𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 | ʙᴜᴍʙʟᴇʙᴇᴇ

Chapter 12: The Old-Timer

"Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Land of dreams in there. All I ever wanted to be was an astronaut." Simmons sighs out from his binoculars, "And yet you chose to be a backstabbing double agent." I mumble to myself shaking my head. Tapping Bee's trunk to open up, I don't hear what's said next, but it's followed by a firm rip. I raise my head to look but Bee's top raises higher to block my sight. Taking the sign I continue taking the robot trapped in my toolbox out of the trunk.

"Okay. Watches synchronized, sharp mind and empty bladder. You get caught, demand an attorney and don't ever say my name. Okay, take one of these pills. Slip it under your tongue. It's the high-concentrate polymer they put in Oreo cookies. Tricks the polygraph every time. Okay. Now, let's get this show on the road." Simmons explains passing around a bottle, Sam passes me one and I slip it under my tongue as I watch Simmons test out his taser. "Whoa, whoa, no, listen, I can't do this." Leo sputters, "Yes." Simmons orders, "I'm not some alien bounty hunter, guys. I'm not gonna do this. Guards have guns. I don't want to die." Leo panics. I roll my eyes as I put my toolbox down and tie up my hair as Leo gets a talking to by Simmons.

When Leo grabs himself by the balls and does what's needed we all slip into the museum. Hiding in one of the many aircrafts until I hear Simmons calls it clear, I jump out of the plane and unlock the toolbox, "Be good." I remind. "I'm claustrophobic." He whines, "When you learn to be nice, you won't have to be in the box." I mumble reaching inside and pulling out a pair of pliers. The little robot gawks as I reach into my bra and pull out the little vile. Popping that bad boy open I pinch the shard in my pliers, using it to pull me to the hidden Robot. Thankfully the little robot seems to know where he's going as he transforms into a little toy monster truck and takes off.

Sam and Mikaela follow quickly after me as I follow after him, the little robot leading right up to a plane. "You got what I got?" Simmons questions, "Yep." I hum looking up a black aircraft. "Blackbird." Simmons awes, "Ooh, there he is. This guy's a legend, like, like, like the Chairman of the Board! Yo, Goddess, point the shard and watch the magic happen." He points. I raise the shard up and watch it fly right out of the pliers. My eyes blow wide as an energy wave ripples off the robot, a robotic sound echoing the museum as the shard falls back to the floor. I duck under the airplane and snatch the shard up and tuck it back into the vile. As I look up my eyes find it's chest, "Oh shit." I whisper, "It's a Decepticon!" I scream just as the robot begins to take form.

"Behind the MiG now!" Simmons calls, I duck behind the plane and watch as an old looking bot takes form. "Ah. What sort of hideous mausoleum is this? Answer me, pawns and knaves! Show yourselves or suffer my infinite wrath! You little spinal-cord-based organisms! Oof. Oh, bugger it. Behold the eternal glory of... Jetfire! Prepare for remote systems override!" He rambles like a cranky old man, which I assume he is at this point. We all ease our way out into sight, "I tell you, this guy did not age well." The little robot comments, "You better hope he doesn't kill us." I warn pointing my finger down at him. "I don't think he's gonna hurt us." Mikaela mumbles.

"I command these doors to open! Fire! I said, fire!" The old man yells, only for his body to backfire, "Whoa whoa whoa!" Sam and Simmons calls running up to the robot, "Oh, bollocks! Damn these worthless parts." The alien grumbles. "Wait a second!" I call after him, as he blows open the hangar door, "ltchy, wretched rust in my arse! Ah!" He continues to grumble. "Oh, the museum is going to be very angry. Very angry. We gotta catch that plane." Simmons calls as we all chase after him.

"Right. I'm on a mission." The old man reminds himself, "Wait, wait, wait, wait!" I call jumping and waving. I can hear Bee and the twins coming around the building behind us. "What do you want?" The grumpy robot questions, "Look, we just want to talk!" Sam calls. "I have no time to talk. I'm on a mission. I'm a mercenary doom-bringer. What planet am I on?" The old man questions back, "Earth." I answer. "Earth? Terrible name for a planet. Might as well call it dirt. Planet dirt. Tell me, is that robot civil war still going on? Who's winning?" He babbled.

"The Decepticons." I grunt, I take a step back as the robot spits, "Well, I change sides to the Autobots." He grunts. I raise my eyebrows at the confession, "What do you mean, change sides?" Sam asks, just as confused as the rest of us. "It's a choice. It's an intensely personal decision. So much negativity. Who wants to live a life filled with hate?" The now Autobot explains, "You mean you don't have to work for those miserable freaking Decepticons?" the little robot at my feet questions.

"If Decepticons had their way, they'd destroy the whole universe." Jetfire I think scoffs, "I'm changing sides. I'm changing sides, too, warrior goddess. Who's your little Autobot?" The little robot grovels at my feet before climbing up my leg and humps it. My eyes blow wide at him, "Uh, okay." I mumble gently trying to shake him off, "Name's Wheelie. Yeah. Yeah. Say my name, say my name." He moans. Bumblebee's engine's rawers violently and just like that the little robot throws himself off.

"What were you saying?" Sam questions, now that the weird little robot stopped, "I told you my name was Jetfire! So stop judging me!" The older robot demands. We all jump back at his aggression, "Somebody shit the bed this morning." Wheelie snorts. I shot the little robot a glare. "I have issues of my own, and it started with my mother! My ancestors have been here for centuries. My father, why, he was the wheel! The first wheel. Do you know what he transformed into?" The Autobot rambles, "No." Simmons answers, "Nothing! But he did so with honor!" He screams so hard a parachute comes out of his ass. "Dignity, damn it!" He gruffs falling on his ass.

I rub my forehead as the shit show after shit show that seems to keep happening. The old robot continues to grumble. I gather my nerves before moving to stand in front of him, "You know I think we can help each other. You know things I don't know. I know things you don't know, I do." I offer, "I don't think he knows anything. Honestly, I don't." Leo mumbles over to me. I roll my eyes, "Knife," I wave over to Simmons the man hands it to me hesitantly. I then hand it Sam, "Start drawing kid." I wave to the dirt.

I watch silently as Sam draws symbol after symbol in the dirt, "Both of us could do this all day. Hell I sure as hell have, but It comes in waves, these vivid symbols. They're symbols, but they're in our mind, our heads. And Megatron wants what's in our heads. Him and someone called the Fallen." I explain gesturing to the symbols. "The Fallen? I know him. He left me here to rust. The original Decepticon. He's terrible to work for. It's always apocalypse, chaos, crisis. These transcriptions, they were part of my mission, the Fallen's search. I remember now, for the Dagger's Tip, and- and the key." He starts to ramble, "Yeah, wait, slow down. The Dagger's Tip? The key? What are you talking about?" Sam calls. Oh shit did I unlock a core memory? "No time to explain." Jetfire urges, "Wait, wait—" I beg, "Hold on, everybody! Stay still or you'll die!" The older robot warns. Oh shit.