Chapter Text
Riley Brown gripped the EMP gun tighter with her slick, clammy hands, realizing that this was the most nervous she had ever been when carrying out a mission.
Of course, it wasn't carrying out a mission that scared her, she got used to that months ago, but rather the objective of this specific mission.
You see, ever since NEST had been renamed to Cemetery Wind, they had started to carry out missions that excluded their Autobot allies. At first, she merely suspected that the Autobots were ignorant of this fact. Now, she was sure of it. The first few missions weren't too bad, taking down stray Decepticons, tracking down energon signals, nothing too suspicious. But this mission, for this particular mission…
Her team, as well as six other elite squadrons, all lead by field agent James Savoy, were ordered to take down Optimus Prime.
The plan was rather simple, really. They had already contacted Prime and told him to come to these coordinates. Even if the unsuspecting alien had picked up their life signals when he drove up, he would simply assume that they were here to aid him, not harm him. Then, when he had ventured deep enough into the alley, enough for him to be surrounded, they would strike. Eighty four EMP guns, all set to 'stun', each aimed at a vital but vulnerable part of the Cybertronian's armour. He wouldn't have a chance to even react, much less put up a fight.
It really was the easiest mission she had ever been on, had the target been a Decepticon.
But it wasn't a simple Decepticon they were taking down, but rather the leader of their Autobot allies. Riley could still remember all the times they trained together, and how the noble alien leader had allowed her and her team to climb all over his body, granting them the chance to practice scaling a Decepticon in a real fight while giving them tips on how to best infiltrate a Cybertronian's body armour. She remembered every single Decepticon they had taken down together with the Autobots, recalled in vivid detail the rush of absolute exhilaration she felt when she witnessed her allies, her friends, deal blow after devastating blow to the fleeing Decepticons as she raced after them, ready to back them up with a perfectly timed bullet or EMP blast.
They told her that the Autobots were to blame for the fight in Chicago, that they were heartless monsters, that they deserved to be treated like any other Decepticon.
That they deserved to die.
As much as her superiors wanted her to, Riley Brown could not bring herself to believe what they had told her. Surely the Autobots, who had trained tirelessly with them every single day without once losing their tempers, who occasionally stopped by the canteen just to check on a recruit who seemed less perky than normal, who celebrated human holidays with as much enthusiasm as someone who actually belonged on Earth, couldn't possibly be the merciless, cold blooded killers the Decepticons were, right?
What she was doing, it almost felt like a betrayal.
Who was she kidding, it was definitely a betrayal.
But her superiors had made a decision. They had decided that for humans to be truly safe, they had to get rid of all aliens, Autobots and Decepticons alike. Who was she to question them?
To do that would be to turn her back on the American government. She would be treated as a traitor, hunted down, and quite possibly be locked up for the rest of her life.
She couldn't do that to her parents. Her job was their main source of income. Without her, they would starve.
Try as she might, she could not bring herself to turn her back on her parents. Which meant however hesitant she may feel, she must carry on this mission.
She must fire her gun at Optimus Prime.
Goodness, just thinking about it made her cringe! How could she possibly manage to actually do it?
"Our energon detectors just picked up the target's life signature. Target is approaching from fifty metres due North. Everyone get ready," Savoy's voice rang from her earpiece.
Oh gosh, this was actually happening. She was actually going to do this.
All around her soldiers steadied their stances and powered up their guns, taking on determined, almost gleeful expressions.
What in the world was wrong with them?
"Forty five metres,"
Hands trembling, she fumbled with her gun and powered it up too. No sense in delaying the inevitable.
"Forty metres,"
Oh gosh… she had to do it, she had to! Then why was her body screaming at her to stop?
"Thirty five,"
Slick, cold perspiration covered her whole body as she clutched her weapon closer. A buzzing started to build up in her brain, echoing within her ears as she struggled to stand upright.
Come on, you have to do this.
This was a betrayal…
You've done this millions of times before, just stand straight, aim, and fire! You don't even have to look at him. Just focus on his armour. You'll be fine!
She would be fine. She wasn't alone in this mission. He wouldn't even be able to recognize her in all the chaos. She just had to suck it up and face this like a grown up.
"Thirty metres,"
"I need to use the restroom," she blurted, feeling her comrades eye her in surprise. Bathroom breaks were against protocol during missions.
"Cover for me?" she pleaded, trying to appear calm, as if she wasn't contemplating treason. Her heart was pounding so fast that she was surprised they couldn't hear it.
A dozen nods spurred her to turn around and sprint towards the first corner she saw.
What was she doing? What was she doing? She was leaving behind her team, her friends, her duties, all for what? An alien who she would probably never meet again for the rest of her life.
Gah, she was so weak! She thought angrily as her feet thumped harshly against the concrete pavement. Rule 37: Soldiers must never let their own personal feelings get in their way while carrying out missions. Why was she running away? Why did she turn her back on her comrades? On her government? On her country?
How could she ignore everything she'd been taught her whole life? What happened to her loyalty?
Loyalty… loyalty had to be earned. Riley suddenly had a fleeting glimpse of a past memory. The red and blue alien had thrown himself forward to catch a bullet, a bullet originally meant for her. Later on, when she had gone to thank him, he simply smiled and said, "All human lives are worth protecting, especially those who risk their lives to save others'."
If that didn't earn her loyalty, she didn't know what would.
"Twenty five,"
Suddenly, she saw him. The majestic Peterbilt's paint job glittered and shone under the sunlight as he drove towards the alley where the rest of the Cemetery Wind soldiers were hidden, completely unaware of the fate that awaited him.
Riley's throat went dry. She knew she was the only person who could warn him of the incoming danger, yet once she had done this, there was no going back. Her stable, carefree life would come to an end, replaced by days of running and avoiding capture as she became one of the country's most wanted felons.
Did she dare make such a decision?
Choosing between her country and an alien should have been the easiest choice ever, and yet, here she was, struggling over whether to betray her friends and family for an alien who had long since won over her respect and loyalty.
So preoccupied with her dilemma was Riley that she didn't notice the change in the Peterbilt's path. It was until he spoke that she finally realized he was right in front of her.
"Is something the matter, Miss Brown? You seem agitated,"
Riley was not ashamed to admit that she jumped, literally jumped, a foot into the air at the sudden voice. Heart pounding, she faced the Peterbilt's grille and opened her mouth…
And closed it again.
How was she going to tell him? Was she really going to tell him? If she ran back now, her teammates would simply assume she went to the bathroom and welcome her back. Nobody would know of her attempted betrayal.
Should she tell him? Now that he was right in front of her, the feat seemed even more daunting than previously thought. How do you tell someone that they went from being the humans' treasured ally to their most hated enemy?
This wasn't as easy as she'd thought, not that she believed it would be easy.
The semi, apparently assuming that she just didn't want to tell him, gave a small sigh.
"If you ever wish to talk about it, Miss Brown, know that my door is always open,"
With that, he started to back up, heading once more towards the alley where he would undoubtedly meet his demise.
"Wait!"
The shout had been a reflex, so Riley wasn't aware that she'd spoken up until the semi halted. After that, he just stopped there, waiting patiently.
Okay, okay, deep breaths.
"It's a trap," she blurted finally, "they set up an ambush. Seven elite teams are hiding among the alley, all holding EMP guns. When you transform, they will fire."
The semi became so still that she wondered if he had heard her. Desperately, she braced herself against the nose of the Peterbilt, trying half-heartedly to push him away from the alley.
"Please, you have to go. They want to kill you! You must warn the Autobots! Tell them to hide!" she glanced at her watch fearfully, "I have to get back before they realise I'm gone…" She knew too well what was going to happen if she didn't.
Still, the Peterbilt remained silent.
Worried, she tried to address him again.
"Optimus Prime… sir, you must leave now before it's too late!"
It was then the Autobot leader finally responded, his tone laced with doubt and disbelief.
"Why would the humans turn on us? We are their allies and have done nothing to prove otherwise,"
How was she going to reply to that?
Heaving a frustrated sigh, she placed her palms on the silvery grille of the semi, summing up every bit of conviction she could in her voice.
"Please, you have to believe me. If you drive into that alley, you will be attacked. I… I was one of the soldiers sent to bring you down, but I… I guess I just couldn't do it, I-"
"Target has stopped at twenty metres from our position. Everyone standby. As far as we are aware, the alien still hasn't gotten wise to the ambush yet," her earpiece commanded, "Even so, get ready to swarm the area on my signal. We cannot take any chances."
Panicked, Riley glanced at the semi's windshields, knowing fully well that the Cybertronian's ultra-sensitive audio receptors would definitely be able to pick up what her earpiece just told her.
The Peterbilt seemed to sag slightly on his wheels.
"Why would the humans turn on us? We are their allies and have done nothing to prove otherwise,"
It was the second time he had asked this question, yet this time, it seemed to be directed towards himself.
He sounded so lost, so forlorn that she suddenly hated her government for making this horrible decision.
But this was not the time for the Autobot leader to wallow in self-pity. They had to move. Now.
"You have to go, sir! Leave before it's too late!"
Giving the nose of the semi another half hearted but insistent push, Riley was pleasantly surprised when the Peterbilt's passenger door swung open.
He wanted her to go with him?
"I… I can't do that, sir! I'm human! I need food, and water, and I won't be of any help… I'll just be a burden!" she stammered, slowly backing away, "If I go back now, they may not realise what I've done."
She knew the chances of that were close to zero, but she wasn't going to hinder the Autobot's escape just so she would have a smaller chance of getting caught.
"Your government is resourceful. They will find out that you helped me, and use you as bait to draw me out of hiding," the semi replied, undeterred, "and they will succeed. Believe me when I say that you will be less of a burden to me under my protection than in the hands of your government."
Her head jerked up, unable to believe that the alien in front of her had just stated matter-of-factly that he would risk his life to rescue her without hesitation.
How could she have even thought of betraying this amazing, noble being?
She glanced back at the alley, where her teammates were waiting. Her teammates, who took pride in being on the squadron that was chosen to take down the leader of the Autobots, who were willing to ignore the trust and friendship they had forged with the Autobots just because their superiors told them to.
Then she looked at Optimus Prime, who, despite just being told that humans had turned on him, was patiently waiting for her, a human, no less, to get in his alternate mode, even though he knew his life would be more at risk the longer he stayed.
It wasn't really that much of a choice.
With that in mind, she slung her gun over her shoulder and climbed into the waiting semi.