The Choice
It was an unnaturally warm summer the year Marina met the Autobots. She had been driving through Malibu Canyon one Sunday when another car coming in the opposite direction accidentally drove into her lane causing her to swerve, crash through a guardrail, and drive right off the cliff. Luckily Powerglide, an Autobot whose alternate mode was an A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog jet, just happened to be in the area, flying overhead, scanning for Decepticons when he noticed the event and managed to transform and grab her car seconds before it hit the canyon bottom.
You could imagine her surprise when she emerged from her vehicle to see a huge robot that somewhat resembled a man, asking her if she was all right. Once she assured him that she was fine, he offered to fly her to safety. While he talked the entire way about himself and his fellow Autobots, she became curious and asked if she could meet the others like him. So he agreed and took he to the crash site of their space vessel, the Ark, which they currently use as their base of operations.
Once there, she couldn't believe the sight of about a dozen Autobots that came to meet her when they arrived. She stood in awe as their towering leader; Optimus Prime welcomed her and asked if she would like a tour of their base. While touring the corridors, he told her many things. He spoke of Cybertron, The Great War, and about the Decepticons and their plan to take over the universe. Upon hearing this, she realized the heavy burden weighing down on the shoulders of this robotic race, and admired them for their determination to defend the universe, not only for themselves and their home, but for other races and planets as well.
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Years had gone by since that first meeting. Since then, every free minute she had, she was down at the base, eager to learn all she could about them and their ways. Marina had only been 18 years old when she first met the Autobots. She was now 24 and at the age where she wanted to settle down. Since her father died when she was 15, she had very little guidance on the subject of boys.
Most of the relationships she had with guys were short lived, and she longed for something more permanent. But in this day and age, guys in their 20's were all just about one thing, having as many partners as possible. Marina wasn't raised like that. In her eyes, if she would be lucky enough to find 'The One', he would be the "only" one to her, for the rest of her life.
One afternoon, Marina walked into Wheeljack's workshop. Wheeljack was the Autobot's lead engineer and inventor. She went right past him without even saying hello and sat down in her usual spot, hunched over with a disappointed look on her face. Wheeljack immediately knew the reason for her demeanor.
"Another bad date huh?"
"Is it that obvious?" She asked, and then continued to stare at the floor. Suddenly she stood up with anger in her eyes.
"What a jerk he was! Everything was going great until that infamous sentence spewed from his mouth: Any chance of me hittin' that tonight?" She imitated with a low, dopey voice.
"Boy, they make me so mad sometimes!"
Wheeljack could see the endless cycle of disappointment Marina had with the males of her species, which lead him to believe that if this continued, their race would possibly cease to exist due to lack of reproduction.
"I'm sorry to hear that Marina, gee I wish I could help you with your problems."
She ran his words through her head for a second, then her mood changed instantly and her eyes suddenly opened wide.
"That's it! You CAN help me! You could build an invention that will turn me into a Transformer!"
Wheeljack tilted his head in confusion.
"But how will that help?"
"It would enable me to settle down with one of you guys! Just one Transformer alone acts more a gentleman than all the men on this Earth combined! Come on Wheeljack! You're the best inventor in the universe! Sure your inventions blow up from time to time, but I know you can do this! Will you do it? For me?"
Wheeljack appreciated the praise, but was very worried of the possible side effects she would face if this would indeed work. He agreed, but told Marina not to tell anyone of their plans; Optimus had instructed him not to start any new projects without his approval.
As work on the invention began, Marina happily went from barrack to barrack, asking each of the Autobots their views on settling down. It was like a gold mine! Nearly every one of them wished to find that special femme, bond with her, and eventually have some sparklings. This got me excited and antsy for Wheeljack to finish the invention. Only a few I spoke to were too involved with their positions and their work to worry about femmes.
After a week, I received a text from Wheeljack saying he had finished it. I immediately took off for the base, anxious as to what it would feel like to be robotic, and no longer of flesh and blood. Once there, Wheeljack game me the rundown.
"Now before we do this, you DID do all your homework on learning everything about us Autobots right? Our history, traits, mannerisms? Military tactics? You know if you don't pull this off they'll see right through you. Are you ready?"
I nodded. Wheeljack then led me to a door that had a keypad instead of a doorknob. He punched in the security code on the keypad and we walked in. The lab was dark, and the only things visible were the flickering lights on the control panel console. Wheejack hit a switch and two beacons in the middle of the room started to light up and hum. He instructed me to walk between them, and when I would emerge from the other side, I would be a Transformer. I nervously walked towards the green light emanating from the spires. As I walked between them, a white-hot feeling surrounded me as I soon felt my body getting larger, harder, and heavier by the second. When the humming stopped, I felt completely drained. Unable to stand a moment longer, I fell down to one knee, using one arm to hold me up, and the other gripping my forehead.
"Wheeljack, what's going on? Why do I feel so weak?"
Wheeljack, being a Transformer knew exactly what her fatigue meant. She needed to recharge to get her energy levels back to normal.
"You need to recharge. There's a recharge berth in the corner of the room over there."
"But I wanna see how I look!" She pleaded.
"That can wait. If a Transformer doesn't recharge when its internal systems are telling it to, you might go offline and that can sometimes be fatal. If you want, I can come back and check up on you in an hour or so."
"Yawn! Thanks Wheeljack." She managed to say as she climbed up on the recharge berth and closed her optics.
About an hour and a half later, Wheeljack returned and flicked on the lights of the lab. He then walked over to the recharge berth and saw Marina still in recharge, curled up in the fetal position. He smiled. He would often find her napping in this position around the base when she was human. It was interesting to see how her human characteristics accompanied her in her new robot body. He ran a hand over her back causing her to stir.
"You awake? How do your energy levels feel now?" He asked.
Marina got to her feet with ease. She looked down and saw her shiny metal protoform. She was sleek, slender, and she felt very agile. Waking up after a mere hour of recharge was a lot more efficient than just a done hour power nap as a human! She felt like she could go for days without recharge! Excitedly, she ran towards the only reflective metallic surface in the room and looked at her full body, from head to toe. She had never been so happy in her entire life!
"It's a miracle! Wheeljack you're a genius! This is amazing!"
He smiled as the results of his successful invention ran towards him and threw her arms around his head. She gave him a quick kiss on the side of his faceplates. He blushed, and then pulled away.
"Your welcome sweetie. But you can't go cruising around the base without proper identification. You're gonna have to think of a suitable name for yourself."
Marina put a finger to her chin with a smile on her face and rolled her eyes back. Then it hit her.
"I know the perfect name for me…Starstrike."
Wheeljack seemed very impressed with her choice. It was feminine, yet still demanded a lot of respect. He nodded his head in approval.
"That really suits you. All you need to do now is to scan an earth vehicle to be your alt form, and you'll be all set. But listen, I got to get back to work. I got some things I have to hand over to Optimus today or he'll have my aft! Be careful out there, and good luck."
"Thanks Wheeljack." I said as I turned and ran out of the lab.
My legs were still a little wobbly at first, due to the fact that I was way taller than I used to be. I had to adjust to my height and much heavier weight. Once I started to get the hang of it, I continued running, ducking behind crates and other objects in an attempt to reach the exit without being seen. Once I was out, I sprinted through the trees for the closest car dealership. I found a used car lot off the main highway that had a nice selection of different cars. Once I spotted my dream car, I scanned it and instantly took the form of a black, badass Corvette!
Pleased with my choice, I transformed back into robot mode and started back towards the Autobot base when I felt a strange twinge in my programming. I'm sure it was my sensor, but I really didn't know what it was trying to tell me. Then I realized what it was. There was a Decepticon in the vicinity! Now that I think about it, I wasn't really doing a great job of concealing myself while running through the forest; it would make sense that a Decepticon spy would have easily seen me.
All of a sudden a barrage of laser fire started to rain down on me from above. I couldn't see my attacker because I was too busy shielding my head with my arms. A few shots managed to hit their mark, and the pain from the direct hits felt like someone was trying to slash at me with a small switchblade. They stung something nasty! And the more I got hit, the more my spark started to race, causing me to lose energy. Not a lot, but enough to prevent me from running at full speed. Thinking fast, I quickly ducked into some nearby heavy foliage. On instinct, I reached for a weapon, but realized I didn't have one! And if that Decepticon continued to fire on me, then this would be my first and last day as a Transformer!
I crawled under some bushes and lay on my stomach. I start to breath nervously as I feel the ground shake slightly from the footsteps of my attacker approaching. Then strangely, they stop. Suddenly a large arm knocks down the trees that were protecting me from the back. I quickly attempt to turn over and face my attacker when I hear the words:
"Freeze Autobot!"
I stop mid-turn and look into the red optics of Megatron's second-in-command, Starscream. Terrified, I try to correct him.
"I'm…I'm not a…"
"You're not a what? An Autobot? What are you then, a Decepticon?" He said then looked her up and down and scanned her body. It was then that he noticed that she was a femme. Femmes were very rare on Cybertron, even to this day. He wondered where she could have come from. He eyeballed her again.
"I don't see a Decepticon insignia on you anywhere; I better restrain you just in case."
He punched some buttons on his left arm and immediately electric bonds shot out from a small compartment and wrapped around her wrists that then pulled themselves up into a knot above her head. Starscream, still insistent that she was a spy, continued to search for her insignia. With one hand he lifted her up by the electric bonds, her body was dangling, and her feet were about an inch from the ground. With his other, he slid his hand over her chassis. His fingers grazing against her perfect, shiny black body armor was making her feel violated and uncomfortable.
"Hey! Watch where you're putting your hands there you Deceptiscum!" She snapped.
He ignored her and continued to trace her body up and down with his hand trying to find the insignia, to determine if she was an Autobot, or a Decepticon. Then he locked his optics on hers. She stopped squirming and lifted her head up and looked at him, with a disgruntled look on her face. That's when he noticed that her optics were a brilliant shade of blue! Of course! This proves she's an Autobot! The evidence was there, he just had forgotten to look more closely. He grinned big, put her down, then turned around and started walking, pulling her bond like he was pulling a wagon behind him, not even caring that he was dragging his captive's brand new, flawless body armor through dust, dirt, gravel and small rocks! All the while she struggled and cursed at him. He said nothing.
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Back at the Autobot base, Wheeljack was getting worried. He knew that the car dealership was not that far from them and that she should have been back by now. Suddenly, the Decepticon alert alarm started to blare throughout the base.
"Oh no…" He thought to himself. He ran to the main assembly hall where Optimus Prime was briefing the Autobots.
"Listen up Autobots, Teletraan-1 has picked up a Decepticon near the base, and it's been confirmed that he has an Autobot captive. I need a small team of you to go retrieve his captive and bring him back here. Any volunteers?"
Once a small cadre of Autobots was chosen, Wheeljack suddenly raised his hand and shouted,
"Count me in Prime!"
He had to see for himself if it was Marina who was captured. Optimus was surprised to see Wheeljack eager for active duty. Usually his title leaves him confined to his workshop, but he was glad to see his engineer volunteer to help another fellow Autobot in need.
"Very well, Wheeljack. Go with them. Since you're the eldest, I appoint you stand-in mission leader, and let us know immediately if you require any assistance."
And with that, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Tracks, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe drove off towards the coordinates of the Decepticon and his hostage.
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Meanwhile, Starscream was getting tired of dragging his captive, so he radioed Megatron through a secure channel to tell him of his catch.
"Starscream to Megatron, come in Megatron."
"What is it Starscream?"
"I just wanted to inform you that I have just captured an unmarked Transformer!"
"Really…how did you manage that?"
That's not the best part, it's a female."
"Interesting! Send me your coordinates. I'd like to see this for myself. Megatron out."
Within minutes, Megatron arrived and landed feet first next to Starscream with a thud. He walked over to Starscream's catch and loomed over her.
"What is your name?"
She didn't turn towards him, nor did she answer.
"What is your affiliation?"
Again she didn't answer. This made Megatron angry. He grabbed her by her throat and brought her face up to his.
"Answer me!" His red optics lit up fiercely.
"No one ignores Megatron!"
"I don't think she's made her decision yet. I have yet to locate the insignia on her body, but we can make sure she makes the right choice, with proper persuasion of course."
Starscream said as he cracked his knuckles with a smirk. She heard his knuckles crack and she tried to look at him, but could only move her eyes. Her head was still locked in the grasp of Megatron's black hands.
"Its decision time my dear. You must choose your side. But be weary, should you choose the wrong side, I will vaporize you right here on the spot."
She was released from Megatron's grasp and landed on the ground harshly with a thud. He primed his arm mounted fusion cannon at her and awaited her answer.
When the Autobots finally reached the coordinates, they were shocked when they saw the Decepticon's hostage.
"Holy Primus! Is that a femme?" Cliffjumper asked in total disbelief.
Wheeljack instantly recognized Marina's protoform, even though it now had black plates of body armor from her newly scanned vehicle mode. He couldn't say anything, if he did, then his fellow Autobots would knew that he knew her.
"Wow! What a dish!" Sunstreaker commented.
"Yeah! We definitely gotta save her! I get first dibs on a date!" Sideswipe stated with a hungry looking grin on his face.
Tracks looked adoringly at the black femme, totally aware that her alt form was the exact same type of car that his was! He was about to say something, but held his tongue. Wheeljack, as acting mission leader gave the Autobots their next order.
"Alright you guys, focus. Let's just finish this mission. Time to move in for the ambush."
Megatron continued to stand tall and menacing over the trembling femme.
"I'm waiting."
Panicking, she quickly scanned her surroundings, and then a wide grin grew across her faceplates. Megatron's optics narrowed when she saw her sudden change of attitude.
"You wanna know my name? I'll tell ya." She said as she stood up. "It's Starstrike, and I'm an Autobot!"
Megatron smirked. "I'm afraid you've made the wrong choice my dear."
She could see purple energy building up down the barrel of his cannon.
"Pity. You would have been a great addition to the Decepticon cause."
He raised his fusion cannon arm a few feet from her chest. Her spark was thumping violently in its chamber.
"Megatron!" Starscream shouted, pointing behind him.
"Not now, Starscream!" He snapped back.
A laser blast then hit Megatron square in the back, causing him to lurch forward. Then he turned and looked behind him at his attackers.
"Autobots! We're outnumbered. Starscream, prepare to take off." He grumbled.
I smiled as the Autobots started running towards us from all sides, guns blaring at my two kidnappers. Then Megatron returned his glare to me.
"And as for you, I'm not finished with you yet so don't think this is over."
And with that, both Megatron and Starscream took off for the sky, in the direction of the Decepticon base. Once they were gone, the Autobots slowly walked over to me. I knew every one of them, but I had to pretend that I didn't. Bumblebee was the first to speak.
"Uhh…Hi there, are you okay?"
I didn't know if they would recognize my voice so I just nodded. Then Tracks walked up to me.
"We're here to take you to Autobot headquarters." His towering frame cast a shadow over me, making me feel small and helpless, but also warmly disturbed. He was standing so close to me that I could faintly feel his spark's life force emanating from is body. No doubt he wanted a better look at my new body frame up close. Wheeljack then decided that it was time to head back to base.
"Autobots, let's transform and roll for home."
The others obliged and changed to their vehicle modes and prepared for Wheeljack to take the lead. He looked at Marina and whispered,
"I'm glad you're okay." Then transformed and began to lead the others back to the base. Marina then transformed herself, and brought up the rear.
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Meanwhile, at the Decepticon headquarters underwater base, Megatron sat in his chair with a disgruntled expression on his face. Skywarp noticed and decided to discover the reason for it.
"Yo boss, why the look? Did Screamer screw up and ruin your plans again?"
Starscream who was within earshot, loudly ran up behind him and pointed his null ray at the back of Skywarp's head.
"How dare you accuse me of screwing up! For that I'll send you to the scrap heap!"
Skywarp wasn't scared for a second. He just smirked, then teleported from that spot, and re-appeared a few feet behind Starscream. Enraged, Starscream turned to shoot him, only he teleported again, this time re-appearing in another area of the base, his laugh echoing through the air.
"Just you wait till I get my hands on you!" He shouted with his fists in the air. Megatron was enjoying the banter, but then turned serious.
"That's enough, Starscream. Save your bickering for another time. We have other matters to attend to."
Starscream dropped his anger immediately and was instantly interested in Megatron's other agenda.
"What is it that ails you oh mighty Megatron?" He answered with a sneer, hoping to turn whatever plan he had afoul to hopefully secure his position from second-in-command to leader of the Decepticons.
"It's that unmarked female Autobot. I want to find out more about her. Soundwave! I want you to go to Autobot headquarters and find out everything you can about her immediately!"
The tall dark blue Decepticon stood there motionless.
"As you command, Megatron." He responded in a cold, robotic monotone voice.
Then his right arm came up and pressed a button on his left shoulder opening up his tape deck-looking chest.
"Lazerbeak, eject. Operation: Infiltrate Autobot headquarters."
And with that, the tape ejected from his chest, transformed midair into a condor-like bird that screeched back at him as if confirming the order. Then together they flew off and headed towards the Autobot base.
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Back at Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime was eager to meet the femme that his fellow Autobots were able to save. He could hear them driving up the main hall of the Ark, and once in the main assembly hall, they all transformed into their robot modes, including their female companion. As they approached, Optimus couldn't take his optics off the femme, but then remembered his position and soon cleared his throat and turned serious.
"I'm glad to see you were brought back here safely. I am Optimus Prime. Leader of the Autobots. May I ask what your name is?"
"Starstrike." I replied, doing my best to disguise my voice.
"Now tell me Starstrike, what would a femme like yourself be doing so far from Cybertron?"
"I got lost…and I can't remember…much." I lied.
"Hmmm…that's unfortunate. Well, whatever the case, you'll be safe here and you're welcome to stay as long as you need. If you'd like, I could have one of my men escort you to your quarters."
"Yes please. Thank you."
It seemed like the optics of the entire base lit up. A few eager bots rushed to Optimus' side, hoping to be chosen. It kinda made me smile. This is exactly what I wanted. To be the only femme in a sea of mechs. After one was chosen, I blushed as the same blue Corvette with the flames on his hood from the rescue walked up to me, saluted me in a military stance with his hand on his brow and said,
"Guess I get the pleasure of delivering you safely to your quarters." He chuckled.
"Well then lead the way, Tracks!" I answered cheerfully.
He froze. "How did you know my name? I was just about to introduce myself!"
I had totally forgotten about my cover! My processor frantically raced to find a suitable reply.
"Oh! I uh…overheard one of your fellow Autobots mention it." I answered quickly.
Luckily his cocky side began to take over and it distracted him from delving into the question further.
"Yeah? Well that sounds pretty normal. I'm actually a pretty popular guy. Everybody knows me. In battle, they call me Tracks: the swift, the silent, and the sinfully handsome!" He stated proudly.
I giggled and smiled at his shameless ego and continued to walk beside him, then I moved a little bit closer, eliminating the gap between us. Once we reached my quarters, we stood in silence in front of the door. Shyly he tilted his head to one side, and started to rub the back of his neck, like a teenager waiting for that moment after a date when its decided if he will get a kiss or not.
"So…you gonna be alright?" He asked with concern.
I too was in my lovestruck teenager pose as I stood there gazing at him with my hands clasped behind my back, tracing circles on the floor with the tip of my foot.
"I think so. Thanks for walking me Tracks." I answered with a smile.
"You're welcome." He responded, trying to make his voice sound as deep as possible.
The door to my quarters slid open and I walked in. I looked at him over my shoulder and blinked my optics.
"See you later."
"I sincerely hope I do." He said as he turned and started to walk away.
As I dreamily watched him leave, I could have sworn I saw a shadow zip over him because of the reflective surface of his alt form flickered strangely a bit. I decided to just ignore it. I shut the door behind me and turned to see the room that Optimus had chosen for me. It was a guest suite and it was very clean. Not bad! After inspecting the room further, my thoughts turned to Wheeljack. I needed to go see him but I was sure that there were still other Autobots up and about roaming the halls. So I decided to recharge for a few minutes before heading over there. Like a kid, I ran to jump on the recharge berth, only forgetting that they were flat and hard. I landed on it with a loud crash. The impact was jarring, but not painful. For some reason, I was already starting to miss the feeling of my warm body crashing on the soft, cool blankets of my old bed. I decided to put it out of mind for now, closed my optics and fell into recharge.
The shadow that I had seen briefly fly over Tracks belonged to Lazerbeak, who's current mission was to find out which barracks were mine so that Soundwave himself could enter them when I would leave, and ambush me upon my return. After about 20 minutes, I was recharged and ready for anything. I ran out my door and headed towards for Wheeljack's workshop. As I turned the corner of the hall, Lazerbeak flew from the rafters above down to the spot where Soundwave was hiding. He happily squawked the coordinates to Soundwave then transformed and returned to his master's chest compartment.
After he carefully surveyed the area for Autobots, he proceeded to enter her room and prepare for the assault.
Marina ran through the doors of Wheeljack's workshop. He immediately dropped what he was doing and came towards her.
"Marina! Thank Primus! I wanted to come see you but I didn't want to make it obvious that I knew you. Is everything okay? Are your systems doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, but I think I'm still in danger."
"What makes you say that?"
"Right before Megatron took off, he told me he wasn't finished with me yet. Any idea what he meant?"
"Not a clue, either way that doesn't sound good. You better lay low for a while and keep your sensors honed for Decepticons. If Megatron is planning something, I know his slimy troops will probably be out looking for you. Here, take this."
He turned and picked up a blaster from his workbench and handed it to me.
"Be careful out there kid."
"I will." I replied as I turned and ran out of his workshop.
I raced down the hall towards my quarters. When I got there and opened the door, I noticed that the room was dark. That was strange because I remember leaving the lights on when I left. I hit the light switch, but they didn't turn on. I got a little worried for a second, since the lights outside were fine. I honed my sensors, but couldn't pick up any Decepticon readings. I proceeded to approach my nightstand, and tried to manually turn on the lamp sitting on top of it.
As I fiddled in the dark to find the switch, I froze as I noticed an aura of red light from the optics of a Decepticon blanketing my shoulder! At that moment, I knew someone was behind me. Whoever it was must have somehow dampened his energy signature so I couldn't detect him. I slowly went for my blaster that Wheeljack had given to me when suddenly his arm quickly encircled my neck like a python.
I could feel the broad chest of my attackers' body on my back, and then it started to vibrate. I was just about to yell, when his other hand came around and covered my mouth, silencing me. He then started to emit some strange waves from his forehead, and then I instantly felt pain in my cerebral processor. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth as an earsplitting radio wave screech echoed throughout my head. It was so severe, I was literally in tears.
I fought desperately to get free, but most of my energy was already exhausted, trying to keep my audio receptors from being blown out by the noise. I was too weak to try and fend him off. My attempts were in vain. I was like an old lady trying to damage a military tank by smacking it with her purse. When the noise finally stopped, I let out an exhausting gasp. Then Soundwave, while still holding me, turned me around to face him. I weakly looked up into the red visor of my attacker. Strangely, he said nothing.
At that moment, Sideswipe, who was hoping to ask me out for a little stroll, was jubilantly walking down the hall towards my quarters, and soon noticed that my door was already open, and the darkness that lie within. He cautiously walked up to the door to see Soundwave's red visor gleam from within the darkness, almost as if it was floating in the middle of the room. Then Soundwave's laser rifle sounded and Sideswipe was blasted back into the wall of the hallway. I screamed from behind Soundwave's hand as I saw Sideswipe lying on the floor, unmoving; with a fresh black scorch mark on his chest.
Soundwave walked out into the hallway, and raised his weapon again. This time at the downed Autobot's head. Then I saw Sideswipe's head starting to stir.
"Die Autobot scum." Soundwave monotoned, full of malice.
Since Soundwave held me with one arm, and his rifle primed in his other, I took a chance and used my remaining energy and swung my leg up in an attempt to kick it, and hopefully alter the laser's trajectory. My plan had worked as the laser blast proceeded to hit a nearby control box instead. That luckily started an alarm that blared throughout the base. Once he heard frantic Autobot voices approaching, he ejected his casseticon Ravage, and told him to hide and await orders. Soundwave then clutched me tighter and ran down the hall towards the exit of the Ark, with me in tow.
Sideswipe was able to come around long enough to turn his head and see him turn the corner, with me in his arms, then again blacked out.
Once outside, Soundwave was greeted by Skywarp.
"Yo Soundwave! Megatron's getting impatient. He ordered me to get you guys back to the base immediately! Grab onto me. I'm gonna teleport."
Soundwave reluctantly grasped Skywarp's left wing with his free hand and held on tight. In the blink of an eye the three instantly disappeared in a purple blur. When they finally arrived at Decepticon headquarters, Megatron was waiting for them, standing in an impatient pose.
"What took you fools so long?" He grumbled.
Soundwave unrolled his arm from my neck and threw me in a nearby corner. Megatron's deep footfalls slowly approached me, and then his looming shadow overtook me. I looked up at him in total fear. My spark was again pounding in its chamber. I was really hoping I wouldn't be seeing him again. He obviously felt the opposite. The evil smile on his face had bad news written all over it.
"Ahhh…so nice to see you again, Starstrike."
I said nothing. I let my actions speak for myself. I just sat there trembling, hoping to break the Con through pity or remorse. But it had clearly gone unseen. Megatron was colder than I thought. An unbreakable, heartless dictator. He went about his actions, as if I wasn't even there.
"Soundwave, what were you able to find out about her in your mind scan?"
"Mind scan?" I uttered, my optics immediately shot back towards Soundwave.
"She's not an Autobot, nor a Decepticon. Her name is Marina. She is a human ally of the Autobots that was turned into a Transformer by the Autobot mechanic, Wheeljack. She was unsuccessful in finding a mate of her own species, and wished to become one of us so that she would be able to properly settle down."
My eyes opened wide and my jaw dropped. I felt so invaded and embarrassed! I didn't want the Decepticons to know about any of that!
"Interesting! So that's why you're unmarked." Megatron said as his gaze returned to me.
Soundwave leaned in and told him some additional words, but they were in Cybertronian, and I couldn't understand them. Whatever they were, I knew they would not be to my benefit as that same evil grin widened across Megatron's face once again.
"Thundercracker! Open a channel to Teletraan-1. I want to show Prime our new recruit!"
The blue jet con punched a couple of buttons on the ships control console and soon Optimus' image was plastered on their main monitor.
"What do you want, Megatron?"
"I have something of yours, Prime."
"What are you talking about?"
"Starscream, bring her to me."
Starscream nodded and casually walked towards me. I slowly raised my head to look into his ruby red optics as his shadow overtook me. With lightning fast reflexes, he grabbed me by my throat, and dragged me across the ground towards Megatron. He pulled me to my feet and handed me off to him. Megatron then held my throat with one arm and in his other, his arm mounted plasma cannon was pointing at my temple.
"Doesn't this belong to you?" He taunted.
I whimpered softly as he squeezed my neck tighter.
"Starstrike! I don't know how you managed to capture her again Megatron, but I demand that you let her go!" He thundered.
"Patience Prime! I think you might be interested to hear what I've learned through Soundwave's mind scan of this pathetic creature. This Autobot is actually your human ally Marina!"
"What?!" Optimus replied with a look of shock in his optics.
"It seems that Wheeljack made a truly remarkable invention that was able to turn her into a Transformer!"
Wheeljack, who was in the back of the room, heard Megatron's words and froze in shock.
"But don't worry, she'll have no choice but to remain that way."
Then Megatron turned his head towards Soundwave. Soundwave nodded and opened a communication channel to Ravage. A moment later there was an explosion on the Ark and Optimus turned away from the monitor as someone yelled, "What was that blast?"
"It came from one of Wheeljack's labs!" Another Autobot answered.
Megatron then decided it was time to end transmission.
"Don't worry Prime, you will see her again very soon, you have my word." He said with an evil smile before severing the connection to Teletraan-1.
Megatron turned to face his fellow Decepticons. Nearly every optic was locked on the femme who was tightly constricted in his left arm.
"What are we gonna do with her boss?" Skywarp asked excitedly.
We are going to use this Autobot to infiltrate the Ark so we can ambush those pathetic Autobots and reduce them to scrap!" The Decepticons all cheered in unison.
Marina's optics widened.
"Like hell I will! I'd NEVER do anything to harm my Autobot friends!" She managed to say from behind Megatron's arm.
Megatron gazed down upon his captive.
"Oh you WILL follow orders, once you've been properly turned." Megatron finally released his grip and flung me into the waiting arms of the two closest Decepticons, who just happened to be Starscream and Skywarp.
"Starscream! Skywarp! Do to her as you wish, but do NOT offline her. I need her fully functional in order to perfume the change."
Her internal systems lurched as she heard the command that Megatron just gave the two Decepticons that held her tightly by her arms.
"All right!" Skywarp cheered. "Let's take her back to my quarters!"
"In your dreams you glitch!" Starscream snapped. "We're taking her to the recreation room so we all get a little fun with the femme!" I suddenly feared for my life as the two seekers dragged me down the hall. I felt even worse as I noticed four more large Decepticons starting to follow.
Once they dragged her away and were no longer in view, Megatron turned to Soundwave.
"Soundwave, prepare the mind control chip."
"It will take some time to prepare, Megatron." Soundwave answered, a little nervously.
Megatron frowned. "Very well. Let me know the moment it's ready."
__________________________________________________________________________
Back at Autobot headquarters, after Teletraan-1's monitor went blank, Optimus and the other Autobots ran toward the source of the explosion. Wheeljack was the first to arrive and was devastated at the damage Ravage had done. When Optimus finally got there, he started walking towards Wheeljack. The other Autobots slowly backed away, leaving him a clear path. When he saw Optimus coming towards him, he dropped his head in shame, for he knew exactly what he was going to tell him.
"Wheeljack, I thought I ordered you not to start any new projects without my personal authorization! Now because of you, Marina's life is in grave danger! Why did you invent this?"
Wheeljack sighed.
"Because she asked me to." He answered. Optimus jerked his head back in surprise.
"She wanted to be a Transformer so that she could experience a loving, long term relationship with one of us since the males of her species couldn't provide that. She was miserable Prime, I…I only wanted to help her find happiness."
Prime understood the reason for his actions, but still scolded him on the matter.
"Though your intentions were good, this is not how a human should live. I want you to repair this machine right now, and once she's rescued, I want you to change her back."
"I can't Prime." Wheeljack answered, his voice broken. "The damage to the equipment is beyond repair. She's gonna be stuck as a Transformer forever!"
Ravage, who was cloaked and standing on some nearby rubble, heard this new revelation and snuck out of the room. He bolted down the long corridors till he reached the exit. He then flew off into the sky towards Decepticon headquarters.
Optimus put a hand on Wheeljack's shoulder.
"I know it seems hopeless my friend, but I have faith that if you were able to build such a remarkable device in the first place, than instead of fixing this one, you can make another to reverse the process."
"I give you full authorization to start immediately." He stated as he removed his hand from his shoulder.
Wheeljack turned towards Optimus in surprise at his sudden approval.
"I know you can do this."
Optimus' words brought a rush of confidence to Wheeljack's facial expression.
"I'll do my best, Prime." He proudly answered.
"I know you will." He smiled.
___________________________________________________________________________
Back aboard the Nemesis in the recreation room, Marina continued being relentlessly tormented by her captors. She was getting exhausted and dizzy as each of the Decepticons had their turn with her, tossing her from one mech to the next, taunting and inspecting her slender, femme-like body appearance. Thundercracker currently held her, holding her arms behind her back tightly. He put his chin on her shoulder and whispered into her audio receptors.
"You're quite the pretty little femme." He chuckled as his internal temperature started to rise.
Suddenly the impatient Skywarp yanked her from his grip.
"Look TC!" Skywarp taunted as he held her neck with one arm, and slid his free hand over the armor of her abdomen, causing her to flinch and bring her legs closer together.
"Her body armor is black like mine! Jealous?"
Then another hand suddenly ripped her from Skywarp's grasp.
"We've never had a femme on the base before." A rather large Decepticon bellowed as she was thrown into his arms face first. He wrapped his bulky arms around her tightly and slowly began to squeeze. He started to chuckle. The pressure was painful, but she knew she had to take it.
"Blitzwing! Save some for the rest of us!" A tall purple Decepticon snapped, anxiously awaiting his turn.
"Switch off, Astrotrain!" He yelled back. "You'll get her when I'm done with her!"
Then he felt her body heat emanating from his embrace. He looked down at her then smirked. She fearfully looked back up into his hungry optics, sensing what he was thinking. Before he could make a move, an arm was then thrown around his face, causing him to be pulled back.
"My turn!" Shouted Astrotrain as he continued to pull him.
A few other impatient Decepticons joined in and tried to peel him off her. When they succeeded, she hit the floor with a thud. And though weak and in pain, she tried to crawl away. She had gotten a few feet when a blue hand closed around her ankle. She felt the grip of her captor and turned to see the same red seeker she had first met in the forest.
At first, she figured he was going to drag her like before, but instead, he pulled her close, and picked her up in his arms. Because she was weak, she couldn't protest. He said nothing as his ruby red optics gazed deep into her blue ones. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked away from the squabble of Decepticons, as they all dog piled over Blitzwing. Relieved to finally be free from the torment of the others, she unknowingly wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her face into his chest, in a way of thanks for being rescued. Starscream, at first, didn't know what to make of her actions and paused for a moment. Skywarp, who noticed Starscream trying to slink away with the femme without being seen, quickly teleported and appeared right in front of him. Still in a slight trance by her actions, Starscream re-focused his processor and stared down Skywarp with a vicious look.
"Get out of my way." He spat.
"Not so fast. Where do you think you're going with her?"
"I mean it Skywarp. Move."
"I don't think so, Screamer." He said as he stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest.
The fed up second-in-command slowly put the weak femme carefully on the floor, and with eyes still locked on Skywarp, dove for him. Of course he teleported to avoid being captured, but Starscream knew exactly where he would re-appear this time. Once he re-appeared, he leapt upon him and managed to get him in a headlock, and soon they were tussling on the floor.
Thankfully, Starstrike was able to regain her ability to stand and watched in terror as the two rolled about on the ground in front of her. This was the opportunity she needed to escape. She used the wall as a support as she continued to face them while she back stepped down the hall. As soon as she hit the corner, she slid out of view and proceeded to find a hiding place. There were many barracks down the next hall. She had to find a hiding place quickly, so she picked the first door on her left. Luckily it was open so she limped inside and shut it. Whoever the room belonged to, she didn't know. And she hoped that they wouldn't be coming back any time soon. She crawled towards and then sat in the darkest corner of the room and held her knees together. She could still hear the two Decepticons thumping about in the other hall. Suddenly, Megatron's voice erupted on the loudspeaker.
"SKYWARP! Report to the command bridge immediately!"
The thumping ceased and then she heard fast footsteps approaching the door of the room she was in! The door slid open and in walked Starscream. She let out a small gasp; which made him turn in her direction. He slowly stalked toward her, she whimpered as his feet stopped right before her trembling body. He got down on one knee and longingly gazed into her optics. Unsure of his intentions, she fearfully looked back into his. The moment of silence between them soon melted her fear of him and she released her knees and sat in a more relaxed pose. The way his mouth was slightly parted, gave her the impression that he wanted to say something to her. He was about to speak when Skywarp suddenly re-appeared in the middle of the room.
"Boss says he wants the femme. Now."
"In a minute." He answered, his back still facing Skywarp.
"Boss said NOW!" He yelled as he leapt on Starscream's back.
Again they tussled. Only this time Starstrike had a little more energy to get away. She got up and quickly ran out of the room. The long corridor seemed like it went on forever. Once she came to the end of it, she made a hard right and ran face first into Soundwave's chest. Her response time was still a little slow and she couldn't turn in time to escape his lightning fast hands as they both clasped around her neck. Her mouth was wide open, unable to breathe.
"You are expected in the med bay. You cannot avoid the inevitable."
"Let me go!" She managed to screech as she tried to struggle against his vice-like grip.
"You will cooperate, unless you would care to experience another mind scan?"
She froze at those words. She worriedly looked up into his red visor. He could clearly see the fear in her optics at the mere mention of the word. She quietly succumbed to his threat and closed her optics in defeat. Unable to fight it anymore, she let her body go limp. Once Soundwave knew she would not resist, he walked her towards the med bay. When they entered, Megatron was waiting inside, flipping a small microchip in his hand like a coin. Soundwave quietly placed her on the operating table right next to Megatron, then proceeded to strap down her arms and legs. She sadly stared into the bright lights on the ceiling above her, knowing that from this point on, there would absolutely be no chance of escape.
"Yes…you will make a fine Decepticon." Megatron declared.
Starstrike turned towards him and scoffed.
"What makes you think I would turn Decepticon willingly?"
"Oh you will...rather you like it or not." He brought the microchip close to her face so she could see it.
"Once we insert this mind control chip, you will have no say in the matter. You will do as I say without question!"
Starstrike's expression instantly changed from shock, to anguish.
"No…" She whispered under her breath, her voice cracking. "Please…Please don't do this!"
Megatron looked at me for a moment in silence. At first, I was again hoping he would have pity on me and show mercy, but that hope died when he turned away from me just as Soundwave injected me in the neck with a sedative, so he could start the procedure. I was a little unprepared for it as I jumped slightly as the needle invaded my main energon line. As I began to feel the sedative take effect, my thoughts turned to my Autobot friends. What horrible things would Megatron have me do to them? Would I even remember who I am once I awakened? Soon I could think no more as the darkness then engulfed me.
Soundwave put the syringe down and begun to insert the mind control chip. Once he was done with the procedure, he stood up tall, letting Megatron know he was done.
"The chip is in place, Megatron. The sedative will wear off in approximately 30 earth minutes."
"Will she have any recollection of what happened when she wakes?"
"Unlikely. When she wakes, she will be under the impression that she is a Decepticon, and that she has always been one."
"Excellent Soundwave. I will return in 30 minutes to give my…'Nightstrike', her first assignment."
Starscream was standing on the other side of the door to the med bay, eavesdropping on their conversation. When he heard Megatron's footsteps approaching the door, he backed away from it. When the doors slid open, he was surprised to see his second-in-command standing there, teetering a little bit as if he couldn't make up his mind to run or stay in the same place.
"Starscream, what are you doing here?"
The seeker stood tall and proud as he answered.
"I've…come to guard our new recruit."
"You actually WANT guard duty? Isn't that a little low on the duty list of a second-in-command?"
"I understand that, but I wish to experience all duties one must perform, in order for me to be a better leader."
Megatron angrily put his fists on his hips and thinned his optics at him. Starscream quickly tried to fix his little mistake.
"Uh…not that there's anything wrong with the one at present."
Megatron then agreed and dropped his offensive stance. He ordered him not to move from that door till he returned. Starscream eagerly obeyed. He wanted to be the first Decepticon (besides Megatron of course) for the femme to meet once she awakened.
Starstrike was already stirring minutes before she was to awaken. She felt the numbness going away and suddenly jolted awake. She looked around the room, kind of confused. When did she come in the med bay? She then got up and slid off the examining table, then started to walk towards the door. Starscream heard the footsteps and thought maybe Skywarp had teleported in there to cause trouble so he quickly opened the doors, jumped through them and pointed his null ray unknowingly at the approaching femme.
She was startled by the doors opening suddenly and removed her weapon from the holster in her leg and pointed it at Starscream. Not at his chest mind you, but at his head. He calmly talked her down.
"Whoa! Hey! Don't shoot! I'm a Decepticon like you!"
"You pull guns on your own kind often?" She snapped as she returned her gun to its holster.
"No, I—"
"Starscream! I told you not to leave this door!" Megatron yelled as he approached the doorway with Soundwave following. His anger faded when he saw the black femme already awake, and standing at attention.
"My dear Nightstrike has awakened!" He said with a smile, his arms open as if waiting to accept a hug.
'Nightstrike'...she thought to herself. Eh. Sounds about right. But she was still a little confused.
"What am I doing in the med bay? I don't remember coming in here."
"Never mind that. Are you ready for your first assignment?"
She then composed herself and answered, "Yes, Lord Megatron. What is it you wish me to do?"
Megatron seemed instantly impressed with her loyalty. None of the other Decepticons would of uttered those words and actually meant them. He knew their fear of him was the only reason they followed orders to begin with.
"I want you to infiltrate Autobot headquarters and blend in as one of their own, then take them out one by one when they least expect it."
She nodded. "As you wish, Lord Megatron."
"We also removed your Decepticon insignia..." He lied.
She looked down at her body armor noticing the absence of the familiar purple brand.
"...So they will not harm you at first glance."
"Oh, so that's why I was in the med bay." She deciphered.
Megatron felt her guess was a clever way to hide the truth, so he went with it.
"...Yes, that was the reason." He answered. Soundwave said nothing as he turned his head towards Megatron.
Starscream then interrupted. "Megatron, perhaps Nightstrike would...care to refuel with some energon before her departure? To make sure she is at peak strength before taking on all those Autobots?"
Nightstrike's optics thinned at him. She could sense the stutter in his question, as if he was hiding his true intentions.
"Excellent idea Starscream! Take her to the rec room and get her some energon." Then Megatron turned to her. "Then I want you to leave immediately."
"Understood." She said flatly. Then turned to accompany Starscream out of the med bay.
As they walked down the hall towards the rec room, Nightstrike turned towards the seeker and spoke.
"I know this is what you wanted."
"What? What are you talking about?" He answered nervously.
"I can feel your systems slightly overheating. It's pretty obvious you've got the hots for me."
Starscream turned red in the face, if that was even possible.
"No I don't! You don't even know what you're talking about!" He snapped back.
He even slightly increased the gap between them as they walked, and tried like crazy to cool his systems down.
When they reached the rec room, a few of the Decepticons that were tussling with her earlier, were shocked to see that she willingly came back to supposedly take more torture. With a smile, Blitzwing put down his energon drink and was the first to approach her.
"Hey there hot stuff! You back for more?" he taunted. His hand went straight for her aft and he shamelessly caressed it before slapping it hard.
"Oh yeah...I can tell you want some round 2!" He chuckled.
Her facial expression did not change as she slowly started to walk behind him then quickly grabbed that arm and pulled it tightly behind his back. He grunted then she swept her feet, tripping his large legs, succeeding in bringing the enormous mech to the floor. With one foot on the back of his head, she whipped out her gun from her leg holster and held it to his temple.
"I'd be careful what you say around this femme." She said aloud so all the other Decepticons could hear…which they did.
Then she leaned in and spoke softly into his audio receptor. "Or you might get hurt."
She walked off of him and grabbed the leftover energon he was drinking and downed it like a shot glass. She then wiped her mouth.
"This little bit outta last me." She said as she carelessly flung the empty cube behind her. It clunked on Blitzwing's head.
"I'll radio you guys when the all the Autobots are DEAD!" She laughed before she transformed into car mode and peeled out towards the exit.
The other Decepticons gawked at her in silence. Blitzwing got to his feet, pretty much in shock himself at the change in attitude in her now, compared to hours earlier.
"Wow." Was all Blitzwing could say.
Starscream watched her leave, then looked around the room to see if anyone was watching him. When he noticed that some were, he proceeded to exit the rec room from the opposite entrance, not to make it obvious that he was going to follow her. Once through the door, he transformed to jet mode and went after her.
Megatron was very eager to see Nightstrike in action. So he too also left for Autobot headquarters. He wanted to make sure her allegiance was concrete. And would eliminate her at the first sign of betrayal. A duty that only he himself would relish.
__________________________________________________________________________
When she arrived, she fearlessly strode through the entrance. There was nobody around. This was good. It would be easier to offline them one at a time if nobody even knew she was there to be suspicious of her.
Feeling slightly nostalgic, she unexpectedly walked past her barracks. She stopped for a moment and turned towards the door. It was still open. Then she turned her head to look at the opposite wall. Strangely, there was an impact in the wall, but the thing that had made the impact was no longer there.
Why was she looking there? Was there something she was trying to remember? She refocused her processor. She then heard footsteps approaching. She ducked into her empty dark barracks and leaned up against the wall within. She heard the doors of the room two barracks down open and shut. Her head emerged from her room and she smiled wickedly.
'My first victim' she thought.
The door was unlocked so she walked right in and stood in a provocative pose with a lustful smile on her face, ready to pull out her gun from her holster the minute he let his guard down. Tracks was shocked to see her. At first, he almost didn't recognize her.
"Starstrike! Is that you?"
Her brow plates came down at the mispronunciation of her name. How did he even know who she was? Yet the name seemed correct to her for some reason. She shook her head and resumed her mission. She pulled out her gun from her leg holster and pointed it at his head.
"Whoa hey! What are you doing?" He shrieked as he put his hands up.
She noticed the sincere look in his optics. She could tell he wasn't going to pull his gun on her.
"I said I would sincerely hope to see you again, but not like THIS!"
His words bewildered her even more. Did he know her? Somehow she briefly recalled the conversation they had outside her door. But how? She closed her optics and then ran out of his room towards the entrance of the Ark. Tracks followed her.
"Hey wait! Starstrike come back! I'm not gonna hurt you!"
Once she reached the exit, she stopped on the dirt and leaned against the large rocks that made up the side of the volcano, putting both her hands on the sides of her head.
Why couldn't she do this? Why couldn't she effectively execute her mission? She couldn't figure out why…until Tracks caught up with her. Since he was an Autobot, she knew she had to kill him, but couldn't for the life of her, bring her weapon up. It shook violently in her hands. When he got to her, he put his hands on her arms tightly and looked into her optics.
"What's wrong with you, Starstrike?" He shook her violently. "This isn't you!" He yelled.
His shaking of her jarred the mind control chip from its slot, but not completely. Starscream had just arrived on the cliff not far from them, but remained low and hidden so he was not to be seen. Megatron, who flew in from a slightly different degree, landed on a cliff opposite of where Starscream was. He didn't notice Starscream, but Starscream noticed him, but remained hidden among the rocks to see what unfolded.
Megatron then saw the two Autobots facing each other against the rock wall. He was furious. Why was that Autobot still alive? He flew down and landed near them with a thud.
"I knew it, traitor!" He bellowed.
"No!" She pleaded. "I will destroy this Autobot for you my Lord!"
She smacked Tracks' hands off her shoulders and pointed her gun at his gut, then closed her eyes and turned away as she pulled the trigger.
"Unhhhh!" He managed to grunt before toppling backwards and falling onto his back. His chest profusely leaking energon.
"Ahh--!!!" He worriedly murmured as he tried to stop the flow.
He brought a drenched hand close to his face, then his eyes wandered beyond it to Starstrike's determined expression.
Megatron laughed.
"Excellent Nightstrike! Now finish him!" He eagerly awaited her next move.
She timidly raised her gun towards Track's head when he suddenly spoke.
"Marina…please…I know its you. Don't do this…"
Her optics widened and she gasped. Suddenly her mainframe was overrun with all her memories of who she was.
Megatron optics flashed with anger. He instantly knew the reason why she delayed in killing the Autobot.
"So your memory has returned…" She worriedly turned towards him.
"I don't know how that's possible, but I guess that means I no longer need you."
Expecting the worst, she quickly brought her gun up to try and take a shot at Megatron, only he was one step ahead of her and she took a massive blow to her chest. The blast knocked her off her feet and she landed on the floor in indescribable pain. But for some reason, instead of yelling in pain, the warning systems in her cpu were informing her of various system failures. She tried to move, but the blast did tremendous amounts of damage, hindering her mobility. As she lay there, energon now leaking from her small frame, Megatron approached her helpless body.
"I don't tolerate traitors." He pointed his fusion cannon at her head and she say on the floor. "Goodbye my dear."
As she closed her optics, she knew the sound of the cannon's fire was sure to be the last thing she would ever hear in her life, but it was not! It was someone shouting. Someone shouting the words:
"NOOOOO!!! STOP!!!"
She opened her optics to see Starscream wrapped like a backpack on Megatron's back, doing his best to keep the barrel of Megatron's fusion cannon out of her line of fire. He had saved her! She watched unwaveringly as they struggled.
Tracks, who was doing his best to try and sit up, used what strength he had and activated his silent alarm to warn the other Autobots that he was in critical condition and that he required assistance. He then turned towards Starstrike's downed body.
"Don't worry Marina. Help's on the way."
And sure as rain, down the hallway of the Ark, came the Autobots , charging to Tracks' aid with Optimus Prime leading the pack.
"Megatron!" Optimus shouted as he stopped a few feet away from his two downed Autobots.
Megatron stopped fighting Starscream the instant his main adversary made his presence known.
"Prime!" He called out, a little bit of worry in his voice, as he was unprepared for Autobot reinforcements.
"Autobots! Open fire!" Optimus shouted.
And soon the two Decepticons were pelted with deadly close range laser fire.
"Retreat!" Megatron shouted as he tried to block the searing shots.
Then the two Decepticons headed for the air. Megatron then noticed the extensive amount of space Starscream left between them as they flew back to the Nemesis. His voice dropped to a very deadly register.
"You are in SO much trouble when we get back. You better hope to Primus that I don't dismantle you completely!"
Then the two disappeared into the orange evening clouds.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Once they were gone, Optimus looked down helplessly at Marina's battered protoform as it sparked and jerked, leaking energon all over the place.
Wheeljack then kneeled in front of her heavily damaged body and was practically in tears.
"I'm so sorry Marina. I didn't mean for this to happen."
She smiled weakly at him, despite all that has happened in the past few hours, not feeling any regret in the choice that she had made. At least now she was finally safe with the Autobots, and she wouldn't have to worry about Megatron's vengeful wrath anymore.
Optimus then yelled for Ratchet.
"RATCHET! Get your aft down here immediately! We have an Autobot in critical condition!"
Ratchet had already been running down the hall when Optimus gave the order. He kneeled beside Wheeljack and gave her a thorough scan to check for internal damages.
"Primus...we need to get her to the med bay STAT!" He shouted.
Then a handful of Autobots carefully lifted her off the ground and carried her towards the med bay. Sideswipe and Ironhide on the other hand, walked over to where Tracks had fallen, and together they hoisted him to his feet and then also started walking him towards the med bay.
"Don't worry Tracks, we gotcha buddy." Ironhide consoled.
The only sound that escaped Tracks' vocal processor was deep moan of gratitude.
It seemed like hours had gone by as Optimus and a handful of Autobots paced around the waiting area in front of the door to the surgery wing. The waiting was excruciating! Then finally Ratchet emerged from the doors of the surgery wing with his head down, wiping energon off of his hands with a rag. All optics shot towards his facial expression, to determine if the operation was a success or a failure. His deep frown brought an uneasy fear to the Autobots in the waiting room.
"Well?" Optimus asked, his voice laden with anticipation.
Ratchet stopped wiping his hands and slowly raised his head and smiled.
"She's gonna make it."
A rush of relief filled the sparks of all the mechs in the room.
"Megatron's shot came dangerously close to her spark chamber, and its casing is slightly cracked and still very fragile, so she's gonna have to stay in bed for a week. "
"Can we see her?" Optimus asked eagerly.
"Sure. Just keep it down. She's still very groggy from the anesthetic."
They all followed him into the RR and then circled her berth. She picked up the vibrations of their footsteps and slowly opened her optics. She smiled wholeheartedly at her Autobot friends. Seeing all those concerned optics brought a warm feeling to her spark. Still exhausted from the whole ordeal, she let her smile fall and fell into recharge.
Seven days had come and gone, and she was finally able to walk again. That morning, she was up early and happily admiring herself in her full length mirror that Wheeljack had installed on the wall opposite her recharge berth while she was still bed-ridden. She purposely left the door to her room wide open so passerby's could also gawk at her loveliness. Tracks limped into the doorway and called her name.
"Marina?"
She turned around and within seconds, a huge smile spread across her faceplates.
"Tracks! It's so good to see you up and about!" She pranced towards him and roughly threw her arms around his waist in a friendly manner.
"Ouch! Careful. I still haven't healed completely!" He chuckled.
"Oh! Sorry." She reluctantly pulled away. Lowering her head and turning it away from him.
"It's all my fault you know? You were hurt because of me. I was the one who pulled the trigger that put you in that state."
"Marina, don't forget you were under Decepticon control. I don't blame you for what happened."
Her optics started to get watery and then slowly and carefully she re-wrapped her arms around him again and wept.
"I'm so sorry."
"It's alright Kiddo. All is forgiven."
He returned the hug and wrapped his still sore arms around her small frame.
"Now come on, Optimus is requesting your presence."
She raised her head from his chest.
"Huh? He is?"
"Yup. And I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you! Come on. He actually sent me to come and get you."
Because of the major happenings a week ago, she was fearful at first, expecting him to be angry for endangering the lives of the Autobots on the base. When she entered the assembly hall, she saw Optimus standing steadfastly next to Teletraan-1 with his hands on his hips. This didn't look good. Tracks encouragingly pushed her from behind towards him but her feet didn't want to.
Optimus could see her trepidation and instead came to her. She huddled against Tracks' body armor as Optimus came closer.
"Marina. Don't be afraid. I'm not angry with you."
She picked her head up and looked up at him.
"You're not?" Her voice shook with worry.
"No. But I am going to give you an order. One you must acknowledge and execute."
Her eyes remained locked on him as she nodded.
"I want you to change back into a human."
Her optics opened wide in disbelief.
"What?"
"This is not how a human should live. Since the other machine was destroyed, I've ordered Wheeljack to begin work on another one. And according to his report, his task will be complete by this evening. So you have the rest of the day to enjoy your current state. I'm sorry Marina, but we are only doing what's best for you."
She knew deep inside that he was right. Although her heart's desire was so close to coming true, she agreed with Optimus' order, and decided that it was the right thing to do. It would just mean she would have to go back to the drawing board and look for a life partner in the sea of idiots again.
As the day came to a close, and the sun started to set behind the volcano, Marina knew it was time for her to head down to Wheeljack's workshop. Time for her to go back to her pathetic existence as a human.
She was satisfied however. The day was just a smorgasbord of Autobot goodies! She raced with the twins Sunstreaker and Sideswipe on the open highways, she went off-roading with Hound, (not caring for any damage done to her alt mode as she would never be in it again anyways), hanglided with Powerglide, picked flowers with Beachcomber, drove downtown with Bumblebee and spied on her ex-boyfriends, challenged Cliffjumper to an actual cliff jumping contest, (she won), went water-skiing with Seaspray, taught Trailbreaker how to play Poker, taught Bluestreak how to write poetry, taught Ratchet how to build a makeshift splint from materials in the wild for his fellow Autobots in case he wasn't anywhere near a med bay or his tools, helped organize Prowl's reports by introducing him to a more effective filing system, burned some of her CDs for Jazz, taught Ironhide "meditation" in hopes of getting him to relax more and not be at the throats of his fellow Autobots, and even brought leaves to Perceptor to look at through his microscope because of his curiosity of the term 'Photosynthesis'.
Thinking back on her long day, she felt something. Something inside her. A feeling she had never felt before in her entire life. It was fulfillment. She smiled to herself upon realizing this. Because of all she had experienced in the past few days, she was sure that was the reason for it. She had never felt so fulfilled in her entire life! If her doom was to become human again and be alone forever, then she would gladly embrace her fate wholeheartedly, for she felt her life was now complete.
Even though it only lasted a few days, the life-threatening danger, the torture and emotions she experienced with the Transformers was a mind-altering experience, and more than she could have ever hoped for. She eyed the horizon with her optics for one last time before turning away from it and continued towards Wheeljack's workshop. The Autobots that she passed in the hallways, eyed her with sorrow. They knew she wanted to remain like them, but Optimus' orders were final. As she strode into the lab, Optimus, Wheeljack, and Tracks were the only mechs in there. Wheeljack readied the equipment by punching a few buttons, and a hum started to fill the room.
"Marina…are you ready?" Prime asked.
"Yes." She said flatly.
She turned towards the spires and slowly started walking towards them.
"Wait…" Tracks reached out for her hand and stopped her. She looked sadly into his optics.
"Marina, I…I just want you to know that…" Tracks struggled to finish his sentence.
"That I…" He continued.
Marina smiled at him, and shook her head. She then embraced him for the last time. His arms slowly closing around her.
"I know what you wanna say Tracks. But perhaps its better if left unsaid."
There was a look of disappointment in his optics.
"You were the most sincere gentleman…well, 'bot' that I've ever met! And I truly thank you for that."
While still making eye contact, Marina slowly pulled away from his embrace, turned then proudly marched toward the spires.
Right before she walked through, she slowly looked over her shoulder at him, the same way she did when he had walked her to her quarters. Her optics dimmed and a single tear rolled down her faceplate as she said the last words that would ever come out of her vocal processor:
"Goodbye Tracks."
She turned back towards the green light and walked through. Again the heat surrounded her. There was no turning back now. She felt herself getting closer to the ground and once through the other side, she fell to her hands and knees. It actually hurt the pads of her hands a little, but the pain was a welcome sensation. As was the heaving of her chest for oxygen. Once she was no longer hindered by the transformation sequence, she got up. She tilted her head back to meet the eyes of her towering Autobot friends and smiled at Prime and the others, her way of letting them know that she was alright, but she said nothing, nothing at all as she walked out of the lab and towards her old room. The one that would appeal more to her human size.
She remained in solitude, only letting a handful of bots come and visit her. She didn't need to hear anymore sympathy from the others, or to have them console her cause she couldn't get what she wanted. But she wasn't bitter. Nor was she bitter that Prime told Wheeljack to dismantle the machine the very next day. His decision was final. And she agreed with him. It was safer this way. No Decepticons would be able to misuse her like the way they did ever again.
"Marina! You in there?"
She shook the thoughts from her head for the moment and ran to open her door at the urgency of the Autobots' voice.
"Yeah? Oh, hi Tracks. What is it? What's up?"
"That movie that just came out that you like so much is having some kind of promotion! The theatre up the highway is giving away free movie prequel comic books to the first 100 ticket sale customers! I know you love that movie so I figured you'd wanna get one too."
Marina's eyes opened wide with excitement and opened her mouth wide as she drew in a deep loud gasp.
"OH MY GOD! Tracks you gotta take me there RIGHT NOW!"
She stood in front of him with her hands clenched into fists, while stomping her feet as fast as her body would allow.
"Hop in!" Tracks transformed to vehicle mode and sprouted wings from his underbelly and rocketed down the outer hallway and out of the Ark.
They arrived and landed behind the theatre, so they wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. Marina quickly opened the car door and ran towards the theatre.
"I'll be back Tracks!" she shouted as she turned the corner of the building.
There was a humongous line at the front door, she ran to get into it, hoping that she wasn't too late. She had barely made it as the last 3 comics were sprawled out on the table in front of her. When it was her turn, she grabbed the second to last the comic from the table and hugged it gently, but when the time came to buy the movie ticket, she was stunned when she realized that in her haste, she forgot to bring any money! She was just about to burst into tears when an arm came between her and the vendor, holding a $10 bill. Her eyes shot towards the owner of the hand, and saw a boy about her age, with dark hair, holding a comic book in his arm, just like her.
"I got this." He smiled at the vendor and then moved his eyes towards her.
She gazed into his with a look of wonder. He was so…perfect. He stood there silently, waiting for me to say something.
"I…I…um…th-thank you." She blushed.
Then she pointed to the comic in his hand.
"I see you're a fan of this movie too."
"You bet. I was the first person in line!" He laughed.
Her eyes closed halfway at the sound of his laugh. It was like a siren's song to her. Finally realizing what he had just said, she continued her conversation.
"You were?" Her interest in him doubled at that very statement.
"Yup." He responded.
Suddenly she was feeling gutsy.
"Well, then why don't we see it together?"
"Sure. It would be my honor."
He crooked his arm for her and she happily took hold of it. As they walked towards the entrance of the theatre, Marina knew that her pathetic existence would be pathetic no more. After her entire ordeal of becoming a Transformer, she was sure nothing would have been able to top that…until now.