Chapter 17
The Deal
It had been a total of three months since Night Raider or Grace Darby had escaped the Nemesis with the help of the strange mute known as Annabeth. Since then, she had done her best to get re-acclimated to life with the Autobots. This included participating in a number of different activities some including when she and Miko had gone to the mall, when she had returned to her job as a Scientist along with helping the bots look for Optimus.
All in all the past few months had been overly uneventful. No sign of Optimus and no word from the young human that now accompanied him. Well, that was until a few days ago. Night Raider, per Ratchet's request, had been looking through some video footage taken from the local traffic cameras when she spotted a very familiar Blue and Red semi on screen. She first noted that it had been driving very slowly as though it's driver was looking for something or perhaps it was lost. The second thing she noted was the lack of said driver.
Excited, Night Raider quickly saved the file and showed it to Ratchet whom was just as excited as she was. This was the first real lead they had to Optimus in months! And by golly they weren't going to let it slip through their servos! Almost immediately Ratchet contacted Arcee, Bumble Bee, and Bulkhead and put them in route to investigate the area where Optimus had last been sighted. In the mean time Night Raider was sent to collect Jack, Miko, and Raf from school.
Once she arrived at the High School she waited and waited until finally the bell rang. But still the three had not exited. Getting out of her car Night Raider began to walk towards the school when she saw her! It was that girl! The one with Optimus! She was staring at the road seemingly lost in thought as she stood in front of the school dressed warmly in a dark blue zip up hoodie, jeans, a pair of black boots, knapsack on her shoulder and those same glasses on her face waiting for her ride.
"Hey you!" called NightRaider as she quickly moved over to the girl. "You're her! The girl that left that tablet for me!"
The girl only stared back behind her glasses showing no visible recognition of the one before her.
"You remember me don't you?" asked Night Raider. The girl tensed at the word 'remember' and looked away again as though something were troubling her. "Are you alright?" asked Night raider "Why don't you answer? I know you can. You spoke to me once before remember?"
She looked at Night Raider again and nodded signaling she remembered, but nothing more. She simply stared back behind those dark empty lenses.
"Are you not going to say anything?" asked Night Raider. The only reply she got was a shake of the head.
"Why not?" she asked. To which the girl pointed to her covered eyes and back to Night Raiders own optics. "You're being watched?" she asked at a whisper. To which the girl gave only the slightest twitch to signal a yes. "Soundwave?" A frown signaling no.
"I see..." replied Nightraider.
"Grace!" called Jack as he exited the school
"AB!" exclaimed Miko coming over and glomping the girl.
"AB?" asked Night Raider.
"Yeah, this is Annabeth. She's a new student here at school. She's only been here a few months actually" replied Raf with a smile. "Grace this is Annabeth and Annabeth this is Grace!"
Annabeth smiled then looked from Raf to Night Raider and held out her hand. Taking this gesture Night Raider knew that 'AB" had not let the others know of her connection to Optimus. So, playing along Night Raider took her hand and shook it. "A pleasure." She stated sending a smile that said they would speak after the others were occupied. To which AB knowingly nodded with a fake well practiced seemingly genuine.
Looking her up and down Night Raider established that whoever this girl was she was certainly not entirely human. She was tall and her presence was one of doom and destruction, but also something else.... But perhaps that was because she still posed Annabeth as a threat. "Say Annabeth how about we go inside until your ride gets here I wouldn't feel right leaving you out here all alone." stated Night Raider gesturing for them all to go back inside.
Annabeth nodded taking the que and walked toward the front office followed closely by Raf, and Miko both talking about the five of them all drawing a picture or something together. AB listening to their chatter all the while Jack remained behind curious to his cousin's actions. "Is something wrong Grace?"
"No Jack I just don't feel right about leaving her here alone." she replied.
"If you say so" replied Jack as they walked into the school.
Once they had all gotten to the class room the trio went to go get the drawing things while Miko had the bright idea to go pilfer a deck of cards from the principles office leaving Annabeth and Nightraider alone together.
" Lets talk." Said Nightraider.
(Ab pov)
Of all the things to happen after the week I've had this takes the cake. First I get lost in the woods Orion gives me the I'm disappointed in you look and my glasses are broken so I can't tell him anything! And now this! What does the world have against me?!
Taking a seat I waited for Nightraider to make the first move.
"How is he?" she asked
< So, so> I signed
" Why aren't you using your glasses?" she asked
< Broken> I replied
"Uh....sorry I uh don't know sign language" she replied. Sighing I gesture for a pen and some paper and write down what happened"
"They broke because some water got in the wireing?" she asked to which I nodded " Can I see them?"
I had to think hard about that my glasses were like a life line..They were the only thing I truly knew about I was connected to them and they were connected to me. Taking them from their natural place I cautiously handed them off to Nightraider who then began to look them over all the while under my watchful eyes.
"Their pretty beat up but I'm sure I can fix them." she states while inspecting every nook and cranny of their wiring. It actually felt sort of invasive the way she was poking and prodding them like something in my head could feel every wire that was being pulled. "If you let me take them to my lab I can have them back to you by Thursday."
I shook my head no.
"Why not?" she asked " Don't trust me?"
< What do you think?> I wrote
"Not surprising" she replied. " you don't trust me...hmmm what could I do to make you trust me?"
what do you have?> I wrote. She thought for a moment.
"I have a photo of me and the bots!" she exclaimed
you can photoshop anything< I wrote
" Well then.... give me something to go off of! What will make you believe me?" she asked
< I want you to give me something of equal value>
" I see...." She replied "here this is something my human father gave me before he died" she said as she removed a small locket. "It means the world to me and if you do anything to it I....I don't know what I'd do..." I hesitated for moment I wasn't sure if I believed her or not. I mean trading my glasses for a blasted locket?! Yet at the same time I believed her I really and truly believed her....and I hated it.
Nodding I held my hand out for the locket and she gave me a look of shock but that I trusted her. "Y-you're giving these to me?" I shook my head and wrote "You fix and return on Monday."
"Monday?! But I don't even know..." she looked me in the eye and cowed down almost immediately. "Right of course." She replied "I'll see you on Monday"
I nodded and stood and as I left I kept in the back of my mind that if she tried to keep them or hurt them in way I could find her even if my glasses were broken through the GPS built into them. The only problem was I didn't know if the gps would that lead me to her home or to the Autobots? The last thing I want is to lead the Decpticons to them but if it meant my glasses I would have to make a choice and a tough one. But why are they so important? I could make another pair right? Why do I care so much about a few pieces of wiring?
I paused in the door as a small whisper filled my mind " d DO NT LE VE M3E P;EKASE SAVE ME.....You wouldn't leave yOUR MY BEST pAl would you? .....lass? Please...don't leave me...."
I shook it away....I'm just hearing things again....... yeah its not real nothings real its just a shadow of nothing. Absolutely nothing. Keep moving you must keep moving. And I left.
(Got a prediction on who's talking there at the end? leave it in the comments! )
( Look at me I did stuff!!!! yay!!!! well its been a while and I finally know how I want to introduce some new things and some feels to the story it took a while and im not completely satisfied with this chapter but there is literally no other way for this to play out the way I need it to so Im sorry for such a short filler chapter but eighteen should be here soon maybe Monday it depends on some things could be later tonight *u* who knows? Anyway love you see ya next time. God bless and have a good night or morning and a happy new year and Merry Christmas ya know just in case I get lazy XD )