FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

_ Target Acquired _

"Hello. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Sierra glanced over her shoulder and found Tenesha Hargrove and one of her camera guys stepping into the room. Khalilah and Strika had left to prep for the rescue mission, leaving only Miko's mom and her host parents in the lounge with Sierra.

"No. We're just waiting." And waiting, and waiting.

"I heard there was an op running, connected with the attack on the base earlier today. I'm just trying to find out what's going on."

"None of us know the details, but a team's trying to find where the hostages were taken." Sierra motioned at the sofa and vacant armchair.

"I can stand for a while," the camera guy said. "Been editing video most of the day, so it's kind of a relief to walk around for a while."

Sierra nodded, waited for Tenesha to sit on the end of the sofa, and took the chair for herself. Camille flicked an annoyed glance at the reporter and scooted over to keep some distance between them. Roderick appeared to begin rolling his eyes, then stopped abruptly.

"So," Sierra said, "how much do you know? More than we do, probably."

"I'm told the operation is classified for now, but I'm hoping the world can hear about it sooner or later. It'd be good for everyone to see our visitors working with us to save their friends' and families' lives from a terrorist organization."

"How are things going out there?" Roderick turned to face her. "We've been caught up in all this stuff. Haven't really heard how the world is reacting now that they know there's a bunch of alien robots here."

"There's a wide range of reactions. Lots of people think it's really cool. Lots of others are up in arms over the 'alien invasion' being kept secret for the last three years. A few foreign governments are pissed off about the aliens being based in America, but this is where they just happened to land, so …" Tenesha shrugged. "Social media sites are pretty toxic with people arguing over this and that, but they've become that way over everything, in the past few years."

"Yeah," Sierra said. "It's bad enough with normal, everyday stuff. Like, if you don't hate a certain TV show enough, you get dog-piled and accused of being paid to say good things about it. I've started to stay away from Facebook, aside from a few friends and family I keep in contact with. I imagine it gets really heated when things like the alien robots are brought up."

"Yeah, I've had to take a break from some of the worst ones. If I didn't need social media for my job, I'd probably make it a permanent vacation." Tenesha laughed. "The worst reaction, though, has to be from the Westboro Baptist Church. As you might imagine, they've gone completely nuts."

"Like they weren't before." Roderick shook his head. "They just hate everyone who isn't them. I bet finding out about aliens here on Earth made them go through the roof."

"It did. They're even talking about protesting the funerals of Colonel McKenna's team members who were killed in action during the raid on the Nemesis. I'm told that's why the services haven't been held yet. They tracked down the families and found out where they were planning to have the funerals."

"That's disgusting. I'll never understand how anyone could be so filled with hate."

"I don't get it, either. But I don't think that's a bad thing. I'd start to worry if I actually understood what makes people like them tick." Tenesha glanced at the monitors. "How goes the mission?"

Sierra looked up at the feed from Ultra Magnus's cameras. He'd swapped places with Bumblebee's team and followed June's Humvee at a distance with his headlights turned off. Since it was night, McClory wouldn't be able to see him following, but his optics and sensors kept him aware of everything around him. It'd keep working as long as he didn't pass a cop and get pulled over for driving without headlights.

"Like I said, now we're just waiting. McClory won't tell June where they're going, and she's just driving wherever he tells her to go. Hopefully, sooner or later they'll get to where the hostages are being held."

"I hope so," Miko's mother said softly. She stared at the monitors and wrung her hands slowly.

"They'll come home safe, Natsumi," Roderick said. "From what I've heard, the kids were surviving battle after battle before they even had the kind of support they're getting from this base. And Miko seems to have been doing a lot of training over the past month or two. I mean, you saw her sparring matches. She can handle herself, and she's not alone."

"I hope you're right." Natsumi continued staring at the monitors for a moment longer, then let a shaky smile show. "Miko has changed so much since she came to America. Daisuke was very strict when raising her. Back home, she hardly ever talked to anyone. She would just stand or sit somewhere, occasionally look around, but never touch anything. Hardly ever smiled, except when she was playing with her kittens. We came here as soon as we were told what happened to her arm, and of course we were horrified and intended to take her home as soon as she recovered." Her smile grew. "Then we saw how alive she is here, when she was with her friends. We barely recognized her."

"Well, I didn't run into her often, when she lived in Jasper." Sierra laughed. "I do know she spent a lot of time in detention because she always goofed off in class and seemed to be on her way to becoming a juvenile delinquent."

Roderick nodded. "She was a handful, alright. Maybe she had too much freedom after coming here. Always taking foolish risks and keeping us constantly terrified that she'd get seriously hurt. And when we were told about that thing cutting her arm off … Camille and I have never been so scared in our lives." He shook his head slowly. "But that seems to have finally snapped her out of it. She's become determined to learn how to protect herself, and I've seen her actually stop and think instead of just throwing herself into a risky situation."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Natsumi leaned back in her chair and seemed to notice herself wringing her hands. She stopped and let them rest in her lap. "I know it's incredibly dangerous for her to stay here, but taking her back home would be even worse for her, I think. Here, she is truly alive."

"If she stays involved in this," Camille said, "she could be killed."

"And if she goes back to the life she had before, I think she would die inside. She would lose her friends and perhaps even her purpose." Natsumi stared at her hands for a few more seconds, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I think we should let her live."

---

"I hope we're not just going in circles," one of Raf's brothers mumbled, and Miko shook her head.

"We've gone up a few sets of stairs, so no, not going in circles."

"I … well, yeah, I just mean, I hope you know where you're going."

Miko held up a hand as they approached another corner, and he stopped talking. She tiptoed over to the wall, listened for a moment, and then peeked around the corner. The hallway was empty, and there was a window at the end.

"Looks like we've reached the surface." She led them around the turn. "It's night, but that looks like a parking lot outside." She rushed over to the window, pausing at an intersection to check for bad guys, and took a long look. "I see several other buildings. Looks like a couple of warehouses and maybe a hanger. And that thing over on the left might be a runway. MECH might've taken over a small, private airfield, and turned it into a base. Probably way before their leader was arrested, since it'd take a while to build that underground bunker."

Her father nodded. "If we can find the bus they brought us here in, or another vehicle that can carry everyone, we can escape."

"First thing we need to do is tell my friends where we are. If we take the bus, all these guys have to do is shoot the tires out, and we'd be screwed." She pulled her stolen phone out and glanced at the screen. "Still no bars. They must be using a jammer. What we need to do is find a computer connected to a hard line. Then we can just find ourselves on Google Maps and email our exact location to Jack and the others."

"Assuming they're not using a VPN," Lucas said. "But if they are, we should be able to turn it off."

"Sounds like a plan." Miko led them back to the intersection and motioned for them to stop. "Okay, wait here a sec. I'm gonna scout ahead and be sure we're taking the right corridor." Before her dad could object, she took the hallway on the right and crept to the end, pausing to peek through the occasional window in a door before continuing on.

At the last door on the right, she peeked into the window and started to move on before something inside registered in her head.

Wait, did something just move in there? I didn't see anyone. She took a second look and almost gasped when a gadget on a shelf appeared to levitate and then turn slowly in the air. Miko squinted and thought she could make out a rippling in the air around it, like heat waves.

Or the faint distortion caused by the active camouflage systems her and Raf's armor used.

She glanced at her father and the others, held up a hand to tell them to stay put, and turned the knob slowly.

Locked. Damn it. She took a breath. It's gotta be Raf. Nobody who actually belongs here would need to hide from the rest of these assholes. She let the breath out slowly, pressed her face against the window, and tapped a knuckle on the door.

The gadget dropped suddenly, stopped, and returned to the shelf. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then she caught a glimpse of the air rippling, the distortion appearing to come closer to the door. Miko backed away and prepared to turn and run, just in case.

The distortion grew more pronounced before dissipating and revealing a familiar suit of high-tech armor just as it reached the door. The door opened and Raf appeared, pulling his helmet off and grinning.

"Miko! Am I glad to see you!" He threw his arms around her and she laughed and hugged him back.

She glanced over her shoulder and waved, then whispered, "Come on, guys! I've found Raf."

She gave his parents and siblings a moment to mob him, then she stepped forward and glanced into the room.

"I hope you've found a way to let our friends know where we are."

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago. Found a computer connected to a landline, disabled their VPN, and emailed our location to Jack, along with a ton of stuff I've recorded." Raf grimaced. "I saw some of MECH's experiments. Really horrible, messed-up stuff. I have no idea what they're even trying to accomplish, but it's just grotesque."

"Glad you were able to get the info out. So, they're on the way, then?"

An alarm blared suddenly, and everyone nearly jumped out of their skin. Miko's heart pounded and she took a few breaths and tried to stop shaking.

"Oh, no," Lucas mumbled. "They must've found our cells empty. Or maybe they saw us on a camera."

"Well, we've got to …" The sound of running footsteps caught her attention and she trailed off. "Everybody in! Hurry! Into the room!"

Her dad pushed her through the door and then made sure everyone else followed her before stepping into the room, himself. He glanced to the right and his mouth and eyes opened wide before he darted inside and closed the door.

"I think they saw me."

"Find something to hide behind." Miko waved at everyone to move farther into the room. They ducked behind cabinets and shelves and whatever else they could use for cover. Miko turned back to the door and found her dad and Raf standing beside her. Raf put his helmet back on, activated his stealth system, and vanished. Her dad drew his confiscated pistol and aimed it at the door. Heart pounding again, Miko did the same, then nudged his shoulder.

"Let's get behind those lockers over there," she whispered, nodding to the left. As they moved into position, a hand on the other side of the door grasped the knob and turned it. Miko shook her head and tried not to hold her breath.

Well, shit.

---

"Hey, Mom," Jack said through June's earbud. He sounded out of breath, as if he'd been sprinting. "We finally got a message from Raf. He's in the MECH base where the hostages are being held. Mom … Jesus, they're in the complete opposite direction. McClory's been taking you farther away from them."

What? June flicked a glance at McClory. I should've expected this. What made me think he wouldn't be up to something?

"We're mobilizing," Jack continued. "And don't even try to keep me and Arcee out of this. We're hitching a ride in Strika and will be there to back you up in a few minutes. Ultra Magnus, Chang, and Washington are right behind you, and will get there first."

I won't need any backup. Part of her was startled by the sudden rage searing through her, as well as the plans coming together in her head. The rest no longer gave a shit, because enough was enough.

She swerved over to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. McClory grunted as he shot forward and pulled his seatbelt taut. The Humvee skidded to a stop and June turned slowly to spear him with a smoldering glare.

"Now what?" he snarled.

Slowly, calmly, June reached into the back seat and picked up her helmet. McClory's angry expression faltered, his eyes opened wider, and his lips parted as she put the helmet on and locked the seals.

"What the hell's wrong now?" McClory stared at her a few more seconds, then unhooked his seatbelt. "What're you doing?"

June turned the engine off, pulled the key out, and released her seatbelt before answering him.

"You lied to me." She opened the door and got out.

"What? What're you talking about?" He grabbed his gun and June almost panicked, but then she remembered she was wearing armor.

"You haven't been taking me to the hostages. You've been telling me to drive in the exact opposite direction." June walked around the front of the Humvee to the passenger side.

"Wha … how did you know that?"

"And you just confirmed it."

McClory threw the door open, snapped his gun up, and fired three rounds. Each slammed into her chest, right where her heart was, but bounced off the armor. June gritted her teeth and somehow managed not to flinch or break her stride. McClory jumped out of the Humvee and backed away from her. She changed course to keep advancing on him, and he emptied the rest of the magazine into her chest and head. She continued her approach, thankful that she'd had the presence of mind to put her helmet on.

"We're almost there, June," Washington said into her earbud. June ignored her and continued her march toward McClory.

"Normally, I don't kill someone without being paid for it, but in this case, I'm gonna do it for fun."

McClory's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He backed up a few more steps, then turned and bolted. June sprinted after him, caught up, and then fired her armor's micro-thrusters, launching her straight into him. The impact knocked him off his feet and scooted him across the pavement for a few seconds before he rolled onto his back and swung his fist into the side of her head.

"You really are fuckin' stupid, you know that? I'm wearing armor, and you're trying to punch me."

He braced his hands against her chest and pushed her off. While she tried to regain her balance, he put a boot against her visor and shoved her away. He picked himself up and ran while June got back on her feet. She chased him again, fired another burn from her rear thrusters, and passed him. She spun to face him and sneered.

He reached for his belt and pulled out a knife. June cocked her head.

Where the hell did he get that? Wait … She moved her right hand down to the sheath built into her utility belt and found it empty. Well, shit, he picked it off me when I was on top of him.

"You want me to pilot your armor for this?" Roz asked through her earbud.

"No. This one's mine."

McClory lunged at her and thrust the knife at her throat, going for one of the flexible, vulnerable points in her armor. June raised her left hand and slammed it down on his wrist, knocking the blade from his grip and breaking his arm with a sharp snap. He stumbled backward, clutched at his arm, and opened his mouth wide. He managed to hold a scream in, but his whole body shook with the sudden shock and pain.

June watched him tremble for a few seconds before picking up the knife and slipping it back into its sheath. Then she stomped toward him and he backed up until he bumped into the Humvee. He held his hand up and slid along its side to get away from her.

"Wait!"

She didn't stop. Didn't slow down. Just marched right up to him, pulled her right fist back, and rocketed it into his gut. The impact lifted him clean off the ground and dropped him onto the vehicle's hood. He curled up, unable to breathe, and rolled off the hood to land in front of the Humvee.

June noticed an engine approaching, glanced to the left, and recognized Ultra Magnus's vehicle mode. She turned back to McClory, kicked him across the street, and watched him flop into the ditch. She stomped over to him, grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him up, and then punched him in the face. Then she punched him again. And then again, each time ignoring his pleas for her to stop.

"Holy shit, June!" Chang's voice, this time, as two pairs of footsteps ran up behind her. "That's enough! He's not worth it."

Washington ran around in front of her, stopped, and gripped June's shoulders while Chang strode past them and snapped a pair of handcuffs onto McClory.

"Ease down, June. He's not going anywhere."

What she'd almost done sank in and she began trembling. "Oh … oh, fuck!"

"Mom," Jack said, "are you okay? What the hell happened?"

"I … I almost killed him." June leaned forward and braced her hands on her knees. "I almost killed a person."

"But you didn't," Washington said. "You can be yourself now. We don't need this dipshit anymore."

"Right … you know where the hostages are." June sucked in a few more deep breaths.

"Yeah. We're gonna head out as soon as we're all back together."

"We're gonna take the ground-bridge back to the Autobot base," Chang added, "and then bridge from there to a location near the MECH base, but out of visual range. Then the 'Bots will use their vehicle modes to carry us the rest of the way."

"Why not just bridge right into their base?"

"Since MECH is always trying to get their hands on new tech, we don't need 'em seeing the ground-bridge in use. It'd just give 'em one more thing to go after if we can't shut 'em down permanently."

Oh. Right. Duh. Gotta get myself back under control. I'm not thinking clearly.

"Okay, then, fire it up," she finally said. "Let's go."

"You sure you want to be in on this?" Washington put a hand on June's shoulder. "You've done your part. This could get messy. You want to go back to the base and wait for …?"

"I'm sure. I want to finish this with all of you."

Washington gazed into her eyes for a few seconds and then nodded and patted June's shoulder. "Okay, then. Colonel?"

Ashanti's voice came over the radio. "It's settled, then. We'll regroup in the Autobot base and then go rescue the hostages. And then we'll drop the fuckin' spike on MECH."