AN: I'm getting fame from this story and so I am pleased... that means, a treat!
Yeah, you're all asking; "Ratchet? Ratchet?! Ratchet's dead?!" Well. If you think like that, then here's a hint:
What did Riya dislike about Heroes besides their "never giving up" personality? What can Heroes never do?
Guess, I'll tell you if you're right. It may take you going back to chapter 1 to find it out, or take a trip down memory lane... or experience if you're a MARVEL or DC comic book reader like me.
If no one can guess I'll give a different hint later.
Oh yeah and meet our newest addition Fredrika...
Ah yes, and if you are confused about Lennox and Epps being here, it's because it's their team that knows and is allowed to be with the Autobots therefore it is only natural they were picked to carry out the mission.
Riya's eyes flew open and she began gasping and coughing for air.
It took a few minutes before Riya realized where she was and what was happening to her.
A bright burning pain rigged across her entire body. All her attempts to move were in vain when she discovered moving only hurt more.
Riya wanted to pass out, to die unconscious would be less painful, however, it seemed that the pain that was threatening to push her back unconscious was also keeping her awake. Though it threatened to put her to death it also seemed to be threatening something else. She wasn't sure what yet.
Riya soon noticed her lack her bodily functions, she couldn't find her voice and cry for help or even move her body anymore. She had felt before that moving hurt worse, but now she could not, like something was restricting her. She knew what was happening, but it was different then what she expected... Something was off.
She felt fearful, which was to be expected, and at the same time she felt as if a great relief was to overcome her as swiftly as Laserbeak had activated the large canon-like device that made Riya feel like she was melting. Her agonizing pain did not go unnoticed by the 'Con, however, being one of an evil faction, he could not care less.
He, Laserbeak, was in sight but slowly began to fade away as another, brighter and colder light engulfed him and her sight once again forcing her to screw her eyes shut.
Riya felt somehow that the burning pain threw her into unconsciousness again.
Optimus' aggressive stance loosened and finally understood what Starscream had just discovered.
"You had something to do with this Autoscum!" He screeched, turning to face Optimus. "You knew this was going to happen!"
Starscream threw an unexpected punch and Optimus instantly regretted letting go of his alerted stance and now defended himself, earning a good dent on his chest as he attempted to dodge the rather weak punch.
Optimus took to the defencive as Starscream bellowed his frustration out on him. Starscream was practically explaining the situation.
"You knew she would do that!" Starscream threw another punch, furiously venting his anger on the newly awakened Autobot. "You knew she would disappear like that!" He again attacked, but Optimus countered him. Taking Starscream's sloppy punch and lifting him above himself, slamming Starscream back down to the Earth.
"She disappeared?" Optimus questioned, confused, holding the injured Decepticon down. "How?"
"How would I know Autobot?!" He growled, "Do you not know?" He came to realized Optimus' confusion.
"No..." Optimus trailed and only after denying Starscream, he remembered the recording of the Cybertronian's and the human scientist indentified only as Lola. "... Yes." He realized. He relaxed his grip on Starscream and quickly transformed, rushing to Bumblebee and Ironhide.
He felt he knew anyways. Even though truthfully, without Ratchet's complete explanation which was impossible to acquire at the time upon discovering the recording and documents, he did not know for sure and was currently running a calculation program in his processor.
Optimus left Starscream quite confused, but instead of following Optimus as he would have done in any other situation, his injuries and embarrassment led him to flee the instant he was sure Optimus was gone.
Meanwhile, Optimus tore back into the construction zone, zooming down the dirt roads to meet with his allies.
"Optimus... Laserbeak is gone... I cannot find Riya anywhere." Ironhide spoke sadly over the comm.
"I am on my way Ironhide. Starscream received contact from Laserbeak. He said Riya had disappeared." Optimus replied, his Weapon Specialist remained quiet afterwards.
"Contact? How do you know that?" Ironhide asked, Optimus did not have the Decepticon's frequency.
"He engaged me, believing I had something to do with Riya's sudden disappearance. He began shouting at me while he attempted to receive information out of me."
"Fraggin' slagger." Was the gruff mech's reply, a slight humorous tone.
At the spot Riya disappeared, Bumblebee was comforted by the Lieutenant, Fredrika McCoy. The fiery red head sat by the considerably larger yellow scout who also took a seat on the dirt.
The silence was sharply interrupted by Optimus' alt mode racing up and transforming once arriving at the clearing.
The ground as well as the surrounding objects, building skeletons included, were all blown outward then dragged back inward by another force, clearly by another force as the drag lines were almost opposite to the explosion radius.
Something had reacted to the explosion and created the opposite, an implosion.
"Optimus, looks to me like Starscream has fried your circuits." Ironhide asked upon seeing Optimus almost completely ripped to shreds frame.
"Starscream could never do that much damage to my circuits, thank you for your concern." Optimus faced his friends, he knew his appearence was quite beaten and dented. If fact, a few burned parts of his armour were caused by Starscream, but Starscream never landed that perfect hit in his fit of rage.
Again Optimus portrayed the same damaged, ruined appearence. He could not regain himself, he was to worn out, to damaged, he felt ready to just shut down for a while. He needed it. Bad.
Ironhide was near Optimus' damage, but not near enough to stop moving, which Optimus had done, and continued trying to search for some forms of life. Anywhere and anyone for now.
Fredrika was doing her best as a single mother of two to comfort the yellow bot, who chirped sadly at the thought of loosing Riya. More precisely the experience of loosing Ratchet and Riya, both in the same night.
No one dared speak. It felt wrong at the moment to speak at the same time no one could think of anything to say that did not seem inappropriate at the time, or down right rude.
It became more and more pressing to Fredrika that they needed to call it in, the entire debrief would be hell for the Autobots and miserable for the men and women who stood silently at the hummer.
"I dink... Ve need to go to Ratchet. Dat vay ve can keep onlookers avay, hopefully." Fredrika concluded, the Autobots did not even flinch.
"Ve muzt move out. Ev'ryone hop in, ve go to Ratchet now." She stood, brushing her uniform off, slipping her hat back on her head and jumped in the drivers side of the hummer.
Fredrika sighed, turning on the radio. "Objective complete. Ev'ryone meet on Ratchet's point. Lieutenant McCoy out." She set the radio back down, refusing the other questions.
"Anyone care to lead da vay?" She asked quietly.
She received a reaction from the three Autobots, who already felt weakened by the battle and by the loss. They transformed and quite tiredly drove to Ratchet's position.
Her burning hot pain was countered by a cold wet rush over her.
Slowly opening her eyes, which felt like trying to lift a car, she took in her surroundings.
Riya saw she was no longer in the large area Laserbeak had flew her to in the construction zone, but instead, was now laying on her back, limbs slightly spread out, on a road.
A completely unharmed road.
Thunder and lightning struck, shocking Riya into full alert. Her heart was pounding, her body was aching less thanks to the cold rain, and she slowly became more and more scared of what she dared not turn her head to see.
Riya had not realized exactly what happened yet.
She was staring straight up into the sky, rain stinging her eyes, and tears lost in the rain water. Riya gave no attention to the power lines around the corners of her vision or the quiet, growing louder, sounds of cars.
Tires screeched on the wet asphalt until they stopped and the car hummed silently, until horns honked repeatedly from two sides.
She was smack dab in the center of a busy road.
Quickly, Riya looked around, slowly turning her head to see the cars that were stopped and their drivers and passengers rushing out of them.
The first one to reach her was a man, she could barely make out his features. That was 'til he was leaning over her, asking her to stay awake and throwing questions at her to attract her attention.
She could not muster the thought pattern required to assess the situation at hand. The fact she was no longer in Nevada, or anywhere near Nevada proved difficult to consider seeing as how she was just being tortured to death by a blinding white light that emitted from the harvestingweapon Laserbeak carried.
"Optimus?" She whispered, he voice so cracked the man who was trying to get her attention could not understand the simple word.
"W~~t's yo~r na~~?" He tried to asked, Riya's head was so dizzy it became a chore to even listen to the simple question. "Wha~~'s y~ur nam~?" He repeated, earning a groan from Riya.
"Riya..." She mumbled. The man nodded, "Riy~ wha~?" He had pulled out his phone already and was dialing a number. "Riya... Takagami." She answered, barely audible.
"Hi, I'm Byron Ray~e. I'm betw~en 6th stre~t and Loch~art co~rt. The~e's a g~~l on t~e r~ad an~ sh~'s h~rt."
The man's sentence was slowly becoming harder and harder for Riya to understand even though she focused with all her ability on the man's sentence knowing she did not know the man.
Riya quickly found her focusing attempts futile and exhausting until finally the man's words, along with all her natural five senses including her consciousness, was gone.
The Autobots drove straight and undisturbed. Lost in their thoughts on the day's events.
Fredrika drove her hummer and was now calling in the actions, the losses.
"Lieutenant Fredrika McCoy, come in." She called out over the radio, all the Autobots already knew she was calling in the other human groups but as it was required, they kept tuned in.
"Lieutenant. Do the Autobots know what that flash was?" Epps replied first, "I'm still seeing lights..." Lennox joined in.
"Reporting the events of today... Vrom Ironhide's reports, ve have lost Ratchet... and Viya." She admitted slowly, the Autobots clearly not wanting to hear the rest.
"Wha-... I'm sorry guys." Lennox sighed, he was about to ask what happened, but knew that the Autobots and the humans probably would prefer to keep a moment of silence for their lost comrade.
"Oh man. We need to meet up." Epps chimed in, "Where to?"
"Ve are meeting upon Ratchet's position. Can you lock onto our signal?" Fredrika asked.
"Yeah, we got'cha. On our way." Lennox ended the conversation, just for the sake of the Autobots.
The drive was silent, all except for the engines.
Neither human nor Cybertronian wanted to speak, it felt wrong in such a distressed time. They, in all respects, needed their medic to survive any onslaughts the Decepticons had planned and without Ratchet, they would not be repaired anytime soon.
Although, Ratchet claimed more then position of medic to the Autobots and some humans like William Lennox and Robert Epps, they were there at the battle of Mission City and had more then earned the position to stand beside the CMO in battle as well as spend some personal time with him in the med bay after being drugged up with their injuries that somehow took Cybertronian shrapnel and required a medic that was very expeirenced in alien metals and minerals. Either that or the medic bot was being overprotective of this patients for the sake of it. Either way, they were pleased he was there to help.
And now, he was not.
Lennox felt a hard wall come crashing on him once Fredrika delivered the news. He had to admit, he knew nothing about the medic other then a few commonly known things, like his personality. Very protective, short temper but has the ability and enough smarts to keep it under control in dire situations... And was actually not the best fighter of the Autobots. Definitely not the best fighter.
Epps nor Lennox could imagine the Autobots pain when Ironhide discovered Ratchet had been deactivated. The Autobots knew Ratchet best and they knew near to nothing. Both the military men had not had a chance to actually sit and just talk with any of the Autobots. The fact they felt hurt at his passing when they never knew much about him, they could not even imagine how the Autobots felt, the ones who had known Ratchet for thousands of years.
Fredrika knew the Autobots only from Mission City. She arrived, or was forced to arrive, in a heavily armed vehicle until such time as the Autobots rescued her from, who they identified, Brawl.
However, she was close to Lennox and Epps' problem. She had not enough down time to reminisce with the Autobots, get to know them. To her logic, they were going to be there a while anyways, might as well try and be friends. Fredrika had no problem with Cybertronians, no problem her allies being aliens, but their suffering caused her to ache for them. She often felt, in the little time she had thought about them, that she would rather rip out her heart with her bare hands then know what she knows about them now.
Fredrika found herself away from the Autobot temporary base of operations quite often. Lennox and Epps had more time, but she would have to wait for the one week where she arrived at the base, gathered her objectives, sorted them out with the military and the Autobots, then complete them. After which, it was usually time to leave. Hating that she never had time for them, Fredrika berated herself because she thought she may insult them with her lack of time, offend them harshly by saying she did not have time for them right after they just saved her homeworld and her race.
Fredrika sped up, a powerful anger that caused her to clutch the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white and the palm of her hands turned bright red.
She was so fed up with Galloway, the newly appointed liaison, that she wished she shot him the day they met.
Realizing he was to become a thorn in the Autobots side, Fredrika kept Galloway's spite for the alien race to herself for the time being. Until the Autobots and Galloway came face to face plate. Then she'd brief them on Galloway's hate of their race even though it had been only little time after they first arrived and even shorter time until Sector Seven became aware of the Autobots now on Earth.
She decided, as apparently Lennox and Epps had done, that she would ride near the Autobots. Closer then she was already.
Lennox found himself in a calmer rage then her and Epps shared a very near pissed off body language. They knew what was in store for the Autobots and therefore felt a ping of guilt now for not warning them.
Both the military men caught up fast with the main group heading to Ratchet, they figured they would call in everything. Time of death and the analisys of the body. All required for the full report that the three military leaders would end up for hours working on.
The engines lowered in tone, the Autobots stopped and Fredrika slammed on the brakes. Unsuspecting of the sudden stop. Lennox and Epps did the same, ending up a few feet in front of the Autobots.
Fredrika, Lennox and Epps all honked their horns, knocking the Autobots out of their haze.
Yes no one answered.
Sighing, the men and women stepped out of their respective vehicles and walked back to the Autobots.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Lennox asked, keeping in mind this was not the appropriate time for jokes.
The Autobots replied in full, transforming on the spot. Again, like always, the humans watched in pure awe until they were able to shake themselves out of it.
"Optemus Prime. Vhat is vrong?" Fredrika, quietly, asked.
Ironhide stepped forward first, looking around the area for Ratchet.
Epps got the idea first since he did not approach the Autobots and instead examined the dug in lines of stressed out tires in the dirt road.
"Guys..." Epps stood, previously kneeling to take in the tire marks. "Their lookin' for Ratch'. He ain't here." He answered.
Fredrika and Lennox stood stunned. Neither one knew what to do, until Ironhide grinned, Bumblebee smiled and Optimus gave a relieved sigh. Which to the humans in the area slightly confused them, since Cybertronian's breathed no air. Fredrika, who had minimum time to study them with Ratchet, knew this was Optimus' air pressurizer relaxing then taking more, cleaner, air back in.
"That means he's either gotten up and gone, or..." Lennox trailed off, "Or I don't know. I hope it's the first option, 'cause I don't want to know the second." He smiled to.
The Autobots were striken with relief the minute the pair of very familiar foot steps came up, and although they were without rhythm, they were there.
"Worry not Major." The voice spoke and the entire group turned to face it, "I was brought back online by an anomaly. A light blue orb seemed to have engulfed me and I slowly regained myself. I have damage, but nothing that cannot be fixed with a trip to my med bay." Ratchet's undeniably familiar voice explained.
The humans stood smiling so widely it was hurting their faces, but none would stop even if their teeth fell out.
"I believe that blue orb was not a destructive one, but one akin to our energy source. Our sparks, however, I am unsure how this is and how I was reactivated."
"Hallaujah." Fredrika tried to pronounce properly, her Swedish accent so thick, it came to be muddled slightly.
"What?" Ratchet asked, all Autobots turning to the human woman.
"Praise Jah dat means. Praise God above, dis vas not your time. To you, it would be Premus" She sighed peacefully, again mispronouncing a name.
Ratchet nodded in understanding, Fredrika made a spiritual reference that he would very much like to study into at a later time... Some time that was not to stressful.
Ironhide and Bumblebee came up to the CMO and Ironhide attempted to help him stand better, reliving pressure off of Ratchet's stabilizers since they were in such bad shape.
Ratchet, after being reintroduced to his allies, found something else out of place.
"Optimus, where is Riya?"
AN: Yes, Fredrika is a new OC addition to this OC drunk fic. She's very important for the rest of this story.
For information on her so it's not too confusing:
She was in Mission City. She was attacked by Brawl.
After fending for herself and being used as leverage, she was rescued by Ironhide and has restlessly attempted to gain quality time with the Autobots and especially her savior; Ironhide. However, work on Mission City cover ups and her being the current Commander who is finding a permanent home for the Autobots, she finds herself without time. Coming and going without saying one friendship-related word to the Autobots, even though she desperately wants to.
GrimlockX4: Don't mention it. You've reviewed my story and have been very kind, the least I can do is give you a compliment or... something along the sort. ^^;;
Yeah, I get obsessed with Megatron/Galvatron and Unicorn since their the bad guy leaders an' all. Well, Soundwave and Shockwave too just because their so amazingly awesome. 3
You have discovered what is on Starscream's face plates... and now, due to Optimus' fists, what is noton his face plates anymore. xD
And since you and I seem kin to the dark side, a tribute to "Shattered Glass."Being so that they turned our Autobot enemies into the coolest, baddest, bad guys ever.
'Till all are gone!
shadowxofxdarkness: Houdini taught her that one, she still hasn't told me the trick yet. -.-
Oh, yeah, quote day seeing how you are so excited... :
"I see you shiver with antici-...." Dramatic pause. "...-pation.": Rocky Horror Picture Show: Sweet Transvestite. Hilarious song, listen to it. :D
Whitewolf Demon-Slayer: Oh good, I love writing drama but my action seems to suffer for it... I should really just start writing dark fics, I seem to be much better at causing pain then giving joy. Heh heh. 3
My story is an inspiration, or the characters?! Oi! That's so sweet! I'm seriously working your name into my story somehow... and maybe, after a little discussion, Amy and Jay too? I mean, they are from the real world and Riya, if you couldn't tell, is back there... So maybe they can, I don't know... meet? My evil face is plastered on me right now if you couldn't tell. Hee hee! x]
Ah yes, and I appreciate that! I have a feeling Amy and Jay's misdeeds will come in handy... Something along the lines of painting Ironhide pink?
Shibo26: Oooo! Damn you for picking story plot points! Very well though, I will answer. :)
Spoiler Alert!: The "Portal" doesn't not lead only to one world... I mean, think of all the other Transformers universes? Previously mentioned above; Shattered Glass. Movie-verse. Generation One and Two. Beast Wars... etc, etc.
Who said only one series of the Transformers franchise existed? What if Riya went to Shattered Glass, unknowing of it, and made allies with the honoured leader and trusted friend of the human race; Megatron? Oooh, that would be interesting. Heh heh heh.
Scarlett16: I'd be more then pleased to use Sarah. I can work her into it very soon actually! Just, er, y'know. Tell me a bit about her and I'll work her in.