Ignorance is Bliss

Chapter 17: Rogue

Optimus walked back into base at around the same time the others returned from picking up their charges. Wheeljack had said his goodbyes outside on the roof next to the Jackhammer, so he was gone, now.

"I got Miko." Bumblebee assured Bulkhead.

"Thanks, Bee." Bulkhead smiled. "And sorry I couldn't make it, Miko."

"Oh don't worry. If you had been there, I'd have gone to detention, but since Bumblebee has no idea that me being late equals me having detention, I'm free! So everyhing worked out well." Miko grinned.

Bulkhead scowled. "Miko, I told you to stop skipping detention! You're going to get in trouble eventually?"

"Eventually?" Miko scoffed. "I'm already in trouble!"

She started to climb up the ladder to the human area.

"Hey, Livia!" Miko called. "You ready to be destroyed again!?"

"All you three ever do is play video games." Arcee stated. "Don't you ever get bored of sitting in the same place?"

"Absolutely. But Ratchet hates everything else I like, so I'm confined to the couch." Miko answered before looking around the empty area. "Where is Livia?"

"Probably using the bathroom or something." Jack replied calmly, sitting down.

Miko huffed and ran over to the ladder again, since the bathrooms were by the barracks, which had been converted into giant bedrooms for the bots.

Jack looked at Arcee. "Hey, Livia can understand you, right? And she's somewhat cybertronian, so do you think she can read cybertronian?"

Arcee scoffed. "Can humans read languages they understand without being taught to read?"

"No, but she was raised by Olivebranch in a library, so maybe she was taught." Jack said.

Arcee paused. "Maybe."

Miko ran out of the hallway and growled. "LIVIA! WHERE ARE YOU, YA STINKER!?"

Optimus's attention was now drawn to the human girl and he frowned. It was not often he utilized his spark in such a way, but...

He reached into his connection to Livia, attempting to locate her.

And her presence was gone.

Livia stepped into a small gas station and looked around curiously.

It was shaby, to say the least. She wasn't surprised, it was located on a lonely highway in... Livia realized with a start that she actually had no idea where the Autobot base was.

Or where she was. At all.

Whatever.

Livia had no money and she wasn't very fond of the idea of returning to her old ways of stealing and beating the scrap out of people who didn't deserve it.

Well. Some of them deserved it.

Once she was done resting in the air conditioned gas station, Livia left, heading back down the road again. She kept a sharp eye out just in case one of the bots came by.

There was a small part of her that was sad nobody had found her yet. She'd been gone for almost two hours now...

But now that she had left, Livia felt like there was no going back.

There was a small humming noise and Livia looked up in surprise before letting out a yelp as the Jackhammer landed right over her.

Livia covered her head as the wind blew wildly and then there was silence after it set down. She looked over as the doors began to open and Wheeljack stepped out.