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Warnings: See all previous warnings
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XxxX.
Encounters
He drove for her. Neither had a destination in mind, so he just circled around the area. On the interstate, off the interstate. Through the surrounding towns and countryside. He didn't think she cared where they were at, only as long as they were away.
Sira sat statue still in his cab. Her coat wrapped around her in an attempt to drive away a coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. She stared out into the gathering darkness. The glomming. The time of day when the relentless sun yielded its grip upon the land, and let darkness, with its innumerable stars, tint the sky. This was her favorite time of day. The time when she felt most alive, but now she felt half dead.
In the last couple of months, her life had been shattered. There was truly nothing left for her to piece back together. If it wasn't for the Autobots, she wouldn't even have a place to go.
Safe within his cab she allowed herself to feel the loss of her world. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. So she just sat. Thankfully her mind was as spent as her emotions, and she couldn't form a coherent thought. The gentle thrumming of Optimus' engine had almost lulled her to sleep.
"You are a friend."
"What?" she startled. The Autobot hadn't said a word during most of their trip.
"You wanted to know if you were a toy, or a pet. You are neither. I consider you a friend."
Sira wiped her eyes. His simple words had wrung out a couple of tears.
"I am sorry for your loss. I cannot and do not want to imagine what you are going through, but I am here for you." His words were calming. She could feel the concern he had for her. She wondered how many of his own he had lost.
"Thank you." Was all she could say without crying more.
Prime pulled into a truck stop. They sat under a sign that blinked "Open 24 Hours." The blue neon turned the inside of the cab a sickly color.
"Optimus, I'm sorry. I said some nasty things back there. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."
"I would rather you take your wrath out on me than yourself. I will be honest; I am deeply concerned about your mental state. I have seen 'Bots offline themselves for less. And some of what you said is accurate. I have kept you under my thumb. That is were I keep those I care about. You will probably continue to remain there.'
Sira smiled a tiny smile, but it did nothing to push the pain and sadness from her eyes. She patted the dash, and gathered her resolve around her. Opening his door, she headed to the truck stop.
He watched her walk away. The wind whipping her coat around her legs. He knew she couldn't take much more. She was battered and bruised, her spirit almost torn apart. Would she let him protect her? It had been a long time since he had someone close to protect.
XxxX.
Almost everyone looked up when she walked into the diner. Most of them continued to stare. Sira knew that she was a disturbing sight. A pretty lady, in a full length sable coat, looking like she had been crying for several hours. Yeah, that would cause people to stare.
She hurried to the women's restroom, and locked the door behind her. After removing the coat she turned on the tap. The mirror reflected not only her tear swollen eyes, but a line of soot on her right cheek. Another line of soot trailed down her neck and disappeared under her collar. Nice.
Soap, water and a lot of scrubbing removed the black evidence. It was a life long obsession, digging in the remains of fires. She smiled as she remembered her father chasing her out of the fireplace time and again. Her thoughts quickly shifted to another.
Optimus Prime: a thirty foot tall, overprotective, alien robot. Her savior and friend. She owed him everything. He had kept her, given her a place among others. No-one had ever done that for her. Her whole life she had been on the outside. Too human to fit in with her own people. Too … other to fit in with the humans. She only hoped she could pay him back half of what she owed him.
Running her fingers through her wild mane of red hair, she decided that it was time to get back to the truck.
Sira slipped her coat on, unlocked the door, turned off the lights and left.
She was standing in front of the bottled drink cooler, trying to decide what she could have without being sick. The crying had left her parched and nauseas. A firm hand touched her shoulder, making her jump.
The hand belonged to a stout, middle aged man. His expansive stomach made the buttons on his shirt pull a little.
"Miss," he starts "Is that the truck you came in?" His thumb pointing in the general direction of the camouflaged Autobot Commander.
"The blue and red flame job? Yes, he's my ride." She was polite but cautious. Not sure what the stranger wanted.
"Miss, you look awful. Has something happened? Has he been ... rough with you. I know how some men can get. You can stay in here and we'll call the police for you." The grey-blue eyes held genuine concern for her.
Sira looked around. A couple of the other men had stationed themselves by the door. The waitress, with the deep line around her eyes, had her cell phone out; ready to make the call. "No, no. I'm okay. He's not that kind of person. We're not fighting. I … I got some bad news earlier. He came here to let me use the restroom. It's fine. Thanks."
She moved to leave, but the trucker's rough hands gently grabbed her by the shoulders; keeping her in place. "Are you sure?"
He smelled of tobacco and a disease deep in his lungs. The realization that another kind soul will soon be snuffed out of existence, made Sira want to start crying again. She just patted his hand, knowing it was too late for a doctor to repair the damage.
"It's okay. Go home to your family and tell them you love them."
She hurried out of the truck stop and ran to Prime's door. He opened it without comment. Pulling out of the parking lot he headed towards home. They trailed after the sun, for it had already disappeared from view.
XxxX.
They were both lost in thought when the attack came. From out of nowhere a missal slammed into Prime's right side. The impact sent him into a swerve. The Autobot screeched to a sliding halt. Throwing a door open, he yelled, "OUT!"
Sira didn't question. She grabbed her backpack and jumped. Her ancient blade drawn and read before her feet hit the pavement. Keen eyes scanning the darkness for any signs of the attacker.
Barricade leapt from his hiding place and tore down the road. He could see smoke coming from the Prime's side. He headed toward the female at top speed. He only had seconds left. The Prime had almost completed his transformation.
Before the patrol car had reached his target, proximity alarms sounded. Slamming on his breaks, and dodging wildly, the Decepticon barely avoided the Autobot's grasp. Barricade didn't want to go one on one with the Prime. That would only have one outcome.
The shock trooper fired two more missals at the Prime and turned his attention back to the female. She hadn't moved. He accelerated. The pet was about to become a bloody smear.
Sira watched the police car come towards her, and reversed her grip in the sword. She stilled her thoughts, entering that cold, quiet place Jal had taught her about. She opened the well of power within her and waited. Her world slowed down. Nothing else existed but her and the adversary.
The Decepticon was almost upon her. At the last moment she pivoted out of the way. It was a move no human could make. Her back was to the police car as it rushed by. She could feel the hem of her coat flap against metal. She struck; plunging her blade downward and past her hip. A push of power sent to sword slicing through the living, metal armor. The vehicle's forward momentum tearing a long gash open. For that fleeting second, she could feel the mech. His hate and malice washed over and through her. She felt dirty, tainted, and then it was gone, as the sword had come free.
The police car howled in pain and anger.
A monstrous glowing sword fell from the heavens and sliced into the cruiser. The car came to a crashing halt. Prime had pinned the Decepticon near a front tire. The car shuddered and began backing up. Tearing itself apart to be free of the blade. Once free, Barricade made a hasty retreat. Severely wounded he only wanted to get away from the Autobot.
Sira looked up. Optimus had his battle mask in place. She had never seen the mask. It hid most of his face. Leaving only his brightly glowing optics visible, as he watched the rogue decepticon disappeared in the distance. He pulled his energon sword free from the highway. It left a great, violent wound in the asphalt. The smell of hot tar hung in the air as the blade transformed back into the commanders arm. His shoulder had smoke boiling out of it.
They stayed this way for a short while; Optimus gazing off into the distance, and Sira standing at his feet waiting. Finally, he converted back into the Peterbuilt. Sira climbed into the cab and collapsed. Her entire body shaking as unspent power rolled off her in waves. She was having a hard time shutting down. The day's events had left her weak, mentally and physically.
Optimus shuddered as tendrils of her energy crept along his interior. They slipped into his most sensitive circuitry. It took all he had to keep from moaning. "Sira, please stop."
Oh shit, he could feel her. She concentrated on what her power was doing to his sensors. She didn't want to cause him discomfort. It gave her a focus. She pulled her power back to her and slammed a mental lid on top.
"Optimus are you alright. You were hit …"
"That was stupid."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't know … no one's ever noticed it before." her voice was laced with panic.
He interrupted her, "It was stupid taking on Barricade. He would rip you apart just to watch you bleed. You should have run and let me deal with the threat."
She hung her head, completely admonished for reacting in the only way she knew how.
"Please, do not think that I am mad at you. I just don't want the Decepticons to hurt you, like they have hurt so many others." His words were soft and sincere.
They sat in silence as he pulled onto the road. Prime had to ignore the situation with Sira, for now. He needed to get them to the safety of the base, before his injuries caught up with him. A pair of Lamborghinis shot past them. Traveling impossibly fast in the direction of the fleeing police car.
TBC
XxxX.
AN: Punk Autobot - Glade you liked the last chappy. I was nervous about what you would think. Actually I'm always nervous when I post. To Fennecfox03 - Yes, it does suck. But there will be a happy ending. Thanks for reading. To ladyofthebookworms - love that quote. Thanks for staying with. To everyone - No the twins were not suppose to be in the chapter. They just showed up anyway.
Just a side note: Every time I sit down to write, my husband wants to know it that chapter involves WD-40. "It helps with metal on metal friction." He says. Yeah, he's a perve.