Chapter 44; Shy Arcee

"Virtual projection?" Merlin muttered, glancing sideways at his Ducati parked in the workshop below. The motorcycle sat quietly in its parking space, resembling an art exhibit in a sleek red dress.

Recalling the strange malfunction that occurred during the previous cleaning and rebuilding of the bike, Merlin's expression grew more perplexed. "It can't be that coincidental..." he mused, before diving back into the footage, observing the screen frame by frame.

Eventually, he confirmed that the woman riding his Ducati on the secluded street was just a virtual projection. More precisely, it seemed that the Ducati, which he had left in the shop when he went to Afghanistan, had somehow activated itself, projected an image of a woman, and taken off on its own. The events of that day had made him question his own sanity.

As he continued watching the surveillance footage, Merlin rubbed his chin, lost in thought. The next scene was a battle under a bridge. The police footage showed a chaotic mess, as if the area had been ravaged by a massive creature, with blood-like substances that appeared more like industrial liquids scattered across the scene.

After reading through the information, Merlin lay back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling made of steel frames as he began to think deeply. It was now certain that Transformers existed in this world.

A smile crept onto his face. "This is going to be fun..."

Rather than rushing down to investigate further, Merlin decided to delve deeper. Using the R-planet subsystem, he began hacking into Eagleland's defense system, specifically targeting Area 7 and any information related to Sam Witwicky.

As expected, he discovered that in the past two days, the Department of Defense had suffered a mysterious network intrusion, though the source of the breach had yet to be identified. Among the classified documents, he found intriguing references:

The Frozen Mysterious Giant Organic Robot.

Mysterious Rubik's Cube Research Project.

Special Forces for the Study of Extraterrestrial Entities in Area 7.

After closing his notebook, Merlin descended the stairs to his workshop and approached his Ducati motorcycle. He didn't say a word as he stood there, arms folded, just quietly observing.

The workshop was silent, with only the sound of Merlin and the Ducati in an oddly tense standoff. The air grew thick with an inexplicable awkwardness, as if something unspoken lingered between them.

Arcee, the Ducati in question, began to feel a twinge of panic under his steady gaze. Yet, strangely, there was also a flicker of anticipation.

What is this human going to do? I swear, I won't do it again...

She tried to convince herself that she wasn't looking forward to anything—certainly not the sensation of having her parts tinkered with. No, it was purely about the performance enhancements after the modifications.

But as Merlin continued to stare, Arcee's thoughts started to spiral. Why does this human have such a strange ability? Is it something unique to him? Could it be some sort of divine intervention, the guidance of the Creator?

Her mind raced with questions, each one more bewildering than the last.

"What else do you want to hide?" Merlin's voice broke through Arcee's spiraling thoughts, startling her out of her internal chaos.

Has he figured it out? Arcee's mind raced, but she remained outwardly calm, motionless.

Merlin continued, his tone measured but probing. "I've seen the footage from the trail near the Manhattan power plant. That woman was just a projection, wasn't she? And the battle on the bridge next to the power plant—I'm guessing that had something to do with you too."

Still, Arcee remained silent, her exterior giving nothing away. But Merlin wasn't done yet.

"Are you really going to make me check the weapons reserves before you show yourself?" he asked, his voice almost teasing as he slowly approached her.

As his hand neared her chassis, the motorcycle suddenly trembled violently. The sound of shifting gears and clicking mechanisms filled the workshop as the red Ducati transformed before Merlin's eyes. The sleek motorcycle quickly morphed into a sweet-faced robot, leaving Merlin staring in amazement.

Arcee, now in her true form, took a few steps back, her blue eyes—visible beneath light red detection glasses—locked nervously on Merlin.

"Um... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide from you. After all, you did buy me," she stammered, her previously confident tone faltering. Despite all her bravado, standing face-to-face with the human who had unwittingly brought her into his life left her feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable.

Even the words she'd planned to say with an air of mystery and authority now came out much softer, betraying the uncertainty she felt.

Arcee found herself in a strange mix of emotions. On one hand, she felt a little guilty—she had taken Merlin's weapons and engine modifications without revealing her true identity. On the other hand, the memory of that embarrassing incident when her headlights roared upon arrival was still fresh, making the situation all the more awkward.

Merlin, however, seemed unfazed. He studied Arcee's slender, graceful mechanical body, comparing her to the bulkier Transformers he was familiar with. The motorcycle form, coupled with the clues he had pieced together, led him to suspect her identity.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked, needing to confirm his suspicion.

"I'm Arcee, from the planet Cybertron," she replied, regaining her composure.

"You had a fight at the power plant? Was it because of the Allspark?" Merlin inquired further.

"Yes...wait a minute, how do you know our purpose?" Arcee responded instinctively, but then realized something was off. She stared at Merlin in surprise, noticing for the first time that he had been unusually calm about her true nature, showing no fear or shock at encountering an alien.

"I looked up all the information about you, including the conversations you had with Sam. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide...," Merlin explained. "And your enemies—Decepticons, Megatron."

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing, "And... the location of the Allspark."

"What! Do you know where the Allspark is? Where is it?" Arcee stepped closer to Merlin, her excitement palpable. The Autobots had been searching for the Allspark for what felt like an eternity, and any clue to its location was invaluable.

"Don't get too excited. Calm down," Merlin said, quickly waving his hand to temper her enthusiasm. "I only know the rough location. It will take some time to pinpoint it accurately. While I was looking into you and your mission, I also found information about the Allspark. It's in the hands of the U.S. military, but its exact location is unclear."

Hearing this, Arcee's excitement dimmed, replaced by deep contemplation. The Allspark was within human reach, but knowing it was in the custody of the military complicated matters. The Autobots had to tread carefully.

Arcee felt a mix of concern and anticipation. If the Allspark had indeed been taken by humans, retrieving it would be a complicated and delicate mission. Having spent time in the human world, she was well aware of the intricacies of human society, its political structures, and its military might.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her tone serious. The stakes were too high for any uncertainty.

"Of course, I can send you the data," Merlin replied confidently.

He quickly intercepted and forwarded a crucial piece of data to Arcee. She examined it carefully, her systems processing the information to confirm its accuracy. The evidence was clear—Merlin's intel was solid.

"Merlin, do you want to meet Optimus Prime and the others? Your news is very important," Arcee asked cautiously, her voice tinged with both excitement and apprehension. This was a significant development, and the Autobots would want to hear it directly from someone who had uncovered such valuable information.

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I am exhausted as fuck anyway ignore this rant and enjoy the chapter and comment your thought

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