OMG! Broke through my writer's block finally! This gets a little sad and very violent in the later part, so there's your warning. Credit to the idea later goes to wherever I found it on fanfiction, I feel bad I can't credit the author directly, but I do the best I can. Enjoy!
…...
~Morgan's POV~
Havii had been giving me therapy for my leg so I could now walk without a limp, and even Ratchet was surprised at how well I was healing. I still reflected on Ironhide's birthday present to me, though it had been a few days. Of course the feeling couldn't last, we were interrupted in our daily tasks by a splitting siren. I looked up at Ironhide, who was frowning.
"What's going on!?" I asked. Ironhide knelt down to me so I could better hear him.
"An energon detector has been triggered, there are Decepticons in the city! Are you fit to fight?" Ironhide asked. I nodded, catching up to Lennox as he ran past me.
"Where do you want me and my team?" I asked. Lennox told me on the go.
"Get them armed with Sable rounds, they pierce the Cybertronian's armor, and have them stay with the Autobot they befriended. Take your own rifle and get someplace high, the rounds in it won't pierce their armor, but if you can take out their eyes it would be appreciated. Stay in touch with each other and for god's sake be careful!" Lennox said. I saluted, remembering the line that Lennox used for his team.
"Bring the rain." I said. Lennox nodded, taking off, and I rounded up the weapons needed before I called my team. I tossed the modified guns to everyone, explaining what Lennox had told me, and looked at my team.
"I may be your commanding officer, but under these circumstances, I think Lennox has the most jurisdiction. With that..." I said, reaching my hand out to the others. They stacked their hands on top of mine before we headed our separate ways. I slung my gun over my shoulder, along with a small pack that had a radio and a few odds and ends.
"Let's go!" I said, hopping into the cab of Ironhide's vehicle mode when he transformed. He spun his tires as he took off right behind Pierz and Sideswipe.
…...
Ironhide let me out and transformed before we got to the heat of the battle. I edged along a building and peered around the corner of it down the street, getting my first glimpse of a Decepticon. I'm not certain which one it was, but Ironhide had told me of all the Decepticons he knew. I motioned him to look, and when he did he moved back instantly, trying to take me with him.
"What's the matter?" I asked. Ironhide shook his head.
"That's Starscream, we can't beat him." Ironhide said. I smirked.
"Not alone we can't." I replied, digging out my radio. "Hey guys, where are you?" I asked. Pierz, Boulder, Havii, and Blitz radioed in, Collins had stayed behind with Wheeljack at the base.
"Sideswipe and I are up a block from your position, pretty close to big ugly." Pierz said.
"Mirage und I have our own problems, sorry!" Blitz shouted into his radio. I heard I loud explosion on my radio and a sort of muted one in the distance at the same time.
"Me and the Wreckers are on the street opposite Pierz." Boulder replied.
"Ratchet and I are on the edge of the activity, call if you guys need backup or medical help." I nodded, glancing around for a plan. Getting one, I called to my team.
"Alright, listen up. Boulder, Pierz, you two and the Autobots stand by for a minute. I'm going to create a distraction. Hit him hard when I do, and I'll be trying to find someplace to set up. Everyone got it?" I asked. Everyone affirmed, and I crept out of the alley where I was hidden, aware of but not concerned with the missiles that Starscream seemed to have an endless supply of. Ironhide called to me.
"Morgan? What are you doing?" he asked. I looked back as I ducked by a car that was sitting by the alley where we had been hiding. Thankfully it was an older one, it would serve my purposes.
"Creating a distraction." I said. I picked up a chunk of concrete from the ground and broke the window of the driver's side, the one facing the alley. I wasn't worried about Starscream hearing me, he was too busy tearing up the street. Oddly, he seemed to be looking for something. I reached through the broken glass and unlocked the door, opening it quickly. I kicked the panel under the steering wheel, hard, and it cracked like I wanted it to. Kneeling and reaching into the car, I yanked the panel away and dug around in the wiring. Contrary to popular belief, there are no two 'magic' wires that are right there for you when you pull off the steering panel. Although, the concept that you can hotwire a car is true.
I pulled out the wires I needed, taking my combat knife out of my boot I cut the two I needed and stripped the insulation the best I could.
Please let this work... I said, touching the wires together rapidly. I grinned when the engine roared to life, and Ironhide looked surprised.
"Here we go..." I said, taking a larger hunk of concrete and dropping it on the gas pedal after I shifted the car into 'D.' What a lot of people don't know is that many car's steering columns don't unlock if you hotwire them, as with this car, it took off and drove in a perfect, speeding line right into Starscream's leg. The car crumpled and died with the impact, and Starscream snapped away his limb as if it surprised him. He narrowed his gaze at the car, turning his attention to it, and this was all the distraction my team needed. Pierz and Boulder both fired at the same time, their rounds catching Starscream's wing and shoulder right before their Autobot friends broke cover and charged Starscream.
I looked up, searching for a good spot, and settled on the building next to Ironhide and I. It wasn't too much taller than Ironhide's reach, and I asked him if he could get me to the top of it.
"Alright." Ironhide said, lowering his hand to the ground. I stepped on, and he lifted me up as close as he could to the top of the building. I tossed my gun and pack up to the roof, then jumped and hauled myself over the edge.
"I'm good now, go help your friends!" I called to him. Ironhide nodded.
"Stay safe, I'll get you down from there later." he said, starting to run into the fray. I stopped him a moment.
"Ironhide!" I called. He looked back at me. "Give 'em hell." I said. Ironhide smirked and joined the battle. I set up my gun and peered through my scope, waiting for a shot. I didn't know if I could help or not, Starscream was moving his head to much and too randomly for me to take a shot. Starscream grunted when one of Ironhide's blasts knocked into him and he staggered a step. His gaze was knocked down to the ground, and I assumed he saw Boulder and Pierz in the battle as well, because he sneered evilly.
"It appears you've found even more humans to join you, pity it won't last!" Starscream said, breaking free of the fight momentarily and switching to a machine gun weapon mounted on his forearm. We could all only watch as his fire tore Boulder nearly in half, killing him instantly, and Pierz received a few bullets as well before the Wreckers smashed Starscream to the ground. I took my eyes off Starscream for an instant, looking through my scope to my fallen teammates. I knew Boulder was dead, but to my horror, Pierz was still flailing. Blood spattered the area around him and I ripped my radio out of my pack.
"Havii! Get here now! Boulder and Pierz are down, Boulder...is dead..." I said. Havii responded instantly.
"Oh no...Ratchet and I will be there soon. ETA 3 minutes." Havii said. I disconnected, not knowing if Pierz could or would make it that long. Sideswipe signaled his comrades and broke away, kneeling next to Pierz. I had lost two team mates, and now it appeared I would lose a third. The three minutes it took for Ratchet to pull up in vehicle mode and Havvi to run to Pierz seemed like some of the longest in my life, I can only imagine what it was like to Pierz. Though I couldn't hear him because of the battle raging just down the street, Pierz seemed to say something to Havii. Havii shook his head, but Pierz managed to reach out to Sideswipe.
Sideswipe put on the most human expression I'd seen on these guys so far, sadness. He rested his silver hand against Pierz, who then dropped his arm and I saw his head loll to the side. Havii radioed me, but I already knew what happened.
"He's gone." Havii said. I gritted my teeth, then whirled to the battle down the road. Starscream, though outnumbered at the moment four to one, was mercilessly holding his own. In horror, I saw him dig his claws into Ironhide's shoulder, grabbing his arm and twisting. From here, I heard a horrific screech of metal and Ironhide's optics widened in pain as he staggered back, grimacing as he held his useless arm. Fury building in me, I changed the channel on my radio so the Autobots could hear me.
"In exactly twelve seconds, everyone get out of the way!" I said. They gave no indication they heard me, but I pulled a small RPG gun out of my pack and loaded it quickly, taking aim. I counted down, and right as I fired, everyone scattered in different directions. The grenade struck Starscream directly in the chest and he stumbled back. Smirking, I moved back to my gun, but when I looked through my scope, he wasn't there. I only had time to hear Ironhide through my radio say,
"Morgan! Look out!" Suddenly, I was violently jerked up into the air by an extremely tight grip around my body. I wheezed as I felt my ribs compress and all my gear was left uselessly on the roof. I squirmed around to see I was in Starscream's grip, and I know I paled in fear.
"I should crush you right now, pathetic insect, but I have a better idea." Starscream growled. Jetting down to the street, he blew Ratchet and Sideswipe away and plucked Havii from beside Pierz, taking off suddenly into the sky. We both started to cry out as he flew too high, the pressure making our internal organs expand. Starscream noticed, and seemingly annoyed, dropped a few thousand feet. I was also freezing, flying at F-22 height with only an army uniform was not something you usually do.
Without warning, Starscream dropped down out of the sky, purposefully knocking Havii and my heads together. Stars flashed in my eyes and I blacked out instantly.
…...
I woke later, obviously I'd been roused by Havii, who was alert and kneeling next to me.
"Uhnn...where are we?" I said, putting a hand to the knot on my skull. Havii shrugged, helping me up. We were both in a cell, obviously meant to hold someone larger, but it served its purpose. The opening was shielded by a sort of blue energy barrier, and right before I touched it, Havii stopped me.
"I wouldn't do that. I got a pretty nasty shock when I did, it laid me flat, actually." Havii said. I quickly withdrew my hand, then backed a few paces back when Starscream approached the cell. He deactivated the energy barrier, and of course, snagged me from the cell, trapping Havii back inside. I writhed as he turned with me in his grip, and unceremoniously, he dropped me on a large metal table. He flipped me over onto my stomach, holding me there while he programmed something into a terminal next to the table. He released his hold right as something seized my wrists and ankles, prohibiting my movement. I twisted backwards to see him leaving for something, and I called to him, letting fury instead of fear come into my voice.
"Where are we, you sad excuse of a Decepticon?" I said. I heard Starscream growl from the other room, though he did reply to me with a loathsome tone.
"Did you think your precious Autobots were the only ones with a base? Well, this is ours, and where it lies is none of your concern." Starscream said. When he returned, I paled at what he had.
A brand, much larger than say, a cattle version, was held in Starscream's hand as well as a sort of metal cylinder with a spout and a small bucket. I thrashed, remembering my torture in Syria, and Starscream sneered.
"Oh, are we afraid? I myself can see you won't tell me anything I want to know, am I correct?" Starscream said. I glared at him, trying to give him a look that could kill.
"Damn straight." I said, pulling at my wrists again. Whatever held me was the same sort of energy as the wall to the cell, though the cuffs on my wrists and feet did not shock me.
"Very well, I thought a more suiting torture would be to forever mark you with the symbol of the most hated thing of the Autobots." Starscream said, lifting the brand that was smoking and still red-hot. My eyes widened at what it was, a perfect replica of the Decepticon insignia. Starscream narrowed his optics, placing a claw at the back of my army uniform and slicing downwards. I was afraid he was going to expose my spine when he did, but surprisingly, he didn't draw a drop of my blood, at least yet it seemed. I narrowed my own eyes, pressing my chest further into the table so Starscream couldn't humiliate me more than he already had.
Starscream picked up the brand, and now I knew it was inevitable. Clenching my eyes, teeth, and fists, I waited for the agony to come, and come it did.
As soon as he pressed the brand against my back, white flashed across my eyes and it felt like my very soul was being burned away. I screamed, its hot burn tearing through my throat was the only thing convincing me I wasn't dying. Of course it wasn't over.
As Starscream removed the brand, nausea rushed to meet me when I saw large patches of my skin melted to the metal. I closed my eyes again, an unwanted tear of agony sliding down my jaw. Starscream then dug something sharp into the edge of the branded part of my back, I assume his claw, and with precision traced the outline of the brand. I merely moaned softly in pain, the agony of my back seeming like nothing could compound on it. I felt my blood welling out of the raw mess that had to have been my back, and it ran down my bare sides to pool under me.
I weakly opened my eyes, the effects of shock setting in from what I recognized. The pain receeded slightly in my back, replaced by tremors that rattled my entire body. Starscream then picked up the strange cylinder, seeming to tip it with care over my back. Something new and molten was spreading over my back and I wailed again, going hoarse and not being able to cry out again. This process was the longest, and just as agonizing as the brand. I let my head rest on the table, starting to give up and hope that I'd pass out, when Starscream took the small bucket and upended it over my back.
Expecting more pain, I was unprepared when a cool wash of water splashed onto my back. It stung like fire but soothed at the same time, though I didn't dare move for fear of hurting myself.
"Done...And a masterpiece if I do say so myself." Starscream said with a sneer. He released my limbs, and roughly picking me up, he opened the cell and tossed me back in with Havii. I hissed at both movements, dropping to my knees near Havii as I tried to hold my shredded shirt over my chest. I knew Havii wouldn't mind, he was a medic and had seen it all, but for some reason I still wanted to preserve what was left of my dignity. He rushed to me as soon as I was returned, it was probably horrible for him to have been able to see what was going on. He knelt by me, gasping when he saw what Starscream had done.
"Oh, Morgan..." was all he said. He helped me to the back of the cell, patiently going very slowly so my back wasn't moved in the slightest. I gasped in pain again when he had me lie on my stomach, but then I wished nothing more but to stay where I was and not move an inch.
"What...did he do?" I asked, my voice catching. Havii looked at me.
"Exactly what he said he was going to."
…...
Sorry for the abrupt ending in the chapter. Yay for graphic torture! I'm a weird one, alright? I take it as a compliment when someone says so too...anyway, hope this wasn't too gory for you, and I will see what I can do about getting the next chapter out sooner. Aurrawings out!
