Terra

Metal Swarm

It had been a few minutes after Cade had left, that I finally spoke what was on my mind. "Optimus?" I looked up to his face as I sat on his knee. He looked at me with a hum of acknowledgment. "If you are so done with humans, why do I keep ending up in your hand? Or on your shoulder? I mean, I'm sitting on your knee right now. So, what makes me so different?" I paused, feeling like I was ranting at him.

"There is something that is different about you, then any other Human." He said, his voice reverberating in my chest. I glanced around and saw that Bee, Hound, and Cross were watching us while Drift drove the ship. "You have proven to be more. Your resilience to how the world has changed has impressed me. You showed no fear for yourself but for others around you including me and the remaining Autobots. You have cried for my kind and defended us from your own." My gaze had returned to Optimus, but I could still see the other bots nodding in agreement. "The only time I have heard you be afraid for yourself was when I failed to protect you aboard Lockdown's ship. Despite the pain, you went through, and still, do with the Energon in your body, you show no hate to me. You truly are something different."

I looked down, reflecting on everything that has happened. Seeing how I reacted differently to the bots than other humans. I raised my right hand and Nanos broke apart and just started to move, making me feel like Katara from the last Avatar. "That is another thing. You can control the metal that you commandeered from KSI, the medal that makes us. But you don't command it, you guide it. That in itself is a reflecting of you." I paused waving my hand around, Nanos stopping too, "How so?" I asked confused.

Drift came walking overseeing as Cross switched to driving. "You do not stand above but stand with those who fight for you. You are a leader by example not by fear. A leader one wishes to follow." He said when he was closer. "You show the makings of a true leader, one who cares and shows compassion, but is fierce and strong." I felt myself turning red as his words. "I'm not a leader," I mumbled in embarrassment. "Not yet anyway," Optimus spoke up. "I know you'll 'er having a touching moment but we're getting close to the Seed's signal." Crosshairs said from the front.

I jumped down from my spot-on Optimus's knee and headed to the back where we got on. Nanos followed me and took a form of a CheyTac M200 Intervention sniper rifle. Cade, Tessa, and Shane looked over in surprise, "What is that?" Tessa asked, eyeing the gun. "This, this is a CheyTac M200 Intervention sniper rifle. Oh, I have been wanting to get my hands on this." I practically purred. "What's the big deal?" Hound asked. "It's just, like the best sniper rifle available to humans. The accuracy and range on this thing is amazing. Used by the British military and USA Navy, would cost quite a pretty penny to get."

Cross shouted to the back that he sees Joshua with the Seed. Bee and Hound guard us, while Tessa, Shane, Cade and I form a chain to get Joshua. Joshua struggles to lift the bag holding the Seed to Cade as Hound catches sight of something, "Looks like we might have company." I twist my head around hoping to see what he spotted, but before I could I felt the shop lurch, "We're hit! We're hit!" Hound yelled as the six of us fell off the ship and onto the roof below us. I recover in time to see the ship go crashing over the hill in the distance.

I pull my rifle around me and shot down one of the prototypes that were coming for us. I gave a quick sweep of the immediate area as Hound looked down, "I count ten below!" Cade and Joshua approached the edge and looked down, "I thought you said you had one prototype get infected." Cade yelled. "Now he's got operational control of my other fifty," Joshua replied in frustration. I looked down to spot the enemy, "Oh come on! We gotta move! NOW!" I yelled as I started to push Tessa and Shane forward.

"I may have started the apocalypse, but you brought your family. And that's, you know, terrible parenting." "Oh, I'm about one second away from knocking you out, taking the bomb, and just leaving you here." Joshua rolled his eyes as Cade spoke, "Well, I'm half a second away from shooting you in the head." I heard Hound yelling, "Evac! Evac! We're getting flanked! We got company below!" I looked back in time to see him get stick in another building. I looked forward again to see that Cade was leading us to an elevator. Cade furiously pressed the call button as we ducked for cover.