Summary: You we're my first friend, I supported you and your ideals. But you've forgotten me. I will do the same to you. But why do you haunt me so?
A/N: Okay, before you guys maul and hang me and throw tomatoes at me for not doing Femme of the Century for soooooo long I have a reason. First off FotC is still going to be up updated but will be slower than usual-I'm sorry. Also I have unconsciously written another TFP fic that has more chapters than FotC. Looking over the draft I've realized that I have been a complete idiot for not posting it sooner because of it's potential. Which led me to this. So please enjoy reading the first chapter and tell me what you guys think. Constructive criticism is welcome and flames will be used to light your bonfires as I will tie you to a stake. ∩_∩
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Transformers Prime, enough said. I only own my OC's that will be mentioned.
Chp 1: That's the way the story goes
A gray and black colored femme with hints of blue on her armor sat in one of the vacant tables in Iacon 's Hall of Records*. She almost always go there whenever she has time or any time at all. Primus knows that being one of the rare female gladiators in Kaon has had her schedule packed. But never the less, she took great pleasure on moments like these.
But it seems she was not the only one there that cycle.
Orion Pax was reading one of the data pads he carried as he made hi way to the Hall of Records. He has been coming and going there many times that his body moved automatically on it's own.
Looking up to make sure that he was going the right way but paused as he saw the same femme from last time. It had been at least a groon or two since he saw her last. Her visits we're not constant nor they were frequent. Her visits were sporadic at best.
She was not like the femmes he has seen. Her built was sleek indicating that she was made for speed that her form possesses. Her armor protected the most vital parts of her body. And from he can see her armor was both strong but light. She was not the prettiest femme but there was a certain...beauty on her. The most prominent are her optics, which we're a brighter color of blue.
Orion snapped out of his musings when somebot cleared there voice box. His optics caught the femmes amused ones. His check plates warmed seeing as he was caught before quickly and awkwardly turning his helm away.
He began to walk towards the section where he can return the data pads in their proper places. By all means he was not that good with the opposite gender, he felt quite shy and foolish to be truthful. Perhaps someday he will have the courage to do so and socialize. But not right now. He still has his occupation to think of such things.
Placing the data pads on the shelves he pulled out his own personal data pad from his subspace and checked the data banks for any more pads that needed storing.
"Hello."
He yelped in surprise, much to his embarrassment from the sudden presence of s new voice. Turning his helm he blinked in to see the femme there, clutching a data pad to her chest plate.
Orion cleared his voice box. "H-Hello." Curse his stuttering.
The femme gave a small smile, ignoring his stutter completely and held out her right servo.
"My designation is Shadow, though the ones the ones that I know call me Shade. I've seen you around the Hall of Records when I came by. Do you work here?"
Hesitantly shaking her servo. "Orion Pax. I am an archivist here.", he replied not mentioning that he had been observing her out of curiosity every time she comes here.
Shadow gave a small grin. "It's nice to meet you, Orion Pax."
~*†*~*†*~
"Shadow, you are a gladiator? Why did you not tell me?" Orion asked his friend as they we're currently in the Hall of Records. It has become a meeting place of theirs it seems.
Shadow dragged a servo down her face plate as she grunted. This was not the way she wanted to tell Orion but luck was not with her when their manager aired their latest event live across Cybetron.
"I wanted to tell you, really I do. But it was out of my control. Also..." she trailed off and looked away.
"Also?" Orion urged softly.
The femme sighed. "Also, I don't want you to thinks different of me.", she admitted much to her frustration.
"I mean look at me! I'm not pretty like the other femmes on Cybertron. I've been called a brute, ill mannered, and a freak and many other bots looked down on me like I'm an insignificant being because my being a gladiator! It was not like I had any other choice in the matter. I had nowhere to go and it was either live or die."
She finished with a deep vent and covered here face with her servos. "You're my only friend in this miserable life of mine, Orion. My creators have longed joined the AllSpark and I have no known family unit to go to. I don't want to be alone anymore.", she confessed. How pathetic was she? This kind of weakness was not tolerable in the gladiatorial pits. It was shy she always had her visor covering her optics to hide her emotions.
Orion's optics softened to see his friend in such a state. She has always been the strong one between the two of the them. He can sympathize with her as he himself had also lost his creators when he was a young bot before Alpha Trion took him under his wing.
The mech knelt in front of her as she was currently sitting curled up on the the pristine metallic floor. Reaching out he grasped her slightly smaller servos in his and gently pulled the m away, revealing her coolant tear streaked face.
He smiled softly. Handsomely.
Shadows spark jumped slightly in her chest plate.
"I would never think differently of you, Shadow. You are not those things. They do not know you like I do. You are kind, intelligent, as well as courageous. Yes you are not pretty as you say you are but you are more beautiful in your own way."
The femme stared at Orion with wide optics before new tears joined the old ones. This time they we're happy tears. Ducking her helm forward she leaned it on his chest.
"Thank you, Orion."
~*†*~*†*~
Shadow dodged blast after blast from the Deceptions blasters with the ease and fines as her wheeled pedes swiveled to a hard left before using her momentum to do a 180 and pierced her spear through two Deception minions before shedding them away to kill the rest that were there.
Their cargo ship was ambushed since it was scheduled to leave Cybertron in a few cycles when it happened. But it was nothing Shadow and her fellow Autobot comrades can't handle.
Once the war started everything went into chaos and ruin. Between Decepticons and Autobot's she chose the latter whilst the rest of the gladiators she knew joined Megatron's cause.
"Watch yourself, femme!" Ironhide's voice cut through her thoughts as he shot down the 'con that got too close for comfort.
"Thanks, Ironhide." Shadow thanked the mech as she struck down the one that foolishly charged at them. She merely got a grunt in return.
Hacking down another drone Shadow caught something within her peripheral. She turned and zoomed her optics to see that Tailgate was getting surrounded.
"Ironhide, Tailgate is getting mobbed. Mind giving me a servo?" She requested before going from zero to fifty as she dashed from the space they've made to gather momentum.
As she neared the weapon specialist the mech grabbed her free servo, he spun a full 360 before throwing her upwards towards Tailgate's direction.
Airborne, Shadow quickly let the wires that were connected to helm bare their six inch hook tipped protrusions before positioning the tip of her spear forward then quickly spun in the air. She became a deadly drill on her own as she quickly made land fall as Tailgate saw her just in time to get out of the way, leaving the drones to get mutilated.
Dizzily standing up from the stated she made, she shook her helm before jumping out of there to join Tailgate. "Hello, Tailgate."
"Hey, Shade.", he greeted back as he fired back more 'cons. "Thanks for saving my aft back there."
"Don't mention it.", was all Shadow said before she joined in getting rid of the drones.
After a long tiring fight the Decepticons retreated as backup came. Rubbing the ache in her neck cables, Shadow joined the others after sub spacing her spear. As she did she saw a familiar green mech.
"Hey, Bulk."
"Hey, Shade." Bulkhead greeted back before he blinked as he got a better look at the femme. "Whoa, Shadow. I think need to see Ratchet, you look beat up."
The femme's armor was dented, bruised and cracked in some places. She was covered in her energon and that of her enemies.
Shadow waved off his concern. "I'm fine, Bulkhead. I've taken tougher scrapes that this."
"Yeah..." the green mech hasn't forgotten that she used to be a gladiator of Kaon. "But still, check in with Ratchet will ya?"
Shadow shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then. Ironhide seems to cover things up here. I'll head to med bay before giving in my report. I'll have to talk to Jazz on how the 'cons knew what we were doing."
With a nod Shadow left the area and returned to base to face Ratchet and his deadly wrenches.
"Shadow, my femme! How are you this cycle?" Jazz happily greeted said femme as the former gladiator walked up to him, data pad in servo.
"Well enough.", she replied with a low grunt as she checked the list of supplies as well as the cargo they we're going to need for the Nexus.
Jazz blinked behind his visor. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude he was not an idiot. Shadow has been acting strange for the past several orns. Her posture was straight, her demeanor different in what it used to be. She was hiding behind a proverbial wall-a thick one at that. And the last hint was that she wore her visor everycycle, hiding her optics from every bit as well her emotions. Her attitude almost matched Prowl. Almost.
"Anything on the sudden ambush, Jazz?" Her question brought him back to the present.
Shaking his helm he replied. "Nothing. I've looked through all of the surveillance and found nothing. Checked the data base's firewalls for any hacks, there were none. No detection of bugs either."
Shadow let out a hum, "If that is so, then I don't like the option that my processor I'd telling me."
The saboteur glanced her way, "A spy in our midst, perhaps?", it was not impossible to have a spy from the enemy sneaking on. It was more the question on who the spy is.
Shadow tilted her helm forward. "Perhaps."
The doors of the control room slid open and familiar heavy pedesteps caught the attention of the two Autobot's in the room. The others had left for a little energon break. Primus knows they needed it after the long joors of sitting on their afts.
"Jazz, Shadow, how are you this cycle?" Optimus greeted in a friendly manner as always as he fully entered the control room. Though mentally frowning when he saw Shadow covering her optics with her visor as always.
"Optimus. My cycle has been bearable since this lovely femme has been keeping me company." Jazz replied as he normally did, with a smile and carefree attitude. But he did not miss how Shadow ramrod straight once Optimus was in the room.
Said femme, instead of voicing her greeting merely nodded before turning around to type something on one of the computers that she needed to finish up.
The saboteur saw the minute movement of his leaders derma turn into a thin line. He raised an optic ridge from behind his visors as he looked between the two. 'There is definitely something going on here.'
For the second time the doors opened not even five kliks after Optimus entered.
"Oh there you are. I was beginning to never find you in time." Said a new voice that was definitely female.
Shadow tensed even more if that was possible. Jazz frowned.
"Elita," Optimus turned to see the pink femme with an endearing smile. "Why have you been searching for me if I may ask?"
"A meeting is about to begin and you are needed to be present." Elita said with a smile as she shook her helm in amusement.
"I swear if I did not find you you would have forgotten."
Optimus chuckled. "If that we're to happen I am sure Ironhide will be the one to comm. me or at least Ultra Magnus. But most definitely Ratchet."
Jazz chuckled, "True that."
"Very well. I will immediately head towards the meeting room. What about you, Elita?" The tall mech asked.
Elita shook her helm no. "I'm sorry, Optimus. I have to leave with my team soon to do reconnaissance at Crystal City and won't return until the next lunar cycle."
Optimus frowned, "I see." before he laid a servo on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Safe travels and be careful."
Elita smiled at his concern for her. That's what she loves about him. "I will."
She nodded before she left, leaving the three in the control room, with Shadow's digits still flying over the keys.
"I must be off then." Optimus said as he turned to leave as well but not before glancing at Shadow's back.
Jazz the stretched. "Yeah... I better leave too. I'm going need a cure of energon for the long work ahead. Shadow, you coming?"
Said femme paused in her typing. "No thank you, Jazz. I've already had my ration for the cycle. You two go ahead, I will leave soon enough. I just need to finish this.", was her reply as she gently shooed them away before resuming her work.
Without anything more to say the two mechs left, leaving the femme alone. But once she knew that they were gone and far from hearing range nor were they anybot returning do duty did she let her body lean forward. Her arms supporting her weight as she began to shake and let her tears fall.
CYAN COLORED optics online before their owner slowly sat up from her berth.
Shadow placed a servo on her helm. "Memory fluxes.", before getting up and stretched.
Heading towards an energon dispenser she pushed a button and out comes her daily cube. Consuming the substance she disposed of the empty container to be recycled. No need to be rude and throw it away, especially when you are on a planet that is not your own.
After hitting the wash racks calling her daughter who is all hers except by blood telling her she was planning on visiting today. Transforming down into her vehicle form it looks uncannily like Cloud Strife's bike with some differences.
Activating her holoform a woman in her mid twenties appeared with waist length chestnut brown hair wearing fit black jeans, a black zipped up leather jacket with a blue shirt underneath and knee length gray booths.
Adjusting her black rimmed glasses, Shadow tied her hair back in a high pony tail before wearing her helmet.
The sound of motor engine echoed in the enclosed room before the femme rode out of her underground base and home and turned from its hidden tunnel to down the road towards Jasper.
It was still very early in the morning, meaning the humans are still asleep. Good. Less attention for her. It was a long drive but the time she arrived into town the sun will have already risen and her bookshop was already open.
Hey, living on Earth for several hundred years, and with what she saw and experienced and the way the people, culture and world changed around her, why not make something out of it? History books and texts of the old world were still at large for some humans.
Besides, this was the life she had now, no matter how long it will be. Although she missed Cybertron and her friends and comrades, there were things that she wanted to forget. And hopefully move on with her life.
TBC
A/N: OKAY, thoughts on the first chapter? Man I am being mean to my Shadow. But the plot is made that way. Tell what you all think and hopefully I will see guys soon? Bye.~