Transformers: The Return

Chapter Eightteen

They have been driving for two days now, two long days. Martha was boarded and her phone was dead, so no calls went out nor coming in.

She just looked out the window, seeing dessert and passing cars and trucks.

"Ironhide?" She asked as there was a hum in response. "Why did you take us with you? You said that you guys had to go and I thought I would never see you again."

"Yeah, I said that but something's up." Ironhide's voice said throughout the car cab. "That holoform back there, she said to get Witwicky kid and that means that you or one of your two friends are in danger."

Martha turned away from the window. "What does she want?" She asked.

"We don't know, but we'll provide protection for you, Jason, and what's his name." Ironhide said.

"Ashton."

"Right. Thank you."

Martha just nodded as she, again, looked out the window. This was a long way from Sacramento, she had never been this far from town before.

Then everything was slowing down, Martha snapped her attention back to the driver's side.

"What's wrong?" She asked as they were getting off the highway onto a back road.

"Need to stretch." Ironhide said.

The three cars slowed to a stop as Martha got out and stretched her legs, Jason got out as well stretching his arms as Ashton literally jumped out and ran to Martha.

"What the fuck is going on!" He yelled then looked at the three cars as they transformed. He hid behind Martha as Jason also went near her.

Jazz was the first to fully be in his bot form to look around and see desert. "Middle of nowhere." He sighed. "Great…"

Ratchet stood at his full height as he looked at himself then was almost tackled to the ground as Ironhide hugged him tightly.

"Iron!" He yelped as the other nuzzled his neck. "I said I'm fine!"

"You're not fine! I watched you die in holoform!" Ironhide yelled.

Ratchet looked at him. "Which wasn't my real form, it was a hologram of a human." He said, making Ironhide look back at him. "I'm still here, I'm not going to die nor get seriously hurt, I promise you that."

Ironhide sighed as he hugged his partner once more then looked at the three humans.

Martha was trying to push Asher out of hiding as Jason looked around a bit.

"Asher, stop!" Martha said as Asher let out small yelps and hid behind her over and over.

"NO!" Asher yelled as Jazz jumped a bit at this.

Ironhide then looked away from them towards the road ahead of them. A long way to go from here to get to, wherever, the base was.

A yelp was heard as Ironhide looked back at the group. Asher was kicking his legs in the air with Jazz holding him while Ratchet looked at him annoyed.

"Put him down." Ratchet snapped.

"He was-" Jazz was trying to explain.

"I said Put. Him. Down." Ratchet snapped again, his optics showed more annoyance. "I'm not going to say it again."

Jazz quickly put Asher down as the human then ran up to his lag and stood on his foot. "Keep that snake away from me!" Asher yelled.

Ratchet looked at Asher then at Martha. She was holding a baby bullsnake. "Is that why-" Ratchet was beginning to ask as Jazz nodded.

"Yeah, he wanted to be picked up away from her." Jazz said.

Ironhide huffed in amusement as Ratchet looked at him with a death stare. "Don't." Ratchet hissed.

"I wasn't." Ironhide said.

"I know you, don't tell me that."

Ironhide sighed, looking at Martha. "Put the snake down." He said.

Martha looked at him. "But the little guy wanted to say hi." She said then looked across the road. "I'll be back!" She was about to run across but Ironhide picked her up and in three steps they were across.

Martha let the little guy go and went back to her friends. "Why did you pick that thing up?" Ironhide asked as Martha looked at him with a smile.

"Because yes." She said.

"That's not an answer."

He put her down as Ratchet looked at him. He walked over to him as their dialect quickly turned into Cybertronian.

'We need to go.' Ratchet said as Jazz looked down at Asher.

'I know but we need to find somewhere that the kid can rest in, beside our cabs.' Ironhide said as Jason pulled him off of Jazz's foot. 'We can't deal with threats if they're with us.'

'I know, but you're the one that decided to bring them along.' Ratchet said, gesturing at the teens. 'I say that it's a seriously not a good idea to bring them with us.'

Ironhide sighed then nodded in agreement. 'I know. I know it was a bad call.' He said. 'But what other choices did we have? Leave them there? Get them somewhere else than here? It was an rushed decision.'

Ratchet pulled his partner closer putting his head against the other's head. 'I know how that feels.' He said then looked at Jazz who was smiling and laughing as the teens were talking to him.

'Ratch, it wasn't your fault.' Ironhide said, making Ratchet look at him.

'It feels like-' Ratchet was then cut off as there was yelping and someone jumping onto his back. "JAZZ!"

"What is it!?" Ironhide yelled as Asher pointed to a tarantula on the ground crawling away from the road. "That? That is why you screamed!" 

"KILL IT!" Jazz yelled, still holding onto Ratchet.

"It's not going to harm you!" Ratchet yelled. "Now get off!" Ratchet then pushed Jazz's arms off as Ironhide grabbed him by the back of his neck.

Jazz just hung there for a few moments then was put on the ground where he then grabbed Ironhide's leg. "KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!" Jazz yelled.

Ironhide looked down at him then sighed, with a growl, at this. Ratchet looked at Jazz then pulled him off Ironhide's leg quickly.

"Okay then. Don't bother him anymore." Ratchet said. "He's close to trying to kill someone."

Jazz looked at the ground, where the tarantula was no longer seen. "It's gone now…." He said then Ratchet dropped him. "Sorry…"

"It's fine, just try to not freak out like that please." Ratchet said as Jazz nodded.

Ironhide took a moment to calm down then looked at the teens. "Alright, let's move out." He said, then transformed into his vehicle mode as did Ratchet and Jazz.

Martha looked at Jason and Ashton. "Same car this time?" She asked.

"Yes." Jason said with Ashton nodding in agreement.

"Alright then let's hit the road!" Martha yelled as they got into Jazz's car mode.

The three cars drove off, dust flying up in the low wind, setting back down the road to the highway again. This is gonna be a long trip.