A Mute Friendship

Escape

Tegan slowly opened his eyes, looking around tiredly. The blurry forms that met him were not those that consisted of his room.

Sitting upright, Tegan felt pain shoot up his left wrist and grasped it, only to find something hard covering it as memories rushed through his mind... processor.

The late night meeting with Soundwave, the revealing of his techno-organic heritage, and then the autobots.

'The Autobots!' Tegan's mind cried as he looked around frantically. 'Did they capture me? Am I now their prisoner?'

Someone appeared at his side, gently pushing him down on the bed.

Tegan began to struggle, but realized that it was a human woman... A nurse. He was in a hospital.

Aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to communicate with the woman, Tegan looked up at her as she spoke, reading her lips in silence.

'Tegan, can you hear me?' Tegan shook his head and pointed to his ears. Realization seemed to dawn on the woman, who continued speaking. 'I'm June Darby. You were in an accident Tegan. Luckily I found you on the way to my shift at the hospital. You had fallen from your bike and hit your head. Your wrist is broken and you had to receive stitches, but everything is all finished.'

Tegan nodded to show her that he was following what she was saying.

'I'm going to bring you home. Is that OK with you?' The nurse asked.

Slightly suspicious, Tegan thought for several moments. Why would a woman be passing by an old, rundown warehouse in the middle of the night on the way to the hospital, which is totally out of her way?

Despite his suspicions, Tegan nodded once.

The woman smiled. 'Alright. I'm going to come back for you in a few moments, OK?' She asked. Again, Tegan nodded.

With one last smile, the nurse disappeared out the door.

Once she was gone and the door was shut, Tegan felt in his pocket for the necklace he had received from Soundwave. Panic assaulted him when he found it gone.

Frantically, Tegan searched his other pocket, finding it.

Tegan stared at the necklace, then looked up at the door, his suspicions now in a roaring fire. He had put the necklace in his right pocket, but now found it in his left. Which means that the nurse had found and moved it!

What if she's in with the Autobots? He thought fearfully, sitting up and swinging his legs out over his bed. Wait... June Darby? He thought to himself as his eyes widened in realization. Jack Darby. She's in with Jack and the Autobots!

Tegan paused for a moment, legs hanging over the side of the bed as he waited for the dizziness to settle before placing his feet down on the ground. He was still dressed, and his shoes were sitting directly at his feet.

Hurriedly, Tegan pulled on his shoes and looked out the window. He was on the ground floor.

Tegan began to move for the window when something tugged at his arm. Looking down, he saw an IV still in place.

Annoyed but slightly squeamish, Tegan ripped off the tape before slowly sliding the needle out, gagging as he did it.

Finally freed, the youth opened the window, and, checking his pocket to make sure he still had the necklace, climbed out into the outside world, making a beeline for his street.

'I'm so skipping school today.' He muttered inwardly as he turned down a street and began to run, never once glancing back.

Jack listened to his mother's report before looking up at the rest of Team Prime that stood, waiting patiently.

"OK, Mom. No, it's not your fault. Thanks." Jack hung up and slid his cell phone back into his pocket before looking up at the others, who were all staring at him, Miko impatiently.

Jack sighed. "He's gone."

"I knew it!" Miko cried. "I knew that dude was gonna escape us the moment we let him go!"

"Miko, seriously?" Jack demanded. "Tegan could've just been scared. How would you feel getting chased last night by something big, smashing into a car, then waking up hospitalized?"

Miko eyed him. "It depends on what I was doing at a warehouse in the middle of the night!" She responded, crossing her arms. "And why would I be worried if what I did wasn't wrong, you wake up safe in a hospital and there's no police?"

Jack stepped back a step when the Japanese girl pointed a finger really close to his face. "Therefore, I wouldn't be worried... Unless I knew what the car really was."

"Hmmmm." The rumbling sound from the Prime caused everyone in the room to look at him.

"It seems our presumptions were correct." Optimus said, looking around at the group. "It seems that Tegan is aware of what we are."

At the Prime's next words, Jack felt a shudder pass down his spine. "Which means he has made contact... With someone other than ourselves."