Archive of Our Own

Carter was trying to keep his cool. He was so tired of the carwash track breaking down, and he was the one in charge of getting it fixed before they lost customers. Why? Because his dad used to tinker with cars before he died in an accident. Carter had picked up a few things, of course, but not much. All Carter was a 16-year-old sophomore trying to save up for his first car. That and the apparently appointed mechanic of Jasper Car Wash. Mr. Roger had spent money on mechanics who never got the thing fixed so he finally decided just to let the employees fix it.

First, it was just metal pieces that needed to be bolted back together, then they had the pulse failure that would not fix. After Carter finally got that fixed, the carwash track decided to make random noises and randomly stop while it was in use. It was wonderful (note the sarcasm).

“Hand me the wrench,” Carter held out a hand.

“Here you go,” Carter’s co-worker Miko said, handing him the wrench.

Carter took the item and continued working in the ‘track pit’. The track pit was a piece of the floor that came up and dropped three feet into the ground where the mechanics of the track were powered by. Carter was currently in it, covered in machine lubricant, grease, and a bit of oil. The 16-year-old listened to the sounds of the machine trying to start and Miko texting someone on her phone. Thankfully, she was doing pretty good at multitasking. Carter would’ve said something otherwise, even if she was a year older.

“Mind if I try something?” Miko asked, breaking the repetitiveness of Carter trying to tighten a bolt.

Carter looked up, giving a questioning look to the Japanese student. “You want to try to fix this?”

“I’ve been talking to the two best mechanics I know,” Miko said, shaking her phone. “I want to see if they are right or just not understanding how this particular thing works.”

Carter sighed as he looked back at the metal components underneath, then back up at the carwash. Thankfully, no one was here, so he wasn’t in too much of a rush. Besides, one more minute of this thing is not working, and he may start beating the stuff.

“Go for it,” Carter said, hopping out of the track pit.

Miko gave him a little hand up before she hopped in herself. Carter watched as the girl studied everything underneath. Carter had never seen her so concentrated besides the drawings she did during slow moments at school or the wash. He usually only saw her sleeping or staring at the window at school. It was odd.

“Alright,” Miko said, cracking her knuckles. “I need that wrench, a flathead screwdriver, the voltage multimeter, a flashlight, a rag, a can of soda, and a green popsicle.”

Carter blinked. “Can of soda and a popsicle?”

“For your information,” Miko stared at him with a finger waving, “The soda is going to help me clear the electrical acid around this electrical connection to the track over here,” she said, gesturing to a spot below before returning her attention to Carter. “The green popsicle is for me.”

The boy took a quick peek over Miko’s shoulder. Carter had seen the buildup of acid, but he knew it would not be safe to go near any of the electrical side of the equipment to check for any of the problems over there. He did not want to get electrocuted.

“And don’t worry,” Miko smiled and flashed a peace sign as if reading Carter’s thoughts. “I’m not going out by electrocution in a desert car wash.”

Carter sighed and shook his head. Miko was older and seemed to know more about this than he did. He was just doing what he was told. Mr. Roger could deal with the mess that came if anything happened.

Miko got to work quickly. Holding the popsicle in between her teeth, she poured the soda on the electrical connection and let it set. Using the rag, she wiped the soda and the acid that came off. Even so far away, Carter could tell it was much easier to see what was going on.

The Japanese student then took the two lines of the voltage meter and put them onto two different spots. She studied the readings as she moved the two lines around to more electrical connection areas. Her thoughts were only known to her and anyone who walked by and understood whatever Miko was saying in her native language. Carter could only watch as Miko shimmed away from the electrical section with the wrench and began shining the flashlight in whatever craves she was trying to get in.

“We got customers lining up. This thing needs to get up and running,” Matthew, a co-worker, came jogging over a few minutes later. “What do you need help with?”

Carter shrugged. “Miko really hasn’t asked for help since she got in.”

“Nor do I need it!” Miko shouted, popping her head out of the hole. “Let me get the power turned back on, and let's fire this baby up!”

“You turned the power off?” Both workers stared at the girl.

“Have you never seen the switch to turn off power to the track line?” Miko asked, now waving around a wrench in a direction down below. “Did you really think I am reckless enough to try messing with a power supply without turning the power off after I am done measuring the voltage?” Miko ducked back underneath for a second before coming back up when a piece of metal seemed to be hit. “Actually don’t answer that.”

A sound erupted from the track pit, signaling the track trying to start moving. Better than what it was,s but the noise from below clearly signified that it didn’t want to do its job.

“One second,” Miko said, clutching the wrench in her hand tighter before she swung it to hit some piece underneath. The noise underneath got much quieter and evened out. The boys could only watch in disbelief as the track started moving without any indication that it was one random moment from breaking down again. “Told you I could fix it,” she said smugly as she hopped back out and returned the track cover over the hole.

Carter sputtered. “How?!” He had been working on that thing for months, nearly every other day, to try and get it fixed. Now it seemed as good as new!

“Like I said, I talked to the two best mechanics I know.” Miko smiled, signaling to someone outside that the car wash was back up. “After some pictures and talking it through, they gave me a few things to check for. After noticing the build-up near the electrical connection underneath, I figured checking the power voltage to the gears would be a good place to start. Sure enough, not enough electrical signals were getting to the motor. Got in there and found the collection was loose and reconnected it.”

“So…it should be fixed indefinitely,” Matthew asked, helping gather up the tools.

“Should be.” Miko nodded, “But I don’t know if the connection will come loose again or if there will be more acid buildup. There could be other problems there.”

That was….not the greatest, honestly, but still so much better than what it had been. Carter was glad Miko could take care of it. Less work for him. He was so tired of being the mechanic.

“Want to take my unofficial title of Car Wash Mechanic?” Carter sighed.

Miko opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by Marianna yelling to get back to work. The three of them knew the assistant manager meant business. The three quickly scurried to clean up and get to their assigned positions for the day. Carter didn’t get a chance to talk to Miko that day. She left a few hours later in her green SUV heading out of town by the direction she went. Carter got out around 8 pm, ready to play a video game and go to sleep.

As he walked back to his car, something caught his eye in the corner of his windshield. A piece of sketch paper was folded and tucked underneath the wiper. Carter carefully lifted the wiper so he could get the paper out.

“I can’t be the mechanic, but I would be happy to be a consult.” was written in a slightly messy flourish.

Carter couldn’t help but smile. It was worth a shot to get out of the whole mechanic thing, but having Miko’s help every so often would be really nice.

“Thank you, Miko. You are awesome.”

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Matthew removed his visor and wiped his brow. He would really love to get out of this heat, but, in the end, it was his job to stand out in the sun in the Nevada desert. He was only working in the only carwash in Jasper, Nevada, because of the money and how close it was to home. He did not want to drive an hour to the next town to get a more civilized retail job. A 22-year high school graduate living on his own with no plans for college can only do so much. Matthew would survive.

It didn’t mean he couldn’t hate his job at the same time.

“Alright! That should do it!” A voice sounded through the background noise of vacuums and water the car wash constantly had to go.

Matthew spotted the black and pink hair of his newest co-worker coming from out of the control center of the carwash. Miko was way too energetic to be working at the carwash. Clearly, she was new blood. The transfer student was always asking questions about people to try and get to know them unless she deemed you uninteresting. She was still nice, to say, an uninteresting person, but it became very obvious very quickly that you wanted Miko on your side.

Matthew smirked as he remembered what Miko was doing with Tevon, a well-known ‘customer’ of the carwash. He always brought in his black and red Mustang every other Tuesday. Tevon made it his mission to inconvenience the workers. He dumped his trash on the ground, played music from the radio as loudly as he could, left the vacuum hoses out of their spot when he was done with them, and did a few other things.

Miko gave him a taste of his own medicine the second time Miko had seen him. She went to put the vacuums away and ‘accidentally’ blew the trash Tevon had dumped back into his car. He yelled at management about her, but Mr.Roger, the carwash owner, didn’t do anything. He was a 60-year-old man ready for retirement after babysitting teenagers for nearly thirty years. Mr.Roger knew Tevon was a troublemaker, so he apologized for Miko’s accident, stating that she was new. He later told her she would be scheduled every other Tuesday. Matthew was often scheduled for that shift so he got to see everything that happened next.

Morgan, who was in the middle of training to become the assistant manager of the car wash and the person who got Miko an interview, had told Matthew she was already glad she helped Miko get the job. Miko had enough spite and patience to passively aggressively make Tevon behave.

On the first week, Miko heard Tevon’s Mustang before she saw it. Matthew could only eye her curiously as she ran to her green SUV and pulled out a sign, a speaker, and a guitar case. She made sure to stay out of Tevon’s line of sight, with surprising ease, as she pulled everything towards the front of the vacuum station by the main road. Soon, Miko was shredding her guitar over the sound of the vacuums. Thankfully, the amperage was turned down, so it wasn’t as crazy as the music he had Miko play from her car. Miko was clearly holding back from going all out. The sign by her read “Wash and Rock Out at Jasper Car Wash.” By the time Tevon pulled around, a small crowd from business by the car wash and a few of the customers were watching Miko play while sporting the carwash khakis, blue polo and visor. Tevon made his attempt at the music but was quickly forced to turn it down when some people from the crowd stepped in to stop the situation.

Another week, Miko grabbed the rolling trash can and planted herself right by Tevon. He yelled at her to go away, but she stayed put, silent and smiling as she continued staring right at him. She only took a break until he threw something out of his car and onto the ground. Miko would then pick it up and return to staring at Tevon like something in a horror movie. Tevon clearly was uncomfortable. He left without even getting his floormats washed. Miko then rolled the trashcan back and went to take over the payment section so the co-worker there could go on break.

Other times, Miko would volunteer to do the pre-scrub on Tevon’s Mustang. Miko would slowly but meticulously clean the bugs and dirt spots from the front of the car. Trevon wasn’t happy that Miko was taking so long. He especially didn’t like it when she started talking about his car. It seemed all good at first, praising the engine or something. Matthew really couldn’t keep up. But it soon quickly turned to Miko noticing parts that didn’t quite fit the car based on noise or knowing when certain parts had been refurbished when Trevon went to try and prove his car was new and beyond better. Trevon quickly got back in his car with a huff before getting his car washed and vacuumed without much fuss.

Over the next three months, Miko repeated those events. Every other Tuesday, every time she heard Tevon’s car. The guy complained of course, but Mr.Roger was on his team’s side. Mr.Roger could only do so much since Tevon was paying for the service, and he was working on official signage regarding noise and trash rules. However, Miko followed the rules and did her job. She had also been generating more business with her roadside shows. Needless to say, everyone just sat back and let Miko run chaos on Tevon. There were bets passed around on who would last longer and how it would end.

It was Tuesday afternoon again, right around the time Trevon would come in. Matthew had a feeling Miko was about to give everyone in the carwash the latest information on the wash’s favorite customer.

“What should do it, Miko?” Matthew asked, taking a break from sweeping the sidewalks.

“Tevon has officially left the building, and I don’t think he is coming back,” Miko smiled, flashing a peace sign.

Matthew snapped his entire attention to Miko. “Are you sure?” Matthew had hated Tevon ever since he had slowly jumped a soda on Matthew’s shoes after he had asked him to stop dumping trash in the lot.

“Well, I told Tevon that his alternator wasn’t sounding too good, and he took offense to it,” Miko said, diving into her tale. “During that whole mess and his attempt to persuade me otherwise, I ended up catching something in the backseat of his card. Remember those robberies that happened over by the old concrete factory?”

Matthew recalled the news well. Jasper was a very small town. “Yeah. Been happening for the last month. Old machine parts and scrap metal being taken.”

Miko nodded in confirmation. “Happened to see something strikingly resembling an old engine used in construction machines peaking from a blanket in the backseat. With that and an open crate of wires, I put in a tip to the police.”

Matthew would've choked if he had been eating anything. “You think that…?!”

“Well, considering how fast Tevon left as soon as a cop car pulled into the entrance,” Miko smirked evilly. “The cop car didn’t go chasing immediately until I explained I was the tip and the guy had just left, but I wouldn’t expect Tevon to be around here for a while.”

“Oh….crap,” Matthew muttered.

That was the story of legends if it was true. A guy was possibly arrested because a carwash worker happened to see what they were doing and reported it. It would be passed down from the old manager to a new one for at least the next thirty years.

Not to mention, Miko officially got rid of the most dreaded customer.

“Wahoo!” Matthew jumped with a fist pump. Miko smiled at the 22-year-old’s excitement. “Do you know how awesome you are, Miko?!” He yelled, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and giving her a small shake.

Miko laughed. “Oh…you don’t know how amazing I can be and all that I am capable of.”

Matthew paused for a second. The gleam in her eyes was saying that she was telling the truth. There was no doubt in her mind that she was awesome,e apparently.

“Hey! Miko!” Mr. Roger’s voice called from the control room a bit away. “The Jasper PD wants you to head to the station for a more formal statement. You are done for the day.”

“Huh,” Miko kept back a laugh. “The first time going to a police station, and it's not for me destroying something or disrupting public peace.” She whispered to Matthew before shouting back to Mr. Roger. “Want me to hand the officers some coupons?!”

Mr. Roger just shrugged and hobbled back into the control center. He basically just permitted her to do what she wanted.

“See you eventually.” Miko waved as she walked towards her green SUV. Actually, come to think of it, didn’t she get dropped off in her friend’s yellow camero today? If so, how did her SUV get here? It's not like it can drive itself.

Matthew shrugged as he went back to work. Maybe he was confusing his days and Miko’s rides. He sees enough cars that it is easy to get them mixed up.

There was a little skip in Matthew’s steps as he finished sweeping the parking lot. It may be hot out, pay a little low, and generally not the funniest time ever, but he didn’t hate it as much now.

Thank you for being awesome, Miko.

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“Anyone here order some takeout?” a voice rang out after an engine cut off nearby. Matilda peeked her head around the corner of the wash where she was scrubbing the exit.

Jack, one of Miko’s friends, was dismounting his motorcycle, trying hard to balance the two grocery bags of takeout and a gallon of a green drink where he had them wrapped around the handlebars.

“No, but we will take it!” Matilda called back as she went at her task with renewed vigor.

Matilda could hear everyone else speed up their tasks as well. It was a good thing the rest of the crew were almost done with the closing tasks. The unfortunate thing about Wednesdays is that the carwash closed at a later time compared to the others. The good news was that Miko had connections. Jack had made it a habit for the last two months to swing by with whatever food was left over from KO Drive-In and drop it off to the closing shift if Miko was working. Apparently, the girl had complained one too many times of not being able to get food after the night shift because all the food places were closed when they got off. Tired of her complaints, Jack took matters into his own hands, much to everyone's excitement.

The only rule implemented with this arrangement was that all the closing tasks had to be done before the team could dig into whatever Jack managed to scrounge up from food warmers before it was tossed out. Even better, Jack’s mom, Ms.Darby, had also decided that it was her job to help the poor carwash workers who had worked outside in the Nevada heat. Every so often, Ms.Darby would drop off water, Enerades drinks of all flavors, and sometimes an assortment of snacks to keep ‘the kids hydrated and energized.’ No one was going to turn the two of them down.

Matilda hadn’t been happy when her dad moved out here for some sort of research project he was working on. Especially during her senior year of high school. He often dragged Matilda along on his research adventures as a geologist for Harvard University. They moved a lot, and Jasper, Nevada, was not a place that seemed like fun. But Matilda would take what she would get, and if that meant a job where the team was really nice, and she could get some free food every so often, she would take it.

The five workers closing the car wash scrambled to the control room as soon as they were done. Jack was already talking to Morgan, who, for some reason, had been given the responsibility and authority to do the money counts and fill out the daily paperwork by Ms. Marianna while Miko, Matilda, George, and Quishan took to the tasks around the wash.

“What’s the haul?” Quishan asked in his thick southern accent.

“Four burgers, twenty-four sauced nuggets, eight tenders, and a gallon of the key lime lemonade,” Jack answered, eyeing the bags he had set on the counter. “I will warn you, though, the only reason we had the seasonal lemonade is because one of my co-workers found the flavoring battle dropped behind one of our shelves. The date listed tomorrow as the last day to use I,t so my manager tried his best to sell it. As you can tell, we didn’t get rid of all of it.”

“Fine by us,” Matilda cheered as mutters from the rest of her co-workers sounded.

Morgan gave a wave of her hand, signaling that everyone could start digging in without her while she finished up the last of her paperwork. Jack took it as his cue to leave, exchanging a few words with Miko before riding out. The mix of teens and young adults feasted on the food as they joked around. It would only take Morgan about ten minutes to finish up everything before they could leave.

“So, question Miko,” George asked, finishing the last sauced nugget. “How did you meet Jack?”

Miko thought about the question as she took a sip of the key lime lemonade she had poured into one of the old energade bottles. “I saw his bike and started drawing it,” Miko started it. “When he left with it, I followed so I could finish the drawing. To make a long story short, though, we ended up running into some people after I followed him, became friends with those people, ran into more people that we had to run from, and then decided we were just friends after things settled down.”

“Okay,” Quishan said, shaking his head. “You telling the story like that makes us all want to hear the details. Who exactly did you run into?”

“I can’t give you all the details but it was first this really stern police officer who had just lost her partner, then we meet this adventurous kid who then introduced us to the greatest Wreaker in the universe and his basically adopted dad. We also meet a grumpy old grandpa who is a really sweet guy on the inside even though he would deny it with a living passion.” Miko explained.

There was a pause, “Did you run into a gang fight?” Matilda asked.

She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. Had she really just asked that?! The control room busted out laughing, trying not to choke on whatever food or drink they had in their mouths. Matilda could only hang her head low as her face flushed red.

“You are not wrong but also not right…” Miko found her words first, “Like I said, it is really hard to explain.”

The two adopted brothers that were Quishan and George, wouldn’t let Miko get away that easily. Matilda, however, let the subject drop. Miko and Matilda had bonded by being one of the newest people in town. It was hard moving into the tightly knit small town. Matilda was glad that she had Miko to talk to about Jasper’s unique culture compared to the other places Matilda lived. Miko loved listening to what it was like in other places in America.

Through those talks, as they emptied the trash cans by the vacumes or scrubbed the parking lot, Maltida learned that Miko loved talking about almost everything. However, there was something Miko wanted to keep secret. She avoided talking about certain friends or glazed over details about her weekends. Matilda understood in a way. Some things you just wanted to keep personal. When you can leave at a moment's notice or unsure about your place in a new area, you can cling to something you want to keep safe. New friends and fun experiences could be some of those things. Matilda herself kept a small pond that was great for fishing and camping (with a fan mind the southern humidity) , which was asecret from everyone when she was in Georgia.

Miko being involved with a gang? Matilda couldn’t decide whether to dismiss the idea entirely or be concerned that she was. Knowing that Miko got someone arrested two weeks ago, Miko would be near the top of the list of people that Matilda knew who would be in a gang.

“Alright, everyone,” Morgan interrupted the attempted interrogation the boys were giving Miko. “Pack it all up. Time to head home.”

No one had to be told twice. Everyone rushed to get clocked out and get the last trash sack out before sprinting to the cars. It was a little game the night shift played. The first person off the lot got to pick their preferred closing task the next night, while the last person would be assigned dumpster and drain cleaning as their next closing task. Nobody wanted that.

Matilda bolted to the rundown pickup she had bought in Ohio last year. It was a bit small, but the AC worked, and the gas mileage was good, all things considered. She quickly buckled her seatbelt and turned the headlights on. She had been lost three times in a row and finally got out of the lot in time yesterday to avoid doing it for the fourth time tonight. Matilda didn’t want her streak to come back. Before she could shift to park, her passenger door was thrown open, and the half-full gallon of lemonade was thrown into her passenger seat.

“Night Matilda!” Miko called as she slammed Matilda’s door closed and bolted to her own car, somehow already started and ready to roll.

Matilda smiled as she peeled out of the parking lot, Miko close behind. Matilda quickly stopped her reckless driving as soon as she turned onto the road, only looking back to see the brothers as the losers of tonight’s game. Since George was driving, he would have to clean the drains on his next closing shift. Miko followed for a bit before turning at a light a few minutes later. The car ride was short and sweet. Matilda made sure to grab the rest of the lemonade before heading inside.

The high school senior could still hear Dad was still up, studying so charts from some samples collected nearby. Knowing him, he probably hadn’t eaten or drank much since getting home from the research site somewhere in the desert. He was clearly tired but insistent on burning the midnight oil. Matilda was not going to encourage it with coffee. Taking a big cup from the kitchen and pouring about half of the lemonade in, Matilda brought it to her dad.

“Thanks, sweetie,” her dad said, taking the cup.

“Thank Miko and Jack,” Matilda smiled, giving her dad a hug. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

“Alright, love you, sweetie.” Her dad smiled. “And tell that Miko she is awesome.”

Dad had heard stories of Miko already. Matilda nodded before leaving the office.

“Thank you for being awesome, Miko.”

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George glanced over at the piece of paper hanging on the door of the break room. It was Monday. It was schedule day. Mr. Roger was supposed to have the two-week schedule posted on the door. However, instead of the usual schedule Mr.Roger made for everyone, there was a QR code to download an app and to log in with a code and your name.

“Is this what I think it is?” George turned to Quishan, who had walked in with him.

“Dude. I think it is.” Quishan smiled as he pulled out his phone.

George followed suit and logged into the app. A scheduling app. Finally! It had been so hard using the paper schedules, especially when shifts needed to be switched. Just glancing through it George should not only see his schedule, but he could also see everyone working the shifts, the time off request area, the schedule switch function, and the contact information of all his co-workers loaded in.

The boys gave each other a high five without looking at each other. Two years together as foster brothers and then five as adopted brothers really gave them some sort of magic in knowing what the other was about to do.

“How in the world did Mr. Roger set this all up?” Quishan asked.

It was honestly the same question George had as well. The owner of the car wash was not great with technology. Apparently, Matthew, a five-year car wash veteran, had come on only when they had just switched to direct deposits instead of checks. Even then, Ms. Marianna was apparently the one who got that set up. George thought it would take Mr. Roger retiring before they got an electronic schedule set up.

“I got my friend Raf to set it up for him and the digital clock in,” a voice rang from the break room. The two boys looked around the doorframe to see Miko sitting at the break table, typing something on her phone. “You will need to see Marianna about getting your new codes for the clock-in.”

Quishan immediately bolted to the clock in the computer. George quickly followed behind his brother to see that the old pin pad connected to the counter was long gone. Now there was a brand new screen.

“No waiting two minutes for our codes to clock us in now?” George turned to Miko again.

Still not looking up from her phone. “It also prints off a small receipt that tells you when you clocked in and clocked out how long you worked and gives you a break timer if you say yes when you clock out.” Miko smiled, still on her phone.

This was huge! The whoop Quishan gave was an indication of that. After everything Miko got to start happening at the carwash, how could she add all of this onto the things she was able to get done?

“You sure she isn’t in a gang?” Quishan asked as if reading George’s mind again.

“Team, actually,” Miko answered, swiveling in her seat to finally look at the boys. “I may not be school smart but I do try and be a valuable ally to Team Prime by learning whatever I can.” She let out a small sigh. “Even if that means having to call for backup when it's needed.”

There was something about that comment saying that there was a story to that statement. And Team Prime? What kind of name was that?

“So Miko’s resume consists of being fluent in Japanese and English, auto-mechanics, mechanical engineering, social networking, detective work, and then has connections to people for cyber networking, licensed medicine, and catering services,” George said, counting with his fingers as he went.

“And don’t forget the breaking and entering.” Quishan hush whispered.

The two snickered as Miko quickly stiffened at the accusation. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

George and Quishan laughed a little bit harder. It seems that George was right about his theories.

“No matter,” George said in a fake accent. “With a resume like this, we must accept our fates and bow down to the queen.”

Quishan followed George into a bow. At the waist, to be specific. They would not be caught kneeling on the floor unless they were scrubbing the floorboards. Miko relaxed into a cackling fit.

“Yes, my dear subjects. Bow before Queen Miko,” the girl declared, standing up as dramatically as she could. “The mighty queen who bested the villainous Tevon, conquered the great track motor, and has gathered allies to come to our aid in allowing food to flourish and ease to be brought through our communication with one another! I have not achieved this victory for me but for us all. As your que…”

“George? Quishan? Ninos?” Ms.Marianna’s voice rounded the corner on quick steps. The assistant manager was clearly having a rough day, as indicated by her black hair in a messy bun instead of a normal ponytail. “You were supposed to clock in 5 minutes ago. Matilda needs to leave and can’t until one of you takes over. What are you two doing?”

The boys flinched and looked at each other for a quick moment.

“Miko was telling us about the new app and system. We were trying to see what else we needed to do for it,” George responded with a hesitant smile.

Marianna gave them a look, clearly not buying the half-truth. She had probably heard them goofing around instead of getting on the clock.

Quishan was brave to continue, “Can we get those clock-in numbers so we can get in?”

Marianna sighed, never one to hold a grudge too long, especially at those she knew weren’t trying to do any harm. She was a college student like them, after all, and understood their need to play around every so often. Unless they didn’t get their work done. Then she was allowed to send them to pressure wash the dumpster.

Reaching into her pocket, she sorted through a few index cards and grabbed two out, handing one to each of the brothers. “Hurry up and get out there,” she said before turning to Miko, “and please don’t be late coming back from break.”

“Understood,” she said, doing a salute to Marianna, who sighed and left.

“Let’s go,” George told his brother, hooking his arm around his shoulder. “We don’t want to get Ms. Marianna any more mad at us.

The two quickly figured out the system and clocked themselves in. It was so much easier and faster compared to the old system. It was so nice.

“Thanks for getting this done, Miko,” Quishan called as they both stepped out of the break room

“Yes. Thank you!” George called back.

“I’ll send Raf your regards,” Miko called, sitting back down to get on her phone. “Just remember who your queen is.”

The brothers laughed as they closed the break room door and went out of the control room back into the sweltering heat.

Thanks for being awesome Miko.

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“Alright, everyone knows the drill,” Miko said as she scouted the carwash. No cars and no lights on in the office. Perfect. “We are clear.”

Engine sounds came from nearby. On their own, they were soft, clearly trying not to draw attention to themselves, but when seven giant robots disguised as vehicles gathered in the same spot, the sounds became louder. Soon, a green SUV, yellow Camaro, blue motorcycle, white racecar with 38s on its doors, a white, red, and green car, an ambulance, and red and blue semi truck pulled from the road and into the wash.

“Miko. I know I ask every time,” Bulkhead started, “But are you sure we are supposed to be doing this?”

“Bulkhead,” Miko rolled her eyes. “And every time I say Bee can confirm that I got permission as long as we don’t get caught,” Miko responded as she headed towards the control room.

Miko could hear Bumblebee respond to Bulkhead as she left. She couldn’t understand exactly what Bee was saying, but she could guess he was confirming ‘the arrangement’ she had with Morgan.

Technically, the answer to Bulkhead’s question was no, but there was no way Miko would admit it, especially in front of Optimus. Morgan had joked that she would be able to bring her friends in for free if she didn’t get caught. However, Morgan probably didn’t expect Miko to bring seven alien warriors through in the middle of the night for a little bit of R&R.

After Miko had brought Bumblebee through the first time, he seemed so excited about the wash, even though he had seemed nervous during it. Raf later explained that Bee did not like to stay still in a place he couldn’t easily get out of because the one time he didn’t, he got caught and had his voice box taken out. Miko immediately decided not to bring that subject up.

It was clear to see that the scout loved it. The other bots even seemed a little jealous about being able to go through the wash. Apparently, the soap and cleaning materials the bots received from Agent Fowler got the job done,but nothing to brag about. The wash, however, was apparently so much different.

It became obvious that only Smokescreen, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee would be able to get through with the help of their human allies. Ratchet wouldn’t easily be able to get in without some concerns raised by the staff due to the possibility of an ambulance getting stuck, Arcee was a motorcycle and wouldn’t be able to go without driving herself which was a no-go. Even though Optimus didn’t show any emotion about the carwash, Miko wasn’t going to leave him out. She just had to figure out how to convince him.

However, Miko had accepted a challenge, and she was not about to back down. The first step to that goal was to actually get the job. Raf and Jack could not believe it when she announced that she had talked to Morgan and got that interview. Even more so when she announced she had got the job. It took some research and experience in the wash, but after a month, Miko figured out how to make it work. Of course, it meant breaking into the control room, so Miko could turn on the equipment while Raf looped the cameras. Jack would get the bots lined up and sprayed with water while rushing back to the front to keep a lookout after Miko got there to make sure everything else went perfectly. Miko would then clean the little bit she could, Jack would get the bots out, and Raf would clean and lock the control room back.

And just like that, Miko got the Autobot’s mini spa trip set up. She even got Wheeljack to come every time they went! They only went once a month though, so it wasn’t too often but still a win. Miko didn’t want to cause too many problems for Mr. Roger after all. Any other time the bots needed another wash that month, she would pay for them to go through. Or, in Arcee and Rachet’s case, they could be brought over to the self-clean station and helped do it herself.

The sound of a car door closing sounded as she left. Miko didn’t worry, though. She knew the sound of Bee’s doors and knew it was just Raf following along to start looping the cameras. Miko heard the sound of the water turning on as soon as the power to the car wash started.

The humans moved quickly and efficiently. Almost as if they were sneaking around the Nemesis again when it was being powered by Dark Energon. Jack took his spot up front after he passed the sprayer to Miko. Bulkhead and Arcee had started on the line and were already amidst the water and studs further in the carwash.

“Have to say,” Smokescreen said as Miko started spraying him down, “I don’t understand much of why humans do things, but I do understand this. Any Cybertronian can appreciate cleaning like the ones this place provides.”

Miko smiled. “We do try.” She was just going to keep to herself that she got the bots the full package instead of the general wash. After everything they did for Earth, they deserve it.

“See you got the electrical system figured out,” Wheeljack said as he followed Smokescreen. “Great work, kid! Do doubt that you are a true Wreaker.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you and Rachet,” Miko winked.

Bumblebee beeped as his turn came. No translations needed. He was excited to enjoy the carwash this time around. It seemed as long as one other bot was near him, the anxiety of the carwash faded completely. Remembering the story ,Raf told her as quickly as it left and chopping it up to have someone covering his back, Miko kept an iron focus on her task.

Ratchet passed last, clearly trying to give off mild annoyance that he was once again pulled from the silo. However, Miko could tell he was enjoying it. The doc was under as much stress as the field team. As the only one who could repair them and his work on the ground bridge and other items, the doctor had a lot on his metal shoulders.

Last but not least, Optimus. Thankfully, this wash was built with a truck bay. It would be a pain to get both the normal-sized wash and the truck wash cleaned up. However, this was Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. She wasn’t going to let Optimus’s choice of vehicle mode stop her from giving him the same experience as his team.

Miko quickly moved from the normal wash to the truck wash where Optimus was waiting. Turning on the track, the Prime automatically positioned himself on it and allowed it to guide him through. Miko switched out the normal nozzle to the pressure wash hose the truck wash used and got to work. The Japanese transfer student learned quickly that semis collected more dirt and grime than normal cars because they were used to trekking across the country. Even though Optimus wasn’t trekking cargo across the USA, he was constantly on patrols and Energon hunts. He kept himself clean, but there were spots even the Prime couldn’t get well.

She got any spot she saw grime stuck, with no care whether she got wet or not. As soon as Optimus cleared the entrance and began to be rinsed by the automatic sprayers, Miko quickly rolled up her hose and got to work putting everything back up in both washes. By the time she reset all the equipment and got back to the control room, all the Autobots had made it out of the wash.

“The cameras are looped any trace that we activated the systems is gone,” Raf gave a thumbs up as Miko entered.

“Perfect,” Miko smiled, glancing over the screens again. “I am going to finish cleaning up in here. Optimus is going to want everyone to head back to base so the bots aren’t drawing attention in case anyone passes by.”

Raf nodded. “And just to let you know, Miko. The bots are grateful that you are doing this.”

Miko smiled. She was always ready to jump into a fight against a Decepticon. Ready for any mission the bots would let her on. Why? Because she was a fighter. She couldn’t sit back and watch the Autobots fight for her world and not try to help. As much as Miko hated to admit it, the cons were so much bigger than her. Sure, she had proven more than once that she could go against a con, but she understood why Bulkhead wanted her to stay at base.

And so, she told herself that standing outside in the Nevada heat and dealing with rude customers who thought they were scarier than a Decepticon warlord was worth it. Like seriously. Tevon was nothing compared to threatening Megatron. If not helping on the battlefield, maybe she should help the bots get a little bit of rest. That doesn’t mean she was going to stop trying to fight.

Still, hearing it was satisfying.

“Thanks, Raf,” Miko smirked. “Now get going. I’ll see you back at base.”

Raf let out a yawn and left. It was 2 am in the morning. Understandable that the boy was tired.

Making sure the bots hadn’t emptied out the soap dispensers and the wash was squigied enough to be dry come morning, Miko locked the door back and headed out front. Bulkhead and Optimus were waiting on her in front.

“We’re all good.” Miko waved towards the two, slightly curious about why Optimus had stuck around. “See Bulkhead. Everything is perfectly fine.”

“Miko….” Bulkhead warned softly.

Yeah. Maybe not the best to be doing that in front of Optimus.

“Thanks for letting me take everyone out for the wash Optimus,” Miko decided to try. Miko knew showing how much everyone enjoyed the activity would make Optimus less likely to advise against the actions.

Optimus hummed for a moment. “It is no problem, Miko, though I still believe Agent Fowler would not condone these actions.”

“Perhaps.” Miko shrugged and turned to Bulkhead. “Ready to go?”

“Let's get back to base. If we are lucky, we might be able to put on that old movie Bumblebee found.” Bulkhead opened his door for Miko to get in. Soon the two Autobots and one human pulled out of the wash.

Miko chuckled, “Don’t know why he likes The Breakfast Club so much but let's do it.

Miko and Bulkhead rolled out of the wash, and by the sound of the engine behind them, Optimus was following suit.

“Why did Optimus stay behind this time?” Miko asked curiously.

“I’m not quite sure,” Bulkhead responded. “I was quite surprised when he told the others to head back without him.”

“But you have some idea,” Miko smirked, folding her arms. She knew her partner too well.

“You kids don’t really get to see it, but Optimus cares for you kids, probably just as much as I care for you, Arcee for Jack, and Bee for Raf.” Bulkhead explained, voice deep and low. Miko looked at the steering wheel in shock. She knew the big bot cared but not that much. “He may not show it, but he is very appreciative of you trying to help us out. Probably doesn’t like that we are sneaking into the carwash when it is supposed to be closed but still glad.”

“It's nothing much, really.” Miko was saddened thinking about her thoughts back at the wash. “You bots do so much for us. I should do something that helps you.”

Bulkhead cracked his windows, letting the cooled air of the Nevada night into this alt form. It was something he did to cheer Miko up a little on clam nights. The fresh crisp air always seemed to make her relax.

“You and the boys already do a lot,” Bulkhead softly argued. “At the end of the day, though, this is our war. You, Jack, and Raf shouldn’t be caught up in it. Optimus feels responsible anytime you three get put into danger.” Bulkhead paused for a moment. “The war is reaching a turning point, you know?”

Miko knew. The last two weeks had been a clear indication of something going on. The bots had been out of the base more and been more secretive in whatever they were doing. It honestly had the three humans scared that another Unicron incident was around the corner.

Bulkhead understood Miko's silence was a confirmation. “We have all been through a lot in this war, Optimus especially. However, I think this car wash hasn’t just helped us relax but reminds us that even though we are at war, we can still live and not just survive.”

Miko didn’t know how to respond. Miko sat there trying to collect her thoughts about how to respond when she realized too late that she was falling asleep. At some point, Bulkhead had turned on some soft guitar. Not Miko’s preferred taste but it worked. Bulkhead knew her too well too. With the music and the cracked windows, Miko relaxed further into the Wreaker’s seats. She was out before they made it to the base.

------------------------

It was clearly Miko. Morgan knew of no one else who had the spunk and courage to pull this sort of stunt off. The news had spread like wildfire among the staff. About a month and a half after Miko started working, there were signs that the wash was being messed with when everything was closed down. Water that collected near the drains should’ve been dry already, soap that had been changed out, no longer being full, and computer tabs being left open that shouldn’t have been there.

It had been causing Mr. Roger and Ms. Marianna some concern. They had checked the cameras and sometimes did a drive-by at night, but they couldn’t catch anything. All they had to show for their suspicions was the out-of-place items that came around once a month.

However, Morgan knew her challenge, and she knew the girl she had given it to meant business. With Miko’s connections, she could easily get her friends to help her get their cars for free after hours. Morgan had to give the girl credit that these stunts took some serious guts.

Morgan wasn’t the only worker to give a guess on what was going on. The brothers seemed to figure it out first. They explained it to Matilda during one of the night shifts Miko was not on. Soon after, Matthew connected the dot,s followed by Carter. No one was going to say anything.

Big nope. Not everything Miko did at the wash. They would keep Miko’s secret if it meant being able to survive a bit easier in the Nevada heat and wash humidity.

Still, Morgan did not expect this to be part of Miko’s secret excursions. Morgan had been surprised when Mr. Roger handed her a key to the wash and said she would be helping with some of the lower-end manager stuff while he worked on hiring another assistant manager. Like, she was only two months into the job when he did it.

Morgan wouldn’t back down, though. Maybe she could get the manager position and get a pay increase. She was trying to save up to afford out-of-state tuition and a dorm at Utah State, after all. So when Morgan realized she had forgotten to submit the accident report from a fender bender in the wash that day, Morgan threw on her old tracksuit and hopped on her electric scooter to get it done. She had an eye appointment tomorrow and wouldn’t be able to come in and get it done.

Putting her scooter in the outside custodial closet to keep it from getting stolen and locking herself inside the cockpit, she opened her flashlight and got the report done. Thankfully, she had left out the information she needed, so it only took a few minutes. Flicking off her light switch and heading towards the door to leave, Morgan stopped as she heard a car. No, that was a whole bunch of cars.

Dimmed headlights peeked through the blinds of the control center, blinding Morgan temporarily. It was at this point that Morgan realized that there were voices. Voices that were coming closer. The door was locked. They couldn’t get in, thankfully.

Morgan’s heart dropped when she saw the locking coming undone. Whoever was on the other side was picking the lock. Using the light peeking through the blinds, Morgan quickly found a broken down box underneath one of the counters, slipped herself underneath said counter, and pulled the box upright and in front just as the door came undone.

Even in the shadows, Morgan could make out Miko’s pigtails as she opened the door. Oh, this was good, Morgan could easily just sneak out and tell Miko to be careful next time. That was until Raf entered as Miko took off into the wash. Morgan didn’t know what to do, so she stayed put and watched. Raf pulled out his laptop and connected it to the main console. With a few buttons, the system turned on without the need for a password. Morgan quickly wondered if Raf had built himself into the system when he was doing all that work for Mr. Roger.

From her hiding spot, Morgan could see the security feed of the wash. Seven vehicles were lined up at the wash. Six at the main wash while a semi sat at the truck wash. Jack was clearly seen near the entrance playing lookout while Miko got everything ready to spray down the cars.

Okay, question. When had Miko ever mentioned she had this many friends? Actually better question. Was Jack’s motorcycle driving itself???

Morgan had to be seeing everything all wrong as a motorcycle drove itself through the wash. Morgan was logically trying to convince herself that it seemed like no one was in Miko’s green SUV, both of the white cars and the ambulance seemed to not have drivers. The yellow Camero Morgan meet Miko and Raf in had its windows too tinted for Morgan to try and even look.

It was a long and also very quick ten minutes as the cars went through the wash. After the wash was done, Raf began messing with the computers again. Soon the feed with the cars faded away, being replaced with a very quiet parking lot.

Ha! So Morgan had been right. Miko had been getting someone to loop the cameras.

“The cameras are looped. Any trace that we activated the systems is gone,” Raf gave a thumbs up as Miko once again entered the cockpit

“Perfect,” Miko smiled as she watched her friend mess with the screen.“I am going to finish cleaning up in here. Optimus is going to want everyone to head back to base so the bots aren’t drawing attention in case anyone passes by.”

Optimus? Must be one of the friends that drove one of the cars because cars could not drive themselves.

Raf nodded. “And just to let you know Miko. The bots are grateful that you are doing this.”

“Thanks, Raf,” Miko smirked. “Now get going. I’ll see you back at base.”

And with everything they kept saying, Morgan was just getting more anxious to get questions answered. Bots? As in robots? Maybe the cars could be driven remotely? It would explain why there were no drivers. No, the way that was phrased made it seem like the car owners were thankful. Maybe Bots was that team or gang name that Miko was a part of?

Morgan thankfully managed to stay quiet as Raf yawned after turning everything off and the two of them leaving. The girl stayed still and quiet for a few minutes after hearing the sound of the engines fading away.

Okay. They were gone now. Morgan moved as quickly as she could to get out of the control room and back into the custodian closet to retrieve her scooter. It was time to get home and get some sleep. She had to be sleep-deprived to think cars should... Oh crap, Miko’s SUV and the semi were still here.

Morgan ducked behind the corner she almost came out of. Wait, why was she hiding from cars? Oh yeah, there are probably people in those cars, and Morgan didn’t want to run into them.

“We’re all good.” Miko’s voice made Morgan jump. Morgan peeked to see the Japanese student waving toward the two cars. “See Bulkhead. Everything is perfectly fine.”

“Miko….” the car freaking spoke???

“Thanks for letting me take everyone out for the wash Optimus,” Miko then turned to the semi she had opened the truck was for.

The semi responded, “It is no problem Miko though I still believe Agent Fowler would not condone these actions.”

“Perhaps.” Miko shrugged and turned back to her car. “Ready to go?”

“Let's get back to base. If we are lucky, we might be able to put on that old movie Bumblebee found.” The passenger door opened for Miko.

Morgan could only watch as Miko climbed inside the passenger seat and the empty driver seat behind her. The carwash employee ducked behind the wall again as the possibly sentient cars, and Miko pulled out of the wash.

“Okay, okay,” Morgan told herself. “That was clearly not what we wanted to see tonight, but there is probably a very logical explanation behind this.”

Then Morgan remembered the small story Miko told two weeks ago. About here meeting Jack after running into some people in a way that sounded like a super secret gang. Morgan had then heard from George and Quishan that this gang was apparently called Team Prime. And inside the wash. The ‘bots’ must have been the cars Raf was talking about. The cars like getting washed??? Actually, if cars were alive, Morgan could see that logic.

“A team of talking vehicles,” Morgan nodded along to her spiraling thoughts. Morgan shook her head. “Yeah, no. I am going home, resting on this for a few days, and then interrogating Miko about what I saw. Who knows, maybe if the talking cars are really, I’ll get Miko to tell me stories.”

Morgan headed home with that plan in mind. However, Morgan’s appointment caused her to have the next day off of work by surprise, and then Miko was off for the next two days. Morgan then realized the next time she saw Miko that she had no idea how to bring it up. What should she do? Ask Miko for a ride since she didn’t want to ride her scooter back that day. Maybe?

It took two more days of debating in her head to finally decide what to do. It had been a little over a week since she had seen Miko and those cars. Now, Morgan would confront Miko about it.

Except it was too late. Morgan was at the wash when it happened. A blinding light in the sky caused everyone in the wash to stop what they were doing. Soon, the military cars started coming, and everyone in Jasper was evacuated. They said there was a meteor shower that was exposing the entire town to radiation.

After Morgan got back to her apartment, gathered her important documents, and then waited to be stuffed inside one of the many evacuation vehicles did Morgan began to realize something. They had said an agent’s name that night as in the military. These cars seemed sentient, and Miko used one as a common vehicle, so they were probably nearby. Was this perhaps something related to them?

Then there was the thought of Miko, then hit Morgan. Miko seemed extremely involved with these cars. What if she was in danger?

The evacuation car lurched suddenly, causing her and the people she was with to yelp in surprise. It was dark, and everyone was scared. Morgan caught George and Quishan in the corner with their mom and dad, trying to keep their foster sister calm. Carter had been at the wash as well but had elected to go and evacuate with his mom and sister in their own vehicle. As for everyone else, Morgan hoped they were alright.

Morgan thought back to all the things Miko had been able to do. All the times she had shown her co-workers that there was more to her than meets the eye.

“Keep being awesome Miko,” Morgan whispered to herself, hoping her friend would be alright in whatever was happening.