Chapter Sixteen

                                    

                                          
[Amanda]  
                          
  "Optimus, you have company!" Ratchet exclaimed as several blips appeared on his screen, seeming to be in pursuit of the Autobots. Everything had been running so smoothly, why did the Cons have to show up now?
                          
  This whole situation had been unnerving, right from the moment we learnt that humans were the ones chasing Fowler for the DNGS. Luckily, our plan seemed to have worked because the Autobots were moving away from the train that really had the device.
                          
  A quick beep from the computer made my gaze snap up to see Optimus' icon separated from the other Autobots, who were being overrun by the Cons, and his icon flickered a bit, meaning-
                          
  "Optimus is down!" Miko exclaimed.
                          
  "And MECH's gonna grab the DNGS!" Jack said, his eyes following the new icon Ratchet just added in to track the helicopter that the MECH boss was in.
                          
  "We need to think of something, quick." I said, urgency in my tone.
                          
  Raf looked up at me. "You mean, like a phase three?"
                          
  I nodded. "Come on guys, think. If MECH wants the DNGS, they have to get on that train."
                          
  "What if we get on board first?" Miko suggested. "You know, run some human-on-human interference?"
                          
  "Absolutely not." Ratchet said sternly.
                          
  "Yeah, that would be suicide." Jack agreed.
                          
  Miko shook her head. "Hello, the United States of meltdown?! Lives are at stake!"
                          
  "Yes- yours!" Ratchet shot back. "You want me to not only bridge you into a confined space, but one travelling at 90 miles per hour?! I can't even count the number of ways that could go wrong. Mass displacement trauma, twisted limbs, metal burn-" We all gave him a look, making him reconsider. "Well, maybe not the last one. Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix ground bridge coordinates on something moving at that speed!"
                          
  Raf began working his magic on his laptop. "Would it help if we had access to the train's coordinates?" He pulled up a map with a little beacon on the moving train.
                          
  "Well..." Ratchet thought for a moment. "Fine! But if you get yourselves killed, it is not my fault."
                          
~~
                          
  Jack, Miko, and I jumped through the ground bridge, landing on our backsides with a thud.
                          
  "Ow." Miko complained as we stood. My eyes darted around the train car we were transported into, noticing the box like device in the centre and the fallen soldier next to it, before I sent a nod towards Jack.
                          
  "We're in," He said into his phone before turning it on speaker. I crouched next to the soldier and checked for a pulse, which made me sigh in relief. He was just out cold.
                          
  "I read you, Jack," Raf said over the phone. "The cellphone-comm link patch works."
                          
  The sound of helicopter blades made me head towards the door to the train car and pull it open. I needed a better look at the situation before we could do anything onward.
                          
  "Raf, MECH's landing on top of the train," Jack said, peering from behind me.
                          
  There was a pause before the younger boy replied. "In about twenty seconds, you're going to come to a fork in the tracks. Brace yourselves."
                          
  "Hold on to something!" I said just as the train tipped to one side. Looking outside again, I saw the helicopter lose control and almost hit the side of a cliff. "Nice work, Raf!"