Imperfection
Disclaimer: A sequel I had planned for Imperfect. A day late and a dollar short, but you know. LOL. Many other ideas came out of nowhere, so I had them to deal with. Anyway, this is an AU story that focuses around RoTF. Read and review.
"Traveling through the world produces a marvelous clarity in the judgment of men. We are all of us confined and enclosed within ourselves, and see no farther than the end of our nose. This great world is a mirror where we must see ourselves in order to know ourselves. There are so many different tempers, so many different points of view, judgments, opinions, laws and customs to teach us to judge wisely on our own, and to teach our judgment to recognize its imperfection and natural weakness."
-Michel de Montaigne
"It is extreme evil to depart from the company of the living before you die."
-Seneca
By: VampireQueenAkasha
"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?"
-Megatron, RoTF
Shanghai
The streets of Shanghai erupted into chaos as civilians were urged away from the industrial area by the police and military. Terra assisted several of the civilians out of their homes. She shouted words in Chinese to those who couldn't speak any English.
"Nǐ yào kuài diǎn (You have to hurry)!" Terra shouted to an aged woman, "Shì nǐ de jiārén zài nǎlǐ (Where is your family)?"
The old woman looked up at her weakly, clutching her chest. Terra frowned, concerned by the woman's physical reactions; she sensed there was something wrong with her.
"Zhè shì zěnme huí shì (What's wrong)?" she asked.
"Xiōngbù...Wǒ de xiōngkǒu (Chest...my chest)," the woman breathed; her voice squeaked out of her like a creaking valve.
Terra helped the old woman toward an ambulance and she gestured to one of the doctors tending to many already. "Nǐ! Zhèyàng de nǚrén xūyào jiùyī (You! This woman needs medical attention)!" she told the doctor.
The doctor helplessly shook his head. "Zhè shì bù kěnéng de, yǐ shìyìng tā. Wǒmen yǐjīng yǒu zhème duō shēngbìng (It's impossible to fit her. We already have so many sick)." he argued, "Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn. Nǐ bìxū qù qítā dìfāng (I'm sorry. You have to go elsewhere)."
Terra frowned. "Tā kěnéng huì sǐ. Tā yǒu xiāochuǎn, wǒ kěyǐ tīngdào tā de fèi bù (She could die. She has asthma, I can hear it in her lungs)."
"Wǒ hěn bàoqiàn. Wǒ bùnéng (I'm sorry. I can't)." the doctor insisted.
Behind her goggles, Terra's eyes narrowed. "Jiù ná tā, wǒ dài nǐ (Take her, or I take you)," she threatened, in a calm, even voice, "Zhè shì nǐ de xuǎnzé (It's your choice)."
The old woman blinked, stunned. She stared at Terra and then to the helpless, overworked doctor who eventually sighed and nodded his head. Obviously, he wasn't willing to challenge a government agent, even if she was American. He considered his own life above any kind of irritations regarding foreign affairs, especially when one of them could probably kill him.
"Hǎo ba, hǎo ba (Okay, okay)," he stammered, "Wǒ qù kàn kàn wǒ néng zuò xiē shénme (I'll see what I can do)."
Terra smiled slightly and gave a respectable bow of her head. "Xièxiè (Thank you)."
She turned and rushed through the group of civilians to reach her team stationed just outside of the industrial area, out of sight from the public eye, joining Ironhide, Lennox and his men. Ironhide made a satisfied sound when things seemed to be in order.
"Now we wait," he said.
O
It was dark by the time the entire public had been evacuated from the area. They were waiting for a long time for signs of Decepticon activity.
"He's here," Lennox said, "We can be sure of that."
Ironhide transformed and scented the air briefly before growling out his words. "Yes, I smell him." he said.
The sounds of Skids and Mudflap calling down the empty Shanghai road was maddening to hear, especially for Terra who believed that stealth was much more of a key factor when it came to neutralizing an enemy. She pursed her lips with a murmur of annoyance.
"Ding-a-ling! Come out and get your ice cream!" Skids called in a taunting voice.
"Any bad robot out there better get ready for an ass-whoopin'!" Mudflap hollered.
Terra winced and glared up at Ironhide. "I refuse to believe that those addlepated twits were always soldiers," she muttered.
Ironhide actually chuckled at that. "Yes, the processor does boggle that one."
Lennox and his men followed a radiation signal toward a construction site where a massive excavator was quietly sitting. Suddenly, the excavator seemed to fold itself away before rising to its full height, revealing the furious, snarling form of Demolishor. He growled a Cybertronian curse and smashed his arms to the ground, the force sending several concrete pipes toward the NEST soldiers. Several crushed them beneath their great weight and others rolled away.
The sounds of shellfire filled the air as several NEST troops attempted to take Demolishor out. The massive Decepticon snarled with effort and shrugged off their attacks, smashing his way through the construction zone and onto the freeway.
Amid the chaos, Terra made her way through an alley and spotted the silver, jagged shape of an Audi R8 - Sideways - parked just a little ways in front of her. Despite his small size, he nearly took up most of the alleyway; his side mirrors would have been scratched if he had been an inch or two wider in shape. He revved his engine, daring her to try anything. Terra stood calmly before him, not even remotely terrified.
"Do your worst, Decepticon." she challenged.
Sideways' voice came out deadly and chilling. It also carried mockery to which came as no surprise. "You're just as they say you are," he hissed, "The freak."
"Who?" Terra asked.
"My comrades, of course," Sideways purred, "The Autobots captured me in Australia, but I escaped their clutches. It was quite an effort, but one that I managed."
Terra smiled with contempt and raised a finger to her headset. "Not for long."
"Wait!" Sideways hissed.
Terra's hand froze over her ear and she frowned at him.
"Why would you do that?" the Decepticon sneered, in a purring tone now, "Do you even know where you are right now?"
Terra shook her head. "I'm in Shanghai Chi-"
"No, no, I mean HERE, with the Autobots," Sideways said, rather sneakily, "Do you understand what it is they talk about when they think you cannot hear them?" He feigned dramatic silence and chuckled quietly. "I was a prisoner for a few weeks, Terra-Oh, that's right. I know your name too. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I don't think you understand that they laugh at you behind your back." He paused, catching her impassive reaction. "You don't see it, do you? They're lying to you."
Terra's brow knotted. She didn't believe the Decepticon, but something about his words nagged away at her conscience. "Why would they do something like that?" she asked.
"Well, they're afraid of you as they should be," Sideways purred, "They think you don't even know who you are. I've actually heard one of those flesh bags refer to you as a 'test tube monster'." He chuckled cruelly. "Oh my, now isn't that just funny!"
"You lie!" Terra hissed, glowering at him from behind her goggles.
"Yet you haven't alerted the others," Sideways shot back, "If I was such a liar to you, you'd have called them by I can see it; you're thinking about it." He sighed dramatically, ignoring the sounds of gunfire in the distance. "Let me put it simply for you. What are we? Cybertronians. We are made of metal, not flesh. Humans are made of flesh, but not metal. You were born on neither account." At Terra's surprised look, he laughed. "Soundwave is quite adept at infiltrating military records. We know everything about you, Terra."
"I know what I am," Terra said, her voice low.
Sideways chuckled quietly, as if her words held no consequence. "They're playing games with you, Terra. The humans are cowardly fleshy skin bags," he said, "Sooner or later, they will try to dispose of you. That's just how their precious mentality works. You know I'm right, Terra. You know it's only a matter of time." He paused once and made an amused sound at her silence. "Oh! Now I haven't upset you, have I?"
With that, he gunned his engine and his lights flashed on. Terra avoided the sound of Lennox's sudden alert to Sideways' presence as the Decepticon roared out of the alley and away from the battle.
His words echoed menacingly back at her.
O
Once back at Diego Garcia, the Autobots and NEST troop were evaluated for damages, losses and Lennox debriefed General Morshower on the current situation. He played back a message recording from Demolishor regarding a name; The Fallen. While this was going on, Skids and Mudflap rolled by several human soldiers in their ice cream truck mode, making goofy whistles and calls as they did. Terra watched them, rolling her eyes.
"Badass ice cream truck coming through...scuse me, scuse me..." Skids said.
They rolled passed two brand new Chevy vehicles, a Beat and a Trax. The two transformed into their robot forms and surveyed their new alternate modes like children at Christmas.
"Yeah, baby! It's upgrade time!" Skids hooted.
Mudflap laughed and walked up to the Beat. "Yes, sir! This is my booty call right here. Time to get my sexy on with the green..." he said. He did a little dance.
Skids immediately flipped his brother over. "Ah, no, green is MINE! I call green!" he snapped, "I got the green!"
"That hurt, man!" Mudflap protested.
"It's supposed to hurt, it's an ass-kickin'!" Skids shot back.
Epps rolled his eyes and looked back at Terra. "I'm gonna head up with Lennox," he told her, "You grab a bite to eat and chill."
She smiled weakly and nodded. "Alright, that's sounds..." She trailed off and started coughing, covering her mouth with an enclosed palm. It sounded rather rough and caused Epps to pause in his gait and looked back at her with a look of concern. "...sounds fine."
"You okay?" he asked.
Terra nodded again. "I'm fine. Just a cough. I should go to the bathroom quick."
She cleared her throat a bit and smiled again before departing. Epps shrugged his shoulders and walked up toward Lennox. He was immediately blindsided by Theodore Galloway who pushed his way angrily through groups of soldiers. Lennox smiled weakly when he saw him.
"Look who showed up..." he said, "Director Galloway, what an unexpected surprise..."
Galloway scowled at him. "Save it! Shanghai's a mess!"
Inside the bathroom, Terra splashed some cool water on her face and left the faucet running. She grimaced and coughed again, doubling forward with her head buried in the sink and the water rushing over her face. She coughed again and it sounded like a strangled, fluid sound. Staring down, she could see bright red blood swirling down the drain. Terra shuddered and lifted her weary face to the mirror, staring at it for the longest time before something flickered across her line of vision; a symbol.
She shut her eyes and gave her head a brief shake to calm her trembling body.
Flashes of death filled her head and she gritted her teeth, gripping her head with two hands. An animal snarl echoed out of her that she struggled to suppress. She doubled over and sat down on the toilet, grasping at the sides of her head in a futile struggle to fend off the horrible images.
Then, there came a knock on the door and Terra was temporarily relieved when the terrible images finally disappeared.
"Terra, are you okay in there?" the voice of a female soldier she didn't recognize; a new arrival, no doubt.
Terra's voice came out haggard and coarse. "I'm fine. Just please ... leave me alone."
"You sound a little bit rough," the soldier said, "Do you need a doctor?"
Terra gritted her teeth and opened the door, glaring at the woman standing there. "I need to be left alone, you irritating woman!" she spat, in a venomous voice that sounded different from her usual stoic tone, "How difficult is it to comprehend that?"
The female soldier looked stunned by the fury in her voice. Terra took a moment to analyze the woman before her with her goggles. Data displayed itself before her, following the woman's age, blood type, date of birth and social security number.
THREAT LEVEL: 4
NON COMBATANT
PVT. ALEXIS HARRIS
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Terra relaxed her shoulders and sighed, resuming her collected self once more. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," she said.
Private Alexis nodded her head, though she still looked troubled.
Terra made her way out of the bathroom toward the warehouse where Galloway was just finishing his rant regarding the situation of Shanghai. Then, he got in the middle of an argument regarding Terra with Lennox.
"And keep your freak test tube on a tight leash!" Galloway snapped.
Lennox could see Terra behind Galloway and awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek with one finger. "I don't think that's a good-" he began.
"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not lecture me!" Galloway spat, "We're running a government facility, not a circus! Keep her on a tighter leash or I will!"
Terra's brows went up and she folded her arms across her chest. Her words came out slightly amused, but also carried a darker note that suggested her irritation. "You will?" she said, "I think I'd like to see that."
Galloway turned and seemed to falter slightly at the presence of the woman there.
"As a matter of fact, I'd like to see that right now," Terra challenged, approaching him; she stood a few inches taller than Galloway.
Lennox rolled his eyes. "Terra, he's not being serious."
Galloway scowled back at him. "The hell I'm not!" he snapped, "I won't be shaken by a-"
Terra was in his face now. "A what, Theodore?" she asked, in a soft whisper of menace, "Say it. Say it right now." She tilted her head with a cold smirk on her lips. "I don't think you can see that I know you're thinking it, whether you say it or not. But I want to hear it from your own lips, little man. Tell me what you really think of me or do you lack the courage of your convictions?"
There was a tense moment of silence between them and for the longest time, Galloway attempted courage, but he failed and shook his head angrily, brushing passed her with an angry curse beneath his breath and an excuse of "no time for this". Terra made a disgusted sound and Lennox chuckled dryly, shaking his head with mock pity at the display.
"I think I saw a trail of piss behind that asshole," he joked, "He should know better than to run his mouth around here."
Terra shook her head. "Words mean nothing." she said, calmly, "I just wanted to see if he had the courage to speak his mind." She turned halfway to him. "Those who harbor ill feelings to something, yet cannot voice it are cowards who deserve no respect."
Lennox didn't know for sure, but there was something more in her voice than she let on.