This chapter will have more information about Riella's past, and the answer to why she's so different. Lots of flashbacks, and again, don't worry if you don't understand all of it. You'll get the whole story eventually. The final flashback in this chapter takes place right before the one in chapter 5.
Also, my apologies for the butchered German accent. I'm horrible at writing accents in general, and Blitzwing in particular.
The jet's engines hummed slightly louder than necessary, as it circled over the city. A red dot beeped on the scanner, indicating an Autobot signal below.
"Hmm. Zis is different." Blitzwing transformed in mid-air, letting himself fall toward the city below. "An Autobot out alone? Zat is not how zhey normally operate."
Riella struggled to stay upright, pressing against a tree trunk. Her fingertips scraped through the bark, leaving deep gashes as the fembot stumbled away, optics flickering and dimming as repeated flashbacks assaulted her.
"Leave me alone! NO!" She flails against the restraining hands, ripping away the cables attached to her neck. "NO!" Voices echo, replying, not to her, no, she's nothing but a machine to them. To each other. "Reprogramming isn't going to work on this one. Too much fight."
Blitzwing watched the Autobot lash out at the air. "Zis is very different." His face shifted, going from blue to red. "WHO CARES? ZHE IS AN AUTOBOT! I VILL DESTROY HER!"
Riella jerked out of her memories with a groan, staring up at the sky from where she'd landed on her back. She blinked and ran a few diagnostics through her processor, praying desperately that for once, just once, her senses would be glitching.
No such luck, of course. She hadn't been that fortunate since she was Sari's age, why would it be any different now?
Trying to slow her ventilations, the blue fembot pushed herself to her feet, waiting for the inevitable attack.
The ground shuddered slightly as the heavy tank slammed down, thundering toward the much smaller Autobot with both cannons blazing. Riella backflipped, dodging and changing positions rapidly, taking advantage of the tank's limited mobility compared to her own.
Unfortunately, she'd neglected to consider the effect of a personality switch.
One second, she was ducking under the cannon fire; the next, she was slamming down full-force on her back, CPU spinning as insane laughter echoed above her. Her head jerked back and her optics flashed as memories took over yet again.
Still screaming, incoherently, unable to understand even her own words now. Probably something along the lines of the words she'd learned from the older kids at the care facility, she thinks irrelevantly. Then her thoughts are violently ripped back to the situation as she is dragged upright, rough hands opening the restraints, pulling her toward the outside with no chance to escape.
A savage punch just barely missed her head as she twisted sideways, fighting to maintain a grip on reality.
"No! Please!" Her screams are abruptly cut off by a savage slap that stuns her briefly. She doesn't stop struggling – fight or flight is now so ingrained that nothing short of death or safety will stop it – but her mind loses all coherence, and she can barely hear the angry words being spat in her direction.
"Primus-cursed glitch! Will you stop that! I haven't had this much trouble since the last full-frame ended up here!"
She shrieks again, desperately lashing out, trying to do something, ANYTHING.
Blitzwing staggered and almost fell, doubling over. Riella used the intervening seconds to scramble away and get back on her feet; apparently the standard 'aim between the legs' attack still worked on Decepticons, even with their thicker armor.
Then ice clouded her vision, and she gasped, frantically trying to clear her optics as the Decepticon charged.
She crumples to the ground, pain ripping through her body as she slams into the unyielding stone. In the one instant of his distraction, she frantically kicks out at her attacker, only to be knocked back to the ground brutally as he curses in her direction.
"Slaggin' pit-spawned telepaths!"
Riella's vision returned just in time to see Blitzwing's fist crashing down toward her face. In one last-ditch, desperate effort, she did the one thing she had never wanted to do: she deliberately synchronized her processor waves with another Autobot's and hoped her thoughts would get through.
Prowl! I need your help –
She never finished the sentence. Unconsciousness tended to eliminate that possibility.
Yep! Riella is telepathic! :D
Review please! Questions/suggestions/etc are very welcome!