Driven Pursuit

Me: I won't try to explain myself. But as one of you managed to track me down, I decided to force myself in working on this chapter. At least it was already half-done.

Oleum: Way to leave us hanging there!

Kate: What's going on?

Halkrath: Can I kill them yet?

Me: All in due time…

Oleum & Kate: WHAT?!

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or Predator. All unrecognizable characters belong only to me.

Warning?: One swear word. Your parents won't mind.

Chapter 3: Midnight Illusion

00o0o0o00

Oleum remembered, every summer, when Katelyn was a little girl, her mother would drive to her daughter's grandparents for a few weeks on the beach. When everything fell apart, the Transformer in disguise took the girl away from her destroyed home and drove, as far as he could, until he remembered the beach to the East.

For days they had traveled, and Oleum had been forced to steal from outdoor banking machines in order to feed his charge. Once on the coast, the money kept flowing from strangers' pockets. Winter was particularly difficult, when no tourists came and no money was put in the ATMs.

The machine had set up a camp on a mountain top, keeping a constant fire going, and went out to hunt deer, porcupines and large birds, or went fishing for some crabs or out of season mackerel. Once he got lucky and caught a moose.

Some days the blizzards were too strong for Kate to shelter by herself in the small tent, covered in animal hides, and went to sleep inside the Maxima. He often stayed away during those times, playing soft music and listening to her cry in her sleep.

Summer was much easier. During those times, there were too many visitors for the public to worry about one little child without parents. Oleum often went into town, parked by the side of the road, and let her out, to go buy herself ice cream and toys, new clothes and new swim suits. He never let her out of scanner range. If she wanted to go further than the block on which he let her off, Kate would come back to him and he would drive her to where she wanted.

''What do people do for money?'' she asked once when they sat together to watch the sun set. ''Do they take it out of the money machines like us?''

''Yes. Because they put it in before.''

''Did you put some in before?''

''Not exactly.''

Once she was sixteen, she applied for a job. It wasn't a lot of money, but enough to pay rent, buy food and put some gas in Oleum's empty tank. That's how it stayed ever since. Kate had slowly forgotten about the fire, and a routine was quickly established, allowing both individual some free time together each day.

0o0o0o0

In space, no one can hear you scream. But those that are slaughtering you can.

As a small rounded vessel made a dash for freedom over the African continent, a much larger, bulkier ship was right behind, capable of gaining a velocity that would rip anyone inside to pieces, stalking the fleeing transport. Inside the pursuer, a small group of inorganic creatures watched through the bay window as they prey ran. Their prey were quite technologically-advanced for short-lived, infectious parasites.

The largest of the group made a gesture towards one of the sitting creatures, who acknowledged with a nod and proceeded to open a transmission to the smaller ship. A screen appeared, replacing most of the bay window, and an image came through. The mechanical creatures watched intensely with bright amber optics as a capped organic, no taller to the smallest on-board than to his knee, responded to the transmission.

''Why are you pursuing us?!'' called over the organic, with a proud, angered voice.

The leader of the largest ship made another signal towards the individual sitting at the consol, who in turn scanned the damaged vessel for the main database, and a way to understand the creature's language.

''To eradicate your type,'' came the awaited reply.

''Our type?'' it snorted.

''You puny organics have cost us the Allspark! And I, Starscream, as the new leader of the Decepticons, will punish you for this and take my revenge on any who I find unfit to live!''

The other machines on-board roared in agreement.

''Yaut'jas have nothing to do involving any disagreement between your kind and the planet we are orbiting now. Leave us be!''

''I am afraid that I cannot do that. For you see, one of your men, is after someone.'' Explained the Decepticon leader. ''This someone could be important to my cause, and I will not let inferior life forms interfere with my grand destiny.''

''As long as you have us in pursuit, we cannot recall him.'' Growled the yaut'ja.

''Then we will cease fire,'' chuckled Starscream.

''Thank you.''

''Soundwave, destroy the alien vessel!''

''As you command.'' Came the monotone answer from the mech at the controls.

''What?! No, you can't!'' roared the organic.

Soundwave activated the ship's main weapon as the largest on-board turned his back to the screen and walked away without watching the pulverization of the smaller spacecraft. A hollow sound echo through the yautja's hull, followed by the grinding sound of metal caving in on itself. A sudden flash of light ended it all.

0o0o0o0

Another boring day, as it always had been. Kate was not in a particularly good mood, since the boss had asked her, no, ordered her to do something completely impossible, and she was already considering herself as good as fired. It had begun raining again, and the sun was already pushed away by thick clouds of grey. At least this time it was only a drizzle. She just wanted to get home and be done with the day.

The car stopped in its regular spot, but the engine never died down. Oh well, he would shut it off eventually. She reached for the handle. It wouldn't budge. No amount of forcing would make the door open.

''Oleum! It's not funny! Let me out!!''

''No.''

''What do you mean 'no'?! I just want to get some stupid rest and I have enough of everything, will you just let me out, for Fuck's Sake, LET ME OUT!!!'' she began screaming, tears stinging her eyes.

She wasn't happy, but she couldn't understand why she was so furious. There was so much going on in her life, yet so little. She wanted to keep kicking her protector, shout and insult him till she fell asleep from tiredness, but she couldn't. Instead she sank back in the seat and did all she could to keep it all inside, but the more she thought about it, the more tears kept pouring out.

''…why?'' she asked, looking up to the ceiling.

''There's someone in your apartment,'' he warned.

…

''Kate?''

Nothing. She wasn't answering, she simply stared at her bedroom window, expecting to see some figure moving pass, to confirm Oleum's statement. At least she had stopped crying.

''Katelyn?''

In a moment, the mech made his own decision. Oleum huffed as he backed from his parking space and onto the still-warm pavement of the street. The sun light of the sun behind the clouds had completely vanished, and few people were out, mostly townspeople who were uninterested in crowded bars or other tourist facilities. Still, as the Maxima silently turned corners and swiftly moved about to leave the area, he could notice a figure following them, from the rooftops. That, was no human.

At a red light, the figure stopped, staying perched on the tip of an old house's crest. Wearily, Oleum kept his scanners on it until the light changed. Then, he floored it, hoping to gain some distance from the push before the creature caught up. He couldn't understand what it wanted with Kate, but he wasn't about to let any harm come to her.

The car turned this corner, the creature gained. On the other, it disappeared for only a moment before its shadow could be seen again. He attempted veering off in an alley before pulling back in the other direction on a different street. Whatever was up there, it noticed, and came chasing after him. No matter in which manner Oleum tried to break from the pursuer, it was always some distance behind him. The Maxima cut the next red light to floor it in a tight turn, and rush past his usual sea-shore parking of the day to race through a less-visited part of the town. His scanners ahead of him, he could pick out the best exits before he could even see them. He hoped the creature had no such comparable ability.

His sensitive armor picked out the soft vibration of a laser pointing at his roof, aiming for Kate. Even with the rain finally ceased, the streets were slippery, and Oleum often risked hitting the curb or smacking in a pole. His entire attention was on losing the laser's constant touch, break the creature's concentration for just one moment. The dim red lights upon him were soon over-powered by a different source, one the mech had not noticed until now. His sense of hearing seemed to come back to the present, as all he could have heard before was the rapid pulse of his passenger, the true danger unknown to her. She had been screaming all of this time for him to slow down, and had struggled hard to keep back the seatbelt that had pressed her flat against the seat.

Sirens. Flashing lights. The Nissan parked on the side of the street, and the officer behind him walked up to his driver's side to tap the window. As for the creature, it had disappeared. Apparently, it wouldn't attempt to make its kill in plain sight of other humans. Oleum was thankful for this short break. But as Kate tried her best to explain herself to the man without arousing suspicions about her car, the mech was already focusing on their next escape. The creature was sure to be back.

0o0o0o0

TBC for now…

Vbv