Chapter One | Welcome to Griffin Rock

"WELCOME flight 334 United. Enjoy your time in Portland, Maine,"

Carmen exited the gate, a backpack strewn over her shoulders, and her earbuds stuffed into her ears. A seemingly permanent scowl was etched onto her face, her dark hair tied back in a messy ponytail.

As she walked through the airport, her sharp crystalline eyes stayed focused on everything around her. She was constantly vigilant, a trait required when living in the rough city of Chicago. Then again, she would no longer be living in such an area.

Habits die hard, she supposed.

She smirked seeing the wary glances people threw her. Carmen was more than used to these looks, she got the fearful glances all time. Her killer looks made sure of it.

Sure, she looked near goth with her dark locks colored purple at the ends, piercings, and chain clad clothing. However, it was truly something in those sharp eyes of hers that made people cautious—that and the simple vibe that wafted around her.

No one was able to place a finger on what exactly it was, but there was simply something about her that was not right. Something that at first sight sent people fleeing in the opposite direction.

Carmen loved it, people sucked anyway.

She liked animals much more.

As Carmen passed by a young couple holding a baby—obviously a new family, she scrunched her nose at the sight of the child.

God, did she hate children.

Delivering a nasty sneer in the direction of the child as she passed by, the baby immediately burst into tears causing Carmen to let a smirk of victory fall upon her lips. The mother, who did not notice Carmen, quickly tried shushing the baby. The father was too busy on his phone to take notice of any of them.

The airport she had flown to, Portland International, was one of Maine's bigger airports. It was not as big as the airport in Chicago which she had departed from, but it was much nicer in this one as it was smaller and less clustered.

Despite this, Carmen could not help but feel out of place already. It seemed she fit into rough and clustered better than this.

Her trips to Maine used to be frequent, so much so that it was a second home to her. In a way, the salty air of Maine brought upon memories that she had thought long forgotten.

The silly posters for fishing and cheesy activities hanging in the terminals even brought back a sense of deja vu. She could remember being no older than six and practically racing off the plane, dragging her mother behind her because she was so excited to see her uncle and cousins.

But times have changed.

Carmen was a whole different person now, not some naive little girl.

She used to love flying, and she still does. It was something she and her older cousin Dani both had in common. Carmen remembered the times they used to play games where they both pretended to be pilots for the Air Force.

Today, the flight itself did not bother her, it was her seat that did. She had a crappy seat, stuck in the middle between two disgusting ass men. Thankfully, she scared them both into silence the whole flight.

To be fair, it was not as though the men were actually gross, they were probably quite nice. It was just Carmen's view on them that made them nasty.

As Carmen got to the carousel, waiting with the rest of the people who were on her flight for their bags she could not stop herself from thinking about what the next few months or however long she was to be stuck in Griffin Rock would entail.

Carmen had no doubts that her uncle would eventually get sick of her antics and send her back, it was just a matter of time. Even if he was the Police Chief, that would not stop her bad behavior.

She had not seen Uncle Charlie for over five years, back when she was eleven was the last time. That was also the last time she had visited them in Griffin Rock. Cody, her youngest cousin, was so little the last time she saw him. Three to be exact.

Taron, Carmen's mother's fiancé, had been in her life since she was five. Though, she has never respected him nor seen him as any true form of a parent in her life.

Uncle Charlie was different, even if he lived halfway across the country, he had also been the person in Carmen's life who was most like her father figure. Then again, that was back then, this was now and it had been too long for her to truly view Uncle Charlie as anything like that anymore.

Carmen's two suitcases and duffel bags came soon enough. Before she knew it, she was in the cab on the way to the ferry which would take her to Griffin Rock.

Griffin Rock was a small island-town just off the coast of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Despite its small size, the town itself was incredibly tech-savvy. So tech-savvy that it was the most futuristic town in all of America, possibly even the world. Robots, hoverboards, flying packs, anything, and everything to do with the newest tech was located and used there.

Griffin Rock was the essential "testing" ground for all of the world's newest tech. This was the town where they tested it to see how it faired, and if it passed the standard then a few years later it would be released to the rest of the planet.

Carmen, and her cousins: Kade, Dani, and Graham all used play around the tech-driven streets when they were younger.

Out of all her family: Kade was the oldest, followed by Dani, then Graham, then herself, then Cody, and finally her younger brother D̶i̶c̶k̶ Dickson.

She wondered how they had all changed in the past five years. The last time she saw them, Kade was on the verge of adulthood, Dani an opinionated teen, and Graham a boy just hitting puberty. And Cody, well Cody was still a toddling toddler.

Carmen exited the taxi, paying the driver with no tip. He glared at first, but the look she sent back had him gulping and driving away faster than what was legal.

Carmen glared at the sight of the large ferry set to leave in five minutes. She hated most things nowadays, but this ferry had to be at the top of the list currently.

Yes, she may have had fond memories of her past in Griffin Rock, but that was just that—the past. She was an entirely new person now, someone who was very unlike how her extended family here turned out.

She had no interest to stay in Griffin Rock, she liked being troublesome on the tough city streets. Not being stuck in some futuristic little suburban town.

As much as she did not want to, it was either allow the ferry to leave without her and remain here on the docks for the rest of the night in the cold or get on and at least have a warm bed in the firehouse.

Gathering her pride, Carmen secured her two duffel bags and backpack on her shoulder before pulling the suitcases behind her as she walked up the plank leading to the ferry.

"Welcome aboard, I'm Captain Arthur Shaw," Carmen ignored the man, but briefly scrutinized him.

He was the same person who steered the ferry from when she was a kid. He still had that gruff wrinkly face and scraggly old beard.

The Captain tilted his head at her, swearing he recognized her from somewhere but could not put his finger on it.

He shrugged as Carmen turned away, finding a seat on the few benches toward the front of the ferry. Most people chose to ride in their cars, leading many of the vehicles to be parked with people inside.

The ride would not take more than 20-30 minutes, and yet Carmen was dreading the destination the entire way. Her shoulders sagged as the ferry let out a whistle before heading off. She watched as the mainland drew further and further away: Griffin Rock only getting closer by each passing second.

Soon, she would be faced with a family she had not seen for almost five years and be a victim to what would no doubt be their judgemental stares. They knew how much trouble she caused—that was the whole reason they were taking her in, after all.

Uncle Charlie and company were supposed to be the ones to straighten her out. Fix her crinkled personality.

She scowled at the thought, she liked who she was now, she did not want to change.

She could only envision Uncle Charlie's look when he saw her. Her hair used to be a light brown before she dyed it black. Her colored highlights and ends changed almost every other month or so, she could never stick with one color. Right now it was purple, but she was thinking that she would do a shade of green, almost teal next.

Carmen tapped her foot anxiously as the sight of Griffin Rock drew nearer, she could just make out the Griffin statue at the very top of the island from here. She could also see the lighthouse. The sun was just beginning to set, and the light had just turned on, it's bright light beaming out for miles—guiding ships toward the island.

During the ride, there was a guy around her age; however, he looked too peppy for her to ever get along with. Blond hair, classic jock appearance—probably a football star at the local high school.

He looked ready to approach her, a cocky grin planted on his face. But one death glare from Carmen and he turned away with a quickness.

The horn of the ferry blew loudly as the ship pulled up to the island docks. The cars were released first, everyone driving out in an orderly fashion, but quickly—the people obviously ready to go home.

Carmen assumed most of them had day jobs on the mainland and so they were forced to travel by ferry every day. Carmen and the few others who did not have their vehicles were let out last, Captain Shaw nodding as they passed by him.

"Welcome to Griffin Rock," he had told them.

Carmen yet again ignored him, her boots thudding against the wood of the dock as she got closer to the end. She could just make out her Uncle Charlie standing in front of a cop car parked on the curb of the street by the docks.

He wore his usual police uniform, even when she was a kid—her uncle always wore that same uniform. There was always something going on around Griffin Rock, and Uncle Charlie liked to be prepared. He told her that once when she asked why he always wore it.

The only time he ever changed was when he was sleeping. It was rare to see him in normal daytime clothing.

Amelia, Uncle Charlie's late wife, had always hated it and would scold him on it.

"Oh, Charlie, put on some normal clothes, would you?" She would say.

"But dear, these are normal clothes," Charlie would say back in a cheeky manner.

Even if Carmen was young when her Auntie was alive, she still remembers those conversations well.

Uncle Charlie's hair was greyer than she remembers, but he still had that mustache and kind but stern gleam in his eyes. He was a true family man, but he was also a police officer dedicated to protecting the good people of Griffin Rock.

Carmen noticed the new police car instantly. Or at least, it was new from when she last saw him. Although the car itself appeared incredibly pristine and advanced, so she suspected it could not have been too old.

She was not sure why she was surprised as Griffin Rock always had the latest tech, but she was shocked her uncle would give up the old police car he used to ride in. It was his baby, he loved the old cruiser.

Then again, change and updates had to come at some point.

Besides, this cop car looked incredibly fresh, it was amazing really. Carmen had never seen such a sleek looking car used for authority. She always hated riding in cop cars, but this one she definitely would not mind. Along with its advanced looks, there was just something about it...

With a breath, Carmen steeled her eyes preparing herself for the chaos that was to ensue. Everything would no doubt be chaotic as long as she was here, and she could only prepare herself as much as possible.

Her Uncle was looking around, allowing his gaze to sweep across all the people coming from the docks. He knew not to expect the same little girl who had left over five years ago, but what greeted him was still a shock.

He had not seen any recent pictures of Carmen, so to see her almost all grown up and like... this was more than a surprise. But she was still his lovely little niece, and he would accept and love her no matter what.

"Carmen?"

Carmen heard the shock in her uncle's tone as she approached, their eyes clashing. His warm brown ones met her steely ice ones. Everyone in her family all the same soft brown eyes, but not Carmen. She suspected the ice color must have been a gift from her father, alike to near everything else about her.

She truly looked nothing like her mother nor any of her other family on the Burns side.

The chains on her jeans clanked as she walked, the girl not even offering so much as a smile toward her Uncle. She was only the slightest bit happy to see him, and that was solely based on her fond memories. Everything else in her was screaming about how shit this situation was.

She could not bring herself to be happy in the slightest when she was not just visiting her extended family. No, she was moving in with them. So yes, to Carmen, the situation was complete and utter shit.

"Hey Chief Burns," Carmen stopped a few feet away from her uncle and the cop car.

Charlie raised a brow. "Chief Burns?"

"Oh, cool, so I don't need to be formal? In that case, what's happening Uncle Cee,"

Charlie noticed right away that the sound of Carmen's voice had changed. No longer was it high-pitched and light as bells, but rather she had a strong tone and rolled each word perfectly so there was no chance of misunderstanding her.

Charlie was expecting her to hug him, so when she did not, he took matters into his own hands.

"Oh wow, okay," Carmen said uncomfortably as her Uncle pulled her into a strong hug.

Truthfully, she should not have been expecting anything different, this was Uncle Charlie after all. A part of her basked in the warmth of the hug. Carmen could not remember the last time she was hugged at all, let alone like this.

It was warm and familiar and felt like everything good in the world. She wanted to sink into his warm hug, but a part of her simply could not. Carmen honestly did not know why, there was technically no reason that she could not hug back and be just as loving.

However, a part of her just could not fathom accepting this warm exchange of love and family. So the second her body began accepting the hug and sinking into it, she steeled herself and instead awkwardly patted him back.

She completely missed the way Charlie rolled his eyes at her antics, already coming up with various different plans on how to break her habits.

First, Charlie knew he had to find the issue as to why and how Carmen even became this way. As much as Carol Burns, Carmen's mother, liked to steer the blame away from herself: Charlie had a feeling that his younger sister was part of the issue. No matter how much Carol denied it.

Pulling away from the hug, Charlie nodded toward the car.

"Let's head back to the firehouse, everyone is excited to see you,"

Carmen mutely nodded, helping her uncle in quickly putting her bags in the back before hopping into the car. It was just as nice, if not nicer on the inside as it was on the outside. As Charlie hopped into the front seat and fastened his seatbelt, Carmen could not stop the admiration leaving her lips.

"Wow, this is a super nice car, how'd you end up with a beauty like her?" She subconsciously rubbed a hand over the console in front of her, swearing she felt a shudder beneath her palm but chose to ignore it.

She blamed it on the advanced technology.

"Her?" Charlie chuckled, as though it were more amusing than it was.

Carmen let it slide; however, shrugging her shoulders.

"You always referred to the old girl as a she, is this one different?" Carmen questioned, quirking a brow.

Charlie shrugged in an over-casual manner, his words falling seamlessly.

"Yeah, this one is a he, Cody decided that," Carmen nodded at his words, "and this was a gift from the government, we all got new vehicles. A firetruck for Kade, a copter for Dani, and a bulldozer for Graham..."

"Hmm, this guy looks hella advanced, are they all like this?"

"Yeah, more than you can even imagine—"

"Error—"

A robotic voice boomed all around the inside of the cop car. Carmen jumped, her eyebrows flying up in shock, the girl immediately looking around in confusion. The backseats were completely empty from what she could see.

She did; however, take note that this cop car appeared to be so advanced that the holding bars actually slid up whenever Charlie activated them rather than being down and unmoving permanently. Plus, the backseat actually looked rather comfy compared to most other cop cars. Rather than hard cheap plastic for the back seats, it was expensive leather seating.

"What the hell?" Carmen finally said after the robotic tone spoke.

"Cannot move vehicular form until all passengers are safely seated..."

"What in the world—?"

"Your seatbelt," Charlie sighed, knowing exactly what his car was talking about. He may have not noticed, but there was no way that his car would ever not notice something like that. "You need to fasten it."

For once in a hot second, Carmen did not argue, the voice having spooked her so much that she quickly tied her seatbelt. Directly after, the engine to the car purred to life and Charlie was able to pull away from the curb of the docks.

It was sunset, the sun almost down and showering the sky in an array of purples and oranges.

"That was the car," Charlie elaborated on what just happened, "as I said, these vehicles are incredibly advanced, the most advanced technology on the island at the moment."

"So what? Are they self driving?" Carmen assumed that was what her uncle meant by advanced.

"Not exactly," Charlie seemed almost sheepish, "I mean yes and no, it is a little more than that."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Carmen deadpanned.

"Language," Charlie warned causing Carmen to roll her eyes, but he let it slide and explained further, "this car as well as the other vehicles back home transform into rescue robots. It is technology that is being tested, but for the past couple of weeks that we have had them, they've worked amazingly. Saved the island more times than I can count already..."

"Hold up," Carmen raised a hand, "you're telling me that this car transforms into a whole ass robot?"

"Uhm, well yes..."

"What? You know how big this guy needs to be then!" Carmen exclaimed.

She would never admit it, but this had to be the single most coolest thing she had ever heard about. Sure, she knew about Griffin Rock's amazing technology, but transforming car-robots? Now, this was a whole new level.

Charlie gave a small laugh in response, happy to see the excitement lighting up his previously agitated niece's appearance.

"Very big, around 17 feet to be exact—or at least I think that's how tall..." Charlie trailed off, truly pondering how tall they actually were.

Cody measured the Rescue Bots the first week they arrived. His son had beamed in excitement when he told the family just how tall the giant robots were.

"Holy crap," Carmen breathed, sinking back into the seat with wide eyes, "damn, what if they step on you? How strong are they? If they malfunction, will they kill you?"

Charlie opened his mouth ready to reply; however, his "car" beat him to it.

"Malfunction—not imminent. Programmed to be cautious around smaller lifeforms,"

Carmen's jaw dropped at the robotic response, the girl looking around the car once again trying to pinpoint where the speakers were. She came up with nothing, deeming the voice to have come from all around.

But still... the thing answered her!

Charlie quickly cleared his throat, giving a small pat on the steering wheel almost as if warning the robot.

"Sorry 'bout that, they're always listening if they're around and active. Not to mention most of the time they are incredibly vocal, more so than most machines. Plus they still have a couple of bugs we need to sort out..." Charlie said coolly.

Carmen simply nodded, still too shellshocked to speak. She once again ran her hand over the length of the car door, swearing she felt another shudder under her palm. Almost as if the thing was... alive.

She immediately pulled her hand away, shuddering at the thought.

"Me and the rest of the family will explain about the Rescue Bots some more once we get to the firehouse. But the gist of it is that they follow all of our commands,"

"Do they follow just anyone's commands?" Carmen rose a brow, figuring it to be quite dangerous if the robots just did anything whoever told them to.

If they fell into the wrong hands... Carmen did not want to even think about that outcome.

"No, you have to be programmed in their systems for them to listen to you—unless your life is in immediate danger, of course, then you can ask them to help you if they are not already doing it on their own," her uncle informed her causing Carmen to hum.

She was pleasantly surprised at the calm and intriguing conversation she was having. Carmen could not remember the last time she enjoyed talking to a person this much. Nor could she remember when a conversation was about a topic so interesting.

Carmen took one last look around the cop car before she noticed that they were now pulling up to the firehouse. It still looked the exact same as she remembered.

Bright red bricks, three large doors leading into an even larger garage. The garage took up all of the first level, it was the second and third level of the firehouse that was used as the Burns Rescue family home.

On the back of the outside of the firehouse was a large basketball court and a huge backyard which lead to miles and miles of forestry. Carmen remembers playing games with Kade, Dani, and Graham in that forest all throughout their childhood.

Of course, Uncle Charlie always made sure they never strayed too far into the woodland, in fear of them getting lost.

The car slowly pulled into the large driveway. As though a sensor had went off, the garage door on the right hand side the middle opened, allowing the sleek car to pass through easily.

The garage was empty when they arrived, but is incredibly similar to what Carmen remembered from her childhood days. Albeit, there was a few differences such as new photographs, new trinkets, and other various objects splayed here and there.

However, one thing that had not changed was the homely feeling of family it gave way to. Despite it being a true firehouse garage for a rescue force, it still belonged to a family and that much was apparent.

A family.