Protector (TFP)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪᴠᴇ -ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ-

On the screen, the actor is stoic underneath his fedora hat. The only movement is the curling smoke from the barrel of his gun, the body in front of him cold and unmoving. The woman watching looks up at him through thick mascara, her eyes wide as she stares at the scene. Her brunette curls tumble down to her low-cut neckline, and if looks could kill, the guy would be dead on the concrete alley.

With the killer's mouth still a grim slash, his eyes unmoving, he lowers the gun. The woman's shock was replaced with horror, and a strangled scream escaped her lips. Hot tears cascaded her face in waves, leaving mascara streaks on her cheeks. She wants to look away from her brother's corpse, but she can't, and the woman looks as if she is going to puke. The man's brilliant yellow hues turned to his fiance, and his once warm eyes were full of unbridled hate.

"I can't believe you thought I loved you." He spat, his gaze dark.

I was engrossed in the film, barely noticing the chip that failed to make it into my slack-jawed mouth. Just as the woman was going to open her mouth, a commercial popped up, breaking the suspense in the air. I groaned in annoyance, throwing the pillow I was holding at the small T.V. Raf snorted from beside me at my behavior, and I shot him a childish glare, throwing the other pillow at him.

"The movie will come back on in a little bit Astra." Raf reminded, still laughing as he removed the pillow from his face. I sighed, slumping against the couch.

"Yeah, but it was the best part! It should be illegal to do that." I mumbled, blowing a strand of hair away from my face. He only grinned, shaking his head. Just as Raf was going to say something, Miko's loud voice interrupted us. Our attention turned to the girl as she leaned over the railing, Bulkhead standing in front of her.

"Bulkhead, can I come with?" Miko begged, her voice filled with anticipation. On this Saturday morning, the Autobots had gotten an Energon signal a few moments earlier, and the Bots couldn't pass up the chance to investigate. Usually, they wouldn't be so reckless, but due to their own stash becoming alarmingly low, they had no choice but to go, even if there were signs of Decepticon activity.

The mech shook his head at Miko's request, and the hope in her eyes quickly faded.

"No, Miko. it's too dangerous." Bulkhead scolded, taking a step away from the female. Miko rolled her eyes with a scoff, her arms crossing in front of her.

"What's dangerous about searching for Energon." The pink-haired girl muttered, glaring at her guardian. I stifled a chuckle as I watched the familiar argument unfold, my show already forgotten. This was a regular occurrence around the base, and I was always amused by the different ways Miko tried to convince Bulkhead to let her come.

"It's not the Energon I'm worried about. There could be Decepticons!" Bulkhead exasperatedly explained, gently tapping the girl with his giant digit. The girl huffed in annoyance, her mouth opening to rebut. Before she could say a word, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Come on, Miko, let's watch T.V. with Astra and Raf," Jack insisted, not waiting for her to respond as he dragged her over to the couch. The green Autobot sent Jack a grateful look before turning back to the others. Arcee's arms were crossed, and her eyebrow lifted as she stared at her teammate. Bulkhead gave her a sheepish smile before transforming his hand into a club.

"Uh, rollout?" Bulkhead questioned, chuckling nervously when he got only blank stares in return. Ratchet broke the silence with a sigh, and with the push of a lever, the ground bridge started up. The Groundbridge swirled with a mix of green and purple, and I couldn't help but admire it in utter fascination.