She blinked, deliberately, and felt all the warmth in her shoulders drip away into the dust at their feet.
The anger fell with it, along with her possessiveness. All that was left was dread and icy, icy despair.
She swallowed, hard. ::You know how I said we'd have some more time before sketching our personality profiles for the 'Cons?::
::Yes.::
::Procrastinators never win, do they?::
"Who are you?" Starscream purred- the rough edges of his voice smoothened with the headiness of triumph. Turning to Sunstreaker, he tilted his head menacingly. "Who is she?"
Sunstreaker stepped forward, half-protectively. She shot him a look, hidden under a violent tremble, and stopped him cold.
"An earthling?" Sunstreaker asked, disinterestedly, guns flashing cold. He would not fight when she could be a casualty. A careless shrug. "She does not matter."
"She knows about us, though," Starscream said shrewdly, and Evelyn hated the gleam of intelligence in his optics. Starscream was the second in command. He was supposed to be loyal. He should be mourning and broken and-
-::If you don't calm down, Megatron, I'm going to die.::
He retreated, curled into a ball. She turned aside, let her eyes widen and face pale.
"W-why did you bring me here?" Her voice was small, and she felt her shoulders sink an inch further down, playing on the terror she actually felt. She was no threat, only an asset. Information, with no risk. "I… I don't-"
Starscream lunged forward, a smooth snap across the dunes- and all she could think was oh shit that's twenty meters he shouldn't-
Breathe, Evelyn.
She had to show every inkling of mind-numbing terror.
Emphasis on the mind-numbing. She had to appear terrified while still retaining the ability to think. Her every drop of acting dribbled down to this action, and she was petrified beyond all comprehension.
You cannot do this.
His clawed hands closed around her torso, heavy and bruising. For all that she had despised the Autobots and told them that, they had not inflicted pain purposely.
Starscream would.
"Who brought you here?" He asked, voice low and deadly and vicious.
She pressed herself back, against the icy metal of his palm, and tried to ignore the knowledge that all it would take was a single movement and she'd be crushed.
"I… got a message," she whimpered, feeling tears run down her face. "From Wheeljack."
A desperate gamble for desperate times. She didn't know if it actually was Wheeljack who was the traitor- but she needed to give information. She needed to prove her worth.
And if she were wrong-
Don't think about that. Just keep moving, from dust to darkness to light.
His bloodied optics narrowed into slits of crimson hatred. She didn't have to fake the shudder working out of her bones.
Then his lips twisted into a grotesque approximation of a smirk. "How does it feel," he asked, nastily amused, "to know that you were betrayed by one of your own?"
She kept her silence, knowing the tension had just risen to a higher notch.
Sunstreaker hissed, "Let her go."
"Why?" Starscream asked. "What would you give me for her?"
No, she thought, something too close to betrayal lurking in her heart. Sunstreaker was honorable. He would do what a true Oathsworn should, and disavow himself. She would again be abandoned. I can't do this.
She did not control Sunstreaker. She did control herself. And…
Megatron was still on her side.
::Megatron?:: She whispered, eyes locked on Sunstreaker's vacillating frame.
::Evelyn.:: He was there. She could do this. It was not impossible.
She made sure her eyes focused on Sunstreaker's. She could identify, she thought, every last shade of blue in those beautiful optics.
::Cut the bonds.::
Her heart shattered under the newly made pressure. But even in the depths of her self-loathing, she could see the aghast- broken- look in Sunstreaker's optics. He held his silence, in the rotted depths of her absolute betrayal. He was still loyal, when she had utterly deceived him.
"I don't know him," she whispered.
And Starscream smiled. There was madness in that rictus, a crazed sort of hysteria that she might have called amusement.
No. He was too far gone, too deeply traversed in madness to be amused. Even if she was soon going to join him there.
"Take them both," he ordered to his men.
Sunstreaker's screams would be forever carved into the landscape of her heart.
Who is the unforgivable one now, Evelyn?
"I don't know him."
I don't know him. I don't know him. I don't know him.
It was her mantra, a litany of her crimes and every last one of her failures, borne in unadulterated rage and so much pain. Megatron helped her, sometimes, silencing her tongue when she was about to say something unwise- but mostly he left her alone, to shrink away from the overwhelming despair that would soon rip everything to shreds.
Starscream asked her, had continued to ask her since they had left the desert.
She had answered the first few questions; they were the ones the Decepticons knew she knew, and pretending otherwise suggested that she wasn't as far gone into hysterical terror as she appeared.
Then the questions had turned to herself, and she had shut down.
Not just not answered, but not reacted. First, last, and always- she didn't move at their threats. Threats- first to her body, then to Sunstreaker.
They hadn't gotten a response.
She thought there was a hint of disappointment then, but Sunstreaker had provided more than enough entertainment in that sense.
And, in their haste, they had underestimated her skills. Leaving the door unguarded- all they had were a few drones- was beyond irresponsible. It dove straight into the area of utter failure.
A makeshift sword, taken from a swiftly defeated drone, was simple enough to wield and a good weapon for Megatron to use when this small. He had been thrown off balance, at the sudden arrival of his old… minions, and couldn't be relied upon to be the support she sorely needed- a basic weapon was the best tool for him to use right then.
The base schematics were similar to what he remembered, but those were hidden behind a veil of anger and hurt. He was still affected by his imprisonment in his own body; she couldn't blame him for his inability to retain control. That would have been hypocritical.
She just wished she wasn't so aware of her mortality- her weakness. She had shored them up, she'd thought, when she had bonded with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Only now, she was too cognizant that bonds went both ways. She had come to care for them as much as they cared for her, and that feeling was not a natural one.
It burned.
Rounding a corner, she stilled, cursing hopelessly in her mind.
Soundwave stood there, at the end of the hallway, arms folded and looming murderously over her.
Remember, Evelyn. He is not…
Hope dawned, a sunrise that painted her mind in shades of glorious gold.
::Megatron!:: She called, desperation clipping her voice. They had moments before they'd be noticed, and less to formulate a plan. ::You said you were hated.::
::…yes:: he admitted, slowly.
She grinned nastily at him. ::Except Soundwave has always been loyal. I don't care- reveal yourself. Convince him. Use that silver tongue of yours for some good instead of leaving all the work to me.::
He was wary. Unhappy. But he was the one who had taught her to use people, and she would not let him forget his abilities when they actually mattered, even if she knew she was being unfair. This was… necessary.
::Step back.::
She did, a deliberate one to the back of her mind. It was dizzying, in a sense, and painful, too. Megatron was not a gentle mech- was raised and born in fire and ice and kill or be killed. He had an effect on her mind that could not be measured.
Ice, to diamond, she thought, ruthlessly suppressing the physical pain. Iron to steel. I am nobody's weapon, but he wants me to be one. I am not his.
Sometimes, she had to remind herself that over and over again. Megatron was not her, and she was not Megatron- or Megatron's. It was hard, when one had sixteen years of experience, against Megatron's thousands. He would probably never understand how hard it had been for her to draw the boundaries between him and her.
It was why she was so compulsively obsessed about retaining control.
"Soundwave," Megatron spoke, out of her mouth. His voice was regal, commanding. Absolutely, utterly in control. With one word, he established the dominant party. "How are you, old friend?"
She grimaced, sour vinegar sliding around her mind. Not the best way to start the conversation.
"You… escaped," he announced, calm and flat.
She felt a surge of worry-hate-fear. Then it was tamped down and under Megatron's control. "Did you think a puny cage could hold me?"
"Who are you?"
Thank goodness Soundwave was smart, she thought. He was good enough to realize that this was not normal behavior for prisoners. Now, all Megatron had to do was ensure that he didn't sound like a complete lunatic- and maybe…
Hope was building on the horizon.
"Vorns ago, there was a battle on Polaris' beta star," he said finally. Soundwave stiffened, minutely. "And a femme was… injured."
"She is dead," Soundwave announced, and there was death in those scarlet optics. "Megatron himself-"
"-saved her. Because you asked. Because you knelt on bended knee and swore that you would be his." Her mouth went dry at the implications. Another Lord- no. He had already said he wasn't one. So why… Megatron took no heed of her confusion. "You aim a cannon at me, Soundwave, and I'll call you Forsworn."
"You are not Megatron."
He bared his teeth- her teeth. "Want me to prove it?"
He inclined his head, just a touch. Evelyn could see the way Soundwave palmed a gun longer than she was tall, and felt her heart rate increase exponentially.
"Seventy vorns ago, you told me I was a fool for putting Starscream as my second in command," Megatron said carefully. He'd seen the gun, too. "You've told me that I was a fool and an idiot and deserve to rot in Unicron's lair. I found you in Vos, and you couldn't hear yourself think because you couldn't control your powers." He sounded strong, fierce… and knowledgeable. This was the only truth, he claimed, and Soundwave would fall before his indomitable will. "You-"
"How is this possible?" Soundwave asked evenly, gun subspaced. "How did you get inside an earthling femme?"
The revulsion there spoke wonders for his opinion on humans, she thought.
"I was… defeated. By Prime, and the Autobots. I needed help, and there was a sympathetic soul around. Hers was the closest."
"You… are Megatron." The incredulity ran under his normal, emotionless tone. "Is the girl dead?"
"No," Megatron said ruefully. "She's too strong here. This is her body, and for all my power…" He shrugged, light and loose and fluid. Evelyn felt the way he twitched mentally, at the lack of weight around his shoulders. He wasn't used to being in control of her body- and it showed. "I'm not strong enough to overwhelm her."
Just yet.
Soundwave nodded, then, once- sharp and decisive. "Let's go."
Wait. What?
::Stop!::
But Megatron only moved forward, and was about to ignore her. She snarled angrily, mental defenses locking around him. He had pushed and she pushed back, now. Power was not only Megatron's.
She had a few aces still up her sleeve.
She had more than a few secrets hidden away.
::We are not going anywhere:: she said, low and rolling and deadly. ::We need to get Sunstreaker.::
He sighed. ::There's no way that is happening, Evelyn. We can't do it- hell, the other Autobots would say the same. Walk out and they'll extract him later.::
It was so very tempting, to walk away right then. Sunstreaker was in the bowels of a place she was utterly terrified of, and it wasn't like she was any hero, to try to save him.
But you are his Lord.
And, damn it, that was why she hesitated.
::He would have protected me:: she said firmly.
He growled, in half-frustration and half-tiredness. ::You've never given him the chance! You'll never know!::
::Then I owe it to myself to find out, don't I?:: Her voice was intentionally mild. ::He deserves the chance. And… it is my duty, to protect him. Don't pretend that your vows were only meant for circumstances that didn't require some sacrifices.::
She wasn't above emotional blackmail, after all, to get what she wanted.
::I can walk us out of here:: he said furiously. ::And you will have no choice-::
Her heart thudded against her chest- that muscle was still under her control. ::You can try.::
::What is that sup-::
His voice cut off when she shifted, bringing every last inch of her mind to bear. A slicing move shored up defenses that she'd grown- and consciously hidden- from him. Within the space of a moment, she had blocked his access to her limbs and all her senses.
She couldn't access them, either, beyond a vague sense of feeling and hearing, but that didn't matter. She wasn't actually acting on her impulses right then- she was threatening.
She let go of that numbness, and slid to the backseat- watched him reel in shock. It was dizzying, she knew, and more than a little painful. The sudden influx of color and light and touch after a moment of absolute silence and all-encompassing peace was… jarring.
::We will get Sunstreaker:: she told him, and it was both warning and threat.
There was a long pause, and he whispered, ::Another line in the sand, Evelyn?::
She smiled, wryly, refusing to show her relief when he gave - better than anyone- knew how hard it was for Megatron to depend on others. Hopefully… ::There are a lot of them.::
::Fine. We'll get him. If things go south, though-::
::I know my priorities.::
Aloud, she spun to Soundwave. "We can't leave."
"…why not?" About as confused as he ever got, she thought. "The-"
"There are… circumstances you are not aware of." She knew her voice was harsh, but there was only so much control she possessed. "But we need to rescue Sunstreaker. It is of absolute import."
"The Autobot?" He asked flatly. She nodded, and he shook his head. "Impossible. Probability of getting out alive reduces from ninety eight percent to forty for just trying-"
"Would your answer change if I said I am his Lord?" She asked quietly- and if that was calm but immoveable, then it was only Soundwave who heard it. "And I cannot leave him."
He sent her a glare. "The Autobots will negotiate for his return, and if it comes to it they will invade-"
She shook her head, but retained the cool surety she had begun the conversation with. "You don't understand. He swore to me in front of them. His loyalty is mine, and just because he still has an Autobot symbol doesn't mean he is one. If I walk away… there is no one who will come back."
Because Sideswipe would be stopped, and so would anyone else. And if it was terrifying, knowing that she was Sunstreaker's last hope… so be it.
She had never been one to walk away from adversity.
"We go, and save Sunstreaker. Or we don't go at all."
And Soundwave studied her for a moment. Her heart dropped to her knees when he shook his head- slowly- but all he said was, "You are a fool."
She smiled, instead of shivered. "Fools and chess masters, indeed. Can we get out of here?"
"Yes." A wry smile. "Never thought I'd go down against my own."
Her smile grew wider. "When the fall is all that's left, it matters a great deal. But… we won't have to worry about that." At his uncomprehending look, she told him, "remind me to show you Lion in Winter later. It's a good movie." She sighed. "You don't have to worry about me, Soundwave. Take care of getting Sunstreaker out. I'll… cover you."
She wasn't a hero, wasn't a good guy. But she liked Sunstreaker, and trusted Sideswipe, and could talk to Jazz. Evelyn had a family, built out of the ashes of her old one. And if there was one thing she had always- always- done, it was to protect her family.
"Let's go."
She needed Megatron to help her wholeheartedly for this to work, and that dependence left an acidic burn inside of her. She hated being unable to do something.
::I'm sorry:: she offered. ::But you know…::
::Soundwave is not yours.::
::But neither is he yours:: she said gently. ::He is loyal to you. But not sworn.::
Megatron sighed. ::We've got to get going.::
They moved, swiftly.
There wasn't enough time for something this complicated. But Soundwave couldn't clear the hallway and protect both himself and Sunstreaker.
An ace in the hole, in other words.
Soundwave had tossed her a gun- a miniature one for him. As he ran in the middle of the corridor, though, she remained in the shadows. The majority of drones they came across he avoided- but there were only so many he could fell with stealth.
They turned a corner fast, Evelyn remaining a few meters behind him- and he was immediately engaged.
A small part of her- a very, very small part- wanted to help Soundwave and leap in, guns blazing.
But they needed one advantage, in this completely compromised op.
::We've got to get in there.::
Megatron shook her head. ::No. What we need is a distraction- and then get Sunstreaker.::
::Soundwave-::
::-can take care of himself.::
She sighed, irritably, but didn't deny it. Soundwave was a Decepticon warrior, and more to the point, Megatron's third in command. He was a brilliant warrior and the only thing he was truly in jeopardy of was being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Eyes narrowing, she swept the bare hallway, desperately, for something to distract with. Something fast and loud and…
…dangerous.
::Can you tell how far he is from us?::
::I think it's enough of a distance. Loud enough, and we could…::
He nodded, and unsheathed the gun. It held fifteen rounds in it, which meant that each clip counted. Aiming it at the bolts holding the roof of the tunneled hallway together, he grinned savagely.
The base had been built over twenty years ago, by humans. And it wasn't financed by the government, but by a small corporation in the area. Megatron had recognized it the moment they'd entered, mostly because he'd been the one to tell Starscream it could make a viable temporary base.
Emphasis on the temporary.
It was half-underground, and worse, built in an arch. The stupidest part was that they had even added bolts around the top keystone to keep it in place. And, while that was not the corporation's fault, for not noticing it- it was monumentally idiotic of the Decepticons to let that happen.
Break the keystone, and everything else would fall.
Fifteen shots in the gun.
Two shots broke the bolts affixing the keystone. A third completely shattered it.
And it was at that moment that she realized exactly what that would mean. Because she didn't have the physical strength to stand against the air, and if the front was sharp enough, it could honest-to-god cut her in half.
She leapt across the corner, rolling to a halt against the cooling corpse of a drone. The dull explosion that resulted was followed by a concussive wave of the metal under her hands- she was thrown clear across the hall and nearly lost consciousness at that.
The ringing in her head lessened, slightly, when Megatron stepped back; Evelyn took control of her body and was absolutely, utterly, unreservedly, terrified.
::Distraction, Megatron? A distraction's meant for the other team, you idiot!::
No response, and that was somehow more frightening than a snarky one. She snarled, low in her throat, and forced herself onto her knees. She was Soundwave's only backup; had been the one to force him into this rescue.
She would not lie there, bleeding out because of one idiotic happening.
She limped into the shadows, dragging the gun with her. The sword had been folded away, as a last-ditch weapon, and while digging into her hip, wasn't too uncomfortable. What she needed was to shoot again, and create another distraction.
To draw Starscream away for a brief moment- and let Soundwave get Sunstreaker out.
She found three more clips for the gun- thank god, the gun he'd given her wasn't specialized- and promptly shoved them into the holster. There was no more running about to give Soundwave backup; he'd already left.
That gave her roughly ten minutes to create a few more distractions, and twenty more to clear a path.
She frowned, thinking that over.
Running down a random hallway seemed like a really bad idea- but it wasn't like she had much of a choice with Megatron woozy and comms down.
Taking careful aim, and trying to remember every last scrap of information Megatron had taught her about shooting, she fired.
The first few only resulted in her flinching from the recoil, the bullets pinging against normal metal. She had never been so glad most Cybertronian weapons had silencers.
But by the time she'd gotten through the rest of that first clip, she had fallen into a sort of routine. And it wasn't as hard as she'd thought, to aim and fire. Had it been moving, definitely. As it was, it wasn't impossible.
This time, she was ready for the tremor and was already running for the next hallway. She could only hope Megatron woke up sometime soon and-
::…where the fragging hell are we?::
"No idea," she panted back, skidding to a halt and taking aim once more. It was random, and chaotic, and more than a little frightening. The anger and tension still coiled inside her; Sunstreaker was still not okay. It would take more than that- but she was getting somewhere calmer, now that Megatron was back. "Needed… distraction. Made one. North Entrance?"
Thankfully, he got what she was asking. ::Turn right next corridor. You'll find… that. Grab-::
She let him flow into her arms and leg, seamlessly handing over control- and he pulled her onto a second level. This was clearly made for humans, though, and while a part of her wondered what exactly a catwalk was doing in a Decepticon base, she knew that they had used an abandoned human one.
She just hoped they hadn't killed anyone to get it.
Anyhow, the catwalk was nothing more than a rickety barrier; the paint was peeling and in places the rust flaked off like so much dust. It wasn't safe-
And exactly what part of this has been safe?
That was… true. Safety hadn't been a priority for her for a- long time. She kinda wished it had been, but too much had changed. She wasn't a child any longer; Megatron was not a hero, either. Her safety hinged, however paradoxical it might seem, on protecting her Autobots.
They moved as one, now, flowing silently towards the North Entrance. The drones they passed- and wasn't that interesting, how few Decepticons there were?- had all seemed almost… lackadaisical. Infected.
At least taking them out wasn't that hard.
Then she heard heavy footsteps thundering down the hallway, gunfire, and shouts.
::They're coming:: she said quietly, stating the obvious. Both knew it- and more so, both knew that the ammunition they had wasn't enough. If, as predicted, the most dangerous 'Cons were engaging Soundwave, then what they had to do was delay. ::Megatron-::
A slow thought came, and it was almost too late.
::They haven't felt the earthquake up close and personal, have they?::
He hesitated. ::Neither has Soundwave. Sunstreaker might be injured:: he cautioned.
She nodded. ::But it's our only plan, right?::
::We can do this.::
He braced her shoulders, easier than he would have that morning, and fired, one clean shot.
The shaking was tremendous, probably because she was closer to the actual metal. If it crumpled…
…they couldn't stay.
::Run!::
She didn't know who said it. Maybe- probably- later, she'd be terrified of that. Right then, all she wanted was to make it.
And, somehow, she did. The balustrade twisted moments later, but she was able to slide down the construct easily enough and get off two shots.
Shots that drew their attention to her was a bad thing. But they needed, desperately, a lead- and Evelyn had just managed to shock them for long enough that Soundwave reached a twenty meter gap between them.
("I'll cover you, Soundwave. Don't worry about me.")
Lithe and quick, she tossed out a flashbang and ran.
The movement was quick; the 'Cons almost missed it.
But it had given them even more of a lead, and she wasn't about to waste it.
Lunging out of the damned base, she saw Soundwave waiting. On the upside, he wasn't fielding enemy fire. On the downside, he wasn't getting away.
"Move!" She barked, before she whirled back and crushed the small remote Megatron'd constructed in their cell. "Get back, Soundwave!"
The base exploded.
And there was nothing beautiful about it, apart from- maybe- the contrast against the night sky. It hurt, to have blown up mechs and people like that, but it wasn't like she'd had much of a choice, and Megatron hadn't been one to argue against it.
Really, they should have known better than to put lithium in their paint. Turning on sprinklers was not difficult. At all.
She was more surprised that hadn't been discovered yet, but she wasn't going to complain. It had bought her an advantage that had blown up their base, and it was enough of one to distract the Decepticons- hopefully- for long enough that they could properly escape.
She was sprawled over the ground, and honestly. If she came out of this with a concussion and no broken limbs, she was considering herself lucky.
Megatron was the one who dragged her up, hands stinging and welts forming. She was the one who didn't let the tears fall, though, the rough breaths in between gasps and chokes and hopeless recriminations weighting her chest like a thousand metal bells.
"We have to go," she choked out, through that pressure and her own agony.
Soundwave stared for a long, long minute, and then he nodded slowly. She didn't like the look in his optics- too knowing, too shrewd- but didn't care enough to comment.
Evelyn blacked out when she sat in the car- a larger, heavier version than she'd expected from the lean Decepticon- but jerked awake a few hours- in reality, minutes- later.
Sunstreaker lay there, arms shifting from once-gold to dust-orange. She grimaced at that, and then wondered what it said, that she cared more about Sunstreaker's paint than she did about his health.
Damn it. The way his optics fluttered, a vivid almost-purple, told her more about his situation than she wanted to know.
The irony was that it had been his twin who had taught her about the Cybertronian symptoms for Energon-deprivation.
Scooting forward on the seat, she "Is there a safe place nearby?" She asked. Kept her voice low, controlled. Soundwave would soon- if he wasn't already- come apart at the seams, and Sunstreaker needed her to keep calm. She needed to be the strong one, for now. "Soundwave?"
"There is an abandoned army base a hundred miles south of here. That-"
She shook her head. "Too far. Sunstreaker won't make it."
"Then where do you want to go?" He asked, voice coldly even. "The only way to keep him alive is with the Autobots. There is nowhere to hide, no more tricks. He-"
"I did not save him so he could die now," she said quietly, voice dangerously soft. "He is not a fool, and I will not let him fall while I can yet support him. And never think I do not have tricks, Decepticon. I am not a fool."
He didn't respond, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Megatron tells me there's an abandoned warehouse five miles from here. It can hide any radiation, and… it's large enough."
Soundwave didn't say anything about all the things that could go wrong: it was too close to the Decepticon base; there was no surety Sunstreaker would make it; the Autobots might be too wary to try to find them.
Evelyn clenched her hands and tightened her jaw and glared. There were a few, uncompromisable things. And she would fight to the ends of the earth for them. Soundwave didn't like it- fine.
She would blaze her own path.
She turned to Sunstreaker, and swept a hand over his arm, brushed away the dust and dirt carefully. She didn't quite say I'm sorry- but it was a close thing indeed.
When she held his arm, she could feel minute trembles, shakes and twitches he was unconscious of.
Her heart hurt- but she didn't really want to go anywhere. She had caused this, she thought bitterly. She had pushed this on Sunstreaker. They had survived- the question was at what cost, not whether there would be consequences.
The tremors grew, from shakes to a near-seizure, and she almost- almost- drew back. Then she remembered what soothed her, when she was in the worst of the nightmares. Megatron woke her with quiet words that told fairy-tales, or novels, or history. Nothing of importance, but everything of value.
And though her voice shook and her throat ached, she began to whisper-tell tales.
"Once upon a time," she began, "there was a man, and a woman. They were the only things to ever exist in the world, and loved each other as wholly as two beings who had never known another way could love.
"They had three children: the sun and the moon and the earth. The world was beautiful, because she had never known pain, nor anger, nor the most destructive of all forces: hatred." Evelyn felt her breath ease, slightly, under the cadence of the words, and almost cried from sheer relief when Sunstreaker's chassis lifted in a stuttering breath. "And the parents watched their children grow and flourish, and though they wept bitter tears at the onslaught of time they did not fight against it.
"The sun was the first to leave, fiery and burning and desiring for more. The moon soon followed him, her mercurial moods forcing her to a high destination above the earth. But the earth stayed, as steady and unchanging as time itself."
He slipped deeper into sleep, and Evelyn began to cry soundlessly.
The warehouse had been full of old, broken machines- machines she had counted on. Restructuring them was not terribly difficult, not with Megatron's mind and strength. What mattered was that they took time, and time they did not have.
Soundwave had offered his assistance- but she had promptly told him to go keep watch. This was her prerogative, and she would keep it thus.
And Sunstreaker didn't wake up once during the entire time she was attaching machines to his body. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
His optics did meet hers, though, after she had finished, and the delirious smile curving over his face had almost made her keen.
He should not have had to depend on her.
Not today, not yesterday, not any day.
"You came," he croaked, voice cracking with disuse.
She recoiled, and almost said something- but he wouldn't remember it, and she couldn't quite find it in herself to smile otherwise.
"Sleep."
Even if Sideswipe and Jazz forgave her for this, she didn't know if she could forgive herself.
I am so, so sorry.
The world had faded to the jobs she had to do. Watch Sunstreaker. Talk to him when he needed to. Make sure the machines were keeping him alive.
Thank goodness Megatron had known what they'd done for him when he'd been in Sector Seven. It had taken him some time, but he'd pieced together a probable version of how they'd kept him in cryostasis when his auto-healing mechanisms should have kicked in and healed him at least a little.
It wasn't a cure by a long shot.
But it did slow the encroaching death exponentially.
::Do you still have the bonds closed off?:: She asked. Without waiting for a response, she said, ::open them.::
They need to come.
She'd cut it off before with a mix of fear and dread because she couldn't afford to let the Decepticons know why she was special. They'd wanted to break her, and she had refused to do so in all the ways they would have wanted. It had been immensely satisfying knowing that.
With bonds open, they still couldn't locate either of them- there was a physical distance barrier- but she could give them information and hope they came before the Decepticons found out.
::Do it, Megatron:: she murmured, beyond exhaustion and, really, any other such emotion. She was operating on the absolute necessities and would recover the rest of her higher-function thinking later.
::It is done.::
She knelt next to Sunstreaker, and prayed it wouldn't be too late.
He'd been with Jazz when the sickening feeling of a blocked bond washed through him. He'd stared with laughably wide optics- at another time he might have joked about it- and they'd immediately contacted Prime with the information.
Prime had nodded almost resignedly; Sideswipe had wanted to defend her but they had no information. He couldn't defend Evelyn when all he knew was that Sunstreaker had disappeared and so had Evelyn. At least, that had been everything they knew until Perceptor had isolated a Decepticon signal from the desert.
The looks the others exchanged said everything they didn't dare say aloud.
He and Jazz had exchanged their own looks, full of worry and fear and something far more damaging- doubt.
Neither honestly thought Evelyn had turned Decepticon- but that was more gut instinct than actual knowledge. And he hated that small part that questioned her- but if she had betrayed them all…
He didn't let himself consider it.
The search had been almost given up, when Jazz ran into the conference room. He'd flung a tablet across the table, straight at him, and Sideswipe had caught it automatically.
His breath caught, painfully, at the screen.
Because they were coordinates.
They told Prime, and raced out of the base. All the Autobots headed out, too; while some part of Sideswipe acknowledged it was to protect him and Jazz and was subsequently annoyed, the larger part told him there were better things to focus on.
It was an abandoned, empty warehouse that she had given them- and what the hell, he should have asked Jazz how he'd gotten the information-
Soundwave was there.
The world spiraled in, cold air whistling like a hurricane. He thought there might just be a lack of air in his body, now, and that that kind of betrayal should hurt.
The cannons were powering up. Soundwave had raised his hands, ready to fire-
-"Don't shoot!"
The world fell silent- even the very air stilled, as Evelyn ran onto the scene.
She was uncharacteristically disheveled, and her eyes were wide with something he thought could be terror- but she calmed down when she saw that they were staring.
"Don't shoot," she repeated, quieter. Her eyes met Sideswipe's- and dipped away. Avoiding him. "There are things you don't know."
Prime stepped forward, would have asked for a proper debrief and Sideswipe didn't think he'd be able to last that long.
"Where's Sunstreaker?" His voice shook, damn it.
She froze, back to him. Then she turned around, and he thought there was a hint of pity on her face.
No, he thought, half-shocked and half-angry. She would not dare.
And there was defeat carved into the line of her shoulders, a pain that hung as undefinably elegantly as she'd managed to hide from them. He'd seen that look a thousand times before on a thousand different faces- and he'd always thought that it was the most painful look he could see.
"No," Sideswipe whispered.
She set her jaw and said, clearly, "He's alive."
"We'll go talk to the 'Cons," Ratchet murmured over his shoulder. Sideswipe's spark broke a little bit more. "Sideswipe… they'll give us back his body, I'm sure they will. So-"
Evelyn shifted, then, and he thought there was a hint of her signature, indomitable flame, before it was dampened once more into cold resolve by the shifting dunes.
"He's alive," she said quietly.
He looked at her hopelessly. "Not for long. If the 'Cons have him-"
She inhaled, sharply, and touched Soundwave, light on the foot, when he stepped forward angrily. There were furious, roiling emotions in the clearing- disappointment and hurt and anger- and Evelyn was going to be the focus…
"He's alive," she repeated, almost helpless. "And he's in there." Her thumb jerked at the warehouse she'd leapt out of.
What.
The wind was the only thing howling- all he could see was Evelyn, standing in the middle of the clearing and standing tall.
"What?" Ratchet croaked.
"Sunstreaker is alive," she repeated, with a small little broken smile on her face. "He's injured and hurt, but not too close to death. If you'd come in another couple days, though…" The smile turned into a grimace, then erased into blankness. That hurt. "Go ahead and scan him but don't touch him. The machines…"
"What machines?" Ironhide asked sharply.
She blinked slowly; that told him more than anything her state of mind.
"I had to keep him alive." She shrugged, artfully careless. "That was how."
Ratchet stalked out, and Prowl growled something under his breath as the medic passed Soundwave.
It was only then that Sideswipe realized exactly how many guns were still pointed at Evelyn and the 'Con. Then he realized Prime was one of those gun-wielders, and shot a panicked look at Jazz. The situation was rapidly escalating; while he'd normally have left it to Evelyn to break the ice and calm them down, she didn't look like she was in any shape to be doing that- and it wasn't fair of him to ask it of her.
"And what are you doing with a Decepticon?" Prime rumbled.
Her lips twisted into a farce of a smile. "You said the Autobots owed me a debt, Optimus."
Saccharine sweet, vicious, and abrasive. He had forgotten over the weeks exactly how frustrating she could be when she felt threatened. And- if what she was saying was true- it didn't bear thinking about.
"I'm asking for your faith," she said.
She could mean that, apparently.
"To trust a 'Con?" Someone spat- it could have been Ironhide or Skids or even Bumblebee.
What mattered was that she almost flinched. It wasn't quite one; she bit back the reaction- but it was close enough that Sideswipe could read it. Which meant that others could read it, and the only time she'd ever been even close to being that unguarded had been with them after her sparring match.
Which begged the question of why she was so damn free now.
Then he realized that Evelyn might not have had enough control over those reactions, and if that wasn't terrifying, he thought, nothing in all the universe would be.
"He saved my life," she said softly, with a weight behind the words- as if the world spun on that axis. It was dangerous, he considered, to challenge such a statement, so sure it was. "And he was the one who got Sunstreaker out. Question us, but do not threaten. We have not done such evil as to deserve it."
Prime looked ready to hiss in frustration. It was Ironhide, of all of them, to step forward and ask her questions- calmly and even kindly. Evelyn remained tense and curt but not belligerent, per se, so Ironhide probably counted it as a win.
He did notice Soundwave being dragged away, through the fine haze surrounding him. Evelyn watched it unhappily- though not protesting. And she turned away without looking at him to finish her debriefing.
The world fractured, then, and Sideswipe didn't really know how the time passed. He watched Ratchet for some time, but it hurt to see Sunstreaker so still and silent, with so many machines beeping around him. Evelyn walked in a few moments later, looking tired, and explained in a curt voice exactly what each one did, and how it worked, but neither Perceptor nor Wheeljack had come on the trip, and it was clear Ratchet barely comprehended it.
He was kicked out with her, but Evelyn was immediately accosted by Prowl and Optimus to continue her debriefing. Clearly, he thought, only half-amused, she had run away the first time.
Sideswipe stumbled up a small hill a few minutes' walk away, and buried his head in his hands. He didn't dare admit that his hands shook wildly; weakness wasn't something he had ever faced head-on.
I came so close…
To losing his twin. To losing his Lord. To abandoning his ideals for the easier road.
He'd doubted Evelyn in a myriad of ways. Both he and Jazz had- she was not… one of those you immediately trusted. She had lied and cheated and… damn her.
No, damn him. Sideswipe knew that any other Autobot would have returned, without Sunstreaker. It was their training- to leave and return as a team.
Evelyn hadn't. And there was the tiniest part of him that wished that the reason she had fought so hard for Sunstreaker was because of Sunstreaker, and not that if she hadn't the Autobots would have killed her at best.
The world hung in the balance, for that scant few minutes he'd thought she'd sacrificed his brother for herself.
But she hadn't, and he couldn't let go of that thick fog of self-loathing anymore.
She moved silently through the shrubbery. It had taken her a long time- or so it seemed- to get the details to Prime and Prowl. Even then, they hadn't been satisfied. She had finally responded to their threats with as much viscous, oozing maliciousness as she could muster.
Even that, though, had been an effort to dredge up out of the fog of numbness- she could all but taste the emotions waiting on the other side of that thin veil. The only thing keeping them at bay was Megatron.
Sideswipe was up on a hill- Jazz had joined him- and the two were the ones she wanted to talk to.
Sleep could wait. This couldn't.
"Sideswipe." A slow tilt to him, a tired smile to Jazz. "Jazz. How are you guys?"
"Good enough," Jazz said carefully, looking at her. He was perhaps one of few who would see her, beneath the run-down masks. She valued that. "And you?"
She shrugged instead of answering.
Sideswipe sighed. "You shouldn't've come up here. You-"
"Extenuating circumstances?" She offered dryly.
Jazz huffed a laugh, though worry still sat in his ridge plates. "Ratchet said Sunstreaker'll make it. He'll be fine, too. No lasting damage."
Some part of her that she hadn't even noticed unspooled at that welcome gift, a thread of tension unraveled.
Finally.
"I did have a reason for this." Evelyn picked at the fraying thread on her sleeve, and tried not to think about how much she felt like an honest-to-god teenager again.
Jazz leaned forward, optics worried. "What was the reason?"
She turned to Sideswipe firmly, leaving her doubts behind. This was the moment, and she'd decided on her path. "I… I came up here to say I'm sorry." She sighed, chewing on her lip, before saying, "if you want me to… avoid him- or you- I'll understand."
He looked at her blankly. "You blame yourself for Sunstreaker?"
"He was… tortured," she replied wearily. At another time, she might fight for him- for both of them. But she was tired, and hurting, and a little bit broken, inside. No plan ever survived first contact with the enemy, after all. "I wasn't. If I'd told Starscream what he wanted to know… I'd bet anything he wouldn't have been hurt as bad."
"You think he'd have wanted you to give him up?" Sideswipe asked, just as soft and deadly as Evelyn had asked Prime. "You think he'd be okay with that? We don't need you to protect us, Evelyn-"
"That's just it." She smiled, bittersweet. "You do, Sideswipe. I'm your Lord, and you're my Sworn, and our bonds go both ways, now. I need your help, yeah. But you need my help, too."
He shook his head, almost violently. "If you'd just left- like anyone else would have- you'd be in better health. I can't blame you for that! Sunstreaker'd have been taken by the 'Cons no matter what way you shake it, and if you hadn't been there he'd likely have gone down in a heroic last stand."
She offered a hesitant smile, remembering cruelty and metal and one broken whisper-
("You came back.")
-"You can't know that."
He looked at her, level and completely honest. "Maybe not. But that doesn't mean that you were right, either. Ifs don't make up the real world, and you did more than any other Autobot would have done- and Sunny's been fighting with them for a long time."
"You should," she said quietly. "I escaped unharmed. He… did not."
At that, Jazz broke in. He had followed the conversation with steadily rising ridge plates, and this seemed to be the breaking point.
"Are you?" He asked her, utterly serious. When she didn't respond, his optics narrowed, in both suspicion and stark worry. "Evelyn…" His optics widened. "Are you unharmed?"
She wavered at that, hand reaching for a reassuring bulk that was suddenly there. Sideswipe had moved, faster than she'd seen, and curled a hand behind her so she didn't fall over.
And she had been strong. Strong enough to last until they'd come; strong enough to last until their suspicion tided over. She'd kept the peace between them all, and out of the disaster that was this incident, the best possible outcome had been created.
For the first time, someone was honestly asking her how she felt- without any preconceived notions. And she didn't have the strength to lie about it.
In the end, it wasn't so much as a falling, as a crumbling.
The tears she'd held back fell, thick and hot and overwhelming. The absolute terror of imprisonment and Starscream and…
She'd been alone. Megatron had abandoned her, Sunstreaker couldn't protect her, and she'd cut the others off.
Evelyn tried so very, very hard not to cry.
But it was happening. Her jaw ached, from the constant clenching. Her head hurt, from a probably concussion. And she felt so damn safe, right then and there.
So she curled up in Sideswipe's palm, and let herself fall into pieces at last.
Evelyn cried "I'm sorry," before beginning to sob.
Not the tears he'd seen people cry on entertainment- loud and heavy and dramatic. Evelyn curled up in his hand, and the tears ran down her face in almost complete silence. The only sound she made was when a keen burst out at random times- Jazz flinched every time and Sideswipe was certain he was no better.
Honestly. They were two warriors, aliens to her and hers. She had chosen them, of all the beings, to seek comfort from? They didn't do comfort.
Sideswipe was stroking her hair like she was a slagged pet.
But she had depended on him, on both of them. It took her some time to fall asleep, though she did in the end, and she looked rather peaceful, curled in his hand and breathing evenly, deeply. Jazz had almost smiled, with a look of fondness in his optics, and Sideswipe passed her over immediately. His CO murmured something about putting her to sleep, and they headed off in separate directions.
He needed to go talk to Ratchet- and see his twin.
Everything was peaceful, in the makeshift hangar, until Sunstreaker began screaming.
It was a hoarse sort of scream, accompanied by twisting movements as if he was still trying to escape torture. His flailing limbs had already hit Ratchet twice, and all the rest of them could do was make sure without physically restraining him- and even that was impossible to achieve with all the delicate machines he was attached to- was sit and stare.
That hurt, even worse than thinking him dead.
"Can't you-" he gestured, helplessly, at Sunstreaker's twitching frame. "Isn't there something-"
Ratchet flinched, as if struck, but the tired slump of his shoulders said everything. He couldn't- the sedatives he'd already given Sunstreaker were still there. Any more than that and he was toying the line of overdose. The strangest part was that this wasn't actual pain- but something that could closest be approximated to the human phenomena of dreaming- more to the point, nightmares.
Sunstreaker screamed, again, and Sideswipe turned away, acrid helplessness filling him.
Head turned to the entrance, he was the first to see Evelyn enter the warehouse. She still looked tired- her skin still had an unhealthy pallor to it- but she also appeared recovered from the worst of the ragged edges she had had on the mountain side. A little bit more normal, he thought. A little bit less angry, and a little more… determined.
And she didn't bother with any more than a terse nod to them.
He had no idea if she even saw them.
They all watched, silently, as she stepped closer to Sunstreaker. And she didn't actually reach out to touch him; instead, she stood a few feet away from his prone body, and began to talk. Nothing of depth, nothing of any meaning- but there was an easy rhythm to her words that, even as he watched, relaxed Sunstreaker into a deeper recharge.
She didn't stop, though she did step closer- and, he realized, there was no fear in her eyes. Her words didn't so much as hitch, though she was approaching a mech who could easily crush her- even accidentally.
He tried to focus on what she was saying, instead of the sheer relief at his twin's rest- but it was hard. Evelyn was telling a… story. Her voice was painstakingly controlled- soft but not too quiet. He thought she was continuing the tale about another world; she spoke of Earth and Moon and Sun as if they were people, and not things.
As if they were gods.
Her advance to Sunstreaker's side was slow, fastidious. She didn't lean over, and after every step she let him relax before taking the next one. Sideswipe didn't want to know what her ease with Sunstreaker's insanity made her.
Because it wasn't like they'd really dealt with this all that often. Mostly, those captured by either side ended up dead- Sideswipe had seen his share of revenge-killings in Autobot prisons- and if that didn't happen, then they escaped because they weren't too badly injured. Those who were hurt in battle were treated as quickly as possible, or at worst, forced into recharge and stored in a sterile environment.
Sunstreaker was injured, and the only reason he'd gotten out was Soundwave and Evelyn. There was infection setting into some of his wires, and while Ratchet could deal with it, he wasn't the best trained for it.
Sad as it was, it seemed that Evelyn had done a better job of keeping Sunstreaker alive than most anyone else would have been able to.
When she finally touched Sunstreaker's arm- a small touch that he doubted he could even feel- they all waited with bated breath; no one else had gotten that close. But Sunstreaker only relaxed further, if anything, and Evelyn rubbed his arm quietly, her story falling into silence.
She finally turned around, back sliding down the low bed she'd placed him on and closing her eyes exhaustedly.
"How long were the seizures?" She asked, eyes still closed.
Ratchet hesitated, but answered. "Each one lasted thirty seconds. But the build-up was-"
"Yeah." Eyes opening, she looked at them all, and blinked. "What happened?"
"…you calmed him down," Ironhide said, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Nobody else's been able to, and you could?"
She sighed, looking tireder than even before. Not weary- just worn down, like a rag. "Megatron told me that bonds go both ways for all of you. So… did you think the entire carry-on with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker and Jazz before was an act, or were you just too worried about other things to think about it?"
"You mean that you can hold a bond?" Ratchet asked stiffly.
"Yes," she said, voice clipped. "I can."
"What does that mean here?" Sideswipe broke in hastily, feeling the tension rise another notch. "With Sunstreaker?"
Her gaze turned to his, and some undefinable softness there hardened. "Humans have nightmares," she said roughly. "And now… he does, too."
"Impossible. That…" Ratchet trailed off when she turned a completely level look on him. "You're serious," he whispered raggedly.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes. And yes, this means he won't recover from the 'Cons as easily, but it isn't that big of a deal. It's not unheard of for humans to go through PTSD or shellshock or whatever the hell you want to call it."
It sounded callous. It was callous. And had Sideswipe simply been listening to her words, he would likely have been offended beyond all belief. But he could see her hands, still touching Sunstreaker, and remembered the way she moved in- efficient and fearless. She was probably still tired, more than likely was suffering injuries- Ratchet hadn't looked her over- and was still being harassed by all these people.
He sighed, and wrangled both Ironhide and Ratchet out of the medbay. Evelyn had Sunstreaker under control- and the machines had been checked over enough times that even a paranoid Red Alert would have been content. Staying there was a lesson in futility, and his twin didn't need Ratchet, right then. He needed Evelyn.
As stupid as that sounded.
When he returned, she was slumped over her knees, eyes closed and half-asleep. Sitting next to her, he tried to avoid touching anything.
"When did you figure it out?" He asked.
She lifted her head and sent him a venomous glare through her curtain of hair. "When I started to feel weird after Jazz woke up."
Slag. That long?
The harshness lining her mouth softened when she saw his stricken look. "You didn't separate us for long enough that it was a problem. And with you guys- the bond was built, but not that strong. I'm fine, Sideswipe. Honest. I just needed some time after everything, and even if I'm not completely okay with it I will be soon enough. Just focus on Sunny, and the world'll be back to normal."
He quirked a smile. "He'd kick you from here to kingdom come if he heard you call him Sunny."
"Meh." She shrugged, and sent him her own smile- unexpectedly wicked. "He'll have to wake up, first. And I'm pretty good at finding hiding spots."
He laughed, loud and free and sharp. That felt good, after such a long week of searching and fear and doubt. "We should do that. You, me, Sunny, and Jazz. They'll never see us coming."
"They'll all see us coming," she corrected wryly. "And they'll run away screaming at our insanity."
"Nothing is ever as feared as insanity to the insane," he told her solemnly.
They chuckled together, keeping watch over the prone form of brother and Oathsworn, respectively.
Abruptly, he turned to her. "You… you said that Prime still owed you a debt."
She nodded slowly, looking as if she knew it was a trap but she was just curious enough to walk in anyways.
"He didn't… Ratchet patched you up, multiple times," Sideswipe said quietly. Evelyn needed to know this- even if he hated that he was taking away one of her few advantages. One of their advantages, he realized, almost shocked. "That means you owe Prime, Evelyn. Not the other way. Even if you think that his offering was representative of the start of another debt, it was wiped out by Ratchet."
She shook her head, and shifted over the metal ground. "Nope. 'Cause Ratchet's a medic, and he took vows, as one. I can't owe him for my life- because he was acting as a medic at the time. It's like people… like people thanking you for shooting Starscream. You owe him a blood-debt, but you won't pay for it in another's life. It's your job."
"He's Prime's," Sideswipe pointed out.
She flashed him a grin. "But he wasn't acting as Prime's agent, when he… patched me up."
He looked at her uncertainly. "D'you mean-"
"Yes. Or, I think I do." She shrugged easily. "Prime didn't tell Ratchet to take care of me. I looked at the security feeds, later. Ratchet did it because he wanted to. If Prime had told him- then Ratchet would've been acting as his, as an Autobot. As it is, Prime didn't say a thing, and Ratchet did it all three times on his own."
"How," he asked, completely, utterly flabbergasted, "did you manage that?"
Her lips twitched, slightly. "Same way I wrangled vows out of you two."
He waited, and she paused for a beat, and said, completely deadpan, "Lady Luck."
No, no, and-
Frag. I'm slagged, she's…
"Luck?" He choked out.
She nodded. "Luck."
He leaned back against the bed frame weakly. "You know, Hound started a betting pool of who next you'd get in your little group. Everybody thinks you're this master at manipulating people, and-"
"Heh. Wanna know a secret?" She asked. "If things go your way, and you don't seem surprised, people tend to think you made them go your way. A bit of reverse psychology on the general population's quite… astute, yes?"
"Mmm. And did you use reverse psychology to blow up the Decepticon base?"
"Nope. All I needed for that was to be locked inside a base, with a neat little megalomaniac in my head, and two hours alone. He wanted to do something, so I told him to go crazy with lab experiments. He found out that the 'Cons were using a lithium-based paint, and I then made up an idea to hack into the human base- which, you know, has sprinklers there as a safety thing- and turn them on." She snickered. "They never saw us coming."
He stared. And stared some more. "We use the same paint."
She tilted her head mischievously.
"But-"
"But you don't use that paint to slather the outsides of your hangars. I looked up what started the fire- you know, the one that nearly killed me?" She asked dryly. "And it turns out that it was 'cause a soldier dropped some water on the paint buckets in Wheeljack's lab. Go figure. Apparently I'm still the culprit."
"You didn't tell Prime!" He accused.
She smirked, eyes dancing. "I'd much rather be known as a pyromaniac than an idiot."
Because only idiots gave away such an advantage.
"That's… terrifying." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait. We use the same paint on ourselves!"
Her laughter was softer this time, a little bit more natural. "I was wondering when you'd realize it. But you've got nothing to worry about. Your machine systems actually integrate the paint into your bodies, and turn the lithium inert. It's rather fascinating, actually."
He yawned, deliberately theatrical. "Spare me the science. I'm not Wheeljack, to enjoy it."
He didn't notice how her eyes darkened in a not-quite-menacing manner, but he did see the exhaustion.
"Sleep," he said, softer. "I'll wake you if Sunny needs you."
She smiled.
And she curled over his body in a show of absolute trust he couldn't help but think he didn't deserve.
Some science for the kiddies: Lithium mixed with water produces a high-velocity explosion. All alkali metals reacting with water produces this; I'd suggest checking out a Youtube video on this. It's… terrifying. In a very, very bad way.
And this is the longest chapter yet. I honestly considered splitting it, but it works, I think, and leads well into next chapter. I am slightly sorry this chapter became such an angst-fest. But this was their reactions, and I'm quite happy with how it came out! I'd also like to thank all my lovely reviewers/favoriters/followers. You guys are awesome!
Sarielgrace: Heh. Yeah. Starscream's quite terrifying. As to how many Autobots- are you asking in the actual Cybertron universe, or in my universe? Because the two are very, very different. In mine, there's Hound, Wheeljack, Skids, Mudflap, The Twins, Prowl, Red Alert, and the ones from the first movie originally, and Perceptor landed a couple weeks ago from this chapter. In the actual canon- I've got no idea. Sorry!
HeartsGuardianSol: Absolutely. Sunstreaker's in a lot of slag right not- he's not completely out of it, just yet! Evelyn's still got some unfinished business with both the Decepticons and the Autobots.
Sakura Hime Sama: Thank you so much! It means a lot to me to know that my readers enjoy my writing. I had the same problem with Transformers' OC's that you did- and in the end, I just couldn't take it! So... Quiet Courage was born. Almost five years ago. Good lord, this is old.
Ahem. Before I go and have an existential crisis, I just want to thank you for your compliments again!
Thanks to all my other reviewers/favoriters/followers. You make me warm and fuzzy inside!
-Dialux