I have posted a new story for this same timeline, Skyfall, which details Eleanor's perspective on the day of the Invasion.
See Prologue for disclaimer. Also, a use of a slightly more colorful word here.
Chapter 24: The Reflection
Something was wrong. So dreadfully amiss. Eleanor could feel it, slowly coming out of unconsciousness.
Numbness was slowly fading from her body, and it reminded her of the time her wisdom teeth had been removed early in highschool. She tried to take a deep breath to orient herself, but instead of air whistling through her nostrils she heard a clicking and whirring sound. All of a sudden, a deluge of errors flooded her display.
Wait, display? Error messages? What in the holy fuck? The only thing that came to her mind was to scream, shriek like she never had before.
Megatron stood behind the one-way glass, staring at the capsule, clenching and opening his servos absently. He was anxious and eager to see what she looked like, and his zeal was manifesting itself in the sparks that flew from his clashing claws.
Shockwave was about to open the tube when he heard her shrill, resounding screech. It tugged at the warlord's spark to hear her deep panic, but at least she was online.
The scientist paused to look at the metal-covered glass, asking his lord if he was to continue through the comm. link. The Emperor gave the affirmative, leaning forward subconsciously in eagerness. At last, precious, you may assume your destined body.
When the top - with all of its newly blood-covered spikes - was opened, she instinctively shielded her eyes from the bright blue light with a hand before realizing that her eyes did not hurt from the sudden change in luminosity. Also, she saw with horror that her hand was no longer her hand. It was metal, similar to those of the beasts that surrounded her but much more delicate, feminine in fact. She did not have any claws, to her relief, her digits ending in little, narrowed blunt points similar to natural nails. She screamed again, jumping out with considerable agility and landing on her behind, her head dizzy from the sudden exertion.
Shockwave tried to assist her in standing, offering her a tentacle. She shoved it away, glowering at him. A drop of fluid hit the table, and raising her hand to her face she felt liquid running down it, coming from the place her eyes used to be. Bringing up her other hand, she felt that her face was metal and slightly different in shape. Shockwave now forced her to her feet, supporting her as Soundwave appeared and placed a full-length mirror in front of her.
Megatron vented, observing her from his hidden place. She had cyberformed perfectly, her Seeker-like but human-sized protoform retaining all of her curves and even highlighting them in places. Her body was original, but also reminded him faintly of Circuitsia's. Scalpel shifted on the table at his waist, little legs clicking against alloy of the surface. He reported, "She completed it very well, Megatron. I will have to check her systems to be perfectly sure." He nodded, not looking at Scalpel and watching her. He shuffled again, nervously stating "Although, there is nothing that can be done about her size."
He still didn't lower his helm, whispering in awe as she admired herself in the mirror, "She's perfect." Scalpel slumped slightly in relief, having feared for his life. After all, his master had implied that if it was a failure that they all would be spare parts in a nano-click. He did seem pleased, though, and the Doctor knew not to push his luck.
Eleanor had no clue what to think. Her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, and there was nothing she could do but stare at the robot that peered back at her with grey optics. As far as she could tell, she had kept the majority of her build. Her wet face was thinner, more elegant, with high regal cheek (rims?) and fine, pointed nose. Her head was bare, but sleek and small ridges ran along the top and crown of it. Her hips, she saw, had similar ridges that ran where the bone used to, curving in the right places. They might have become a little wider, but it was almost unnoticeable. Legs remained shapely, arcing just right, but her feet looked as if she was wearing heels. Interesting.
She was so transfixed that she jumped when Soundwave asked her a question. "I'm sorry, what?" she apologized in English, her tongue feeling odd and her voice sounding strange.
He asked again, "Is your body satisfactory?" Her jaw almost dropped; she was actually understanding Cybertronian!
Thinking shrewdly, she asked him to repeat it over again, careful to use English. I can't wait to do some spying with this.
Soundwave looked up, seemingly gazing at a bare metal wall, before asking in English "Is your body satisfactory?"
The question went straight to her core, and she wasn't sure how to answer it. In Cybertronian it had come across differently, feeling more abstract, but now it was concrete. She had actually been changed, her humanity forcibly stripped from her without her permission. Even if her world had been taken from her, at least she had kept her own skin. Forgetting all about his question, she asked indignantly "Where is Megatron? Am I not important enough for him to grace me with his presence? Why was this done to me? Why have you taken away my humanity? Is this to make me into some sort of, of, sex slave? Do you guys even have sex?"
Her tirade was cut off when her legs buckled and the pain came back again, error messages filling her display as she cried out. Soundwave carefully indicated for Shockwave to lie her down, growling in Cybertronian, "Fetch some Energon. She is running on empty tanks."
Shockwave brought over Energon as asked, holding the large cube to her mouth. "Drink," was ordered in English and she looked at the pink liquid with a scowl, taking a cautious sip. It tasted a little sweet, but mostly it was like a thicker version of water. She swallowed, letting it fill her "tanks" with a satisfying slosh.
Megatron slammed his fist into the table at her questioning, ripping a hole in the metal and throwing a terrified Scalpel with the aftershock. "I have done all of this for her, and she thinks she is to be a pleasurebot?" He was shaking with fury, and nearly tore the door down on his way out.
He stopped and faced a recovering Scalpel, pointing a claw as he ordered, "Check her systems and keep her in there until I say otherwise. Give her the armor that fits the specifications I discussed with Soundwave and comm. me when you have the parts I require." His footsteps boomed through the medbay, signalling his departure.
Eleanor flinched, moving her head away from the Energon as she watched the bare wall with interest. It sounded as if someone had knocked something over in another room and was yelling about it for some odd reason. The voice was loud enough for her to hear, but not enough for her to recognize it.
Soundwave nodded at Shockwave, who left the room silently without a second glance in her direction. Creep. "I know that you are upset, Eleanor," she looked up at him, "but please know that I cannot give you any answers."
She gave him a rueful smile, "I understand, Soundwave. You had to follow your orders. But, if I may ask, what do I do now? Just sit here?" He looked as if he was going to answer, but the panel slid open and Scalpel was lifted onto the birth by his flying assistants.
"Ve vill zee about your zystems, yes?" She stared at him from her position and agreed.
"Just get it over with."
She let him poke around in her wires, starting near her head. Slowly he worked his way down, sticking his tiny fingers into different seams and using some kind of scanner over her body. She gave a sigh, or something close to it, and let him work while she tried to process what had just happened.
Megatron selected the spear from his weapons room, claws curling around the familiar shaft, before leaving his apartments for the roof. He was still raging about Eleanor's misconceptions, not understanding how his motives were unclear. Fragging femmes.
Transforming, he flew westward, looking for a place he could unleash his anger. He supposed that he could have taken it out on any minion of his choosing, but he knew he couldn't without giving something away; something which must be kept secret until the correct time.
Finding a copse of trees that would suit his fury, he landed and brought out his spear, watching it gleam in the early morning sun. He brought back his arm and used his several-ton frame, as well as his temper, to give it momentum, watching it fly across the meadow and split one of the oaks with a tremendous crack. Stomping over and snarling, he scooped it up and hurled it again into another unfortunate tree, watching the wood splinter as a deadly chasm opened in the trunk.
And so the suitor expressed his frustration over the small, delicate femme that refused to appreciate his attentions; truly, it was a tale as old as time.
"Damn it, if you had just listened to me Lennox-" Simmons started before the Captain shoved him up against a tree, knocking the wind out of him.
Lennox growled through clenched teeth, getting inches away from Seymour's face, "For the last time, it was not my fault." He shoved him, stepping back and walking after Wilson's cloaked back and eventually catching up with the taller man's stride. "When will we report to Burns our failure?"
"I will be doing the reporting, Captain. It is my duty, as the leader of this mission, and as the reason this mission was a defeat, to disclose the details." Wilson wasn't looking at him, keeping his voice low and his eyes fixed on the path ahead as they marched through the snow.
"Why was it your fault, sir? Was it not all of us?" Lennox was sure to make his tone respectful and modest.
"I could have grabbed her, given her a gag if it was necessary. But I didn't. I keep seeing her as someone whose orders I need to obey, and in the moment I regressed." Part of it was a lie, an oversimplification of the truth, and Wilson hated himself for hiding the real reason. A piece of him still hurt at his lack of intervention at the scene of her attempted rape, still lamented that he had let that fiend get to her first. Another, even smaller part knew that the beast cared for her, wanted to protect her and execute any who attempted to injure the woman. He was no fool; his observational skills had allowed him to see that she was well fed and without a single scratch or mark upon her body when they came to her earlier.
Wilson was loathe to admit it but the Decepticon commander cherished, maybe even deigned to feel something close to love for, his President. He didn't have the slightest idea as to why, as to what could be gained by the robot, but he understood it to be the cold hard truth.
The Doctor finally finished with her examination, stepping away from her and nodding at his handiwork. He turned to Soundwave, ordering in accent-less Cybertronian, "She must rest. Leave; I will check on her later." The skeletal robot climbed onto the waiting hand, his feet making little clicks, and the door hissed shut and the lock clicked behind them. As if I could get out of here anyway, with my size.
Eleanor vented, looking up at the bright blue light above her as she lay on the table. She really was tired, or whatever Cybertronians got to be, and tried turning off her optics. Surprisingly, it worked. She willed herself to relax, thinking that one might be able to enter "recharge" as one would sleep.
Her bed was especially warm that night, as they reclined upon the pillows and watched one of the Harry Potter films. Oddly enough, Megatron's holoform seemed to give off heat like an actual human body would. He was plenty warm and she snuggled deeper into his chest, trying to ignore the pang of guilt gnawing at her heart for such an act.
Megatron let out what sounded like a purr, pulling her back tighter against his muscular body. "What are you doing?" she had asked fearfully, confused by his actions and their meaning.
"Warming you up. Your hands are cold." had been his gruff response. Doubting his words, since her hands were very warm, she tried to wriggle out of his arms. However, his grip was infallible and she slumped in defeat as he hugged her even closer.
"Don't fight me and expect to triumph, pet." he had growled huskily, and she thought she felt his tongue ghost over her ear.
Another memory came about, of when Megatron had found a pair of ice skates in a sports supply store on one of their trips.
He held them up by the laces, letting them dangle from his enormous claws, while raising a metal eyebrow quizzically. "What are these, fleshling?"
She looked up from the corner with the tennis supplies - since Ravage had ruined all of the balls with his sharp teeth - and giggled, smirking at the confused look on his face.
"Those? They're ice skates."
He held a blank stare for several seconds before turning to look at them again, "So they are not weapons?"
She couldn't help but laugh at his cluelessness, clapping her hands together once and throwing her head back, "No, definitely not. Not everything with blades on it is a weapon, you know."
He set them down, growling, "Whatever you say, pathetic flesh creature." He was not accustomed to being mocked, especially by humans smaller than his servo.
Eleanor chuckled, not taking his grumble seriously and teasing, "Whatever you say, robot."
He focused on her again, an evil smile gradually crossing his face. She was unsettled by his creepy stare, not knowing what was going through his head. He took a step towards her, baring his fangs and holding his arms out to his sides while bending menacingly. Unconsciously, she set her foot back a pace and he replied by advancing forward.
Eventually the Emperor had her against a wall, and she submissively lowered her gaze to the side at the ground. His hot ex-vents billowed over her, his mouth inches away from her body. Slowly, he let out a deep rumble that reminded her of a dragon and butted the tip of his nose ridge into her stomach. "Eyes on me, Eleanor."
She followed his order reluctantly, peering into the fiery orbs that hovered right in front of her. He revved his engine, pushing into her slightly rougher and huffing. Prudently she brought her hand up and stroked along the sides of one of his rims. He lent into her hand, and his optics shut off as a loud purr sent vibrations up her arm. When she stopped he prompted her again and Eleanor repeated the action, gliding her fingers lightly over his faceplates. He taunted lowly, "Lesser beings are the playthings of my will, pet. Remember that."
She paused, upset by his insensitive and domineering words. He growled lowly and grazed her belly carefully with his teeth in an explicit threat. Sighing, she returned to her touching and he chuckled at her surrender, nuzzling into her digits.
Her optics shot open and she saw Soundwave hovering over her.
"Did you recharge well, Eleanor?" he inquired as she focused.
"Yes," she replied, trying to sit up but hissing at the pain.
"Stay down. You must still rest for several days." With that he held an Energon cube to her mouth, and she latched her lips over the edge and drank her fill without a fight. The taste isn't so bad, she admitted, once you get used to it.
"How long was I out?" she asked tentatively, wiping at her mouth with a hand.
"At least an Earth day," he said softly, setting aside the cube. He picked up a package and propped her up gently. "Megatron wants you to wear these."
She looked at the small pile of metal coverings he set in front of her, all shining brilliant silver. "I will show you how to put them on."
She selected a random piece, watching it reflect the light and feeling the fine engravings that decorated it. It had tiny latches on the inside, and she assumed it would click onto her new body. He took it from her carefully and laid it over her right breastplate, pushing slightly and letting it attach. She selected the matching cover, and with some fumbling managed to secure it over her left.
When they were finished with the "armor," as Soundwave called it, she was covered in the same way as she had been with the Fantasy Bra; that is, scantily. Only her pelvic regions and her breast areas were hidden by the fancy decoration, while the rest was bare.
Soundwave nodded and left, telling her to return to her rest.
When she laid back down, she brought her left arm up over her optics and groaned at the numbing pain still traversing her body. Something white in her wrist caught her attention, and she raised it again to look closely at it.
It was a small, thick shard of pale bone, wrapped tightly in the wires deep within her arm. It must not have transformed correctly for some reason. She didn't know how Scalpel had missed it during his rather thorough examination, but he had. She closed her other hand over it and felt tears leak from her optics at the painful tribute that hit so close to home.
A solemn reminder that a part of her would always be human, no matter what happened to her.
Hmm. Wonder if anyone got the Beauty and the Beast quote in there...
I have posted a new story for this same timeline, Skyfall, which details Eleanor's perspective on the day of the Invasion.
Review, review!