CHAPTER SIX
The Ark, Earth
“An orbital what now?”
“An Orbital Command Hub,” Optimus Prime repeated.
William Fowler stared at the Autobot leader from the railed platform he was standing on, trying to gauge whether or not Prime was messing with him. “Mind telling me what that is?”
“It was a space station we used as a primary outpost after the war had moved into its intergalactic phase,” Optimus explained. “When the war ended, we relocated it to Cybertron to serve as an auxiliary satellite.”
“And now you want to move it into Earth’s orbit?” Fowler asked.
Optimus nodded. “Given the uncertainty as to what the Decepticons’ next move will be—as well as when the Destructons will make theirs—I feel that it would be most pragmatic for us to establish a more permanent residence here in your solar system in the event that we must defend your planet when the time comes.”
“That giant ship you’re using isn’t good enough?”
“Metroplex has been a valuable asset but even he—in his current offline state—won’t be enough to defend Earth should the Decepticons return with their entire armada.”
Fowler ran a hand over his brow as he tried to take this all in. “Look, I get what you’re saying and it’s a good idea and all… but I’m gonna have to twist a lot of arms in order to even think about getting that ball rolling. After everything that’s happened so far, a lot of the big suits upstairs aren’t exactly keen on trusting you guys, even after I convinced them that Joshua Red had gone nuts with betraying you guys to the ‘Cons.”
“I understand, Agent Fowler,” Optimus Prime said solemnly. “Do whatever you can to convince your superiors and we will do what we can to protect your planet.”
“Don’t worry, I trust you on that. After everything we’ve been through, I’d be a fool not to.”
Fowler turned to leave only for Optimus to stop him by speaking. “Before you leave, Agent Fowler, I must ask: have you had the chance to speak with Rodimus Prime?”
Fowler stopped to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “You mean the new guy? Yeah, of course. Spoke to him a few times over the past year. Why?”
“What is your overall impression of him?”
“Uh… honestly? He’s fine, I guess. Kind of hot-headed and definitely a lot more inexperienced compared to you, but I can tell he means well.” Fowler cocked his head to the side, smirking slightly. “Why? Feeling a bit insecure today?”
“No, not at all,” Optimus replied. “I was merely curious. Especially since, in the event that I am forced to relinquish all command, you will only have him to speak too.”
“That sounds awfully ominous,” Fowler remarked. “You know something that I don’t, Prime? Something you want to say?”
Optimus Prime was silent for a moment, almost as if he was debating whether or not he did have something to say. Instead, he simply shook his head and said, “No, Agent Fowler. That will be all.”
Not at all convinced, Fowler gave the Autobot leader one last wary look before taking his leave.
* * *
“So… what’s it like being the head of a giant alien robot?”
Hunter O’Nion took another swig from his beer can before looking at Verity. “Honestly? It’s not that bad once you get used to it.”
Verity snorted. “I’m being serious, smart ass.”
“So am I. Really. Sometimes I forget that I am still part-human.”
“I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not.”
“Neither can I.” Hunter took another drink. “Well, my Sunstreaker side can. He’s really not a big fan of it. Which is probably why I’m rarely separated from him.”
Verity ran her hand over the hood of the yellow car they were sitting on. “Is he okay with us sitting here.”
“No. But he can’t tell me no because he can’t live without me.”
“Is that true? So, like, if you die, then…?”
Hunter nodded. “Vice versa is also true. I’m basically his One Ring.”
“Ah. So that’s why he won’t let you get far from him.”
“Exactly.”
The two sat there in silence for a moment, watching the sun as it slowly set behind the mountain range, casting a golden glow over the dry Oregon landscape.
Hunter then broke the silence by saying, “So! What about you? What have you been up to since Sunny and I went off to do space robot things? Besides the space robot things here, that is.”
Verity shrugged. “Not much, honestly. This past month is the most excitement I’ve had since… well, since you left. I’ve been traveling the country as usual, trying to find somewhere to stay, somewhere to belong. It’s… you know, I like the thrill of not staying in one place and getting to see the world and not have to live by somebody’s rules. It’s a great feeling. But sometimes I kinda wish I could just… stop for a moment, you know? Get off the train and relax. Rest my legs.”
“I hear ya,” Hunter said. “What about the others? Jimmy and Spike?”
“Jimmy moved to South Dakota, of all places. I saw him there working at a junkyard for some Yeager guy. I never got the chance to ask him how he got there because we were being hunted by Sector Seven and all that.” Verity looked down at her fingers, scraping off some dirt in the corner of her nails. “And Spike went back to work at his dad’s salvaging company. Haven’t heard from him since. To be honest, I never really liked him. Just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. He acted like he was the lead protagonist in some crappy young adult novel.”
Hunter nearly snorted out the drink he had been taking. “That is awfully specific,” he commented.
Verity laughed. “Come on, you’ve seen him! You were friends with him, weren’t you? He had that whole awkward teenage vibe about him.”
“I mean, hey, we were all seventeen at the time. We might as well have been the leads of some crappy young adult novel.”
They once more lapsed into silence, enjoying each other’s company for just another moment. There were so many things that could have been said but Verity knew that this wasn’t the time or place. It likely would never be.
As the last few rays of sunlight vanished behind the mountains, Verity said, “So, what’s next? Are you and your robot friends going to stick around or are you heading back into space?”
Hunter shrugged. “Dunno. The boss bot hasn’t said anything yet—”
Verity snorted again. “’Boss Bot.’ Totally using that.”
“—and I’m not sure what we’re doing to prepare against the Decepticons or the Destructons or Unicron or any of the other dozen bad guys who want us dead right now. At this point, I’m just going with the flow.”
“Sounds good.”
After downing the last of his drink, Hunter tossed the can aside and looked at her. “And you?”
“No idea. I’ll probably stick around here for a bit longer, just to see what happens. That Sari girl seems pretty interesting, so I’ll probably hang around her.”
“’Interesting’ as in a cool mystery sense or in, like, a romantic sense?”
Verity glanced at him. “Are you suggesting I’m gay?”
“I dunno, are you?”
“Hunter, you can’t just ask someone if they’re gay.”
“Hey, it’s cool either way,” Hunter said as he got down from the hood of Sunstreaker’s car mode. “I’ve been hanging out with gay robots for the past two years.”
Verity’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking.”
“Granted, it’s different for them than it is for us. But if you squint and stretch your mind far enough, you can see it. It’s all about subtext. Though, honestly, sometimes it’s just plain text.”
“I really can’t tell if you’re joking.”
Hunted shrugged. “Believe what you want. You might wanna get down; Sunny really wants to get going.”
As Verity got down from Sunstreaker’s hood, she spared a moment to look at Hunter’s human face for what could have been, for all she knew, the last time. “Do you ever wish you could go back?” she asked quietly.
“Go back to what?”
“To being human. A full human and not some weird cyborg that forms the head of a giant alien robot.”
Hunter gave the question some thought. “Not really,” he finally admitted. “Mostly ‘cos it’s hard for me to imagine ever going back. Sunstreaker and I have been bonded for so long, and gone through so much, that I don’t think we could ever be apart from each other even if it was possible to revert what’s been done to us.”
Verity slowly nodded. She then asked, “Do you regret it?”
Again, Hunter had to think about. Then, he shook his head. “Not really, no.”
Verity exhaled. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure you were happy. I mean, I wasn’t sure if you had any family or….”
“No.” Hunter gestured widely to the crashed remains of the Ark nearby. “This is my family now.”
The yellow car started to shift and Verity stepped aside as it changed shape, taking the form of a tall robot. Hunter began to change too, folding up into a robotic head with a black helmet and wide yellow “ear” pieces. The robot then bent down and picked up the head before attaching it to its neck.
“And I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Sunstreaker said.
* * *
“Hard to believe it’s been twenty-nine years.”
Bumblebee glanced at the human woman sitting to his right. On his left sat Sari Sumdac, who had volunteered to accompany him on this visit. After all, she had been one of the first to meet Charlie Watson and her Bumblebee... and had been there when that Bumblebee died.
“I find it hard to believe that it happened at all,” he remarked. “Granted, I was in stasis lock during all the years that you knew your Bumblebee, so… yeah, I guess it goes without saying.”
Charlie nodded, saying nothing as she continued to stare at the lake in front of them. The reflection of the moon shimmered in the calm, peaceful waters.
Clearing some static in his vocal processor, Bumblebee then said, “I wasn’t there when he died… but I’m sure he went out knowing that he did some good.”
Charlie looked up at him. “Did he?”
“He did,” Sari confirmed. “He destroyed that Talisman thing that these guys have been fretting over. Now that it’s gone, we don’t have to worry about the Decepticons trying to use it.”
“That’s good,” Charlie murmured. “I guess. But the Decepticons are still out there, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” Bumblebee said quietly. “They always are. But whatever they pull next, we’ll stop them. Just like we always do.”
“You sound sure about that.”
“As sure as I can ever be.”
The three of them lapsed into silence; a silence that none of them dared to break. There was nothing left to be said. All they could do now was wait for whatever the world threw at them next.
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