unscathed.
The transmission was shut down and he turned to Ratchet. "We need to-"
"Find her?" Ratchet guessed. "How do you suppose we're going to accomplish that? We have no way of doing so."
"You have me." Agent Fowler spoke up. "I've got people scouring the globe for our crimson kid."
"Yeah, like that worked last time." Miko snorted.
Jack sighed dreamily from between his friends. "Red just attacked the most dangerous Decepticons and won. She is so awesome."
Arcee and Raf gagged.
Miko simply nodded in agreement.
Fowler's phone rang and he frowned, walking into his office to answer it.
"If I were a silent Decepticon, where would I send a crazy teenager who attacked my master?" Ratchet muttered.
"Volcano." Arcee answered immediately.
"Been thinking on that one for a while?" Bumblebee joked.
Arcee rolled her eyes.
Agent Fowler came walking back out. "Well, I may not know where she went, but I know where she was. Unfortunately, so does the entire city of Las Vegas."
"Red went off the radar in the most famous city in Nevada?" Raf asked in confusion.
"Yeah. And Megatron went on the radar. They killed 59 people trying to catch her." Fowler rubbed his temples. "Security footage caught everything. Good for us, but also terrible for us."
"They didn't happen to send her back where she came from, did they?" Jack asked.
"Not a chance."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
"I thought I liked swimming." Red muttered to herself.
She'd dropped out of the groundbridge twenty feet down into the middle of an incredibly large body of water.
Luckily, Red had training for this short of situation, which was less than she could say about the whole alien robot ordeal she'd been dealing with lately. As long as it wasn't storming, Red could probably keep swimming for multiple days before exhaustion or dehydration got to her.
Possible even longer if she wasn't limited to one arm and her stomach wasn't still sore from her run in with Vince.
"I hate swimming."
However, luck was on Red's side today and ahead, a sandy beach grew into place only a few miles out. Red sighed and turned toward it. Maybe she wasn't so hopeless after all.
Of course something had to go wrong.
Red stopped swimming as a gray, rounded triangle came from from the water and glided toward her, the dark fork of it's body just beneath the surface of the water.
"Ah, shit."
It was in that moment that she became acutely aware of the bloody wound on her back from blowing up Megatron's arm while she was still in his hand. Blood and sharks weren't great combination right now. Or ever.
Red pulled her last knife out and narrowed her eyes.
Of all the things she'd been through. Battles against humans, cybertronians, and goats, Red never thought that she'd die in some random body of water from a big fish. Red would be just a nameless corpse that washes up on the shore fifteen years from now and barely spends 5 minutes on the news channel.
Perfect.
The shark moved forward and Red braced herself, waiting until it was close before jabbing her knife into the back of it's head. The beast thrashed and Red held on for dear life, her cast becoming yet again, a complete liability.
Red was pulled under and she held her breath, wrapping her legs around it's neck and pulled up toward the surface. The water around them turned pink as the shark began to slow down and fight less.
It went up to the surface and Red forced it to swim toward the shore. The further they got, the slower it swimmed until soon they were sinking beneath the waves again.
Red held on a little longer to ensure it was dead before swimming back up and then toward the land. She glanced back about halfway and saw a swarm of sharks tearing apart their fallen comrade.
Better him than her.
By the time she got there, Red was exhausted and the saltwater made her back burn. A few families were out on the beach and saw Red swim up.
"¡Oh, Dios mío, ¿estás bien?! ¿¡De donde vienes!?
Red smiled tiredly and kept her back facing away from them. "No te preocupes, vivo por aquí."
The families looked at each other in surprise before telling her various apologies and leaving. The children went back to playing in the water and building sandcastles.
"Vi un tiburón por ahí. Es posible que desee permanecer fuera del agua." She called to them.
Red headed inland and looked around. It seemed she was in Mexico, or maybe one of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
Smart move, on Soundwave's part. Keeping her on an isolated island until his master woke up would be the perfect way to ensure they could find her again. But, Red wouldn't let herself be outsmarted by someone so old, or worse, someone without a face.
She entered a small village, where small children were playing with rocks and lizards in the streets. Their faces were smudged with dirt and grime, while their clothes were tattered and hanging off their sunken skin.
Red looked away. MECH might have been operating out of the U.S. for the most part, but countries like these were a big part of their plan. They were going to help these people.
By killing others.
She began to attract stares as people noticed the soaking wet stranger walking down the streets. Not only that, but the back of Red's shirt was no doubt bloody. Red looked down, trying to shrink in on herself and appear less noticeable, but she had no such luck.
Red turned down a narrow alley to get out of the open and just as she did so, someone latched onto her arm and shoved a cloth toward her face.
Instinctively, Red grabbed their wrist and pushed it back, causing the man to cry out as it broke. Red shoved him off and pushed the man into the wall.
"People like you disgust me." Red looked at his pained face in distain before knocking him out.
His body hit the floor as two other men turned the corner. Of course. Idiots always travel in packs.
"Hey!" One of them yelled. "That's Hosé!"
"Get her!"
Red growled in annoyance and then moved forward to deal with them.
Optimus drove through the groundbridge and looked around, searching the area for a familiar red-headed killing machine. He activated the holoform relic and walked over to a man on the street.
"Hello sir, have you seen a girl with red hair and green eyes?" He asked politely.
"Niña con rojo hair? ¿La extraña?" He frowned.
Optimus sighed and switched his language to whatever this man was speaking. "Busco a una chica de pelo rojo oscuro y ojos verdes. Ella tiene un yeso blanco en su brazo izquierdo. ¿La has visto?"
The man nodded and pointed to the west.
"Gracias."
Optimus returned to his vehicle mode and continued driving. He looked around at the town and frowned. This place looked like an earthen version of Lower Kaon.
Optimus saw his charge leaning against a fence, her unkept hair blowing to the side wildly as she watched a group of goats play around inside their pen.
She looked over at him as he drove closer.
"Mind taking a ride with me?" He asked, opening the door.
Red nodded and stepped inside quietly, which greatly relieved Optimus. He hadn't wanted to make a scene.
"You're not going to lull me to sleep again, are you?" Red asked with a small smile.
"No." He assured her. "I want to know why you left."
Red looked out the window. "I have only brought your team misfortune. There is no reason me to continue to burden you."
"And you?" Optimus asked. "What have we brought you?"
"A changed perspective." Red answered. "Saving my life multiple times and showing me a better way. But you also got my father killed."
Optimus's slowed down guiltily, but he could not apologize for it. Silas had been their enemy, one who would have shown them no mercy if given the opportunity.
"I met you before, you know?"
Optimus reached the edge of the small island and stopped looking over the water. "When was this?"
"I was there during Project NP. We were using your look-alike to take you and the other Autobots down."
"You very nearly did." Optimus recalled.
Red nodded. "When you broke the roof during Fowler's distraction, I barely managed to move my father out of the way. I vowed to destroy you. I didn't understand it then, but you were merely playing defense."
Optimus transformed and knelt down, offering Red a small smile, which was rare for the Prime. Red smiled in return, and it was genuine, something that was also new for her.
"I am glad to have helped you find that perspective."
Red faced the water. "I left your base feeling loathsome, but during my short reprieve, I was able to look back on our little adventure together. I had some time to decide."
"Decide what?"
"Who I want to be." Red told him. "It's a question I've never pondered before, considering MECH has been my duty since birth."
Optimus tilted his head. "What was your answer?"
"Nothing." Red sat down, her legs hanging over the eroded cliff edge. "I want to do whatever I want, whenever I want, with no duty or responsibility to anyone or anything."
She frowned. "But I have a debt to pay."
Red picked up a handful of the sandy sediment she was sitting on and raised it up over the ledge. "I owe you. For helping me change."
"No." Optimus shook his head. "I am the one repaying a debt. Aiding you in your battle against darkness helped me fight my guilt over not doing enough to save Megatron from himself. It is I who should be thankful."
"Can I ask you for something then?"
He frowned, but nodded hesitantly.
"Bring me back to your base." Red said. "Let me help you fight the Decepticons. Fight MECH even. Teach me more of this life you have introduced me to."
"You can come back with me." Optimus assured her. "But you cannot attack anyone for any reason. Nor will I allow you to battle with us."
"I can help-"
"Your planet has lost too many humans in the past week." Optimus shook his head. "I don't need anymore deaths on my shoulders. Especially not yours."
Red looked at Optimus. "You have trusted me when all others would have killed me. I'm asking you to trust me when I tell you that you will not regret letting me help."
Optimus looked at her for a long moment before sighing.
"I hope you are right."
▪️◾◼⬛◼◾▪️
The groundbridge opened and everyone turned to watch as Optimus walked through with their favorite criminal walking beside him. Red looked at them and her gaze shifted to Agent Fowler, remembering how angry he had been last time she ran off.
"You said you were going to let her go." Fowler crossed his arms. "So why is she here?"
"I'm joining the Autobots." Red stated. "Unless you want to throw me in prison?"
Fowler shook his head. "Helping save your planet is better than getting killed in prison."
Red nodded and made her way to the human area, where Raf, Miko, and Jack were sitting on the couch.
"I would like to properly commend you for not getting killed and thank you for saving my life." Red told them.
"You're welcome." Miko grinned.
"It was really mostly Arcee." Jack admitted.
Red shrugged. "Either way. If I had been you, I would have ran out of the building and let MECH deal with it's own traitors."
"Well, you're our traitor too." Miko punched Red's shoulder lightly. "Besides, how am I supposed to get my revenge if Vince kills you?"
"Miko." Jack rolled his eyes.
Red looked at Raf and the smaller boy smiled sheepishly. "I didn't do anything."
"You did the most."
Ratchet cleared his throat. "So now that you're done being all lovey-dovey, is there anything you'd like to say? Did Megatron reveal anything of interest?"
"He's cocky." Red replied. "Ignorant to human technologies, confident in your moral decision-making process, high pain tolerance, little to no regard for secrecy-"
"Yes, yes, we know who Megatron is. Did you learn anything about his plans? Starscream and Knockout talk a lot; did you overhear anything?" Ratchet asked with a glare.
"No."
Ratchet rolled his eyes and turned around, muttering something about humans wasting his time. Optimus passed her a sympathetic glance before leaving to return the new relic to their vault.
"How do I know you won't double-cross us?"
Red turned around to face Fowler. "I suppose you don't, but I willing to prove my newfound loyalty to you."
Fowler narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I'll take that, but if you hurt any of these kids—or the Autobots—I will not hesitate to call in the calvary and take you out."
Red nodded. "I understand."