Author's Note
I know, it's been a while. Life has been extremely chaotic lately, featuring extended family moving in while they were between moving out of their old house and moving into their new house. They're gone now so things have settled into a sort of calm, though things aren't great. Every situation has been turning into the worst-case scenario lately.
But this chapter has some fun fluff in it, a nice change of pace from how things were last chapter (and how my life is right now). But before heading into that, I'd like to talk the latest Transformers movie. So if you haven't seen it yet, go straight to the story, because spoilers are ahead. But once you see the movie (or you simply don't care about spoilers), come back and read the next paragraph. Because my plans for the future of this series are probably going to change.
*sigh* I hate that I keep changing my mind about where to go with this series exactly and where to end it, but Primus, this latest movie struck a chord with me that is demanding that I include it in my series. Just the whole idea of the knights and Arthur and Merlin—I love it all. And Ari is a Witwiccan! Most likely, I'll have her be the descendant of Merlin able to wield the staff. So many ideas came to mind with that and I want to get my writer's hands all over it already. Then there's Unicron being inside the Earth and Cybertron coming to suck his energy. I'll probably change all of that, like, majorly. But like I've said before, I like the idea of a final showdown with Unicron. It seems like a fitting end to the series since Unicron is kind of the ultimate bad buy in the Transformers universe. So I might make Primus be inside the Earth and Unicron coming to suck the Earth away. I know that's not canon, but what are your thoughts on it?
Alright, go onward and enjoy some laughs!
Fellowship
The elevator doors open on the common room floor, instantly enveloping Ari and Sideswipe in the delicious smells of food. It isn't just any food, either. Not fast food, not restaurant food, and definitely not the food they serve back at the N.E.S.T. base. This is home cooking, the kind of smells they only get a whiff of back at the farmhouse when Sarah is in the kitchen.
Curious now, Ari and Sideswipe follow the tantalizing scent to find Darcy standing in front of the oven, fiddling with the settings on the high-tech touch screen.
"What in the world is that smell and how can I get some?" Sideswipe asks, practically pleading.
Ari rolls her eyes. "Sides, you don't need any food."
Darcy turns, stirring something in a bowl on the kitchen island as she eyes Sideswipe curiously. "Can you even eat anything?"
Sideswipe nods enthusiastically. "Yes, I can, and I love to and would really like to eat whatever it is you're making."
"What are you making?" Ari asks, she and Sides sitting down on some bar stools on the other side of the island across from Darcy.
"Oh, all sorts of things," Darcy says with a shrug, gaze roving over the kitchen counters. It kind of looks like the fridge and pantry exploded everywhere. Flour coats the counter, egg shells are in a pile next to the toaster, and there are empty packages waiting to be thrown away. The sink is full of dirty bowls, spoons, and other dishes, enough to where it looks like she made enough food to feed an army. For a week.
"Don't you think you went a little overboard?" Ari asks, a bit bewildered.
Darcy snorts. "I've seen Thor eat a whole box of poptarts and then still be hungry, eating a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, ham, sausage, and pancakes after that. And that was all when he was still human. Now he's got his godly mumbo jumbo back and I wouldn't be surprised if that speeds up his metabolism or something."
Darcy easily reaches for the ingredients spread out around her without hardly looking, eying the correct amount and then stirring it all in. "Plus, there's the rest of the team, and I've read up on them. Steve has to eat almost as much as Thor and I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Banner has to as well, what with that alter ego of his. I'm guessing it takes about at least fifteen meals-worth of food to get this lot fed, and then there's all the soldiers downstairs to boot. So, no, I don't think this is overboard. And I refuse to let them live off of sandwiches and takeout any longer."
"And you just decided to take all this on by yourself?" Sideswipe asks. "I'm sure Stark could, I don't know, hire catering or something."
"Are you kidding? The entire Tower is in lockdown right now. I highly doubt Stark is going to let a group of strangers come upstairs and feed us. So I've got three BBQ pork roasts in three different crockpots that I scrounged up from other apartments, there's baked mac n' cheese and green beans in the dual oven, I've got a salad, there's homemade alfredo sauce simmering on the stovetop for some pasta, and this is chocolate chip cookie dough that I'll bake later."
Ari blinks rapidly. "I...am not sure which of those I'm excited about more."
"Thanks," Darcy says with a pleased smile, depositing her spoon in the sink and wrapping the bowl of cookie dough with saran wrap. "My Nana used to cook like a fiend and she taught me everything she knew. I inherited her cookbooks and her penchant for taking care of everyone around her. I guess that's why I handle the Scientists Three so easily."
"And now you're just going to take on everyone else?"
She shrugs, putting the bowl in the fridge to cool. "Well, why not? It's no skin off my back. I'd need to get food ready for when the Scientists Three wake up anyway. Adding everyone else is no problem. Besides, all of Nana's recipes are kind of written to be made in bulk anyway."
"Why aren't you asleep?" Sideswipe asks curiously. "You must've gotten as little sleep as the scientists, right?"
Darcy's nose wrinkles up in disgust. "Yeah, but Stark's soundproofing isn't as good as what you'd expect for a billionaire. And Jane and Thor are busy 'making up'."
They can hear the air quotes dripping from her voice, Sideswipe and Ari side-eying each other with suppressed laughter.
Looks like their little distraction to get Thor away from Loki worked better than they thought it would.
"Why don't you just move to a different suite?" Ari asks, fighting the smile off her face.
Darcy gives her a deadpanned look. "Dude, I tried that. I could still hear them. But whatever, I got plenty of catnaps in while the scientists worked. I'm a champion napper. And this just means I can get back at Jane later, use it as ammo to get her to eat or something."
"Well, the least we can do is help," Ari says, raising from her stool, but Darcy shakes her head.
"Nah, I got this. I feel like the freeloader out of everyone here. The least I can do is this."
Ari frowns but sits back down. "What do you mean?"
Darcy shrugs again, the lightness of before gone now and replaced with uncertainty. She fiddles with the bottles and utensils in front of her as she talks, straightening them in a line from big to small. "Well, I'm the only useless one here. Everyone else is doing something, trying to find the Chitauri or this Thanos guy, or will be ready to suit up when the fighting starts. And me? I'm just an intern who was at the right place at the right time to see some cool stuff and stuck around after the internship ended."
"You don't need to do much in order to help," Sideswipe says. "What you're already doing is more than enough to make you not useless."
"Doesn't feel like it," Darcy mumbles.
"Hey, look at me," Ari implores, waiting until Darcy meets her eyes before continuing. "All of us have a reason for being here. Maybe it's to fight, maybe it's just to help a little, but it's going to take all of us working together in order to win this. What you're doing now—taking care of everyone, making sure they stay healthy and able to keep going—it's important." Ari smirks, trying to bring some levity back. "Slag, you've probably averted at least three explosions already because you got the Scientists Three to take breaks."
Darcy snorts, a little smile spreading across her face. "Jane alone would be three. With two extra scientists, it's probably more like five or six."
"See? You've been an amazing help already."
"Yeah, I guess." The buzzer goes off on the oven and Darcy shakes herself, turning to turn off the oven and take out the mac n' cheese. "Anyway, all of this is just about done. Jarvis? Can you tell anyone awake that dinner is ready?"
"Certainly, Ms. Lewis," the A.I. replies.
Ari and Sideswipe stand together, taking out plates and silverware from the drawers and cabinets to set the dining table in the corner of the common room opposite the living area, a solid wooden thing that can easily fit eighteen people. They set places for each seat, unsure how many people will be joining them, but it makes Ari wonder.
To get a table this big, just how many people did Stark expect to be living in his tower?
They trickle in slowly. First comes Steve, who automatically helps Darcy set out all the food on the kitchen island in a buffet style for everyone to dig into. After that is a rumpled Banner—who looks like he just woke up—then Stark—who looks like he's been up for a while but at least looks rested—and then Pepper—who always looks perfect. After that is Clint and Natasha—taking a break from watching Loki—followed by Jane—who looks rested but definitely more than a little rumpled in the fun kind of way—but no Phil or Thor. Phil is back at S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor is probably back to watching his brother. It makes Ari sad a little.
Thor and Loki should be able to join everyone else. Maybe if Ari can convince Loki to set the record straight, then maybe he can stop being ostracized and can get on track towards forgiveness. At any rate, she makes a mental note to grab some food for them before it's all devoured.
She's glad at least Clint and Natasha are here, though. They look better, especially Clint, like he's his usual self again. It doesn't look like just a cover either. Hopefully Clint was able to talk through his issues about Loki and is coming to terms with the fact that Loki isn't the bad guy he was led to believe.
"Are you sure we're allowed up here?" a voice suddenly asks, one Ari recognizes.
"Of course we are," another familiar voice replies. "That A.I. of Stark's told us to come up here and besides, he'd stop us from going anywhere we're not supposed to."
"If you say so…."
Ari looks over her shoulder and smiles when she sees Sunstreaker leading a group of soldiers out of the elevator—the twins Evie and John, Trent, Will, and Rob. Everyone else must be out on patrol.
Or these are the only ones brave enough to venture up into the Avengers' inner sanctum.
"Hey, guys," she says with a grin, going over to Will and sinking into his side for a hug. "We're just about to have dinner. You want to join us?"
"I don't know," Will says hesitantly but he doesn't pull away. "You sure we're not intruding?"
"Man, don't say that," Rob says. "You really want to say no to hanging out with a bunch of superheroes?"
"Yeah, we've already met two of them," Evie says, eying the Avengers eagerly.
John nods enthusiastically, his voice melding with his sister's in that eerie way of theirs. "And the two we've met are awesome. I want to meet the rest."
"Of course it's fine," Pepper assures from her place at the table, waving them over to some empty seats. "Come, sit."
"And you better hurry before all the food is gone," Stark quips. "Cap eats a full cow every day."
"I do not," Steve protests, setting down the last of the food on the island.
Stark rolls his eyes. "I've seen the specs on your metabolism. It's got to be close, right? In order to keep up with that body mass of yours."
They quickly dissolve into bickering, Clint and Darcy egging them on, Natasha adding in a few well-placed barbs at Stark, and Banner and Jane staying out of it. Ari would be worried if it wasn't for the subtle, upturned lips on all their faces.
"This is definitely a crazy bunch," Trent says with a quiet chuckle.
"You got that right," Sunny agrees. "Good thing we're experts in rolling with the crazy."
Pepper finally gets them all to calm down long enough so they can load up their plates with food. But as soon as they're all sitting at the table it starts up again, except this time with open laughter and mild food throwing.
A food fight is a near thing, only stopped by Natasha's glare.
Once everyone is full and the dishes put in the dishwasher, they move to the living room, except for Darcy who returns to the kitchen to start work on the cookies. Another debate starts up on what movie to watch, Steve wanting to see the next Disney movie, Stark wanting something rated higher than just PG, Jane saying rom-com, and the soldiers voting for action. Clint slips away to the kitchen—probably trying to pilfer some fresh cookies—and Banner tries to do the same to the lab but Ari catches him gently by the arm to stop him.
"Come on, Dr. Banner," she says quietly so only he hears over the loud voices. "Stay and relax with us."
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," he hedges, looking towards the elevator and slipping his arm out of her hand. "I shouldn't be around so much…activity."
She nods thoughtfully, eying the heartbeat monitor on his wrist. Most likely it's one of the ones that starts beeping when a person's heartbeat gets going too fast but there is no beeping now, his heart rate nice and steady. "Look, Dr. Banner, I won't stop you if you really think you need to leave in order to avoid having another episode, but don't go making up excuses just to avoid people when you don't need to."
Banner stiffens. "Excuse me?"
"You have a better lid on the Hulk than you let people believe, don't you," she says, a statement, not a question. "Why are you forcing people away?"
"Because I'm dangerous," he says matter-of-factly, his dark brown eyes boring into hers. "The people who hang around me, they always end up hurt or worse. Always."
"No, they don't," Ari replies, just as matter-of-factly. "If that were true, then a lot more people would be dead in New York."
"That's just because the H-," he pauses, jaw clenching, "the Other Guy was more preoccupied with the Chitauri. If I change here, all of you are dead."
"If there was that much of a risk of you changing, then you would have done so long before now, just from working with Stark every day. I've gotten a good idea of how dangerous Stark is to be around in the lab. That isn't good for anyone's heart rate."
Banner looks back at the others sitting on the couches and chairs in front of the T.V., fear and longing passing across his face.
Ari decides to press her luck, stepping closer and touching his arm lightly again. "Come on, Dr. Banner. If you can handle Stark every day in the lab, then you can handle all of us on the couch for one evening."
"I...I don't..."
"It's not like any of us are exactly helpless either. And if worst comes to worst, the Autobots are just a couple floors away. They'll be enough to subdue the Hulk, right?"
"I don't know," he says, hands fidgeting. "Probably."
"So what do you say? Want to stick around?"
His eyes fly back to her at that and she realizes what it is she just asked. She asked him what it is he wants. When is the last time anyone asked him that? When is the last time he thought about that himself? Other people have gone ahead of his own wants and needs for years.
Would it really be so bad to give in to some of his wants now?
"Dr. Banner?" she prompts after he just stands and stares at the others for a few moments.
"Bruce."
"What?"
He finally turns his head back to her, a soft, genuine smile on his face. "Call me Bruce."
He takes one step towards the living area, pauses, and then continues walking, his stride getting more and more sure with each step. When he's close Stark slings an arm around his shoulders excitedly, drawing him closer to the others in order to show him something. Bruce looks at him, bemused, but he doesn't shrug away from the contact.
"You're good at that," Trent says, coming to stand beside her as they watch the others' antics.
"Good at what?" Ari asks curiously.
"At bringing people together, even when they're stubborn."
Ari grins, bumping her shoulder with his. "Well, after doing the same with you, anyone else is a cakewalk."
Trent glares at her playfully and is about to say something when there's a furious yell from the kitchen. Suddenly, Trent has her behind him protectively, Sideswipe is by her side, and Will is at her back with the others scurrying towards them. The Avengers also have Pepper and Jane pushed back behind them, their eyes looking towards the kitchen.
Where Darcy is hitting Clint with a spatula.
Ari rolls her eyes, shouldering out of the protective circle they've made. "Seriously, guys? So unnecessarily."
"Ari-" Sideswipe starts but she points her finger at him.
"Unnecessary," she says again and heads towards Clint who is failing rather splendidly at avoiding Darcy's blows. She tries to ask what's up but neither of them pay her any attention.
"Ow, hey!" Clint tries to grab at the offending utensil only to get hit in the arm with it again. "Cut that out! I'm sorry! I promise I won't steal your cookies!"
"I remember you!" Darcy fumes, punctuating each word with another hit.
"Darcy, what is going on?" Jane asks as she approaches her intern, everyone looking on curiously now that they know there is no threat.
Well, no serious threat.
"I remember him, Janey!" Darcy points the spatula at Clint accusingly. "He was in New Mexico with S.H.I.E.L.D. stealing our stuff. He tried to steal my cookies then, too!"
Recognition makes Jane's eyes go wide and then they narrow in anger. "I do remember you. You helped them cart away all my equipment."
"And S.H.I.E.L.D. has already apologized for all of that," Clint says, holding up his hands and looking back and forth between Darcy and Jane nervously. "We gave all of it back and we're not going to steal any of it again. Promise."
"And what about my iPod, huh?" Darcy asks, waving her spatula around dangerously. "I never got it back. What happened to it, you jackbooted thug?"
Clint's eyes round a little and Ari swears he actually looks a little bit scared. "I...I don't know where your iPod is." Darcy's eyes narrow and he hurriedly adds, "But I'll find out! I'll find it and get it back to you."
"You better. Or else next time I'll be using my taser instead of kitchen supplies."
"And don't think she won't," Jane adds in, standing shoulder to shoulder with Darcy and both of them looking just as dangerous as any Decepticon. "Darcy can be very trigger happy."
Clint nods rapidly and then makes a hasty retreat, jumping over the back of a couch and sinking into the corner like he's trying to hide.
Everyone else finally burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. Natasha goes to her partner's side, patting him consolingly on the shoulder. "Poor, poor Hawkeye. Done in by a college intern."
"Hey, I've been tazed before," he says petulantly. "Being tazed isn't fun. I was twitching for hours last time."
"And it won't happen again so long as you return her iPod," Jane says, sitting down in one of the chairs. "So, what movie are we watching?"
"We've got it narrowed down to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings," Steve says, rubbing the back of his head. "I have no idea what any of those are."
"And all of them are a necessity," Stark insists. "The number of references people make to any one of them on any given day has to be in the thousands."
"Plus they're actually good, unlike some of the other things the internet has decided to immortalize," Bruce adds, leaning back in his chair. "So which series are we starting?"
"Uh, don't you mean completing?" Evie asks. "You can't just start one of these and not finish them."
"We ain't finishing nothing," Rob says, "not right now anyway. We gotta go on patrol in three hours."
"Oh, slag," Evie and John say together.
"We probably won't do them all right now," Darcy says, carrying a tray loaded with cookies and setting it down on the coffee table. "The Scientists Three probably want to get back to the lab tonight, right?"
All three scientists nod, Stark saying something around a mouthful of cookies but no one understands what he says and so ignore him.
"I'm sure we can get through them all eventually," Pepper says. "Take it one or two movies at a time. But where do we begin?"
"Hey, Steve, you like to read, right?" Ari suddenly asks, an idea dawning on her.
"Yeah, of course," he says. "Couldn't always afford books but there was always the library."
"You ever read a book called The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien?"
Steve perks up with a smile. "Yeah. Bucky got me a copy for my birthday one year. Good book. One of my favorites."
"Well, the Lord of the Rings movies are based on the books with the same name, written by Tolkien and a sequel to The Hobbit. I think Fellowship of the Ring came out sometime after you fell in the ice."
"Really? There's more?"
Starks claps loudly, falling down on one of the couches. "That settles it then. Jarvis, que up Fellowship."
The T.V. turns on automatically, the opening credits coming up for their movie and everyone settles in for the show, either on the remaining couches or on the floor since there's not enough room for all of them. Ari manages to snag one of the couches, Sideswipe and Will on either side of her. Sideswipe snakes his arm around her shoulders and she settles against his chest, happy to just relax for a little while without all the what ifs and maybes and worries floating around her head—or anyone else's.
Yes, something bad is coming, something big, and they only have so much time to figure out what it is until it happens, but they also know that they won't be able to win the day running on fumes. Sometimes it's best to take a step back from everything and start again fresh.
"Hey, look, squirt, it's you!" Stark pronounces with glee whenever Frodo and his companions reach the city of Bree. The hobbits are shown amongst a crowd of humans, looking like children compared to all the taller people.
Ari glares at him, itching for a pillow to throw at him but those sitting on the floor are using them all at the moment. "I am not that short, Stark."
"I'd watch it if I were you," Trent chuckles, only half joking. "Anyone who calls her short tends to end up hurt. I learned that from experience."
Stark eyes him up and down, taking in Trent's large muscles and the fact that he's probably at least twice Ari's size. "Seriously? What she do to you?"
"Well, she did knee me in the groin."
Stark turns to Ari, horrified and hands automatically covering himself. "Jeez! You don't mess around."
Ari grins, the kind of grin Natasha uses when she's got her prey right here she wants them. "No, I don't. Not even Sideswipe gets away with the short jokes. So you better quit it, or you'll be sorry. Last warning."
"'Not even Sideswipe'? What, is he usually on some kind of exemption list?"
Ari and Sideswipe share a secretive smile. "If he plays his cards right, yeah."
The N.E.S.T. soldiers bite their lips, holding in laughter while Stark looks confused.
"What exemption list? How do I get on it? Something tells me I'll need it for survival."
"Sorry, Stark, it's a pretty exclusive list."
Sunstreaker snorts. "Yeah, a list of one."
"Why only Sideswipe?" Steve asks.
"What, you guys don't know?" Darcy asks, looking between Stark, Pepper, Steve, Bruce, and Jane and only seeing confusion. "Come on, guys, it's obvious."
"What's obvious?" Jane asks.
"They're married, duh."
All heads swivel towards Ari and Sideswipe, eyes rounded in surprise.
Ari tenses, Sideswipe's arm tightening around her. They knew this would probably happen eventually—they've all been living together for the past several days and their marriage isn't something they actively try to hide except from certain people who would abuse the knowledge—they just don't know how these people are going to react.
They refuse to be ashamed, but if someone isn't accepting, then their stay here could turn very awkward.
"That's...nice," Bruce says, breaking the silence, but it's obvious none of them really know what to say.
"Why?" Stark asks incredulously. "How? I mean, he's a giant alien robot, he's not-"
"It doesn't matter that he's not human," Ari snaps. "Sideswipe is still a person just like you and me. He has feelings, emotions. He has life and a soul. I am in love with who he is and he loves me. That's all either of us need."
"But he's still different," Steve says, genuine curiosity in his eyes. "He's big and metal. How do you look past that and make it work?"
"The holoform makes some things easier," Ari says, taking Sideswipe's other hand and clasping it in her lap.
"For the rest, it doesn't matter," Sides finishes for her. "I'm different from her, she's different from me, but neither of us care. She's small and fragile. I'm big and metal. We're both different than what either of our species typically consider attractive, but we've both accepted our differences and have found we can easily live with them, even love each other just a little bit more for them."
"Looks shouldn't matter anyway," Clint says, sliding just a little bit closer to Natasha on the couch. "Love is love. It isn't blinded by the superficial. Those two are closer than some of the marriages I've seen where the couple has been together for decades."
Stark's mouth opens and closes several times. "But...but he's an alien!"
"We all know Jane and Thor are together, though," Steve muses, "and none of us have questioned that. If you think about it, Ari and Sideswipe aren't so different from them."
"But Thor at least looks human."
"So what?" Jane asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly. "I know Thor and I are still...new, but even if he had green skin or whatever I think I...I'd still be falling in love with him. Sideswipe is right, looks don't really matter. Not where real love is concerned."
Stark's mouth snaps shut and after a moment he tilts his head, conceding the point. "It's still weird."
The tension in Ari's shoulders unwinds a little. "We can live with weird. So long as you don't criticize us or ostracize us for our marriage, then that's fine."
"We'd never do anything like that," Pepper assures with a soft smile. "This does explain a few things though."
Bruce clears his throat, looking down at his lap awkwardly. "You've already accepted me for...the Other Guy, so you and Sideswipe being a thing is no problem for me."
"I am curious though," Natasha says, turning to Darcy. "How did you know they were married?"
Darcy shrugs. "What? It's obvious."
"Obviously not," Stark retorts.
"How?" Natasha prompts again.
"They're wearing matching wedding bands," Darcy points out. "Plus they're always together and touching and doing lovey dovey stuff. Seriously, how was I the only one to notice?"
Natasha nods approvingly, giving Darcy a speculative look. "And you are fine with it as well?"
"Yeah, 'course. If I wasn't, then I would have said something sooner." She gives Ari and Sideswipe a thumbs up. "And if anyone here isn't okay with it, then I will happily taze them for you."
Ari and Sideswipe laugh, finally relaxing again. "We'll remember that," Ari says.
"Good," Will says with a nod, looking down to the other N.E.S.T. soldiers sitting on the ground. "I thought we were going to have to whoop some afts."
Sideswipe sighs as they return their attention to the movie, drawing Ari closer and dropping a kiss in her hair. "Well, we certainly dodged a bullet there," he comments through the bond.
"Yeah," Ari agrees. "Hopefully our luck holds out for a while yet."
They get through Fellowship before the Scientists Three go back to the labs with Darcy and the soldiers go out on patrol. Clint and Natasha go back to watching Loki—Natasha taking a turn while Clint goes to get some sleep. Pepper goes to get some shut eye as well, leaving Ari and Sideswipe with just Steve. They go back to Disney movies, queuing up the next one on the T.V. to continue their night.
Ari doesn't make it all the way through the first one, though, falling asleep against Sideswipe's chest.
She rouses a little when he moves her, carrying her back to the suite. He changes her into her pajamas and tucks her in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. That's the last thing she remembers before sleep takes her.
Until a door in her mind opens up for her again, just hours after already doing so with Loki.
It doesn't just open, though, it flings wide like the lock is busted, unable to keep out the hurricane winds. The AllSpark knowledge floods Ari's mind, pulling her under before she can cry out for help until it feels like she's lost, like she's lost even herself.
Blackness consumes her.
She expects the knowledge to take her somewhere, to show her something, but all that's around her is…darkness, the darkness of a night with no stars or moon, out in the middle of the desert with no signs of life around.
None that she can see, that is.
"Ari," a voice calls out in the darkness, one she does not know. It frightens her a little but her fear of the darkness is greater. Her breaths grow short, her chest constricted as if a heavy weight lies on top of it, and she runs towards that voice hoping it will help her.
The AllSpark has never done this to her before. It's shown her things but…not like this.
A light pinpricks in the distance, small but easy to see in this vast nothingness. Ari pushes her legs harder, feeling the strain of her muscles as she puts her enhancements to the test.
Only for her to plow head first into something, knocking her off her feet. Pain blossoms everywhere and she looks up to see what she hit. It's fuzzy at first, the pain making things blurry, but when she realizes she's staring at a white glowing skull suspended in the darkness, everything clarifies real fast.
She scrambles away, getting her feet back under her in preparation to run again.
"Ari," the voice calls again.
From the floating skull.
Only, it's not floating. In the small amount of light the skull gives off she can make out black robes covering a person with the skull in the center of a hood, fabric flowing like sails in a breeze she does not feel.
"Who the frag are you?" she asks, trying for courage but feeling sorely lacking at the moment.
The figure lifts its arm, a skeletal hand reaching out from the robes towards Ari. It curls its fingers, beckoning her closer, and Ari just shakes her head, backing up a step.
"I don't think so. I have no idea what's going on but I would very much like to wake up now."
Between one blink and the next the figure stands right in front of her, the skull face just inches from her own. She lets out an involuntary scream, stumbling backwards, but a bony hand grabs her arm before she falls. Its grip is strong, the bones digging into Ari's flesh, and she tries to yank her arm back. "Let go of me!"
The figure's other hand flashes up, grabbing Ari's chin to hold her steady and force her to look straight into those eyeless cavities, as dark as the darkness around them. Even without eyes, though, there's the distinct feeling of being watched, the hairs on the back of Ari's neck raising on end as a chill washes over her.
"Death," the figure rasps, sounding neither male nor female as the jaw opens to form the words without lips. "He courts Death."
"W-Who courts death?" she asks, hoping this thing will let her go if she just listens to what it has to say.
"The Mad Titan. He prepares a gift. A gift of a thousand worlds."
Thanos. It's talking about Thanos. "What do you mean, a gift of a thousand worlds? I don't understand."
"Burn."
"Burn?"
The skull's mouth opens wide, an inhuman scream tearing into Ari's ears. "They will burn!"
Ari bolts upright with a scream on her lips, panic blinding her as thoroughly as the darkness. Sudden brightness pierces her retinas, stinging like she's been without light for days, trapped in that place. Tears blur her vision as she tries to make out where she is, to make sure that thing is gone. Someone grabs her and she screams again, flailing and hitting but they maneuver her until she is pinned against a chest, strong hands restraining her arms to her sides.
And then she feels the warmth of a spark at her back and Sideswipe's presence in her mind and the fight leaves her like a collapsing dam unable to hold the flood waters back any longer.
"That's right, Ari, it's just me, I've got you," he says in her ear and she turns in his arms, clinging to him as she cries. He holds her while she shakes, like if he just holds her tight enough it will keep her from crumbling into the sea.
Eventually, she has no more tears to give but her trembling continues, unable to shake what she just saw.
The warning she was just given.
"What happened?" Sideswipe asks, brushing her hair away from her face. It's wet with sweat and sticking to her skin. "Was it Ron?"
"No," Ari says, voice hoarse, and she wonders if she was screaming for longer than she thought. "Not a nightmare. It was the AllSpark."
His grip tightens further, anxiety pulsing along the bond. "What did it show you?"
"I-It was dark. There was nothing around me. And then all of a sudden there was this…figure. It looked like the Grim Reaper."
"Seriously? Skeleton and black robes and a scythe and all that?"
"No scythe but yeah, everything else. It's the freakiest thing I've ever seen but I…I think it was there to warn me."
"About what?"
"Thanos. It told me Thanos was going to burn a thousand worlds."
"Is that really what he plans on doing with the Infinity Stones? He's going to get all that power and just…destroy everything? What's the point?"
"I don't know. It said that Thanos…courts death. I don't know if it's supposed to mean he's just that homicidal or…I don't know." It almost reminds her of Unicron, wanting to destroy everything he and Primus created with the AllSpark, and it sends another shiver down Ari's spine. "I don't know, Sideswipe, and it scares me."
He kisses her brow, trying to give her a calm and reassurance he doesn't feel himself. "We'll figure it out. We always do. And we always win."
"But what if we don't this time?"
"You can't think like that, sweetspark. You can't. You need to stay strong, alright? Because if you start losing hope now, then we've already lost. If anyone can do this, we can. Because we've done the impossible before, right?"
She nods against his shoulder, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out slowly. "Yeah, you're right. We've been through a lot; have overcome a lot. If anyone can do it, it's us."
"Good." He tilts her chin up to kiss her, long and slow until the rest of her tension eases. "Do you want to try to sleep again?"
Ari bites her lip, tucking her head in the crook of his neck. "Honestly, I'm kind of afraid to close my eyes right now."
"T.V.?"
"Yeah, sounds good."
She knows staying awake won't stop the AllSpark from showing her things when it really wants to, but right now, she's more concerned with the nightmares. That vision has left an awful foreboding burrowed into her chest that isn't going to go away until all of this is over.
Author's Note
I know, I couldn't keep things completely fluffy. Foreshadowing is just so much fun sometimes. Those of you who know the Marvel Universe may realize just what that little vision was talking about. The rest of you, well, you're just going to have to wait a few chapters.
Next chapter I will hopefully get out a lot sooner than this one. We'll have some more time with Loki, another family dinner that has some more Autobots in it this time, and the beginnings of a devious idea. :)
Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!