#bayverse version

“Good job, kid. I knew you had it in you,” he said. “And if you keep hitting back, I believe the cons will stop coming after you.” 

You smiled back, hoping it was an outcome that would come soon. 

“But don’t think this means your training's over. Now that you won your first fight against those punks, I think I can push you a bit harder until you’re combat-ready, “ Ironhide added. 

Your smile fell into an awkward one, the thought of more difficult exercises making you feel scared. “Okay, but please not too much,”

You then glanced at Lennox and Optimus. “But how did the cons know we were there? It was like they were waiting for us?” you asked.

“Excellent question,” Lennox said. “We already checked and reconfigured our entire communication system. It should be safe,”

“Well, just to be sure. We should check again—maybe you missed something, or the Decepticons have become more brazen in their spying,” Que said, pressing buttons on the computer.

“Or maybe they’re not spying on us through our communication system,” he added thoughtfully.

“Whatever the cause, we must proceed with caution. Starscream may resort to more brute forward methods to retrieve their intended targets,” Optimus stated. 

“With pure energon in our storage, we’ve made significant technical advancements. I believe that we will be able to develop technology that will grant us a greater advantage over the Decepticons soon enough,” Que revealed.  

“But due to its rarity, and that we don’t have a large supply of it,” he continued. “Perhaps we could try to find another pure energon source.” 

“With enough pure energon, I could refine it in a way that we do not have to worry about refuelling ourselves for months,” Que then looked toward you. 

“(Name), would you be up to hunt down another pure energon source?” he asked. 

“I can try, but I can’t guarantee it would be found, even with my ability,” you replied.

“Perhaps we could narrow our search by observing through the Earth’s natural temperature flow," Que turned back toward the computer, pressing buttons. "I found out that while ordinary energon emits a cold energy signature, pure energon radiates an energy signature that is much warmer."

"By mapping those temperatures and combining the energon signatures, we could pinpoint their locations more accurately," Que then made a map appear on the screen. It was colored in blue and red, and at some points it had blue dots.

“I guess that would work…” You shrugged.

“Let’s not get too over our heads. The cons might have backed off this time, but there is no guarantee they won’t try again,” Ratchet said. “And I would prefer that (Name) does not have to fight to defend herself,” 

Even though you felt a bit confident in yourself, you agreed with Ratchet. 

“Perhaps more security would be in order,” Que suggested. 

“How about we come back you up this time?” Mudflap said as the twins stepped in.

“Yeah! Can’t let the newbie have all the fun,” Skids added.

“Uhm…” You looked at them, slightly baffled. “No offense, but… can you guys do much against the Decepticons?”

“You forget—we’re veterans at kicking Decepticon ass,” Skids said, pointing at himself.

“Yeah! We beat ’em before you even notice they’re there,” Mudflap added, and the two gave each other a high five.

You glanced at Ratchet, who returned your uncertain look.

“How about we add a third one? Just to be safe?” your dad suggested. 

“Yeah. Good idea,” Lennox said.  “You feel like you're up to hunt down pure energon, (Name)?” he asked you.

“I guess…” You shrugged your shoulders. 

“Excellent. The more pure energon we can secure, the better. “ Que said. “I'll pinpoint a possible location for you once I've gone through the map,” he added and started working on his computer. 

Ratchet turned toward you. “How about you go recharge? I think I feel more comfortable that you will leave the base with all your energy levels at the maximum,” he said. 

You smiled. “Okay. I’ll go do that. You rest too. You came back from a fight yourself,” you said.

He brushed you off. “I will be fine. Now go,” he said as he left to do his own thing.

You then looked down at your dad as he stood next to you.

“I’m not sure what to say. One moment you came back from kidnapping yourself, and now you are brave enough to fight them yourself,” he said.

“When did you suddenly become so strong and self-sufficient?” he smiled, his tone laced with a hint of pride.

You smiled. “I’m pretty sure I’ve just been lucky,” 

“Honestly, I’m surprised I even dared to do so,” you stated. “I’m glad, though, since it means my training has paid off. But I’m afraid Ironhide is gonna train me harder,” 

Your dad chuckled. “You got this far. You’ll be fine.” 

“Who knows, maybe you had potential for the army all this time, just like your brother?” he added. 

You smiled before thinking about your brother. “How is Nick, by the way? It’s been forever since I last heard of him,” you said.

“He’s safe. Maybe a few more deployments, and I might invite him to join the NEST,” your dad replied.

“Are you sure you want him to join the NEST?” you asked.

“Not really. But the high-ups are looking to recruit new people, and I’m afraid Nick could become a possible candidate,” he said. “I don’t really want both my kids fighting aliens, especially when you became part alien.”

“Yeah, he’ll probably shit his pants if he saw me right now,” you stated.

Your dad chuckled. “No doubts about that one. Though you are finally big enough to win any fight with him since you used to be so salty about losing every wrestling match with him,”

“Oh, now I’m tempted. Too bad he doesn’t know about NEST and alien robots,” you said.

“And I'd rather keep it that way for a while. How about you go rest?” your dad said. “I think Que will be done pinpointing the energon locations by tomorrow.” 

“Okay. See you later,” you said, going your separate ways. 

While walking, many thoughts raced through your mind. You felt proud for standing your ground against the cons. Doing so might have saved Ratchet’s life. You’d kind of grown attached to the grumpy bot, so you weren't sure what you would have done if he had died trying to buy you time to escape.

More importantly, you managed to face your fear of them. If you hadn’t, maybe you’d be running from them the rest of your life.

Perhaps, from now on, you’ll be a little less afraid to stand your ground.

Out in Earth’s atmosphere, Soundwave, the Decepticon’s communication officer, listened to Earth’s communication lines while being attached to one of Earth’s satellites. He monitored the talk on the Decepticon’s own communication channel.

In Cybertronian, the cons sent to capture you spoke.

“The mission was a failure. The whelp fought back and managed to have one of our own killed,” Long Haul reported. “I think the Autobots have been training them.” 

A growl echoed through the channel.

“This will bring more trouble than good. We need that little bot’s ability, “ Starscream growled. “We need to find a weak spot, something that will give us an advantage and perhaps make the whelp come to us instead. “

Soundwave began reviewing the recordings he had saved after hacking into the Autobot liaison Galloway’s cellphone. The human had neglected to use NEST’s secure lines, allowing Soundwave to easily breach the device and have it record every conversation it heard.

He went through the voice recording Galloway’s cellphone recorded during his visit to the Autobot base. 

He skipped through useless conversations he had heard and the ones that revealed your next location for energon mining operations. 

“I doubt that. I’m here because I read your reports and found out that you handed a fragment of the Allspark to a civilian. Care to explain that brilliant decision?” came Galloway’s voice. 

Soundwave stopped and listened. 

“Really? That’s funny,” came your voice. “Because just a moment ago, you didn’t seem to hear a thing when Que explained why they couldn’t sever the Allspark fragment’s connection to my best friend, and thus why she’s under Autobot protection,” you responded in the recording. 

Soundwave fixated on the terms ‘civilian’ and ‘best friend’. He went through the human databases. He found your old social media and a status that claimed you were deceased to society. Investigating through your old social media platform, he found similar occurrences where someone named Emily was your friend on each one

He then fixated on finding all the files on Emily, her social media, and her files. He even found several pictures of you together, figuring out her status of being your ‘best friend’. 

“Soundwave to Starscream: target’s weak point identified. Emily Walkerson. Revealed to carry a fragment of the Allspark,” Soundwave reported to Starscream, sending him the files. 

“Interesting,” Starscream mused through the communication channel. “An Allspark fragment has imprinted on a human—meaning the Autobots have no choice but to let the human carry it for them.”

“This changes everything.”

“Excellent work, Soundwave,” Starscream said. “Decepticons, prepare for a retrieval. Locate and secure a human female by the name Emily Walkerson.”

“If I may ask, Starscream—what purpose does the human serve?” Long Haul inquired.

Starscream let out a sinister chuckle.

“For bait.”

She still didn't know why it appeared in her jewelry box like magic. But since the phone lines were down, she could not do anything but hold on to it until she could contact Lennox or your dad. 

She knew it was risky because of the Decepticons. They would definitely come after her if they knew she had a piece of the Allspark. However, for that same reason, she could not let it stay at her house. 

Oddly enough, she felt comfort in having it with her again. 

The Allspark in her necklace suddenly began vibrating. She looked at it, confused. Holding it up, she watched it vibrate. When she moved, it stopped. Turning back, it started vibrating again, as if sensing something.

She looked toward the way and saw it vibrating toward the city’s old tunnel system. Was something there? 

The hatch that led there was not an odd sight. Some people stored the best pieces in the old tunnel below the scrapyard. 

She walked closer and felt the Allspark fragment vibrate even strongly. She then glanced at the hatch. 

It was not recommended to go into the tunnels below, but it seems there was something down there. And despite better judgment and common sense, she was getting terribly curious. 

Emily glanced around her, seeing no one before approaching the hatch. It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look and find out what got her Allspark fragment so active. 

After opening the hatch and climbing down the ladder, Emily stood inside the tunnel, which was filled with boxes and various items hidden from the surface. She covered her nose as dust filled the air and coated everything around her.

She took a moment to look around before checking her necklace. It began vibrating, pulling her toward an intersection in the tunnel. She glanced ahead before cautiously making her way forward.

As she reached the intersection, the Allspark fragment in her necklace began to emit a soft glow.

She became cautious because the last time it started glowing was when that Decepticon attacked you and her on that bridge. Which means, there had to be a transformer down here? 

She suddenly heard sounds—footsteps. Turning toward the tunnel on the right, she saw a large shadow looming right above her.

She shrieked in fright when she realized it was a transformer.

You shrieked when she shrieked, jolting in surprise. You had been focused on watching your back and hadn’t noticed her standing there.

“(Name)?!” Emily exclaimed in confusion when she realized it was you.

“Em!” you replied.

“What—what are you doing here?!” you asked, equally shocked.

You then frowned when you saw a familiar necklace around her neck.  “And why do you have your necklace? Didn’t you give it to Lennox and the NEST?” you asked. 

“I did, but then I found it inside my jewelry box after these weeks. It just appeared there like from thin air. I tried to call Lennox and your dad, but there’s something wrong with the phone lines,” Emily explained. 

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the Autobots?” she asked. 

“I was, but then I got kidnapped,” you replied.

Emily’s eyes widened. “You got kidnapped? By whom?” she asked. 

“Remember the Decepticons Lennox and dad spoke about?” you asked. 

“Yeah?” Emily nodded. 

“Well, they learned about me and my ability to locate pure energon. So, they kidnapped me, put a worm into my brain, and now they’re trying to brainwash me into thinking like a Decepticon,” you explained. 

“Oh, shit,” Emily said. 

“I tried calling the bots and NEST, but they’re somehow jamming the signal,” you added. 

“Well, you should be able to call them if you get outside the jammer’s range. I know a route through these tunnels that takes you to the docks. We could try calling there,” Emily said.

“Come on, I'll show you the way,” she added, and you followed her through the tunnels, unaware of the presence following you.

After switching tunnels and moving some distance, you came across another tunnel entrance. You looked around the docks, seeing the sea and the area clear of people. It was good for you because you didn’t have to worry about being seen by other humans.

“Okay, try calling the NEST and the bots,” Emily said. 

You turned on the comlink. “Hello! (Name) to NEST! Does anyone hear me?” you asked. 

“We got a signal!” an operative said at the NEST HQ. Your voice was coming through the comlink in static. 

“He…lo!” your voice echoed. 

Your dad took the radio. “(Name), can you hear me?” your dad responded. “Where are you?” he asked. 

“Dad! Hello?” you said when you heard your dad’s voice. However, you couldn’t make out what he was saying as there was too much static. 

“I can’t hear what you are saying!” you said, but his voice did not become more coherent. 

“Shit! The voice gets through but I can’t make out what they’re saying. We have to get farther,” you uttered. 

“Uhm. (Name)?” Emily said as she looked at something in the tunnels. Her eyes widened in fear, and her posture tensed. 

You then heard a familiar growl. Looking into the tunnels, you saw the murder robot panther appear from the shadows, growling menacingly as it approached you. 

“Uhm… good kitty,” Emily backed away with fear in her voice. 

You then saw the panther aim at you. 

“Shit!” you grabbed Emily and jumped over the entrance wall, barely avoiding one of those stun ammunitions the murder cat shot at you.  

You ran away from the tunnel with Emily on your shoulder, but then another transformer appeared in front of you. You looked at it and recognized it as the yellow loader. You backed away.

"Where do you think you're going, whelp?" he growled.

You backed away as you and Emily looked at him fearfully.

“I’ve been waiting for a chance to pay you back for breaking my roof,” he sneered, then glanced at Emily’s neck. 

“An Allspark fragment?! Give it here!” he demanded, trying to snatch Emily. 

In the corner of your eye, you saw the murder cat pounce on the edge of the wall and aim at you with its back gun. You dodged just in time when it shot at you, the shock ammunition hitting the yellow con instead. 

The yellow con screamed in pain as he was shocked. “Stupid cat! You hit me!” he yelled as you ran past him. 

You ran as fast as you could, looking for a hiding place. 

“(Name). Behind you!” Emily yelled as she saw the metal panther run toward you. 

You glanced back and stopped just in time, causing the metal panther to miss you. It roared and lunged again, but with quick reflexes and a startled yelp, you swung your arm, slamming it hard against the nearby building. The impact sent a loud bang echoing through the air, and as the panther reeled in disorientation, you seized the opportunity to run.

You ran like hell, finding a place for you and Emily to hide. Setting her down, you activated your vision to locate the cons. Unfortunately, the yellow con seemed strong enough to withstand the stun shot, and the murder panther had also recovered. Now, they both were actively searching for you.

You glanced toward the tunnel, which was now too far from you. There was no way you could get back to it without getting spotted by the cons. 

“Shit. The tunnel’s too far from here, “ you uttered, your chest pulsing from the adrenaline and fear. 

“You could use your alt-form and escape to the roads,” Emily suggested. 

“Emily. I can’t transform. My attempts have either gotten me stuck, and I do not think I dare to do it without Ratchet,” you said. 

“Why not?” she asked. 

“I don’t know. Ratchet keeps saying that I have to focus, but whenever I try, something else happens or I get stuck, “ you explained. 

“I just… can’t get my head wrapped around it,” you shook your head nearly shamefully. 

“Maybe you should think less about getting stuck and focus more on getting on wheels and driving on the road,” Emily said. 

“Even if I tried. It wound’t work,” you said. 

“You have to try, and think it until you become a car,” she stated. 

“And how would you know?” you asked. 

“I know that you won’t get far on foot. Driving is your best chance of escape.” Emily said. 

You thought about it. Damn. She was right. You couldn’t go to the city in your robot form, but you couldn’t use your alt-form either. Why? Why couldn’t you do the one thing that could help you and Emily out of this situation?

“Listen. Don’t overthink it—just try,” Emily said.

“Remember those times at Lynxwood when you hesitated to try anything new because you were scared?” she continued. “Like when you didn’t want to try kayak surfing in the rivers because you feared we’d fall? But we did it anyway, and you ended up loving it. You even went a few more times after that.”

“Or when we went hill climbing, and I got stuck? You didn’t even think twice—you climbed up and helped me even though high places make you nervous.”

“What does that have to do with this?” you asked.

“I’m telling you because you made it through those moments by pushing past the fear. You stopped overthinking and just did it. Sometimes, you just have to take the leap, step into the unknown, to see if it’s really as bad as you think,” Emily explained. 

She paused, then added, “And yeah, transforming your entire body into a vehicle might feel weird, and I don’t completely understand it either. But right now, you need to take that leap.”

She then placed her hand on yours. 

“Come on, girl. Trust yourself. I know you are capable of many things, and now this situation calls your wheels more than anything,” she said. 

You heard the panther and the loader con getting closer.

You took a deep breath, glancing at the road—then at them. If you didn’t do this, they would brainwash you and probably do something worse to Emily. Just thinking about what they would do to her was enough to send shivers down your spine.

Taking a deep breath, you turned your focus onto your body and make it shift. The metal plates on your frame started moving—slowly, stiffly.

“Come on, I know you can do it,” Emily urged.

You gasped and flicked a glance at the approaching cons.

“Come on,” you muttered, concentrating. Your doorwings twitched. Your wheels shifted. You were holding control—but barely.

Come on. Do it. Do it!

The plating on your chest expanded. Your arms followed suit, shifting and locking into place.

“Come on. Transform!” you shouted.

And then it happened. Your entire body realigned, metal folding and twisting into different places. You focused on your alt-form—on the road beneath you—until the transformation was complete. Your headlights flickered to life, and your engine roared. You had turned into your alt-form.

Emily smiled. "Atta girl! I knew you could do it,"

You opened your door for her. “Get on! I haven’t had the chance to practise driving in this form, so this might get messy,” you said as she seated herself on the passenger seat. 

“Alright, let’s go,” she said, putting on the seat belt. 

You tried to hit the pedal, but you pressed the wrong one. You lurched backward, slamming into the wall.

Panicked, you shifted gears and moved forward, but your movements were jerky and unsteady. You hit the wall again.

Emily jolted with every rough motion.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked.

"These controls are a bit difficult," you explained.

"I thought you went to driving school," Emily remarked.

"Yeah. As a driver, not as a car!" you replied.

In your mirror, you spotted the yellow con approaching.

An idea struck—you knew how reverse worked now.

“Hold on!” you shouted.

You hit the gas in reverse at full speed.

The yellow con turned at the sound of screeching tires, but he had no time to react before you rammed into his legs. He crashed to the ground with a heavy slam.

“Whoa!” Emily exclaimed. 

“Damn you!” the con roared. 

When you saw the murder cat locking onto you, ready to shoot you, you slammed the gas, lurching forward just in time to avoid the stun shot. 

You twirled around, avoiding the other shots the murder panther sent at you. Then at full speed, you crashed through the dock gates. You drove on the open road then into the city, leaving the docks and the cons behind. 

Your wheels struggled for grip on the road, making you swerve wildly. Angry drivers blared their horns as you sped past, but you quickly regained control, steadying yourself. With your spark pounding, you floored it, determined to put as much distance between you and the cons as possible.

“Okay! I think I got it! I think I got it,” you said as you started driving like hell. 

Emily released an exhale. “That was… exciting!” she chuckled. 

You returned the chuckle. Though the circumstances were too much, you felt proud of finally being able to drive in your alt-form. 

Suddenly, flashing red and blue lights appeared in your mirror—a police car was chasing you. But something was off. It had no driver.

“I’m afraid it’s not over yet,” you muttered.

Emily glanced at the police car and groaned. “Oh, please tell me some of the Autobots are cop vehicles.”

“That one ain’t Autobot. He was with the Cons back there,” you replied. 

“How can you tell?” Emily asked.

“Because he’s got a slogan on his side that says, ‘To Punish and Enslave.’” You sped up, tires screeching. 

“Sure. Hold on,” Emily took out her phone. She tinkered with it before pushing the call button and putting her phone next to her ear. 

At the NEST headquarters, Lennox felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and answered. 

“Hello?” he answered. 

“Lennox!” Emily said, and you felt hopeful. “Send help! I’m with (Name) at our hometown. We’re being chased by a Decepticon disguised as a police car!” she explained. 

“Emily? I can’t hear you,” Lennox answered when he heard Emily’s voice distort through the line. 

“Did you say you were with (Name)?” Lennox asked. 

“Hello?” Emily questioned, but then the line went dead. 

“Shit! We’re still in the jammer’s range,” she said. 

“What are we gonna do?!” you asked as you dodged a car that blared its horn at you. 

“We have to get farther away. Maybe we should try contacting them from the other side of the city,” Emily suggested. 

“Take us through the east highway tunnels. It’s the shortest route from here. Take a turn left from here,” she instructed. 

“Okay. Hold on,” you said as you reached an intersection.

You entered the intersection when the light turned yellow and made a sharp left turn. Your back tires screeched from the sudden movement, and the speed caused you to get too close to a bus waiting on the left side of the intersection. 

“Ah!” Emily yelled as your side nudged against the bus. Fortunately, it wasn’t a harsh impact for either you or the bus. The passengers inside the bus looked at you through the window as you continued driving. 

You felt a little embarrassed. Not your finest turn for a first-time driver. 

“I think you are going to need to take some driving classes after this,” Emily stated. 

“If I can get back to the Autobots to have them,” you sped up when you saw the Decepticon behind you, making the turn effortlessly without stopping.

After driving out of the city, you came to the highway with Emily’s guidance. With a wider road and increased speed limit, it was easier to drive past the cars. Thanks to your alt-form, you managed to put some distance between you and the con. You had never seen the appeal in sports cars before, but now you were grateful for being one because it allowed you to be faster, even though the con was still hot on your trail. 

The tunnel Emily spoke about soon appeared and began approaching. Your spark pulsed with anxiety as you drove with focus and soon entered the tunnel 

Inside the tunnel, you did not stop speeding, driving past cars and trying to add more distance. It seemed to work in your favor because you got far enough that you lost sight of the Decepticon. 

“I think you lost him. “ Emily said as she looked behind you. 

As you sped past what appeared to be another police car, its sirens immediately lit up, and it began pursuing you. With a quick glance, you saw actual people inside the police car.

“Oh come on! I know I’m speeding, but this is a really bad timing!” you exclaimed as the actual cops drove after you. 

After the cops started chasing you, the Decepticon showed up, having caught up with you. 

“Uh…” Emily started with an anxious tone. “I don’t usually encourage breaking laws, but…keep driving. Even when there are humans around, I don’t want to find out what that Decepticon will do if he catches up with us,” she finished. 

“Yeah, me neither!” you said as you hit the pedal to go faster. 

You went faster with two police cars up your ass, one with actual cops and one alien disguised as one. 

Your life just keeps getting better and better. 

You drove as fast as you could while avoiding crashing into other drivers. However, it was challenging with two police cars taking up the lanes. You had to avoid the con getting too close to you, and you also had to evade the actual cops from seeing that you were moving on your own without a driver. 

“Don’t let them trap you! Drive in front of the con. That way he can’t get too close,” Emily instructed, and you did just that. With your alt-form, you were able to add space between you, and the con could not drive past you and do something you were not interested in finding out. 

But then, you switched to the far-right lane, separated from the other road by a fence. That’s when the actual cops changed lanes and pulled up right beside you.

It nearly caused you to panic. You were boxed in with the con behind you and the cops next to you.

Emily glanced at the cops. Luckily, she was in a way that the cops didn’t see that there was no driver in the driver’s seat. 

“Young lady, slow down and pull over your vehicle,” the cop said through the radio, thinking she was the driver. 

You then saw an incoming problem. On the lane you were in, you were quickly approaching a car that was driving in front of you. Next to it was a truck that occupied a significant amount of space in the middle lane. One positive outcome was that the cop would not be able to follow you. The downside was that you would not get any further and be trapped with the Decepticon behind you. 

“Uh, we have a problem,” you said as you were rapidly approaching.

“Oh shit...” Emily said when she noticed the car and the truck. 

You then glanced at the truck’s cargo and noticed the space beneath it. It looked like a car could fit through and reach the far-left lane. You remembered videos of car chases where drivers escaped by squeezing under truck trailers to switch lanes. Your alt-mode wasn’t as small as those sleek sports cars, but it was just small enough to make it through.

Oh, this is a dumb idea, but that sounded less bad than what the con would do if he got too close to you. 

“Okay. Hold on! I’m about to do something really stupid,” you warned Emily as you hit the pedal, speeding up toward the truck. 

Emily held on to the seat as you drove faster, leaving behind the cop. The Decepticon drove faster as well, following you into something that could have been your trap. 

As you pulled up beside the truck and eyed the narrow space that could be your escape route, the Decepticon closed in behind you, cutting off your rear. You glanced at the gap, waiting for the perfect moment—then you went for it.

You drove beneath the truck’s trailer. Emily yelped as your roof scratched against the bottom of the trailer, letting out some bad sounds. However, you managed to fit through and change to the far-left lane. 

The con was trapped on the other side of the truck, and since his alt-mode was too large, he could not do the same trick. After you were on the clear, you sped up, leaving the con and the cop behind. 

“Well, that was... something!” Emily said with a surprised tone.

“Yeah, and never doing that again!” you said as you finally exited the tunnel and returned to the open road—this time with a bit of a head start and some distance between you and the Decepticon.

You saw the familiar sight of the city. 

“Okay. We should be out of the jammer’s range,” Emily said as she took out her phone and tried calling Lennox again. 

Lennox’s phone rang again. He took it out and answered. 

“Emily?” 

“Lennox! Thank god! We got hold of you!” she said. 

“What’s going on? Are you with (Name)?” he asked. 

“Yeah. We’re getting chased by a Decepticon disguised as a police car,” Emily quickly explained. 

“We got some distance,” she added. 

Right after that, you saw the con appear from the tunnel. It’s sirens blaring and coming after you fast. 

“Not anymore,” you said.

“Can you track the signal on this?” Lennox came to an operative with his phone. 

The operative took his phone, connecting it to the computer and pushing a few keys on the board.

"Signal confirmed—they're on a highway. Decepticon signal also confirmed. They're being chased by Barricade," the operative reported, as a visual of you and the Decepticon speeding down the highway appeared on the screen.

“Oh! (Name) You finally learned how to transform into your alt-form! How wonderful,” Que said gleefully. 

“Can we save that later. How do we get the con off our back?” you asked. 

“Okay. There’s a NEST outpost near the south side of the city, 10 kliks from your position. We’re sending an Autobot who's already in the city to get Barricade off your back. Can you make it there?” Lennox instructed.

“I’ll try. Fair warning, I will most likely break some traffic laws,” you replied.

Driving off the highway, you entered the city. The con, or ‘Barricade’ as Lennox called him, driving after you. 

In the city, you drove as fast as you could while avoiding other drivers and trying to follow the coordinates on your GPS. One benefit of being a robot is that you can see where you are going. 

However, it was still challenging to focus with the con on your tail. 

“Where is this Autobot?” Emily asked as she carefully looked at the fake cop. 

“I don’t know!” you replied, then glanced at a car that passed you. An idea popped into your mind. You had a vague idea of how to use the scanner, and if you remember correctly, Ratchet said you could scan any kind of ground vehicle. 

Maybe you could scan a new form and hide yourself from the con. 

“Hold on. I have an idea,” you said as you sped up.

Barricade sped up as well when he saw you pick up your space. 

With enough distance, you made a hard turn and vanished from Barricade’s sight. 

Barricade followed, turning onto the street where you had vanished. But once he made the turn, you were nowhere in sight—the road was empty.

He continued driving forward, unknowingly passing right by you. You had scanned a new vehicle mode and hidden yourself in a nearby parking lot. Using your side mirror, you watched as he turned down another street, vanishing from your sight.

“He’s gone… for now,” you said. 

Emily sat up, her seat pulled back to stay out of sight. She glanced toward the way Barricade had left. 

She exhaled, relaxing against the seat. “Good thinking,” she said. 

“I wasn’t certain that would work, but I’m glad it did. This should give us some space for a while,” you said as you started the engine and returned to the road where you came from.

Driving on the road, more peacefully, you followed the route on your GPS. You were getting close to the NEST outpost. Emily anxiously looked around for the Decepticon. Just because he lost sight of you didn’t mean he would just give up and leave. He could appear anywhere, and the chase would be back on. You prefer to avoid that because you have no idea how fast your current vehicle mode could go, and you do not want to end up caught because your got slower.

“(Name), do you copy?” Lennox asked through your comlink. 

“Yeah. I hear you,” you answered. 

“You’re getting close to the outpost. We saw you lose Barricade. We tried to keep an eye on him, but he has hidden his signal again. We can’t pinpoint his current location, so stay sharp. Our bot is not too far from your location,” he explained.

“Copy that,” you answered as you stopped at a red light. 

Emily released a sigh. “I now know what it feels like to be actively chased. I don’t think I will be watching any horror movies any time soon, or movies with car chases,” 

“It has been one hell of a day,” you uttered while keeping your eyes on the traffic lights. 

“I bet. You got kidnapped, interrogated, nearly shot several times—and let’s not forget, you’re still being chased,” she listed.

“I’d say you’ve been through the whole set,” she added.

“Yeah, compared to this. I think stressing over exams and family drama in my human life was much more manageable,” you said as the light turned green. 

While crossing over, the Allspark fragment in Emily's necklace began glowing.

“What's going on?” you asked when you noticed. 

“I’m not sure. It starts glowing whenever a transformer is near. That’s how I found you in those tunnels,” Emily explained as she looked at her necklace.

While crossing, your head started buzzing with a familiar feeling--- energon was near. You glanced to your left and nearly froze. 

“Em… on the right,” you said, spotting the Decepticon waiting at the right side of the intersection. There was a person inside his alt-form, but your ability told you everything you needed to know—it was the same con, most likely using a hologram to blend in.

Emily looked at him as you passed him. 

“You think he noticed?” Emily asked. 

The con started blaring its sirens and came after you. 

“He noticed,” you said, and hit the pedal, speeding as much as you could. The chase was back on. 

However, as you feared, you current vehicle mode wasn’t as fast as your previous one. 

You managed to keep some distance, but this time he was able to keep up and nearly get close. 

“Can you go any faster?” Emily asked. 

“I can’t,” you said, nearly panicking. 

Just as the Decepticon was about to reach you, a yellow sports car—a Camaro, you think—suddenly swerved in from another street and sped toward you and the police vehicle.

The Camaro pulled up beside the police car and slammed into its rear, causing the con to nearly spin out. Caught off guard, the Decepticon lost focus and veered away, fleeing with the yellow car in pursuit.

“Woah,” Emily said as she looked back. 

“I guess that’s our backup,” you said as you continued driving. 

You finally arrived at the NEST base location. The guards allowed you through, and you drove to the base. When you were behind the building and out of public sight, you let Emily out before transforming back into your robot form. It went much smoother, and you were able to stand back on your two feet without getting stuck in the middle. 

Exhaustion hit you hard. You leaned against your legs, feeling yourself nearly wobble. 

“Are you okay?” Emily asked with a concerned tone. 

“Yeah, it just feels like I ran a marathon,” you replied. 

You then heard the sound of an engine. The yellow Camaro showed up, driving through the gate and transforming into a new robot. From Que’s description, you guessed he was Bumblebee. 

He beeped at you, using the radio. You weren’t surprised because the others had said he spoke through the radio due to his broken voice box. 

“Uh, hi…” you greeted. “We haven’t met yet. I’m (Name). Thanks for the help back there,” you said. 

“Always ready to help a comrade,” he said through the radio. 

You sighed, feeling like you were ready to drop dead. The exhaustion and excitement over the whole ordeal creeping over your entire body.