Ruby - Transformers: Age of Extinction fanfic

Ambush

Ruby enjoyed her first few days on the ranch. She had been delighted to find a horse in the meadow, a brilliant bay quarter horse whose name plate read 'Bray'. He was apparently fearless, and seemed quite content to canter around with Ruby on his bare back and Optimus idling alongside as a truck. Only when they were deep in the mountains would Optimus transform.

Ruby slid off of Bray's back and left him to graze. Optimus scanned the sky, as if he expected Starscream to come squealing overhead. Quite impossible, Ruby was sure, since Sam had thrust a live grenade into his head.

"What is it Optimus?" she asked, "You've been too quiet since we got here."

He clicked his metal eyelids together, blinking down at her. He offered her a giant silver hand and she hopped on so he could hold her up to his eye level. The bright sunshine gleamed off his huge metal hide.

"Why would all of humanity turn their backs on us?"

"Because of Chicago," said Ruby, "It scared them. Even our own government does not understand how and why things happened. And they're afraid of what they do not control."

He mused over her answer for a few moments. Ruby watched him carefully.

"I spoke to Major Lennox privately before he left," he said.

Ruby's heart did a little jump; she had not seen the Major, or Tyrese, since she had first woken up in hospital. She hadn't been able to say goodbye.

"He seemed to think they, the government, would hunt us down."

"Hunt us? As in the Autobots? And me?"

"Yes. He believed that NEST was always a knife edge to the government. An uneasy alliance, never intended to last."

Ruby's eyes flitted to Bray. He seemed oblivious, as usual, swishing his tail without pausing his munching.

"Mearing did me a favour then. By sending me with you."

"Yes," Optimus said again, "She too seemed to think we, certainly you, were in danger. The less people like Major Lennox had to do with you before we left, the better. Now they are safe from interrogation."

"And no one would dare overstep their authority with Mearing, I doubt even the president himself."

"I think you are quite right there," said Optimus.

"Then I wonder if it is her number on the card she gave me."

"I am not sure, and I do not think it is wise to try and find out."

"So what do we do now?" Ruby wondered aloud, "Stay here until they find us?"

"Honestly, I do not know."

"Where are the others going? Surely you're keeping in contact with them?"

"No," he said firmly, "If one of us is caught, they may be able to isolate our communication signals to track the rest of us. It is not safe."

"Oh."

The days blurred together and became hazy. At the back of her mind, a little niggling feeling kept bothering Ruby. Surely, the Autobots could leave Earth, and find a new adventure deep in space, far away. They would be safe. But she couldn't go with them, and she felt certain this was the reason they stayed.

There was another niggle, telling her she needed to restock the pantry and Bray's feed bin. With this niggle came a bad gut feeling. But needs must.

The dark feeling grew as she and Optimus approached town. It spread from the scar on her stomach to her chest, like a fat snake constricting around her torso.

The ambush was expertly set. So well in fact, that neither of them saw it coming. They had picked the centre of town, unexpectedly public. Optimus' checks and sweeps had never failed before.

A huge tank slammed into the side of the cab. Metal screamed as it bent. Hot sparks showered the street. The jolt shocked the fear from Ruby. She switched to battle mode.

Optimus sprang both of his doors open and Ruby leapt out, tucking and rolling neatly away from the crash. Red spheres of raw power grew in each of her palms, growing hot. With a feral scream she unleashed the beams of fire upon their attackers. The air shimmered with heat. The enemy cried out and Ruby knew she must hit her targets.

Optimus revved his engine angrily, drifting around Ruby in an arc, covering her from an onslaught of gunfire. The noise seemed to come from everywhere. People screamed and ran, taking cover in the shops.

Behind the smoke, a few blocks over, a large space ship silently descended. It hovered twenty feet above the ground, readied a blaster, and fired a single shot.

Midway through his transformation, Optimus screamed and fell back. Metal clattered noisily to the ground. Ruby whirled about to look, her racing blood turning cold at the sound. 

In that fraction of a section, she felt a small prick on her neck and everything went black.