[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Accidental Adventure [Closed]

[Miko Nakadai]

Episode 3 | Week 4 | Day 6

-

It hadn’t taken Miko long to realize she’d probably made a dire mistake.

The first clue had been that the bus was going completely the wrong way. The second was that they appeared to uh… not be stopping anytime soon. While there looked to be bus stops - as few and far between as they were - along the remote and dusty road outside of Jasper, the bus just kept on truckin’.

And truckin’. Annnnnd truckin’ some more.

This was fine, absolutely fine - the bus had to stop at some point, right?

How did this even happen? She was certain she’d read the timetable correctly but… man, these bus schedules were so confusing. American culture had been something she’d immersed herself in quickly upon her arrival to the country. She’d made a point of integrating herself and fitting in, to the point it was like she’d been here the whole time! She understood their language, their weird mannerisms (that weren’t quite as polite as the folks back home), and everything else in between!

But bus timetables?! ARrrgh!

There wasn’t even anywhere for her to sit down on this bus, nor could she move much of anywhere, sandwiched in between masses of people going who even knew where. The only saving grace was that she could see - at least a little bit - out one of the side windows.

Of course, this didn’t help her growing nervousness as they drove further and further away from Jasper. Everyone else seemed to be content, going about their day - some taking this downtime as an opportunity to close their eyes and get a brief moment of rest. They weren’t paying her much mind. Those that were awake were immersed in reading newspapers or seemed to be listening to music, which in a way was probably a good thing, as she didn’t really want to be put on the spot or anything.

Clutching the strap of her backpack tightly, Miko would rummage in her pocket to pull out her phone. The last thing she wanted to do was call her host parents to come and get her whenever the bus stopped, and so would type in the digits for the Omega Base to pre-warn them that she’d uhhhh… gotten herself into a bit of trouble.

…

Only she was met with a ‘no signal’ beep as the call refused to go through. With a groan of frustration at noticing the lack of signal bars - because go figure this day actually could get worse - she snapped the phone closed and returned it to her pocket.

Maybe it was the panic that made the bus ride feel like an eternity, or the fact there weren’t any real landmarks to gauge where she even was except cacti and rocks, but eventually, they made it to their destination. The bus hadn’t gone too far at all in terms of distance - simply over to the next town a few miles out.

This place didn’t look like much of anything that she could see. A small town, probably smaller than Jasper, though - which was saying a lot.

As the passengers departed and continued on with their lives, Miko would move with them. Hopping down from the step and moving out of the way of the crowd as she once again pulled out her phone, with another attempt made in calling the Omega Base. Surely one of the Autobots would be okay coming to get her, and if not?

Well, maybe she’d walk.

Forever. In the desert. Alone. Baking in the sun… Ugh, no. If it came down to it, she’d call her host parents, as much as she didn’t want to. The last thing she wanted was to get grounded, though, which was probably what would happen.

This time, the call thankfully went through - with the familiar, chirpy beeps of Bumblebee on the other end. While she didn’t understand a word he said, he at least sounded like he was either going to come out here himself, or someone else would.

Maybe she was assuming a little bit, but heyo, they wouldn’t leave her stranded out here, right?

And so she waited, sitting on a bench and watching as more people got onto the bus before it eventually departed onward into the desert toward the unknown.

The whole thing could’ve been worse, but even still - she wasn’t supposed to be here - and she felt so very small and lost in this unfamiliar place.

Hopefully Bumblebee wouldn’t take too long…

[Optimus Prime]

While Miko's host parents may have been unhappy at the incident, the individual that chose to address the situation certainly did not feel such a mindset would be justified. Mistakes could happen, it simply was a way of life, and those who thought they were immune to such folly were living in a delusional state. Even Cybertron transport shuttles could be somewhat confusing to figure out at times, and if Earth was anywhere near the same? Well, it meant that it was likely bound to happen at one point or another. Thankfully she knew that she could rely on those at Omega, and while her typical ring of friends were unavailable, Optimus could assist, even if he knew well that he would not be her second, third, fourth... or however many dozen slots back of choices. Liked or not, it was better than her senselessly spending money and time to hopefully make her way home.

It also offered a few moments of quiet and peace to an exhausted soul.

While Optimus expected Miko to ramble and chatter on the way back, and potentially grill him with questions for the more than obvious issues he had, he did get a sliver of time on the way there to just drift within his own processor. Feeling the road beneath him, flowing through traffic letting it dictate speed and movements. There was no urgency in play, no need to hurry as if another were in danger. While others may wish to turn on the radio to listen to some talk show or music, Optimus basked in the empty sound of the asphalt flicking past below, and the whistle of wind. It muddled into an idle hum that was relaxing all on its own, following the directions that had been retrieved to get to where he needed to go.

He wanted his mind to go blank, even if it certainly was swarming with recent events and all the stressors that came with them.

While he was in no rush, Optimus did not stall or overly linger anywhere, eventually getting near where he had been told to go, slowing just enough so that he could look around the immediate area. The gaze of his holoform teetered on the edge of the uncanny valley, something off feeling about it that didn't particularly mesh well, though it was thankfully close enough that if anyone were to look at it straight on it would be passable with its high position in the driver's seat partly obscured. He could see a couple of pedestrians walking about their day, a handful of other vehicles, and other simple staples of an active area, though Miko hardly blended in, instantly standing out to him.

Driving over into the bus lane, the large cobalt and red truck slowed in front of the covered bench, a hissed sound of the brakes made as it eased to a full halt once lined up fully. It would be more than obvious to Miko just who had shown to pick her up, the color scheme and chrome Autobot emblem on its front grill effectively screaming that fact plain as day, however, there certainly was something that was out of line from the normal she would be familiar with, there being profoundly severe damage that had never been seen previously.

Blistered paint was peeled along the passenger side door and part up towards the front of the vehicle, rich red transitioning to darker crimson before burning to a coal black at spots. Numerous patches were punched in as though someone had taken a battering ram into it, the deepest points flecked in silver that normally should not be exposed as it was. This could be alarming enough, though there were also clean sharp lines between invisible seams, where the damage didn't let them line up properly after transforming, creating gaps that looked bad, though were thankfully not open enough to expose any more alien mechanics below. There were a couple of other slices and raw points, but they dwarfed in comparison to the side plate that could be explained away as being the recipient to a car crash that caught flame.

Or so was the loose excuse, not that he expected someone to give him grief about it.

While the individual within wasn't seen from Miko's much lower position, there was a motion taken despite it of the holoform reaching over, before the side door would pop open fully, a calm gaze staring down from a recognizably default individual. As if there could be any question about it, which... there really was no room for wiggle room as he would be more than recognizable... Optimus would speak, a strong monotone baseline that sounded so tired and so done with everything.

"Where were you trying to go, Miko."

He was uncertain if she needed to go home, or if she had been attempting to travel elsewhere such as a supermarket or other store to grab something. He felt Omega was not her goal since no bus stop would come remotely close, and the hike from the nearest one to the Autobot base would have been an arduous journey he believed she wouldn't take on unless there was some sort of emergency she deemed dire enough. As such, he patiently waited, both for her to climb up, as well as inform him, ideally before a new bus arrived that need him to move.

[Miko Nakadai]

Wisely deciding to stay put as she waited, Miko would remain sitting on the bench rather than going to explore the unfamiliar town. If Jack or Raf were here, she may have egged them on into wandering around a bit while Bumblebee made his way here, but as she was alone? She didn’t really feel the urge to get into any sort of mischief.

Not that there was anything to do around here, anyway.

Keeping to herself, she was on her best behavior to the point nobody would probably believe her if she told them. Not drawing attention to herself in any way, simply sitting - with the occasional glance given to her phone, if only to check the time.

The area was so quiet now that the busload of people had dissipated and continued on with their lives, and she found herself wondering just what it was many of them did. They’d all come from Jasper, so maybe they worked there and lived here, or something.

How boring - going from one dreary and uninteresting place to another.

She wasn’t waiting too long until she saw the familiar sight of… Optimus??

Wait, why was Optimus coming to get her and not Bee? Her mind raced, wondering if she was in trouble for calling on the Autobots to come and get her instead of her host parents - and as such her grip tightened just slightly on her phone. The Prime didn’t seem the type to yell, but he had that disappointed dad aura about him sometimes that was probably even worse, and she found herself bracing for it.

Watching as he moved closer, she would stand up - offering him a little wave, just on the off chance he hadn’t seen her. With how quiet it was, she was probably easy to spot among the few remaining pedestrians, though she also wanted to acknowledge that she had seen him as well.

As he drove over and into the bus lane, it was then that she noticed the damage on his frame. From afar, it’d looked like some sort of strange shadows cast by the sun, but now he was here in front of her she realized that he was actually hurt.

It looked like something - or someone - big had crashed into him, and those blackened, blistered spots were obviously the result of an explosion or something. Her gaze drifted over the damage, frowning - though she wasted no time in moving over to the door once it opened.

She was expecting a hello, or some sort of greeting - instead, she was met with tired words, and the disappointed dad aura she’d almost been dreading. Oh no… He sounded so done with everything that she couldn’t help but feel awful.

“Hey uh, dad…” she started sheepishly as she climbed up and into the truck. Not wanting to call him Optimus on the off chance someone could hear, even if they probably wouldn’t care.

Taking her seat, she took care in placing her backpack between her feet, making a point to keep her hands on her lap. She wasn’t sure where to even look - and so would glance out the window at the bench she’d been sitting on only moments prior.

If it was Bee, or Bulk - or probably anyone else - it would’ve probably been way more chill, but Optimus seemed so tired, and the fact he was hurt as well? She didn’t want to annoy him further by having him drive her all over.

Looking at the holoform beside her, she would smile.

“Uhm. Well, the next town over - just… in the other direction.” her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “There’s a music shop there that’s bigger than the one in Jasper, and I was gonna go check out guitars…”

Fidgeting with the strap of her backpack, she would quickly clear her throat - speaking a little louder as she continued.

“But it’s okay! We don’t need to go there if you have stuff to do! I can just double-check the bus timetable and go there tomorrow or something!” a nervous laugh escaped her that she couldn’t help. Argh, why did it have to be Optimus?

[Optimus Prime]

When Optimus was called 'dad', his holoform's gaze, as well as his unseen one, peered over at some of the sparse pedestrians that may have been curious about what was happening, it not a common act at all for a child to be picked up from a bus stop by a brightly painted semi-truck that looked as though it had been in a very bad incident. It was likely a tactic she was employing to diffuse any wariness to try to be more covert and not rouse suspicions, or who knows what. It didn’t bother him, and he didn’t intend to point it out and question just why she had said that, as it truly didn’t matter, and would just make things that much more awkward.

Everything seemed odd enough as is.

The discomfort Miko was experiencing was more than obvious and not masked in any way whatsoever, Optimus knowing well that she was not thrilled by the fact he was the one to get her even before she fully settled into place on the passenger seat. Even someone else she did not know well at all would probably have been picked before him, that being an opportunity to try to meet someone new, while he was... him. Perhaps if he were someone else it may have bothered him, though he simply moved on with things, the door beside Miko closing with a clunk while she spoke, his focus seeming to cast out to the opposite side to glance for traffic.

He wanted to get out of the bus lane, though it seemed he would need to wait a moment for the light in his wake to go red before he could get a proper clearing.

"We can go to the store if you wish."

Optimus tried to sound nicer and soften his voice, an attempt made to bleed off the stress he was feeling to not let it project at her, yet he was so tired and so frustrated by so much. Miko didn't deserve any of it however, and he did not place any blame upon her for her mistake, nor did he feel she was deserving of completely losing out on an outing she obviously had to have looked forward to. She evidently wanted to go so badly that she tried to get there on her own rather than wait for Bulkhead to take her on her shopping trip.

"I am already here; it is no concern."

Unless she planned to spend multiple hours inside the store, in which case that would be more of a problem. While he could use the opportunity to sit and quietly plan his next steps, it almost a meditative moment in a way if he just cut her loose into the store and kept his Holoform within, he liked to have a terminal to write notes or look things up on Omega's systems such as maps or reports. If that ended up being the case, it could be addressed at that point, though for now, it wasn't an issue.

Seeing an opportunity, Optimus would pull out into the street to get away from the side lane, glancing back as a new bus was rolling up a block back to likely take the place he had just left in time. His focus would then angle forward, his projected form glancing over at Miko to try to see if she was gravely opposed to the idea and would rather be left alone than taken to the store. Whatever option she would choose, he knew that he needed to turn back toward Jasper, leading to him looking for the primary intersections so he could make a couple of turns to head back.

"Unless of course, you want to go home?"

There was no pitch change to be heard, there being nothing to indicate if he would, or would not, prefer such a choice, seeming genuine enough in his query.

[Miko Nakadai]

Sitting at the red light in a moment that seemed to take forever, Miko could only smile at Optimus’ offer to go to the music store. She knew that he was probably just saying that to be nice, a sort of sympathetic attempt to make her feel less awkward about the whole situation, but deep down she wondered if he needed it, too.

He had been the one to come out here instead of Bumblebee, after all.

Things had been a little stressful at Omega One as of late. Wheeljack leaving the way he had was something she still thought about often, how the last moment between him and Optimus had been one of anger - there was Ratchet still being broken, then, of course, there was Patch being missing. It’d only been four days, but that was such a long time - especially as they didn’t know where she was.

Then there was whatever had happened to Optimus himself. Those injuries were nasty, and with no Ratchet or Patch to help, he would likely be hurting quite a bit.

Yet despite this, the drive would probably be a great way to de-stress a little bit. She wasn’t much for casual conversation - not with Optimus, anyway, as she’d have no idea what to even talk to him about - but maybe the quiet away from the stress of the base and everything going on would do him good.

Despite this thought, she hesitated in answering - something he seemed to pick up on, judging by his following words. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she found herself settling back in the chair as the light finally turned green and they began moving.

“Aw, no! We can go if you want to! It’d be cool to go with you! The drive might be fun, I don’t think we’ve ever hung out together, huh?”

He absolutely wasn’t her first choice in the list of Autobots to hang out with, nor did he really seem the type to want to ever do anything that could be considered fun. But hey - maybe he would surprise her and this would actually end up being a pretty good day out.

“Only if you’re up for it, anyway!” she added, turning to look at the Holoform beside her then, as she spoke. “If you’re too hurt, we really don’t have to.”

She’d seen the injuries - how could she not - though found it awkward to ask directly just how he’d gotten them, hence the sideways approach.

[Optimus Prime]

"-I don’t think we’ve ever hung out together, huh?"

"We have not."

To say that they didn't interact much was an understatement, Optimus generally keeping his distance from the children. It wasn't a choice to be rude, so much as it was a general result of personality clash, and the fact others were far more engaging with their series of questions or interests. This showed itself plainly when Miko was helping another look into his decimated ceiling, the two of them chatting while he took the sideline of assist, while later on he was a mere utility to help her get her homework that got inside an air vent... or rather... Rafael's homework.

Even if they had more things in common, it would still never be Optimus' strong point, to a degree that it was not unheard of for him to simply hard shut down a discussion and go back to whatever work he needed to address. While he would always give his Autobots time should they need it, and he considered the children one of their own in a way, he wasn't a fountain of entertainment that would fill a void in absence of someone else. While he was willing to make an attempt to do so as they were stuck traveling, a want and an ability were two separate things, creating a lull before Miko poked around the obvious topic.

If she was looking for a story, she would need to be far more direct.

"It is of no concern."

Optimus had a high pain tolerance, one that he progressively built up and reinforced at multiple key points during the war since his first battlefront experience. He did not want to look weak in front of his team, though this desire was not an act of pride or arrogance, so much as it was created from the title that he had thrown upon his shoulders and what he felt he needed to do to honor it. Being Prime meant different things to different individuals. Military commander, religious figurehead, or anywhere in between... it varied drastically, though each one had one thing in common, and that was a sense of inspiration and support.

And it was difficult to inspire strength if he was downed in pain.

So, Optimus had spoken frankly as though Miko was referencing a single long scrape down his side, rather than the fact it was horrible damage from a barrage of missiles that created his blight. He had found it difficult to ignore and stifle down at times, and was having issues even getting sleep, though that in part was in addition to the profound stress he was constantly under.

There was another pause of quiet then, a pair of turns made that would let them start to head back towards Jasper on the same street he had arrived from, before he continued.

"Do you know where I must go?"

Miko had to know the basics, she was going to go to the store on her own, however he did not know if she had an actual address on her phone, on paper, or if it would be a vague direction from a bus stop that the exact location of was difficult to convey when driving from the opposite direction in.

[Miko Nakadai]

Whhhhew. Optimus was making this conversation hard. While she was trying to be engaging - even if that was a little awkward, given who she was talking to - his almost monotone reply was giving her nothing to work with here!

He wasn’t wrong, though. They hadn’t hung out at all, and the few times that they had briefly interacted around the base? Had been just as… well, she didn’t want to say awkward, but if he was a kid at school? They absolutely would run with different crowds, and not be considered friends.

Would Optimus even have any friends? He was so focused on his work and being serious that it would probably be hard for him to be social to the point it wasn’t weird.

Maybe talking about things he liked would sort of lower this weird ‘wall’ he’d put up, but… she didn’t even know what he liked to begin with. The few times she’d seen Optimus around the base he’d been utterly focused on work. Looking at the screens in the Control Room, doing some kind of something she didn’t understand, if only because she couldn’t read Cybertronian. She’d never seen him watching TV, or doing anything that could even be considered even a little bit fun.

It was unhealthy, and a little sad!

She’d have to whittle him down slowly, maybe. Starting with that awful response to her hint about his injuries. She wanted to know what happened - though her indirect approach to this had been met with another boring statement that made it hard to reply or gauge much of anything.

“Are you sure?” she started, wrinkling her nose. “The injuries looked pretty bad, at least to me!” maybe to a Cybertronian they were nothing, but to her they looked rather scary. “What even happened, anyway?”

Hopefully he would be a bit more wordy with his answer. Maybe a story about how he kicked some Decepticon ass, or maybe even MECH, walking away from a big explosion like some kind of badass in a movie! That’d be so cool!

Peering out over the dash, she watched the desert moving below them as they moved onto the main road. It was kind of nice being up in the cab, and while she felt super safe when driving with Bulkhead, being with Optimus was weirdly even safer, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

Maybe because he was so focused on what he was doing at all times, probably including driving.

“Oh uh! Keep going, obviously. We go right through Jasper, then it's about the same distance from there to the place we need to go as it was to the place we just were, give or take!”

She wasn’t quite sure about that detail, having only been there once with her host dad - and she hadn’t exactly been paying attention there, wishing she’d been literally anywhere else than that car. At least it’d been along this same road, which probably helped.

It’d probably look a little weird for a truck to be driving around these tiny rinky-dink towns, but that was a problem they’d cross when they got there, she figured - and hey, at least he didn’t have his trailer to make things even weirder!

[Optimus Prime]

Ah, it was only a matter of time.

Optimus knew exactly what Miko was trying to accomplish, and knew that there was little that he could do to try to dodge the oncoming assault that was lurking around the metaphorical corner. He had heard her talking with others enough times after their own incidents that even a fraction of the truth of his experience could send her into a hyper-focused flurry. She wanted action-packed stories and the details that came with them on how much they beat up the Decepticons, stuck behind the veil where only the glorified bits were seen and not the horrible reality and loss that could be endured. She may think she knew, but she did not know, and he hoped she never would need to learn the difference. One thing this observation did teach him, however, was the fact that trying to perpetually dodge her was an act of futility that would only wear him down over time even more than he already was.

Twenty different angles to try to wiggle the story out, followed by twenty questions to get all the relevant 'cool' details that painted them all as heroes and the other side as mere goons in some TV show that were evil for evil sake. This caused Optimus' Holoform to look blankly ahead and slightly to the side, trying to think how best to articulate the situation cleanly, thinking about what things he may need to screen. It was a no-win scenario though, and he simply had to speak while he was being effectively held captive in an abstract way.

A lower sound of thought was made then, a sort of hesitation.

"I engaged three Decepticons in combat-"

Direct and to the point in a way only Optimus could, chipping down a story to its core elements. So much more would need to be elaborated on, he knew she would have three instant replies already loaded in the metaphorical chamber, so he spoke on, leading directly to the damage that she was able to observe.

"-and blocked missile pods with my shoulder."

That in itself would likely keep her mind busy for a flickered moment, recognizing just where some armor went when he transformed. Some pieces were more than apparent, the wheels on his lower legs and the accompanying blue armor forming the hitch point for his alt, while the red encompassed all else, though being able to point at a specific spot and think 'shoulder' when it was an otherwise flat plane was more blurred. To his kind, it was normal, though he could understand the other perspective.

Optimus' Holoform didn't look over at Miko, focused on the road before him while he was stuck thinking about the fight.

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting from Optimus in terms of a reply. She wasn’t aware of any sort of fighting or exciting events that’d happened in recent days, though to be fair a lot went on when she wasn’t even around - which was probably for the best. The lack of any real tells from the holoform didn’t help as it kept up the facade of being a normal human focused on driving, and the lower hum of thought before he actually spoke was unfortunately lost under the rumble of his engine.

Even if the answer to her question didn’t end up being anything too exciting, if she had asked Bulkhead - or even Bumblebee - the same question, she was sure they would’ve immediately gone into the theatrics, acting out how they’d kicked copious amounts of butt with those unfortunate enough to cross their path. Maybe they played it up a bit at times for her benefit, but that was what made it all the more fun! She couldn’t understand Bee, but he was great at sort of charades-ing his way through things at times to the point that he got most of the point across.

But Optimus… Well. Only he could turn something so stupidly BADASS like taking on three Decepticons and blocking a friggin MISSILE with his shoulder into… the most boring and to-the-point statement she’d ever heard.

The fact he was so boringly direct with his response didn't seem to deter her, as that was just Optimus being Optimus, as she’d heard enough to let her imagination run wild, though of course this only brought up more questions.

These ones were far more animated than the ones previously, and without even realizing it, she'd sat up in the chair, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned to look at the holoform.

"Three?! Whoaaaaa. Who was it?" - as if she'd know any of them except the ones she'd already seen - "Did you leave them a twisted pile of scrap?” she punched the air as she said this, almost as if imagining him beating the crap outta the Decepticons in question “How did you take them out? Who shot the missile? Did it hurt? Was it a direct hit?"

Inhaling sharply - as she had barely taken a breath in between all those questions - she wouldn’t take her gaze off the holoform, eyes wide. She had enough excitement for the both of them, and it was only after she’d word-vomited out the first things she could think of that she took a moment to sit back, realizing that while yes, this was totally awesome, he had been hurt - and without a medic? That was prettttty bad.

He was lucky! Though, he was Optimus - and he was technically far more badass than all of the other Autobots combined (sorry Bulk)!

"I'm glad you're okay though! Man, that's so cool! Three Decepticons! How’d you even run into three of them? Did they track you down while you were on patrol?"

She did care about Optimus, and she was glad that he was okay - she really was - but such stories were so rare that she wanted every single last detail that he could possibly give. He’d lived to tell the tale, after all, so why shouldn’t he?

[Optimus Prime]

Here we go.

The change in Miko's demeanor was as visible as it was intangible, there almost a sort of shift in the very air around them as she seemed to realize just how 'epic' an adventure it may have been, and what tales she may hear in the upcoming moments. The way she sat upright and perked up from the previous slump was even notable enough that Optimus' Holoform turned to be able to see her out of the corner of its perceived vision, a sort of casual glance before it focused ahead once more. The way that it moved seemed natural enough, though it was still 'off' in some form or another, looking for the sake of the action, while not needing to do so to see Miko herself, it more a formality than anything else.

When her questions started, he tried to continue as clean-cut and boiled down as he could.

"Starscream and two I had yet to see-"

Just as there were new Autobots managing to weave their way to Earth from the darkness of space, no doubt Decepticons were doing much the same. The difference was however, that scanning for ship or pod signals cutting through their atmosphere was no way to even slightly guess their numbers, for the boon of a Space Bridge meant that they may have gotten a single new soldier, or twenty, the past week alone.

"-one of which produced the wound you saw."

While the rotary's attack did not plunge into his frame as deeply as the missile shrapnel or the Seeker's claws, the pods had left a visible wound that dwarfed the others in appearance. Charred paints, peeled surface metals, and heavy indents... it was a garish sight that he would likely be wearing for a good long while without real medical aid. He could wait however, he had to wait, and even if they did have the means to fix things, issues that were more masked under the surface would likely come first. That is... after others were tended to.

He did not reply to the question if it had hurt or not.

"Two avoided injury."

Which implied the third was not so lucky. The same Decepticon whose claws plunged deep, in turn, got a taste of their ally's own blades in the process, spilled Energon a splattering of glowing fuel in the night.

"I was notified of the situation by one of Fowler's men."

While they spoke, Optimus turned appropriately at a couple of intersections, landing himself on the same road that Miko had been picked up on initially in the opposite direction. Just as he had briefly angled to look upon her a moment previously, he then glanced towards the empty bus stop where he had picked her up. On this path they would begin towards Jasper the same way she had come from, knowing it would travel in a relatively straight line even beyond the modest city.

[Miko Nakadai]

Only Optimus could turn something as epic as fighting three Decepticons at once - one of those including Starscream - into something so…

Boring.

He’d always been the type to get straight to the point with no nonsense or needless filler, but man, for something like this? The juicy details were what she wanted - no, craved! She didn’t get to see much of the action (rightly so) and so had to live vicariously through the Autobots and their stories. This was absolutely no exception, but the Prime’s way of telling the story wasn’t exactly doing much for her imagination!

That wasn’t to say she wasn’t completely transfixed though, to the point she wasn’t even paying attention to where they were going. Instead, her gaze was on the holoform beside her, trying to pluck any sort of extra info from his expression alone.

A feat that was impossible, given the thing didn’t really show much emotion at all. Ughhh!

Clinging to the sentence about two avoiding injury, she’d nod. That meant one did get injured, and while he wasn’t being very forthcoming with details, she would continue to push just to get something. If she were talking to Bulkhead she’d be honest with the fact his recollection sucked and that he needed to tell her more details! But since it was Optimus she was cautious, even if she wanted nothing more than to ask a million more questions in an attempt to get more out of him.

“The one that did get hurt - did you kick their butt? Was it Starscream? I bet he cried!”

Could Cybertronians even cry? She wasn’t sure, but if anyone would - it would be the Decepticon Seeker.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus' Holoform did not appear to show any emotion of any kind as Miko continued her questions, its gaze simply looking at the road ahead with only a couple of glances here or there when a light was passed.

"It was one of the two I did not know."

If it was Starscream he got hold of, things would have likely gone much differently that day, especially with Patch missing. While he doubted that Megatron would convey any concern for the mech enough to negotiate a trade, a loss of that magnitude would certainly be felt sooner or later. The Seeker was a tactically clever individual and could be dangerous in his actions given his lack of projection to lead up to the assault. To remove him from active play would produce some semblance of security within a whirlwind of danger that swirled around them continuously.

Megatron was a showman, one influenced by the Gladiatorial Pits who often appeared to bask in the moment rather than procure an immediate victory. Mind games fueled him, to which he could tip his hand simply to make his foes anguish at the power they saw that they could not stop. Preparing for a transparent assault was one thing, however, versus trying to defend from one that came unseen from any number of angles.

"I swung them into their ally's weapon."

Given the drastic size differences between Cybertronian as a whole, such a statement could either be profoundly impressive, or absolutely mundane. Many could grab hold of and lift many cassette types in an offensive manner, though with the Prime the field of options grew far broader than most others. Optimus was not a small individual in the slightest, and effectively towered above nearly all that walked the halls that they called home. This meant that the Decepticon he had grabbed onto didn't necessarily have to be narrowed down into those akin to Arcee, and could in fact include the generalized middle ground where many stood due to their vehicle forms. In whatever shape it took, no matter how small or large they may be, to be used as a weapon into another's own was a recipe for disaster, with a little insult to injury on top of it.

Optimus did not need to draw his blade when he had another entity to take its place.

"I do not foresee combat within their immediate future."

That was perhaps the most 'boastful' Miko may be able to get out of him... if it could even be called that. He seemed to feel rather confident that the individual that he attacked wouldn't be able to participate in greater conflicts for their faction anytime soon. The amount of fuel loss was unpleasant, the mangled blade wounds were awful, though internal trauma that may be suffered from the blunt forces involved could be deadly if missed. Whether it was horrendous or not, however, it would be something that would linger no doubt and would make the individual think twice about pulling such a stunt in the future to anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in the same position.

[Miko Nakadai]

While Optimus displayed no real emotion when talking - something that manifested into the physical with the Holoform remaining creepily calm as well - Miko could only listen with eyes wide. She may not have been there, and she may not have much to go on from these thrilling descriptions, but she had an overactive imagination at the best of times, and so even despite lacking the necessary details to fill in the billion gaps to this story, she had a good enough idea of what went on, and it boiled down to basically three words.

Optimus. Was. Badass!

“Wait, wait! So you picked them up and used them as a weapon against another weapon?! Whoa!” she grinned. “That’s SO cool!”

Man, she would’ve paid to see that firsthand. They had some pretty heavy hitters at the base now, but Optimus and Bulkhead were like, part of the OG Autobot team! They’d survived when it was just a few of them, and even if she wasn’t there to see a lot of the action and fighting against the Decepticons, it made total sense that they’d managed to survive as long as they had.

“I wish I was there to see it!” she sighed wistfully, turning her attention and gaze straight ahead. Even with the protective bubble armor that Wheeljack had made for her, she never really got to do much. It was understandable - humans simply were not built for going up against gigantic Cybertronian, or much of anything really - but she’d give anything to watch from afar.

The gentle boast - if it could even be called that - was met with a smile.

“Sounds like you kicked their butt! They’ll think twice before messing with you! Why were you taking on three of them by yourself anyway? Bulk coulda stepped in and helped, y’know!” at this she would punch out at the air, as if demonstrating just what she meant.

“Not that you can’t do it alone! But it’s nice to have backup!”

[Optimus Prime]

As Miko declared just how cool it was that he had picked up an enemy combatant and used them as a weapon as he had, Optimus' Holoform offered a sort of side glance, noting how she even tossed out some punches to accent her words. It continued to be concerning to him, as he did not know for certain how he would be able to reel that energy in so that she didn't sneak out. It had already been proven that she could be crafty with such things, and it was likely only a matter of time until she managed to get through the Bridge once more, and could lay witness to something far more troubling if not traumatizing should a friend be involved.

There was an immense difference between someone being thrown to the ground with their impact coinciding with a beat to the score in a movie, in contrast to the haunting emptiness of a real fight and how the same impact could be paired with a hollow crack of a helm hitting asphalt.

Looking ahead, Optimus spoke on, not feeling up to the argument on 'you do not wish to witness such things' unless her commentary continued enough to spur such a discussion.

"The Decepticons were attempting to seize a truck for its cargo."

The fact they were trying to take building supplies only reinforced the belief that the Nemesis wasn't faring as well as it could be. While it could be used in their mining efforts, or the construction of some larger scientifically driven machinery like the Space Bridge, the way in which the pieces had already been formed implied enough. The larger question then became not if the ship was grounded, but in what state it was left in. Whatever the case, Optimus further addressed Miko's questions.

"The less involved reduces variables."

This isn't to say Bulkhead would intentionally create issues, however, the fewer individuals that could react impulsively or throw out comments that could stir up additional problems... such as what the rotary was attempting... meant that things were more controlled. Still dangerous. Still able to explode. Yet, there was a form of structure in play and a certain kind of predictability that only came from two opposing forces that knew each other rather well. Optimus would not feel as confident about the trade that had taken place if it wasn't Starscream, some other unfamiliar soul being a wildcard favoring unpleasant results.

While Starscream was a conniving vicious individual, there was that distorted twisted level of 'honor' when it could result in favorable outcomes later. Optimus felt confident that the Seeker would be willing to play along, with the understanding that it was insurance for when he truly needed him to jump in the future. A tip of the hand now, for greater boons later on.

Could this approach have backfired? Certainly. If it had, it wasn't as though one of his Autobots was not one urgent call away.

[Miko Nakadai]

Miko didn’t quite catch the side glance given to her, though even if she had seen it? She probably wouldn’t get the meaning behind the look, assuming it was Optimus simply watching her punch at the air and being cautious of his holoform, even if she didn’t hit anywhere near that.

Lowering her hands back into her lap, her attention would shift straight ahead just as the holoforms did, and she’d nod at Optimus’ words about the truck.

“Whoa, like a truck just off the street? So another human knows about you guys? I bet Fowler had a field day with that! It was bad enough when we got involved.” she grinned. While Omega One wasn’t exactly made for children, they made do - and in their defense, they did help the Autobots sometimes. Even Cybertronians had their limits, and having human allies was a definite benefit.

“You should do a bait truck or something if they’re out snooping for stuff! What were they even trying to take, anyway? Weapons? Or was it a tanker full of oil or something?” she hummed, tapping her lip in thought.

“Kind of like bait cars that cops use?" she added to help clarify her meaning, assuming Optimus would even know what that was. "Catch them in the act and then pow!” while she didn’t punch the air again, she would smile - looking at the holoform momentarily.

The thought of the truck being stocked with building materials didn’t even cross her mind as it was so absolutely boring, though either of the two things she’d mentioned were valuable in their own right. If the Decepticons needed something, the Autobots should totally use that to their advantage - setting up an ambush and hitting them where it hurts.

Though it wasn’t for her to decide such things.

Wrinkling her nose at Optimus’ reply as to why he didn’t call for backup, she nodded in understanding, though frowned, the excitement leaving her tone as she glanced out the side window.

“Well, I mean… Yeah, I guess… But still, taking on three Decepticons by yourself? What if they really hurt you?”

She knew of the rules the Autobots had had to stick to for a while there, about not leaving the base alone. MECH and the Decepticons were dangerous, and it didn’t take much for either one of them to get the upper hand even with the usage of a bridge.

They’d already almost lost Optimus once to that weird plague thingy, and while they’d managed without him…? She didn’t want them to lose him permanently.

“I wouldn’t want Bulkhead to do that by himself, even if I know he could!”

Now that she thought about it? She didn’t want to lose any of them.