A Light in the Shadows
folder
S through Z › Transformers (Movie Only)
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
6
Views:
3,141
Reviews:
6
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
S through Z › Transformers (Movie Only)
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
6
Views:
3,141
Reviews:
6
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I make no money from this story. Transformers and all recognizable characters are the property of Hasbro. Alexandra is an original character and as such belongs to me.
Memory and Foreboding
Please R&R, but be gentle! This is the first story I have ever written!
Memory and Foreboding
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A yellow Camaro eased into an empty parking space in front of the poorly lit diner. It was late, around 12:30 AM, but Sam had to use the restroom. “Hurry Sam, I don’t like this area.” The boy patted the steering wheel affectionately as he climbed out of the car. “I’ll just be a minute Bee.”
Three sweaty, rough looking men stared at him, glowered was more the feel, as they stood outside drinking cheap beer and puffing on equally cheap cigarettes. He kept his eyes down and struggled to keep from making a face as the combined smells assaulted his nose.
Coughing slightly, he pulled open the dingy glass door. “Just a minute,” called a woman’s voice as the bells above the door jingled to announce his entry. Willing his bladder to calm, he approached the origin of the voice.
A waitress stood behind the counter with her back to him, filling the salt shakers and humming. “Uh, excuse me, miss?” He said hesitantly, reaching over the counter to tap her shoulder. The shaker in her hands fell to the floor and shattered as she jumped, startled by the sudden contact. Gritting her teeth and sighing heavily, she slowly turned to glare at him. “Pretty sure I said to gimme a minute.”
Sam took a step back as she turned to face him. “Uh, yes, yes you did, um, Lexi.” He stammered as he glanced down at her nametag. “I was just wondering if I could use your restroom, please?” Lexi raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a long moment, considering his request. She rolled her eyes and pointed to her left. “End of the counter and make a right. Hurry up.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Sam dashed for the restroom door. “Thank you!” He called over his shoulder as the door shut behind him. She held back a giggle as she began to sweep up the salt and shattered bits of glass.
Still smiling, she glanced at the door when the bells jingled again. Her smile quickly faded as the men from outside entered, reeking of sweat, alcohol, and smoke. She rolled her eyes as their nausea-inducing stink reached her, “Ugh, go home Anthony. Don’t worry about the kitchen; I can cover it ‘til Pat gets here at four. You and your friends are in desperate need of some soap!”
A heavyset man with dirty blonde hair and a stained apron with the name ‘Tony’ embroidered across the left side of his chest, took a seat at the counter and motioned for the two behind him to follow suit. “Damn it ‘Lex, shut up and just get us some coffee. I don’t pay you to talk shit.”
Sighing, she grabbed the coffee pot and began to pour three cups. “Yeah, I know, I know. You pay me to look cute and take orders.” Setting their cups on the counter, she turned to grab the cream and sugar packets from the prep station behind her, grumbling to herself as she did so. “A) You hardly pay me at all, and B) I know six different ways to kill you without leaving this spot.”
After supplying them with their condiments she turned on the TV and switched it to a news station while she started sweeping the dining area. After a moment the restroom door swung open and the young man took a seat at the end of the counter next to the TV.
Lexi smiled and walked over with her order book in hand. “Feel better?” She asked, leaning against the counter next to him.
Sam smiled at her and ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, thanks. Could I get some coffee?”
Slipping the order book in the back pocket of her jeans, she hopped over the counter and started a fresh pot of coffee. “No problem. It’ll be a minute for a fresh cup.” As she set the empty cup on the counter, the newscast caught her attention, as well as that of her customer and her boss. It sounded like some politician was riled up about those alien robots.
One of Tony’s friends, Dan, she thought, started talking shit about what he would do if he ever saw said alien robots. Eager to bitch about something, Tony and their other friend joined in. She glared daggers at them as she refilled their cups from an older pot of coffee. Dan grinned at her as she poured, “Aw what’s wrong honey? We botherin’ you? I forgot you was one a them ‘bot sympathizers.” The third man laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair, almost, to Lexi’s disappointment.
Her eyes didn’t change as she curved the corners of her mouth in a condescending smile, “Wow, sympathizer. That’s a big word for you!” Off to her left Sam bit his lip in an effort not to laugh. Tony muttered something that sounded like ‘mouthy bitch’.
Walking back to the prep table she grabbed the fresh coffee and poured for her customer. “I’m going outside for a smoke. Hey kid, wanna fix your cup and join me?” She slid a napkin to him with his cup. Glancing down, Sam’s eyes widened as he saw his full name written on the thin paper. “Uh, yeah, sure.” Tony grumbled something about paying for the cup if he broke it as they walked out to the parking lot.
~*~
Once outside, Lexi walked to the corner of the building, out of Tony’s sight. Sam followed her about halfway and stopped. Rolling her eyes, she straightened and walked toward him, “I don’t bite, I just want to talk. Don’t know if you noticed, Mr. Witwicky, but those guys aren’t the most intellectual bunch.” Sam took a step back as she approached, “How do you know my name?” He asked cautiously.
Lexi smiled and glanced at the Camaro parked behind him. “Your friend and I go back a few years. Alexandra Renee Corvin, former agent for the disbanded Sector Seven.”
Sam looked skeptical, “Uh-huh. So if you were in Sector Seven why are you working in a crappy diner?” Lexi laughed and took up her position on the wall again. “Why’s your buddy Simmons work at his mom’s deli? It pays the bills.”
Sam’s eyes went wide at the mention of the fanatical former agent. “Wait, what? You know Simmons?” She shrugged and kicked a cigarette butt. “Of course I know Seymour. You can’t work with a nut like that for five years and not know.”
Sam chuckled at the reference to Simmons’ odd personality. He shrugged and nodded, “True, but you’re so much younger than him. I mean, couldn’t your parents help you out or something?” Lexi dropped her eyes to the ground and shook her head, “Mom was one of the researchers killed in the Hoover Dam incident.”
Sam took a sip of his coffee, grimaced, and hastily set the cup on the ground. No amount of cream or sugar would make that drinkable “Oh. Well, what about your dad?” She shrugged and shook her head, “No idea. Mom never mentioned him.”
Sam nodded and decided it was time to change the subject. “So what did Simmons tell you?” Lexi waved her hand absently, “Meh. Bit of this and that.” She turned to face him,
her eyes suddenly serious as she continued, “Enough to know you’re a hero. Listen Sam, what you’ve accomplished is nothing short of incredible. You and your friends are the reason there’s still a crappy diner for me to work at. Thank you, for what it’s worth.”
He blushed under the praise and glanced over at Bumblebee again to hide it. “Well, uh, thanks. I don’t really get that a lot. Listen, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you ask me to come out here with you?” Lexi leaned forward and glanced at the door, “Those guys in there would have recognized you eventually. I needed to get you outside before that happened. I get enough shit for being appreciative of your friends’ sacrifices, but
I would hate to see what they would do if they found out who you are.”
Sam smiled and leaned against the wall next to her. “Yeah, I appreciate your concern, but I’m pretty sure Bee can handle three rednecks.” Sighing, Lexi shook her head and began to study her sneakers. “You don’t understand. If anything happens to them, even if it was done in self defense, they’re going to run through town telling anybody who’ll listen that a ‘bot attacked them. It would just throw fuel on an already oversized fire.”
Sam swallowed thickly and tucked his hands into his pockets, trying to ignore the cold feeling in his chest. “Couldn’t you be, like, an eyewitness or something? Tell people what really happened?”
Lexi tilted her head back to look at the stars, chuckling softly. “Not so much. People around here know where I stand, and they don’t like it. Nobody really gives much credit to what I say.” She sighed and looked at her watch, “Listen, I’ve gotta get back inside before Tony has an aneurysm. Take care of yourself, Sam.” She smiled softly at him as she reached up to gently brush her fingertips along his jaw.
Sam’s thoughts fuzzed as her touch left a warm tingling feeling in its wake. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he called out after her, “Hey, uh, wait a sec!” She stopped and turned her head a fraction, enough to see over her shoulder, “Yes?”
Sam’s brain fumbled for what to say next as he caught up to her. “I was just…um…wondering if you would like to meet Bumblebee? I’d have to ok it with him first, but I…uh…don’t really see why not. I mean, since there’s no more Sector Seven you’re not really a threat to him anymore.” She laughed softly as he stammered his way through the question, biting her lower lip to hide it. “I’d like that.” She replied after he finished.
Lexi watched as the boy jogged over to the yellow sports car and leaned in the driver window. After a moment, he pulled his head out and waved her over. Smiling, she picked up the coffee cup and made her way to the car.
Bumblebee watched the femme warily from the moment she and Sam exited the restaurant. Something about her made him feel uneasy, she seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place her. When Sam approached him after a few minutes talking with her, he hesitantly agreed.
She casually opened the door and dropped into the driver’s seat. Bumblebee fought back a twitch as she ran her fingers over the Autobot symbol on his steering wheel. “Hello Ms. Corvin. Sam informed me that you hold him and my fellow Autobots in rather high regards. Your opinions are refreshing as opposed to the majority of your species.”
Lexi smiled and giggled; the sound sending tiny shivers through his frame. “Thank you Bumblebee. I can’t say I’m popular for it, but, I’ve heard that’s overrated anyway.” She replied as she brushed her fingertips over the rich leather seat. Her touch was sending strange, yet pleasant, tingles through his sensor net and he fought to keep silent.
He knew her. Primus only knows where he knew her from, but he did. Everything about her; her scent, lilies and jasmine, her touch, her eyes, clear jade shot with faint blue at the edges, even the way her black hair shone blue when the light hit it was familiar.
There was something else as well. Almost like an awareness of her from the moment she touched his door. Similar to a resonance of her emotions. Awe as her eyes wandered his interior, a brief moment of sadness when she replied to his greeting, reverence as her fingers explored the contours of soft leather and instrumentation.
Lexi smiled at the quiet whirring sounds emitting from the radio, which she was undoubtedly not meant to hear. Looking up from the soft blue glow of his instrument panel, her eyes went wide, startled by the sight of her boss glaring at her in a decidedly unpleasant manner. “I’ve gotta go Bumblebee. It was nice to meet you. Maybe you could come back sometime.”
Stepping out of the car, she gave Sam a friendly hug around the neck. “Thank you. It was great to finally meet you. Give your friends my best.” Lexi grabbed the cup off the concrete and jogged to the door, smiling and giving a final wave before entering.
Bumblebee snickered quietly at the goofy smirk lingering on Sam’s face, the sound jerking Sam back to reality. Shaking his head he gave the Camaro’s hood a playful swat, “C’mon Bee, let’s get going. How far are we?” Bumblebee quickly checked his navigation program and displayed the results on an in-dash screen. “Roughly twenty minutes. I’ve already informed Optimus of our impending arrival.”
Bumblebee couldn’t find a reason for it as they drove away, but something felt…wrong. He wrote it off as a glitch and continued down the road.
~*~
Lexi made her way behind the counter and started washing out the coffee pots. She rolled her eyes as she turned to face her glaring boss. “What? I can’t carry on an intelligent conversation on my smoke break?” She asked him with more than a little sarcasm in her tone.
Tony grumbled and snorted. “Said you were goin’ out there to smoke, not shake your ass for some teenager. I’m goin’ home.” He stood and waved to his friends to follow.
Sighing as the door closed behind them, Lexi took the opportunity to relax a little and enjoy the evening newscast while she did some light cleaning. She didn’t notice Dan watching her as he followed Tony outside.
Memory and Foreboding
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A yellow Camaro eased into an empty parking space in front of the poorly lit diner. It was late, around 12:30 AM, but Sam had to use the restroom. “Hurry Sam, I don’t like this area.” The boy patted the steering wheel affectionately as he climbed out of the car. “I’ll just be a minute Bee.”
Three sweaty, rough looking men stared at him, glowered was more the feel, as they stood outside drinking cheap beer and puffing on equally cheap cigarettes. He kept his eyes down and struggled to keep from making a face as the combined smells assaulted his nose.
Coughing slightly, he pulled open the dingy glass door. “Just a minute,” called a woman’s voice as the bells above the door jingled to announce his entry. Willing his bladder to calm, he approached the origin of the voice.
A waitress stood behind the counter with her back to him, filling the salt shakers and humming. “Uh, excuse me, miss?” He said hesitantly, reaching over the counter to tap her shoulder. The shaker in her hands fell to the floor and shattered as she jumped, startled by the sudden contact. Gritting her teeth and sighing heavily, she slowly turned to glare at him. “Pretty sure I said to gimme a minute.”
Sam took a step back as she turned to face him. “Uh, yes, yes you did, um, Lexi.” He stammered as he glanced down at her nametag. “I was just wondering if I could use your restroom, please?” Lexi raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a long moment, considering his request. She rolled her eyes and pointed to her left. “End of the counter and make a right. Hurry up.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Sam dashed for the restroom door. “Thank you!” He called over his shoulder as the door shut behind him. She held back a giggle as she began to sweep up the salt and shattered bits of glass.
Still smiling, she glanced at the door when the bells jingled again. Her smile quickly faded as the men from outside entered, reeking of sweat, alcohol, and smoke. She rolled her eyes as their nausea-inducing stink reached her, “Ugh, go home Anthony. Don’t worry about the kitchen; I can cover it ‘til Pat gets here at four. You and your friends are in desperate need of some soap!”
A heavyset man with dirty blonde hair and a stained apron with the name ‘Tony’ embroidered across the left side of his chest, took a seat at the counter and motioned for the two behind him to follow suit. “Damn it ‘Lex, shut up and just get us some coffee. I don’t pay you to talk shit.”
Sighing, she grabbed the coffee pot and began to pour three cups. “Yeah, I know, I know. You pay me to look cute and take orders.” Setting their cups on the counter, she turned to grab the cream and sugar packets from the prep station behind her, grumbling to herself as she did so. “A) You hardly pay me at all, and B) I know six different ways to kill you without leaving this spot.”
After supplying them with their condiments she turned on the TV and switched it to a news station while she started sweeping the dining area. After a moment the restroom door swung open and the young man took a seat at the end of the counter next to the TV.
Lexi smiled and walked over with her order book in hand. “Feel better?” She asked, leaning against the counter next to him.
Sam smiled at her and ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, thanks. Could I get some coffee?”
Slipping the order book in the back pocket of her jeans, she hopped over the counter and started a fresh pot of coffee. “No problem. It’ll be a minute for a fresh cup.” As she set the empty cup on the counter, the newscast caught her attention, as well as that of her customer and her boss. It sounded like some politician was riled up about those alien robots.
One of Tony’s friends, Dan, she thought, started talking shit about what he would do if he ever saw said alien robots. Eager to bitch about something, Tony and their other friend joined in. She glared daggers at them as she refilled their cups from an older pot of coffee. Dan grinned at her as she poured, “Aw what’s wrong honey? We botherin’ you? I forgot you was one a them ‘bot sympathizers.” The third man laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair, almost, to Lexi’s disappointment.
Her eyes didn’t change as she curved the corners of her mouth in a condescending smile, “Wow, sympathizer. That’s a big word for you!” Off to her left Sam bit his lip in an effort not to laugh. Tony muttered something that sounded like ‘mouthy bitch’.
Walking back to the prep table she grabbed the fresh coffee and poured for her customer. “I’m going outside for a smoke. Hey kid, wanna fix your cup and join me?” She slid a napkin to him with his cup. Glancing down, Sam’s eyes widened as he saw his full name written on the thin paper. “Uh, yeah, sure.” Tony grumbled something about paying for the cup if he broke it as they walked out to the parking lot.
~*~
Once outside, Lexi walked to the corner of the building, out of Tony’s sight. Sam followed her about halfway and stopped. Rolling her eyes, she straightened and walked toward him, “I don’t bite, I just want to talk. Don’t know if you noticed, Mr. Witwicky, but those guys aren’t the most intellectual bunch.” Sam took a step back as she approached, “How do you know my name?” He asked cautiously.
Lexi smiled and glanced at the Camaro parked behind him. “Your friend and I go back a few years. Alexandra Renee Corvin, former agent for the disbanded Sector Seven.”
Sam looked skeptical, “Uh-huh. So if you were in Sector Seven why are you working in a crappy diner?” Lexi laughed and took up her position on the wall again. “Why’s your buddy Simmons work at his mom’s deli? It pays the bills.”
Sam’s eyes went wide at the mention of the fanatical former agent. “Wait, what? You know Simmons?” She shrugged and kicked a cigarette butt. “Of course I know Seymour. You can’t work with a nut like that for five years and not know.”
Sam chuckled at the reference to Simmons’ odd personality. He shrugged and nodded, “True, but you’re so much younger than him. I mean, couldn’t your parents help you out or something?” Lexi dropped her eyes to the ground and shook her head, “Mom was one of the researchers killed in the Hoover Dam incident.”
Sam took a sip of his coffee, grimaced, and hastily set the cup on the ground. No amount of cream or sugar would make that drinkable “Oh. Well, what about your dad?” She shrugged and shook her head, “No idea. Mom never mentioned him.”
Sam nodded and decided it was time to change the subject. “So what did Simmons tell you?” Lexi waved her hand absently, “Meh. Bit of this and that.” She turned to face him,
her eyes suddenly serious as she continued, “Enough to know you’re a hero. Listen Sam, what you’ve accomplished is nothing short of incredible. You and your friends are the reason there’s still a crappy diner for me to work at. Thank you, for what it’s worth.”
He blushed under the praise and glanced over at Bumblebee again to hide it. “Well, uh, thanks. I don’t really get that a lot. Listen, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you ask me to come out here with you?” Lexi leaned forward and glanced at the door, “Those guys in there would have recognized you eventually. I needed to get you outside before that happened. I get enough shit for being appreciative of your friends’ sacrifices, but
I would hate to see what they would do if they found out who you are.”
Sam smiled and leaned against the wall next to her. “Yeah, I appreciate your concern, but I’m pretty sure Bee can handle three rednecks.” Sighing, Lexi shook her head and began to study her sneakers. “You don’t understand. If anything happens to them, even if it was done in self defense, they’re going to run through town telling anybody who’ll listen that a ‘bot attacked them. It would just throw fuel on an already oversized fire.”
Sam swallowed thickly and tucked his hands into his pockets, trying to ignore the cold feeling in his chest. “Couldn’t you be, like, an eyewitness or something? Tell people what really happened?”
Lexi tilted her head back to look at the stars, chuckling softly. “Not so much. People around here know where I stand, and they don’t like it. Nobody really gives much credit to what I say.” She sighed and looked at her watch, “Listen, I’ve gotta get back inside before Tony has an aneurysm. Take care of yourself, Sam.” She smiled softly at him as she reached up to gently brush her fingertips along his jaw.
Sam’s thoughts fuzzed as her touch left a warm tingling feeling in its wake. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he called out after her, “Hey, uh, wait a sec!” She stopped and turned her head a fraction, enough to see over her shoulder, “Yes?”
Sam’s brain fumbled for what to say next as he caught up to her. “I was just…um…wondering if you would like to meet Bumblebee? I’d have to ok it with him first, but I…uh…don’t really see why not. I mean, since there’s no more Sector Seven you’re not really a threat to him anymore.” She laughed softly as he stammered his way through the question, biting her lower lip to hide it. “I’d like that.” She replied after he finished.
Lexi watched as the boy jogged over to the yellow sports car and leaned in the driver window. After a moment, he pulled his head out and waved her over. Smiling, she picked up the coffee cup and made her way to the car.
Bumblebee watched the femme warily from the moment she and Sam exited the restaurant. Something about her made him feel uneasy, she seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place her. When Sam approached him after a few minutes talking with her, he hesitantly agreed.
She casually opened the door and dropped into the driver’s seat. Bumblebee fought back a twitch as she ran her fingers over the Autobot symbol on his steering wheel. “Hello Ms. Corvin. Sam informed me that you hold him and my fellow Autobots in rather high regards. Your opinions are refreshing as opposed to the majority of your species.”
Lexi smiled and giggled; the sound sending tiny shivers through his frame. “Thank you Bumblebee. I can’t say I’m popular for it, but, I’ve heard that’s overrated anyway.” She replied as she brushed her fingertips over the rich leather seat. Her touch was sending strange, yet pleasant, tingles through his sensor net and he fought to keep silent.
He knew her. Primus only knows where he knew her from, but he did. Everything about her; her scent, lilies and jasmine, her touch, her eyes, clear jade shot with faint blue at the edges, even the way her black hair shone blue when the light hit it was familiar.
There was something else as well. Almost like an awareness of her from the moment she touched his door. Similar to a resonance of her emotions. Awe as her eyes wandered his interior, a brief moment of sadness when she replied to his greeting, reverence as her fingers explored the contours of soft leather and instrumentation.
Lexi smiled at the quiet whirring sounds emitting from the radio, which she was undoubtedly not meant to hear. Looking up from the soft blue glow of his instrument panel, her eyes went wide, startled by the sight of her boss glaring at her in a decidedly unpleasant manner. “I’ve gotta go Bumblebee. It was nice to meet you. Maybe you could come back sometime.”
Stepping out of the car, she gave Sam a friendly hug around the neck. “Thank you. It was great to finally meet you. Give your friends my best.” Lexi grabbed the cup off the concrete and jogged to the door, smiling and giving a final wave before entering.
Bumblebee snickered quietly at the goofy smirk lingering on Sam’s face, the sound jerking Sam back to reality. Shaking his head he gave the Camaro’s hood a playful swat, “C’mon Bee, let’s get going. How far are we?” Bumblebee quickly checked his navigation program and displayed the results on an in-dash screen. “Roughly twenty minutes. I’ve already informed Optimus of our impending arrival.”
Bumblebee couldn’t find a reason for it as they drove away, but something felt…wrong. He wrote it off as a glitch and continued down the road.
~*~
Lexi made her way behind the counter and started washing out the coffee pots. She rolled her eyes as she turned to face her glaring boss. “What? I can’t carry on an intelligent conversation on my smoke break?” She asked him with more than a little sarcasm in her tone.
Tony grumbled and snorted. “Said you were goin’ out there to smoke, not shake your ass for some teenager. I’m goin’ home.” He stood and waved to his friends to follow.
Sighing as the door closed behind them, Lexi took the opportunity to relax a little and enjoy the evening newscast while she did some light cleaning. She didn’t notice Dan watching her as he followed Tony outside.