Three Claws

Disclaimer: I own nothing at all, Takara, Hasbro and whoever else owns Transformers, nor do I own any of the lyrics used.

A/N: Got to wondering one day what the Transformer that left the scratches in the Spark radiation chamber wall at the Hoover Dam looked like, and what happened to it and here's what came of it.

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

Changeling: In European folklore and folk belief, a changeling is the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. The apparent changeling could also be a stock, a glamorized piece of wood that would soon appear to grow sick and die. The motivation for this conduct stems from the desire to have a human servant, the love of a human child, or malice. Most often it was thought that faeries exchanged the children, and simple charms, such as an inverted coat, were thought to ward them off.

Source – Wikipedia

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

One more time…

We're gonna celebrate…

Insanely chirpy, happy music flooded the small beat-up Fiesta. Ashley winced and then began glaring at the small, iguana- cross otter- like mechanical creature that sat on the passenger seat , her green i-Pod somehow plugged into its yellow and green back, and also somewhat unbelievably playing the music loudly without the aid of any speaker system she could see. But there were a lot of things about her little friend did that Ashley didn't understand, one big one being that it was a sentient, mechanical being created in a top secret government facility by an advanced, alien, and also mechanical, enormous cube thingy that somehow gave life to machines.

Like, perhaps, Laptop computers.

At least, that was how Changeling had explained it too her, he didn't seem to be fully developed mentally and had trouble with English sometimes, reverting to clicks, whistles and beeps when he came across a concept or word it couldn't explain or pronounce.

'But Change' has been getting better lately'

Ashley took that as a good sign, hoping that it meant that either she had managed to properly repair him, or that he was maturing, perhaps both.

Celebrate and dance so free…

She turned another glare his way, but softened at the expression on his face that she interpreted as 'happy'. How could she be angry at him when he was actually enjoying himself? He was so excited about this trip to Tranquillity; a trip that they hoped would finally lead to answerers instead of questions.

'It can't be easy for him, being born on a world that technically isn't his own, knowing nothing about his own people, having no family'

Except her, Ashley had found Changeling in the small side street outside her apartment block. She had thought she had heard a cat crying in pain and had rushed outside, only to be confronted by a buttercup yellow and lime green mechanical monstrosity leaking blue fluid amongst the dustbins. Ashley had no affinity for electrical or mechanical things, preferring living animals of flesh and blood. She hated computers with a passion, and the Matrix movies, including the Animatrix had terrified her. But, the thing had been in pain and obviously mangled, but when she reached for it did not try to bite or claw, only looking at her with turquoise eye-like circles with an expression that could only be interpreted one way, pleading, asking for help.

Sure, she didn't get along with her computer, but she was neither heartless nor cruel enough to refuse those eyes. She had taken him in, tried to help and fix him and nearly fallen out of her chair when he had spoken to her, telling her his story as she tried to mend his ravaged body. She had been terrified for him, knowing just how pitiful her job at mending him had been. And being shocked out of her mind when he lived, and stayed with her, allowed her to give him a name.

Changeling, a proper name seeing as he occasionally became a green laptop, a Dell no less, and also because of his outlandish appearance and alien nature. He liked it, knowing that for her it was a term of endearment. He had become a part of her life, a big part, so when he had finally asked for her help in finding a faction of his people known as the Autobots, who were here on Earth, she could no more refuse than take off her own head. And that was why they were on the road, Changeling had detected an Autobot signal which they had been chasing and he was sure it had come to a small town called Tranquillity and was staying in place. They were sure that they would find his people there.

If only it wasn't such a long car trip, with Change' in charge of the music.

"Changeling, please, give it a rest. No more Daft Punk OK?"

Her companion gave her a look, but stopped the music.

"What then? I likes music."

"No more techno stuff, you've been playing it for the last two hours. How about you play something with more than a sentence of vocals used and verses and a chorus?"

Changeling complied, and Ashley had to smile at his choice, he knew they were close and not just to Tranquillity.

I can't wait… to be with you…no I just can't sit still…are we there yet?

Hopefully the Autobots would be able to help, sure she loved Change' but she knew he needed to be with them, with people who at least could fix him if be broke,

Closing in…I hope that you make it…closing in…I hope that you find your way...closing in…it's all that I want, in the whole world…closing in…please be there, please be there…

People who understood him, who knew how he thought and felt, people who were like him,

What are you like?…where did you get to?...

Coupled with the aching loneliness that she couldn't counter, it had become a necessity to find the Autobots. Other than those pressing issues, she and Changeling were curious about his people, his planet. Even though he was born or created or whatever on Earth this was decidedly not his planet, he liked it here, but Ashley knew he found it scary and alien sometimes.

Closing in…I hope that you make it…closing in...I hope that you find your way…

Closing in… Closing in…

And then the peaceful, if bittersweet, contemplation on the darkening road to Tranquillity was shattered when a police car that had come up unseen with it's lights off rammed the back of the Fiesta, throwing them forward and causing Change' to shriek and Ashley to curse.

"What in the hell? What is that fuckwit doing?

"DECEPTICON! Run, run, run!"

"Huh? Change' what are you talking about? Do you know this guy?"

Changeling did not answer her, only dissolving into incoherent screaming as the Saleen continued to ram them, pushing them all over the road. This was bad, it took a lot to scare Change' and right now he was hysterical.

'If Change' knows this guy then it's obvious he doesn't want me to meet him, is he some Sector Seven guy? Why is he driving a police car?"

Suddenly the police car pulled a PIT manoeuvre, spinning them out onto the shoulder of the road, Ashley tried to get moving but heard the sound of rubber tearing and looked out of her window.

Shiny, spindly silver metal, about a third of her height, with wicked looking razor fingers. That was about all the impression she got before the…thing…looked right back at her. Its eye things were blue, but there was nothing of Change's calm and gentle nature in them, only manic, frenzied hatred. It reached for her door handle.

She didn't think, only moved. She leaned over to Change's side of the car, grabbed him and pulled open his door and shoved him out as the silver thing came at her. It scrabbled past her, trying to get to Change. She grabbed one of its legs, feeling the sharp metal bite into her hands, but she didn't let go.

'I can't let go.'

It turned when it felt its progress impeded, those horrible blue eyes turning to look at her, it slashed at her arm and her yell stopped Change's dash across the desert, Ashley saw his eyes flash as he turned to look for her and began to run back.

"No! Changeling, keep going!"

A booming, grating voice came as a large shape lumbered past the Fiesta.

"Frenzy, dispose of the human while I retrieve the Sparkling."

"Changeling, for the love of whatever go!"

'I can't let them have him"

Somehow, down to her soul she knew it, that right now her life meant nothing in comparison to his. Had she been able to devote some mental power to that thought it would have frightened and worried her.

He sped off as the dark, hulking shape moved toward him, despite its graceless movement it was fast.

'Change' is faster you, you bastard'

She looked at the one that had her and kicked up a leg to hit it in the head, it hurt her foot, but it seemed disorientated by the blow.

Until it wrapped one hand around her throat then plunged its sharp fingers into her stomach. Ashley froze, feeling nothing and then pain. Like nothing else she had ever felt and the blood began to run down the sides of her abdomen. She was sure the thing sneered at her, and then it twisted its fingers. This time she screamed, feeling as though she could never scream enough to express her pain. Her mind became fuzzy and she knew that she was losing blood and fast. The thing pulled its fingers out of the wound and sniffed at the blood on them then turned to leave, speeding across the desert after the huge shape and Changeling. She felt nauseas through the pain as she was glad when the world began to fade.

She heard a scrabbling noise and for a breathless, horrifying moment she thought that that thing had come back. But she heard a voice in her ear, somehow familiar, but she just couldn't think from where she knew it right now.

"I'm sorry."

Yes, she knew the voice, but what on earth was it sorry for?

"If I had known it would end like this, I never would have told you."

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

Music used

One More Time – Daft Punk

Closing In – Imogen Heap