Project Insemination:
Project Insemination began in the fifth millenia of the war. The project began after an intense study that proved that the extinction of the Cybertronian race was inevitable due to the insuffeicnt amount of spark-able femmes and the destruction of the Allspark. After an intense study of Homo Sapiens, it was found that human females could carry Sparks with modifications. Prime subjects were found and narrowed down into twelve girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one in less than a year.
After retrieval, the process began immediately. Six girls died of energon posioning, two others from spark implantation complications. The remaining three are healthy and halfway through term.
I always get worried when he takes Fleeta, or anyone really. A lot of us have been taken and never come back. The questions run through my mind. What if she doesn't make it? What if something goes wrong? What if this time is her last?
Why even bother worryin', Har? If she makes it she makes it. If not, then… Skye mentally shrugs.
My throat tightens at her response.
But I've been fine every time, has I not? Fleeta replies, sending a wave of Shuthtehellup to Skye.
I scroll through the datapad, looking at the pictures just barely long enough to register them.
But you're worried too, aren't you? How can you not be? I mean, almost everyone is dead and… and… I trail off as tears rise. They sting as they fall, and blur my vision.
All I can feel are the waves of affection and love, doubled by their arms around me.
"You can't die. None of us are allowed to." I order, my voice wavering slightly.
"I'll never leave you guys. And you'll never leave me, okay?" She wipes the tears from my face and steps away.
"He's coming." I murmer, as his footsteps get louder.
Fleeta squeezes me one last time as she stands. She has never met our captors kneeling.
"I'll see you later, alright?." She smiles softly as Shockwave places her gently in the carrying cage. And then they're both gone.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
It's hard to ignore her screams when she is gone; It is even harder to pretend that we don't hear.
There is an empty space between us where Fleeta would sit as we get our daily infusions. Normally nine tubes would intertwine and separate into the three of us. Today there's only six. It is silent now, though we'd normally be talking. The alien inside shifts and I wince.
"Could you sing?" Skye whispers. Her curly hair hangs over her face. "Please."
I nod. I need to cover Fleeta's pain, I think, as I begin to sing.
Falling stars still shine
Though their warmth is more than divine
Twinkling ever so faintly
I wish her light was mine
I am naught but her absence
The epitome of her passion
Nothing but a fragment
Of what we could've been
The Drone watching us motions for me to be silent, and I stop with the last stanza still on my toungue.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
The ceiling is one big, plain, slab of metal. There are no weld marks, or bolts or screws. It's just one big slab of metal. Back at home, I'd use to stare at the ceiling, finding pictures in the prints. This ceiling is emotionless and it doesn't help me sleep. I turn over in bed, pulling
the cover higher. I know if I don't fall asleep soon, they'll drug me.
I close my eyes again.
It sounds like screaming, like agony in my ears until Skye takes away some of the noise and I can hear it for what it really is: The Alarm. I open my eyes slowly to find the lights that illuminate the bars closing in the bed are gone. I push the soft cover away and slide my feet off the bed. The floor is cold and I shiver. Fleeta is still silent, wherever she is. Skye is already out of bed. She grabs my arm and points to where the lights on the ground should be. The dim lights are out. They are never out.
She pulls her curly brown hair into a bun and slips on the thin shoes. Let's go get Fleeta.
I pull on my shoes too, but I'm not sure if we should attempt to leave. Every time we try we get punished. The brands on my back and shoulder are testament to that. Is is worth it for what's probably a fifty-fifty chance of escape? I shake my head and sit back on the bed. I don't want to be punished again.
Skye grabs my hand gently. Please. We need'ta at least try. A chance like this is…
Rare. The words roll through my mind bringing with them a sense of calm and determination, singed with hope. I think of what we've been through and what we'll have to go through if we fail. I close my eyes. Okay.
The door, normally untouchable due to the electric bars, is open and unguarded. I know the way to the labs better than she does, so I walk ahead. Our footsteps echo in the looming halls. There should be guards. There should be security, so I know something is wrong. I wonder where they all are. As if to answer my thoughts, gunshots echo from the upper levels.
The lab is less than a block away when I hear someone's voice. Skye is still moving forward blindly, so I grab her hand and motion for her to wait. The voice is much lower than Shockwave's and carries more emotion. It's also not growling, so I know it's not Megatron. That means it's either her Insem or an intruder. Someone's in there with her.
As we get closer, the voice separates into three. Fleeta? I push tentatively against the barrier of her mind. A wave of calmness and security pushes back.
It's okay. They are here to help us. Fleeta replies just as a Drone exits from the door we had just passed. It extends a gun, lighting up as we run.
Skye is fast, faster than light. But I am not. My legs are sore and weak; my feet clumsy and havy. Still, I manage to make it halfway to the lab before one of his shots comes too close. The sheer force of it pushes me aginst the other wall. The air wooshes out of my lungs as I fall, my back hurting so much I can't even move. I close my eyes as he approaches.
Get up Har, Getup, Getup Getup Getup. Skye chants in an endless wave of fear.
I can't. I think back weakly.
Help her. Get her. Please. I hear Fleeta plead, though I'm not sure if its aloud or inside.
And then I hear the footsreps of someone else. I open my eyes to see a huge red and blue mech burst from the lab, weapons ablaze. He moves too fast for me to see him kill the Drone; I only see it's body fall, and it's energon spill around me and on me. The red and blue mech speeds over and grabs me, but not before the purple energon splashes on me.
The sudden movement of being picked up startles me and I end up swallowing the energon that was pushed into my mouth. It burns as it flows down; I can feel it as it travels, leaving behind an acid trail. I cough soundlessly as I am deposited on the berth next to Fleeta and Skye.
Though I am covered in the sticky purple substance, Fleeta and Skye still hug me.
So glad you're okay. Fleeta smiles.
Thank god. Skye mumbles.
I can barely think, except to send a wave of I'mgladtoo back at them.
"My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. We are the enimes of your captors, the Decepticons." His voice is thick and low. I open my mouth, but as I try to speak I can only feel the burn. It hurts so much, they can feel it over the bond. We wince in unison.
"She swallowed some of his energon, sir." Fleeta says. The other mech, green and black with the markings of an ambulance, pushes closer.
"That's dark energon, Prime." He says in a low voice. I doubt anyone heard me except the intended and myself.
I can hear footeps, lots of them from down the hall. They're approaching our location but don't seem to be heading here exactly. I alert the others and Skye relays my message.
"They're coming."
The ambulkance mech shifts and is suddenly an ambulance. The back door flips open.
"You three will ride with me."
My legs are slightly weak but I manage to crawl into him and collapse on the gurney inside. Though he drives eractically, I stil manage to fall asleep.
I don't remember waking up, but suddenly my eyes are open. Fleeta is brushing my hair back. I close my eyes again, about to surrender to sleep again when I realize that we're moving. We can never feel the ship move. The details of our escape come back in a rush.
We really made it?
Yeah. 'Course we did. Skye thinks with a smile.
My throat is still burning, though much duller now. I don't even consider trying to speak. Instead I ignore it and all of it's implications.
"She's up Ratchet. You wanted to ask her some questions, right?" Fleeta plays with her hair, staring mindlessly at the wall as she talks. She's hiding something.
.
The vehicle, whom I assume is the Ratchet they were speaking of, rumbles as he speaks. "Is your skin burning? Any pain in your throat? Any mental confusion?"
No, yes and no.
Okay. I'll tell 'em. Skye sniffs.
"No, yes and no."
He is silent for a moment. "My scans suggest energon posioning in all of you but dark energon saturaton in Harmon as well. Mostly around her throat, but it appears to be spreading. Not to mention the nanites that are working overdrive to fix everything….But most curiously are the sparks I am detecting. Can you tell me anything about that, any of you?"
Skye is silent, her face sullen; she doesn't want to answer. I can't talk, so that leaves Flee. She clears her throat and spits ot a brief explanation. "We're carrying spawn for the top officers. Top three minus Shockwave."
Trying to lift off but I'm chained to the ground
My heart's lead and I'm left to sink
I'm falling to fly-circling round
I'm a grounded angel who can make no sound
Ya can sing it fer us when your voice gets better. Skye thinks. I nod. If I get better, that is.
They always love to hear my songs. That's something I've inherited from Soundwave, the musical aspect. He wasn't as terrible as the others' Insems. He never said much, just played back recordings or music from many different cultures. I liked Cybertronian music the best.
Suddenly Ratchet slows down, jolting me out of my thoughts. "One of you should run in for supplies. New clothes, some medical supplies perhaps. There are a few human currencies in the draw beside Harmony."
Skye nods as she stretches and grabs the money in a flash. I can spot the 100 dollar sign from where I am.
"I'mma get ya some bandages an' stuff. It'll be nice to see other people fer a change" Skye winks as she climbs out. I peek out the door before it slams shut.
I cross my arms and lean back, tired still.
"Hmmm...I do find it strange that you can communicate internally. It's not unlike our comm links, but yours appear to be unhackable." His tone reminds me of Starscream's curiosity. He had the same voice when he asked about Skye's progress.
"Even Shockwave doesn't know how to hack them. It appears to be just a side effect of the poisoning." She opens the door again. The parking lot is empty except for a large red and blue truck, and a couple of luxury cars. Skye drops the bags unceremoniously on the gurney beside me and climbs in.
After she settles in, Ratchet begins to drive. I start.
"Didn't mean to startle you. I apologize." He says, shrugging. Though I suppose shrugging is not the best word, it does describe the vibrating movement he does. "We're a few hours away from base, so you can go ahead and change if you want."
Fleeta throws me a conatainer of babay wipes and an outfit before returning to an absent minded stare. I can hear her and Skye talking in the back of my mind, but it's too low to hear. It's private.
"Can we see outside er somethin'? It's been a while since…" Skye says, staring absently at her hands.
In response the entire left wall disappears and is translucent. I can't look away from the desert landscape. Sand dunes arise from a completely flat ground. Red dust flies around. There is no civilization in site. The place we stopped at is far behind, meaning that we're moving really fast. The change in scenery from metal walls is wonderful.
It takes a while for me to get the purple energon,- Dark energon I think he called it- off my skin, My hair is hopeless until I get a shower, but at least I'm partialy clean. I manage to change into the t-shirt and shorts quickly, without getting much of it stained.
"Why'd you come there t'day?" Skye's thinking of Ana, I realize. If they had've come a week earlier, she could've made it out alive with us.
"They had one of ours, Sideswipe, held captive there. Shockwave is known for his experiments and since he is a twin, he was in particular danger. Shockwave has an obsession with him." His voice is filled with disgust.
The slow rumble of Ratchet as he drives lulls me to sleep; It's almost like when we used to go on car trips, me, mom, and….and. Suddenly the thought is gone and I fall asleep. I wake up when the feeling of concrete beneath us changes to a smoother material. The 'window' turns opaque again and he stops. The door opens and Fleeta helps me to my feet. I'm a bit wobbly at first, but I get my balance back fast. Seven more cars pull in behind Ratchet.
Soldiers are lined up in front, near two double doors that seem the size of those in the warship. The room we are currently in is just as large as the injection room. I don't get to study my surroundings any longer, because a military man commands my attention.
"Did'ja get him back Prime?" He sounds like my dad. Skye thinks in shock. She pushes past me to see him better.
She gasps. "Daddy?" Her voice is so very low, but somehow he hears it. His happy, but professional demeanor changes into one of absolute joy. He walk forward tentatively before breaking into a full run. He wraps his arms around Skye and hugs her like only a father could.
"Skye, baby. Oh god. What...what…"
"Daddy. I missed you daddy." Skye's voice is barely a whisper.
I smile, happy that she found some family. He releases her, but keeps one arm around her as he explains to the others. Their voices sound like the droning of bees and I find my eyes closing.
"Good night." Fleeta whispers, a hint of sadness in her voice. I can't think anything else as I succumb to two nights of sleeplessness.
