𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 | ʙᴜᴍʙʟᴇʙᴇᴇ

Chapter 11: Robo-Warrior

"This guy, Robo-Warrior? Everything about anything alien, he's supposed to know. One time we revenge-hacked his site and maybe, I saw some of your... uh... alien drawings or whatever." Leo recalls from behind me, I keep my hands on the wheel so it looks like I;m driving. "This is it. Yep. Deli. Good front! All right, wait here. I'll give you the go no-go. All right?" He quickly points out and Bumblebee pulls up to the curb.

I let him out on my side before leaning against the door, baseball hat pulled down as I keep an eye on him through the glass. I watch him walk up to the counter and talk with someone, but it isn't long before Leo is following him across the store. I tap the top of the car before moving into the store. "Robo-Warrior. It's him! It's him! That's the guy right there! That's him!" Leo shouts as I step into the Deli. "No." The man gasps, I roll my eyes, "Of course its fucking you, Simmons." I scoff, "You've got to be kidding me." Sam sighs.

"All right, meat store's closed! Everybody out! When he says to go, you go. Out! Right now. That means you, lady, right now." Simmons announces to the store, quickly ushering everybody out of the door. "Wait a minute. You know this guy?" Leo questions, "Hardly." I deny instantly, "We're old friends." Sam adds. "Old friends? Miss Ambassador is the case that shut down Sector Seven, got the kibosh disbanded. No more security clearance, no retirement, no nothing. All 'cause of you and your little criminal girlfriend. Look at her now, so mature." Simmons sneer gesturing between me and Sam then Mikaela. "I didn't do anything you didn't deserve." I snarl.

"Moron! Where's the whitefish?" A woman calls to the staff, "Hey! Don't touch me with the pig." His staff snaps slamming down a meat mallet. "Yakov!" Simmons calls, "What?" He answers, "You don't get Christmas bonuses standing around! You want those new teeth you saw on Sky Mall?" Simmons questions him. "It's my dream." The man answers, "Help her out." Simmons points. "You live with your mama?" I smirk, "No, my mama lives with me. It's a big difference. They've got your face all over the news, alien boy." He shot back. "Yeah, I know." Sam gruffs, "And N.B.E.-one. Still kicking, huh? How did that happen? Don't answer. I don't know what you're hiding, but I don't want anything to do with it. So, good-bye. You never saw me. I got bagels to smear. Vanish." Simmons rambles before promptly trying to kick us out.

"Can you give us five seconds? Look, hold on, I need your help." Sam begs, "Reaaaally? You need my help?" Simmons sasses. I finally had enough and took a step forward, "Look, I am slowly losing my mind. Okay. Sam had a little crab-bot plunge a device deep into the soft tissues of his brain and started projecting little alien symbols like a freaking home movie! I keep getting fucking seizures that project symbols in my head like a fucking Prophet of God. I was stripped of my titles by some fucking ass hat that blasted the locations of Megatron and shard on a live fucking transmission. Optimus is fucking dead, so now I can't even call for support. And on top of that! We're all wanted fugitives. So, you think you got it rough?" I snap taking him by the uniform.

"You said it projected images off his brain and your symbols?" He picks out from that entire rant, "Yes. Simmons." I sigh in complete and utter exhaustion. "Meat locker, now!" He orders pulling away and rushing behind the counter, despite my utter lack of trust in the man I follow him, pushing past hung carcasses of dead animals. "What you're about to see is top secret... Do not tell my mother." Simmons warns before he lifts a hatch on the floor, "Swine flu. Not good." Sam mumbles looking around at the meat, "Now you know. Next time you eat a goat or a pig, there's a story behind it. Saaad little story." Simmons mocks as he descends down into the hole.

I follow down next and when I take it all in I'm met with a horde of paper files and artifacts. "Jesus, Simmons." I muse looking around the room, "Okay, files, files. We're talking about symbols." He mumbles searching through different stacks, I catch Leo trying to touch something out of the corner of my eye. "Ey! still radioactive. Hands off." I warn popping him on the hand. Leo yelps and tucks his hand close to his chest, face looking like a beaten puppy. "Okay, Cube-brains. Any of these look like the symbols you saw?" Simmons questions dramatically opening a files, I roll my eyes already knowing where they fucking come from. "Where did you get these?" Sam questions, "I could guess," I snort, "Before I got fired, by yours truly." He sasses pointing over to me.

"I took a page out of her old man's book and poached S-7's crown jewel, over seventy five years of alien research, which points to one inescapable fact. The Transformers, they've been here a long, long time." He explains climbing up a file cabinet to a large stack of files, "How do I know? Archaeologists found these unexplained markings in ancient ruins all over the world." He answers his own question tossing me a box. I rip it open to see classified pictures with marking littering the background. "China. Egypt. Greece. Shot in 1932. These the symbols you're seeing in your head?" He pointing out taking some of the pictures and pointing the film screen on the wall.

"Yeah." Sam mumbles, "Same ones over here, right? So, tell me, how did they end up all drawing the same things? Aliens. And I think some of them stayed. Check this out." Simmons continues to ramble like a crazy old man with his favorite hobby. "Project: Black Knife. Robots. In disguise. Hiding here all along. We detected radioactive signatures all across the country." He points out opening another file and showing picture of different aircrafts and automobiles through out the decades. "I pleaded. On my knees with S-7 to investigate it, but they said the readings were infinitesimal, that I... was... obsessed! Me. Can you imagine that?" He laughs, "Imagine that." I scoff.

"Besides, we already knew all of this! I already knew all of this! I knew the symbols were from the cube, I know that symbols on the cube are a mass record from each and every one of those events! Hell I even know about project black knife and while you begged on your knees my father took Megatron's microchips and used those readings to create the first NBE tracking software." I ramble picking up different pictures and tossing them back down. "But Megatron said that there was another Energon source here." Sam pipes in, I pause in my rambling to look at him, "On Earth?" Simmons questions. "On Earth." Sam nods, "Another source?" I mumble, looking back down at the picture from the sites the symbols were found.

"Okay? And that these symbols, the maps in our heads, would lead him there." Sam continues, "You talked to your Autobot friends about this?" Simmons questions, "These symbols, the source was before them. Whatever this Energon source is, it predates them. It's before them." I mumble looking down at each symbol, taking individual files and placing them over the pictures they're seen in. "So it comes before them." Simmons nods, "Correct." Sam agrees. "Well, then we're porked, unless we can talk to a Decepticon. I mean, I'm not on speaking terms with them." Simmons chuckles. I pause in my sorting, "Hot Damn." I laugh, "What?" Simmon questions, "I know where I can find one." I smirk racing back to the latter. "Stay here, I'll be back." I call climbing up the latter. I sprint through the store and right out to Bee. I pat the truck and Bee instantly opens it up, grabbing the toolbox before shutting the top.

Bee's engine revs softly, "I'll be alright Bee, if he acts up I'll send him back to you." I laugh walking back into the Deli. Now calmer I make my way through the meat locker and down to the Cryptic bunker. "I'm warning all of you now, he's fucking menace." I huff setting the toolbox on the table, the entire group watches with wide eyes as I flex my wrist and form my cannon. With a deep breath I flick open the toolbox and the little asshole comes flying out.

"I will have so many Decepticons on your butt!" The little monster yells, "Hey, behave!" I warn pointing the cannon to his face. "Easy!" The robot surrenders, "What is it, a Decepticon?" Sam questions, "Yeah." I scoff. "And you're training him?" Sam wonders, "Not really, he attacked me for the shard and he's been locked in my toolbox ever since. Said something unsavory and Bee shot his eye." I explain glaring down at the little robot. "I spent my whole adult life combing the planet for aliens... and you're carrying around one in your purse like a little chihuahua. Why is always you that finds them first eh?" Simmons grumbles, "Don't sound too disappointed I'd trade him for a penny in a heartbeat." I scoff.

"Huh? Do you want a throwdown, you pubic 'fro-head?" The little monster yells, I take a deep breath, remember these robots are just really deadly toddlers. "Okay honey, you know what you're right. I'm so sorry about your eye, you know, but, if you're a good boy-" I coo sweetly, "Uh-huh? Uh-huh?" The robot nods along, "-then I'm not gonna that nasty autobot torch your other eye. Okay? And I won't even torch it. Just tell me what these symbols are. Please." I sweet talk. With my free hand I push the pictures over to him, "All right. Uh. Oh, I know that. That's the language of the Primes. I don't read it, but these guys... where the frick did you find photos of these guys?" The little robot questions.

"Is this them?" Sam questions holding up more pictures. "Yeah. Seekers, pal. Oldest of the old. They've been here thousands of years, looking for something. I don't know what. Nobody tells me nothing, but they'll translate those symbols for you. And I know where to find them." The robot brags, "Show us." Simmons ordes. The little robot cracks his knuckles before projecting laser points on the nearest map. "Closest one's in Washington." Simmons points, "Then let's move out asses." I call.