Chapter Text
Four Months After the President's Announcement
The White House was nearly unrecognizable.
The facade outside was cracked and broken and it was a stretch of the imagination to even call it 'white' anymore. A wall of multicolored graffiti covered anything that would be within reach of anyone with a ladder, often labelling the monument with slurs and accusations of who was responsible for the state of the world. There were other pieces of graffiti that appeared closer to art, often depicting lost loved ones, or leaders of movements who would regret seeing what the world had come too.
The upper part, unreachable by humans, was a combination of scorched black from the fires and riots and the rotting green of mildew. The marble floor was was so cracked, it looked more divided than the world at whole, and the roof was barely remaining in place, ready to fall apart at the next storm.
A rather fitting metaphor for what had happened to the country and the world as a whole.
Alexandria tried not to stare as she and Eoin followed the guard through the halls. It was depressing to see what this building had been reduced to, yet impressive to see that it was still stubbornly standing.
Electric lights flickered off, signaling that the few hours of power that had slowly been spreading across the world was done for the day. But still, it was far more than they had five months ago, prior to the arrival of the Autobots.
"You would think they would have asked our new saviors to come and fix this place up by now," Eoin noted, looking around.
"They might be focusing on making sure that people are surviving first," Alexandria shrugged. "Some things are more important than a building."
Her bodyguard nodded in agreement, only to pause at the sounds of raised voices coming through the broken door into the Oval Office.
"Damn it, sir, you can't be serious!"
Alexandria stopped in her tracks at the familiar voice that sounded ready to start throwing punches. She had heard the voice countless times, but it was admittedly the first time he was so angry.
General Robert Bryce, Four Star General of the United States Armed Forces, one of the most decorated military officers on active duty, who had nearly worked himself to death in the last four years to try to keep the country from falling completely apart.
He was also her father.
"I wish I wasn't, Robert," a tired voice replied. "Believe me, I have tried to give them other alternatives. They won't listen to me."
"But sending her out there? After what happened to Lennox?"
Eoin stepped into the room first, making sure it was clear of threats, before nodding and signaling Alexandria to come in.
The Oval Office was not looking much better than the rest of the White House, and the two men inside matched the rest of the room. President Thomas Kennedy was gaunt, his sleeves rolled up, tie gone, his shirt wrinkled, and his eyes had dark circles that said he had not slept.
General Bryce was not faring much better. He had his jacket on at least, and a tie that was being held together by a few fraying threads. But now he had lost at least thirty pounds in the last three years, making his clothes hang off of him like potato sacks, his dark hair was now streaked with gray, and his face lined with exhaustion.
At the sight of Alexandria, both men stopped their arguing to turn their attention to her. President Kennedy almost did a double take at looking at her, before his eyes flickered back to General Bryce. No doubt he was wondering how she could possibly be the general's daughter, since she looked nothing like him with her mom's blonde hair and pale, almost lavender, eyes.
"Miss Bryce, I assume?" the President asked, stepping forward and holding out his hand for her.
"Yes, Mr. President," she greeted with handshake before nodding to the second man. "General Bryce."
"Andria," General Bryce greeted and he did look a little relieved. "You're looking well."
He turned to the President and stood at attention.
"Permission to hug my daughter, sir?"
"Granted."
Throwing all decorum aside, her father pulled her into a quick, but tight hug. A few years ago, she might have complained at him embarrasing her, or pointed out that she had only been gone for three weeks.
But after the way the world had changed, with thermonuclear war, the virus, and countless deaths, she had learned to value every hug she could share with her dad.
She had no way of knowing if it would be the last.
She turned her attention back to the President who was now behind the desk. The man had a wry smile on his face.
"You know, the way your father talks about you, I half expected a little girl with pigtails," Kennedy noted. "Not a young woman. How old are you, Miss Bryce?"
"I turned twenty-one in April," she answered. "Although I think sometimes my Dad also forgets that."
The President didn't even crack a smile, but instead turned his attention to a manila folder on his desk. Alexandria stepped closer and noted that there was a picture of her pinned to the flap of one of the folders. Was this... was this file on her?
"This is a very impressive resume', Miss Bryce," he noted with a whistle. "Fluent in eight languages, including American Sign, Greek, and Latin. Skipped at least one year of school to graduate early. And since the war, you have been assisting in several humanitarian efforts throughout the nation. Not to mention surviving the virus, despite exposure to several cases."
Several cases. Yes, including Mom.
Alexandria forced the thought down as she gave a diplomatic smile.
"I have been very lucky," she explained. "I know I'm only alive today because of my dad's position. If resources are going to be used to keep me alive, then I'm going to do whatever I can to validate that use. Including helping what remains of mankind."
Kennedy gave her a look of surprise and General Bryce laughed knowingly.
"Her mother was from a long line of diplomatic ambassadors," he told the President, eyes twinkling with pride. "Andria must have spent half her life beside Kat, picking up her skills."
Kennedy nodded, glancing back at the file.
"Yes, I recall hearing about her passing," he murmured. "My condolences, Miss Bryce."
Alexandria thanked him with a smile. After four years of hearing these condolences from people who had never met her mother, she had learned when to see which ones were sincere, and which ones were to get in her good graces. One would think people would be more sincere as they had also lost those closest to them.
But surprisingly, the latter remained the case.
"I still do not understand why I was invited here?" she asked, deciding it was time to get down to business.
She sensed the atmosphere in the room change. Despite Kennedy trying to put her at ease with flattery, there was an underlying tension that had increased exponentially now that she had moved past that. She could see her father stiffening beside her as the President his eyes tiredly.
"It would appear our Cybertronian visitors- or Autobots as they prefer to be called- have requested you to be the official ambassador to represent your country."
Alexandria frowned. She did not know too much about the Cybertronians, save what was officially released and the rumors of the good they had done across the world in the last four months. And there was no denying it, they had done good.
Clean water. Food where people were once killing each other over rotten orange peels, even rumors of medicine.
But she did know the rumors that were floating around the military. Being a military brat and having Eoin as a bodyguard helped with that.
"I thought there was already an official liaison in place?" she asked. "Col. Will Lennox?"
Her father glanced at Eoin before turning to her.
"Col. William Lennox was killed three weeks ago when he was off site of the Cybertronian Base."
Alexandria's jaw dropped. Eoin's eyes were wide, but he remained his relaxed parade stance with the discipline of a soldier.
"Lennox is dead?" she gasped.
"Did you know him, Miss Bryce?" the President asked sympathetically.
"Only in passing," she replied. "But he was friends with my bodyguard, Eoin O'Connell."
At the mention of the man, Eoin stepped forward and saluted the President, whose brow furrowed.
"Eoin O'Connell... where have I heard that name before?"
Eoin smirked slightly.
"Cairo, June 2012."
The President blinked, and then recognition grew on his face. His confusion became awed respect and very slightly fearful.
"That was you?"
Eoin nodded in confirmation, and the President turned to General Bryce.
"Robert, I'd say your daughter's bodyguard is overqualified!"
"I keep telling him that," General Bryce agreed. "Especially for what I pay him. But I trust him with my daughter's life."
Alexandria gave Eoin a quick smile, which he returned with a wink, before she turned back to the two men.
"Gentlemen, we are getting off topic," she advised. "You say the... Autobots... requested me? Do you know why?"
The fact was for all she had heard about the Autobots, she had yet to even see one of them. If it weren't for the staggering amount of evidence to the contrary, she might have written everything off as special effects or an April Fool's prank.
"No," the President replied, gesturing to her file. "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say it is due to this impressive sheet here. Given your relationship to a high ranking member of the Armed Forces, I tried to tell them that many would consider this a conflict of interest, but they will not hear otherwise. They are insistent that they want you."
The President moved away from the desk and folded his arms.
“Lennox was killed by a terrorist cell that we have already dealt with. However the Autobots have insisted for your safety that they want you to live on their base,” he continued. “I can assume O’Connell will be going with you.”
“Only if he wants to,” Alexandria answered, to which her friend rolled his eyes.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, kid.”
General Bryce cleared his throat, catching her attention.
“Lennox was a member of the US Military,” he reminded her. “He could not refuse an assignment like this. You are a civilian. You don’t have to do this.”
Alexandria narrowed her eyes at this. Between what she heard from their argument, she was fairly certain why he’d bring up this point.
“You don’t want me to accept this assignment?” she assumed.
Her father let out a humorless laugh.
“What do you think? These are alien creatures that we still know next to nothing about! They declare that they want to save the Earth, but they have not been up front as to why. And then one of my best men dies on this mission. Now they want my kid to go! Not on my watch!”
“General Bryce, with all due respect, that is not your call to make,” Kennedy reminded him sternly. “Miss Bryce, I understand that we are asking a lot, but-“
“I’ll do it.”
“You will?” Kennedy asked. “Just like that?”
She nodded, an eager smile coming to her face.
“Mr President, my father is right. We know next to nothing about these Cybertronians. Nothing about how they think, how they work. We know nothing about their history or culture or biology. And it appears they are in the same boat as us. They know nothing of us, but they are still trying to help us.”
She was grinning from ear to ear, her mind already spinning.
“This is our chance, not just to use resources that weren’t available to us even before the war started and save our country, but to save the world. This is a chance to form a friendship with creatures beyond our world. To learn about them, and to teach them about us.”
"We also do not know their intentions!" her father argued. "What if they are planning to use earth for their own purpose? What if they are lying about what happened to Lennox? I don't want to trust these things with my planet, now I'm supposed to trust them with my only kid?"
Kennedy looked ready to object, his eyes flicking around the room, but Alexandria only turned to her father calmly.
"No," she answered. "That would be foolish. But you can trust me. I want to do this, Dad. I want to help Earth take this step. Besides, if I do get in trouble, I know I will have someone watching my back. If I refuse, the next ambassador might not get that luxury."
She glanced over at Eoin, who was standing at attention.
"I'm doing this," she decided.
Her father did not look happy. He looked like he still wished he could tell her to go back to her room and think about her decisions. He glanced at Eoin, to the President, and his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"It seems my hands are tied."
Her grin returned as she looked over to the President.
"I won't let you down."
Security was tighter than Fort Knox. Or at least, it was according to Eoin. Alexandria would need the story of how he knew that one sometime.
Still, she was struggling not to press her face against the glass of the window as they drove into the hangar, unable to keep the grin off of her face. The base was like a fortress, with multiple soldiers moving this way and that, like bees ensuring that the hive was habitable.
The President had insisted she look presentable, which had led to a team of stylists making sure that she was in a sleek pantsuit, her long blond hair pulled back in a tight bun, and of course heels. Of all the things to survive armageddon, it had to be heels...
Evidently, she and the President had different ideas about what kind of work she would be doing here. She didn't anticipate any of this staying clean, not if she had her say.
"You know if you keep bouncing like this, they're going to think we have a kangaroo in here," Eoin warned her.
"Oh I'm sorry, am I supposed to be nervously simpering about meeting extraterrestrials?" she teased.
Normally, Eoin might have been laughing with her, or rolling his eyes. But instead, he was looking around carefully, taking in every security measure around the place. Every camera, every entrance and exit, he was already analyzing them and logging it away.
"Stay close to me," he instructed her.
"I will," she promised.
"I'm serious, Andria," he hissed. "No wandering off just to explore to save a sick kitten or something."
"That was one time!" she protested. "I was fourteen!"
And hey, the kitten wound up going to a good home. And the mugger just needed the money for his mom. His gun wasn't even real. She wasn't sure why Eoin kept giving her grief, honestly.
Still, he gave her a hard look that told her he was not playing with her. She had no doubt he was seeing threats from both the human and the alien side in their new home.
She sighed and nodded.
"Okay. Okay, if you feel I'm in danger, I listen to you."
"That's all I want to hear, kid."
The two of them got out of the car into a huge hangar. There were already several cars, some of them military trucks, some of them police cars, but somehow all of them shiny as if they were just made.
Eoin was keeping close to her- there was no way to clear the room of threats, so his best bet was to stay at her side in case of an attacker.
She drank in her surroundings, noting the number of people as she stepped out into the sunlight, and nearly collided with another building.
Except it was not a building at all.
Alexandria gasped as she stared up at a gargantuan figure made of metal, painted in red and blue, with blue eyes staring down at her like two twin stars. It had a faceplate, it's features similar to that of a human. At least, there were optics and a mouth, although she had to wonder if that was something all Cybertronians had or if they could adapt their facial features to be more similar to humans' to make communication more comfortable.
The blue optics locked onto her, and the gigantic Cybertron began to bend down to get closer.
"Are you Ambassador Bryce?"
So this was it. This was one of the Cyber- no, the Autobots. One of the people she would be working with for an unknown amount of time, to try to fix the world.
"Call me Alexandria," she answered with a smile. "And who do I have the honor of addressing?"
The giant Autobot smiled and held out a hand to her. It was large enough that it could easily pick her up and carry her in his palm. But she understood his intention and moved to shake a single finger with her hand.
"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I am delighted that you reached here safely."
His voice was deep and warm, and maybe it was his noble tone and speech, but she felt as if that voice was seasoned with wisdom and compassion.
"You and I both," she replied. "I am eager to get started in assisting however I can. Where do you need me and what can I do?"
Optimus Prime's blue optics shuttered shut rapidly as if he was blinking in surprise.
"You have only just arrived," he noted with a small laugh. "You do not wish to settle?"
She knew that this outfit would give the wrong impression of some politician who intended to sit behind a desk and wanted to put up their feet after a day of hard work.
"I am here now, and I came to try to help Earth get repaired," she shrugged. "No time like the present. I'd rather get started now, before someone talks sense in me and I change my mind."
She gave him a small smile and figured it would only be fair to give him a warning.
"And before you start regretting your decision for me to be your diplomat, after I begin asking you questions about Cybertron and her people."
The Autobot smiled.
They could smile... interesting. It seemed some things transcended space and time. A smile as a sign of friendship was one of those things.
"Very well then, Alexandria. Let us start before either of us change our minds."
He offered her his hand and Alexandria realized what he intended to do instantly. Part of her wanted to insist that she walk. It would be more dignified, no doubt, the image of the American Ambassador they wanted.
But it would be inconvenient for him to slow down with her small legs compared to him. Not to mention these wretched heels would kill her on this gravel.
She primly stepped into his hand and took a seat. He lifted her up to his shoulder height and began to make his way around the base. She looked down at the base from a great height, feeling the wind in her hair from being so high up. She kept herself from gasping in both surprise and joy.
"What would you like to know first?" Optimus asked her. "I will endeavor to satisfy your every question."
Oh yes. She was going to great things here.