A/N: Hope you all had a great Christmas, and Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you all like the chap, please review.
Chapter Ten
"Did you have any luck?" Crystal asked after she changed Optimus Prime back to his true form.
"I'm afraid not." He replied.
Crystal sighed, "Then I'm not sure what else we should do." After a few moments she said, "Perhaps I should give it one more try." And gradually disappeared.
Optimus walked towards his door and out into the corridor, he had an idea, and it included two Autobots in particular.
"So, your not human." Koji said as they walked across the school grounds.
It was lunchtime and Topaz -with some encouragement from Koji- had decided to return to school.
"No."
"So how can you… you know… become… look…" he began wondering how to ask his question.
"When I was rescued by a… being called Crystal, she took me back to her planet. I was extremely low on energy, it was a struggle just to stay conscious." She stopped walking as she remembered what happened next, tears started to well in her green eyes.
Koji saw how sad she looked, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked gently with concern.
She didn't reply instead continuing with what she was saying. "I asked if the others were alright, if anyone else had survived." She looked up at the clear blue sky "I could tell by the look on their faces that they hadn't." her voice started to quiver "They said that nothing could have been done to save the others." She closed her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Topaz, I…" he started but didn't know how to continue. After all, how do you comfort a sad robot in human form?
Topaz lowered her head, eyes still closed. "It took years for me to recover. Not from the attack, but from the… what do you humans call it… depression." She opened her eyes and looked over at him. The tiniest of smiles appearing on her face, "You're the only one I've ever told about this. No one except Crystal knows what I went through to get… better. Get where I am now."
Koji felt honoured that she would share such information with him, he was about to say something when the bell rang marking the end of lunch. "Guess we better go back." Topaz gave a nod as she wiped her tear trails away.
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When school was over Topaz went over to Koji and quietly said, "Wanna a lift home?"
He looked at her slightly confused, then remembered who and what she was. "Sure… okay."
"I'll wait for you outside." She said and walked out.
Just as Koji was about to leave himself his communicator rang, he opened it and saw Optimus Prime.
"Koji."
"Hey Optimus, is something wrong?"
"Is Freespirit with you?" he asked.
"She's outside, waiting to take me home. Why?"
"There's someone who'd like to talk with her."
Freespirit sat outside and waited but not very patiently. She sighed halfly in frustration. Where is that kid? Honestly, if he's worried that I'm going to kidnap him I would have done it way before now. She thought, soon after she saw him walking up to her.
"Sorry I'm late." He said.
"What took you so long?" she asked slightly annoyed as she opened the passenger side door.
"I forgot something halfway out and had to go back and get it." He replied as he got in.
"Whatever." She said and drove off.
A few minutes into the journey Koji said, "Mind if we stop off somewhere? I uh… need to do a favour for a friend."
"Can't you do that later, we're almost at your place and besides, I have other things to do." She knew that with Prime's failed attempt at making her see she was the same Autobot, despite her changed appearance and name, Crystal would make another visit in one last try to make her see… 'sense' as humans would say. It wasn't something she was looking forward to but she'd rather get it over and done with instead of delaying the inevitable.
"It won't take long." Koji half pleaded.
"You know," she began "I could just drop you her and let you do whatever it is on your own." Her voice developing a devilishly playful tone as she spoke.
"Ah come on. I said it won't take long. If it was that important then you wouldn't have offered a ride." Koji reasoned trying to convince her.
He had a point there, Crystal wouldn't arrive until she'd get back and there was nothing else that needed her attention. She was about to 'argue' some more but instead found herself sigh in defeat.
"Fine." She said, "Where do you need to go?"
Yes! Optimus you so owe me one "Oh, not far from here."
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"You call this not far." Freespirit said rhetorically as they reached a rocky hillside. "What are you gonna do out here, collect rock samples."
Koji couldn't help but chuckle as he got out, she was starting to remind him of Side Burn. As if sensing what he was thinking she said, "And no, I'm nothing like Side Burn."
He held his hands up in defence, "I never said you were."
"No, but you were thinking it." she said partly annoyed. "Just hurry up and do what you need to do so I can go home." After a few moments she found that he hadn't move and was staring at her. "Now would be a good time, and quit staring at me."
"I… er… need you to transform." He said rather nervously.
"What for?" she asked curiously.
"I… uh… need you to help me with this favour I'm doing… for my friend."
"Whatever, just so long as you hurry up." She told him. "Freespirit transform!" changing into her robot mode "Happy now?" as she folded her arms in front of her cockpit.
"Huh?! I thought you were a car." Koji suddenly said surprised to see that Freespirit had wings and other aircraft related 'items'.
"I am." She stated rather boredly.
"But how…"
She cut him off with a stare. "What is it you have to do for your friend?"
"I think I just did it."
"Huh? You wanna run that by me again." She asked confused as she put her arms down by her sides.
"Same old Spirit." A voice said.
"I believe he's talking about us." Another voice added.
Freespirit and Koji looked over at the direction of the voices, Freespirit's optics went wide in surprise.
"Rapid Run? Crosswise?"
"Nice to see you still remember us." The bullet train said.
She looked at Koji then over at the two Autobots and back at Koji, that's when it all clicked. She chuckled, "Let me guess, your friend was Optimus Prime, right?" she said knowingly.
"Hey, you didn't ask who it was, all I said was a friend needed a favour." He began as he started smiling "And Optimus is a friend."
She heard the two Autobots chuckle, "He's got you there." Crosswise said.
Freespirit couldn't help but give a small laugh herself.
"So he has." She smiled sweetly at him "Well done, Koji. Well done." Then turned and walked over to the bullet train and spychanger.
"So how've you been Spirit, it's been a long time." Rapid Run said.
"As well as can be expected, Rapid. As well as can be expected."
Koji watched the three as they laughed and joked. It was good to see Freespirit happy instead of the angry Autobot hating robot she had become. In fact she had almost been like a Predacon in her hatred of them. Koji shuddered at that, an Autobot becoming one of the Predacons, now that was a horrible thought.
He realised that he'd better call Optimus and tell him how things were going. He opened up his communicator and said "Optimus?" Prime's picture appeared on the screen.
"Yes Koji?"
"It's done."
"Thank you Koji. I'll send X-Brawn to take you home." Optimus said.
"Don't worry about it." He looked over at the now laughing Freespirit "She seems so different now." He said in a quiet voice.
"Yes, she does. X-Brawn will be there in a few minutes."
Koji was just about to reply when he heard a voice shout "Koji look out!" the next thing he knew he was lying on the ground with Freespirit over him. "You okay, kid?"
Koji groaned a bit and tried to regain his senses. "I think so. What happened?"
"One word. Predacons." He heard Crosswise say from behind the fighter jet.
"Come on, we've got get you to safety." Getting up off him.
"I don't think so. No one's going anywhere." A voice said.
They all looked round and saw…
"Sky-Byte, should of known this was your fishy doing." Rapid Run said.
"Don't forget about us." Another voice said.
"Dark Scream, Slapper, Gas Skunk." Freespirit said, "What do you three idiots want."
Koji, Rapid Run and Crosswise couldn't help but chuckle at her comment, even Sky-Byte couldn't resist a small laugh.
"Hey! Who's side you on, Sky-Byte." Dark Scream said annoyed.
"How about we cut the chit-chat and get that double crossing jet." Gas Skunk said.
"For once you have the right idea." Sky-Byte said "Get them!" the four Predacons moved in.
"We have to protect Koji."
"Gotcha. Crosswise, you get Koji outta here. Rapid Run and I will take of these pests." Freespirit said.
"You two sure you'll be okay?" Crosswise asked not wanting to leave them.
"Trust us dude. We'll be just fine." Rapid Run said.
"Okay. You ready, Koji."
"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied.
"On the count of three." Crosswise said. "One…"
"Two."
"Three!"
Optimus was worried about the sudden communication loss with Koji. "TAI, contact Crosswise and Rapid Run." He had a feeling that something wasn't right.
"Right away, Optimus."
Crosswise's face soon appeared on screen but was suddenly cut off without a word. This only made Optimus even more worried.
"TAI have Prowl and Side Burn meet me at Crosswise's co-ordinates." He then transformed and drove off.
TAI turned to her screen, "Prowl, Side Burn, Optimus wants you to meet him at these co-ordinates."
"We're on our way." She heard Prowl respond.
She wondered what was going on, why hadn't Rapid Run responded and what had happen to Crosswise? She hoped Freespirit wasn't using them for target practice.
"Why is it whenever I get to know a girl we get called away?" Side Burn said half moaning.
"Quit your moaning, Side Burn." Prowl said annoyed. All he'd heard since they received the transmission from TAI was his brother's moaning, and he was getting tired of it.
"Your one to talk." Side Burn replied. "Who was it that complained for almost three hours about how a certain femme hated them."
Prowl didn't say anything instead veering into his young brother and hitting him sideways on.
"Stay away from him Predacon scum!" Freespirit shouted as she flew in low and fired her lasers at Slapper.
"Let's see how you like flying blind you good for nothing jet. Acid breath." Gas Skunk blew a yellow cloud in Freespirit's direction.
She started to cough, "I can't see, I can't see!" she heard Sky-Byte say "Shark missiles." But wasn't able to avoid them and they collided with her engines sending her down.
"You okay, Spirit?" Rapid Run asked as he shot the shark in the tail fin making it howl in pain.
"Fine, though my engines are toast."
"Well well, if it isn't miss I-know-how-to-destroy-the-Autobots." A voice said.
Optimus and the Autobot brothers had just come in sight of where the battle was taking place. They could see Rapid Run fighting off Sky-Byte and Dark Scream, there was no sign of Crosswise and over by Freespirit had just appeared…
"Megatron." Optimus said.
"I'd say we arrived just in time." X-Brawn said.
"Yeah but in time for what, to help them out or to see Megatron finish off Freespirit." Side Burn commented.
No one said anything as they continued toward the battle scene. Once they arrived they saw Crosswise trying his best to hold back Slapper and Gas Skunk (now in their robot modes) and protect Koji at the same time, as well as trying to ignore his injury.
After transforming Optimus told Side Burn and X-Brawn to go help Crosswise and Rapid Run. He knew that even if he told Prowl to go and help them that the white mech would stay and help Freespirit as if to make up for the past.
They went over to where Freespirit was facing off against Megatron and saw that her cockpit was cracked and her wing tips were smouldering, there was also a slight trickle of energon leaking down from her right 'elbow'.
"Megatron." Optimus said, earning a look from both the Predacon leader and femme.
"Not another step, Prime." He said "Or you can say goodbye to this femme."
Freespirit looked at Megatron in slight amazement, then realised that with attention focused on Optimus she could use the element of surprise and tackle him. At least, that was the plan, but it didn't quite turn out that way. As she went to tackle the Predacon leader she had failed to notice the stray laser shot coming her way, it hit her in the side causing her to fall to the ground just short of her 'target'. This gave Megatron a greater advantage as he hauled her up by her injured arm.
"Let her go, Megatron."
"Sky-Byte, Dark Scream, Gas Skunk, Slapper." He called out, the four Predacons were by his side almost instantly.
Prowl saw Freespirit's face contort with pain -as much as she tried to hide it- as Megatron increased his grip on her arm.
"Don't worry about me, Optimus." Freespirit said, "Just get them."
"Quiet femme." Sky-Byte said kicking her. She turned and glared at him.
"What do we do now?" Rapid Run asked.
"We can't attack them while they have Freespirit, can we?" Side Burn said.
"No." Optimus said flatly "And Megatron knows it too." Staring at the Predacon, who now had a half smug grin on his face. In fact all of them looked…pleased at the Autobots predicament.
"You heard Optimus. Let her go." They suddenly heard Prowl say.
"Why should I?" Megatron said.
To the Autobots surprise Prowl aimed his gun at Megatron.
"Prowl, are you nuts. If you miss you'll end up hitting Spirit." Crosswise said, but Prowl wasn't listening.
Megatron laughed at the white mech, what was the stupid Autobot trying to prove.
Optimus as about to tell Prowl to stand down when two shots were heard, one from Prowl and one from Megatron. While Prowl's shot had just missed, Megatron's didn't.
Freespirit watched what was going on and was slightly horrified when Prowl collapsed to the floor, she saw Side Burn and X-Brawn rush over to their fallen brother. I have to end this before anyone else gets hurt. She thought. As her optics moved across each Autobot her anger rose as she heard the Predacons insult and taunt them, her hands clenched into fists. Finally her gaze landed on the now wounded Prowl, she was now seething with anger. She looked to see how 'occupied' Megatron was and when the time was right shot the Predacon in the foot, gaining her instant freedom. She then released her anger on the unsuspecting Predacons. Finally managing to drive them off with the others help.
"This isn't over Autobot!" Megatron spat at her as he transformed and flew off.
Freespirit was about to fire at him when she realised he was right, she was an Autobot, she'd always been an Autobot and would always be. The only difference between what Crystal and Prime were trying to tell her and her realisation was that she wasn't the same Autobot Sky Spirit but Autobot Freespirit. Who was a totally different femme, sure she still may have Sky Spirit's memories but Freespirit had her own life, her own ways, her own 'past'. She chuckled to herself who'd of thought it would have been Megatron of all mech's to make her realise this.
"Freespirit." she heard a voice say and turned back to the others. Her expression sadden slightly as she saw the brothers were no longer there. "Guess they'll know better than to mess with me." She joked trying to lighten the mood and received a few light chuckles in return.
"Does this mean you're coming back to us?" Crosswise asked.
"Hmmm… I'll let you know." She replied in an almost playful way then transformed and drove off.
"I think that's a yes." Rapid Run said.
Optimus gave a nod.