Author's Note

Special thanks to Scholarly-Cimmerian for the proof-reading!

Chapter 3: Predator

Sandbar and his friends were already getting ready for a night of endless gaming and fun. They had gotten to the TV first, they were getting the video games of their choices installed so they could play, now all they needed was Gallus and Silverstream to return with the food. Of course, they were wondering what was taking them so long but they hadn't heard back from them quite yet.

Just then, they could see Gallus and Silverstream running inside the break room. "Oh there you are! So ready to--"

And the groceries were thrown right at the group like cannonballs, sending them all falling down.

"Gottagospiewellbeback!" Silverstream said quickly before she and Gallus left.

All of them groaned from the pile.

"Anyone hear what she said?" Smolder asked.

"Not a word," Sandbar moaned.

Silverstream and Gallus quickly got on the next bus, ready to go track down Cyberwarp. While they knew she was the school counselor, they also knew where she lived, having to come and visit her a few times; mostly cause she was their favorite 'teacher' and had often dropped gifts or small pieces of appreciation over at her home. But right now, they weren't as sure what she was. She, a human being, didn't get shot or hurt by a single bullet. And where did her martial arts combat come from!? She never shown any signs that she was a secret ninja.

"Still remember where she lives?" Silverstream asked.

"Hard forget. Not a lot of farm houses out here."

"I hope she's okay."

"What do you think she's even doing right now?"

***

Cyberwarp's feet strut, danced, and bounced all around within the kitchen, waiting for the food to finish boiling on the stove. All the while some music from a radio blared, playing some old tune from the late 2010s.

Be the true, true, true,original
dare to be, what you are meant to be
workin' hard, that's our thing
all this way, we're perfect, perfectly true!

Cyberwarp, balancing on one foot, performed and an almost perfect ballerina spin in the middle of the room, holding one leg up as high as she could.

"True, true, original... true, true, original... we're perfect, perfectly true! Whoo!" Cyberwarp chuckled, enjoying the beat. She was thankful Sour was not here to see her acting like a dork. The timer dinged on the stove and she dashed over to the pot that was bubbling with dinner. She poured the water into a strainer, dumping the pasta into the strainer too.

She poured the pasta back in the pot and started grabbing the remaining ingredients she needed. The sauces, the little spices, it was all meshed together in a delicious aroma. The smell went up into the air

"Kiddo! Dinnertime!"

"Coming!" Betamax called.

The little boy came running down the stairs and just in time as Cyberwarp was finishing prepping his dinner.

"Yay! Spaghetti!"

Cyberwarp giggled. "I thought that'd make you happy. I thought we'd make things fun for our first day of just us. And tomorrow since I don't have work... what do you say we go to the beach for a little bit of early spring-time fun?"

"I'd love to!"

***

The bus made its stop and the two students got off.

"Okay, where do we go now?"

"I know the place. Follow me," Gallus led the way.

As they walked, they could hear the sounds of birds, a few crickets chirping in the grass. A couple of massive fields where some more farmers were working on their last jobs for the day. Some fences and beams closing off the fields so to better divide their land. Occasionally some cars drove by, or a motorcycle or two. Sometimes a big rig, hauling some loads to another state.

"How many times have you been here?" Silverstream asked.

"Once or twice. I came here to give her a Christmas gift. Though I didn't know she was living here as a permanent nanny."

"Oh she told me she was a nanny! Or was it a babysitter, I always get confused by that definition," Silverstream said, unsure.

"Anyways; I know she lives out here. Should be the farm right about... here!"

The two of them were now standing in front of the driveway of the Sweet's home. A cute white farmhouse with with two-stories, sitting next to a massive red barn. Outside the barn they could see a few massive barrels stacked, probably filled with fuel, maybe gasoline or something. A few beams were erect surrounding the driveway gravel stones, with spotlights attached. None of them were turned on, but they were visible to the eye. Near the house, close to a tree was a small tire swing and extra swing set.

"Oooh this looks nice," Silverstream cooed.

"I guess so," Gallus said, not really into the farm kind of environment.

Carefully walking around, they slowly pulled themselves against the wall of the house, They were right underneath the window of the kitchen. And just in case they were gonna see something weird or interesting, Silverstream pulled out her phone and turned on the camera.

Both of them peered from the back window, watching as she walked around in the kitchen. It didn’t look like anything was out of the ordinary, she was just putting dishes away, nothing unusual. She turned her head a few times to look at the TV in the living room, chuckling a bit as she kept working away.

“Doesn’t seem like there’s anything unusual,” Gallus commented.

“I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t be here,” Silverstream said, a little fearful. “It feels like stalking.”

“We have to know how she didn’t die. How else could you explain what happened at the store?"

They didn’t know. Until she pulled up small climbing ladder and set her heel on one of the steps. They didn’t know what she was doing until they saw something else; a dark gray orb with glowing lines of neon blue attached to her right ankle.

“Wait, what’s she doing?” Gallus asked. “There’s something on her leg.”

Cyberwarp’s hand swiveled at the strange metallic orb that was down by her ankle, moving it around like it was about to pop off. With one single pull, the orb was removed from her ankle in an instant. Her entire body flashed like static on a television screen, until it stopped. Both Silverstream and Gallus gasped. Silverstream looked back on her phone which was still recording. She had captured it all.

Out of fear, the two of them ducked back down from the window, trying to avoid being seen.

“She… is she--!?” Silverstream squeaked before Gallus slipped his hand over her mouth.

“Shh…” he whispered, holding a finger over his lip. “We can’t let her know we followed her home!”

"We gotta get out of here," Silverstream quivered.

The two of them tried to get up and run, but the two of them froze like deer in the headlights. Red flashing lights turned on from some unseen post, flashing back and forth. Several spot-lights turned on by themselves, flashing down towards the property's driveway, and it only made them panic.

"Oh no! What do we do!?"

"Hide, come on!"

The two of them ran as quick as they could, and went straight to hide behind a couple of barrels that were lined up together, a few of them stacked on top. They slammed their backs against them, panting heavily as they caught their breath. They hoped that their counselor didn't notice, but unfortunately she did. The side-door was creaking open, revealing some light from inside the house and a shadow of her body which began to walk out.

"Max, stay here. I'll check it out, I'm sure it's nothing," Cyberwarp advised, swinging a gun around in her hand.

Cyberwarp stepped outside, with the side door making a creaking noise as she walked out. With a shotgun in hand, she walked onto the property's laneways, her feet crunching on top of the stones.

"Alright, who's coming out here at this time of night?" She said, praying it was nothing. "If you're an animal, I suggest you back off! If you're someone hoping to rob this house, guess what, there's nothing of value here. If you're a Jehovah's witness, you need to leave, I'm not buying whatever it is you're selling! Smallfoot made that mistake twice, I'm not about to make that mistake too!"

She pumped the gun, loud enough for it to echo. She wasn't planning on using it, but if it meant scaring off whoever or whatever was out there, she was gonna scare.

Now the two students felt as if their hearts were about to jump right out of their chests. She did see it. And she was armed.

"Into the barn, come on," Gallus whispered. The two of them took their chance and crept their way inside the barn without her seeing. But her head did turn to the sound of it opening and closing.

The two of them looked at each other, both sharing the same thought.

"Alright, we'll hide in here until she goes away. We should be able to get out of here by then," Gallus said.

"Wait... what's that?"

The two looked deeper into the barn, and saw something. A strange giant device that was sitting against the back of the barn, far away from where they would assume would be the parking spots for the cars, or work areas. There was a giant metallic circle held on a base, connected to tons of cables and computers.

The two of them walked slowly towards it, capturing some more photos of the strange machines.

"Is she building something?" Gallus questioned.

"What if she's making some sort of doomsday device!?" Silverstream feared.

Gallus looked back. "As scary as that sounds, I think the only doom we ever got from her was when she threatening Cozy Glow. I never saw her so mad."

"Hmm, true. But still, what is this thing!?"

The two of them listened, and they heard the doors beginning to slide open with a powerful grip. Instinctively, the two of them quickly ran for cover. They two of them threw themselves behind a few stacks of hay bales, hoping it would hide them from sight. Why they had bales of hay when there was no sign of a horse or farm animals was beyond them.

Her feet stomped along the ground, creating a metallic thunk every time she took a step forward. Gallus could feel Silverstream's body shivering as they stayed huddled close, trying their hardest not to make any noise. If she found them, she would not be happy.

Listening, they heard her footsteps turn the other direction, walking back towards the barn doors. And she closed the doors shut behind her, going back outside. Realizing there was no going out that way, the two of them booked it for the side-door, and slowly creaked it open, trying to be as quiet as they could; no sense in attracting more attention. Carefully creeping out the door, they slowly tip-toed their way to the end of the wall, and looked out. Cyberwarp was still wandering, looking for the source of the disturbance.

Only one window of opportunity was open for them, and they took their chance. The two kids dashed right into the cornfield, hoping the tall growing field would hide them from her sight. But Cyberwarp heard them, and she stomped towards the field. She couldn't make out who it was, but one thing was for certain. She wasn't letting them leave so easily.

The counselor twirled the shotgun around and clipped it onto her back. Gallus and Silverstream kept on running, but they stopped partway when they saw Cyberwarp just standing still, outside the field.

"Why isn't she going after us?" Silverstream quaked.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't stop, we should get out of here while we can."

But to their surprise, there wasn't any sort of noise coming from behind them or out in the open areas. Not a peep. Knowing it was stupid and probably an unwise choice, the two kids stopped running. They listened carefully, trying to pick out a sound; any sound if they could.

They didn't hear anything... at first. They heard a strange whirring noise. And machine parts moving around. But it didn't sound like any engine of a car or farm equipment being activated. Or any sprinkler systems.

Chuk-chuk-chuk-chik!

They waited some more, still taking a few steps back. But then they saw something slowly rise up into the air, above the cornfield like a UFO. Black sharp fins sticking out the front and the back of a blue and yellow hovering machine. The kids assumed it had to have been some sort of flight vehicle, judging by the cockpit looking thing in the middle, and the engines on the sides keeping it hovering in the air.

"What is that!?" Silverstream cupped her mouth, trying to be quiet.

The worst was yet to come. Searchlights activated, and the ship was starting to hover right towards where they were.

"Stay out of the light!" Gallus warned.

The two of them ran as fast as they could through the fields, but Cyberwarp could see the rustling in the field. She kept following the movements, moving her light closer and closer to looking for who was near.

They pushed out of the fields and ran straight into the bushel of trees that cut off the land from the Sweet's property. Climbing over the fence, they still high-tailed. They didn't stop, they kept on running. And they had to keep running if they wanted to take the next bus back to campus. But they were out of sight.

The flying machine hovered for a few more minutes, and then the search light turned off and it began to fly straight back to the farm house...

Meanwhile, back at the campus, the four students were still sitting around, practically bored out of their minds while they waited for Silverstream and Gallus to return. Where could they have gone?

And speak of the devil, Silverstream and Gallus came back in the building, slamming the doors behind them. Their backs slammed against the doors, panting heavily like they had just came back from a marathon.

"Oh there you are! Where were you guys, we've been waiting for hours, we were worried sick--" Ocellus began. But Silverstream stopped her sentence midway by yanking her into a hug. She could feel Silverstream shaking in fear, not wanting to let go. "Silverstream? Are you okay?"

She shook her head.

"What happened?" Sandbar asked, concerned.

"Trust me... it's bad," Gallus said, feeling shaken up as well.

"Guys, come on, what happened?"

"Even if we told you, you wouldn't believe us," Silverstream whimpered, refusing to let go of Ocellus.

"Well, try us," Yona said.

"... Cyberwarp is a robot!" Silverstream blurted. "She's not human, she's been a robot the entire time!"

Their friends stared at them with raised brows and derision.

"Okay, I'm going to ask this with a grain of salt; why do you think she's a robot?"

Gallus sighed and composed himself. "We went to get snacks at the grocerry store but there were these two guys robbing the place. The next thing we know, Counselor Cyberwarp stepped in and took them out like she was a ninja. But one of them shot her... and she didn't die."

The students nodded.

"We followed her back to her home to check up on her, only to find out that she's not who she said she is. And remembering what Yona said earlier, it adds up. She always smells like motor oil whenever we're around her, she didn't get hurt from a live bullet; she's a robot."

"We both saw it, and we took videos of it!"

Turning on their phones, they showed what they had seen that evening. The four students watched intently, the light flashing back in their faces. A bigger flash flickered on screen, and the four of them went wide-eyed.

"What the..."

"The heck?"

"You see what we mean?" Gallus pointed. "How can you explain that?"

"What even made her just zap like that?"

"She yanked something off her ankle, I think that was what was making her look, well, human."

"Pulled what off?" Ocellus inquired.

"I don't know. It didn't look like something here on Earth. And, actually, hold on..." Gallus dug into his pocket. "How do you explain this?" He revealed the single bullet shell that was nothing more than a small piece of circular metal. "The bullet was reduced to a pancake!"

Ocellus grabbed it and squinted her eyes as she looked at it. It was very faint, but she could distinctly see a small number 12 mushed on there.

"It's definitely a bullet."

As they talked, Silverstream flipped through her phone, looking at all the pictures and video she had collected. Her attention wandered for a bit, but a little something caught her eye. One of the pictures she took was a closeup on Cyberwarp, more importantly, an unintentional closeup on her chest. And her attention was drawn to the interesting logo...

"Does anyone know what this means? We saw it on Cyberwarp's chest when she revealed herself," Silverstream explained, flipping her phone around.

The four students looked at her awkwardly.

"What?"

"... I have so many questions about that sentence," Smolder raised a finger.

"Probably best not to ask them. Yona doesn't want to know the answer," Yona shook her head.

"No, I mean... just look!"

She stuck the phone in their faces, showing the picture. Zoomed in close, they could see a purple symbol on a dark blue background, none of which they could make out. But the symbol itself looked a little like a face made with some triangular formations.

"I don't know. Doesn't she usually have that on her jacket, we see her wear it every day," Sandbar said, unsure.

"But why would she have it on her jacket, and then have it blazed on her chest?"

"Maybe she did some wild things as a teenager?" Ocellus asked.

"How can she do wild things as a teenager if she's not even human?"

Smolder rolled her eyes and groan, her fingers running through her hair. "Look, just post the picture online; ask to see if anyone recognizes the symbol, people can find anything on the internet."

"She's not wrong," Ocellus shrugged.

"Well... okay. We'll post it in the morning," Silverstream nodded.

Reaching over to the counter, Sandbar grabbed himself a cookie. "But until we get an answer, I think we should do something tomorrow. You two look so stressed out."

"Oooh, how about Yona and friends go to the beach?"

"Guys, we don't need to go to the beach!" Gallus hit his head on the back of the bus window. Somehow he got dragged into going with the group down to one of the most popular beaches in their area.

"You two were freaking out hard last night, come on, we've got to help you guys relax," Sandbar said.

"Yeah, besides who said going to the beach was a bad thing? It's fun. Plus, we could always go to that cool amusement park they got set up on the pier!" Smolder grinned. Just the thought made her giddy.

"But we don't need, ja, we don't--ugh," Gallus slouched in his seat in defeat.

The bus stopped at a traffic light. Some cars drove across the lane in front of them, reaching the left side. Two of them were the disguised robots who had taken a pit stop in Modesto. The police car, Barricade, kept his scanners on the look-out but all the while stayed in the traffic lane and followed all rules. He may had been a Decepticon, but he wasn't about to attract so much attention here. And having the muscular police car mode helped him plenty. The standard 911 tag, a big police marker on his doors, a spoiler on the back; there was even a badge with a Decepticon logo printed. People swore someone took a race car and modified it into a police vehicle; which turns out was the truth when Barricade had scanned this particular vehicle.

Dropkick, the blue muscle car wasn't too far behind him. He kept a good distance behind him, rumbling his exposed engine as he drove down the streets. Blue and black were his colors, and he had a strong sturdy model of a car that provided the power he needed.

"... last night several eyes were watching as what they claim a UFO in the skies, hurling down into the Indian Canyons. Is this real, or just another hoax? More on this as it develops. And in other news, police investigation continues as many civilians have been left frightened by a mad-woman behind the wheel of a flashy sports car. Attempts to apprehend this driver have been taken, but with no success. Also, I'm not wearing any pants. More on this, after the break."

Dropkick groaned and turned off the radio. "Nothing."

"Too bad Shatter isn't here. I could have done the searching for more Energon out west, instead of being here stuck with you."

"You're lucky if I don't slag you," Dropkick sassed.

"Can't believe this... where's Megatron when you need him?" Barricade grumbled. "Wait a minute... hold on," Barricade paused. A picture pulled up a small screen inside of his cabin. The internet post of the purple symbol that Silverstream and Gallus had found. "Well, well, well... it seems we have an ally here in the city."

"That's Cyberwarp's colors, I recognize it," Dropkick replied, getting the same picture. "She's no ally."

"Hmm... so that means she's here. Maybe we can do a little--wait..." Barricade paused again. "I'm picking up an Energon signature."

"Can you trace it?"

Barricade chuckled. "Already did. It's somewhere at the beach. Let's go see just what's down there."

"Here it is guys."

The kids stepped off the bus and walked down to the beach. All six of them were dressed purely in shorts and t-shirts, tank tops, you name it. But their swimwear was packed in the bags they brought with 'em. Surprisingly today it wasn't very crowded, but there was a handful of people still there. Some folks stopping along a few shops for some hot or cold food, somethin' to fill their stomachs. A few surfer dudes and bikini girls chatting, laughing, having a blasts.

"So what do you guys wanna do?" Sandbar asked. "Wanna hit some waves, maybe just play some beach ball?"

“Wait, is that Counselor Cyberwarp?” Smolder asked.

The students turned their heads and saw indeed, Cyberwarp was also there at the beach, playing with Betamax. In a two-piece bikini, and with a small Hawaiian headdress on top of her head. She was playing catch with the boy with an inflated beach ball over a small net they had set up in their corner of the beach.

“I didn’t think she did much outside of work,” Smolder admitted.

“Everyone has to have a hobby, Smolder,” Yona said.

“True, but I didn’t think she was the beach type,” Smolder shrugged.

"She has Hawaiian knick-knacks and junk in her office, I thought that'd be obvious," Gallus deadpanned.

“Maybe we should just turn around and go to another beach, there’s tons of beaches here in California, right?”

“Guys, come on, she’s not a robot, I’m sure of it,” Sandbar said, reassuringly.

“You weren’t at her house, how can you say that?” Silverstream shivered.

“And you didn’t see her getting shot and not get hurt at the grocery store,” Gallus added.

“Why don’t we just talk to her?” Ocellus asked, already walking towards her and the child she was babysitting.

“Oh, we’re so dead…” Silverstream whimpered.

Netherless, they still approached her little set-up.

“Counselor Cyberwarp?”

Cyberwarp turned her head and smiled. “Oh, hi Ocellus. What are you all doing here?”

“... It’s Saturday.”

“Yona needed a break from looking at computer all day,” Yona said.

“Well, good on you kids,” Cyberwarp smiled, throwing the beach ball back to Max. "It's nice to see there are still kids doing outdoorsy things. Don't get me wrong, I love video games as much as the next guy, but it's nice to come out on a nice sunny day."

The students turned their heads to the other kid she was playing ball with.

“Is that your son?” Gallus asked.

“No, I’m babysitting him. But I like to consider him as a son,” Cyberwarp smiled.

“Oh, Cyberwarp, I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick,” Max said, stepping off their little court.

“Alright kiddo,” Cyberwarp nodded, as Betamax dashed off to the bathroom.

“Soooo…” Gallus asked. “About yesterday. Are you… okay?”

Cyberwarp turned her head as she went to open the cooler. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were shot,” Gallus raised a brow. "We were at the grocery store, and we saw you get shot."

Cyberwarp blinked. “Wait… ohhh I remember! The two robbers from the grocery store?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cyberwarp nodded. “Really, I am.”

“… How were you not hurt?”

“Oh. Well… kevlar vest, I keep one underneath my clothes,” Cyberwarp shrugged it off.

Silverstream and Gallus blinked. They still weren’t buying it. Their suspicions were only raised even more, how else could she have pulled herself back up on her feet so unrealistically.

“It didn’t hurt, at all?” Silverstream asked.

“And what about that thing around your ankle?” Gallus asked, pointing to the small orb that was attached to her leg.

“Oh this?” Cyberwarp raised her leg. “Yeahhh… about that?”

The students leaned in closer to listen.

“… My leg is paralyzed. I had a genetic disease when I was a kid, which made one of my legs completely paralyzed so I was always in a wheelchair. Apparently, the doctors found a way to make it move again thanks to a little work in medical science,” she said, raising her leg up, showing the metal piece attached to her ankle. “But once I take it off, it stops working and I will fall on my face.”

“Sooo… it’s like an advanced cast?” Yona asked. “Leg brace?”

“Yes, exactly,” Cyberwarp smiled.

Smolder sniffed the air, and cringed. “No offense, but why do you smell like metal and oil?”

“Smolder!”

“It’s fine. I’ve been working on some maintenance on my van, and I forgot to take a shower before I left,” Cyberwarp explained once more. “Now. Lemme see… So long story short, I…” Cyberwarp froze.

The kids waited for a response.

“Well?”

“Shh,” Cyberwarp whispered, holding her arm up in a military signal, silencing them. “Something’s not right…”

Her focus turned to the parking lot over to the boardwalk, very close by. Something seemed off… Her eyes slowly squinted as she looked at the cars parked. One of which she picked out; a black and blue sports car.

“AMC Javelin’, black and blue… oh no,” She whispered.

“What?”

“Kids, listen to me carefully,” she continued to whisper. “You need to leave, now.”

“But why, we just got here,” Silverstream whined.

“We’re not leaving until you tell us what’s going on—”

“—there are really bad people listening to us right now,” Cyberwarp said quickly, silencing Gallus. “I’m not kidding. These people are really, really, bad. They will hurt you if they get the chance. Now I want you to listen to me right now.”

Now the kids were afraid. This wasn’t like their counselor at all.

“I want you six to take the next bus back to the city, go back to the campus and stay there. Do not go anywhere else, do not talk to anyone else, just get back to campus, now. I’ll explain everything.”

“How do we know you’re not lying to us?” Smolder asked, putting her hands on her hips and raising a brow.

“Smolder, just go. All of you, go, get out of here, you need to get to safety,” the counselor shushed, trying to shoo them away.

Realizing they weren't going to get more answers out of her, they did just that. They walked away and started to walk towards the bus stop where a bus had just pulled up. Cyberwarp took one last look at them, and then turned her head towards the sports car. She watched it slowly pull out of the parking lot, turning the opposite direction from her and the kids. Looking away, she bent over to reach into her purse and pulled out a small device with several buttons. She clicked on the buttons and raised the device to her ear, with it now acting like a cell phone.

"Lemon Zest?" She asked, holding her device. "Yes, hi. I don't suppose you're busy right now? I need to drop Max off somewhere; I have a bit of something important to do..."