It was unbelievably hot.
Not, that the young woman was surprised by that simple fact. She had been fast to learn, that the sun was burning down on her every single day in this country, since she had been brought here. She had lost the feeling for her burnt skin long time ago but though, the heat was getting dangerous, especially when you didn't have enough to drink. But she didn't have had the opportunity to steal more than two small bottles of water before she escaped. That was two days ago…
She has emptied the second bottle the same morning after she woke up but going back was no option. For her attempted escape and for the stolen water she was sure, her tormentors would kill her this time. Well, if not for them she sure would be killed by starvation, exhaustion or anxiety of being tracked down any time soon. She has known that when she ran away but all of this was better than to prolong the ordeal she has been in any further! She rather dies trying to flee through the desert than to stay where she has been for a day longer!
The sound of shooting guns made her wince violently and stumble over her robes. She fell to the ground but the fear didn't allow her to waste time paying attention to her aching body.
She stood up immediately, grabbed her robes and started to run as fast as she could. She didn't know from what direction or from what distance the shots came but she was sure those must be her pursuers who tracked her down eventually. Frankly, it was a miracle they haven't found her till now.
She tried to ignore the panic within her or the pain in her legs or the exhaustion spreading in her body as she focused on the landscape around her to find a safe place to hide. A simple rock won't do in the slightest…
She almost fell a second time while abruptly stopping at the edge of a crater. It just took her seconds to realize her dilemma: she saw the entrance of what appeared to be a cave of sorts or a mine down the crater but there was no safe way to get down there!
Another shot, closer this time. She knew she had to move somehow, somewhere, before her body stopped listening to her out of fear so she decided to grab her robes even tighter, to lay down on the ground, turn herself around and to slip over the ledge. Feeling her feet dangling in the air made her whimper silently but she kept her fear in check and started to climb down the cliffs far too slow. It may have been 20 meters or maybe just 10, it didn't matter to her. She felt herself stiffening and trembling again and again though manage to hold on tight to the sharp rocks which cut her hands. The little strength she has had left her faster than she has expected but after what felt like an eternity she looked down and realized that there was only a short distance left to the ground. She sighed in relief when she felt her right foot slipping off the rocks she was standing on. Her eyes widened in shock.
She tried to grab another rock but her sweaty, bloody hands couldn't get a tight hold of it so she fell after all. It wasn't a dangerous altitude but the fall did hurt nevertheless! All air escaped her lungs. Her instinct shouted at her to get up and continue running but her body failed her this time, she even struggled not to faint. After a few terrifying moments, after she was able to breathe normally and her blurred view cleared a bit, she forced herself to get on her feet, surprised she found nothing broken! Without checking if she had been followed, she slowly limbed straight for the caves entrance. If the situation weren't so life threatening, she would have hesitated to enter the shadows but they meant safe cover. Cover and a welcome cold after having spent the whole day under a brutal deserts sun.
It didn't take long before she couldn't see anything in the deep darkness of the cave but as for now she was grateful for that. It wouldn't be easy to find her that way. She stopped now and then, carefully listening for any sounds that might reveal her pursuers but since she has entered the cave, there was nothing. They might have stayed behind at the caves entrance, she thought, waiting for her in case she decided to sneak out the same way she has sneaked in so that was not an option anymore. She had to find another way out. There has got to be another way out!
She has followed the tunnel for quite some time now, always with her hands on the rocks to lead her way in the darkness. The longer she walked, the more the way continued downhill. Slowly she lost track of time. How far did this tunnel go?
The question was still in her mind, when she felt the rock face made a sharp bend to the left. She knew that could have happen but she has feared it all the same. Because of the darkness, she couldn't estimate her surroundings. Was she still in the same tunnel through which she has entered the cave or whatever this was? Was this the first turn or did she miss another one by just following the wall on that one side? Was this a simple curve or were there other directions to go? Under no circumstances was she allowed to get lost in a maze of tunnels or rocks beneath the surface. It wouldn't take long for her to fall down a pit or to simply die of thirst or…
She froze when she reached a dead end. Just to be certain, she fumbled for another way but there was none. Swallowing hard, she turned around and followed the rock face back to where she came from. But she reached the bend far earlier than expected and it felt different from before. How was this possible? She has been concentrated all the time! When did she miss another bend, another tunnel? She tried to remain calm. Clearly her drained mind was playing tricks on her. There was no way she could have possibly overlooked …
Another dead end made it hard for her not to panic. No! She had to find the way back to the main tunnel in order to get an overview of the tunnels structure. After she did that…
Dead end.
Well, what if she finds the main tunnel? There was no way she could just go out the way she came from. But what, if that was indeed the only way out?
Dead end.
What if she finds another way out? How far could she go before being captured by her pursuers or the authorities? Being a woman didn't make it easier here.
A rock hit her head hard which made her stop before she could run into another dead end. She hissed in pain but just for a blink of an eye. She hit the rock with her fists frantically, only ending up hurting herself again. She fell to her knees und trembled out of fear and anger. Was this how it was supposed to end? Successfully fleeing her tormentors only to die alone in a maze of cave tunnels? There had to be a way! She had to keep looking!
But, for now, she was not able to. She buried her face in her hands as if trying to hide from the darkness itself. She was tired and the lack of water made her throat feel dry and sore. Her whole body felt sore but most of all: she was alone. She tried to recall the faces of her family. Doing this always gave her strength during the past five years but now, in this hopeless situation, it made her feel very lonely and lost. She felt tears welling up in her eyes but did nothing to stop them. She needed that moment. She needed to calm down. To rest. She needed to remember why she escaped. Why she never has given up! She wanted to reunite with them again badly! Just a few minutes. After that, she will…
She opened her eyes suddenly when she felt the ground she was sitting on shaking a bit. First, she thought it was her imagination but then she felt it again. She felt the light quake and saw stones and dust tumbling down. Wait! With great surprise she realized that she was able to see her surroundings again, although vaguely at best. How was that possible being this deep down in the cave? There had to be a light source close by. Maybe another way out!
She took a deep breath and waited until the shaking stopped. When she felt she could stand again without wavering she jumped to her feet, grimacing at the pain in her legs. She didn't have to search long. She found dim light coming through a rock fissure which led steeply upwards to another tunnel, or cave maybe. The fissure was actually very small so she had to squeeze through and started to climb up to where the light was coming from. She handled half the way when she heard a rumble, followed by the earsplitting sound of metal scratching rocks. Was this indeed a mine and some miners doing their work in this exact moment? Her surroundings started to shake again, much stronger this time. Her eyes opened wide in horror. If she didn't want to get crushed between the rocks, she had to get out of this fissure! Now!
She climbed up the rocks as fast as she could and swung herself over the ledge. The same moment she managed to get out of her predicament, the ground started to shake violently, making it impossible for her to stand. She sprawled and tried to curl up tight to minimize the possibility for her being hit by rocks and rubble, the sound of the trembling cave droning in her ears. She felt some of the debris hitting her nevertheless but miraculously none of the dangerously big ones crushed her. Hopefully, the ceiling won't cave in! She waited until the magnitude of the quake decreased. Even after it became completely quiet again she did not dare to move right away. She waited for her heartbeat to return to a tolerable condition, then she lifted her head slowly…
And froze.
So much for a tolerable state of her heartbeat. What she saw made her doubt her sanity. Unable to even blink, she was staring into the large eyes of a giant monster. Her pulse was rising again though she didn't move a muscle. Large, glowing red eyes were piercing at her. Seconds passed with no other sound then dust still trickling to the ground. Then, her brain started working again.
She stood up carefully, slowly and dared to take a quick look over her shoulder. She has been doing well to hurry up climbing out of the fissure because it didn't exist any longer. She turned back, locking eyes with the giant who was still staring at her with a challenging expression. Her mind was still having trouble to administer what her eyes were seeing. His eyes however must have been the source of the light which had led her here, that much she was sure. If she hasn't have followed them, she might have been buried under tons of rocks by now. She shook her head quickly due to her absurd thoughts. It was more likely, that this monster's movements did induce the quakes in the first place!
She looked back again to where she has been coming from. The fissure was gone but now she could see a small vault exposed by the eruption earlier. She could find another way out. She did not have to pass by the giant. She looked at him again, the monster showing her the same courtesy. If it was able or willing to hurt her, he would have done that by now. As a matter of fact, it looked like the giant was trapped in this mine as much as she was. Maybe it would…
She was trembling at the mere thought but nevertheless braced herself and started hesitantly to approach the giant. His metallic face was reflecting the light of his own eyes. If it wasn't for these unbelievably lively eyes, she would have been tented to believe he was just a giant robot. Step by step, and with her heart beating so fast and hard that she was beginning to ask herself if he could hear it, she got closer and closer to the giant's face. He himself never lost sight of her, trying to assess her intentions.
She reached a ledge from where she could see and estimate the situation the monster was in. He was buried under tons and tons of rocks and rumble in what appeared to be the remaining of a once huge vault. She searched the vault for a way out, a tunnel, a fissure but couldn't find anything resembling a way to escape. Instead, she discovered a machine in a far corner of highly unusual making. It was huge and it was equipped with a great spike in the front. It certainly seemed to be a drill of some kind. She noticed the monster to follow her gaze to the machine. If she could get down there and managed to get it to work…
Yet again, she had to climb down a rock face and hated it already. None of her climbing attempts on this day had ended well and this particular rock face didn't look exactly stable. But, having no other option, she swung carefully over the ledge and began the decent, daring to turn her back on the giant for the time being. This time, she didn't have to wait long for the upcoming disaster. She was feeling almost, almost more angry than afraid when she felt the rocks trembling, slowly at first but caving in the next second. She held back a scream. Knowing she was too far away from the ground this time to not be injured badly or worse, she held her breath and awaited the impact. Which came, but far earlier than anticipated and instead of rocks, she landed on a metallic surface.
The same moment she hit the metal, something strange happened. Something, that would be changing everything from now on. And not just for her…
She did feel the pain of the impact as well of course but it was distant, as if not important. Pictures emerged before her mind's eye and emotions were flooding into her in waves. Some things were easy to understand, clear in their appearance. A will, hard as iron. Convictions. Leadership. Power. Anger. Discipline. Hatred as well. Other things weren't that easy to understand, so her mind tried hard to translate them into something she could fathom. Her head hurt. Faces. Loyalty. A ship. A distant planet. Especially that planet made her shiver mentally for it was linked to a multitude of emotions such as anger, even rage, but also regret. But above all, she could feel something in her chest pulsing powerfully. A power which scared and comforted her at the same time. There were many, many other images and emotions coming in hard on her but she wasn't able to comprehend them in the slightest.
She breathed heavily, her heart almost jumped up her throat. She realized she was standing on the giant's servo, which he somehow has managed to free from the debris to keep her from falling. She locked eyes to optics with the cybertronian and whispered quietly:
"Megatron".
A dangerous groan made her wince and her face went pale. His optics were presenting a mixture of fury and disgust. She knew it took every discipline in his chassis not to crush her in his servo instantly. Instead, he lowered his servo to the ground, making it possible for her to jump of it safely. She knew what he wanted and didn't take any chances to make him more infuriated than he already was. She didn't even look back to these enraged red optics and ran to the drill. She climbed up the machine without any incidents this time, looking at the controlling mechanisms. She swallowed hard and started to bring the drill back to life, jumping from one spot to another in order to activate it, her instinct guiding her more than her brain. She was so confused.
The next hours passed as if being in trance. Her brain was busy processing the impressions she had been given while she was operating the drill as if she never has done anything else. But her mind was one thing, her body another. During the monotone drilling work the adrenalin rush due to the discovery of a certain cybertronian being ebbed away and left an exhausted, maltreated human. A young woman, whose head hurt, whose body hurt. Every single part of her haggard figure was aching. Her robes were merely shreds by now, her headscarf gone revealing long hazelnut hairs covered with dust due to the work with the drill.
As she widened the space between the mech and the rumble surrounding him, she could observe the growing impatience on Megatron's faceplate, as well as the disgust toward her. She was sure, if he has been able to, he would have blown up the whole mine sky high. Regardless, her body started to fail her eventually. She noticed she fell from the drill, crushing hard to the ground. Her ribs made a quite crackling noise but the pain was just a small addition to what she was already suffering. She saw the drill continuing the work on its own, breaking through the rocks into a huge tunnel only second after she has fallen off it. The vault started trembling again, another quake was about to come. The shaking only increased when she saw Megatron moving, trying to free himself from the remaining rumble. Then, his imposing stature lifted from the dust, easily pulling up the ceiling as if it was a lightweight all of a sudden.
She didn't have the strength to move away from the falling rocks, each one now having the seize to smash her like an insect. Her ears became numb, only a ringing remained, and her view blurred until it became dark all over again. Still, she was awake, feeling herself being picked up and moved. It went up and down, up and down steadily for a few minutes. She heard someone talking so someone. A whining voice but couldn't understand the words. Another set of minutes passed while she couldn't do anything else than to just lay still and feel herself being moved. She was so tired.
Suddenly, she felt being set down to the ground roughly along with being blinded by a sinking sun. Well, the sun was almost gone but after the obscurity of the cave, even this little light was dazzling. She forced herself to open her eyes nevertheless. Two things burnt in her mind before she passed out eventually.
First, the huge form of Megatron and another mech transforming into their flight mode without looking back and speeding away into the sky.
Second, the painful and frightening feeling of being left behind, of being abandoned.