Fic: Smoke and Mirrors, Secrets and Lies 15/15
TITLE: Smoke and Mirrors, Secrets and Lies, part 15
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
WHO TO BLAME: Sapphire! It only took one weekend to work this out, two weeks later the story was written out as a rough draft. Darn bunnies!
Yep, that's it, you made it! Final part. Hope I haven't lost some of you on the (a littler longer than usual) way.
Raoul felt like he was still under constant surveillance. Running into Barricade, who suddenly leaned against the door of the medical area, had been even more tension-filled. He understood that Barricade was also a Decepticon, though called ‘former’, but he had never actually deserted. He would still be following that Megatron character if he hadn’t been betrayed by the Decepticon leader. Drift wouldn’t say more, but apparently there had been a lot of talking between two mechs going on that a human wasn’t privy to.
He had never been more glad to get home to LA than he was now. Rodimus Prime and Tony Stark had accompanied them and Stark had actually handed over a business card that had had Raoul gape.
“Stark Industries? Are you friggin’ kidding?”
Stark smiled. “No.”
“You’re that Stark.”
“The one and only. Seeing what you did here, I think I might call you for a few jobs, kid.”
Goldmine, Raoul had thought. Literal goldmine.
Alone in his dark shop, he turned to look at the car that was his best friend. It felt like a life time had gone by since they had last been here, preparing for the show. Now… now the news were still on about the fire at the car exhibit, how someone who wasn’t revealed had apparently stowed highly flammable items in the exhibit area, how police was already on the case…
Raoul knew that everything was a set-up. Everything reported was a lie. The Clean Up Team the Autobots and their human allies used were taking care of matters as they always did. They covered it all up and in the end damages would be paid and expenses met, but the truth would be far, far from what was going to end up in a report.
“You okay?” he wanted to know.
“I’m fine, Raoul.”
“And that tracking thingy?”
“I agreed to it. I want this to be over. I’m a Neutral, but my past makes it hard to accept. I told you before, I could kill them easily. I just know how. I look at a mech and know. It makes me dangerous.”
Raoul slumped into his old, battered armchair. “I know.”
“I never expected as much as I got,” Drift went on. “The Primes trust me enough to leave me with you.”
Raoul stared at the ceiling. Twenty-four hours ago that ceiling had been metal and had belonged to an underground base built by an alliance of humans and aliens. A week ago he had thought he was the only one to ever know about Drift. He would never have gotten Bella involved if he had known where this might go. Of course, now Bella knew her father was still alive and she was hell-bent on staying in his life.
“I’ll make the most of it.”
“Okay. And since you and Rodimus Prime trashed the LA exhibit, no more contracts from there.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Back to earning money right from tomorrow on. I’ll call the ones from the show who expressed an interest in my work and maybe give Stark a holler… I mean, if he was serious…”
“I suppose he was. He is a collector of sports cars.”
“How would you know?”
“Internet.”
“Ah.” Raoul grinned.
His stomach rumbled and he grimaced. Drift popped open a door.
“Get in. You have nothing in your fridge aside from possible new life forms,” the mech teased.
“No complaints about ketchup stains and fatty fries?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Cool.”
They were heading for the next drive-in five minutes later.
Up in the sky, Blaster tracked the movement of the neutral Cybertronian, relaying the data back to Nevada.
* * *
Raoul’s departure had left Bella alone at the base. Well, alone aside from the soldiers and some civilians populating the military installation in the Nevada desert. She was happy for Raoul and Drift, glad that everything had worked out. Now she only had to work out her own family matters.
Bella had taken to studying Ironhide. She would find a place she wasn’t in the way and she would look at the mechanoid who was her father’s bonded partner.
Physically he looked rather… squad… as tall as he was broad. That was armor; simply a lot of armor. She had been told about protoforms and that they weren’t anything like the mech that had adapted to the current environment through camouflage. So underneath all that bulk was a normal-sized protoform. Trying to imagine him as a human had failed. Bella had a lot of imagination, but she couldn’t apply any of the features from the mech to a human model.
What she got from daily interaction and remarks dropped by soldiers when she asked about the Autobots as individuals - and Bella knew not to ask only about Ironhide - was… mostly the same. Ironhide was the weapons specialist. He was tough. He was hard. Hard-headed mostly. He didn’t roll over and died; he would fight to the end and he would take as many opponents with him as he could.
She had tried to find out more about the bond and what it meant, but since she didn’t want to ask too many questions about something this private of her father, she was out of options.
Someone sat next to her. She had chosen what looked like a work bench on the far side of the hangar, out of the way of the daily operations, and was simply watching.
“Hey, little lady,” Jazz said jovially.
“I’m not a kid,” she told him.
“Of course not. No offense, Ms Annabelle Sheppard.”
“Call me Bella. You’re Jazz, right?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to keep me company.”
“No, but I like it.” He flashed her a smile. “And I might be the one who can help you.”
Bella frowned. “Help me with what?”
“You want to know about bonds, about your father and Ironhide.”
Bella felt her cheeks flush. “Will told me some about that.”
“But you’re still curious.”
She nodded.
“Well, ask.”
She gave him another frown. “Ask? Who?”
Jazz tilted his head. “Obviously me.”
“But…” She stopped, then blurted, “You’re bonded to a human, too?”
“No. I’ve a spark-bond, but not to a human. My partner is Cybertronian and we’ve had this bond for millennia.”
“And no sex.”
He laughed. “No sex,” he confirmed.
“Then what is this? What is it that my father shares with one of you guys? What’s so attractive?”
Because she didn’t understand. She looked at Ironhide and saw a huge, heavily armored mechanoid. All in black, looking like a battering ram on legs. He was toting big cannons, was very trigger-happy, and Arcee had confirmed that he was one of the oldest mechs around. He also loved his weapons. As Arcee had put it, he outclassed most countries on Earth when it came to long and short range weaponry. If you wanted a weapons system, you went to Ironhide.
“You have a saying that it isn’t the outside that is important, Bella. The inside counts. Underneath our armors there is a central structure, the protoform. While we don’t all look alike as protoforms, it still is the base of every Cybertronian. A transscan makes us into what you see here. And within the protoform is a spark. It’s our mind and soul, if you will.”
She nodded. Will had given her the rough basics about some things.
“Will was changed because of the Allspark and he started to develop abilities. Ironhide was there for him because they were friends and trusted each other. Ironhide trained your father and throughout this, the friendship deepened. A spark-bond happens faster. The other mech just feels it. With Will being human, without a spark, they took the long way.”
“Dad fell in love?”
“No. You can’t apply human emotions to this, Bella,” Jazz told her calmly. “What we feel is hard to translate into love. We feel deeply and Ironhide would give his life for Will. He cares about his happiness and he has found ways to be closer to a human partner than some of us would have gone.”
“But no sex.”
He smirked. “No. You’re not going to see much open displays either. This is intensely personal and it’s about having someone there, someone who is very much equal to you in many ways. A bond is formed between those that complete each other.”
“But if you guys form bonds with your own kind, what happens if Ironhide finds his match?”
Jazz nodded that this was a good question. “Spark bonds are very rare, Bella. I’ve lived a long time and never seen one beside my own. Ironhide is older than me and he hasn’t connected to anyone as he did to Will. And while I can’t say for sure that it’s the case, I doubt he would be able to.”
“But my father is human… how can he connect like this?”
“He is a hybrid,” the mech reminded her. “His physical structure was altered. I know he explained a few things and you will learn more about him, Bella. Being what and who he is now made it possible for them to develop their bond.”
Bella gazed thoughtfully at the going-ons around her. “I just can’t see it, Jazz,” she finally said. “I mean, we humans are attracted to people by looks and by personality. I know I liked some guys, even if they didn’t like me back the same way. But, and no offense, I wouldn’t find you attractive that way. And Ironhide’s…”
“No physically a match to human mating instinct,” Jazz finished.
She shot him a dark look. “You sound like my biology teacher.”
He grinned. “But this is what it’s all about. What you forget is that Will isn’t looking for a mate to keep a species alive. This isn’t about off-spring.”
“Gawd, don’t give me ideas!” she complained.
He didn’t look at all repentant. “This is about finding a kindred spirit, if you want to put it like that. Ironhide and Will… they’re good together.”
No sex, no sex, no sex, Bella chanted in her head.
“I guess I have to get to know Ironhide a lot better.”
“Good luck on that. He’s tight-lipped and private. He’s seen a lot, lost many friends, and aside from Optimus I think only Will is privy to the depths of him.” Jazz leaned closer. “Even if some of us think he has no depth at all. He’s an ornery old bucket of bolts.”
She burst out laughing. Jazz held a finger to his lips. Bella snickered.
“All that uptight, rough around the edges personality is still met and matched by Will’s. They’re really good, Bella. Give it a try. Watch them.”
“I am giving this a try. Even if my head explodes.” She chewed on her lower lip. “If this isn’t too private a question… who is your bonded?”
Blue optics brightened. “Barricade.”
Bella knew she was gaping. “He’s… the guy Ironhide gripes about, right? The Decepticon allied to you?”
Jazz nodded.
Talk about strange matches!
“Like I said: bonds complete the other.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Give this a chance, Bella.”
She got up, still able to look into the bright blue optics. Jazz was smaller than the others, but he was a lot bigger than a human being.
“I never said I wouldn’t. Ironhide is part of Will’s life.”
Jazz nodded and got up, too. He transformed and opened a door. “Care for a ride?”
“Where to?”
“Do you need a destination to travel?”
She grinned. “I don’t think so. Just get me home for dinner. I’ve a date.”
“I promise.”
She slipped into the sleek silver car and they left the base.
* * *
“Man, I finally caught a hold of you!”
Raoul held the cell away from his ear as Doug’s voice blared out of it. “Doug, I’m not deaf!”
“Where the friggin’ heck were you?”
“Something personal came up.”
“We thought you’d gone up in smoke, man!”
Raoul laughed. “The car did,” he lied. “And the cops talked to me, too. I had a friend call me right after and had to leave in a hurry. She’s fine now.”
Doug started to moan about the loss of his baby, the seriously tweaked Cobra he had had on display, and that no insurance money in the world could bring her back. Raoul listened patiently, grunting now and then, and finally hung up when Doug had finished. He had promised to call for a get-together, their usual weekend filled with cars, booze and unhealthy amounts of food.
Turning to Drift, he had to smile. The Neutral had kept the disguise he had chosen when they had fled, the red Ford GT. It was Raoul’s new car since the Shelby had gone up in flames according to the faked reports.
“Up for a drive?”
“Always,” was the amused reply and the door clicked open.
Raoul slipped inside and the Ford left the garage.
* * *
Bella stayed for the whole summer break at the Nevada base and by the end of it, she was decided upon her change to UNLV. She might not like Las Vegas as such, but it was the closest to her father and UNLV offered her enough to continue studying. She had already called and mailed with a friend who would take over her lease for the apartment. The friend had been looking for a place for a while now and was happy to have hers. One more trip to Lincoln to pack and she would be in Las Vegas for good.
As Major DeMarco had promised, moving was taken care of by the military. They would even have taken over her lease in a false name if she hadn’t found anyone, and it made her wonder just how important Will Lennox really was. She was still not at the end of the seemingly nerverending story of what her father was, had been up and still did.
A small apartment had been found for her, away from the Strip, and the move would be accomplished within a day. Knowing Autobots and the military had its advantages.
Will promised to call or email her whenever he could.
Bella promised never to lose a word about this to anyone.
* * *
Sitting in her new apartment, alone for the first time in weeks, she looked at the normalcy around her. No more alien base, no more soldiers, just a student’s home and the work she still had to do. There were a few more personal items to unpack.
She went over to the small box next to her bed. Inside was the flag from her father’s funeral and the photo album she had taken with her without her mother’s knowledge. Of course she had called her mother to let her know about the move. While her mother hadn’t been happy about the change of colleges again, she also knew she couldn’t change Bella’s mind. If there was one thing Bella was, it was independent and stubborn.
Now she also knew where that came from.
The lie about her new move had been that the master’s she was attempting was sponsored and she belonged to the elite few in that sponsorship. It was the truth, to a degree. AIDDE was her sponsor.
When she was done she wanted to get a job with the military, with the Nevada base or Yuma or Nellis. She was going to get her master and she wanted to work for AIDEE, with her father, at the base, or close to it. She had been given a second chance and she wanted to use it. Well, for now she had to continue learning and get a degree.
Her cell rang and she looked at the display, rolling her eyes.
“Hi, Mom,” she greeted the caller. “Yes, I’m fine… All boxes unpacked… Yeah, great… No, tomorrow… Yes, I’ll call. I’ll write emails… Oh please, Mom!...”
When she hung up Annabelle sighed. Mothers! Her mom always worried. Always! She was twenty-one, she was in college, she was doing great! And Las Vegas wasn’t too bad a place to get her masters in the future.
Grabbing her bag, laptop and cell, she left the apartment building. Time to explore her new home for the next few years!
* * *
At Nevada base Will sat on Ironhide’s hood, looking at old photographs. His daughter. As a baby. As a toddler. In kindergarten. Pre-school. Then a few snap shots Epps had scored for him. And finally a whole collection of Annabelle throughout her life. A life Will hadn’t been able to share. She had left him with a USB full of memories and Lennox was flipping through them with a little sad smile.
“She is back in your life,” Ironhide rumbled softly.
“Yeah. And I’m happy, Hide. Happier than I should be. She’s now involved with the military, with you guys, and it’s a danger.”
“Life is always a danger.”
He laughed darkly. “Sure. Add aliens and a war to the mix, just another day, right?”
The holoform materialized and Ironhide took the stick out of his hands, the holographic projection flicking off.
“She is a strong woman, Will. She is your daughter. She made up her mind.” He smiled slightly. “And may I remind you that she ran into a Decepticon before she even knew about you or us.”
Will leaned back against the windshield and groaned. “Yeah. Don’t remind me. It could have been something much, much worse. Someone who was more inclined to kill a human than to be friends.”
“Yes.”
“So this was luck. Luck and fate?”
“Probably.”
Ironhide gently traced over the glyphs residing permanently on Will’s wrist. His name. Part of their connection.
“We’re looking after her,” the mech said. “She has supervision.”
“If she finds out, I’m toast,” Will joked. Still, having a watcher on Bella alleviated his fears.
Ironhide smiled. “Got a trial run scheduled,” he said, changing the topic.
Lennox chuckled. “Gonna blow something up?”
“If all goes well.”
“And you want company?”
“It might help distract you.”
The hybrid looked at the fingers playfully trailing runes. “Some things are more distracting than others.”
Ironhide smirked, then the holoform dissolved.
“Okay, that was unfair,” his partner grumbled, but he slid off the hood and got into the cab.
Ironhide’s engine rumbled to life. They pulled away from their secluded spot and headed for the base.
In Las Vegas a symbiote kept careful watch over the human woman assigned to him.
fin! Hope I didn't bore you to death :) :)
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
WHO TO BLAME: Sapphire! It only took one weekend to work this out, two weeks later the story was written out as a rough draft. Darn bunnies!
Yep, that's it, you made it! Final part. Hope I haven't lost some of you on the (a littler longer than usual) way.
Raoul felt like he was still under constant surveillance. Running into Barricade, who suddenly leaned against the door of the medical area, had been even more tension-filled. He understood that Barricade was also a Decepticon, though called ‘former’, but he had never actually deserted. He would still be following that Megatron character if he hadn’t been betrayed by the Decepticon leader. Drift wouldn’t say more, but apparently there had been a lot of talking between two mechs going on that a human wasn’t privy to.
He had never been more glad to get home to LA than he was now. Rodimus Prime and Tony Stark had accompanied them and Stark had actually handed over a business card that had had Raoul gape.
“Stark Industries? Are you friggin’ kidding?”
Stark smiled. “No.”
“You’re that Stark.”
“The one and only. Seeing what you did here, I think I might call you for a few jobs, kid.”
Goldmine, Raoul had thought. Literal goldmine.
Alone in his dark shop, he turned to look at the car that was his best friend. It felt like a life time had gone by since they had last been here, preparing for the show. Now… now the news were still on about the fire at the car exhibit, how someone who wasn’t revealed had apparently stowed highly flammable items in the exhibit area, how police was already on the case…
Raoul knew that everything was a set-up. Everything reported was a lie. The Clean Up Team the Autobots and their human allies used were taking care of matters as they always did. They covered it all up and in the end damages would be paid and expenses met, but the truth would be far, far from what was going to end up in a report.
“You okay?” he wanted to know.
“I’m fine, Raoul.”
“And that tracking thingy?”
“I agreed to it. I want this to be over. I’m a Neutral, but my past makes it hard to accept. I told you before, I could kill them easily. I just know how. I look at a mech and know. It makes me dangerous.”
Raoul slumped into his old, battered armchair. “I know.”
“I never expected as much as I got,” Drift went on. “The Primes trust me enough to leave me with you.”
Raoul stared at the ceiling. Twenty-four hours ago that ceiling had been metal and had belonged to an underground base built by an alliance of humans and aliens. A week ago he had thought he was the only one to ever know about Drift. He would never have gotten Bella involved if he had known where this might go. Of course, now Bella knew her father was still alive and she was hell-bent on staying in his life.
“I’ll make the most of it.”
“Okay. And since you and Rodimus Prime trashed the LA exhibit, no more contracts from there.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Back to earning money right from tomorrow on. I’ll call the ones from the show who expressed an interest in my work and maybe give Stark a holler… I mean, if he was serious…”
“I suppose he was. He is a collector of sports cars.”
“How would you know?”
“Internet.”
“Ah.” Raoul grinned.
His stomach rumbled and he grimaced. Drift popped open a door.
“Get in. You have nothing in your fridge aside from possible new life forms,” the mech teased.
“No complaints about ketchup stains and fatty fries?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Cool.”
They were heading for the next drive-in five minutes later.
Up in the sky, Blaster tracked the movement of the neutral Cybertronian, relaying the data back to Nevada.
* * *
Raoul’s departure had left Bella alone at the base. Well, alone aside from the soldiers and some civilians populating the military installation in the Nevada desert. She was happy for Raoul and Drift, glad that everything had worked out. Now she only had to work out her own family matters.
Bella had taken to studying Ironhide. She would find a place she wasn’t in the way and she would look at the mechanoid who was her father’s bonded partner.
Physically he looked rather… squad… as tall as he was broad. That was armor; simply a lot of armor. She had been told about protoforms and that they weren’t anything like the mech that had adapted to the current environment through camouflage. So underneath all that bulk was a normal-sized protoform. Trying to imagine him as a human had failed. Bella had a lot of imagination, but she couldn’t apply any of the features from the mech to a human model.
What she got from daily interaction and remarks dropped by soldiers when she asked about the Autobots as individuals - and Bella knew not to ask only about Ironhide - was… mostly the same. Ironhide was the weapons specialist. He was tough. He was hard. Hard-headed mostly. He didn’t roll over and died; he would fight to the end and he would take as many opponents with him as he could.
She had tried to find out more about the bond and what it meant, but since she didn’t want to ask too many questions about something this private of her father, she was out of options.
Someone sat next to her. She had chosen what looked like a work bench on the far side of the hangar, out of the way of the daily operations, and was simply watching.
“Hey, little lady,” Jazz said jovially.
“I’m not a kid,” she told him.
“Of course not. No offense, Ms Annabelle Sheppard.”
“Call me Bella. You’re Jazz, right?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to keep me company.”
“No, but I like it.” He flashed her a smile. “And I might be the one who can help you.”
Bella frowned. “Help me with what?”
“You want to know about bonds, about your father and Ironhide.”
Bella felt her cheeks flush. “Will told me some about that.”
“But you’re still curious.”
She nodded.
“Well, ask.”
She gave him another frown. “Ask? Who?”
Jazz tilted his head. “Obviously me.”
“But…” She stopped, then blurted, “You’re bonded to a human, too?”
“No. I’ve a spark-bond, but not to a human. My partner is Cybertronian and we’ve had this bond for millennia.”
“And no sex.”
He laughed. “No sex,” he confirmed.
“Then what is this? What is it that my father shares with one of you guys? What’s so attractive?”
Because she didn’t understand. She looked at Ironhide and saw a huge, heavily armored mechanoid. All in black, looking like a battering ram on legs. He was toting big cannons, was very trigger-happy, and Arcee had confirmed that he was one of the oldest mechs around. He also loved his weapons. As Arcee had put it, he outclassed most countries on Earth when it came to long and short range weaponry. If you wanted a weapons system, you went to Ironhide.
“You have a saying that it isn’t the outside that is important, Bella. The inside counts. Underneath our armors there is a central structure, the protoform. While we don’t all look alike as protoforms, it still is the base of every Cybertronian. A transscan makes us into what you see here. And within the protoform is a spark. It’s our mind and soul, if you will.”
She nodded. Will had given her the rough basics about some things.
“Will was changed because of the Allspark and he started to develop abilities. Ironhide was there for him because they were friends and trusted each other. Ironhide trained your father and throughout this, the friendship deepened. A spark-bond happens faster. The other mech just feels it. With Will being human, without a spark, they took the long way.”
“Dad fell in love?”
“No. You can’t apply human emotions to this, Bella,” Jazz told her calmly. “What we feel is hard to translate into love. We feel deeply and Ironhide would give his life for Will. He cares about his happiness and he has found ways to be closer to a human partner than some of us would have gone.”
“But no sex.”
He smirked. “No. You’re not going to see much open displays either. This is intensely personal and it’s about having someone there, someone who is very much equal to you in many ways. A bond is formed between those that complete each other.”
“But if you guys form bonds with your own kind, what happens if Ironhide finds his match?”
Jazz nodded that this was a good question. “Spark bonds are very rare, Bella. I’ve lived a long time and never seen one beside my own. Ironhide is older than me and he hasn’t connected to anyone as he did to Will. And while I can’t say for sure that it’s the case, I doubt he would be able to.”
“But my father is human… how can he connect like this?”
“He is a hybrid,” the mech reminded her. “His physical structure was altered. I know he explained a few things and you will learn more about him, Bella. Being what and who he is now made it possible for them to develop their bond.”
Bella gazed thoughtfully at the going-ons around her. “I just can’t see it, Jazz,” she finally said. “I mean, we humans are attracted to people by looks and by personality. I know I liked some guys, even if they didn’t like me back the same way. But, and no offense, I wouldn’t find you attractive that way. And Ironhide’s…”
“No physically a match to human mating instinct,” Jazz finished.
She shot him a dark look. “You sound like my biology teacher.”
He grinned. “But this is what it’s all about. What you forget is that Will isn’t looking for a mate to keep a species alive. This isn’t about off-spring.”
“Gawd, don’t give me ideas!” she complained.
He didn’t look at all repentant. “This is about finding a kindred spirit, if you want to put it like that. Ironhide and Will… they’re good together.”
No sex, no sex, no sex, Bella chanted in her head.
“I guess I have to get to know Ironhide a lot better.”
“Good luck on that. He’s tight-lipped and private. He’s seen a lot, lost many friends, and aside from Optimus I think only Will is privy to the depths of him.” Jazz leaned closer. “Even if some of us think he has no depth at all. He’s an ornery old bucket of bolts.”
She burst out laughing. Jazz held a finger to his lips. Bella snickered.
“All that uptight, rough around the edges personality is still met and matched by Will’s. They’re really good, Bella. Give it a try. Watch them.”
“I am giving this a try. Even if my head explodes.” She chewed on her lower lip. “If this isn’t too private a question… who is your bonded?”
Blue optics brightened. “Barricade.”
Bella knew she was gaping. “He’s… the guy Ironhide gripes about, right? The Decepticon allied to you?”
Jazz nodded.
Talk about strange matches!
“Like I said: bonds complete the other.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Give this a chance, Bella.”
She got up, still able to look into the bright blue optics. Jazz was smaller than the others, but he was a lot bigger than a human being.
“I never said I wouldn’t. Ironhide is part of Will’s life.”
Jazz nodded and got up, too. He transformed and opened a door. “Care for a ride?”
“Where to?”
“Do you need a destination to travel?”
She grinned. “I don’t think so. Just get me home for dinner. I’ve a date.”
“I promise.”
She slipped into the sleek silver car and they left the base.
* * *
“Man, I finally caught a hold of you!”
Raoul held the cell away from his ear as Doug’s voice blared out of it. “Doug, I’m not deaf!”
“Where the friggin’ heck were you?”
“Something personal came up.”
“We thought you’d gone up in smoke, man!”
Raoul laughed. “The car did,” he lied. “And the cops talked to me, too. I had a friend call me right after and had to leave in a hurry. She’s fine now.”
Doug started to moan about the loss of his baby, the seriously tweaked Cobra he had had on display, and that no insurance money in the world could bring her back. Raoul listened patiently, grunting now and then, and finally hung up when Doug had finished. He had promised to call for a get-together, their usual weekend filled with cars, booze and unhealthy amounts of food.
Turning to Drift, he had to smile. The Neutral had kept the disguise he had chosen when they had fled, the red Ford GT. It was Raoul’s new car since the Shelby had gone up in flames according to the faked reports.
“Up for a drive?”
“Always,” was the amused reply and the door clicked open.
Raoul slipped inside and the Ford left the garage.
* * *
Bella stayed for the whole summer break at the Nevada base and by the end of it, she was decided upon her change to UNLV. She might not like Las Vegas as such, but it was the closest to her father and UNLV offered her enough to continue studying. She had already called and mailed with a friend who would take over her lease for the apartment. The friend had been looking for a place for a while now and was happy to have hers. One more trip to Lincoln to pack and she would be in Las Vegas for good.
As Major DeMarco had promised, moving was taken care of by the military. They would even have taken over her lease in a false name if she hadn’t found anyone, and it made her wonder just how important Will Lennox really was. She was still not at the end of the seemingly nerverending story of what her father was, had been up and still did.
A small apartment had been found for her, away from the Strip, and the move would be accomplished within a day. Knowing Autobots and the military had its advantages.
Will promised to call or email her whenever he could.
Bella promised never to lose a word about this to anyone.
* * *
Sitting in her new apartment, alone for the first time in weeks, she looked at the normalcy around her. No more alien base, no more soldiers, just a student’s home and the work she still had to do. There were a few more personal items to unpack.
She went over to the small box next to her bed. Inside was the flag from her father’s funeral and the photo album she had taken with her without her mother’s knowledge. Of course she had called her mother to let her know about the move. While her mother hadn’t been happy about the change of colleges again, she also knew she couldn’t change Bella’s mind. If there was one thing Bella was, it was independent and stubborn.
Now she also knew where that came from.
The lie about her new move had been that the master’s she was attempting was sponsored and she belonged to the elite few in that sponsorship. It was the truth, to a degree. AIDDE was her sponsor.
When she was done she wanted to get a job with the military, with the Nevada base or Yuma or Nellis. She was going to get her master and she wanted to work for AIDEE, with her father, at the base, or close to it. She had been given a second chance and she wanted to use it. Well, for now she had to continue learning and get a degree.
Her cell rang and she looked at the display, rolling her eyes.
“Hi, Mom,” she greeted the caller. “Yes, I’m fine… All boxes unpacked… Yeah, great… No, tomorrow… Yes, I’ll call. I’ll write emails… Oh please, Mom!...”
When she hung up Annabelle sighed. Mothers! Her mom always worried. Always! She was twenty-one, she was in college, she was doing great! And Las Vegas wasn’t too bad a place to get her masters in the future.
Grabbing her bag, laptop and cell, she left the apartment building. Time to explore her new home for the next few years!
* * *
At Nevada base Will sat on Ironhide’s hood, looking at old photographs. His daughter. As a baby. As a toddler. In kindergarten. Pre-school. Then a few snap shots Epps had scored for him. And finally a whole collection of Annabelle throughout her life. A life Will hadn’t been able to share. She had left him with a USB full of memories and Lennox was flipping through them with a little sad smile.
“She is back in your life,” Ironhide rumbled softly.
“Yeah. And I’m happy, Hide. Happier than I should be. She’s now involved with the military, with you guys, and it’s a danger.”
“Life is always a danger.”
He laughed darkly. “Sure. Add aliens and a war to the mix, just another day, right?”
The holoform materialized and Ironhide took the stick out of his hands, the holographic projection flicking off.
“She is a strong woman, Will. She is your daughter. She made up her mind.” He smiled slightly. “And may I remind you that she ran into a Decepticon before she even knew about you or us.”
Will leaned back against the windshield and groaned. “Yeah. Don’t remind me. It could have been something much, much worse. Someone who was more inclined to kill a human than to be friends.”
“Yes.”
“So this was luck. Luck and fate?”
“Probably.”
Ironhide gently traced over the glyphs residing permanently on Will’s wrist. His name. Part of their connection.
“We’re looking after her,” the mech said. “She has supervision.”
“If she finds out, I’m toast,” Will joked. Still, having a watcher on Bella alleviated his fears.
Ironhide smiled. “Got a trial run scheduled,” he said, changing the topic.
Lennox chuckled. “Gonna blow something up?”
“If all goes well.”
“And you want company?”
“It might help distract you.”
The hybrid looked at the fingers playfully trailing runes. “Some things are more distracting than others.”
Ironhide smirked, then the holoform dissolved.
“Okay, that was unfair,” his partner grumbled, but he slid off the hood and got into the cab.
Ironhide’s engine rumbled to life. They pulled away from their secluded spot and headed for the base.
In Las Vegas a symbiote kept careful watch over the human woman assigned to him.
fin! Hope I didn't bore you to death :) :)