Bumblebee of Iacon

The moment Kari saw Mirage the child rushed towards him with a squeak, dropping her container of tea by Bumblebee’s foot in her shock. Thankfully it was a stainless steel container so it wouldn’t break easily.

“MIRAGE!” She called out, surprising the new human as she moved to hug the autobot’s leg while trying not to cry. “What happened to you?! I was so worried! Don’t ever do that again!” The child sniffled only to then notice the human. Kari tensed and immediately rushed to hide, glaring at the man.

“Uh… Hi.” The male said, a bit taken aback to see a little girl with these huge alien robots.

Bumblebee still caught the tea cup, just in case, and held onto it for Kari. He’s standing protectively in front of the child, but giving the man a friendly wave and raising his cheek-plates in a cheerful smile.

“Oh great, the gang is here!” Sarcasm is dripping off of Mirage’s tone, until he sees Kari. “Hey, nice to see you again kid! You been keeping well?” He asks her.

“Mirage, a human?? How could you???” Arcee exclaims, in the tone a disappointed older sibling would use on a mischievous younger sibling.

At that point, a familiar flat-nosed red semi-truck rolled into the base and transformed into a towering red and blue robot. He knelt down and picked up the unfamiliar man, and looked to Mirage with a glare. “A human??? You brought a human here?!?*

Kari looked up at Mirage and smiled kindly up at him. When she heard Arcee and Optimus speak she was a bit taken aback by their tone. “But… I’m human.” She chirped, kind of confused by their hostility.

The man held up his hands. “Look, I’m not a willing participant in any of this. And I’m guessing the kid isn’t either.” He said, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. Kari chirped then moved to be closer to Bee, holding her arms up and making grabbing gestures, wanting to be picked up and to sit atop the scout’s shoulder.

“Shows what you know.” Kari huffed, glaring at the male. “This is my family so back off or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, who’s sassy little kid are you?!”

“I just told you dumb dumb! An’ don’t call me little!” Kari hissed, her hair bristling violently, causing the man to take a step back. Kari puffed out her cheeks. “I’m not little… I’m travel sized.” She pouted, crossing her arms and moving to sip her tea once she was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder, cross legged and eyes glancing away from the human.

Bumblebee chuckled voicelessly through the broken circuitry in his throat at Kari, before scooping her up and holds her against his chassis. He had an idea of what his leader was about to do, and he was concerned the child might be reminded of her last encounter with the Autobot commander.

Mirage stepped in to defend the stranger. “Listen, boss bot, when you were giving your order all Optimus-like,” he slipped into an imitation of the red and blue truck’s baritone, “‘Autobots roll out!’” This caused the yellow Camaro to chuckle again and the pink motorcycle to facepalm. The grey and blue Porsche continued, “this guy was already in the car, but he’s cool, so it’s cool, cool?

“Not cool.” Optimus Prime reached down to pick up the man in one hand and glared at him in suspicion. “Who are you, human?”

Kari blinked a bit at the interaction between Optimus and Mirage. Though she kept an eye on the newcomer in her peripheral vision just incase. She leaned into Bumblebee and relaxed as best as she could.

When Optimus picked him up, the human was startled to say the least. He never would have thought that he would be picked up like this by an alien robot. “I’m nobody, I ain’t even seen nothin’! I’m not even seein’ anythin’ right now!”

Right after he spoke, Kari chimed in before anyone else. Her eyes glowing red with a bit of silver in her pupils as she fixed her gaze on the man in Optimus’s grasp. “Noah Diaz. Private of the U.S army. Multiple commendations and very knowledgeable with electronics.” The child informed then gave a huff. “So, he’s a soldier.”

“How did you–?”

“I have my ways.” Kari answered quickly with a snap, not wanting to get into detail while closing her eyes before he noticed the glow. She knew this Noah would likely freak out even more than he likely already had given the current situation and she didn’t want to deal with that.

Optimus Prime gave Kari an appreciative nod, before looking back to Noah. “You will remain here until we decide what to do about you,” he decided.

“Look, that energy signal thingamabob, I think Noah can help us!” Mirage insisted with an enthusiastic grin.

Bumblebee deadpanned as he looked to Arcee. He had felt bad enough about involving Charlie Watson even for a short time, and even if it was by accident. He really didn’t like the idea of choosing to include Noah.

Kari blinked, tilting her head. “What’s so important about that thing anyways?”

“Wait- what energy thing? And how can the kid see it?” Noah asked, looking at Kari. “How can you see it?” The child narrowed her eyes. “You can’t see the huge beam of energy shooting into the sky? I’d ask if you’re blind but I know your not.”

“And h–” Kari raised an eyebrow before Noah finished his thought. “… Ok but how did you even do that?” The child puffed out her cheeks.

“I’m not normal.” Kari said, glancing away clearly uncomfortable with telling Noah as much.

Noah hummed. “Uh, okay but that doesn’t answer my questi– WHOA!” Noah ducked his head as a ball of pure electricity whizzed over his head, hitting the ground and leaving a black singe mark on the concrete.

“Does THAT?”

Noah nodded rapidly while slowly standing straight. “Y-yep… Note to self don’t piss off the super-human kid.”

Kari crossed her arms, her hair bristling wildly while she crossed her arms. “Good, now stop pushin’ me.” She growled. “I’m not exactly one to tell people these things so this whole situation has me on edge. You probably can’t imagine why.”

“Actually… Yea. I kinda can.” Noah informed with a sign. “I may not be able to shoot electricity from my hands but I’m not viewed favorably by other people either. I can relate in a way.” He informed kindly. This helped Kari ease up somewhat, her body relaxing as her eyes went from their more hostile expression to a calmer, more soft one. She glanced at Optimus and hummed.

“If you don’t mind my input I think he’d be helpful to have around.” She chirped.

“Wait! I still didn’t sign up for this. Besides I don’t even know what this thing is or if I can even see it. I can’t see the beam that you guys can, who’s to say I can even see the item making it?”

Bumblebee looked to Kari with concern, even as he held her reassuringly closer. “That may be so-” “-it’s not his fight-” “-it could be very dangerous for-” “-him.”

Mirage took the opportunity to lead Noah away to talk him into it. “Excuse us a minute. Look, Noah, I won’t lie, it’s gonna be dangerous, but you’ll do it for friendship, right?” Upon the indication that he wouldn’t, Mirage changes tactics. “What about for money?” Demonstrating his ability to use his illusions to change the appearance of his vehicle mode, he shifts from Lamborghini to Ferrari to a Formula 1 race car. “You help us, you can sell me as any kind of car you want. We get our whatchamacallit, you get the dough you need for your brother, we both win! What do ya say?”

Kari looked at Bumblebee and gave a small nod. “I mean… Yeh, true. If he doesn’t wanna help we’ll need to think of something else. I’m willing to help where I can but I can only be so discreet with other people… I mean, if this thing were in an office building I’d have no luck cuz what ten year old goes to an office building at night? Immidate red flag for any guard or officer that sees.” Kari muttered.

Noah listened to Mirage and blinked, thinking things over for a split second. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He said to which Kari looked up and gave a hum.

“I’ll go with too. Just to make sure everything goes okay.” She volunteered, still on edge with Noah but she was sort of warming up to him.

“Great thinking, Kari!” Mirage said with an encouraging grin. “See, Noah? You’re not going in alone. Don’t you feel better now?”

Bumblebee frowned, not liking the idea of Kari risking her life. Arcee frowned, but had to concede the plan had merit. Optimus Prime looked completely unenthusiastic.

Kari gave a grin then looked at the other bots, eventually looking at Optimus and Arcee. “What exactly is this thing we are looking for and where is it?” She asked, taking a sip of tea.

“I was thinking the same thing, uh…”

“Kari Himura.”

“Right. Kari. Got it.” Noah replied with a kind smile.

“The energy levels contain transwarp energy,” Arcee explains, lowering her visor to examine the readings.

“The energy we need to travel through space… At last, we can go home…” Optimus Prime’s optics widened in shock and hope creeped into his expression.

“So it’s comin’ from that there Natural History Museum, yeah?” Mirage asked. “So, we know what it is and where it is, we got a plan, so what are we waiting for?”

When Kari heard what Optimus said her hair bristled, not wildly but it was definitely noticeable. Her eyes also widened, but not in hope or happiness like Optimus. No, her eyes were filled with dread. With sadness and pain. But she did her best to hide it.

"Ah, c-cool.” The child managed a pained smile, doing her best to build up those protective barriers again but she was trying her best not to. After all this was her family, they’d never actually leave her… right?

A sharp, searing pain hit the child’s chest when she noticed Optimus Prime’s face. The hope in his optics, the tone of voice. Kari could tell that he’d leave her here without much thought on the matter.

Noah stepped up. “I can get it.” He offered, and Kari was all too eager to reply.

“I’ll provide back up just incase. If someone asks questions I can better help with a cover if there’s an adult with me. And if there are any hostile I can help too.”

“I appreciate it kid but–” Before Noah could finish Kari held up a fist sparking with flame, not as a threat but simply as a reminder. “Right… Sorry.” Noah gave a nervous smile, noting Kari’s saddened demeanor, but he didn’t push given that she also seemed much more closed off.

Bumblebee gave Kari a gentle squeeze before setting her down. He was already contemplating deserting or resigning just so he wouldn't have to leave her.

Soon enough, the Autobots were getting into position, while Mirage conveyed Kari and Noah in disguised as a dump truck.

The moment Kari saw Mirage the child rushed towards him with a squeak, dropping her container of tea by Bumblebee’s foot in her shock. Thankfully it was a stainless steel container so it wouldn’t break easily.

“MIRAGE!” She called out, surprising the new human as she moved to hug the autobot’s leg while trying not to cry. “What happened to you?! I was so worried! Don’t ever do that again!” The child sniffled only to then notice the human. Kari tensed and immediately rushed to hide, glaring at the man.

“Uh… Hi.” The male said, a bit taken aback to see a little girl with these huge alien robots.

Bumblebee still caught the tea cup, just in case, and held onto it for Kari. He’s standing protectively in front of the child, but giving the man a friendly wave and raising his cheek-plates in a cheerful smile.

“Oh great, the gang is here!” Sarcasm is dripping off of Mirage’s tone, until he sees Kari. “Hey, nice to see you again kid! You been keeping well?” He asks her.

“Mirage, a human?? How could you???” Arcee exclaims, in the tone a disappointed older sibling would use on a mischievous younger sibling.

At that point, a familiar flat-nosed red semi-truck rolled into the base and transformed into a towering red and blue robot. He knelt down and picked up the unfamiliar man, and looked to Mirage with a glare. “A human??? You brought a human here?!?*

Kari looked up at Mirage and smiled kindly up at him. When she heard Arcee and Optimus speak she was a bit taken aback by their tone. “But… I’m human.” She chirped, kind of confused by their hostility.

The man held up his hands. “Look, I’m not a willing participant in any of this. And I’m guessing the kid isn’t either.” He said, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. Kari chirped then moved to be closer to Bee, holding her arms up and making grabbing gestures, wanting to be picked up and to sit atop the scout’s shoulder.

“Shows what you know.” Kari huffed, glaring at the male. “This is my family so back off or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, who’s sassy little kid are you?!”

“I just told you dumb dumb! An’ don’t call me little!” Kari hissed, her hair bristling violently, causing the man to take a step back. Kari puffed out her cheeks. “I’m not little… I’m travel sized.” She pouted, crossing her arms and moving to sip her tea once she was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder, cross legged and eyes glancing away from the human.

Bumblebee chuckled voicelessly through the broken circuitry in his throat at Kari, before scooping her up and holds her against his chassis. He had an idea of what his leader was about to do, and he was concerned the child might be reminded of her last encounter with the Autobot commander.

Mirage stepped in to defend the stranger. “Listen, boss bot, when you were giving your order all Optimus-like,” he slipped into an imitation of the red and blue truck’s baritone, “‘Autobots roll out!’” This caused the yellow Camaro to chuckle again and the pink motorcycle to facepalm. The grey and blue Porsche continued, “this guy was already in the car, but he’s cool, so it’s cool, cool?

“Not cool.” Optimus Prime reached down to pick up the man in one hand and glared at him in suspicion. “Who are you, human?”

Kari blinked a bit at the interaction between Optimus and Mirage. Though she kept an eye on the newcomer in her peripheral vision just incase. She leaned into Bumblebee and relaxed as best as she could.

When Optimus picked him up, the human was startled to say the least. He never would have thought that he would be picked up like this by an alien robot. “I’m nobody, I ain’t even seen nothin’! I’m not even seein’ anythin’ right now!”

Right after he spoke, Kari chimed in before anyone else. Her eyes glowing red with a bit of silver in her pupils as she fixed her gaze on the man in Optimus’s grasp. “Noah Diaz. Private of the U.S army. Multiple commendations and very knowledgeable with electronics.” The child informed then gave a huff. “So, he’s a soldier.”

“How did you–?”

“I have my ways.” Kari answered quickly with a snap, not wanting to get into detail while closing her eyes before he noticed the glow. She knew this Noah would likely freak out even more than he likely already had given the current situation and she didn’t want to deal with that.

Optimus Prime gave Kari an appreciative nod, before looking back to Noah. “You will remain here until we decide what to do about you,” he decided.

“Look, that energy signal thingamabob, I think Noah can help us!” Mirage insisted with an enthusiastic grin.

Bumblebee deadpanned as he looked to Arcee. He had felt bad enough about involving Charlie Watson even for a short time, and even if it was by accident. He really didn’t like the idea of choosing to include Noah.

Kari blinked, tilting her head. “What’s so important about that thing anyways?”

“Wait- what energy thing? And how can the kid see it?” Noah asked, looking at Kari. “How can you see it?” The child narrowed her eyes. “You can’t see the huge beam of energy shooting into the sky? I’d ask if you’re blind but I know your not.”

“And h–” Kari raised an eyebrow before Noah finished his thought. “… Ok but how did you even do that?” The child puffed out her cheeks.

“I’m not normal.” Kari said, glancing away clearly uncomfortable with telling Noah as much.

Noah hummed. “Uh, okay but that doesn’t answer my questi– WHOA!” Noah ducked his head as a ball of pure electricity whizzed over his head, hitting the ground and leaving a black singe mark on the concrete.

“Does THAT?”

Noah nodded rapidly while slowly standing straight. “Y-yep… Note to self don’t piss off the super-human kid.”

Kari crossed her arms, her hair bristling wildly while she crossed her arms. “Good, now stop pushin’ me.” She growled. “I’m not exactly one to tell people these things so this whole situation has me on edge. You probably can’t imagine why.”

“Actually… Yea. I kinda can.” Noah informed with a sign. “I may not be able to shoot electricity from my hands but I’m not viewed favorably by other people either. I can relate in a way.” He informed kindly. This helped Kari ease up somewhat, her body relaxing as her eyes went from their more hostile expression to a calmer, more soft one. She glanced at Optimus and hummed.

“If you don’t mind my input I think he’d be helpful to have around.” She chirped.

“Wait! I still didn’t sign up for this. Besides I don’t even know what this thing is or if I can even see it. I can’t see the beam that you guys can, who’s to say I can even see the item making it?”

Bumblebee looked to Kari with concern, even as he held her reassuringly closer. “That may be so-” “-it’s not his fight-” “-it could be very dangerous for-” “-him.”

Mirage took the opportunity to lead Noah away to talk him into it. “Excuse us a minute. Look, Noah, I won’t lie, it’s gonna be dangerous, but you’ll do it for friendship, right?” Upon the indication that he wouldn’t, Mirage changes tactics. “What about for money?” Demonstrating his ability to use his illusions to change the appearance of his vehicle mode, he shifts from Lamborghini to Ferrari to a Formula 1 race car. “You help us, you can sell me as any kind of car you want. We get our whatchamacallit, you get the dough you need for your brother, we both win! What do ya say?”

Kari looked at Bumblebee and gave a small nod. “I mean… Yeh, true. If he doesn’t wanna help we’ll need to think of something else. I’m willing to help where I can but I can only be so discreet with other people… I mean, if this thing were in an office building I’d have no luck cuz what ten year old goes to an office building at night? Immidate red flag for any guard or officer that sees.” Kari muttered.

Noah listened to Mirage and blinked, thinking things over for a split second. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He said to which Kari looked up and gave a hum.

“I’ll go with too. Just to make sure everything goes okay.” She volunteered, still on edge with Noah but she was sort of warming up to him.

“Great thinking, Kari!” Mirage said with an encouraging grin. “See, Noah? You’re not going in alone. Don’t you feel better now?”

Bumblebee frowned, not liking the idea of Kari risking her life. Arcee frowned, but had to concede the plan had merit. Optimus Prime looked completely unenthusiastic.

Kari gave a grin then looked at the other bots, eventually looking at Optimus and Arcee. "What exactly is this thing we are looking for and where is it?” She asked, taking a sip of tea.

“I was thinking the same thing, uh…”

“Kari Himura.”

“Right. Kari. Got it.” Noah replied with a kind smile.

"The energy levels contain transwarp energy," Arcee explains, lowering her visor to examine the readings.

"The energy we need to travel through space... At last, we can go home..." Optimus Prime's optics widened in shock and hope creeped into his expression.

"So it's comin' from that there Natural History Museum, yeah?" Mirage asked. "So, we know what it is and where it is, we got a plan, so what are we waiting for?"

No, you aren't "behind in life".

But, it's okay to grieve the time you spent surviving. The time spent trying to figure out what was wrong. The time spent healing to become a person again.

It wasn't your fault.

The moment Kari saw Mirage the child rushed towards him with a squeak, dropping her container of tea by Bumblebee’s foot in her shock. Thankfully it was a stainless steel container so it wouldn’t break easily.

“MIRAGE!” She called out, surprising the new human as she moved to hug the autobot’s leg while trying not to cry. “What happened to you?! I was so worried! Don’t ever do that again!” The child sniffled only to then notice the human. Kari tensed and immediately rushed to hide, glaring at the man.

“Uh… Hi.” The male said, a bit taken aback to see a little girl with these huge alien robots.

Bumblebee still caught the tea cup, just in case, and held onto it for Kari. He’s standing protectively in front of the child, but giving the man a friendly wave and raising his cheek-plates in a cheerful smile.

“Oh great, the gang is here!” Sarcasm is dripping off of Mirage’s tone, until he sees Kari. “Hey, nice to see you again kid! You been keeping well?” He asks her.

“Mirage, a human?? How could you???” Arcee exclaims, in the tone a disappointed older sibling would use on a mischievous younger sibling.

At that point, a familiar flat-nosed red semi-truck rolled into the base and transformed into a towering red and blue robot. He knelt down and picked up the unfamiliar man, and looked to Mirage with a glare. “A human??? You brought a human here?!?*

Kari looked up at Mirage and smiled kindly up at him. When she heard Arcee and Optimus speak she was a bit taken aback by their tone. “But… I’m human.” She chirped, kind of confused by their hostility.

The man held up his hands. “Look, I’m not a willing participant in any of this. And I’m guessing the kid isn’t either.” He said, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. Kari chirped then moved to be closer to Bee, holding her arms up and making grabbing gestures, wanting to be picked up and to sit atop the scout’s shoulder.

“Shows what you know.” Kari huffed, glaring at the male. “This is my family so back off or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, who’s sassy little kid are you?!”

“I just told you dumb dumb! An’ don’t call me little!” Kari hissed, her hair bristling violently, causing the man to take a step back. Kari puffed out her cheeks. “I’m not little… I’m travel sized.” She pouted, crossing her arms and moving to sip her tea once she was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder, cross legged and eyes glancing away from the human.

Bumblebee chuckled voicelessly through the broken circuitry in his throat at Kari, before scooping her up and holds her against his chassis. He had an idea of what his leader was about to do, and he was concerned the child might be reminded of her last encounter with the Autobot commander.

Mirage stepped in to defend the stranger. “Listen, boss bot, when you were giving your order all Optimus-like,” he slipped into an imitation of the red and blue truck’s baritone, “‘Autobots roll out!’” This caused the yellow Camaro to chuckle again and the pink motorcycle to facepalm. The grey and blue Porsche continued, “this guy was already in the car, but he’s cool, so it’s cool, cool?

“Not cool.” Optimus Prime reached down to pick up the man in one hand and glared at him in suspicion. “Who are you, human?”

Kari blinked a bit at the interaction between Optimus and Mirage. Though she kept an eye on the newcomer in her peripheral vision just incase. She leaned into Bumblebee and relaxed as best as she could.

When Optimus picked him up, the human was startled to say the least. He never would have thought that he would be picked up like this by an alien robot. “I’m nobody, I ain’t even seen nothin’! I’m not even seein’ anythin’ right now!”

Right after he spoke, Kari chimed in before anyone else. Her eyes glowing red with a bit of silver in her pupils as she fixed her gaze on the man in Optimus’s grasp. “Noah Diaz. Private of the U.S army. Multiple commendations and very knowledgeable with electronics.” The child informed then gave a huff. “So, he’s a soldier.”

“How did you–?”

“I have my ways.” Kari answered quickly with a snap, not wanting to get into detail while closing her eyes before he noticed the glow. She knew this Noah would likely freak out even more than he likely already had given the current situation and she didn’t want to deal with that.

Optimus Prime gave Kari an appreciative nod, before looking back to Noah. “You will remain here until we decide what to do about you,” he decided.

“Look, that energy signal thingamabob, I think Noah can help us!” Mirage insisted with an enthusiastic grin.

Bumblebee deadpanned as he looked to Arcee. He had felt bad enough about involving Charlie Watson even for a short time, and even if it was by accident. He really didn’t like the idea of choosing to include Noah.

Kari blinked, tilting her head. “What’s so important about that thing anyways?”

“Wait- what energy thing? And how can the kid see it?” Noah asked, looking at Kari. “How can you see it?” The child narrowed her eyes. “You can’t see the huge beam of energy shooting into the sky? I’d ask if you’re blind but I know your not.”

“And h–” Kari raised an eyebrow before Noah finished his thought. “… Ok but how did you even do that?” The child puffed out her cheeks.

“I’m not normal.” Kari said, glancing away clearly uncomfortable with telling Noah as much.

Noah hummed. “Uh, okay but that doesn’t answer my questi– WHOA!” Noah ducked his head as a ball of pure electricity whizzed over his head, hitting the ground and leaving a black singe mark on the concrete.

“Does THAT?”

Noah nodded rapidly while slowly standing straight. “Y-yep… Note to self don’t piss off the super-human kid.”

Kari crossed her arms, her hair bristling wildly while she crossed her arms. “Good, now stop pushin’ me.” She growled. “I’m not exactly one to tell people these things so this whole situation has me on edge. You probably can’t imagine why.”

“Actually… Yea. I kinda can.” Noah informed with a sign. “I may not be able to shoot electricity from my hands but I’m not viewed favorably by other people either. I can relate in a way.” He informed kindly. This helped Kari ease up somewhat, her body relaxing as her eyes went from their more hostile expression to a calmer, more soft one. She glanced at Optimus and hummed.

“If you don’t mind my input I think he’d be helpful to have around.” She chirped.

“Wait! I still didn’t sign up for this. Besides I don’t even know what this thing is or if I can even see it. I can’t see the beam that you guys can, who’s to say I can even see the item making it?”

Bumblebee looked to Kari with concern, even as he held her reassuringly closer. “That may be so-” “-it’s not his fight-” “-it could be very dangerous for-” “-him.”

Mirage took the opportunity to lead Noah away to talk him into it. “Excuse us a minute. Look, Noah, I won’t lie, it’s gonna be dangerous, but you’ll do it for friendship, right?” Upon the indication that he wouldn’t, Mirage changes tactics. “What about for money?” Demonstrating his ability to use his illusions to change the appearance of his vehicle mode, he shifts from Lamborghini to Ferrari to a Formula 1 race car. “You help us, you can sell me as any kind of car you want. We get our whatchamacallit, you get the dough you need for your brother, we both win! What do ya say?”

Kari looked at Bumblebee and gave a small nod. "I mean… Yeh, true. If he doesn’t wanna help we’ll need to think of something else. I’m willing to help where I can but I can only be so discreet with other people… I mean, if this thing were in an office building I’d have no luck cuz what ten year old goes to an office building at night? Immidate red flag for any guard or officer that sees.” Kari muttered.

Noah listened to Mirage and blinked, thinking things over for a split second. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He said to which Kari looked up and gave a hum.

“I’ll go with too. Just to make sure everything goes okay.” She volunteered, still on edge with Noah but she was sort of warming up to him.

"Great thinking, Kari!" Mirage said with an encouraging grin. "See, Noah? You're not going in alone. Don't you feel better now?"

Bumblebee frowned, not liking the idea of Kari risking her life. Arcee frowned, but had to concede the plan had merit. Optimus Prime looked completely unenthusiastic.

The moment Kari saw Mirage the child rushed towards him with a squeak, dropping her container of tea by Bumblebee’s foot in her shock. Thankfully it was a stainless steel container so it wouldn’t break easily.

“MIRAGE!” She called out, surprising the new human as she moved to hug the autobot’s leg while trying not to cry. “What happened to you?! I was so worried! Don’t ever do that again!” The child sniffled only to then notice the human. Kari tensed and immediately rushed to hide, glaring at the man.

“Uh… Hi.” The male said, a bit taken aback to see a little girl with these huge alien robots.

Bumblebee still caught the tea cup, just in case, and held onto it for Kari. He’s standing protectively in front of the child, but giving the man a friendly wave and raising his cheek-plates in a cheerful smile.

“Oh great, the gang is here!” Sarcasm is dripping off of Mirage’s tone, until he sees Kari. “Hey, nice to see you again kid! You been keeping well?” He asks her.

“Mirage, a human?? How could you???” Arcee exclaims, in the tone a disappointed older sibling would use on a mischievous younger sibling.

At that point, a familiar flat-nosed red semi-truck rolled into the base and transformed into a towering red and blue robot. He knelt down and picked up the unfamiliar man, and looked to Mirage with a glare. “A human??? You brought a human here?!?*

Kari looked up at Mirage and smiled kindly up at him. When she heard Arcee and Optimus speak she was a bit taken aback by their tone. “But… I’m human.” She chirped, kind of confused by their hostility.

The man held up his hands. “Look, I’m not a willing participant in any of this. And I’m guessing the kid isn’t either.” He said, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. Kari chirped then moved to be closer to Bee, holding her arms up and making grabbing gestures, wanting to be picked up and to sit atop the scout’s shoulder.

“Shows what you know.” Kari huffed, glaring at the male. “This is my family so back off or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, who’s sassy little kid are you?!”

“I just told you dumb dumb! An’ don’t call me little!” Kari hissed, her hair bristling violently, causing the man to take a step back. Kari puffed out her cheeks. “I’m not little… I’m travel sized.” She pouted, crossing her arms and moving to sip her tea once she was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder, cross legged and eyes glancing away from the human.

Bumblebee chuckled voicelessly through the broken circuitry in his throat at Kari, before scooping her up and holds her against his chassis. He had an idea of what his leader was about to do, and he was concerned the child might be reminded of her last encounter with the Autobot commander.

Mirage stepped in to defend the stranger. “Listen, boss bot, when you were giving your order all Optimus-like,” he slipped into an imitation of the red and blue truck’s baritone, “‘Autobots roll out!’” This caused the yellow Camaro to chuckle again and the pink motorcycle to facepalm. The grey and blue Porsche continued, “this guy was already in the car, but he’s cool, so it’s cool, cool?

“Not cool.” Optimus Prime reached down to pick up the man in one hand and glared at him in suspicion. “Who are you, human?”

Kari blinked a bit at the interaction between Optimus and Mirage. Though she kept an eye on the newcomer in her peripheral vision just incase. She leaned into Bumblebee and relaxed as best as she could.

When Optimus picked him up, the human was startled to say the least. He never would have thought that he would be picked up like this by an alien robot. “I’m nobody, I ain’t even seen nothin’! I’m not even seein’ anythin’ right now!”

Right after he spoke, Kari chimed in before anyone else. Her eyes glowing red with a bit of silver in her pupils as she fixed her gaze on the man in Optimus’s grasp. “Noah Diaz. Private of the U.S army. Multiple commendations and very knowledgeable with electronics.” The child informed then gave a huff. “So, he’s a soldier.”

“How did you–?”

“I have my ways.” Kari answered quickly with a snap, not wanting to get into detail while closing her eyes before he noticed the glow. She knew this Noah would likely freak out even more than he likely already had given the current situation and she didn’t want to deal with that.

Optimus Prime gave Kari an appreciative nod, before looking back to Noah. “You will remain here until we decide what to do about you,” he decided.

“Look, that energy signal thingamabob, I think Noah can help us!” Mirage insisted with an enthusiastic grin.

Bumblebee deadpanned as he looked to Arcee. He had felt bad enough about involving Charlie Watson even for a short time, and even if it was by accident. He really didn’t like the idea of choosing to include Noah.

Kari blinked, tilting her head. "What’s so important about that thing anyways?”

“Wait- what energy thing? And how can the kid see it?” Noah asked, looking at Kari. “How can you see it?” The child narrowed her eyes. “You can’t see the huge beam of energy shooting into the sky? I’d ask if you’re blind but I know your not.”

“And h–” Kari raised an eyebrow before Noah finished his thought. “… Ok but how did you even do that?” The child puffed out her cheeks.

“I’m not normal.” Kari said, glancing away clearly uncomfortable with telling Noah as much.

Noah hummed. “Uh, okay but that doesn’t answer my questi– WHOA!” Noah ducked his head as a ball of pure electricity whizzed over his head, hitting the ground and leaving a black singe mark on the concrete.

“Does THAT?”

Noah nodded rapidly while slowly standing straight. “Y-yep… Note to self don’t piss off the super-human kid.”

Kari crossed her arms, her hair bristling wildly while she crossed her arms. “Good, now stop pushin’ me.” She growled. “I’m not exactly one to tell people these things so this whole situation has me on edge. You probably can’t imagine why.”

“Actually… Yea. I kinda can.” Noah informed with a sign. “I may not be able to shoot electricity from my hands but I’m not viewed favorably by other people either. I can relate in a way.” He informed kindly. This helped Kari ease up somewhat, her body relaxing as her eyes went from their more hostile expression to a calmer, more soft one. She glanced at Optimus and hummed.

“If you don’t mind my input I think he’d be helpful to have around.” She chirped.

“Wait! I still didn’t sign up for this. Besides I don’t even know what this thing is or if I can even see it. I can’t see the beam that you guys can, who’s to say I can even see the item making it?”

Bumblebee looked to Kari with concern, even as he held her reassuringly closer. "That may be so-" "-it's not his fight-" "-it could be very dangerous for-" "-him."

Mirage took the opportunity to lead Noah away to talk him into it. "Excuse us a minute. Look, Noah, I won't lie, it's gonna be dangerous, but you'll do it for friendship, right?" Upon the indication that he wouldn't, Mirage changes tactics. "What about for money?" Demonstrating his ability to use his illusions to change the appearance of his vehicle mode, he shifts from Lamborghini to Ferrari to a Formula 1 race car. "You help us, you can sell me as any kind of car you want. We get our whatchamacallit, you get the dough you need for your brother, we both win! What do ya say?"

The moment Kari saw Mirage the child rushed towards him with a squeak, dropping her container of tea by Bumblebee’s foot in her shock. Thankfully it was a stainless steel container so it wouldn’t break easily.

“MIRAGE!” She called out, surprising the new human as she moved to hug the autobot’s leg while trying not to cry. “What happened to you?! I was so worried! Don’t ever do that again!” The child sniffled only to then notice the human. Kari tensed and immediately rushed to hide, glaring at the man.

“Uh… Hi.” The male said, a bit taken aback to see a little girl with these huge alien robots.

Bumblebee still caught the tea cup, just in case, and held onto it for Kari. He’s standing protectively in front of the child, but giving the man a friendly wave and raising his cheek-plates in a cheerful smile.

“Oh great, the gang is here!” Sarcasm is dripping off of Mirage’s tone, until he sees Kari. “Hey, nice to see you again kid! You been keeping well?” He asks her.

“Mirage, a human?? How could you???” Arcee exclaims, in the tone a disappointed older sibling would use on a mischievous younger sibling.

At that point, a familiar flat-nosed red semi-truck rolled into the base and transformed into a towering red and blue robot. He knelt down and picked up the unfamiliar man, and looked to Mirage with a glare. “A human??? You brought a human here?!?*

Kari looked up at Mirage and smiled kindly up at him. When she heard Arcee and Optimus speak she was a bit taken aback by their tone. “But… I’m human.” She chirped, kind of confused by their hostility.

The man held up his hands. “Look, I’m not a willing participant in any of this. And I’m guessing the kid isn’t either.” He said, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. Kari chirped then moved to be closer to Bee, holding her arms up and making grabbing gestures, wanting to be picked up and to sit atop the scout’s shoulder.

“Shows what you know.” Kari huffed, glaring at the male. “This is my family so back off or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Okay, who’s sassy little kid are you?!”

“I just told you dumb dumb! An’ don’t call me little!” Kari hissed, her hair bristling violently, causing the man to take a step back. Kari puffed out her cheeks. “I’m not little… I’m travel sized.” She pouted, crossing her arms and moving to sip her tea once she was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder, cross legged and eyes glancing away from the human.

Bumblebee chuckled voicelessly through the broken circuitry in his throat at Kari, before scooping her up and holds her against his chassis. He had an idea of what his leader was about to do, and he was concerned the child might be reminded of her last encounter with the Autobot commander.

Mirage stepped in to defend the stranger. “Listen, boss bot, when you were giving your order all Optimus-like,” he slipped into an imitation of the red and blue truck’s baritone, “‘Autobots roll out!’” This caused the yellow Camaro to chuckle again and the pink motorcycle to facepalm. The grey and blue Porsche continued, “this guy was already in the car, but he’s cool, so it’s cool, cool?

“Not cool.” Optimus Prime reached down to pick up the man in one hand and glared at him in suspicion. “Who are you, human?”

Kari blinked a bit at the interaction between Optimus and Mirage. Though she kept an eye on the newcomer in her peripheral vision just incase. She leaned into Bumblebee and relaxed as best as she could.

When Optimus picked him up, the human was startled to say the least. He never would have thought that he would be picked up like this by an alien robot. "I’m nobody, I ain’t even seen nothin’! I’m not even seein’ anythin’ right now!”

Right after he spoke, Kari chimed in before anyone else. Her eyes glowing red with a bit of silver in her pupils as she fixed her gaze on the man in Optimus’s grasp. “Noah Diaz. Private of the U.S army. Multiple commendations and very knowledgeable with electronics.” The child informed then gave a huff. “So, he’s a soldier.”

“How did you–?”

“I have my ways.” Kari answered quickly with a snap, not wanting to get into detail while closing her eyes before he noticed the glow. She knew this Noah would likely freak out even more than he likely already had given the current situation and she didn’t want to deal with that.

Optimus Prime gave Kari an appreciative nod, before looking back to Noah. "You will remain here until we decide what to do about you," he decided.

"Look, that energy signal thingamabob, I think Noah can help us!" Mirage insisted with an enthusiastic grin.

Bumblebee deadpanned as he looked to Arcee. He had felt bad enough about involving Charlie Watson even for a short time, and even if it was by accident. He really didn't like the idea of choosing to include Noah.

The bag is being snatched quicker than he can blink and being ravenously tore into. The mechanic was in need of either coffee or sleep, but this would have to suffice for now.

Izzy’s eyes widened as she saw him texting her boyfriend. She’s scrambling, trying to grab his arm, do anything to try and get him to STOP. “Bee! Please don’t! C’mon I thought we were on the same team,” she’s whining.

Bumblebee raises his cheek-plates in what Izabella knows is his most mischievous grin. "We are-" "-it's why I'm doing this-" "-it's too late!" He's already sent Tuner the text, informing him of everything Bumblebee has observed about Izabella's present state.

She’s throwing him a glare and the middle finger before sprinting as fast as she can AWAY.

Nope, no naps for her! She’ll do what she did to get away from Barricade again if needed.

He grins before transforming to Camaro mode to match her pace. All the while, he's texting Tuner to head her off.

@tunerstunes

The bag is being snatched quicker than he can blink and being ravenously tore into. The mechanic was in need of either coffee or sleep, but this would have to suffice for now.

Izzy’s eyes widened as she saw him texting her boyfriend. She’s scrambling, trying to grab his arm, do anything to try and get him to STOP. “Bee! Please don’t! C’mon I thought we were on the same team,” she’s whining.

Bumblebee raises his cheek-plates in what Izabella knows is his most mischievous grin. "We are-" "-it's why I'm doing this-" "-it's too late!" He's already sent Tuner the text, informing him of everything Bumblebee has observed about Izabella's present state.

The bag is being snatched quicker than he can blink and being ravenously tore into. The mechanic was in need of either coffee or sleep, but this would have to suffice for now.

No one tell Tuner how long it's been since she's slept. She didn't want to get dragged to bed (though she knows she should). She'll just hide with Bumblebee and avoid him for a while.

"I've hit a wall with your voice box, buddy...sorry," and there's his answer as to why she hasn't slept.

Bumblebee sets the coffee beside her with a sigh. "Don't push yourself-" "-on my account-" "-I'll talk to you through-" "-the radio star-" "-forever-" "-if it meant-" "-you look after-" "-yourself," he insists.

He's not going to threaten to tell Tuner yet...

Izzy is taking the coffee and sipping it with a pleased hum. If the bags under her eyes were any indication of how long she had been awake…it wasn’t good. “Bee, that’s not why I stay away,” she laughs slightly.

It was the memories, she didn’t want to be haunted by them and this was the only way she got relief. “What day is today? Last I remembered it was…Thursday?”

Bumblebee gives her the sternest look he can manage, though due to his large optics and round face, he looks not unlike an angry child. A sixteen foot tall angry child made of yellow car parts, but an angry child nonetheless.

"You can always talk to me-" "-if something's going on," he assures her, concern bleeding through his optics, "but-" "-rest is what you need-" "-but-" "-I just have a face no one listens to-" "-so-" "-maybe you'll listen to-" "-him." He points to a photo of Tuner as he texts the musical Autobot over the comm link.

The bag is being snatched quicker than he can blink and being ravenously tore into. The mechanic was in need of either coffee or sleep, but this would have to suffice for now.

No one tell Tuner how long it's been since she's slept. She didn't want to get dragged to bed (though she knows she should). She'll just hide with Bumblebee and avoid him for a while.

"I've hit a wall with your voice box, buddy...sorry," and there's his answer as to why she hasn't slept.

Bumblebee sets the coffee beside her with a sigh. "Don't push yourself-" "-on my account-" "-I'll talk to you through-" "-the radio star-" "-forever-" "-if it meant-" "-you look after-" "-yourself," he insists.

He's not going to threaten to tell Tuner yet...

The bag is being snatched quicker than he can blink and being ravenously tore into. The mechanic was in need of either coffee or sleep, but this would have to suffice for now.

Bumblebee elects to fetch a cup of coffee. Trying to convince Izabella to sleep when she should, he knows, is a fool's errand. He intends to ask what happened to her as soon as she's had the required candy and caffeine.

Bumblebee pondered his recent adventure. The Terrorcon attack was very much at the forefront of his mind. It hadn't been the first time he'd been blasted into the near-death of stasis lock since arriving on Earth, but it was the longest he'd been offline in his relatively short life. He'd missed most of the action while his friends were out there risking their lives, particularly poor Mirage and Airazor.

As much as he didn't want her to worry, the scout knew Charlie would see right through him. "Same old, same old-" "-they kicked him and slapped him and shot him and stabbed him and nailed both his ears to the wall-" "-the usual," he admitted.

Electing to change the subject from himself, he asked her, "How are you?" He had been curious to know what she had been up to since he last saw her.

Her expression definitely betrays the cool she's trying to keep! It does worry Charlie, especially considering a lot of it she was gone for as well, but with how quick Bumblebee is to want to change the subject and move away from what he'd gone through, how could she press him about it? A sigh and she concedes with an ever gentle smile. Charlie knew he'd do his best to tell her about it if he wanted to or if he really, really needed to... trusting her friend, she'd follow suit and change the subject as well.

❝ I'm alright, Bee, ❞ Charlie answers at last with a soft little puff. She kicks a bit of the gravel with the heel of her boot, adjusting her posture. ❝ Things have been real busy at the shop, but that's about it. ❞ Now she smiles at full bloom, beaming up to Bumblebee.

❝ You feel like hangin' out for a bit? -The beach is pretty empty thanks to the fair right now! We could cruise if you want? ❞

He isn't sure whether to take the lack of excitement as a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it implies that her life has not been in danger since he last met her. On the other, there is the concern that she may have been bored or lonely.

Bumblebee first nods his comprehension, then his enthusiasm. His cheek-plates raise up in an ecstatic grin. "Yep, yep, yep!" His radio says. He's all too happy to spend time with her again.

target audience

it occurs to me that i am also the target audience

can we all pretend i didn't say that and instead said something much cooler and more interesting also