-1After a bout of mental constipation, I'm back in business… Solo this time.
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It was quiet in the base… too quiet. Zephyr had mostly recovered, but she was still a little bit weak. More than anything else, she was nervous. Something just seemed wrong somehow… Autobots walked down hallways, through the command center, and came in through doors but it all just seemed like a calm before the storm… Which indeed would be the case as a blast erupted through the base opening, making the planet itself shake. She suppressed a yelp, looking around in surprise. A moment later she was running, looking for the others. Of all the times to have wandered off for some alone time!
Optimus and Megatron came bursting in through the command center entrance. "Status report," ordered Prime. An ensign piped up. "Sir, the Decepticons are attacking, and by that I mean all of them! But for some reason they don't seem to be targeting us. It's like… it's like they're after something else." Megatron's eyes narrowed. "…Something else?"
The ensign attempted to explain. "They seem to be looking for something, sir… They're not attacking anywhere of strategic importance. It's not even a direct attack. They're searching for something… and whatever they're looking for, it's around the canyons." A moment passed. "Oh!" the ensign said. "I'm reading weapons fire. Whatever they were looking for, I think they found it… and it's shooting back!" Megatron thought for a moment and froze. "Where is Zephyr?" he half asked half ordered the ensign. The ensign checked the database. "I'm not reading her signal beacon anywhere in the base, sir…" Megatron cursed under his breath and sprinted out of the command center. The ensign turned to Optimus. "Records indicate she filed a flight plan about an hour ago." His voice trailed off. "Destination: the canyons…" Optimus sighed and shook his head. "She really shouldn't wander off while we're in a war…"
The curses she was spewing would have made even the most vulgar being in the galaxy pass out from shock. They'd come out of nowhere and now she was flying for her very life as they chased her. 'Wonderful,' she thought to herself. 'Of all the times to have taken a quick break!' Several shots streaked by her. 'Those were at full power! At this range…' The realization hit her like a brick in the face. //They weren't out to capture her; not this time…// Megatron headed for the canyons. //'Zephyr, where are you?'// he asked through the link. Zephyr's reply came immediately. //'I'm currently over the southern solar collector array on maximum burn, heading straight back. …It's good news/bad news time.'// Her voice wasn't exactly calm when she said the next sentence. //'The good news is you don't have to worry about them trying to capture me like last time…'// Megatron had a bad feeling about what she'd said. //I don't like the way you said that, what do I have to worry about?// The reply came quickly. //'This time they're out to… AAGH!!!'// Her words dissolved into a scream both physical and mental as a shot struck her wing and sent her into a spiral, trailing thick black smoke. //'Zephyr!'// Megatron cried out as he leapt, transforming, into the air and took off like a bullet. Her mental voice was filled with strain as she fought to pull out of the spin and avoid crashing. //'This time… they're out to kill me.'// The majestic aircraft that was Megatron soared beneath her and caught her on his back. "Not while I'm around," he stated, his voice hard and sharp with determination. //'Thank you,'// she said a little weakly, trying to use her power to repair herself. Megatron's only response to that was to tell her to hang on. Then he began to swerve in midair, dodging each and every blast and laser sent his way, more for her sake than for his own. Her damaged wing began to regenerate ever so slowly, far slower than it would have if the pain hadn't been interfering with her concentration.
"Are you all right, Zephyr?" Her voice held more than a little pain as he felt her shift slightly where she lay. "…Been better." He was reminded of the night he'd learned of the terrible nightmares that had plagued her back on Earth, right after the war's end. His presence then had ended her suffering… Now would be the same; this he swore. The laser fire intensified, and his dodging grew more and more frantic as the shots came closer and closer each time. It was then that Zephyr realized he'd changed tactics. He wasn't trying to avoid the shots so much as shield her from them. Realizing she was still in jet mode, she very carefully transformed and then realized just how badly off she was. The shot to her wing had translated into a huge crater carved into her back, exposing part of her spark chamber and nearly severing her arm from her body. //This was bad… really bad. How was she even alive?// She could tell that Megatron had felt her realization from the fact that, even though his thrusters were already on maximum burn, he tried to fly faster. "I'm all right, Megatron," she tried to reassure him, keeping the pain from her voice and hating the slight quaver she couldn't hide. She could tell he didn't quite believe it.
A larger flurry of shots drew her attention to the fact that the Decepticons were closing in. "All right," she muttered. "You give me no choice." She tried to move her partially severed arm, but it hung dead at her side, making her wonder why she'd bothered to try moving it. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed her arm and moved it in front of her. Pressing her palms together, she formed her cannon. For a moment she wondered if her good arm could handle its weight since she usually used both arms, but she managed. A second later, the Decepticons backed off and scattered as she opened fire. Her aim was anything but steady, but it was good enough. It also drew Megatron's attention. "Zephyr, what are you…" She spared a moment to glance downward, even though he couldn't see it in his current form, and promptly interrupted him. "Fly. Don't worry about it, just fly." A moment later she was firing at the Decepticons again.
At that point she was so out of it that she was actually surprised when she abruptly found herself no longer the only person firing on the Decepticons. No, a good dozen others were letting them have it from various places on the ground, forcing them to back off and end the chase. Now quite safe, Megatron came in for his softest, gentlest landing yet and transformed the instant his cargo slipped off his back to catch her in his arms before she could collapse. And collapse she did, straight into his embrace, her forearms reverting to normal as she did so. Ratchet was already there, having correctly anticipated what the result of Megatron's sudden departure would be, and he immediately got to work. Laying her face down on the floor since there really wasn't much time to be spared for taking her to the repair bay, Megatron made sure she was as comfortable as it was possible to be in that position, then proceeded to attempt to distract her. "Of all the days to have gone off for some alone time," she mumbled. Megatron nodded. "It's understandable in times like these. Still, I wish you'd told me what you were up to. I'd have gone with you!"
She shuddered where she lay, in intense pain; at least until Ratchet administered a painkiller. "Ah," she sighed. "Just what I needed." Without the pain to distract her, she could use her power as she wished. Ratchet backed off in a hurry as she then proceeded to do just that. The brilliant blue fire they had all come to know so well burst forth from her body to repair the damage she had taken, turning what would have been a major operation into a quick little repair job. "…Well, that makes things easier," Ratchet said finally, making those final repairs and leaving her good to go. "In all honesty, I'm surprised that worked," she confessed as she slowly stood up. "I didn't think I was strong enough to manage that yet. Still, I get the feeling I should hold off on using my power for a while. So much for my being useful in this battle, I guess." Megatron placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. "Given what your power just did, I could care less."
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Could I get some friggin' reviews here, people?
