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Griffin Rock, Maine, had been one of the most advanced cities in the world ever since its founding. To most people, that meant their cutting-edge science skills and technology, but that progressiveness applied to other issues as well. Graham and Luca had never felt people’s eyes linger on them for too long when they were out—only a little more than the straight couples. It wasn't perfect, but Graham felt like he had things pretty good compared to much of the world. At least he could go out with his boyfriend without fearing for his safety.
Until now.
Graham left the firehouse at their usual time, and like clockwork, Luca was waiting.
“Have a good time, son.” Graham’s father waved him off as he left. Graham grinned and waved goodbye.
“Bye, dad! I’ll be back late.”
The police chief braced a hand above the door frame.
“You know, if you didn’t mind, I’d love to tag along with you and Luca sometime. I’d like to get to know him better.” He offered, a little uncomfortably. “Dani has Taylor over all the time, and we all know how Kade is with Hayley.”
“Uh…” Graham glanced outside. Luca’s car was already waiting for him. “Sure thing, dad, sometime. I’ve got to go.”
Graham appreciated how much his dad cared, but he wasn’t as comfortable in his relationships as his siblings were. He loved Luca, and he knew the other man felt the same, but something about the otherness of their relationship made him a little wary to share it. Griffin Rock might not be actively homophobic, but people still talked, and Graham didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention. He went to Luca’s car and slid into the passenger seat.
“Hey.” He sighed. “How’ve you been?”
Luca laughed and leaned over to hug Graham. “In the four hours since we last talked? I’ve been totally fine.”
“Hey, you never know!”
“Yeah, I guess." Luca put the car in drive and they sped away from the fire station. Luca was a history teacher at Griffin Rock High School. He and Graham had met by chance, but they'd really hit it off, and after that first meeting, they both started putting in the effort to see each other again. Luca was far more outgoing and talkative than Graham, but Graham didn't mind being the one to quietly listen. Usually, people were looking to him for answers, but he and Luca were a team. It felt really nice. In the eleven months they'd been dating, Luca had certainly helped bring him out of his shell.
The couple got dinner first, then parked at the drive-in theatre. Coincidentally, they pulled up right next to Kade and Hayley, who were sitting on the roof of Hayley’s minivan. Graham flashed his brother a smile, but Kade must have missed him. Luca and Graham laid on the hood of Luca's car, barely paying attention to the movie. Luca nestled into Graham's shoulder, quickly falling asleep. After about twenty minutes, Graham's arm started to go numb, but he stayed still. He was alright with it. He was feeling pretty tired himself, so he couldn't be mad at Luca.
The movie was over before Graham even noticed that it had started. After another few minutes, all the other cars drove away, and Luca's was alone, save for one, a red pickup truck parked in the corner. Graham stared at the stars and gently rested a hand on Luca's chest.
"Wake up, Luca," He said softly, shaking him awake. Luca sighed and brushed dark curls out of his face, yawning. Graham couldn't help but smile at the look on his face--part annoyed, part content, and part resigned to being woken up.
"Sorry I fell asleep." He said with a weary laugh. "I didn't even realize how tired I was."
"No big deal," Graham assured him. "Let's stay out here a little longer. We don't often get weather this nice."
They sat up, and Graham just relished being with him. Luca would talk for a while, then fall silent. Then, a few minutes later, the conversation would pick back up again as naturally and as smoothly as if it had never stopped. There were very few people Graham could speak with like this. Very few people who wouldn't mock his interests or ask for a 'translation.' He didn't mind it most of the time--he knew most people just weren't interested in the same things he was, and that was perfectly fine. But still, it was nice to have someone who would let him gush, then gush back with equally as much excitement.
After they'd talked for another half-hour, Luca jumped down from the hood.
"Ready to head home, Graham?" He cheerfully asked. Graham nodded and followed, but before he could get in the car, he noticed something different. The red pickup truck had moved, and it was now parked several dozen feet closer. Was Graham imagining it? Were those figures approaching them? They definitely were. Graham tried not to panic, but the late hour and the heavily clothed people approaching created an intimidating picture. What did they want?
Graham only got as far as "Um, Luca..." Before there were four masked people surrounding them. Graham felt his heart rate spike. They couldn't possibly have good intentions, could they? Who approaches people in the middle of the night without some ulterior motive? Was Graham being too pessimistic? Boulder always said he was too pessimistic--
"Uh. Good evening." Luca said. He sounded calm, but Graham could detect a slight tremble in his voice. "Do you need something?"
They ignored the greeting. "Well." One of the voices mocked. "I just didn't know the so-called 'heroes of Griffin Rock' were fucking homos." Graham was shocked to hear how young they sounded. Whoever they were, these kids were barely even older than Cody. It was impossible to see their faces thanks to the variety of coverings they were using. Graham's mind felt sluggish, like it was still trying to wrap itself around the words that were just said. Was this real? This stuff didn't happen anymore! Especially not in Griffin Rock! Graham had never felt threatened, not like this! This town was supposed to be safe for them!
But as one of the attackers clubbed Graham over the head with a blunt stick and his eyes met Luca's wide, fearful ones across the car roof, he was hit with the realization that yes, as unlikely as it was, these things could happen, and yes, it was currently happening to him.
Chief Charlie Burns sat on the couch in the fire house's living room, thinking.
Graham should have been home by now.
He was always home by now.
Kade had been home hours ago.
The chief stood up and started pacing and massaging his temples. He really shouldn't be worried, should he? Graham was fully capable of taking care of himself. He was smarter than the chief would ever be, that was for certain. He was just being a worried father. Graham was probably fine--he was probably staying the night at Luca's or getting a drink. The chief rubbed his temples. Graham didn't drink, but what else was there to do at one o'clock in the morning in Griffin Rock? Even if that were the case, why wasn't he answering his phone? If it were Dani or Kade, he wouldn’t have been as worried—they were both a little less cautious, a little less guarded. But Graham had never been through the typical “rebellious phase” that they had. Even now that he was an adult, more than capable of spending a few nights on his own, he just didn’t want to. Or at least he hadn’t until now.
There was probably a perfectly logical explanation, but that didn't stop the chief from worrying. He had to make sure.
"Chase," He spoke into his comm link. "Get ready to head out. I need to check something out."
The reply came back quickly.
"Affirmative, but Chief, what are you doing awake so late? I believe doing so could be rather hazardous for your health."
"I'll explain when I get down there."
He pulled on a jacket and slid into the garage, where Chase stood, waiting for him. The autobot appeared concerned.
"Chief, are you unharmed?" He asked, examining his partner for unseen injuries. The chief brushed him off.
"I'm fine, don't worry. It's Graham you should worry about."
Chase transformed into vehicle mode and propped his door open for the chief to climb inside.
"What happened to Graham?"
"I... I'm not sure." Chief Burns answered. "Probably nothing. He's just not home yet, and I want to make sure he's alright to put my mind at ease."
"Undestood." Chase nodded. "Where was he last seen?"
"Kade told me he saw him at the drive-in, so let's start there." The chief suggested.
The drive to the theatre was short but tense. Chase tried to calm the chief's nerves, but nothing seemed to help. When they found a lone car abandoned at the drive-in, his nerves were heightened even more.
"This belongs to Graham's boyfriend..." He mused, walking a few circles around it. "But there aren’t any signs of either of them." He reached the passenger door, and upon closer inspection, nearly dropped his flashlight. The window was splattered with red. "Chase, pull up Graham's comm link on your map." He said frantically. "We need to find him!"
In his haste to find his son, the chief hadn't even found all the evidence left behind. He'd certainly seen the shock of blood smeared on the car's window, but he'd missed the pair of thick, black glasses lying in the grass.
They would have been fairly innocuous, if it weren't for their jagged, shattered lenses.
The next time Graham regained consciousness, his entire body was sore. He was lying on some kind of soft ground--it was too dark, and his vision was too blurred to truly tell where he was. His left arm was split down the middle with pain worse than anything he'd ever felt--and even that didn't compare to the pounding headache thrumming in his skull. What had happened? His mind felt fuzzy and unreliable. Could he trust his own instincts?
He felt a steel-toe boot collide with his ribs and he figured that he had a pretty good idea of what was happening.
Where was Luca? He strained his eyes in an attempt to find where the other man was, but all his movement did was catch the attention of his capturers. Someone grabbed him by the hair and roughly yanked his head upward. He let out an involuntary cry of pain, clapping his less-injured hand to the top of his head--not that it did anything. A fleshy face filled his vision, but again, the details were impossible to make out. His glasses must have fallen off somewhere, though that was the least of his worries.
"Look who's awake." The face leered. "Dumbass fucking twink." He let go of Graham's hair, and for a moment, it almost felt like he might get some respite, but then he felt something else hit him from the side. He wailed. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was lagging. Buffering. Because try as he might, he couldn't wrap his head around this situation. All the pain told him this wasn't some wild nightmare, but he still half-expected to wake up and be fine.
Is that the only insult you know? The thought crossed his mind, but he doubted he could have articulated it, even if he wanted to. They'd done something to his jaw. Whether it was truly broken or just very painful was yet to be seen, but Graham doubted he could talk if he tried. There was a distinctly bloody tang in his mouth, and a wet feeling across much of his back that he feared was in even worse shape. It hurt. It really hurt. His face was streaked with something--Tears? Blood? He couldn't tell--and there were a million different spots where his body felt like it was ready to rot away. Graham was going to die there.
Where was Luca? What were they doing to him? Graham strained to move, but even the tiniest shuffle felt like walking through fire. Luca! Luca...
Graham fought to stay awake, but his brief moments of consciousness ended nearly as abruptly as they had begun.
"Graham's comm link went dead exactly twenty-three minutes ago." Chase stated. "But his last known location is in the forest on the far side of Griffin Rock." A map appeared on his console screen pointing out the location. Chief Burns' hands tightened over the steering wheel.
"No! It's too dense for you to drive through, Chase. Take me back to the station. I've got to get Dani and Blades out there. We have to find him! We..." Chase started speeding back toward the station, but the chief was lost for words.
"Do not worry, Chief." Chase said. "We will find him. I am sure of it. I will call Dani and explain the situation to her."
Only twenty minutes later, Dani, Blades, and Chief Burns hovered over the spot where Graham's comm had last been seen. Blades' light shone over the trees, but there were no signs of anyone around.
"How did he end up out here if he didn't even have a car?" Dani asked, worried. The chief shrugged.
"I don't know, but I assume something bad."
"There!" Blades interrupted. His spotlight focused on an area where some scrambling movement was visible. It appeared to be a small group of people doing their best to avoid the light. That all but confirmed the chief's fears that someone had taken Graham out here.
"Blades, land in that clearing." He pointed to a small area without trees just beside the movement. Blades nodded and started heading for the clearing.
By the time they got to the location on foot, there was no sign of any attackers, but the state of Luca and Graham was enough to prove their existence. Both men were slumped on the forest floor, covered in blood, and bent at odd angles. Dani gasped and immediately ran toward her brother.
"Graham? Graham!" He was lying on his stomach, one large scratch slashed diagonally across his back. His shirt was in tatters, to the point where it looked more like a few random scraps of fabric than a garment. One of his arms appeared broken, and his ribs and face were peppered with bruises. Dani frantically felt for a heartbeat and was instantly relieved when she felt one. "He's alive!" She called to her father, who was attending to Luca.
"Thank the All-Spark." Blades sighed. Dani tried to hoist Graham up, but she struggled under his weight. All she did was wake him up. For a moment, his eyes flashed with awareness, then his face fell back into a hazy expression of confusion.
"Luca?" He muttered, so quietly it was nearly inaudible. Dani gritted her teeth.
"He's... here." She said, glancing over her shoulder at her father hoisting Luca into a fireman's carry. It was difficult to see how badly Luca was injured. She wasn't sure if Graham had even heard her, because he was knocked out again when she turned back toward him.
They brought Graham and Luca back inside Blades and flew straight to the hospital. The entire time, Dani was ranting and yelling, swearing revenge on whoever did this. The chief appeared calm on the surface, but secretly, he agreed with his daughter. They had to figure out who had done this.
“Dad, why did this happen?” She finally asked when she was finished cursing the unknown attackers. Her anger faded, and her voice was filled with sadness and fear. The chief rested a shaky hand on her forearm.
“I wish I knew, Dani.” He sighed. “We’ll find out.”
Graham and Luca were safely checked in to the hospital. Dani and her father were left behind in the waiting room. They didn’t mind waiting, as long as Graham would be safe. Dani paced between two chairs, drumming her fingers on her thighs and breathing heavily. The chief sat eerily still, staring into space. His grip on his chair’s armrests grew steadily tighter until he felt like he couldn’t pry them off if he wanted to. Outside, Blades waited, shifting nervously between both feet.
Hours passed. The hospital staff might have forgotten about them. Naturally, the hospital was very small, but they were well equipped to handle emergencies. Chief Burns knew he had done everything he could for his son and his boyfriend by bringing them here, but part of him worried that it wasn’t enough. He just wished there was more he could do than wait.
At exactly 5:04 in the morning, he got a call from Kade. The familiar ringtone put him at ease, and he answered immediately. Kade and Cody were still at the fire house, unaware of what had happened to Graham, so they deserved an explanation.
“Dad?” Kade frantically asked. “Where is everyone? Did something happen?”
“Yes, something did.” The chief confirmed. “Dani and I are at the hospital with Graham. He’s badly injured, but we don’t know all the details yet.”
“What!” Kade yelled, alarmed. “What happened?”
The chief pinched the bridge of his nose. That seemed to be the question of the day. “I wish I knew.”
“I saw him!” Kade cried. “He was there! Last night, at the drive-in. What could have happened since then? I should have waited for him… I should have taken him home!”
“Don’t blame yourself, son.”
“We’ll be there in fifteen.” Kade said pointedly. Chief Burns’ eyebrows furrowed.
“No, stay home…” he said, even though he knew it was futile. “Someone needs to be there in case…”
“This town can go one damn day without having an emergency.” Kade insisted. “I need to see Graham.” He spoke so quickly that his father couldn’t get a word in. “Cody, Heatwave, and I will be there in fifteen minutes.”
"Kade, language--"
Kade hung up, leaving his father unable to argue. The chief sighed, but he wasn’t really angry with Kade. He would have done the same thing if he had been the one left at the firehouse.
True to his word, Heatwave appeared in minutes with Kade and Cody inside. Boulder and Chase were both trailing behind him, driverless, but no one else was around to see them, so it didn’t really matter. Kade and Cody rushed into the emergency room, and the bots crouched to peer through the windows.
“Will he be alright?” Boulder asked over his comm, frowning. “He’ll be fine, won’t he?”
“Yeah, dad, what happened?” Cody asked. The youngest Burns child looked just as worried as the rest of them. Dani stepped in to explain.
“Dad got worried when Graham didn’t come home last night, so we tracked his comm signal to the far side of the island. He and Luca were both passed out and bloody.” She frowned. “It was pretty brutal. This was no accident. Someone intentionally dragged them out there to beat them.”
Cody gasped. Kade didn’t look shocked, but he did look incredibly angry. He looked like he was about to say something, but he was cut off by a nurse poking his head through the doors to the ward.
“Chief Burns, he’s awake, but he’s incredibly disoriented and confused. We think having someone from his family explain things to him could help him calm down. Does anyone mind—”
“I’ll go.” Four determined voices chorused. The chief stood up and pushed through his children.
“I’ll do it.” He said. No one argued, but before they left, Cody called out to the nurse.
“Wait! What about Luca? He’ll be okay too, right?”
The nurse gave him a comforting smile. “He’ll be fine. His injuries are mostly superficial. We checked our system for his emergency contact, but…”
“It was Graham, wasn’t it.” Dani finished his sentence for him, and he sighed.
“Yes. He’s asleep right now, but I’ll tell my colleagues to ask him if he wants visitors once he wakes.”
The nurse led Chief Burns down a series of long, white halls. While they walked, he gave him a rundown of the damage.
“He has a concussion and some moderate post-traumatic amnesia. He doesn’t seem to remember anything about the incident, and he doesn’t understand why he’s in the hospital.”
“Will those memories come back?” The chief asked, concern dripping from his voice. The nurse averted his eyes.
“Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. There’s really no saying.” He stopped at one of the doors and opened it up. The chief practically sprinted in.
Graham was propped up on the bed inside. He had a lime green cast encasing one of his arms, and an almost uncountable number of bandages wrapped over his other extremities. A doctor was sitting in the corner of the room, typing at her computer and speaking slowly and calmly.
“Mr. Burns, please be careful.” She warned him. “We’ll have someone in here very soon—”
“I can’t stay here!” Graham insisted. His words were slow and drawn-out, as if each one was a massive effort to speak. “I have to get home… I think. I have to—”
“Calm down, Graham.” The chief said as he stepped in. The doctor looked relieved that he was there. He sat down at a chair next to Graham’s bed. Graham looked thoroughly confused.
“Dad?” He squinted and leaned back to get a better view. “Do you have my glasses?”
The chief grabbed his son’s hand and firmly held it to the sheet. He pressed the button on his comm link and spoke into it.
“Kade, take Chase home and go find a spare pair of Graham’s glasses.” He said exasperatedly. The reply came back a few seconds later.
“Sure thing, dad.”
“I’m glad you’re here, dad.” Graham sighed. “Take me home.”
“I can’t do that, son. You need to stay here and rest up.”
Graham pressed a hand to his forehead. When he spoke, his voice was low and broken. “What happened to me? Why does everything hurt? I can’t remember anything…” He slumped backwards into his pillow, frowning. Seeing him like this made the chief even angrier—who would do this? How was there possibly any explanation?
“Someone attacked you. You were injured pretty badly.” His father sighed. “I don’t know who did it yet, or why. But I just want you to focus on getting better for now.”
Graham nodded, although he didn’t look particularly happy that he’d have to stay at the hospital. He squinted his eyes again, but this time it looked less like he was trying to combat his farsightedness, and more like he was thinking very hard about something. After a few seconds, he gasped and sat up straighter.
“I was with Luca, I think.” He said uncertainly. “Or I was right before…” he pressed his good hand over his eyes and groaned. His head hurt from even trying to sort through his fragmented memories. “I need to go find him.” He started to stand up, but his father stopped him.
“Whoa, Graham, slow down. He’s fine, I promise. Please, just stay here and relax.”
Once again, Graham looked heavily disappointed, but he didn’t have the energy to argue with his father.
Most of the town was horrified to hear about what had happened to Luca and Graham. Based on the background of the situation, it was immediately deemed a hate crime. No one could come up with any other possible motive. The town’s local broadcast journalist, Huxley Prescott, sensationalized the story beyond recognition, but even he was sympathetic toward the victims. The mayor stayed quiet for a few days while trying to gauge the situation, but after he got the message that nearly everyone supported Graham, he wouldn’t stop going off about the injustice of it all, and how he wouldn’t rest until the perpetrators were found, and how the town needed a progressive and accepting government for the next election cycle.
Even with all the attention on them, the Burnses couldn’t decipher who the attackers were. Graham’s spotty memory of the night slowly returned over the next two weeks, and Luca’s remained distinctly cloudy. Neither of them could think of anything identifiable about their attackers. Cody scoured dozens of hours of security footage from the night, but the only thing he could pick up was Luca and Graham being cornered at the drive-in; the footage wasn’t clear enough to get a good look at the people or the car they drove, so that endeavor was just another dead end.
Luca practically moved into the fire house. He could have gone back to his own apartment, but all his family lived on the mainland, and he said he didn’t want to be alone. Chief Burns wished he could use the time to get to know the boy better, but it felt like he was constantly busy, looking for the attackers. The rescue bots had lamented his constant presence, and by extension, their constant need to hide their sentience, more than once. Graham also begged his father to just break the news about them on multiple occasions. The Chief was tired of keeping secrets, especially from someone so close to the family, but he had no way of gauging how Luca would react. He needed to learn more about him first, but he feared that if he kept the secret for much longer, Graham would take it upon himself to enlighten Luca on his own. He’d had similar problems in the past—Dani had once refused to speak to him for days because he forbade her from telling her boyfriend, Taylor, about the bots. Graham had been with Luca much longer than Dani with Taylor. They had been together even before the bots’ arrival, so the chief supposed it was only a matter of time before the secret was too much for his son to handle. He tried to put it out of his mind because he knew he had bigger problems, but that was just another anxiety to add to the ever-growing list.
A little over two weeks after the attack, Chief Burns woke up to Graham in the kitchen. He wasn’t usually an early riser, but it wasn’t as improbable as Dani getting up early, so he didn’t think much of it. Cody and Luca were awake too, sitting at the table and watching Graham cook.
“Morning, boys.” The chief greeted them. “You’re up early.”
“Morning, dad!” Cody said. “Frankie and I are meeting up before school today. Graham’s driving me.”
“Want some French toast?” Graham gestured with his metal spatula. Chief shook his head.
“Er… no thanks. Graham, are you sure you should be driving? Or… cooking?”
Graham playfully rolled his eyes. “Dad, I’ve still got one working arm. I’ll be fine. Thanks for the concern, though.”
“If you say so.” The chief started up the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Once the others had finished their food, Graham and Cody slid down to the garage on the fireman’s pole, and Luca followed them on the elevator.
“Guys, we’re coming down!” Graham called to the bots. His feet hit the floor and he winced, gripping his side where the impact pained him. Heatwave and Boulder were both waiting for him.
“Just the guy I was waiting for.” Heatwave grumbled. “Graham, this is getting out of control. You’ve got to either tell that guy about us or get him out of here. We’re tired of pretending.”
Boulder looked at him sadly. “He’s right, Graham. It’s getting a little exhausting. I like Luca—It would be nice to actually talk to him sometime.”
“Hey, Graham’s doing his best.” Cody jumped to his brother’s defense. Graham’s lips tightened and he shook his head.
“No, you’re right, Heatwave. I’ll tell him. Today.”
The elevator door opened, and both rescue bots went stiff.
“I don’t know how you guys do that every day.” Luca said with a laugh. “That fireman’s pole freaks me out!”
“Yeah, you get used to it after awhile.” Graham said, distractedly glancing at Heatwave. “Uh, Boulder, vehicle mode please.”
Boulder transformed, and Graham climbed into the driver’s seat. Cody and Luca slipped into the back seats and strapped in.
Graham dropped Cody at the lab and started heading toward Griffin Rock High School. It was Luca’s first day back at work since the attack—he’d just been cleared by the doctor to return. Graham parked Boulder on a side street near the school. Heatwave was right—if Luca was going to be around the fire house as much as he had been for the last few weeks, he needed to know about the bots. Graham was getting ready for a talking-to from his father, but it was a small price to pay for honesty. He’d gotten tired of keeping secrets from Luca.
“Thanks for the ride.” Luca grinned. He made a move to leave Boulder, but Graham stopped him.
“Luca, wait. I have something to tell you before you leave.”
“Proposing already?” Luca teased, nudging Graham in the shoulder. “Kidding, what’s up?”
“It’s about the bots. Actually, they’re…”
Graham had intended to say it. He had thought through every single word in his head. But at that very moment across the street, a deep red pickup truck parked by the school, and Graham’s problems grew so much bigger. A pair of people exited the truck, and everything down to their way of walking seemed startlingly familiar.
The pickup. How hadn’t he remembered it until now? His head started pounding in the way that was becoming too familiar lately.
“Graham?” Luca asked, concerned. “Are you alright? Maybe your dad was right about you overdoing it.”
“The red truck…” Graham mumbled. “Of course! I completely forgot about it until now!”
“What?” Luca followed Graham’s gaze and spotted the truck. His eyes instantly went wide, and he knew what Graham was thinking. He hadn’t remembered the truck either, but even just the sight of it was enough to jog his memory.
“Is… Is that…” Luca tried to swallow his fear, but for the first time in his life, he felt most for words. The attackers were students? Luca didn’t want to believe it, but what were the chances of two people on this tiny island having the exact same truck? Luca loved his students, so he didn’t want to believe that some of them were capable of doing something so hateful. Though, it did make some sense. He had a picture of him and Graham sitting right on his desk. It was clearly a romantic one, too—Luca’s arms were thrown around Graham’s shoulders and he was pressing a kiss to his cheek. Seeing something like that every day could easily set off a student who already had a problem with it.
Luca felt his hands start to tremble and his breathing quicken. This was the reason Graham’s arm was broken, why they were both covered in bruises. Without really thinking about it, Luca inched closer and rested his chin on Graham’s shoulder. The students who drove the truck were gone before he could get a good look at them, but it was terrifying to think that they could be so close.
“We have to do something.” Graham breathed, his eyes still rooted to the spot. “I would skip work today, if I were you.”
Luca nodded. Graham fumbled for his comm link and held down the button.
“Dad, come in.”
There were a few seconds of static, then the chief replied. “What’s up, Graham?”
“How soon can you get to GRHS? We’ve got a lead.”
“On the assault?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll be there soon. Stay inside Boulder until we get there. Don’t put yourself in danger.”
The line went dead.
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, then Luca turned to Graham again.
“So what were you going to tell me?”
“Oh…” Graham’s nervousness only heightened at the reminder. “You can’t freak out, okay?”
Luca raised a suspicious eyebrow. “I don’t like the sound of that. But sure.”
“The rescue bots aren’t actually robots. They’re aliens.”
They were both silent for a very long time. Finally, Luca laughed.
“Uh, Graham, did you hit your head again, or are you just fucking with me?”
“I’m serious! Um, Boulder, mind showing him?”
Boulder’s face appeared on the console screen, grinning.
“He’s right. Hi, Luca! It’s so nice to officially meet you!”
Luca blinked a few times. He glanced between Graham and Boulder. He slowly opened his mouth, then slowly closed it.
“What?”
“Youpromisedyouwouldn’tfreakout!” Graham said, running all the words together in his haste. Luca let out a huff.
“That was before I knew what you were going to say! I though it was something normal! Um, I mean…” he nodded towards the screen, where Boulder’s face was watching. “No offense?”
That made Boulder laugh. “None taken. It was pretty shocking for me to meet humans for the first time, too, so I get it.”
“Are all of them like this?” Luca asked Graham. “Or just yours?”
“All,” he answered. “They’re all pretty nice guys. I think you’ll like them once you get to know them!”
Boulder grinned. “Thanks for the compliment, Graham!”
“Any time, buddy. Luca, you can’t tell anyone. You’re the only one outside our family who knows about them.”
Luca nodded slightly. He was still a little bit in shock. He pursued his lips, deeply in thought. He couldn’t worry about it much longer, because only a few seconds later, Chase and Chief Burns pulled up behind them. Graham’s shoulders relaxed and he climbed out to meet his father. Luca followed, eyeing Chase with an expression of equal parts curiosity and apprehension.
“Are you two alright?” The chief asked, worriedly glancing between them.
“We’re fine, dad.” Graham assured.
“What did you find?”
“That.” Graham pointed toward the truck. “Whoever it was drove that model of truck. We’ve either just found them, or it’s a wild coincidence, but either way, it’s a useful lead.”
The chief’s eyes narrowed when he looked at the vehicle.
“Lovely. I’ll go talk to the front office and see if they can figure out whose car that is.”
“I’ll go too.” Graham offered.
“Son, are you sure? We could see the people who nearly killed you.”
“I shouldn’t be afraid of a few teenagers with attitude problems.” Graham said somberly. He turned backwards and looked at his boyfriend, a question in his eyes.
Luca stepped forward and slipped his hand into Graham’s.
“Let’s go, then.” He said, setting his jaw forward with determination.
The trio made their way through the crowd of students waiting for school to start. Some of the students waved and greeted Luca. He paused for a moment to say hello, but he couldn’t stop himself from scanning all the familiar faces for one who looked a little too angry or upset about seeing him. No one stood out.
Inside the school’s front office, Chief Burns had a chat with the receptionist.
“We don’t know the students by their cars.” She let him know after he’d explained the situation. “If you’re willing to wait for class to start, we can call them down by claiming they’re parked illegally. It happens sometimes, and usually the student comes and moves their car right away.”
The chief’s shoulders tensed. “That’s a good idea, but I’m afraid we just alerted all the students outside to our presence. The timing will seem too strange.”
“You’ll have to wait for the end of the school day.” Luca sighed. Graham frowned.
“That feels like too long. What are you going to do until then?”
Luca nervously shifted between his feet. “I’ll… teach, I guess. I’ll just be careful to never be alone.”
“Are you sure?”
He wasn’t, but he nodded either way. “Yeah. I’ll be alright, don’t worry about me.”
Graham nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. “Okay… if you say so.”
The chief rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “Well, we have to make it look like we have a reason for being here. Graham, how do you feel like doing an impromptu examination on the school’s electrical system?”
Graham laughed. “Sure. That’s as good an excuse as any.”
The group split up. The chief stood by while Graham examined wiring that he already knew didn’t need fixing. After about five more minutes, the halls filled with students, giving them curious looks.
“Not to worry, kids, just routine maintenance.” The chief kept saying, stepping between them and Graham. Most of them were scared off by the barely-concealed rage in the police chief’s face. He looked at every face that passed, unable to stop the thought that one of these people had nearly killed his son. Their whole family had been in deadly situations before, but never like this. They'd never been targeted for their very existence. The chief couldn’t think of another time he’d been this angry. He crossed his arms over his chest and tightly gripped his own forearms. He needed to control himself. There was no proof that these kids had done anything wrong—and even if one of them was the attacker, that didn’t give him the right to stoop to their level and use physical force.
Watching Graham fumble with his tools and attempt to do his job with one arm was enough to shake that conviction. Only for a moment. But it was certainly there.
The chief just had to hope that whoever had done this would get their comeuppance eventually.
Graham and his father spent the next several hours waiting outside the school. Despite the high stakes, the wait was almost boring.
Graham sat on Boulder’s shoulder and yawned.
“I told Luca about the bots.” He admitted. He hadn’t planned on saying it, but he’d wanted to make sure his father and Chase knew what he’d said. Graham winced, preparing for his father to be angry. The chief frowned, more upset than mad.
“I figured that you would.” He sighed. “I’m not too happy about it, but we’ll talk about it later. As long as he keeps the secret, it’s okay.”
“I’m sorry,” Graham offered. He didn’t regret telling Luca about the rescue bots, but he was sad that he hadn’t been able to do it on more normal terms. The chief pushed his hands into his pockets and paced back and forth.
“Don’t apologize. I know Heatwave wanted you to come clean, too. It would appear that I’m outnumbered.”
Everyone went quiet. It was almost noon by the time someone spoke again.
“Are we really just going to wait here until the end of the school day?” Boulder asked with a sigh. Graham was scrolling absentmindedly on his tablet. The chief shrugged.
“I know it isn’t the most exciting assignment. Boulder, Graham, you two can head home if you want to.
“I’ll drive you if you’re worried about people seeing,” Graham offered. “I’d rather stay, but I can get Kade to give me a ride back.”
Boulder cocked his head. “No, I’m fine with staying here. I just wish we had a little more to do.”
“Chief, do all young humans spend as much time at school as Cody does?” Chase asked quizzically. “He does not seem to enjoy it.”
“Pretty much.”
“It doesn’t sound fun.” Boulder frowned. “We had academies on Cybertron, but it was pretty different to how you do it here.”
The chief chuckled. “Yeah, it’s definitely not everybody’s cup of tea.”
“It’s definitely Graham’s, though.” A new voice entered the conversation. “He’s been back to school so many times that I’ve lost count at this point.”
They all turned toward the newcomer. Luca had emerged from the school and joined them.
“Hey, I’m not the one who made a whole job out of it.” Graham playfully retorted. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“Are you on break, Luca?” The chief asked with a serious expression. “How are things going?”
“Yes, it’s my lunch break.” He explained. Then he frowned, looking uncertain. “Nothing seems off, and all the kids are acting normal. I sort of wonder if we were wrong about the truck. I mean, we were both so delirious after it happened, so how can we know we’re not just seeing what we want to see?”
“I’m afraid of that as well.” Graham said sadly. “It feels like we’ve been chasing ghosts for weeks, what if we’re just getting desperate?”
The chief hummed, deep in thought. “You two might be right, but we don’t have anywhere else to look. We need to look into it, even if it doesn’t lead to anything.”
“Chief Burns is correct. Our best strategy is to thoroughly review any leads until the criminals are brought to justice.” Chase calmly interjected.
“This is nerve wracking.” Graham groaned. Luca crossed his arms, giving himself a nervous hug.
“Yeah.” There was a pause. Then, “Graham, will you take me to pick up lunch? I want to forget about it for a while.”
“Boulder, do you mind taking us?” Graham happily asked. He was glad for a break in the monotony, even if it was just to run downtown to grab food. Boulder shook his head and set Graham down on the ground, then transformed.
“No problem! Hop in.”
Graham climbed into the driver’s seat, and Luca followed into the back row. They were about to leave, but then Graham remembered what his father had told him weeks ago, on the night of the attack. He wanted to get to know Luca better. He wanted to spend more time with his kids. Graham poked his head outside and motioned his father over.
“Dad, how about you come with us? It’ll be fun.”
The chief looked touched at the offer, but also hesitant. “I don’t know, Graham, maybe Chase and I should stay here to watch the school…”
“Chief, if I may,” Chase interrupted. “I would be happy to stand guard alone for a short while.”
Chief Burns grinned. “Alright then, partner. Thanks.” He sat in Boulder’s back seat next to Luca. At first, it was quiet and a little bit awkward. Graham glanced sympathetically at his passengers in the rear-view mirror.
“Hey, dad, did you know that Luca likes to jet-ski? Maybe you could take him out on the ocean sometime.” Graham suggested in an attempt to get the conversation flowing. Chief Burns smiled.
“I didn’t know that! I wonder if you could teach Cody a thing or two.” He said to Luca.
“Yeah, I’d be happy to.” Luca replied.
The conversation picked up from there, and didn’t slow down again. Graham was glad that they finally had something to talk about, even though it had taken such extreme circumstances to get to it. Maybe he should have put in more effort for his father get to know Luca earlier.
The group picked up some food from a diner downtown and brought it back to their hideout near the school. Luca ate quickly and left to get back to class, but he looked considerably more relaxed than he had before. Graham was feeling that way too. Even if this lead didn’t go anywhere, at least they’d gotten something out of it.
Chief Burns sat in Chase’s cabin, nervously tapping the steering wheel. School had just gotten out, and they were watching the red truck from around the corner, so they couldn’t be seen. The police chief’s anger had faded, replaced with a calm determination. He was ready for this situation to end and for whoever had attacked his son to be punished for it. Hatred like that… he just didn’t understand it.
“Chief Burns!” Chase’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “There they go.”
He glanced up to see the truck driving away from the school a little faster than it should.
“Follow them,” he said to Chase. He turned to his comm. “Graham, Boulder, you see them?” Boulder and Graham were stationed a few blocks away so they could have multiple viewpoints.
“Yeah,” Graham commed back. “They’re still heading south. We’ll meet you down there in just a minute.”
Chase’s sirens flipped on and he pursed the speeding truck. The driver hadn’t gotten far, and as soon as they’d caught up, Chase spoke through his PA system.
“Attention, citizen. Please pull over for your own safety.”
They followed the truck for a few more seconds, then the driver seemed to give up and pulled over. Chief Burns jogged up to the driver’s door and waited for the window to roll down. He was expecting a student—that’s what Luca had thought they were—but inside, there were two people who were very clearly adults. They were younger than Graham, probably, but not by much. Maybe about Dani’s age? The chief didn’t know their names off the top of his head, but he recognized their faces.
“Were we speeding, chief?” The driver ask with an annoyed expression. Chief Burns nodded.
“Yes, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Just then, Boulder drove up behind them with Graham and Luca in tow. The driver’s eyes widened and he craned his neck to get a better look at them. He glanced at the passenger, who shrugged, then whipped back around to the chief. They knew what this was about.
It seemed that they were stunned silent. This was either an incredible coincidence, or Luca and Graham’s intuition about them had been right. The chief sighed.
“Let’s just get you down to the station.” He suggested, trying very hard not to let his anger get to him. He now saw why so many people found it hard to mix their professional and personal lives--professionally, he needed to give everyone a fair chance, but personally, all he needed to know what that these men had hurt his son. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Surprisingly, once the two men got to the station, they were quite honest about their part in the attack. Chief Burns convinced Deputy Barney to do all the interrogation, since he had too much personal connection to the case, but he made the deputy promise to tell him what had gone on once the situation was resolved.
Three days after pulling the men over, they were sent back to the mainland. Barney ramblingly explained the situation to the chief, who, as soon as he got off the phone, sprinted down to the bunker where the rest of the family was watching a movie. It was early, barely seven in the morning, but everyone was awake, even Dani. Kade was curled on the couch. Luca was opposite him with Graham's good arm draped over his shoulder, and Dani and Cody were sitting behind them with Blades. They all glanced at the chief when he entered.
"Good news, kids," he said. "The men behind the attack are off the island, and their teammates, too. Barney tells me they were education students working as teacher's aides at Griffin Rock High School." The reactions were a mix of wide-eyed surprise and happiness.
"I'm glad it's resolved." Dani grinned. Kade nodded.
"What she said." He motioned toward his sister. "Not that I was worried about it, there's no way those assholes would've gotten away with it."
"Kade, language." The chief reminded his oldest son. Kade shrugged and turned back toward the movie.
"My bad." He said with absolutely no remorse.
Luca glanced at Graham with surprise in his eyes.
"Well, I'm glad they're gone, for ours and all the students' sakes." He said. "Funny timing, though."
Graham laughed. "Sure is."
"How so?" The chief asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's our one-year anniversary," Graham explained with a smile. "It is pretty interesting that it happened on the same day."
The chief joined them and sat down between Kade and Luca.
"Well, happy anniversary, then." He congratulated them. "I'm just glad that it's over. Those boys have a lot to learn about the way of the world, and I'd prefer that they do that somewhere they're not putting my family in danger."
The chief trained his eyes on the TV, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in weeks. His family was safe.