I finally woke up, finding none other than Shane sound asleep, resting his arm over my chest, obviously by accident. Frowning, I threw his arm off, causing him to wake up abruptly and accidentally fall off the bed. Rolling my eyes, I took out the supplies backpack, tossing a granola bar right in his face.
"Here, eat, we got a long journey ahead," I said
"Thank you?" He yawned sleepily.
I didn't answer him, putting the bag in my shoulder with a couple of granola bars in hand. I grabbed my Motorbackpack and head to the other room, where Tessa and Cade were barely waking up.
"Here, eat this," I said, tossing two granola bars at them.
After the quick breakfast, Cade and the two lovebirds got on Optimus, while I drove Ratchet behind him. We stopped at a small town where Cade tested out some stolen technology from Cemetery Wind. I barely talked to any of them as I sat on Ratchet's seat. I sighed, running a hand through his wheel.
"Come on Ratch, you've got to heal, you have to wake up," I whispered, placing my hands behind my head, "we need you..."
Optimus' engine roared before he quickly began driving off, with me quickly following him behind. Once again in the road, a white cargo truck passed by us, and before I knew what was happening, Optimus scanned it and quickly transformed into the blue and red truck that I had missed for the past few months. I smiled slightly.
"THAT'S THE PRIME I KNOW!" I exclaimed happily
Suddenly I heard a gunshot not too far away. My gaze fell on a fat Autobot running through the canyon on my right side. I chuckled at the gesture.
Optimus soon came to a stop, opening his doors and letting Cade, Tessa and Shane out. Once they did, he transformed. I couldn't help but stare at his new humanoid form.
~Holy shit, he's so changed!!!~ I thought ~he looks like a knight or something of the sort~
I walked to Cade and the other two, watching the figures before us: the fat Bot, a green one who looks like a total jackass, a black and blue one that looked like some sort of samurai, and...
"BUMBLEBEE!!!" I cried happily
I ran to him as he leaned down, to offer his hand so that I can climb nearer to him. Once I did he lifted me up and I hugged a small part of his huge chest.
"Hi tough girl," he greeted through the radio
"Bee, you've got no idea how much I missed you..." I said, letting go and climbing to his shoulder
"...So, who's the stowaways?" Asked the green Bot, pointing a gun at Cade, Shane and Tessa, with Cade holding his hands up. I saw him glance at me for a second before turning to the other three.
"Who's the idiot?" I asked Bee
"Crosshairs," he replied, rolling his optics
"Huh, charming guy," I said sarcastically
Just then the fat Bot got out an even deadlier weapon than Crosshairs, but just as his companion, directs it at the humans in the ground. I placed my hand in my weapon belt, just in case things turned a nasty way, though I'm pretty sure that Optimus wouldn't let them harm them.
"Stop, Hound. Both of you," Optimus quickly interfered, "they've risked their lives for mine. We owe them"
"What's wrong with Ratchet?" Crosshairs asked instead, waving his hand to the medical vehicle
"He's in stasis mode because of the wounds he received because of the damn humans," I explained, "but he'll wake up soon enough"
"And your are?" He asked with a raised brow.
"Name's Ashley, but you can call me BlueBeam," I said.
He nodded with no further word. Still in Bee's shoulder, we headed further into the canyon, with Optimus carefully carrying Ratchet in his hands. I noticed worry in his optics, and I couldn't help but feel guilty for the state in which Ratchet was. After all, what if someone had seen me drive in and out of the hiding spot? What if I wasn't careful enough? I sighed, troubled thoughts remaining in my head.
"You okay?" Bee asked.
"Yeah, I'm ok," I lied, "don't worry about me"
What was left of the day, we spent it on setting camp on the canyon, out of sight. Cade and Shane collected wood to make a fire, while Tessa interacted with Bumblebee. I helped the other two with the wood and had to tolerate their sarcastic comments directed to each other. At least I didn't have to do small talk, and let them bicker at each other.
As evening approached, the three settled in as they attempted to light the fire, Shane refusing any help that Cade attempted to offer, and Tessa insisting that Shane could do it on his own. Meanwhile I walked to the blue and black Autobot, who according to Bee, was named Drift.
"Hey, Drift right?" I called
"Greetings, young one," he replied, "yes, it's Drift, you are Ashley, if I am not wrong?"
"Yep, name's Ashley, but to some Bots it's Bluebeam" I said, sitting beside him.
"Tough name for a human," he observed.
"Yeah, I know, I earned it," I said truthfully, "wanna see why?"
He nodded with some curiosity in his optics. Taking out the Sniper Bite, I noticed that he was slightly impressed by such weapon. Chuckling, I turned to where Cade and Shane were still trying to light up the fire.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I yelled
At first they looked at me with puzzled looks, but once I started aiming at the pile of wood, they didn't hesitate to scramble away. Once gone, I shot the bonfire, lighting it up almost instantly. I looked up to a slightly surprised Drift, making me chuckle.
Suddenly all Bots tensed, not moving for a few moments. Puzzled, I stood up and slowly walked to Bee, who had gotten out one of his canyons. Hound and the rest had weapons ready, and by instinct I got a firmer grip on the Sniper Bite.
Suddenly I heard what my human ears hadn't perceived earlier; the sound of a motor.
Out of nowhere a car "flew" into the place, landing near the three humans below. They scrambled out of the way as the grey Corvette convertible skidded to a stop. I recognized it even if not transformed, as do the rest of Bots, who no longer had weapons in hand. I couldn't believe my eyes as the new Bot transformed into none other than-
"SIDESWIPE?!" I exclaimed, running down to greet my friend
"The one and only," he grinned.
"You son of a-" I said, standing in front of him, "I thought that they had-"
"Killed me?" He finished for me, "fat chance, I managed to escape, and you know why? Because I'm awesome"
"Right," I sighed and grinned just as he lifted me to his shoulder, in which I gladly sat.
"Sorry for my late arrival, but I was farther away than the rest," he excused himself as Optimus approached him
"It's alright Sideswipe, what matters is that you managed to come," Optimus replied before turning to the others, "so, there's been no sign of any others?"
"Nada," Hound said
"We are all that's left," Drift added
"They're picking us off, one by one," Crosshairs growled.
I flinched at the thought that the rest of our friends were just...gone, and all thanks to the fucking humans, who betrayed them, who betrayed us. Still in Side's shoulder, he was quick to notice that I was upset, and so he walked a bit farther from the conversation. I moved into his massive hand after he offered it to me, ending face to face with him.
"So, what's up with you?" He asked, "you've been a bad girl?"
"You know I'll never be a bad girl!" I exclaimed in a teasingly indignant voice.
"Aww, did I upset tiny Ash?" He mocked playfully.
"Don't call me that, and don't-you-dare," I said as his giant fingers got close to me
As expected, he started messing with me, tickling me as I laughed hysterically. He chuckled in amusement as I tried in vain to stop him from doing so.
"Side...stop...please! I'm going...to get you for...this!" I managed to say between laughs.
In the end he did comply and stopped, and I looked at him straight in the optics. He appeared weary, tired, but at the same time full of energy. I sighed as I sat in his hand, and he poked me gently in the side.
"Now really, what's wrong?" He asked more seriously now.
I explained him the hard life I had endured the past few months since the government started hunting Bots and their allies down, how I couldn't call my family for fear I'd get caught, how I couldn't locate Sam, and finally how I barely managed to save Ratchet from getting killed by Lockdown. Once finished, some tears rolled down my face.
"Don't worry Ash, in the end everything will be ok," he said reassuringly
I nodded, wiping my tears off as I was placed back in his shoulder. Just then we hear commotion, and we glanced back to the other Bots, who watched how Drift and Bee fought for an unknown reason.
"Bee! Drift! STOP!" I yelled, putting my hand in my weapon belt and taking out a gun.
"Am I the lone sage who sees through this puppy-dog eyes act? It's beneath you," Drift growled, running his sword carefully across Bee's throat.
I shot near the blue Bot's foot, to everyone's surprise. Side frowned in disapproval as Crosshairs mumbled something I didn't even bother to pay attention to.
"That was a warning," I said menacingly, pointing my weapon at his face "next one's blasting your fucking head if you don't let Bee go, I don't give a damn if you're one of us"
With some hesitation, Drift finally let go of him, mumbling something inaudible. Once gone, I hurriedly climbed down Side's shoulder and ran to Bee, who was running a hand through the part of his throat where the sword had nearly cut him.
"Are you alright Bee?!" I asked worriedly
"I'm alright," he answered
"What's wrong with Drift? I've never seen such an aggressive Bot," I asked, glancing at Side and the others for an explanation.
"He was once a Decepticon," Side clarified as I climbed up Bee's leg to check any wounds in his throat, "but for some reason, he changed his perspective and joined us"
"He was a Decepticon?!" I asked in utter disbelief
"Yeah," affirmed Bee
I couldn't believe what they just told me. A Decepticon that changed and joined the Bots?! Just...stunning...
Then again, it wasn't the first time, old man Jetfire changed and joined the Autobots before dying...
Once I was done making sure that Bee was alright, I climbed up to Side's shoulder again. When I situated myself in place, I saw the others grouped up on one of the canyon's walls. Out of Drift's vehicle form, some footage was being projected. According to Side, it was footage of Autobot raids. I looked away as Ratchet's shows up, directing my eyes to his battered vehicle form. I sighed quietly as I looked back. To my horror, Leadfoot's shows up, and I felt sorry for my fallen friends. I clenched my fists as the footage continued for several minutes before it finally ended, at which time the others began to talk, and I had been too focused on the footage that I hadn't paid attention.
"Autobots," said Optimus, "I have sworn to never kill humans"
"Big mistake," commented Hound
"Agreed," I murmured
"But when I find out who's behind this," he soon continued, "he's going to die"
"Hooah!" Hound howled.
Still, with some commotion going around, it was hard to fall asleep. The Autobots, in the end, had calmed down a little and had gone into their respective vehicle forms. Shane, Tessa, and Cade slept on blankets near the fire, while I slept a bit nearer to the Bots. We didn't sleep inside them in case something showed up in the middle of the night and they had to fight. Gazing at Side and Bee's cars, I slowly fell asleep, victim to my own fatigue and exhaustion.