Transported

Ch. 12

I wasn't going to upload this chapter just yet because I wanted to see how it would balance out with the next one lengthwise. But I guess I decided I like it just the way it is, so sorry if the chapter after this is a bit shorter, I haven't finished it yet but it just may turn out that way.

I mulled over this a bunch, and I'm (pretty?) happy with how it turned out? So it it's not up to your standards, I don't really know what to tell ya so I'll just apologize in advance.

Okay, better just get it started.

*

"Is the Cube okay?"

"Yes, it's wearing its seatbelt. How about her?"

"She's strapped in too. He wouldn't have it any other way."

"You know what I mean."

"... Gawd, I wish I knew."

My eyes rolled open. Everything was blurry. I shut them again. I felt a mechanical rumbling beneath me. It was soothing. I tried again. I squeezed my eyes before opening them once more. I blinked and blinked and blinked until I could focus. Road. Window. Roof. Car.

Bee.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs, and let it out. I felt better.

"She's awake!" Sam's voice.

I was feeling better by the second. I thought maybe I could lift my head. I did.

A sudden tightening around my body across my chest and lap. I lifted my hands in response to where I felt the pressure applied. Seatbelt. The squeeze felt fierce, protective.

I got the message. I clutched back at the seatbelt best I could and ducked my head. I felt safe, and thankful. I sat still and just breathed as I remembered.

They were watching me. I lifted my head, saw Sam in the passenger seat and Mikaela leaning forward from the back. I was in the driver's seat?

"Why am I driving?" were my first words. Probably not the best choice. But at the same time, I remembered: The Cube. Where was it? I turned around to find it next to Mikaela in the back.

"We wanted to keep it away from you." Mikaela found her words.

What? Why? "What happened?" I asked, turning back to the front.

Sam and Mikaela looked at me with wide eyes, then at each other, then back at me. "The Cube..." The boy tried. "It...shocked you."

... This did not compute in my brain. "But...I'm organic." I thought aloud. "They said it wouldn't hurt-"

Mikaela reached forward. She pushed back the tight seatbelt around my lap and pulled something out of my pants pocket. It was metal. It was on a chain. It had a face.

My Autobot necklace.

"We think," she began, handing the emblem to me. "It saw your necklace and...got confused."

The necklace wasn't even charred. It was as shiny as ever. Confused? No, that was me. "And I'm...okay?"

"Somehow," Mikaela replied, nodding downwards towards me. "But it did burn you."

I tilted my head downwards and felt a stiffness in my chest. It was hard to tuck my chin all the way down, but I saw that my upper chest had been heavily bandaged. I lifted my hands to feel what I couldn't see, and I felt the bandages stretch across my whole collarbone. Strangely enough, I wasn't in pain. "It doesn't hurt." I told them.