Captive

Captive

IceOwl slowly rebooted, her sensors telling her that she was laying on a metal surface, with straps holding her arms and legs down. Running an automatic systems scan, she realized her primary teleport and cloak circuits had been deactivated. Before she activated her optics, she thought it would be best to listen for a while, gather information while her captors thought she was still in defragmentation.

Her audios caught the sound of a door opening and Mech footsteps entering, "Any clues as to her identity, Perceptor?" an older sounding male voice asked.

She heard another Mech moving on the other side of her. "No Prime. She's built just like Raptor, but I've contacted the US military – and no F-22's have come up missing. It's like she's an F-22 built from scratch."

"That's impossible, the Decepticons couldn't get those specialized sensory arrays or the carbon-fiber without us finding out;" The one named Prime replied.

The other one sighed. "Maybe not, but apparently they've done it."

"Any ideas about her dual insignias?"

"It's very strange. The material the decals are made from, don't match anything that's currently available." She felt the Mech trace the insignias on her wing. "And why Galvatron would put both Bot and Con insignias is highly confusing."

"Well, keep working on it. Inform me when she reboots."

She heard the Mech called 'Prime' walk out of the room.

Still maintaining her pretense of being unconscious, she listened to the Mech that was studying her. Apparently, he was some kind of scientist or information officer.

Thoughtfully, she mulled over what they had said to each other. Then she looked at the facts: She wasn't in her dimension anymore; the Autobots and Decepticons were apparently not under one command; Galvatron was alive in this dimension; a 'Raptor' was also here – and from her apparent match to IceOwl, it was most likely her own mother.

So what course of action was open to her? She knew there was a good chance she was trapped here, and she couldn't survive on her own. If these Autobots were similar in philosophy to those of her dimension, then she should be able to reason with them.

Deciding on her logical course of action, she activated her optics and scanned the room. The Mech named 'Perceptor', was standing with his back to her, scanning through computer data. He was thin built, primarily painted in red, and seemed to have a rather strange alternate mode. IceOwl couldn't tell if he was a strange type of ground Mech or Flyer. But his Autobot insignias were obvious.

Her helm made a slight scraping noise against the repair table she was strapped to. This alerted the Autobot to her conscious state, turning around, his blue optics met her strangely colored amber optics. Leaning down over the console, he opened the intercom link and informed the other Mech that she was now rebooted.

In silence, IceOwl studied Perceptor as he walked up to her and looked at her with curiosity. "So who are you?" he asked her.

IceOwl decided she'd better keep most of her history quiet, for if this 'Raptor', was indeed her mother, and part of the other side of this conflict – it wouldn't be in IceOwl's best interest for these Mechs to know their connection; At least, not until she could find this 'Raptor' and figure some things out. "Ice," she simply said.

He cocked his head in curiosity, was she asking for ice – or was this her name? "So that's your name?"

She nodded.

"I hear the mystery Seeker has awakened." The voice of the one they called 'Prime' filled the room as he entered. Several other ground Mechs following him.

They gathered around her bound air frame, staring at her, as she silently stared back at them.

"She said her name's 'Ice'," Perceptor informed them.

Prime nodded. "So 'Ice', what is this 'Earth Mech Command' that you mumbled about before you blacked out?"

Studying the Mech, IceOwl hoped that he had the same sense that his counterpart had in her dimension. She felt that it would help her cause, if they knew she wasn't from here – then they'd know she had no connection with their enemy. "My post," she quietly answered.

The Mechs looked at each other. "There is no 'Earth Mech Command', you'd better come up with a better story," a large orange ground Mech stated, his optics filled with suspicion.

The Seeker simply shrugged in her bonds. "I'm not from this dimension." She sighed softly, "There was a dimensional flux in warp phase, I got lost."

Perceptor's optics got bigger, he knew strange things could happen in warp phase. "That is indeed possible," he nodded to Prime.

The orange Mech crossed his arms, still eyeing her with suspicion. "So are you Autobot or Decepticon?" he demanded to know.

The truth wouldn't hurt, so she told it. "I am both. We are a combined nation where I'm from."

Shock filled the looks that the Mechs exchanged. "So did the Cons or Bots win?" Prime asked her, studying her intently.

IceOwl looked at the Mech, she could sense he carried the Autobot matrix within him – just as her sire had. She also felt that there was a distinct possibility that this Mech was this dimension's counterpart to her sire, and that truth could also put her in a better position. "The Bots did, commanded by my sire; Optimus Prime."

This fact really took the Mechs by surprise. Even the composed Prime, widened his blue optics slightly. "So you are that Prime's daughter?" he asked, his voice showing his shock.

Knowing her phenotype was probably not what they'd expect of a ground Mech's get, she decided to add something, a partial truth; "My mother was a Seeker medic, who was support staff for his troops during the final years of the war." Shrugging, she knew she had to explain her military capabilities a little. "I chose to enter military service. My squadron flies recon missions on the outer perimeters of the Nation."

Prime studied her, not seeing any dishonesty or hostility in her words or optics. Thinking of the one femme he'd fallen in love with many years ago, he realized that his counterpart must've found a similar one. That Prime had kept his femme protected behind the lines as a medic. He wished he'd have been able to do the same with Elitta One, perhaps then she'd still be alive. "You are welcome in our ranks, Ice. However, we are at war with the Decepticons; so you may need to reconsider the insignia that you wear." Nodding to Perceptor, he ordered her to be released from her bonds.

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