So this chapter deals with some fucked up themes. Warnings for gore and torture and whatnot.
The Decepticon campsite was something out of a nightmare. It was small getup atop a small parking deck, exposing us to open air while giving us the protection of the surrounding skyscrapers. I counted three other Decepticons who, in an almost creepily polite tone, Megatron introduced as Nitro Zeus, Onslaught, and Mohawk.
I almost half expected a "welcome to the family." remark from Megatron. It didn't happen, and I was glad.
Megatron settled into his makeshift throne — a shitton of damaged car parts plastered together — and regarded me with a sneer. He sat like that for a while, prompting me to say, "What the hell are you going to do with me?"
"I'm deciding how I should kill you. I wish to do it slowly, so to hear you beg," Megatron smirked, looking rather pleased with himself. "I want Prime to be able to feel you suffer."
"He won't feel a thing. I'll make sure of that," I said firmly. "You can hurt me all you want, but you aren't hurting him."
"Perhaps," Megatron analyzed his talons, but I could tell that my remark was making him reconsider my fate. "If you give me what I want, I will keep you alive. After all you are a femme — I consider them delicacies. And as Prime's bonded mate, you are an even more desirable prize."
"I'll die before I become a prize. I'm sorry I'm not giving you very many options, that's just the way it is. At the end of the day my message to you is going to be: go to hell."
"This planet is hell," Megatron snarled, lunging forward with such ferocity that all the Decepticons stopped, watching the exchange with renewed interest. Megatron's eyes narrowed and a smile split his features into two. "I will break you first, fleshling. Then I will claim you."
I had no idea what "claim" even meant, and as the smaller Decepticon named Mohawk gripped my arm, I intended to be dead before I could ever find out.
"String her up," Megatron rose from his throne. With far to much enthusiasm I was dragged by Mohawk across the parking deck, towards a stack of abandoned cars. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Onslaught staring, massive fingers laced together.
Mohawk let me go once my back hit the pile of debris. Almost stupidly, out of sheer confusion and fear, I opened my mouth to speak.
My words transformed into a scream as Mohawk's blade sliced through my right shoulder, just beneath my collarbone. The back of my head slammed against the metal as I was pinned like some sort of human poster. My legs wanted to sag, but any movement sent ripples of pain down my entire body.
Mohawk released the blade, bouncing on his heels as I continued to make strangled shrieking noises, partially out of pain and surprise and partially out of anger. My free hand immediately shot up to grasp the slippery blade, but I soon realized just how deep Mohawk had shoved it. By this point I'd lost feeling in the entirety of my right arm, prompting me to wonder if I'd have to simply dislocate my shoulder in order to get this thing out.
"Hurts, don't it?" Mohawk crowed, leaning forward. Snarling like a dog I spat a globule of phlegm right in his eye. He hollered and began scrubbing furiously at his optics, going on and on about foreign diseases and disgusting fleshlings.
Megatron was watching the exchange with a smile. My screams and my antics were amusing him, and through tears I glared up at him, slamming my mouth shut.
"With our limited resources, we must resort to less…traditional methods of interrogation," Megatron said. Mohawk was righting himself, shaking the last bit of my fluids from his optics before returning to a boxing position, almost as if we were about to fight. "The more time we spend on this wretched planet, the more like you humans we seem to become. Barbaric."
"You were already barbaric, you monster," I snarled. "That's not just a human thing—"
Mohawks fist connected with my nose. The impact snapped my head to the side.
"Enough, Mohawk," Megatron growled.
"Yeah. Enough," I said through a mouthful of blood. Mohawk looked disappointed, but nonetheless obeyed his leader. As he walked away, I went to try and pull at the intrusion once more, but to no avail. Megatron knelt, the sharp point of a single talon lifting dangerously close to my face.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Megatron purred. All I could see were his eyes, filling my vision. And I could feel that talon pressing with just enough force to break skin from my eyebrow down to my jaw, sending blood bubbling to the surface and an immediate stomach-churning stinging sensation as open air hit the wound.
I screamed.
"I made a promise that I would strip the flesh from your bones."
Another gash was etched on the raised ridge of my collarbone, the slice jagged and drawn out and followed with my own screams that were so loud I could barely hear myself think. It hurt. I'd never felt such unadulterated pain, and Megatron's words were only adding to the agony. He was slicing me apart. Taking his sweet time, making sure to go slowly and methodically so I wouldn't bleed and die on the spot. A portion go his face was obscured, turned into a half-sneer as blood dripped into one of my eyes and blinded me.
My legs struggled to hold my weight, but whenever my knees would buckle the blade would dig into my skin, blunt edge catching against my collarbone and keeping me in an agonizing upright position.
"Dearspark!"
"Optimus," I gasped, mouth open. Every part of me was focused on him now, not Megatron or those cruel talons as they dug into the skin of my thigh. "Optimus! Love, I…"
"You're in pain. My love, what's happening?"
"I can't," I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't bear to look at Megatron while Optimus was in my mind. "Optimus, focus on what you need to do. I'm fine. I'm fine, it's nothing."
I was crying now. Tears cascading down my face as I tried to fight through the burning pain and convince Optimus that I was okay. That nothing was wrong. That I was safe.
I'd lie to keep him safe.
"Focus on the mission," I breathed. "I love you. I love you. I can't let them get to you, Optimus. They want you."
"Who wants me—"
I slammed my mind shut, expelling Optimus from my brain so he couldn't feel whatever emotions were running through me. Sorrow. Rage. Heartbreak. It hurt me and I knew it would hurt him.
Megatron pulled his talon away as my head slumped in defeat. My entire body was soaked in sweat, droplets mingling with the blood on my arms and face, causing it to sting.
"Giving up already? I expected more from the mate of a Prime," Megatron dipped his claw beneath my chin, gently tilting my head upward so I was forced to stare into those bright, red eyes. "How weak. All this strength and you couldn't even use it to protect yourself, or your comrades. Shameful."
Megatron pulled away, but I mustered enough strength to keep my head raised. The Decepticon was still kneeling, observing his handiwork with a lopsided grin. My own blood painted his talons, and he didn't seem to mind.
He was right, I knew. I wasn't worthy. I was weak. I would keep myself alive out of sheer spite. If I died, Megatron would win. And I didn't want that to happen.
Megatron relaxed, sitting before me with a rather quizzical look on his terrifying visage. It was almost as if he enjoyed watched the pained look on my face while I was deep in thought.
"Submit to me, and I will alleviate your suffering," Megatron crowed. "If not, we will continue."
My lids fluttered as I struggled to stay conscious. I shifted, and my shoulder jostled, the blade moving with it. I gasped before a jolt of adrenaline allowed me to stand up straight and stare Megatron down.
"I'm rather curious as to how the talisman landed in your possession," Megatron picked at his talons. "Only a Knight can wield its true power. And you are no Knight."
"You think I don't know that? It's just some stupid piece of metal. It's nothing."
"You are nothing. It is everything," Megatron snarled. "I've searched eons for this artifact. I should have known that it ended up on Earth."
"Just like the Allspark. That sun harvester thing…they all keep coming here," I murmured. "Your army is weak. Decimated — why are you staying?"
"My mission will end when Prime's spark has been ripped from his chassis by my hand. I did it once, and I will do it again," Megatron snarled, lurching forward and bracing one hand on either side of me. "Prime will come for you, whether you are dead or alive."
"It's going to take a while," I murmured.
"I have the time, and so do you," Megatron purred, running the tip of his talon between my breasts, though not hard enough to break the skin. He pulled away, getting to his feet and returning to his makeshift throne.
My legs hurt from standing. Fatigue as well as dehydration and hunger had begun to set in. At the rate I was going, I'd die of thirst before Megatron had a chance to finish his torture. Maybe that was better. Dying of natural, human causes instead of Megatron's twisted game.
The entire city was shrouded in darkness, the moon hiding behind thick clouds. The weaker my mind became, the easier things began to slip through the cracks. Most notably, her.
Why are you so obsessed with me?
Quintessa seemed different. Prouder. She appeared before me, floating so to make herself taller, so to intimidate me. It wasn't working. I was used to her now.
"You are still alive."
"Yeah," I snarled. "Is that a bad thing for you?"
The metal woman growled, reaching out with those spindly, cold fingers and holding my head in a vice grip. Her thumbs dug into my temple and pain bloomed throughout my entire body, though I couldn't scream. I could only twitch and shiver, arms flailing as I fell to my knees. Quintessa slipped behind me, fingers still digging into my skin.
The area was different. Damper, even more dead than Chicago. The hulking interior of the structure was Cybertronian, and the place looked long abandoned and long destroyed.
"What is this? What are you showing me?"
"I'm showing you the present," Quintessa murmured in my ear. "Cybertron."
My eyes floated from the ceiling towards the floor. It took me a moment to realize that the massive shake looming a few yards away wasn't part of the structure, but an Autobot. My Autobot.
He was chained, struggling. His voice boomed throughout the structure.
"Release me! Why are you doing this?"
Quintessa's hold on me tightened. I was forced to stare as another chain became entangled around Optimus' throat, tugging and forcing his chin towards the sky. He bellowed, pinned down like a circus animal and at the utter mercy of Quintessa.
"If you hurt him, I'll kill you."
"You can't. I will make him submit," Quintessa's claw-like fingers drew blood. "Just as you will."
She released me. I was snapped back into the world of the living, panting, the front of my shirt soaked in blood and sweat. Where Quintessa's hand had once been were two of Megatron's talons, holding me in place while I dry heaved.
I had no clue if Quintessa's vision had been real, or if was finally beginning to go insane. I could barely tell if this was real — the leader of the Decepticon's keeping firm grip on me while his opposite talon traced patterns along my stomach, occasionally dipping past uncomfortable pokes to long, drawn out cuts that breached my flesh. I'd become immune to my own screams, the noises only reminding me that I was still alive.
Quintessa has Optimus.
It's over. It's all over. There was no master creator, no plan. Just her, fucking with you until it was to late.
Submit.
"Stop," I gasped through tears. "Stop. Please. Please."
"Are you finally giving in?"
"Stop , please. Please. I can't do it. I can't," I tried moving my shoulder, but the movement caused a tearing sensation that I'd never felt before, bolts of pressure traveling from my elbow and then withering away. "Please. I submit I…I submit."
"Excellent," Megatron snarled, baring his sharp teeth before raising a talon and, without so much as a warning, yanked the blade from my shoulder. Cartilage tore and fresh blood seeped from the wound. I took a step forward before toppling, unable hold up my own weight.
I was kneeling at Megatron's feet, close enough to kiss his pede — I didn't. My face was flushed with shame, embarrassment, the tint of color a stark contrast against my clammy skin.
"You win," I said sadly, not looking Megatron in the eye. Bile was bubbling in the back of my throat as I took a look at a long, jagged gash carved into my arm.
"As I always do," Megatron replied. "You have recognized your true master."
"My 'true master' is me. Get it right."
Megatron's snarl of anger was cut short when a high-speed projectile sailed over my head and landed a direct blow to his chassis. His armor took the brunt of the blast but the sheer force sent him flying.
I didn't move. I could hear Cade's shouts as he barked orders. The Decepticons retaliated in full, but they were outnumbered.
The moon reappeared from behind the clouds only to be blocked once more by the hulking structure that was the Knight Ship, floating above the skyscrapers. I glanced up and saw the entrance hatch slide open, allowing a wide shape to begin descending towards the parking deck, swirling and spiraling.
"Autobots!" Megatron bellowed. He was back into a corner but still firing.
I couldn't move. I watched as a massive section of the building crumbled away, sending cars plunging several stories below. Barricade rushed towards me before he, to, was caught up and swallowed by the massive hole. I saw Izzy behind Cade, using him as cover.
"Strafe, grab her!" Cade fired a few rounds at Megatron, advancing forward. An old car sprung from the ground and sailed towards Megatron, knocking him off the edge of the parking deck and several stories to the concrete below. Strafe's shadow passed overhead and I felt the warm embrace of the Dinobot. I was lifted from the ground, head and legs dangling. The battle below became smaller and smaller as I was carried away, drifting through the abandoned ruins of Chicago and towards safety.
The Dinobot descended, very gently discarding me in a patch of grass amongst a cracked, destroyed courtyard before landing, wings sweeping over my head in a protective cover. Several pairs of footsteps thundered against the ground, and soon I found myself regarding a familiar face with a small smile.
"Glad you could join us," I chuckled. Lennox didn't look amused — I didn't even know if he'd heard me. He was checking my injuries while several of his men grabbed medical kits.
"What the hell happened to you?" Lennox breathed. When I began to sit up, he stopped me and tried to push me back down. Even in my delirious state I was strong enough to keep him at bay.
"Wait for Izzy—"
"The girl?"
I peered over my shoulder. Bumblebee and Crosshairs skidded into view, transforming after Cade and Izabella emerged from their alternate modes. Cade reached me first, sliding by my side and nearly butting Lennox out of the way.
"Relax, superdad," I teased. Immediately Izabella gripped my shoulder and began healing my wounds, all while Lennox watched and Cade seemed emotionally strained to the point that I could see a vein pounding away in his forehead. His jaw was taut and he looked torn between hugging me or strangling me.
"Get her some water, Fig," Lennox said to one of his men. I thanked him as he handed me the bottle, looking relieved when I was able to use my limbs to their full capacity and take massive gulps of liquid.
Izzy pulled her hand away, and, with her assistance, I was able to stand. The young girl stayed shoulder to shoulder with me, before wrapping an arm around mine. Her closeness was enough to make me relax a bit.
"We got your bag," Cade held up my tattered knapsack. I took it, taking a peek in — I could see the talisman tucked away into one of the pockets. That was all that really mattered.
I was finally able to address Lennox and his men as Strafe pulled his wing away and, with a few flaps, was off towards the hovering Knight Ship. The us vs them mentality was practically palpable, and Bumblebee was the only bot who looked relatively calm at Lennox's presence.
"What are you doing here?" I said bluntly. The soldier rubbed the back of his neck before sighting and looking between Izzy and I.
"We caught signs of some Decepticon activity in this area. Heavy activity. More than usual."
"So you and the boy scouts came to check it out?" Cade raised an eyebrow. "I know you guys are rogue and all—"
"We're not here to cause any trouble."
"Then why are you here?"
"They're here because of me."
Oh, no.
Not again.
I hadn't even seen the butler bot sitting inside the marked N.E.S.T humvee. He hopped out, and I could see Lennox's expression go from exasperation to, well, something beyond exasperated as Cogman paced towards us. He stopped at the soldiers side, glancing around at our little merry band of humans and Autobots, before nodding.
"This will have to do," Cogman hummed, before meeting my gaze. "And a hello to you, Miss Rachel. I hoped we could have met again under less...dire circumstances.
"You didn't hope hard enough," I said dryly.
"You know this guy?" Cade said, adjusting the makeshift gun slung over his shoulder. "Am I the only one who has no clue whats going on?"
"I just go with the flow at this point," Crosshairs said, shrugging as Drift and Hound sped into view.
This is one hell of a party.
"Sir Burton thought it would be better to try and gather everyone in a single place," Cogman explained. "Easier for transport. Saves, uh, gas that way."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cade said. "Hound, can you just…shoot this guy?"
"My pleasure," Hound replied languidly.
"Hound, if you blast him you have to deal with me," I raised a finger and Hound lowered his gun, making a disappointed sound in the back of his throat. I turned to Cogman and said, "Dude. Seriously — I told you guys that I wasn't going to get involved—"
"You don't have a choice," Lennox interrupted.
"You're on his side?" I rolled my eyes. "Really?"
Cogman and Lennox glanced at each other. Lennox said, "I know whats coming. I know. It's bigger than anything I've ever faced. Bigger than Mission City or Egypt or even Chicago—"
"And you think I can help you beat it?" I snapped. "Without Optimus, nonetheless?"
"If you don't try, you can't say shit."
"I tried saving your boy Epps," I snarled. Lennox's nostrils flared and he took a step forward, very nearly standing chest to chest with me. He was close enough that I could see the flecks of brown in his blue eyes. Steeling myself as Izzy fearfully crept behind me, I said, "I tried. And I couldn't save him or Monique or his two little boys."
Lennox's face softened when he realized what I was implying. The blood from Megatron's marks still painted my face. I looked the same as I had when we'd first met.
Broken.
"Try again," Lennox said. "I know Robert would."
I gnawed on my lower lip as Lennox stepped away, hands on his hips. I saw Cade give me a little nod, though he didn't look enthusiastic. Suddenly, I felt a little push against the back of my thigh. When I turned I saw Izzy fall against Sqweeks, embracing the little bot in a hug.
Then, it struck me.
"Where's Canopy?" I said. Izzy lifted her head and I noticed they were red-rimmed from crying. It didn't take me long to know what had happened.
"He died protecting me," Izzy said through clenched teeth. "Megatron killed him."
And you submitted to Megatron.
Coward.
Weak.
I knelt and embraced Izzy. She cried against my bloody shirt and I stroked her hair, suspended in a state of limbo before Cogman's voice pulled me back into reality.
"We must get going. Now."
"How many of us? Is this the team?" I kept my hold on Izzy, chuckling. "Some hell of a group."
"There is one more member that you will meet in England," Cogman said happily. "Besides my master, of course. I believe you know them as W."
