A Promise Made

I blinked tiredly, then yawned. It was quiet. I listened carefully, waiting for Vibes to wake up. Despite the cramped cell, I had been able to sleep surprisingly well the past few nights. Having Vibes around brought comfort and reassurance. Our brothers would come for us. Maybe she could meet Akiko, too.

I often wondered about Vibes. It was obvious enough she wasn't human. But as far as I knew, she wasn't an Autobot or Decepticon. At least not that I had heard of. Perhaps she was a hostage. An innocent civilian in the clutches of a bloodthirsty warlord. How long had they been holding here here?

The silence was becoming uneasy. I wondered if it would be rude to wake her up? Maybe, but at least I would know she was still there.

"Hey Vibes," I called quietly. Nothing. "Vibes, wake up."

There was a faint reply. I smiled to myself, relieved.

"You scared me for a minute there." I told her. "Sorry to have to wake you."

I waited for her to answer. The faint sounds continued, getting louder now. The sound of metal falling on metal.

"... Vibes?"

A voice that did not belong to her came in uttered reply;

"-Idiots couldn't even slow them down! Megatron will be furious when he finds out that you…"

I shrank back. I recognized that voice…

Starscream stormed into the hall, muttering. He halted suddenly in front of my cell, looking surprised. A pleased smirk crossed his face.

"... Well, well," He crooned, bending to look at me through the barrier. "Perhaps your heads have been spared after all."

xxx

Mason walked through the house again. Confusion had turned to concern, now to panic. Akiko was nowhere to be found. Not in his room, not in the kitchen, or even Audrey's room. Had he gone for a walk? He never went out without leaving a note somewhere…

Mason began his search again.

xxx

The barrier receded, leaving no protective shield between the commander and myself. I pressed farther into the corner, heart pounding.

Starscream sneered, all too amused at my fear. He reached in, fingers curling around my wrist and yanking me to my feet. Shoving me out of the cell, he turned to the troopers that had gathered in the main hall.

"You are lucky that they didn't take this one." He told them, "Or you would all surely be dead by the end of the day."

"Not that that isn't still a possibility." He added under his breath. Then continued;

"If you buffoons want to avoid the punishment you deserve..." The commander pushed me forward, making me fall to my knees between him and the soldiers. "...You will take this one to Megatron."

xxx

Mason stopped in front of the laptop, still open, on Akiko's desk. Part of him relaxed, seeing the note taped to the screen. He pulled it off and read;

Turn on the laptop

-Kiko

Somewhat confused, Mason did as the note requested, finding a document already open on screen. Mason started to feel uneasy. He read the letter;

Mason,

I'm sorry to have left without notice, but I couldn't risk allowing you to get involved. I found a possible location of the Decepticon warship, and have gone in hopes of finding Audrey. I will not return anytime soon. I have left you this message because I need you to know that you must not tell anyone what I have gone to do. Especially not Fowler or the Autobots. I have turned off my comm link, so you will not be able to contact me. I can only urge you to trust that however long I am gone, that I am working as hard as I can to retrieve your sister. I know that you wanted to come, but I can't allow you to put yourself in more danger than you already have. My job is to protect you and your sister, and I have already failed. I realize that my absence does not does not correlate with this, but you have proven that you can take care of yourself more than once. Audrey is in danger, and I cannot allow her to stay there any longer. I need you to stay at the house, not only because I don't want you to put yourself in danger, but because I also have a job for you. I have included web links for a project I have been working on for the past few years that I think may be helpful to us at this time. If you can, take a look at them and see what you can find out.

Forgive me, Mason. I realize that in doing this, I may no longer be what you see me as now. I will take that chance. As long as Audrey is in danger, I have no purpose. I will promise you this; that I will bring your sister back to you, or die trying.

-Kiko

xxx

The troopers flooded around me. I panicked, looking around frantically. I saw my open cell. Beside it, another open one, the lock mechanism fried.

Her brother came for her… I thought. She had been rescued. That must have been what Starscream was so frustrated about. But where was Mason? Would he and Akiko come for me?

Hands grabbed at me, taking hold of my arms and shoulders. Too confused and afraid to resist, I let them drag me away.

xxx

Akiko's heart clenched with regret. What else could he have done? He could only trust that Mason would find his letter and continue the research he had left for him. It was an important project, and someone would need to continue it if Akiko didn't make it back…

A bout of turbulence made him focus on the airway in front of him again. He was getting close to the site.

Scanning the sky, Akiko wondered how long he would have to search until he found the warship. The coordinates he had discovered were only a few weeks old, but the ship moved fast. Luckily, so did he.

Akiko sped forward, flying up over the irregular currents. Eventually, he would get tired and have to land. Fortunately, unlike Cybertronians, he wouldn't have to stock up on energon. The dose he had been given during Project Duo recirculated through his body with his human blood. The only downside was that he became tired much more quickly than his counterparts. Flying took more energy than driving. Mason had that advantage. Poor Audrey had never taken an alt-form however, bound to indecision. Her only hope of escape was the advantage of morphing back to her human self. Even then, her chances were slim.

I'm coming, Audrey, He thought. Just hang in there…

xxx

Just hang in there, I told myself. Someone will come. Soon. Don't worry.

But the more I tried to calm myself, the more panicked I became. What if Mason had died trying to get me back? What if Akiko never found out what had happened to me?

The sickening feeling returned. It had been numbed for a while, but it hadn't gone away. Now it came in full force, almost crippling.

I was flung to my knees. Hands gripped my head and shoulders, forcing me to look up at the figure that loomed over me.

Megatron.

"You've failed to keep these monstrosities contained before, Starscream… " He uttered, glaring at me. "... And our previous guest has already slipped away. Do you really expect me to allow you to be in charge of this one?"

"Certainly not, my lord." Starscream replied, moving beside me.

"Then why have you brought it here? I can't stand the sight of it."

It? I thought, Is that what I am? An "it"? Just a dual-blooded freak for you to torment?

"I've only come to seek your command in what should be done." Starscream replied, "Since this is the weakest of the three…"

"Embellishment will get you nowhere, Starscream," Megatron said. "If it is of no use to me, dispose of it immediately."

"Lord Megatron, wait!" Interjected another voice. Held in place by the grips of half a dozen Vehicons, I couldn't turn my head to see who it was.

"What is it now, Knockout?"

Knockout… A bout of horrible memories came flooding back to me. The medic! What was he up to now?

"Why dispose of her so quickly when we can use her for further research in using the humans to expand our army?"

"You may recall the last time you attempted this, doctor," Megatron reminded him. "Our army already outnumbers the Autobots more than twenty to one."

"Yes, but having dual bloods on our side expands our advantage. The Autobots would never expect a simple human to turn on them."

"Your reasoning is ideal. You may conduct your experiments after we are ensured that it will not escape."

"If you plan to kill her, I cannot give proper results. I need her alive."

"Knockout…"

"Hear me, Megatron, please. I have developed a mechanism that will keep her contained. She may even be trained to work for you."

Megatron shook his head, turning. "Do what you want, Knockout. But be aware that you will be held responsible if it slips away."

"I understand, my lord. Thank you. -Breakdown, do you mind?"

"Out of the way!" Commanded yet another voice. Breakdown, I assumed. The troopers moved aside, and a new pair of hands fell on me. A vise grip pulled me upwards, almost crushing my shoulders. Flinging me back towards the door, I stumbled to face the medic.

"Hello again, Audrey." He said, smirking. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

xxx

Akiko fell to the earth, nearly crashing as he transformed and tumbled halfway down the hill. Paralyzed with sheer exhaustion, he lay in the clearing, staring up at the cloud-streaked sky. He had flown for hours, and there was still no sign of the warship.

Rolling onto his side, Akiko waited for his breathing to even out. He could only rest for a little while, then back to searching. Something told him he was getting close. He couldn't lose his lead.

xxx

Mason tried to stay calm. His fingers shook at the computer keys. All morning, he had been analyzing the web links Akiko had left. It seemed like the only thing he could do. It had started out with a simple need for something to keep him mind off Akiko and Audrey, but now it was beginning to unfold. There was a mystery here, and he was determined to figure it out.

xxx

The door slid shut, blocking any hope of escape. Not that there was much to begin with. I stood in the center of the room, frozen. They hadn't bothered to put cuffs on me, and I might have been able to give a fight. I suppose they didn't see a need to worry, however. I was too scared to breathe, let alone fight.

Knockout grinned.

"You're lucky I was passing by. Otherwise, you'd probably be dead by now." He said. I prickled. He was up to something. I didn't like the feeling I got from it.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, barely able to speak.

"Why, didn't you hear? You'll be my pet project for a while. You should be thankful. After all, I did just give you an extra few months to live."

Thankful? What's wrong with him?

I shied away as he edged closer, red eyes drilling into mine.

"Now, now, no need for that," He purred, "I'm not going to hurt you. Not much, at least."

I felt like crying.

Akiko, Mason, where are you?