Lay Me Down With a Ghost

The next day, Irene woke up on a hard surface. She had fallen asleep in Jetfire's hand.
Quickly standing up, Irene looked up at Jetfire, looking into his red eyes.
Jetfire smiled, “Good morning.”
Irene returned with a tiny smile, “Good morning. I'm so sorry about falling asleep on you last night.”
“Don't worry about,” He told her. “I'm ready to leave when you are.”
She sighed and nodded, “Whenever. I'm as about as ready to leave as I'll ever be.”
“Alright then.” He let her step onto the ground before transforming. Right as Irene was about to climb into the cockpit, a soldier ran up to them.
“Miss? I was told to bring...Well lookie there, if it isn't little Stridewell! I haven't seen you since...well you know.”
Irene turned around, recognizing the voice and smiled, “Davis!”
She ran over to the man and hugged him. He was on her mom's squad before the incident happened.
“I'd love to chat, but I know you have to get going. Come find me when you get back. Oh and here, I was told to bring you a bag with food and whatever. Be safe,” He told her.
Irene nodded and climbed up into the cockpit. Setting the bag down, she turned to Davis with a wide grin on her face and saluted him. Something she'd always do instead of waving bye to him.
He saluted back before turning and headed back to one of the hangars.

About twenty minutes into the flight, Irene jumped when she heard Jetfire's voice through the speakers.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“That was Davis, he used to be on my mom's squadron about five years ago,” her voice lowered.
“May I ask what happened?”
She nodded, “My mom was flying a fighter jet over the Qatar desert. The only thing we were allowed to know was that it a bombing of sorts and my mom didn't make it...”
“I'm so sorry,” Jetfire apologized.
“It's okay. I mean she's with me, in my heart. I know she's still with me, even though I can't see er,” she told him.
The seatbelts that were strapped over her tightened just a little bit, as if Jetfire was giving her a comforting hug.

About eighteen hours later, Jetfire landed in a nearby field close to Irene's sister's house. Irene and Jetfire's holoform walked up to the small house. Irene knocked on the door.
A few moments later the door opened, revealing a black haired woman, looking only slightly older than Irene, “Irene! What are you doing here? And who's this?”
“I have something I need from you and this is Je-”
Jetfire cut her off, “I'm Jett, a friend of Irene's.”
Julie gave Irene a look, but none-the-less let the two in, “What do you need to talk to me about?”
“Well, you know the bracelet you gave Billy?” Irene started out.
“Yea, why?”
“Well, I sorta need it. I wouldn't guarantee you'd get it back though,” Irene said, looking at Jetfire for help.
“It's a army-government issue.”
“Well, I'm not giving it up. That bracelet cost me a good bit to get it for Billy.” Hearing his name, the young boy came down the stairs.
“You call for me, mum?” he asked. “Oh, hey Aunt Irene.”
“No sweetie, why don't you go back upstairs,” Julie told him.
“Why, what's wrong?”
“Julie, if you really want to know why we need that bracelet, I figure you ought to come with me and Jett. Bring Billy too.”
“Seems Optimus was right,” Jett said holding the door open for the others.
“Yea, seems so.”
“Who's Optimus? And what kind of name is that?” Julie asked, holding onto Billy's hand.
Irene shook her head and just lead the way to the large Black Bird in the field.
“What the hell? Did you steal this from the Annex? Does Dad know?” Julie asked, looking at the Black Bird as if it weren't real but yet she could see it.
“No. Now the reason we need that bracelet is because it's an alien energy source, and when I say alien, I mean like outer-space alien,” Irene said.
Julie laughed and looked at her sister as if she were crazy, “How am I suppose to believe that?”
“Well, ya see Jett here isn't exactly human...”
“What do you mean? He looks human...Oh my God!He just disappeared!” Julie yelled out.
“Whoa cool!” Billy exclaimed with wide eyes.
“I'd tell you more, Julie, but I don't know how to explain it...Jetfire?” Irene trailed off as Jetfire began to transform into his bipedal form.
“Holy shit, Irene! What the in name's sake fuck is that? Pardon my language, Billy,” Julie yelled, fear evident in her eyes.
“Jetfire is an Autobot, one of the alien good guys. We need that bracelet before the Decepticons get it. They're the bad guys and they'd kill to get a hold of it.”
They all looked at Billy's bracelet which had begun to glow purple.
“Alright, I believe you! Here, here take it!” Julie said, unclasping the bracelet from Billy's hand, who looked as if he didn't know what was going on.
Right as Julie was about to hand the bracelet to Irene, an evil cackle could be heard and then the clanging of metals. Julie withdrew her hand.
In the air, a flying tank and a F-22 Raptor fighter jet could be seen transforming into robots. They had the Decepticon symbol clearly seen on their chests.
“Well, well, if it isn't Jetfire. I thought you were dead, ol' timer,” said the larger, bulkier Decepticon. “I see you're making friends with the fleshys. Disgrace. Now let us have that energy source.”
“Run!” Jetfire yelled to Irene, Julie, and Billy.
“Ah-ah, not so fast fleshlings! Give us that bracelet!” came the annoying voice of the scrawnier, triangle shaped Decepticon. He reached for the humans. Jetfire aimed his cannon on his arm at Starscream and fired, hitting the Decepticon in the stomach.
The Decepticon staggered and fell back. Jetfire, running to the humans, was hit and flung aside by Megatron. Megatron grasped Julie and Billy. Starscream stood up shakily, before grabbing Irene.
“My lord, look! The two female fleshys look like the one that we took prisoner years ago before killing!” Starscream told Megatron, putting his face in Irene's.
“That they do, Starscream. Spawn perhaps? Now where's that bracelet?” He squeezed Julie and Billy, both gasping for air.
Julie dropped the bracelet. Megatron made a move to grab it, but Jetfire shot him in the hand.
Megatron growled, “Take him out, Starscream.”
Starscream nodded and dropped Irene to the ground. She yelped as she landed. She felt a few ribs crack.
She watched with fear as Megatron still held onto her sister and nephew. Tears fell down her face as she saw the life leave their eyes. Their eyes rolled to the back of their heads, their heads lolling back, lifeless.
Megatron through them mindlessly, their bodies landing near her. She screamed, crying. She crawled over to their bodies, wincing from her own injuries. She patted and shook and screamed at the bodies, begging them to wake up, knowing that it was useless. She sobbed laying her forehead against her sister's.
“Julie! Juliana! Please wake up! You're my sister! You can't die on me now! Julie!” she sobbed, hugging Julie's lifeless body against her.
The two Decepticons retreated, failing to get the bracelet, and Jetfire blasting out their joints. Irene screamed and beat against Jetfire's holoform's chest. More tears rained down as she fell against Jetfire's chest, shaking. Jetfire stroked her hair, holding him close to her.
“We need to go. I don't know if they have any back up yet, but we need to assume they do,” Jetfire told her as she pulled away.
“Can you help me? Please pick up Julie for me,” she told him as she shakily picked up Billy and walked into the house.
Jetfire followed, holding Julie's body. She motioned for him to lay her on the couch. She laid Billy beside her sister's body before turning away and crying once more.
Jetfire's holoform wrapped his arms around her and led her to his Alt. Mode and helped her into the cockpit.

As they took off, Irene spoke, “Julie was all I had I left. I have Dad, sure, but he just hasn't been much of a dad since Mom's been gone....” She lifted her head, tears slowly dripping off her face, but a glare filled with hatred and determination was in her eyes, “Those fucking Deceptifucks will pay for taking my fucking family away from me. To hell if I'm human. They took all I had and destroyed. They will fucking die for taking them away.”