News about the Autobots and Decepticons were really starting to break out now.
At first it was just news to North America.
But now, it's all over the world! Vaughan hoped her father would at least get a chance to hear the news if he wasn't busy over seas.
It's been a few days now since the last Decepticon apperance and it was now well into the week Vaughan was officially supposed to leave back for Toronto, but that was still a few days away.
Vaughan was up late the next morning, eating a nutrigrain bar as she sat at her desk, searching the internet on her laptop. Numerous news reports online and on television have been popping up about factories creating weapons for humans to use in order to fight back against the Decepticons. Which to Vaughan she supposed it was good news. But the Decepticons were a lot bigger than a human, so it might still be a little difficult to fight one Decepticon, let alone a whole army.
Once she got bored of watching the news, Vaughan switch her web browser over to YouTube and Twitter. She checked the view counts on her Dubstep songs, still growing strong since she last checked them. But her inbox was flooded with messages from numerous people asking if she'll continue to make more.
Then she thought again about what Chip said last night. His suggestion about making a dubstep remix. She wasn't quite sure what to do about that actually. She debated about it in her head whether or not to go through with it or not. What if there is copy right issues and the video gets taken down? What about her channel?
She thought about it, and since the song is already made by a famous band, she should get permission first before getting to work on the remix. This would be the first time she ever remixed a song before.
She thought about how she would contact the band as she listened to Radioactive once more, to help calm her thoughts.
"I'm waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals.
I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa.
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age."
Vaughan glanced back at her Twitter feeds. It's been booming since her followers discovered that she was the one making those Dubstep songs.
Wait a minute.... followers... Twitter.... That's it!
With that, she looked up the bands Twiiter account on the site and came across their profile. They receive what, like a thousand tweets from their hardcore fans every second. It would be impossible for her to get her message through that way.
But then she came across the private message feature.
She clicked on it, then pondered at what she would say.
After some thinking, she typed away at her keyboard.
"Hello Imagine Dragons.
My name is Vaughan Witwickey. Perhaps you know me from my YouTube channel where I have uploaded my famous Dubsteps tunes?
I absolutely love your music, my favourite would most defiantly be Radioactive.
And that song is the reason why I am messaging you today. For you see, I would like to make a Dubstep remix to that song, with your permission of course.
Please let me know!
- Vaughan Witwickey.
Vaughan's finger hovered over the left clicker of the mouse as the digital version of the mouse, the white arrow, hung over the send button on the screen. She was so nervous about sending the message. What if they said no? Heck would they even read the message?
Vaughan slapped herself in the face and calmed herself down. She focused her attention back on the screen, and without making a second thought, hit the send button.
There. Over and done with.
*******
Later after that, Vaughan got showered and dressed, taking her iPhone with her as she and Spike went to the Autobot base. Once arriving there, Optimus Prime was about to leave to check out a signal he detected involving the Decepticon space bridge. Since the incident last time, the Decepticons no doubt have moved their precious teleportation device.
Spike and Vaughan decided to tag along with the Prime to help him find his way around the desert.
But along the drive, Spike seemed to be doing most of the guiding. Vaughan was so focused on her issue with Imagine Dragon that she wouldn't keep her eyes off her iPhone as she kept refreshing and refreshing her feed page and profile.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on...." she kept muttered quietly to herself.
After a few minutes Spike was getting tired of his older cousin acting like this. "Come on, come on, come on!" He repeated, each one getting louder.
That snapped her out of it. She rubbed her forehead which was starting to feel like she was getting a headache from looking at her small screen for so long.
"Are you going to spend the entire day waiting to see if you get permission from the band?" Spike asked her with a slight hint of annoyance. "Look up, move, do something!"
Just to tease the boy, Vaughan unbuckled her seat belt, got up and moved to the other passenger seat away from Spike then put her seat belt back on and smirked at the boy. "There, happy?" She shrugged.
Spike groaned as she slapped himself in the face and lowered his head in defeat. "I give up."
Optimus chuckled at the sight of the two cousins bickering at each other. "I've never seen you act like this before Vaughan. What's troubling you?"
"Well, remember when I told you and the others how I made those Dubstep songs? And I was kind of freaking out that I might get sued by the Cybertronian police since I thought there would be copy right issues?" Vaughan explained.
"Kind of is putting it mildly." Spike interrupted.
Vaughan glared at the boy then flicked him in the head with her fingers. "Hey!" the boy yelled.
Optimus continued to laugh a little at the humans shenanigans. "Yes Vaughan, I was aware of that."
"Well try to imagine all of that again, but this time it's all happening in here." She replied while pointing at her phone.
"Just try and calm down Vaughan. They are pretty busy people, they might not see it right away." said Spike.
"Not see it right away? I practically created a brand new genre of music and it's been sensational world wide! How could they not see it, I'm at the top of my game right now!" Vaughan replied.
"Just, give it some time. Like I said they are busy people. They probably at a show right now, or a charity event, or--"
"They are having lunch in Los Angles right now." Vaughan interrupted.
"Wait, how do you know that?" Spike asked while giving her a strange stalker look.
"Their twitter feed... they just updated it." Vaughan answered.
"You are so weird sometimes." Spike muttered.
"The feeling is mutual." Vaughan replied.
"I have to agree with Spike on this one Vaughan. Using too much of your time with those electronic toys you humans have can be bad to your health. At least from what I heard." said Optimus. "Besides, you'll get your break. We're just arriving at the coordinates now."
Optimus pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the two teens to hoop out before he transformed into his robot mode. Vaughan did have to wonder every time she watched him transform:
Where the heck does his trailer go?!
"Alright, fine. I'll put it away if you're so concerned about me big guy." Vaughan caved in as she slipped her phone in her skirt pocket. "But if this thing goes off while I'm gone, I swear I will pop a vessel!"
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Optimus assured. "Alright then you two, the coordinates are this way."
The three of them walked a few ways away from the road before stopping at a patch of sand. It had strange outlines on it, indicating that something had been here.
"What do you think Optimus?" Vaughan asked.
Optimus scanned the area and read the recordings on his wrist. "The space bridge was here. But it looks it was moved. And judging by the outlines and how visible they are, that was recently." he explained.
"So we're back to square one then." She sighed.
"Optimus?" Someone spoke through Optimus's com link.
"Go ahead Ironhide." Optimus replied.
"Did you find the new location of the Decepticons space bridge?" asked Ironhide.
"I'm afraid not Ironhide. I scanned the area where the space bridge first layed earlier this morning, but here at this new location it came up zero. It's been moved again." Optimus explained.
"We might as well head back to Autobot headquarters Prime." said Spike as he was knelt down, tossing some sand back to the ground.
"Maybe Teletraan-1 would some luck in finding it." Vaughan suggested.
"Wait, I'm picking up a distress signal." Prime spoke up.
Spike shot himself up from kneeling and walked over to Vaughan, both looking up at him anxiously.
"It's from Chip Chase at the Ammunition's Plant. Decepticons attacking." said Optimus.
"The 'Cons are back." Vaughan growled under her breath.
"Autobots, meet me at the plant." Optimus commanded through the com link.
Optimus transformed back into his truck mode, his trailer as always magically reappearing every time he did that. Spike and Vaughan hooped into the Prime as he put medal to the pedal, making his way over to the plant before it was too late.
******
The ride from the desert to the Ammunition's Plant took no time at all. Optimus zipped through the security gate and drove through a hole that was made by the Decepticons and rammed right into their pile of energon cubes, knocking away a few of the Decepticons themselves in the process.
"You sure know how to crash a party Prime." Vaughan grinned.
"Vaughan, Spike, this is where you two get off. I'm at full speed so I can't stop. You're going to have to jump your way out." Optimus cautioned.
"No problem." Spike nodded.
The two of them took off their seat belts as Optimus opened up the driver side door for them. Spike and Vaughan took each others hands and the two of them jumped out of the fast moving Autobot. They dropped and rolled on the floor so they wouldn't hurt themselves too much, then took cover behind a destroyed generator.
When Vaughan peeked out she could see that Chip was here at the plant as well. He was with a scientist up on the main viewing catwalk of the plant.
Her attention to her new friend was short lived when she heard blaster fire and looked away only to see Optimus get knocked right through a wall by Starscream's laser blast.
"Optimus!" Vaughan yelled as she and Spike ran out of hiding and checked on their robotic friend.
"Are you alright Optimus?" Spike asked with worry.
"Affirmative." Optimus answered as he pushed himself up to kneel. "But keep back."
He backed his hand away indicating for the two humans to take cover. Spike stood protectively in front of his cousin as the two of them backed up against the wall next to Prime. Thundercracker soared up into the air, firing two missiles at him but Prime fired back with his laser gun, destroying the missiles on contact.
Vaughan and Spike shielded each other from any falling debree that might come there way as they continued to watched the battle take place.
"You blew it Thundercracker!" yelled Skywarp. "But I won't!"
Skywarp took a shot at the Prime, firing his own missile. Optimus ducked just in time and teased a remark at the Decepticon.
"Optimus watch out!" Chip screamed. "That's a heat seeking missile!"
Vaughan shot her head around and looked up at the missile. She watched in complete shock as it turned itself around and fly back towards Optimus.
"He's right! Optimus run for it!" Vaughan screamed.
She watched with amazement as Optimus deflected it with his elbow and the missile went spiraling out of control and hit the ceiling. Debree started coming down and if it couldn't get any worse, in which the situation did, Starscream charged forward and tackled Optimus right into the wall, causing him to drop his gun.
Once the weapon made impact, a laser was fired out of it, and it struck electrical wires and a huge computer that was right behind Chip and the scientist!
"Optimus!" Spike screamed. "The computer!"
"It's going to blow!" The scientist added as he wheeled Chip to safety.
Optimus punched Starscream out of his way as he sprang forward, running towards it and covered the hole with his body. "I will shield you."
There was a huge electrical explosion as Vaughan knelt down to shield herself and Spike joined her, being her shield for even more protection. Once the explosion was over, electrical shots and sparks filtered all around Optimus's body and he stumbled around like he was dizzy, heck maybe even drunk!
"Give him everything you got!" Starscream ordered.
Him and the two other seekers open fired on the Prime, striking him directly to the chest. Optimus flew back and struck hard to the floor back first. He groaned and cried out in pain from the blasts he received.
"No!" Vaughan screamed.
She was beginning to have flashbacks of the time back at the Crystal Times where Optimus got hit by the explosion of the bomb Wheeljack invented, and it sent him tumbling down the hill. No, she thought. He was not going to die like this. She spotted Optimus's laser gun and ran over to it, placing her hands on it.
"Spike, help me with this." she ordered.
Spike ran over and helped his older cousin to try and lift up the gun. They aimed it at the Decepticons who were gathering up their energon cubes. As they transformed, they both fired a shot but sadly it missed by just an inch. The Decepticons took off through the hole as the rest of the Autobot forces came driving in, transforming into their robot modes.
"Where are they? Where are those Decepticons?" Ironhide asked with a fighting itch in his system. "We'll run them into the ground!"
"You can't Ironhide." Spike said with a cry.
He and Vaughan ran up the stairs to join Chip and the scientist who were checking on Optimus. He just layed there on his back, groaning from the pain. Vaughan bolted forward. sliding to her knees as she knelt besides him. She tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to escape.
The rest of the Autobots came up and were in complete shock to see their leader in this way.
"You gotta help Optimus Prime." said Spike who spoke for Vaughan. He knew that she was too in shock for words.
"What happened to you Prime?!" asked Bumblebee.
"Badly damaged.... rapidly losing.... energy." Optimus said slowly. He reached out his hand and grasped the arm of the Autobot inventor, Wheeljack. "Wheeljack, can you repair me?"
"I hope so, but not here." Wheeljack replied. "Can you still transform?"
"I'll try." Optmus chocked.
Ironhide and Wheeljack helped Optimus to his feet, then backed up to allow Optimus to transform. During that time, Vaughan was still in the kneeling position, too shocked for words. Her mind drifted back to her father in the army.
Optimus wasn't the only living being she saw that was severally damaged.
She remembered her father coming home after his second tour. But he wasn't coming home in the way she and her family had expected.
*****
When they were at the base to meet with the arrivals, the other soldiers came out unharmed. But they hovered over a man who was on a portable hospital bed, comforting him and keeping an eye on his instruments.
Vaughan let go of her mothers hand and peeked over at the sight. She hadn't seen her father come out of the plane yet. Or did she?
She stood on her tippy toes and looked over at the face of the man on the bed and she froze. Tears beginning to form as she recalled that face. The face of the man she had been waiting to see for much a long time.
"D-D-Dad?" She whispered.
She ran forward, going straight for the crowd of army personnel. Her mother called out to her as she chased after her daughter. One of the men who was with her father, noticed the coming of the girl and stepped away from him and knelt down in front of Vaughan and stopping her.
"What's going on with my dad? What happened to him?!"
"Vaughan, try to stay calm alright? We're going to take care of him, he'll be okay." said the man.
Vaughan's mother caught up to her and thanked the man for catching the girl in time. He nodded and went back to helping her father be loaded onto an ambulance. Vaughan's mother, Margret, clutched the child into a hug as Vaughan buried her face into her mother's shoulder, just letting the tears and sobs roam free.
********
While Vaughan was reliving that terrible memory in her mind, most of the Autobots and including Optimus had already left the plant. Spike and Chip comforted her as they helped her get inside Bumblebee who was waiting for them in his vehicle mode. Jazz also stayed behind to help Vaughan if needed.
"Hang in there Vaughan. Optimus will pull through, he's got to." said Bumblebee.
Her mind wasn't on Imagine Dragons anymore.
It was Optimus Prime.