Title: Breaking the Cage

Author: ontuva

Beta: Open Office ;_;

Rating: T

Pairing: ?

Genre: Friendship, adventure, humor, romance?

Summary: Aurora Banes suddenly finds herself inhabiting a Transformer. Never in her life have things been so utterly complicated. She can't even eat chocolate anymore!

Warnings: Cursing, domestic abuse, violence (hm. They go really well with the genres, don't you think?), AU

Disclaimer: I don't own Tranformers, although I'd like to. ;_; (Well, I do own Bumblebee, Ironhide and Ratchet as toys.) I don't get any money from writing this fic, so don't sue me! I don't have any money, I'm a student. ;_;.

Word count: 3,550

A/N: This is my first Transformers-fic, be gentle with me! ^_^ I got the idea about two months ago and been thinking about it since. First I thought I would not write this, because I have so many other fics I need to work with too, but this just wouldn't leave me alone. I had to write it.

I'm more familiar with Tranformers-movies, so that's why I chose the movieverse. But there will be bots that weren't in the movies and I'm going to take the AU-route here. So Revenge of the Fallen and Dark Side of the Moon have not happened.

oOo

Chapter 1: Reborn

"I'm going to take the job," she informed bluntly. Immediately she regretted saying those words. The result was one dropped coffee mug and ruined carpet. She'd be cleaning that one later, but now she had to face the storm that was in front of her. Not that she wasn't expecting the reaction to be fierce, after all she had spent all her day thinking of all the possible scenarios of breaking the news to her fiance. They all ended rather badly.

"What?" was the stunned reply. Brown eyes stared at her, the shock evident in them. "I thought we talked about this, Aurora! I don't want to move to Mission City. Not after those terrorist attacked it!"

She rolled her eyes at him. It was always like this with Dave. He always found some reason why she shouldn't be doing this or shouldn't be doing that. She was getting tired of it. And she had gotten a lot of pep-talk from her co-workers too. This time she would do something she wanted instead of doing something Dave wanted.

"I was there during the attack, Dave! I told you – it wasn't a terrorist attack! There were huge robots fighting each other and I even got the shrapnel in my chest to prove it. The government is hiding something. Something big and metallic, I might add!"

"More the reason for you to stay out of the city! Goddammit woman, are you an idiot or just plain crazy?" Aurora could see the fists of Dave tensing and relaxing.

"I'm a nurse! I help people where they need me! The city is still in chaos and they need more workers!" She tried touching Dave to soothe him down and cringed when he pushed her hand away. "I just want to go where I'm needed."

Aurora Banes had been working as a nurse for four years in the local health center. She knew her every patient by name, greeted them politely when saw them out in town and even visited her neighbors when they needed her. Yet she felt like she could do more. Living in a relatively small town made her feel like she was caged. And in a way she probably was.

Years ago she had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but a certain tall, black-haired and freakishly handsome man had stepped in her life and made her dreams change. Now her dreams consisted of Dave and a small house with a backyard. Then her boss had told her about the job in Mission City. It started haunting her. She just knew she had to take it. After the attack Mission City had suffered it became even more important for her to get to work there.

"What about me? I need you too!" Dave yelled and threw his arms in the air his face full of disgust. "Oh, now I get it! You want to leave to the big city to have fun! And you'll laugh with your new friends to your pathetic fiance who's waiting for you at home!"

"Dave! I'd never do that and you know it! And I want you to move to Mission City with me!" she tried to reason with him. He was just shocked because of the situation. He would come to his senses. Aurora was sure of that. Or at least she hoped so.

"And leave all my friends? Leave my folks? Not happening, Aurora! Not in this life!" There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that Aurora had seen many times before, but this was something she wanted so badly! She needed this! Sudden fear of never leaving the small town and not living her life made her blurt out words she never thought she would say out loud:

"What friends? The only friends I've seen you have all the drunks in the local bar! And you don't have a job, so what's the problem? It's not like you visit your folks either!" She gasped in surprise when she felt her head hit the nearby wall. For a moment her vision blurred and stars danced in front of her instead of Dave's angry face.

"Don't ever speak to me like that again," he growled at her ear. "I'll kill you if you take the job!" She tried apologizing, but his hand was choking her so hard the only sound she was able to make was pathetic whimpering.

"Could you repeat, because I didn't quite hear you," he taunted her. "What did you say? Are you sorry?"

"I'm...sorry," Aurora managed to squeeze out and to her relief Dave released his grip from her throat but still kept her pinned against the wall.

"Good girl," he whispered and patted her head like she was a dog. "I'll be going to see my friends now and when I come back I want to hear nothing about Mission City." He glanced behind him and then back at Aurora. "I want that rug to be cleaned too. Is that clear? Understood?"

"Yes," she uttered and kept her gaze on the floor. Tears were gathering in her eyes and she was trying her best to not let them out. Dave wouldn't like that. He never liked when she was crying. He said it made him feel like a villain, when he was only correcting her errors. He was only making her a better person and protecting her from mistakes she might take.

"Good." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, patted her cheek and left the house while whistling happily. The closing door left an echo in the house and Aurora couldn't shake the feeling that was the door of her cage closing and locking her in.

When she knelt down on the floor and started collecting the broken pieces of the mug she finally let the tears come. At first it was just a single tear but it broke the dam. She was sobbing uncontrollably, the despair and disappointment finally taking a form. She was living Dave's dream, not her own. Realizing it made her sob even more. It wasn't easy to admit to herself that the last eight years of them being together were a huge mistake. It wasn't easy to admit that the handsome football player that had fallen for one of his team's cheerleaders would some day turn out to be an abusive fiance who lived off on his girlfriend's paycheck.

Yet Aurora had loved him. She had accepted his flaws and tried to understand why he did what he did. Every time she received a beating she reasoned it must have been because of something she did.

She still remembered the first time. It was after they had graduated and she had decided to surprise him. After being a long haired blonde for her whole life she had craved for a change. Turned out Dave did not. When he saw her chocolate brown hair that was now shoulder length, he had gone nuts. He had yelled at her because she had not asked for his permission and in the end slapped her. Of course that led to a series of apologies and Aurora's heart had melted. Dave had promised it would be the first and last time.

It wasn't.

The worst had been after she had gone to Mission City. Aurora had told him she was going to have a job interview about a vacant nurse spot in one of the larger hospitals in Mission City. She had thought he'd be happy. It turned out to be quite the contrary. After he found out she had gone to the interview, even when he had clearly stated she wasn't going to go anywhere, he had been beyond rage. It didn't matter Aurora had survived an attack the government was blaming on the terrorists.

Luckily she had been able to use Mission City as an excuse for her injuries when showed up at work. Explaining broken hand, bruises, concussion and a nasty cut on her side would've been difficult otherwise.

After that she had tried to explain to Dave why the job in Mission City was so important to her and why she had wanted to go. It was like talking to a wall. A wall that beat you and kicked you down.

But never had he threatened to take her life. A sudden surge of fear passed through her. This had been her wake up call. If she wanted to be happy, she'd have to do it without Dave in her life.

oOo

The first thing Aurora did in the morning was to sneak in their living room and call to the hospital that had wanted to hire her. She didn't dare to step outside the house, fearing Dave might wake up and realize what she was doing.

After stating her name and that she was glad to accept the job that was offered to her Aurora couldn't help but to feel relieved. She was turning a new page on the book of her life. A smile danced in her lips. She was finally doing her own decisions!

"Glad to have you on board, Miss Banes! Your work starts at 9 am on Monday in room 8010 with orientation. Welcome to Mission City!"

"Thank you! See you on Monday!" she ended the call. For a while she just sat still and stared out of the window. Mission City. A new job. With endless possibilities! A goofy grin settled on her face.

"Who are you seeing on Monday?" a grim voice asked behind her. Aurora froze. Her mind was racing. She needed to think of something, quickly!

"Ah, mom called!" she made up. "She and dad will be visiting us on Monday. Hope you don't mind?" Aurora hoped her face didn't betray that she was lying. Dave seemed to buy it, since he didn't lash out at her. But he didn't look happy either.

"I've never liked your parents," he muttered and went grumpily into the kitchen only to return a moment later with empty coffee pot in hand. "Now what's wrong with this picture?"

Aurora quickly rose to her feet and smiled apologetically at him.

"I'm sorry, mom called before I had the chance to do anything," she explained and was surprised when she didn't feel any guilt for lying straight at his face.

They shared their breakfast in silence. Dave was brooding in his coffee mug and Aurora was too busy focusing on her yoghurt. She feared she might slip something if she tried small-talking.

"You know what?" Dave asked her when the silence started to feel too suffocating. Aurora raised her eyes from the yoghurt to meet his gaze.

"What?" she asked.

"You still remember that cavern-expedition they are having nearby?"

"Yes?" Aurora furrowed. She had wanted to go there during the summer, but Dave had always told her not to.

"Well, they are closing it the next week, because they don't have that many tourist going there anymore. I was thinking that maybe I have been too harsh on you. Would you like to go there tomorrow?" He even did his famous knee-buckling smile at her. Aurora hadn't seen that smile in ages. She couldn't resist smiling back. Maybe she had been too harsh on Dave too. Maybe they both could go to Mission City and start anew. She could try to bring the subject up when they came back from the expedition.

"I'd love to!" she answered, her eyes gleaming with joy.

oOo

"The origins of these paintings are unknown, although scientist and archaeologist are debating wildly where they might've come from and what the pictures are displaying. Some are saying they see a huge robot in these paintings! That of course had led to wild tales and rumors on how there is actually a huge alien robot-grave under these rocks! Can you believe that? Well, of course we haven't found any proof of any aliens and if you ask me that picture represents more a mammoth than a robot..."

"How long is he going to talk about those stupid markings. No one cares," Dave muttered angrily. Aurora glared at her. She had been interested in everything the guide had had to say!

So far the expedition had been everything she had dreamed it would be. It was a dark cave filled with stories to tell! Although the area deemed tourist-safe was small compared to the size of the whole complex, it was still big enough to have a two hour expedition. She felt like Indiana Jones!

"Hey, let's have an adventure!" Dave suddenly whispered in her ear, his voice suddenly mischievous. Aurora raised her eyebrow at him. Adventure? She was already having one!

She yelped in surprise, when Dave snatched her hand and began softly pulling her away from the others. Aurora glanced back at the group that was still too focused on the guide to see two people slip away in the side corridors.

"What are you doing? We'll get lost!" she hissed at Dave, but shut her mouth when she saw Dave glare at her.

"I want to see the bridge!" Dave explained and continued his walk. Aurora didn't have a choice but to follow, realizing her hand was now gripped tightly by Dave. She hoped they wouldn't get lost. As if guessing her thoughts she showed her a map he was holding.

"I got this from a friend. They went to see the bridge and said it was the best part!"

"Why isn't the guided tour going to this bridge then?" Aurora asked. She was still afraid of getting lost in the tunnels. Then again, they were still in an area that was lit, so they'd probably find their way back following the lights.

"It was closed off, because it was considered to be too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" She didn't like the sound of that.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. There are crystals there I want to show you." Dave turned his head towards her so she could see the dashing smile he was sending her way. Aurora felt her heart skip a beat.

"Crystals?" she breathed.

"Yep! I thought you might like them. They say they look like stars. I want my star to shine amidst them."

"You are so sweet!" Aurora couldn't help but to feel happy with him. It was like he was a changed man. Maybe even he had realized he had gone too far and was now ready to change back to the man he used to be.

"I love you too, babe. I love you too," he chuckled. She couldn't resist an eager giggle.

Her mood changed though when they didn't find any bridge. They were on a ledge. A cold dread settled in Aurora's heart, but she refused the believe in the warning her brain was screaming at her.

"It seems the bridge is collapsed," she pointed out and tried not to stand so near the edge. She couldn't see to the bottom and it didn't take her long to decide she didn't even want to. Aurora wanted to go back to the group. It was clear there was nothing to see here. Even though Dave had promised her crystals.

"So it seems," Dave replied darkly and Aurora's gaze widened when she heard the malice in his voice. Suddenly she felt very, very scared and alone. Oh, why had she come here with Dave? She knew he was quick-tempered and unpredictable. She should've known something was going on.

"Dave, you are scaring me," she said and tried to walk back to the corridor they had come from, but Dave had an iron-like grip from her hand.

"Don't you dare to go anywhere!" he hissed and spun her against him. Aurora felt her breath get caught in her throat. She had never seen Dave look quite so mad. He was literally shaking with rage.

"Dave, what is going on?" she feigned ignorance. What had she done to get him mad? He couldn't have find about Mission City? She gulped. If he had...

"You know perfectly well what is going on, Aurora! You accepted the job! You were going to leave me!" He was squeezing Aurora's arms so hard she was sure bruises were already forming. She had to do everything she could to not yell from the pain. That would only make him angrier.

"No, you got it all wrong! I want you to come with me!" she tried, although she knew it was futile. Dave was already beyond reasoning.

"I don't want to go to Mission City! And I sure as hell don't want you to work there where hundreds of other men can be gawking at you and I can't be there to make sure you are mine and only mine! You – are – mine!" he yelled and shook her violently.

"Dave! Calm down! If you don't want me to go, I won't! Just let me go! You are hurting me!" she pleaded with tears rolling down from her eyes. She couldn't keep them in anymore. Aurora was scared for her life.

"Oh, you think tears are going to save you, you little bitch?" Dave growled at her. "You really think I'm going to pity your little act. I know you have some other guy in Mission City, otherwise you wouldn't be wanting to go there. And I thought I would marry you!" Aurora shook her head.

"There's no other guy, I swear, I love you and only you! Please, let's go home, I want to go home," she begged.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you anymore," Dave stated suddenly devoid of any emotion. "You are still lying to me. I can see it in your eyes. Goodbye, Aurora."

The sudden push made Aurora lose her footing and she could feel herself falling over the edge.

"Help! No! No! Help!" she managed to yell before Dave gave her the final nudge she needed to fall to the abyss that awaited her. She screamed from the top of her lungs and waited for Dave to catch her, to get her back at the last moment. He didn't. Time stopped. Aurora could hear him chuckle. Chuckle.

"Stupid bitch."

She could see her grinning at her fall until the blackness shrouded her. It felt like she was falling forever. Maybe she was? Maybe this was the eternal torment awaiting for her? To fall endlessly.

Her thoughts stopped abruptly when she met the steel-like bottom. For a moment she could feel excruciating pain, more than she ever thought was even possible of feeling and after that - darkness surrounded with blue light.

oOo

Warning: low energon. She squinted her eyes trying to make sense of the text. Then she decided she was still asleep, because the message didn't go away. Warning: low energon. It was followed by series of smaller warnings, each and everyone of them telling her as much as the first one – nothing. She concluded that her workday must have been more stressful than before, because her subconsciousness was apparently working a bit too hard.

Then she realized she hurt. She hurt a lot. Dreams didn't usually contain physical pain. She was awake then? But...

The warnings still blinked in front of her eyes. She tried whisking them away with her hand and ended up hitting herself in the face.

"Ow," she muttered or rather tried to. The sound that came out sounded more like static followed with several beeps than her own voice. She fell silent immediately. Then she tried again. The same sound came out.

She laid still for several moments. She had gone crazy. There was no other explanation. She had gone crazy and she was having hallucinations. Vivid hallucinations.

She hoped she could see around her. Maybe this was just a prank. A very good prank, albeit very scary too.

The warning sign didn't leave her sight, but a new message popped up. Changing to night mode. She tensed even more. She was even more sure she had gone crazy. No sane person would have this experience. And this was too well done to be prank.

Good news was she could see. Bad news was there wasn't much to see. There were rocks around her. She couldn't see the roof. Apparently she was in a cave of some sorts? And for some reason her hand looked like a robot's hand. Good hallucinations. Very imaginable.

It was at that moment that the memories her consciousness had tried to store away reappeared. The caves, the tour, the bridge, Dave, the fall. There was a weigh on her chest. Her body. Her body broken. Her body bent in a way that shouldn't be possible, the dead eyes starting right at her their light missing. She had died. Aurora Banes had died.

The scream escaping her was alien and echoed through the cavern. She didn't stop until only static came out.

OOo

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Should I continue? Tell me what you think!