Transformers Short Story

Free At Last

Rose winced as she was pushed into the interrogation room. Her hands were still bound, though they had taken off the muzzle piece and her feet were free from binds. The CO rolled her shoulders experimentally and glanced at the frosted window in front of a small table with two chairs. Rose huffed before sitting in one of them heavily, glaring at the blackened window. A knock sounded on the door and a government official appeared, escorting a smug looking Agent Galloway. Rose sneered at the man as he took the seat across from her, straightening out a stack of papers before setting them to the side on the table, his hands crossed in front of him and a slight lean to his chair as he looked her over. He gave her an unimpressed survey, his lip dipped with a fake pout, "Now, I've had the liberty of stripping your base for anything...vital to our strategies against the Decepticons but first I'm going to need information straight from the source." He riffled through his papers before pulling out a sheet, placing it down in front of Rose, flipping a pen through his fingers as he looked over the CO's form, "Does this look familiar?" Rose glanced down briefly, skimming over the document before looking back to the man, her mouth tightly sealed. Galloway closed his eyes momentarily before they alighted on his stack of papers. He pulled out two more sheets, adding them to the first and then motioned to the files with a smirk, "Please, look over them." Rose raised an eyebrow and placed her locked hands on the table, spreading the papers apart to get a better look at there contents, "It's paper." Galloway took a deep breath before placing his pen on the table, tenaciously, "Yes, papers that will, undoubtedly be of interest to you. This one here-" he paused to point at the right most paper with a smug look, "-is all our information on your team. Reports, medical history, so forth." He tilted his head, as if to read the document but motioned, instead, to the next paper, "This is your personal report on one of the more recent attacks in Saudi Arabia and this last one is a encrypted piece from the base's communication list." Galloway paused, as if to allow Rose to think over the contents in front of her, "....we have reason to believe, that well...Optimus is-was sending out more communications to space than previously told....authorization or not, do you not think he was drawing too much attention to our  planet?" Rose hummed, looking over the documents before holding the agent's questioning gaze, "I have a question for you." Galloway straightened, adjusting his glasses, "Go ahead." Rose blinked, her eyes looking behind the agent to the dark window, "Do you care about public safety? About this  planet?" The agent cleared his throat with a look in the direction Rose was staring, "Yes, we care very deeply about everyone's well being, now-" "Everyone's, well being...?" Galloway smarted at her interruption, an eyebrow raised in her direction, "I have another question for you, agent." Galloway hid his annoyance with an easy smile, "Of course." Rose tilted her head, noting his frustration with a small smile, "Are you aware of every little thing that happens on this planet?" Galloway blinked and snapped, "I don't see what this has to do with anything we were just discussing." Rose leaned back into her chair, humming at his words, "It seems you don't. Another question. Is this a game to you, agent?" Galloway placed his hands together on the table and motioned to the papers in front of her, "Does that look like a game to you? We've had numerous reports, from your own accounts no less, of hundreds of attacks around the world. Political leaders are starting to assume where these attacks are coming from and now the U.S. has had to deal with things way above your pay grade. So no...this is not a game, this is real. This threat-the Decepticons, is a result of your  Autobot counterparts running around Earth like it's their playground. Actions are being taken, should have been taken a long time ago mind you-but you can sympathize. You're a leader Lt.Col. A public figure that has a lot of pull when it comes to your N.E.S.T team and the Autobots you work with....A deal can be made, and it will....but I need you. to. look. at. these. papers." Rose gave him a mildly impressed look, "I'm impressed Galloway. You've got me in quite a tight spot here." The agent smirked at her words, his tone cocky, "Oh, I'm aware. Months of research on your little, side project, has made me quite informed." Rose pushed the papers around, but still didn't bother to give them much thought, "But I'm afraid no deals will be taken, no actions will be needed, and no...cocky little agents, who think they have the power in the room-will be employed.......you don't know anything about "everything", Galloway." The agent flinched as if he'd been physically struck and his voice started to rise, "You.....I'm afraid you are mistaken, you are in our custody, being charged for crimes attached to your "Black Sheep days" and no one is coming to save you." Rose pursed her lips, hiding a smile, "No one? Really? What a shame....and I thought I had more connections than that." Galloway furrowed his brow, "What do you mean by that?" Rose placed her cuffed hands on her lap and leaned further back in her chair, relaxed, "I thought you were "well informed", agent." Galloway puffed up in anger, "You're bluffing. You have no connections now Lt. Col. You've been demoted and news of your disgrace has been posted." Rose blinked, "My title means nothing to me." Galloway gave her a once over, his gaze calculating, "But maybe your reputation is. Your "connections" won't want anything to do with you after today." The CO hummed thoughtfully, "Interestingly enough, my connections were already informed, actually-I'm not sure anything surprises them anymore." Rose ended her words with a good-nature chuckle, "I apologize, agent, I haven't been truthful with you. You see my "connections" are already here." Galloway stiffened and glanced to were Rose's eyes had stayed the majority of the interview, his tone doubtful, "Behind the glass? I find that hard to believe." Rose shrugged, "Possibly, I don't truly ask how they get in." A knock interrupted Galloway's next question and he stiffened, glancing to Rose's amused face before he answered, "What is it?" A muffled voice replied, "Sir, I've got reports of a breech on the left wing, we need to move the Lt. Col. to another location. This one is compromised." Galloway rose to his feet, giving Rose a deadly serious look, "Open the door." There was a few moments of silence before the door clicked open and the escort soldier stumbled inside, a gun held to his head as Lennox prompted him forward. Lennox grinned easily at the Agent, "Galloway!? What a coincidence, were you here to see Rose too?" The agent reached for his gun but Rose huffed, knocking him to the side as more soldiers flooded the room, subduing the man, "I wouldn't do that if I were you...aren't we just 'paid to shoot'?" Galloway gritted his teeth, spiting angrily at her, "You can't do this." Lennox tipped back the agent's chin with the butt of his gun, "We can't? On whose authority? Cause it ain't mine." He ripped the N.E.S.T CO and LT. COL. patches from his blouse and tossed them to Rose, "Here, I was keeping 'em warm for you." Lennox turned back to Galloway as Rose smoothed over the patches, "-I guess that means it's her call then. Hmm?" Galloway shook his head with a cold laugh, "And how far do you plan on getting? You don't have any government power or approval for this little stunt or anything else you might attempt." Lennox gave Rose a look before chuckling, "Actually, President gave me permission....I just thought it was better if I made it look believable." He gave the agent a shriveling look, shoving a winkled paper with the President's official stamp in his face with a sneer, "Got the papers to prove it." Galloway stuttered, his eyes blown wide in surprise, "The President, but...?" Lennox rolled his shoulders, signaling to Epps and Smith to release the man, "The very same President who decommissioned N.E.S.T? Who knew him and Rose were such good friends? Something you forgot to mention to him when you started spilling BS about the Autobots." Galloway was speechless, his lip curling in disgust in Rose's direction, "I kept that from him due to your relationship with two of that team. Ratchet and Optimus Prime....your parents." Rose rose a single eyebrow at him, "Creators....and he's aware." The agent shook his head with another cold laugh, "When did you become so loose-lipped?" Rose hummed, turning her back to the agent and flickering her hands forward, the rest of her soldiers filling out of the room, "When you called my Sire, a pile of scrap metal." Rose followed after Lennox and slammed the door shut, locking it before nodding to the escort guard, flinging him the keys she'd stolen off of him earlier, "Don't let him out until we're gone." The guard caught the keys with shaky hands, glaring at the soldiers who had confiscated his gun, "Yes, ma'am." Rose nodded, spinning on her heel to look over her soldiers with a pleased grin, "Well?" Lennox broke into laughter, the rest of the group following suit. The XO controlled himself, muffling his laughter as they started back through the hallway and towards the bay, "Did you really know we were here?" Rose smirked, placing her gun into her holster as it was given to her by Epps, "No, I just assumed that the flickering lights in the window meant something was up." Epps smiled proudly, "That was my idea, subtle enough but I knew you would notice." Rose elbowed him slightly, "Nice thinking." They filed through a door and into the bay, looking over the numerous alt-modes of their Autobot counterparts as they idled in the hanger. As soon as Rose was visible, everyone began to transform. Ratchet was first to appear at her side, his eyes taking in her roughed up form with worried eyes, "Are you injured?" Rose placed a hand on his arm to stop his flood of questions, her tone gentle, "I'm fine.....how are you?" Ratchet stiffened under her questioning, his EM Field pulling tighter to himself and his tone was short, "I'm fine." Rose squeezed his arm before releasing him with a tired nod, "Okay, Mommabird."