Dude...life is busier than ever. I wish there could come a chapter where I could just post something, but I always feel the need to apologize for how late the new chapters are. It's just so hard for me right now. I've been busier than ever. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter in ThunderCall!(:

-Cara Lea

Chapter Eleven

Kyrus battled with herself internally as she stalked forward. Kaon was completely dark, with only the stars shining above to give her any light at all. Not that she needed it; her optics were well-adjusted to seeing in the dark. But she almost wished that there was sunlight. On Cybertron, there was no sun. The only light source was the harsh lights that came from the buildings Cybertron possessed. Kyrus, being an Earthling at heart, wasn't sure she would ever adjust to the lack of heat and light. Back on her home world, the sun was the source of all life on the planet. On Cybertron, that life came from the planet's core. Even though they didn't have a need for a sun, Kyrus couldn't help but wish they had one.

Without it, the planet felt cold and desolate, sapping all her inner strength from her. Right now, she needed all the strength she could get.

The past several hours had gone by in a blur. The last clear memory she had was of Thunderous giving her her orders. "You need to pay attention," he had said she'd almost spaced out again. "It's very important that you follow each step to a T."

Everything else was very vague. Thunderous had reported to the ship their plan. The bedraggled and beaten warriors had been very distressed by his plan. "We can't," someone had argued. "We don't have the manpower to complete a plan like that."

"It only takes one," Thunderous had argued, "And Kyrus has already volunteered."

Rows of Zaffre eyes were staring at her as though she were a different person, like they had the first night she had become one of them. "Kyrus can't," Sunbeam had said at last. "She's our only medic."

"I'm not the only one who has any medical skills," she disagreed. "Thunderous and Blitzwing have to know something. Everyone knows basic Cybertronian biology, as everyone learned it in their youth as standard education training here on Cybertron."

"But Kyrus," Skyrush impugned awkwardly. "Most of us were sparked after the war had already started. We didn't get a former education. We were only taught what was needed to help aid the Autobot cause, if that."

She frowned. It was hard enough working with people who acted like they didn't know 2+2. She should have figured that most of them wouldn't have had a proper education. This would make things a lot more difficult.

"That doesn't matter anyway," Thunderous had put out then. "If all goes to plan, then we'll have many more medics when this day is done."

"You're banking on a great deal of chances," Brawn had gruffed. "How do you know that all will go 'according to plan'?"

Thunderous's amethysts optics had locked on the yellow and green minibot. "We don't."

Somehow, someway, everyone had agreed to anyway. Kyrus had given everyone as much of a patch-up as possible while Sunbeam had passed around energon to all the tired soldiers.

"We're gonna need it," he had murmured as they had, together, sipped on cubes.

"Ow," she spat as she stubbed her foot on a metal rod jutting out of the ground. She narrowed her eyes. This was the most annoying this she had come across yet on her journey through Kaon. And that was saying something. Getting into Kaon had been easy enough. Starscream seemed to have abandoned his former capital. There had been no guards, no checkpoints, nothing. There wasn't even a marker to label the Kaon border. Kyrus could only guess that she was in Kaon due to the tall pillars above her, with landing ports way up on the high towers. Flyers didn't need to land on the ground if they could land on the roof.

After hours of trekking, she was getting tired. She hadn't even been able to appreciate the metallic ruts, and lack of hills or valleys, or even the major differences between Earth and Cybertron. Everything here was so alien to her that she might have been in shock. But this time, she was driven. Nothing could have surprised her here anyway, and as long as she had a purpose, all of those minor things (like scenery) could wait. Now, she had to keep moving.

She kept walking, enjoying the metallic clink of her every footfall. This new body she had inhabited was very much worth it now. All of those things that had bothered here were now her strong points. Her longer fingers meant for a stronger grip, her lack of hunger meant limited distractions. With her every step, she felt power ripple through her systems, and with each satisfying metallic clank, she knew that she was more powerful than ever she was before.

I'm coming, Ratchet, she breathed, following the thought as it echoed back to her from the desolate buildings. I'll get you out of that hell, wherever you are. I promise.

She took another step when she heard it. She tilted her cerulean head back to stare at the sky. Thunderous had told her to expect this. She was ready.

A ship had appeared, the roar of its engine coming closer. She blinked and waiting patiently, letting her systems power down momentarily so that each limb felt leaden, and she slouched with weariness. The ship was closer now. The ship landed in front of her, members swarming out with their weapons raised. She stood stock still, waiting with tired optics as the last of the members disembarked.

Even with half her processor on vacation, a rush of energy filled her as she recognized her adversary. How could she every forget him? His face was imprinted forever in her nightmares, in the glare of a hot null ray shot as he had eliminated her grandmother, or in the wake of a bloody kill as he stood over Optimus's body. She could never forget the face of the creature who had once made it his objective to dissect her.

"Well, what do we have here?" His screechy voice grated her audio inputs.

"A straggler?" one of his drones suggested, but Starscream's smirk spelled out that he knew exactly who he had come across.

"Not just any straggler," he sneered to his subordinate. "Kyrus Holloway, an Autobot and a scientist." He stepped forward, still speaking. "And a human freak, turned robot." He leaned over until his face was level with hers. "So tell me, Kyrus, what are you doing so far from home?"

…

Kyrus sat at the front of her seat, not ready for action persay but obviously not relaxed. On either side of her, squishing her in fact, were two guards with their loaded guns pointed at her. Behind her was a railing, uncomfortable to lean against at her size. Her hands were bound together by energon chains, which burned and scorched her sensitive out plating. She made not a whimper, however. She did not want to give Starscream the satisfaction of knowing she was in pain because of him.

The Decepticon warlord sat across from her, his vermillion optics watching her every move. He smiled with sick pleasure as she gazed hollowly back up at him.

She had not answered any of his questions. She would not give away her friends. The red and blue seeker leaned back, finally looking elsewhere. As his optics traveled elsewhere, Kyrus blinked, allowing the slightest bit of relief to enter. He had other interests too, she reflected. Her azure optics focused beyond Starscream, at the wall behind him. Why was everything Decepticon purple? Purple was a cool color, but not an icy color that reflected sadness. Purple had red in it too, a sign of both heat and calm. It was so peaceful, unworthy of the taint the 'Cons left whenever they used it.

As the ship landed (Kyrus could feel the telltale bump that jarred her aching legs ever so slightly), Starscream returned his attention back to his captive. "You know, it was lucky that we found you. Otherwise you would have wandered the streets until you ran out of energon, and died from exhaustion." Kyrus didn't so much as twitch. His sneer turned ugly. "Or worse, you would have been caught by any of the remaining trash-heaps in need of energon. I call them trash-heaps, but they're really quite persistent when they want your blood."

Kyrus flinched minutely. Starscream smiled wickedly again.

"Don't worry, you won't have to deal with any of those messy affairs anymore." His voice carried a promise.

"Are you taking me to the other scientists?" she asked, not letting any emotion into her voice. Weariness and weariness alone was her only inflection despite the hope that throbbed in her spark.

Starscream was silent for a moment, then he began a series of metallic clinking. He was also shaking. Kyrus's optics widened every so slightly mixing with the tired to form a picture of disgust. Was the warlord having some sort of fit?

No, she realized. He was laughing. His optics blazed with mirth as he whirled to face her. Their glaring light made her jaw drop. All sanity had abandoned him, she thought in that moment. He was crazy, and he was going to kill her.

"No," he said at last, breaking the spell. But the fear would never leave her. For the rest of her life, Kyrus knew she would hold onto that fear. "But I give you my word, one day, you will all be together again."

Her vents whirled as she tried to take in as much air as possible. What did he mean? Was Starscream going to reunite them or not?

The guards grabbed her arms and began to drag her, following Starscream as he marched down the plain hallway into a large open space. Panic stirred her spark as she stared around the big antechamber. The walls were tall, and had once been white. Now, they were coated in a thick layer of grime, dust, and energon lifeblood. Where the wall ended, a set of stands began, behind a thick cage that Kyrus couldn't break even if she did have the energy. The stands were filled with shrieking, drunken warriors. They were shouting and pointing into the center of the cage, where Kyrus saw a disheveled, lifeless heap being swept away. She began shaking. This was something she had never thought she would have come across in her lifetime: the fighting arenas underneath Kaon.

Many Cybertronians had died here. This was where Megatron had picked up on his biggest supporters, and entertained himself at the expense of those too weak to join him. Here, mechs and femmes alike had fought to termination, the winner clearly a bigger model of strength than his fallen brother. Here, many had found their darkest ambitions…or died trying.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Starscream whispered seductively. Kyrus winced, true shock twisting her features as she blinked in the dim lights. The heap on the floor was unfamiliar to her, all give for the red and blue paint.

She shook her head, wishing that she could cry again. But that human quality had been stolen from her a long time ago. She was not scared for herself. She had died before, and knew the sensation well. Her fear ran much deeper than that, or maybe much more shallow. Everything had been taken from her: her home, her sister, her mate, her parents and grandparents, her life…her friends were all she had left. To lose them too would be unbearable.

"When we returned to Cybertron, our fortress was pretty much secure. With the death of you stupid Autobots impending, we had everything we needed. Except of course for entertainment. What's more entertaining to soldiers who had fought on the frontlines than to watch somebody else fight for a change? It wasn't too hard to find volunteers. We needed to get rid of the prisoners anyway."

Kyrus gasped and turned to look at Starscream in disbelief. He couldn't have thrown her friends into the arena to fight one another. They wouldn't do it. Her fellow Autobots would rather have died bravely than kill a comrade.

"Of course, what entertainment would there be in watching two scrapheap's throw punches at one another? No, we Decepticons like to play with our food."

She shook her head, her disbelief swelling to a grand loathing and shock that almost left her dazed. Starscream was so clever. He had prisoners he needed to get rid of, and warriors who needed to run their energy on things that didn't matter to him. His solution was to have his soldiers release their pent up energy on the prisoners, eliminating both competitions in one fell swoop.

It certainly didn't take a genius to see where she was headed. Death was coming for her, again, as sure as shining night outside. She was going to lose her life again, and this time, she wasn't sure she could convince Primus to send her back. It was different than the last time, when she had had to leave her life on her own. Now, she would have to fight for the life Primus had preserved for her. It was time to show him that his generosity was worth it.

Only Kyrus didn't know if she had the strength to do it.