Chapter 26

Panic gripped Gears' heart in an iron fist, squeezing.

Alex screamed, molding himself to her body in his fear. His green eyes were wide, and he reached out to Demona's toe when she spread herself over them like a living shield.

Gears' eyes flew from place to place as the walls of Hoover Dam continued to tremble and groan. Ratchet and the other yellow autobot were long gone.

"Demona! What's happening?" Alec yelled from above them, still cupped in the robot's hand and pressed to her chest. The other hand hovered above Gears and Alex, ready to pluck them up if they needed to move.

Demona's answer came, her voice still calm despite what was happening around them, "Decepticons are attacking. Megatron is breaking into Hoover Dam for the all spark."

"What do we do?" Gears shouted, wrapping her boy tight in her arms and raising her eyes to their protector, "Demona! Where do we go?"

She looked, casting her eyes around the halls as a couple of soldiers rushed past, snarling curses. Then, once her eyes fell back on the open door way that led to the med bay, Demona's free hand swept down towards them and lifted them as gently as possible from the ground.

Gears settled in the center of her palm, whispering to her baby when she felt his warm tears soak through her shirt. He cried, "Momma! I'm scared!"

Demona ran back in, adjusting to her new legs well. She punched a hole into the base of the berth in the very back of the room with her elbow, then shifted Alec into the hand that held Gears and Alex. Gears watched as Demona mashed and bent the sharp edges down and created something of a burrow in in the solid steel. All the while, Demona was telling them, "I must help the others. You will stay here, hidden. Do not move from this place until I come get you."

"But, Demona! You'll get hurt again!" Alex nearly screamed, "What if you don't come back?"

Demona finished smoothing out the edges. She pressed her knuckles into the bottom of the hole to make it deeper so they wouldn't tumble out or easily be seen. She deposited them inside carefully, and paused to give them the gentlest look Gears had ever seen, "Alex, I will always come back to you. No force could keep me from returning."

Gears' heart warmed despite all of the danger. She grabbed Alec's sleeve with one hand and supported Alex with the other when Demona finally lowered them towards it. Gears pulled both her boys and they all settled inside.

Before Demona could pull her hand back, Gears reached out and wrapped her hands tight around the plating of one finger, drawing her attention immediately.

Gears stared into Demona's beautiful red eyes, and whispered, "Demona, you have a place with us, a home and a family! You remember that! You will come back to take that place!"

Demona's finger lifted from her hands and gently passed over her head. Gears watched, pain already unfolding inside her, as she rose to her feet and almost glided out of the room on those powerful legs over hers, claw blades sliding out with a musical cling of metals and battle mask flipping into place.

Gears watched her go, and couldn't help but call out after her, even though she knew the girl was too far away to hear.

So Gears dropped to the floor of the refuge Demona had dug out for the three of them, distantly realizing just how smooth and deep the little bowl was. She had really made an effort to make sure they would be safe inside it.

Alex put himself in her arms and Alec took the both of them in his, burying his face into her hair like he used to as a child. Gears stared up, tears filling her eyes as she recalled Demona's promise to Alex.

She said she'll come back. She's going to comeback.

...Then why did it feel like she had just said good bye?

Demona's defense routines kicked in, powerful legs carrying her away from the med bay where the human family hid. She prayed and hoped to Primus that her efforts was enough to keep them safe throughout this chaos.

Demona rushed down the halls, processor already locked on the general location of the main battle. Her claw blades spun rapidly in anticipation, her thoughts turning darkly amused as she realized she was about to defend the enemy, and fight against her own mech creator.

He's a threat, something argued inside of her, he'll crush that organic family the second he finds them. You KNOW this.

...I do.

With a dark snarl, she charged into a large room where she knew they had once kept the All spark. Her spark hummed angrily when her gaze fell upon a certain seeker as he dropped down through a widening hole in the ceiling. He swung an arm down and slammed his claws into the legs of an unsuspecting Ratchet, who fell and nearly found himself beheaded.

The old slagger was fast though, and quickly rolled away.

Demona growled, clenching her blades. She took a step forward and nearly found herself crushed beneath the struggle of another autobot and decepticon.

"Demona!" a familiar voice said coldly from nearby. Automatically, her optics fell upon the cold stare of her mech creator. He sent her a slow, savage grin, as he took hold of Jazz, "seek out that rage and destroy these pathetic heaps of scrap!"

More rage coursed through her as Jazz's systems let out a strained whine, but before she could interfere, Prime was there. He slammed into Megatron, knocking his hold on the saboteur loose. Jazz rolled away from their huge feet and jumped back up, casting her a worried glance before he charged after another.

Demona left Megatron alone to Prime. She turned to the jet instead, only to find him gone.

"No!" Ratchet gave a strangled shout. Demona spun to face him, already rushing towards his felled body.

He raised a hand after the quickly retreating form of Blackout, who grinned madly and leaped up into the sunlight filtering through the hole in the roof, transforming into his hulking chopper form and taking off.

"Optimus! The All Spark!" Ironhide shouted. The larger bot shoved Megatron down and turned, arm transforming into a blaster of some kind as he took quick aim. He fired, but missed the shot, and cursed under his breath as her mech creator retaliated with a cruel laugh.

Demona came to Ratchet's side, dropping to sit him up. He grabbed her wrist first, met her gaze, and said, "If they get away with the all-spark, the human race is finished! Demona, stop him!"

She pressed a hand to his shoulder then stood and rushed towards the opening, leaping up into the air to pursue. She was beginning to transform when a rough set of claws clutched at her from behind. She tensed as the seeker reached an arm around her to grip her chest armor. He growled, "you will fly with me, femme."

Demona reached up with her blades and sunk them into the soft cables and wiring beneath the armor on his arm, and tore it down. He snarled viciously and dropped her immediately.

A second hand snagged her from the air, a much larger one.

Demona raised her optics, even though she already knew who had caught her.

A part of her realized that before the battle in Mission City, her spark would have soared with the knowledge that he cared enough to save her. But now, she felt nothing. And if the way how he painfully clenched her shoulder was any indication, he knew it.

DX damn I'm tired...

Anyway...Demona meets Starscream once again! Wonder what he's got in store for him now that he's stuck with her?

Much love to my readers!

Demona, Gears and her family, and the story belongs to me. Transformers does not.