Chapter 178: Arc 5: Chapter 22: Bumblebee Knight

"It's fleeing, Merlin! To the Northeast, it's fast!"

Cliffjumper's voice resounds in the communicator, forcing Merlin to change directions once again.

But his flying speed was not much faster than a regular bird, and according to Cybertronian's speed on the ground, Merlin stood no chance of catching up in a straight line.

The agent flying in the sky estimates the distance between him and Cliffjumper before immediately summoning his Patronus.

Following a coarse cawing, a crimson red raven appears from thin air and flies around Merlin.

"Victor, go recon as fast as you can!"

Merlin gives his Patronus a command, the energy raven then encloses its wings and speeds forward like an arrow. The raven spirit Victor was fast as it had no physical form, thus it didn't meet any air resistance; theoretically, this bird's flight speed can easily go supersonic, that is if Merlin has enough mana.

He shares his vision with Victor, and soon, through the raven spirit's sights, Merlin quickly discovers the chasing Cliffjumper and the fleeing yellow Beetle car on the highway next to the seaside, both cars were moving at high speeds.

Merlin immediately changes direction in the sky and plans on taking a shortcut to intercept them.

In his flight, Merlin questions through the communicator:

"What's going on? Cliffjumper, didn't you say that your rebel members have a way of communicating with each other? Why is it fleeing like it's seen a ghost? Did you scare it?"

"Something's wrong with B-127."

Cliffjumper answers:

"I discovered it by the seaside, it was...playing water with the human girl."

"Mmm?"

Merlin was astonished, he calibrates his direction while saying:

"If I remember correctly, you told me that B-127 was your best secret agent, and after coming to Earth, it changed personality and began playing water with a human girl? Are all Cybertronians so lively?"

"That's why I said that something was wrong."

Cliffjumper chases after the Beetle car in front of it while answering:

"I sent it an identification signal and normally it should respond to it. But it didn't...like it didn't receive it at all; I appeared in front of it and the girl, they were both terrified and began to flee...I don't know what's going on, but I have to find out."

Merlin sees through the sights of his raven spirit Victor, he sees Cliffjumper speed up and gradually line up with the yellow Beetle car.

They shout at each other using the Cybertronian language.

A few seconds later, the trunk of the Beetle car abruptly opens, an arm formed by mechanical parts punches on Cliffjumper's car form and causes the unsuspecting Cliffjumper to stagger.

The black muscle car immediately loses balance and direction from B-127's sudden attack, the car speeds out from the fence of the seaside highway and crashes down the cliff.

 

 

The yellow Beetle car didn't take this chance to counterattack, instead, after landing a hit, it quickly speeds up in an attempt to flee.

In the yellow Beetle, Merlin could hear a girl's screaming through his Patronus raven.

This means that there was a human girl inside that car.

"Alright, I'm going in."

Seeing that Cliffjumper would need some time to climb that cliff due to it having only one arm, Merlin shakes his head and quickly appears on the road below. On the road in front of him, a low engine sound could be heard.

Victor caws as it lands on Merlin's shoulder, it stares at the road in front of it along with its master, and a few seconds later, Merlin could see the yellow Beetle car speeding toward him.

But he did not move, he simply stood in front of the speeding car like he was asking for death.

In the Beetle, a young human girl with white skin and brown wavy roll hair sees the man in a gray suit and suitcase in the middle of the road and lets out a scream.

"No! Bumblebee, stop! You'll kill him!"

B-127 also sees Merlin, but it didn't slow down, instead, just before it crashed into Merlin, the rusty yellow Beetle car quickly transforms into its robot form, it then uses the accumulated kinetic energy to leap into the air with the young girl in its hand, seemingly trying to leap across Merlin.

"Kwang"

A few meters behind Merlin, B-127 quickly transforms into its Beetle car form after landing, it lets out a clear honking sound seemingly to mock Merlin.

But Merlin also lets out a low chuckle, he was mocking the Cybertronian behind him.

In Merlin's hand, the threshing black fog was binding a stunned young human girl as he pulls her towards the ground. Just when B-127 had jumped, Merlin had prepared himself and grabbed her at that very moment.

"Don't be scared, child."

Merlin looks at the young girl who was bound and gagged by black fog, she seemed to be at most 18 years old. He reaches out and strokes the young girl's head, he then looks at the Beetle parked in the center of the road and says:

"Trust me, I'm here to help you."

In front of Merlin, B-127 who had realized the young girl was missing quickly makes a turn on the road, it points its car lights at Merlin and lets out an unidentified roar, seemingly sound signals taken from the radio.

It seemed to be demonstrating.

Merlin places her finger on the frightened girl's neck in a threatening manner. This also caused the mechanical warrior in front of it to not be able to make any moves.

Both sides stood off for a dozen seconds before Cliffjumper, who had finally climbed up the cliff, arrived on the scene.

It rushes in from another direction and blocks off B-127's escape route.

Cliffjumper quickly transforms into its robot form, then it waves its remaining left arm at Bumblebee as it exhorts in Cybertronian language.

Seeing Cliffjumper begin communicating with B-127, Merlin lets go of the human girl and says:

"Let's not partake in their conversation. Compared to B-127, I'm more curious about you; girl, how'd you end up with a Cybertronian? And, how'd you tame this car?"

"Who are you?"

The human girl's body was still faintly bound by black fog as she looks at Merlin fearfully, the young girl seems to have a tough personality as she grits her teeth like a hostile juvenile while saying to Merlin:

"Let go of me! You evil mutant!"

"No, I'm no mutant, child."

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Merlin takes out his identification from his pocket, puts it in front of Charlie, and says:

"I'm Merlin, level-5 agent of SHIELD, I specialize in handling supernatural affairs like the one happening to you right now. I simply need to ask you some questions, then you can leave, I mean, go home."

Merlin waves his finger, and the black fog binding the young girl quickly dissipates, he says to the young girl in a gentle tone:

"Trust me, child, normal people shouldn't meddle with affairs like this, this will only cause you trouble, big trouble you can't handle. What's worse, is that your involvement in this may even endanger your family, you have a family, right?"

"So you best answer my questions honestly."

Merlin's tone was gentle yet forceful. Added with his identity as a public official, the young girl was hesitant; she looks back at Bumblebee, who was Merlin's B-127, that was conversing with the odd red mechanical giant, before looking back at Merlin.

Moments later, the girl sighs and says to Merlin helplessly:

"I don't know either. My name is Charlie Watson, I live in the town, and I'm just a normal high schooler with things a high schooler should be worrying about...Mr. Agent, I don't know why you're looking for Bumblebee, but I'm certain that it's kind...mmm, a kind alien, it seems to have lost its memories, and has been acting like a child over the past few months."

She says to Merlin with a pleading tone:

"I swear, Bumblebee isn't dangerous to our world."

"Bumblebee?"

Merlin contemplates the name, he raises his head and looks at the yellow Cybertronian standing next to Cliffjumper.

It was shorter than Cliffjumper, about 4-5 meters tall; all four of its limbs were intact, but its exterior looked rusty and messy.

Compared to Cliffjumper's square, human-like face, B-127's face was much softer, and if one had to describe it, B-127 looked like a Cybertroanian 'baby-face', looking to be very likable.

Most importantly, there were two yellow antennas on the head of the blue-eyed robot, it looked like the antennas of a bee, added with its color, as well as its occasional buzzing sound.

No wonder Charlie named it Bumblebee.

It's a very suitable name.

"Listen to me, Charlie."

Merlin lowers his head at the pleading child and says softly:

"Whether or not your new friend is dangerous to us is not up to it. I have to ask, over the past few months that you've spent with it, have there been any incidents, like other mechanical lifeforms hunting you."

"There were!"

Charlie clenches her fist and tells Merlin:

"Those soldiers! They came to this town about a week ago, they told us that they were going to conduct a military exercise nearby, but then I found out that it wasn't true...they were trying to capture Bumblebee, I dared not to leave it home, so for the time being, it's been staying in this reef cove, look how rusty it's exterior has become."

"Just soldiers?"

Merlin purses his lips, he feels like things aren't so simple.

Be it Cliffjumper's warning or the odd signal SHIELD intercepted, they prove that there are Cybertronians hidden on Earth. But the problem was, where are those mechanical lifeforms?

"Charlie, for the past few months, has your Bumblebee sent out any strange signal? I mean, a signal sent in a language you did not understand."

Merlin asks.

The young girl Charlie frowns and thinks, a dozen seconds later, she raises her head and says hesitantly:

"Maybe once."

"When I woke it up, it was lying in an abandoned garage by the sea; I spent 100 dollars to buy it from Grandpa Paulson as my 16th birthday present."

Charlie tells Merlin:

"When I first turned its car keys, I heard a faint voice...the language that the robot that came with you spoke, it should be...if I remember correctly."

"When was that?"

Merlin asks, Charlie thinks briefly before answering:

"About 4 months ago."

"4 months?"

Merlin counts the time and nods.

The time matches up.

Cliffjumper told him that 3 months ago, it received news of the Decepticons dispatching warriors to Earth; this means that the Decepticons must've been alerted by the accidental signal sent by Bumblebee when Charlie had awakened it.

And according to the time at which Cliffjumper had reached Earth, those Decepticons must not have been on Earth for more than a month.

The soldiers of the DoD came to this town a week ago, which means that they had also just pinpointed Bumblebee's area of activity.

"Caw!"

While Merlin wanted to ask more questions, his raven Victor that was patrolling the skies immediately lets out a sharp caw, Merlin raises his head, and in the shared vision he has with the raven, he sees several armed military vehicles rushing toward their current location.

They're of the Department of Defense...

"They must have special equipment that can detect the signal of Cybertronians."

Merlin turns back and shouts to Cliffjumper:

"Take Bumblebee and Charlie and go! The soldiers are coming, I'll stay here and stall them! Find somewhere hidden, we'll communicate later!"

Cliffjumper nods, it quickly transforms into its black muscle car form and honks at Bumblebee who had also transformed into car form. Merlin sends Charlie into Bumblebee and exhorts her:

"The situation now is clear, I'm here to help you. Those soldiers are here to capture your friend, so you best follow what I exhorted you; protect yourself, got it?"

"Mmm."

Charlie nods, she's already implicated in this and it's too late for her to back out now.

Let's pray that this young Bumblebee Knight can make it through these terrible affairs.

 

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