Ruby - Transformers: Age of Extinction fanfic

Return of the Knight

Ruby sucked in a breath of yucky smoky air and rubbed her sore head. She'd been in battle dozens of times, she'd fallen over, been stabbed, shot, burned, and hit her head thousands of time, why did this time hurt so dam much?

"Ruby?"

Thomas raised an arm out to her, but Optimus blocked him with his huge metal sword,

"Leave her be," he said.

"Please, I understand why you're upset-"

"Upset!? Murderous is more like it!" cried Hound, "You kept her imprisoned for years, experimenting and torturing her! What the hell is wrong with you?" At the boom of his voice, bits of plaster and bricks were shaken loose from the broken building behind them, rolling noisily to the ground.

Why was everyone so loud?

"Just, shush for a moment, please," said Ruby, closing her eyes.

Thomas stepped round Optimus' sword and lowered his voice so only Ruby could hear;

"Please, I could never have killed you, or disabled you like that. I stood by while the government and my father pushed the project. I managed to convince myself that I was saving you, that I was freeing you of the bracelet. But deep down, I knew what we were doing was wrong. I was selfish, but I always stopped them from hurting you. I see now just how wrong we all were about you. You're not a test subject, or a girl who needs saving." 

"You're a war veteran, and a lot of people on this planet owe you their lives."

He raised his voice again, looking up at the autobots, "Please, let me make it up to you by helping to get the Seed out of the city. I'll carry it myself."

"Yeah? Why should we trust you?" said Crosshairs.

"You lack integrity, young warrior," said Drift, "I do not think it would be wise,"

"We should just kill him now!" Hound swiped a gun from Crosshairs and aimed at Thomas.

Optimus pushed the barrel aside.

"No, let him do it. Do you agree, Ruby?"

"What? Yes, let's just go,"

It was time to end this battle. Now. Ruby needed to lie down. She dropped her hand from her sore head and clenched her fists.

"What is the plan?" asked Drift, "The drones will soon launch their next attack. My radar shows they're on the move,"

"Plan, okay, er," Ruby glanced around the street and jogged over to an abandoned car. It wasn't great, just a blue Honda Acord, but it would have to do, "We get in this. I drive us and the Seed out of the city like your regular fleeing citizens. You cover us. Got it?"

"Wait, why-" Ruby pushed Cade into the front seat with his gun, ignoring his objections. Thomas encouraged Tessa into the back with him and the Seed. None of the autobots argued. They didn't have time.

Drift led the way, standing out like a black stain on a white canvas as a noisy Bugatti Veyron. But he had the radar, and Ruby needed to follow him. Hound, Crosshairs and Bee ran behind. Optimus vanished.

Ruby stomped the gas pedal to the floor, throwing them all back in their seats, revving the Honda higher and louder than it had probably even been before. Cade grabbed hold of the dash and Tessa cried out as they spun around a corner. Brakes squealed and tyres smoked. A drone appeared in the rear view mirror.

The ground shook. Ruby tore her eyes from the mirror. She had to let the autobots do their job and she had to concentrate on keeping up with Drift!

Crosshairs fired his rifle. Ruby gritted her teeth; urgh noise! Bullets sprayed the road ahead.

"Swerve, swerve!!" cried Cade.

"They won't hit us!" said Ruby, the bracelet humming around her wrist, "I'm doing my best to protect the car."

She swerved anyway, reflexes taking over. They darted around other traffic and rubble, making for the bridge out of the city center.

"We'll guard the bridge!" Crosshairs shouted, and he and Hound stayed there to stop the drones from crossing. Bumble Bee transformed, following Ruby and Drift as a brilliant yellow Camaro. Ruby rolled her eyes; great, between Bee's brightness and Drift's noise, no one was bound to notice them.

But another problem soon distracted her.

"What is that?" snapped Tessa, "What is that noise?"

She backed away from Tom, squashing herself against the car door. Her hair was wild and her eyes wider than Ruby had ever seen. She flicked her eyes back to the road and tightened her grip on the wheel;

"Tom, what is it?"

A beeping sound came from inside the black bag on his lap. He unzipped it. The Seed, a long oval of twisted metal, ebbed green at its center, in time with the beeping.
"I don't know," he said calmly, "Just started beeping," he shrugged, "I don't know, I didn't do anything,"

"Is that like a bomb counting down? Is it?!" screamed Cade.

"Or they could of activated a tracker," Tom didn't even look concerned, "Not much we can do about it,"

They sped round the outskirts of the city alongside the harbor. Water glistened to their left.

"What is that?"

"Haven't we just had this conversation?"

"No, THAT!"

Cade pointed to a huge shadow descending over the water.

Ruby looked up to see what was blocking out the sun. Her stomach lurched and her heart almost stopped when she saw it: Lockdown's ship.