Yikees Batman look! Bellaxmonster actually posted an update!
I am a terrible person, adulting is hard. I promised I would finish this revision and that promise holds true! Come hell or annoying ass roommates this fic will be finished! Thank you for all the new reviews, favorites, and follows! They make my little body fill with joy every time I see them pop up in my email. You guys are the best!
As usual I own nothing, other than the nifty DIY laptop cooling desk I made last night!
Bia's joy ride was short lived, as she quickly had to give the wheel over to Bumblebee who was the only one with a hope of outmaneuvering Starscream's barrage. The Camaro weaved in and out of the onslaught with ease, his handling greatly increased now that he only had one human inside him instead of five.
"I know you're just trying to set the mood and all, but would you mind turning it down?" Bianca yelled over the speakers which currently blared rock music. He obliged and turned the radio down to a mere whisper. "Thank you," she sighed taking her hands off her ears.
Now that she wasn't deafened by AC/DC's 'Highway to hell' she realized that no shots had been fired at them for some time. Rolling down the window Bianca poked her head out and surveyed the skies above. A few plush clouds dotted the otherwise empty blue ceiling.
"Hey Bee I think we lost hi-AH!" Bia shrieked as a bullet ricocheted off the side mirror, slicing across her cheek. She fell back into the interior watching as the jet leveled out from it's dive before shooting back into the sky, darting behind the scattered clouds and disappearing from view once more.
"Bia, are you alright?" Bee asked frantically, not bothering to search through the earth's radio stations to communicate. She slowly lifted a hand to her cheek; warm blood met her fingertips. Pulling her hand back she stared down at the crimson stain.
"I'm OK Bee it's just a scratch" she whispered, still recovering from the shock of the sudden attack. She peered up into the rear view mirror, seeing that it was in fact not 'just a scratch'. The bullet had sliced cleanly through her cheek, stretching from just below her right eye all the way to her jaw. Blood flowed freely from the wound, and she clamped her hand tightly over it to try staunch the flow. Her cheek pulled painfully with every word and dread filled her stomach as the realization that it may need stitches popped into her head. Had Starscream's shot been even half an inch higher she would have lost an eye, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"That's it. We've played decoy long enough, I am getting you out of here!" Bia made to protest but her protest turned into a scream, which was drowned out by the sound of metal crunching against metal. Bumblebee was sent careening through the air, tumbling uncontrollably from the force of Starscream's head on collision. If Bumblebee were a normal car Bia was sure that the impact would have turned him into a crumpled mess of tinfoil, with her inside.
She wasn't even sure when she stopped screaming, or how she ended up laying on the hot sand instead of Bumblebee's comfortable interior. Her ears roared with white noise and black spots dotted her vision. She slowly became more aware of her surroundings bit by bit, and as the white noise gave way she instead heard a gurgling. The familiar searing pain of constricting lungs made her realize that the gurgling was her, trying to breath. Rolling onto her side she cried out through the mouth full of blood. Red spilled across beige as she sputtered and coughed, doing her best to expel the thick liquid from her mouth and lungs. White hot pain seared through her with every heave, her broken ribs screaming in protest at the movements.
Spots continued to dance before her eyes, stars bursting into bright inferno's with every agonizing wheeze. Through the haze she searched for the familiar yellow and black of bumblebee's chassis only to realize he was no where to be found in the immediate vicinity. Her head spun and she groaned as a wave of pain crashed over her, sending her stomach reeling as it bottomed out. She heard him before she could see.
A metallic scream cut through the darkness and she clawed her way back to consciousness, forcing her eyes into focus. Her head lolled back and forth, brown eyes fluttering about with haste. When she finally was about to locate Bumblebee her heart dropped. The small yellow bot was pinned beneath a sleek, snarling, silver mech with red eyes that flashed dangerously in the the sunlight.
"Bee!" She cried out, or at least tried to. Her voice only made a strangled gargle in response and she heaved in another wet painful breath, trying once more to call out to no avail. Gritting her teeth she rolled over onto her stomach. A fresh wave of tears streamed down her cheeks at the effort and pain that accompanied the action. The salt from her tears bit unpleasantly at the fresh gash that adorned her face. Reaching out towards Bumblebee her arm shook before it went limp, the effort of even such a small motion felt monumental. Hot metal smarted her arm and the stimulus sent a jolt through her body, causing her eyes to zone in on what had caused the burn. Her sluggish brain took longer than normal to process what it was she was looking at, but process it she did. Heaving herself forward she didn't even make it to her hands and knees before collapsing once more into the hot sand. Another cry from Bee sent her lunging for the taser only 5 feet from her, but another crack of pain sent her crumbling face first into the sand.
"Mierte!" She spat, a splatter of red flakes coloring the sand before her. Clenching her eyes she cried out once again, "Mierte!" Her inability to be of any use to her new friend filled her with self loathing and frustration. Angry tears created muddied tracks through the blood and dirt that smeared her face. It couldn't end like this, it wouldnt. Screaming out in combination of agony and blind rage she began clawing her way across the scorching desert sand.
Her fingers grappled for leverage, legs kicking out wildly behind her as she tried to propel herself forward. Her bare skin burned at the temperature of the desert floor, but that pain was drowned out by the tearing sensation that she was sure was that of her lower half ripping apart, ligament by ligament.
It felt like an eternity, but her fingers eventually closed around the base of the taser. Pulling it to her chest she wormed her way inch, by agonizing inch towards the brawling bots. As she closed the distance blue optics locked with foggy but determined brown eyes. A pitiful groan left his processors as Bumblebee tried to wave her away, frantic that Starscream would notice her, or squish her by accident. He wasn't sure which was worse, and for one horrifying moment he found himself hoping that the 'Con would just crush her so she wouldn't have to live through the torture that would surely befall her if he were to notice her instead.
Banishing the negative thoughts from his processors he struggled with a renewed vigor, intent to keep the Decepticons attention on him, and him alone.
"You have been a thorn in my master's side for too long Autobot scum!" Starscream spat, landing a harsh blow to the Autobots helm. "I'm going to enjoy snuffing out your worthless spark!" Another blow, the force of this one sending Bumblebee's optics offline for a brief moment. As his systems slowly came back online the first thing he noticed was a blood-spattered, wild eyed Bia. Bloody fingers skittered across his legs, which were pinned beneath his attacker, searching for hand holds. She sucked in wet, ragged breaths through flaring nostrils, taser clenched between her teeth as she pulled herself painfully into an upright position.
Once standing she used his leg to walk forward, grabbing the taser from her teeth she raised it high above her head. Electricity popped and crackled and with a battle cry she drove the device into a small gap in the armor that plated the back of Starscreams heel. A gap so small that only a human's small appendages could access it. The charge of electricity shot deep into his sensitive circuitry, and while the taser didn't have enough bite behind it to cause serious damage, it definitely caught the Con's attention. Starscream whirled around to face the human, who fell back at his sudden movement. The impact of the fall sent her eyes rolling into her skull, back arching in pain. Blinking rapidly she fought to regain her vision, only to find herself staring up in horror at the being that loomed over her.
"Why you insolent flesh bag!" He roared, "I'll tear you to shreds!" As he moved to snatch up her helpless form Bee sprang into action. The shift in the Con's attention gave Bumblebee the window he needed to change the tide. Dropping his battle mask into place he sprang forward, knocking the Decepticon head over heels. The yellow bot bellowed as he leapt onto the silver robot, unloading his canons into his foe. Starscream cried out, thrusting his jets in an attempt to break free. Bumblebee grappled at the jets transforming wings, tearing at whatever surface he could find purchase. With one last powerful thrust Starscream broke free of Bumblebee's onslaught, shooting off to a safe distance before circling back with a snarl.
"I'll get you Autobot scum, and your little flesh bag too!". With that the jet shot off into the distance, where faint gunfire crackled beyond the dunes. Once he was sure that the threat was gone Bumblebee raised his battle mask, turning back to check on his human's crumpled form. He didn't need Ratchets advanced medical scanners to know that this was not good. Even through the grime that coated her sun burnt skin he could see the color draining from her face. He eyes wandered aimlessly, eyelids fluttering rapidly. Her lips were wet with red, red that flew from her mouth with every moist, wheeze.
He failed Sam, his spark sank further with every passing second that his charge was in pain. He reached forward before gently scooping up the broken girl, afraid that at any moment she might shatter. Her eyes grounded themselves in the blue of his optics and she did her best to give him a small smile. The action looked more like a grimace, and her lacerated cheek gaped at the motion.
"Bia," he whispered before pausing. What was it he wanted to say to her? He wanted to yell and scream at her, make her understand how stupid her actions were. He wanted to cry for her as each breath she took rattled painfully on his processors. He wanted to hold her and never let her go, because only then could he be sure to keep her safe. None of the emotions however made sense to him, so instead he just stared.
"Are you O.K.?" he barked a laugh at her question. These Witwickeys really had no concern for their own well being.
"You shouldn't act so rashly," he scolded, channeling all the times he had been scolded by his elder comrades. "I am equipped for battle, YOU on the other hand could have been squished or worse, noticed by Starscream!" Bianca's small smile tuned into a frown, pulling the gash into a thin line as her lips turned down.
"How is getting squished better than being noticed. He must have hit you harder than I thought." Bumblebee shook his head wildly. Anger, concern, fear, adrenaline, and many other emotions he couldn't place crashed in waves over him, sending his spark reeling in his chassis.
"If you had been squished then at least you death would have been instant! If he had caught you he would have..." he trailed off, cringing at the reel of images that ran through his mind, all of them ending with Bianca screaming out for him in vain.
"But if I didn't do something YOU would be the dead one, and besides he didn't catch me so what's with the third degree?" She moved to cross her arms, but the motion sent spasms of pain through her mid section, so instead she settled on her patented Witwickey scowl. "You are so ungrateful, next time a thank you would suffice!" She spat, angry tears welling up to replace those from pain. His patronizing tone made her feel like a child, and just like a child she clung to her stubbornness.
Sucking in a painful breath she choked back the tears, refusing to let him see her cry once more. With a huff she did her best to turn away from the bot's gaze, swearing with every painful stitch that accompanied the motion. Try as she might she couldn't hold back a small sniffle. Bumblebee sighed, all his anger leaving him in a rush instantly replaced by concern. "Bia I'm sorry. I was worried," he apologized, regretting his harsh words. It was hard for him to remember some days that she wasn't born into the same world he was, a world where once stupid call could get you killed, or worse someone else. The image of Optimus ran across his processors and he forced the image back into the recesses of his memory, unable to handle that loss so soon after nearly experiencing another. The girl refused to look at him so he gently used a finger to lift her chin, bringing his hand closer to his face so she couldn't escape his gaze. Watery, humiliated eyes stared up at him. "You were right, I needed help. Thank you."
She blinked a couple times, chewing over his apology before giving one final sniff. She dragged her arm across her face, a motion of habit that normally would wipe away the tears. This time however it only served in smearing the mess of dirt and gore across her sunken cheeks like primitive war paint.
"You're welcome," she quipped. He smiled at the girl, and she returned the gesture before her eyes widened in realization. "Hey, you're talking! Like really talking without pain!" She accused, "you were hamming it up!" He chuckled, imagining that if her were human he would be blushing.
"Old habits die hard I guess. I spent years communication through the earth's radio. It's more natural, and I prefer it." she raised a brow.
"How did you get your voice back? I thought you said you lost it in battle."
"The Allspark," was his simple answer. She pretended to understand. Their conversation was interrupted as a new wave of gunfire echoed across the vast emptiness of the dessert. The two looked off into the distance to see the distant battle that was taking place.
"We should go." Bianca muttered. Bumblebee returned his gaze to the girl who still looked across the land. While she was distracted he did a quick scan. He could tell she was struggling to even stay upright, as the adrenaline wore off her eyes became heavy, and her breathing more labored. The gash she received from Starscream still oozed and every time she spoke it reopened the wound. Blood and saliva coated her chin, leading down her neck. He could see dark red splotches creeping out from under the makeshift bandages that were tied around her midsection, an indication of internal bleeding. He wanted to protest and take her far away from the battle and somewhere where she could receive the medical attention she so desperately needed. Her eyes peeled away from the distant fire fight and pinned him down.
"Our friends need us." He found himself nodding with her before he even realized what she said. She was right, the Decepticons had the upper hand and their allies needed all the help they could get. He could only hope that their decision to return to the battle field didn't cost him another friend.
Carefully he set he on the ground before transforming into his alt mode, doing his best to come up right along side her. The action of pulling herself into Bumblebee's driver seat felt like running a marathon, and by the time she was safely buckled up in his interior her head was swimming from exhaustion. She fought the haze, trying to focus on anything other than the agonizing pain that came with every breath. In an attempt to ground herself her fingers began tracing the stitching of Bumblebee's seat. Before taking off though Bumblebee had one last thing to say.
"One last thing," Bia perked up at his words. "If you ever try a stunt like that again I will lock these doors and never let you out, are we clear?" He asked and she couldn't help the painful laugh that bubbled up at his overbearing nature.
"Yes Bee."
Fun fact, the original version of this fic was 33 thousand and some odd words. With this installment we have hit 34 thousand and we're not done yet!