Cybertronian Units:
Kilk = 3 seconds
Breem = 12 minutes
Tarn = Almost 5 hours
Cycle = 1 Day
Orn = Approximately 2 Weeks
Joor = Approximately 4 Months
Rue = 2 years
Vorn = 4.5 Years
Megacycle = 1 Decade
Terracycle = 10 Decades
I am estimating that a femme carrying cycle lasts two joors and two orns, give or take a few cycles.
The streets were especially dark tonight as the lone femme stalked in the shadows. They were usually dark now, since most of the streetlamps had been shot out or blown up a long ago, but a few of the lamps remained flickering, providing just enough light for the femme to feel just a little less afraid. She walked as briskly as she could in her condition, being exhausted from a day of searching for energon remains for herself and the rapidly growing sparkling inside her. Trying to find some place half decent to settle for the night was easier said than done.
Her search for energon had been successful today – she had found five cubes in the closet of an abandoned warehouse. She hadn't refueled in two days, so she quickly drank down the first two cubes, instantly feeling her systems perk up. The life inside her seemed to squirm with delight as a portion of the energon was filtered from her systems to it, and the femme carefully sat down and stroked her abdomen to calm the excited young one. She stored the other three cubes for later use in her subspace pack; although she would have liked to drink another she knew she had to ration herself. The odds of finding more energon tomorrow, or maybe even for the next few days, were slim. Without realizing it, she had drifted off into a light recharge, her systems contently absorbing the energon.
When she awoke it was dark outside. It was common knowledge that at night many not-so-friendly mechs prowl through buildings, searching for homeless transformers who have taken shelter there. They drain energon from anyone weaker than themselves to use for sustenance, which is a very painful and most often fatal procedure for the unfortunate victim.
The realization that it was very late made her almost jump to her feet, startled and angry that she had been so careless. She got up as quietly as she could and cautiously exited the building, fear of capture tingling in her processor.
Now she was roaming the shadowy streets, trying to find a suitable alley to stay in. The tall buildings of the city seemed to almost waver with even the slightest breeze, creaking and moaning their current state of degradation after years of random bombings from renegade groups of Cybertronians. Shadows were cast here and there as the breeze picked up trash and moved it about, never being satisfied with where it was put. The femme silently wished she were a darker color and not the golden yellow and creamy white mix that she was, though she had always been very proud of her vibrant finish before the war began. Now it was only a hindrance that she constantly feared would give away her position, no matter how hard she tried to stay in the shadows.
She heard a noise coming up faintly behind her and immediately slipped into the nearest alley for protection. Pedsteps…yes, definitely pedsteps, and coming closer. She tensed as she hid behind a large filthy dumpster, peeking through the narrow space between it and the building. The steps got louder, and she realized the owner of them was running. Wait…there was more than one of them. They were approaching quickly, but to the scared femme it seemed like an eternity. She saw one mech pass by in a flash, then another much larger mech. A chase was underway.
She closed her optics and stayed as still as she could. The she heard a sudden shout and the sound of metal grinding against metal as the smaller mech was tackled to the ground, then a loud crack as the larger mech slammed his fist into the helm of the other, making him go unconscious. The victor dragged his catch away, metal scraping eerily across the ground as he did so. After a time, there was silence again.
The femme waited. Even after several long breems, fear kept her in place. What if he was still in the vicinity? She decided she would stay where she was tonight, well hidden behind the large dumpster. It was already past the darkest part of the night – only a few more hours until sunrise, and then she could venture out again.
Turning on her side, she attempted to get more comfortable. Unease gripped her processor firmly, however, as for most of the night she could not fall into recharge.