Going Home

"Three hundred seventy two…three hundred seventy three…three hundred seventy four…"

"Would you stop that!" Amanda hissed from her bed. She glared across the room at a teenaged girl with multi-colored hair and tan skin. Her one leg was in a cast as was her arm. The girl looked from the ceiling to her with drugged out green eyes. She blinked several times as if questioning Amanda's existence then looked back to the tiles before giggling.

"Oops lost my place." She giggled again. "One…two…three…"

"I swear to fucking God I will…." Amanda started standing up when a nurse popped into her way out of nowhere.

"Miss Call…Callahan?" The nurse asked trying not to stutter.

"What!" She snapped tightening her clenched hands. Her stare and growl made the nurse take a step back. Fear twitched across the young woman's face and something odd rolled across Amanda. It was a feeling, something calming. It was almost like someone was telling her to relax, that the nurse wasn't the enemy. Whatever it was it was strange and new but still she relaxed. Her defensive posture faded and she stepped back with her eyes dropping to the ground.

The feeling confused her for a moment but long enough to stop her anger before it got to bad. She scratched her head and looked up at the nurse. "Sorry." She flicked her head towards the teenager. "She was driving me nuts."

The nurse gave a slight nervous laugh then smiled. "Oh that's quite alright it happens a lot." She glanced over her shoulder at the girl listening to her count. "She seems to do that to everyone. We're not sure why." The nurse looked back at Amanda with a crooked smile. "You're going to be cleared to go." She glanced at the paperwork in front of her. "The only thing is the doctor wants you to come back for another brain scan in two weeks."

"Why?" Amanda asked before sitting back on the bed to put on her boots.

"Well with the exposure to that unknown chemical and the electrical shock you received he wants to make sure that your strangely higher than normal level of brain activity doesn't have an adverse effect on our systems."

Amanda lifted her head looking at the nurse. "Then why doesn't he keep me here for observation?"

"Well you are uninsured for one and…um well…" She seemed too hesitate and look away.

"And what?" Amanda asked standing taller than the other woman.

"Well you…you…"

Amanda's brow furrowed into a frown. "I scare people, right." The nurse looked wide eyed at her but never answered. She sighed and looked away. "So is there anything I should look for?" There was silence for a moment and Amanda shot the woman a sneer. "Should I look for anything particular?" The nurse shook her head and she pushed by the frightened woman before heading for the out counter.

After an hour of paperwork and frightened looks Amanda was out of the hospital and back on the streets of Mission City. She scrunched up her nose. The city smelt worse than normal. It reeked of burned flesh and melted metal. Dust, smoke and fire still filled the air even a day later. Heading down the street Amanda began to wonder about the feeling from before.

It wasn't the first time it had shown up since she woke up. The first had been almost the second she awoke. She had come out of the darkness in a blind rage and pinned a poor nurse to a wall. Then that feeling came and she calmed. She could have sworn that she felt another presence there; something akin to someone with their hand on her shoulder. It had been warm and reassuring. Someone by her side. Amanda shook her head and buried her hands in the pockets of her shredded jeans.

"Don't be stupid." She spit low reminding herself that she had no one in her corner. Her father hadn't even answered the phone when the hospital called. She was left with her dingy tattered shirt and half of her jeans. She was lucky that the goop she had run though yesterday had soaked into the lower half and not the whole pair.

With that thought on her mind she glanced at her legs. They were a little discolored from whatever chemical that had been. The doctor claimed that was why she had seen a silver robot in the chaos of a terrorist attack. The robot had been a hallucination from the strange chemical.

:Mech:

The word whispered though her mind and it caused her to pause. Amanda glanced around expecting to see someone standing next to her but no one was stopped or even near her. She rubbed the back of her neck. It had the same feeling as the calming presence. Before long Amanda stopped in front of the Dead End. Or what had once been the Dead End, she thought.

It was difficult to tell exactly where she was on the demolished street. Buildings that once lined the streets laid in shambles. A support pillar, half a wall and a strangely free standing door were the only things left for the whole block on one side while the other side of the street looked as if it hadn't been touched. It was as if the mechs didn't touch it. Amanda winched back as her heart ached. She grabbed at the shirt over it when blue light filled her vision.

Sparkling rubble that was once were buildings so tall, too tall made of crystal and metal. Dark streets. Music. Pounding heavy bass. Flashing lights. Pure joy.

"Mandy?"

She snapped her head towards the voice. Her head spun as her eyes readjusted. Before her carrying a worried look was an older man. His face was wrinkled and kind but his grip on her shoulder was tight. Making sure she didn't leave.

"H…hey Murphy." Amanda was able to stutter out while rubbing her temple. What was that? Should she go back to the hospital? No it wouldn't do any good and she couldn't afford it, she had to deal with it alone.

:Not Alone: The feeling whispered again burning her ears. Her eyes widened as her breath caught in her chest.

"You alright, Mandy?" He asked pulling her closer to press his other hand to her forehead. "You seem a little out of it."

Amanda pulled back slightly and looked at Murphy's worried face. "Yeah, I'm good Murph. I'm good." She repeated when he gave her a doubt filled look. "Just a bit of a headache." She added before he finally looked away. Silence flowed between them but it felt safe and Amanda relished in it.

Murphy had been there most of her life. Ring side with her dad, at different class events when her father had fallen into depression. He was the one that held her during her mother's funeral while she cried. Murphy understood her, understood her anger and had tried to help but couldn't. His own family needed him. The safety of his is wife, Elisa and their three children had to come first. And Amanda was falling deeper and deeper into the darkness around her and her own anger. So the first time she got busted for underground fighting had been the last time she had seen him for a while.

No one had even seen the cops show up until they were in the pits pulling people from their spots and pinning fighters to the ground. Amanda and Chris had split up trying to take off though the warehouse but somewhere she had taken a wrong turn and doubled back; running right back into the fray. She had fought to try and get away but a cop had pressed the barrel of his sidearm to her head and she stopped cold.

Murphy had come down to the lockup later that night and just stood back from the bars when she came forward. She had smiled and greeted him thinking he would save her but he sighed and shook his head. He wasn't going to save her this time.

'With everything you could have done, you did this? You were top of your class in school, top in amateur boxing. You had scouts looking at you! You had a good future ahead of you why throw it away?'

"Because I couldn't face that future alone." She mumbled to the memory.

"What was that?" Murphy asked looking from the remains of his bar to her.

"Nothing." Amanda said lifting her head looking at the bar. "Anyone hurt?" She added to change the subject.

"Nah, looks like everyone got out but I think I'm done."

"Done?"

"Yeah running a bar is too much work for an old man. The wife and I might go to Florida."

"Florida has alligators."

"Kansas?"

"Yeah, watch your house blow away."

"Hawaii."

"Volcanos."

"Well how about Alaska?" He asked looking at her with a grin.

"Snow, lots of snow."

"We could always stay here in Mission City."

"Wouldn't, we have giant mechs, now." Amanda couldn't help the small smile that etched across her face when he laughed and dropped a hand on her head ruffling her hair. She felt like a five year old every time he did that and expected to look up to see his crystal eyes smiling at her yet the slight curve of his back made him shorter than her. It brought her back to the present and the smile flickered away.

"So looks like I need a new job then." She said swiping his hand off her head.

"Yeah I can give you a recommendation or something." Murphy said softly watching her study the ruins.

Amanda waved him off. "It wouldn't do any good." She muttered scratching her head. This whole thing was starting to get annoying. First Chris pops into her life after so long, mechs have an old fashioned showdown on the street and destroy her job. Now a voice and weird flashed of… Well she wasn't quite sure what to call them but they made her head spin. "I better get going and check on Papa." She said.

"How is he doing?"

Amanda stopped and looked at him. His whole body was tense and anxious. He wanted to know how his onetime best friend was doing. She looked away.

"He's dead to the world. Some rare moments of clarity but mostly he lives in a drunken haze. Papa doesn't recognize most things and…and…" Anger began to burn at her. Why did he have to ask about him? "And…and I have to get back to make sure he didn't trash the place."

"Amanda I'm sorry."

She didn't stop as she walked away. It wasn't fair! She shouldn't be out of work again. Stupid mechs and their stupid fight. The city buzzed nosily around her and Amanda tightened her jaw. She couldn't take the noise. Twisting down an alley she was planning to cut across them to get home when she spotted it, a black and red duffle bag; her red and black duffle bag.

It was half hidden behind a dumpster and covered in dust but she could recognize the logo of her gym, her home on the side. Amanda felt her hand twitch as she approached. It felt like a sick joke. Out of everything that she was expecting to find it wasn't her duffle. Kneeling down she opened the bag and grinned slightly. Sure everything was dirty but it looked all there. Yet she didn't care for it except for one thing.

Digging her hands into the lining she pulled open a small hidden pocket. Bringing the item into the light she sighed with relief. It was a small photo, unharmed. Her mother was laughing and holding a pair of cups above her head out of the way as a ten year old Amanda had Chris pinned to the ground. Her father was laughing with a hand around her mother's waist. It was the last photo she had of her mother. A fleeting moment of happiness before disaster brought the world down around her ears.

Placing the picture back into its hiding spot Amanda noticed something strange in her bag. Pushing aside her work clothes she saw an Xbox. She blinked and tipped her head. Who would put an Xbox in her bag then just leave the bag? Grasping the game console she froze. It was warm; warmer than it should be from being in her clothes. She went to pull her hand back when there was a flicker of light and a spark leapt from the Xbox to her hand.

"Son of a bitch!" Amanda snapped stumbling back.

Glaring at the console she looked at her hand. A small burn mark was etched into her index finger. Sticking it in her mouth she kicked some rubble before grabbing her duffle. She would get rid of the system when she got home where she had gloves so not to get shocked again. Checking the pocket of her work pants she found the white card she was looking for. The black digits stared up at her; tempting her.

How much would Chris want as a cut for being her manager? What would the rings be like now? Could she really just jump back into beating people within an inch of their lives?

Amanda felt her hand twitch. Could she stop at that inch?

She looked away from the number and zipped up her bag. Shouldering it she walked down the alley going home. A black Cadillac Escalade drifted to a stop in front of the alley. It flashed its lights twice as Amanda turned the corner out the other end.

Author's Note: Holy crud guys (and gals) response to this story was insane. I really didn't think this would attract as much attention as it did so thank you all for that. I was going to do this as a side project but I guess this so going on my list of must work on. Yes this chapter is about half the length of the first, I know. So quickly I want to thank every one that left a review for the story and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first. Good Reading!

Thank you reviewers;

.Singer

RougeReaper

LapisLazuliRose

Searece

Autobot Princess Arcee

Steel autobot

optoclaw

Pikahopp

Autobot Mech-Ops

I Am Blueberry (BTW: Thanks for the help. I realized I was using the same words over again. I am try to remedy that problem.)

emma