I'm Friends With the Monsters (AOE)

Chapter 12: My Battle Cry

To put it mildly, I was freaking out the night we stayed in a train. Let me tell you this, gas station brownies really do something to ya after your fifth or sixth one. I climbed back into the train car we were staying in, and overheard Uncle Cade and Shane talking about Tessa.

"... all I ever wanted in my life was for her to be happy and healthy and safe. Somehow, I thought it'd always be enough to protect her, and Gabby... and it won't be. It will never be. So somebody better be..." He looked at Shane and I found myself smiling. "Thanks for being here today Lucky Charms..."

"Well thanks for not killing me when you had a chance." Shane said softly.

"Oh I will..." Uncle Cade murmured, and I sighed. Ah, same 'ol Uncle Cade.

"Yeah I can see that."

"... hard to believe how strong Gabby is." Uncle Shane murmured. I perked up. "When I went to her in the hospital that day, I saw her beaten, and broken. Doctors said her mother, my sister died in the firefight... y'know what she said to me?"

"What?"

"She said, 'Uncle Cade, you grew a beard? You look like Clint Eastwood!'." He chuckled softly. "She's like a second daughter to me... I want the same for her that I want for Tessa. Though... I know her 'monsters' will protect her."

I found myself smiling as I sat down in a chair, kinda blacking out afterwards.

---

It was morning, and I was putting my new powers to the test. I was helping encrypt a phone call to the boss of KSI, bipolar glasses guy I'd slapped silly. Apparently his name is Joshua Joyce.

"We're good to go." I said, my eyes glowing.

"Hey big shot," Uncle Cade said over his IPhone. "your company's in serious trouble."

"You'd better have a damn good lawyer." Joshua said.

"Really? Well you'd better have a great one because you're about to be responsible for the annihilation of the city!" Uncle Cade retorted. Ooooh sn-ap! "Now you listen to me. Your tech has been hacked, your prototypes are infected, and now Galvatron is after that Seed! Look, I know you have a conscience because you're an inventor like me. Do not let Galvatron anywhere near that Seed!"

"I control Galvatron." Joshua said calmly. "I created him."

"Deep down I know you know. Your prototypes have been controlling you."

The line went dead about then. Terrific. I sighed and let the connection drop, the light fading from my eyes. "Looks like ya got the All-Light thingie 'a glowing pretty smoothly." Shane said.

"AllSpark, Shane." I corrected with a soft grin. "And I, for one, am ready to kick some butt."

"How fast can that thing get us half-way around the world?" Uncle Cade asked Drift.

"Very. It's a spaceship." He answered, smoothing his digits across his katana blade.

"So lets go!"

"Hold up. I know I'm ready, you're ready, Shane's ready... but there's still one person who should have the say."

"... Aw man." I knew exactly who it was.

Tessa.

---

Police sirens could be heard, approaching fast. We didn't have a lot of time. I saw Tessa watching in the distance, leaned against a tree, deep in thought.

"If you're traveling, now's the time." Hound told us, gun ready.

"All I want is to have my life back. It's your call, whatever you want."