Halfbreed:
Hey everyone! So we are approaching the end of Halfbreed and I would love to get any feedback at all on how you think it's going. I have several choices to make within the last two chapters that I have planned and would like you guys involved somehow. Also I would like to announce (if you did see in my announcement) that I posted a trailer for this fanfiction if you'd like to check it out. Just search my pen name and it should be there ;) Either way I hope you enjoy and please review :) - Rin
Chapter 24: Call to Battle
Novo smirked to himself as he observed the lengthy stream of prisoners being led in front of him. Most of them were human males with a few females and only three younglings scattered among them. The humans were being roughly shoved and thrown into cages by mindless Decepticons in preparation to be sent to the Decepticon prison. The worm inhabiting Megatron's body continued to watch the humans, carefully examining their expressions with a slight curiosity. Novo was not as single-minded as his host had been and took an interest in gathering data of all sorts. Even if it was from the repulsive fleshlings that had once made up the Haven.
The worm saw how each human had a slightly different expression, though they all displayed some level of sorrow or hopelessness. One male had a blank expression as if his mind was no longer connected to what he was doing. Two of the children were silently crying to themselves while the third (and the eldest looking) tugged weakly at his chains. Several of females were weeping as well, though not as silently as the children. Eerie wails rising and falling as they passed in front of Megatron.
Finally the end of the procession arrived, bringing with it three Autobots and two last humans. As the mechs approached the large silver mech raised a servo to signal them to be halted.
"The Master requires these four to be brought to him." Megatron's gravelly voice growled as he turned to Starscream who was guarding the rear of the procession.
A series of angry beeps and whirs brought Novo's attention to the black and yellow Autobots that was chained to the two silver mechs behind him. His icy blue optics burned intensely into the ruby-red ones of Megatron.
Novo knew from Megatron's memories that this one's name was Bumblebee, the Autobot scout whom had his voice box damaged in battle. Within seconds the silver mech reached forward and roughly grabbed the smaller Autobot by the throat and brought him up to his face.
"You are a spirited one...that with soon change for you." he growled, darkly but calmly into the Autobot's face plate.
"Take your claws off him you fragger!" the small, silver Autobot called Sideswiped growled.
He tried to step forward but was forcefully kept back by Starscream.
"Do not think light of your situation, Autobot!" Novo growled, pushing Bumblebee back into line.
"There is no version of this where you continue to function. At least not without the Master's consent." the worm growled.
"And since when does the mighty Megatron take orders?! And from what!?" the last silver mech, Wheeljack, rumbled.
There was a moment of silence in which Novo vented heavily, "You will find out soon enough."
He quickly glanced down at the glaring faces of a young blonde female and a dark-skinned male before sneering.
"Prepare them."
The sound of a rumbling engine was what woke me up from an utterly sound sleep. At first I didn't want to move as my back legs, arms, and chest ached horribly. Even my eye lids seemed to hurt as I slowly opened and squinted at the bright light streaming through the windshield of the truck I was currently sitting in. It was then that the memories from the night before rushed into my head and for several moments I felt like just closing my eyes and going back into the sweet oblivion of sleep.
"Kia?" the deep voice of Optimus knocked the idea out of my head and I slowly sat up, feeling joints pop and creak as I did so.
"Yeah..I'm up." I said softly, rubbing the last dregs of weariness out of my eyes.
A moment of silence passed in which I simply sighed and struggled to keep the memories...and tears back. I still felt angry, sad, hopeless, vengeful, and confused all at the same time without knowing which emotion to act on. Without really knowing what I was going to do I pushed open the passenger side door and slowly slid out of the semi's cabin. As soon as my feet touched the ground I nearly felt my legs give way under my weight.
Every muscle, tendon, and bone in my body throbbed with pain.
"Damn..." I growled, trying to make the dizziness go away.
Behind me I heard the loud whir, clicks, and hydraulic hisses that signaled that Optimus was transforming.
"Easy there, you're injured." he rumbled softly.
"I know..." I tried not to growl, but my fuse was especially short with what had happened.
Slowly I stood up, wincing as I rolled my shoulders before taking a step forwards. My knees shook slightly but I was able to walk over to a hunk of concrete that I promptly sat down on with a huff. I put my elbows on my knees and then looked up to see Optimus staring straight at me.
"What?" I asked, my optics flaring blue.
The mech vented heavily and straightened to him full height, "Are you well enough to go back?"
I blinked in surprise, "Why would we go back?"
"We need to see if anyone else escaped the attack. If there is any chance that the other Haven members survived then we should go and look for them." Optimus said.
I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath, considering if it was even worth going back.
'If there's any chance that someone is still alive...' I thought and slowly nodded.
"I'll go."
Optimus nodded as well and knelt to offer me a servo. I stepped up carefully and the Prime lifted me up and deposited me onto his right shoulder. I sat down stiffly and gripped a pipe that came out next to my left leg. From there Optimus started forward, slowly checking outside of the building before stepping fully into the street. I blinked blearily at the watery sunlight streamed through the thin layer of clouds overhead, shading my eyes with an upraised hand.
For quite a while we walked in silence, myself just looking around at the ruined surroundings while Optimus seemed to be deep in thought. I looked carefully over the shattered concrete and glass buildings, the brick powder that used to be houses scattered everywhere. This was where some of the most powerful people in the world had once stood. Now it seemed the only power was Megatron and his army.
"Do you think that any of the others are still...there?" I asked, not wanting to imply that I thought anyone dead.
Optimus vented heavily, "I do not know. I saw Robert and Annabelle run in the opposite direction directly after the first blast, but as to where they or Sam went I cannot say. As for Ratchet, we can only hope that he was able to find either Wheeljack or Sideswipe." he said quietly, his optics narrowing.
I nodded numbly and ducked as Optimus walked under the collapsed section of a building. Despite my determination to find anyone who had survived last night I was also dreading going back to where Cain was. I still didn't know what to think about the whole situation. I had only known the mech for a short while but he had become my friend in record time...as had everyone else.
My mind continued to dwell on these thoughts until Optimus came to a halt and for several minutes we stood in the icy silence.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, my eyes darting around the skeletons of old buildings.
"We are being watched." Optimus rumbled, his voice taking on a dark tone.
Slowly, his picked me up off his shoulder and put me down behind a section of brick wall before transforming his right arm into a blaster. I looked over the dead landscape, the cross hairs in my vision focusing on anything that seemed out of place. I kept my ears pricked for anything that would indicate what or who was following. It was then that I heard a slight crack of concrete crumbling behind us.
In an instant Optimus whipped around with a hydraulic hiss and the whir of his energon canon.
"Wait! It's me!" a shadow in the darkness between two buildings hissed.
I gasped as the hulking shape of Ratchet emerged from the shadows, though at first I could barely recognize him. His entire right side was charred and blackened with soot and singe marks, dings and dents covering him so that his armor almost seemed to hang off of him. He held up his servos and I saw that on his right one he was missing two digits, the other servos looked like it had been crushed.
"Ratchet. What happened?" Optimus lowered his weapon and approached, me trotting just behind him.
The CMO vented and glanced warily up at the sky.
"First we should find cover. Half of these dings were from being followed after the explosion." he simply said and turned to walk back into the shadows.
I glanced up at Prime before following the medic into the shadows. At first I had to pause as my eyes adjusted to the gloom but I was soon following Ratchet through a series of broken walls and buildings that had collapsed in on themselves. This continued for several minutes until the mech led Optimus and I to an old department store that was totally covered in a mess of twisted metal and hunks of stone. The store itself was just empty rows of demented shelves, and broken appliances that had been pushed to the far side in a gigantic pile, being stripped of anything useful.
Behind me Optimus had to stoop almost to fit within the walls but was able to just fit. It was then that I turned back to see that Ratchet was not alone.
"Lennox!" I gasped and ran the last few feet between myself and the man, coming to a halt next to the kneeling Ratchet.
Annabelle's father gave a slight smile before grimacing and I at first I didn't understand what I was looking at when I looked down to see why. I saw that he was sitting against an old ratty half of a mattress with his right leg folded under him while...what was left of his right leg was stretched out in front of him. With shaking hands I saw him clutch at the stump that used to be his right lower leg.
The knee joint was messily wrapped in scraps of cloth and some bandages, all of which were heavily blood stained. Fresh blood seeped through with every movement that Lennox made.
"Oh no..." I whispered and knelt down next to the man.
"Don't...don't worry. I'm o..okay..." he stuttered, obviously either in shock or well on his way to going into it.
"You're joking right? This is probably the furthest thing from being okay." I said back, ripping my gaze away from the injury.
"How did this happen?" Optimus asked, kneeling further back behind us in the cramped space.
Ratchet vented and turned to look at the Prime.
"It was when that final explosion went off, thanks to Starscream. I wasn't able to find anyone else besides Will. They were taken by the Decepticons." the medic explained, his optics not meeting anyone's gaze.
"Everyone!?" I asked, looking from Lennox to Ratchet and then back.
The man nodded solemnly, closing his eyes.
"I saw them carry off every single human and bot. Wheeljack, Bee, Sideswipe, Epps, and..." he fell silent, his fists clenched in anger.
"Annabelle."
I sat back, the situation settling in my stomach and making my throat tighten. It felt like I was going to throw up.
There was silence, no one knowing what to say...not that there really was anything to say.
"We have to bind that leg better..." I muttered and shakily stood up, looking around for some sort of back storage or bathroom where there might be anything that could help.
Lennox nodded once more, shifting his position against the ragged mattress.
Walking slowly I searched behind the front counter of the store, looking for a medical kit or something resembling bandages. No such luck. I continued to look; opening cabinets, checking the still intact shelves, and searching everywhere until I finally came to a small door that was in the back of the store. The handle was missing and the door was either locked or jammed. I took a step back and kicked the door with a booted foot.
There was a slight crack and the door curved inwards, with one more kick and a hard shove I was able to push the slightly rotted door open to reveal a dark bathroom.
"Lovely..." I muttered before pushing the door to it's limit to let as much light as possible in.
There was a slightly dangerous looking toilet tucked into the corner that I gave a wide berth while a sink and cracked mirror sat across from the door. I walked up and inspected the cabinet under the sink and found a roll of toilet paper that was untouched. I stood up, feeling several of my joints pop and muscles twinge. I just so happened to glanced in the mirror and gave a slightly yell and jumped back, hardly recognizing the face that stared back.
For a few moments I stared into the cracked glass and made sure it was truly myself that I was seeing. I waved my hand in front of it rapidly and the reflection mimicked me perfectly.
"Damn..." I hissed and slowly walked forward.
Before everything that had happened within the past few weeks I had a pretty good idea what I looked like. It was an ordinary sight to see the metal part of my face and the glowing blue optic...but now things had changed. And just because of the broken glass.
First of all, my hair had been singed off at my jaw line in the back with a few scraggily bits while the front was increasingly longer. It was messy and looked like a rat had been living in it for a month or so. Next, I noticed that the metal side of my face had...grown. Instead of being a cleanly defined line just left of my nose silvery-blue veins spread across the bridge of my nose, forehead, and cheek. Turning to right I looked at the left side of my neck and noticed that the veins thickened, and where I had been burned now had a slightly metallic look. Like I had had a thin layer of metal under my skin that was now showing due to the fact that the skin had been burned off.
"This is what the nanites did..." I murmured, not sure if I was intrigued or scared of the fact that I was slowly changing.
I poked where I had been burned and saw that it not longer hurt but still felt tender.
After another moment of turning this way and that I ran a hand through my rat's nest of hair. It snagged and pulled but I was able to get most of the big knots out.
"OPTIMUS PRIME!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the rumbling voice of Megatron that rumbled through the store. Bolting out of the bathroom I saw Optimus and Ratchet poised with weapons ready but no sign of the Decepticon leader.
"You and your medic are the only remaining Autobots. We have your comrades and your precious Haven."
It was then that I noticed the metallic ring that came after every word the mech spoke and I realized that his voice was being projected.
"If you and your medic still have some fight in you then come and claim your friends. If not you can come and watch their execution! Bring that abomination of a girl with you to. You have two hours."
And with that the voice vanished.
There was a moment in which Lennox gave an angry growl and attempted to stand but was quickly subdued by Ratchet.
"Will, you cannot get up! You'll loose too much blood and energy." the medic rumbled, keeping the man down with a single index digit.
I rushed over, "It's alright! We'll figure this out Lennox." I said, glancing up at Optimus who continued to stare with narrowed optics at the ceiling, as if expecting Megatron to burst through.
"They have my daughter! I'm not going to sit around on my ass and do nothing!" he growled, resisting the Autobot as much as he could before sitting back with a pained grunt.
"Can you just wait to swear vengeance until after I wrap your leg!?" I said back, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright."
I then began to fold a thick pad of the toilet paper and held it firmly against the open wound of the the leg. Lennox swore obscenities under his breath while he gripped the sides of his pants in pain. Slowly I rolled up the ripped leg of the pant and began wrapping layer after layer of the paper until it was thick enough around the wound. I tied it off tightly enough and sat back with a huff.
"There...we really need to get that fixed up better though. Once this is all over." I said.
"Optimus do you have any idea...Optimus!?" I had gone to look up at the Prime and I noticed that both he and Ratchet were gone.
"Hang on one second." I said to the now resting Lennox and ran out of our hiding spot.
I blinked rapidly as I ran out into the watery sunlight that streamed from the accumulating clouds. Looking around I heard the slight crunch of gravel under a heavy pede and ran to the left.
"Optimus!" I heard Ratchet call out, trying to keep him voice low.
I ducked under a bent beam and ran around a chunk of concrete, stopping as I saw Ratchet and Optimus with their backs towards me.
"You don't honestly think that you are going to go and take on the entire Decepticon army by yourself." the medic hissed, putting a servo on the Prime's massive shoulder.
"It is the only way. I will not put you, Kia, or Lennox in any more danger." Optimus rumbled back, sounding the angriest I had ever heard.
"I've known you longer than anyone and you know as well as me that this is foolishness. And idiocy is not in your spark Optimus."
"Is it foolishness to want to save one's comrads Ratchet? I will not put any of you in danger by doing this!" he said back.
I had heard enough and stepped forward, the Prime's optics locked onto me and their flair died slightly.
"And is that your decision? Didn't hear you ask anyone?" I asked quietly, rubbing my shoulder.
Ratchet turned at my words and his face softened, "Kia. Did you hear all that?"
I nodded slowly, and took a deep breath. The next words solely fueled by the images of Tron, Cain, and the others that were captured appearing in my mind.
"Optimus, Megatron asked for me to and even if you were to be the only one to go the Cons would end up finding us sooner or later. This needs to be our final fight, once and for all."