Hello my friends! Long time no post, I know. It'll be like that, though, so don't get discouraged! As always:
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, I own Cat and all of the subsidiaries that come with her!
Ford_B: I definitely will keep up on it, I promise! Thank you for your long time support for my story!
And so... IT BEGINS!
FACE TO FACE
It had been just a little over a week since the incident in Boulder City. Evan and Josh had spent the week in, what seemed like, confinement at the Dam. The medical beds they had slept on were less than satisfying for a good nights' rest, as well as the fact that there was hardly anything for them to do. Evan finally settled on keeping himself busy with minor tasks that the medical crew needed help with; stocking the supply shelves, making coffee when it had run low, sweeping the floors; basically anything he could do to stay busy. They were, of course, permitted to leave the lab, the only thing really to do, though, was watch television and play a few of the games provided in the rec room. Josh was entirely entertained by everything provided, however Evan sat differently at their new home.
"You... stay away from me!" It had plagued his mind all week. Barely sleeping, hardly every occupying his mind with anything else. She had left quite a mark on him since his arrival...
Evan had just barely woken from, yet another, cramped nights' sleep. His back pinched with pain from the terrible mattress provided. He moved a little and twisted one leg over the other to crack his back as well as stretch out the aches from a sleepless night. He stared up at the ceiling with his eyes barely open, his mind on the one thing that it had been on for a while now..
"Evan," Ratchet said surprisingly.
Ratchet, as he had gotten to know, was a very particular bot. He had grown to like Evan for his helpfulness and even Evan was glad to have the CMO around. Ratchet was rather good to him, taking care of his and Josh's every need. He even went to the length of making sure the cooks made special meals for him and Josh when they weren't in the mood for anything the kitchen had to offer.
"Yeah?" Evan's voice cracked with morning phlegm as he slowly sat himself up.
"You're awake rather early," Ratchet replied.
Evan gave a curt laugh, "These mattresses aren't really made for long-term usage are they?"
"No... I'm afraid they're not. I apologize if they are causing you any trouble but for now-" He began to apologize.
"Yeah I know... They're all you have..." Evan was already aware. Ratchet had apologized to him just about every day for the low-cost equipment they had on hand for them.
"It's fine," Evan waved off Ratchet's apology, "You said we should be getting a place of our own soon, right?"
"Well..." Ratchet fidgeted a little, "It would be nice, however the only place suitable is still... under construction," It wasn't really a lie, Evan could tell, but it did make him a little nervous as to what it was they had planned for the two. The Autobots had been very good to Evan and Josh, but how far did pleasantries go? It made him a little leery about what their intentions were for the long term, but what could he do now? He was under their hold, no matter if he felt disparaged about it or not.
"In the meantime," Ratchet changed the subject quickly, Evan could recognize it whatever species he was speaking to, "If you'd like to help us, we've received a shipment of supplies."
For once, all week, Evan felt as though he'd prefer the boredom of doing absolutely nothing, than the boredom of helping the medical crew, "I think I'll just walk around the Dam today. Is that all right?"
"Of course!" Ratchet said emphatically, "I would actually prefer seeing you out of the medical bay and exploring the Dam. You've managed to keep yourself tightly sealed in the lab this past week."
Evan cracked a small smile, "Guess I better see if the lounge is serving breakfast," he hopped out of bed and stretched, Ratchet watching as he did so, "See ya," Evan gave a short wave before trekking out of the lab.
"So why do you prefer him leaving verses helping in the lab? You're always complaining about needing the extra help?" Doctor Peterson smirked as he leaned on a nearby workstation.
Ratchet turned to his co-worker and said simply, "She's going to have to run into him sometime... Whether she likes it or not, he's here to stay..."
"That's what I thought," Peterson laughed.
Cat had managed to keep herself locked in her apartment almost all week. She had requested to Optimus to have her duties temporarily removed. He had been a little reluctant, but accepted her request. She was fairly surprised, to say the least, but was grateful for it anyway. Sam and Mikaela had been trying to talk some sense into her all week, back and forth on the phone. Sam was trying to make her interact with the two boys, telling her that she would have to at some point, Mikaela seemed to believe that Cat was well suited for this Evan boy, calling it 'fate' that they had met again after so long... Cat called it annoying...
Rotten stretched while laying next to Cat in bed, yawning one of this loud, obnoxious yawns. She was already awake, but Rotten's yawn would have definitely gotten her up anyway. Cat rolled over to her friend, who was sleeping on his back, his legs up in the air.
*swish swish swish*
Rotten's tail wagged as he received a belly rub from his loving owner. Cat sighed as she gave her friend a good scratching.
"I've managed to coop myself up all week, Rotten.. I can't imagine why Optimus or one of the guys haven't stopped by to see what I've been up to.. Not that I'm complaining," she frowned, "But I think it's time I got out for a bit... What do you think?"
Rotten woofed a small woof and continued to wag his tail thoughtfully as though to say 'Don't forget me!'
Cat smiled, "You too, huh? I guess I've kept both of us from seeing the light of day for a while..."
Cat lept out of bed, bending to stretch her back and legs and upward with her hands towards to ceiling to stretch her arm. After a quick shower and a change of fresh clothes, Cat decided to see what was cooking in the lounge. She grabbed the leash from a hook next to the front door (she usually let Rotten heel by her side instead of using the leash, but just in case one of the technicians saw her she'd have the leash on hand) and whistled for Rotten.
"Come on, boy!" Cat called for her companion.
Rotten flew out of the bedroom in the flash! He knew what was coming.. Walkies! Cat's eyes nearly bugged when she saw the creature zoom from the hallway. She quickly opened the human-sized door as the dog flew past her and out into the hallways of the Dam. He then, stopped, and bounced happily, woofing and playfully dodging Cat as if to tell her 'I'm ready!' .
"All right, all right, calm down! I know it's been a few days but geez!" Cat pointed to her side, Rotten quickly obeying the order given and heeled within an inch of Cat's legs.
Evan was nearly to the lounge before he heard, "DAMNIT!" screeching from the large room.
He stopped and looked around the corner of the lounge from the hallway.. What was that about? Was there an enemy? Was someone being attacked?
"Evan!" Josh yelled from the top of the over-sized couch, "Good to see ya here finally!"
Evan jumped at the sound of Josh's voice but calmed himself quickly when he saw his friend waving, the mechs around his friend laughing and playing along.
"What's going on?" Evan asked cautiously.
"Just playing Code of Honor! I keep getting shot..." Josh turned back to the game as he watched his character re-spawn at the beginning, once again.
"He's been tryin' all week to beat this level!" The mech called 'Jazz' laughed.
"I STILL say you guys are doing something to the game!" Josh waved a finger, accusingly, at Jazz.
"And I still say you just weren't cut out for war!" Sunny added playfully.
Evans stomach started to growl.. He could smell the delicious scent of scones, biscuits, hash and bacon. His mouth watered from the scent of the food and turned left into the lounge instead of watching his friend play games with the Autobots. The cafeteria was nearly empty, but the food was still out, in plenty, in their warming dishes. Coffee pot was full, and the Milk and Orange juice machines had not yet been covered. Evan scooped up a plate and slathered it with sausage and scrambled eggs, setting his plate down only to grab a mug of coffee and a juice glass.
He devoured that meal to its' entirety.
Every last crumb of toast and grease of the eggs were gobbled up. He ate as though he had when he'd first arrived a few days ago. Maybe that was because of the fact that he had eaten like a mouse the last day or so. He didn't care now. All importance was that he felt full now. It was nice to feel full, even if his mind was still on -
"Cat?" Sides asked quizzically.
Evan's head jerked around in a flash as he craned his neck to see around the corner of the cafeteria from where he was sitting.
"Where ya been, girl?" Jazz asked. Evan could hear shuffling of feet, mainly large mech feet.
"No where special," her voice... it was definitely her!
Evan scoot around the corner, carefully, glancing in the direction of the lounge.
"Hey, who's the mutt?" Josh joked as he walked towards Cat and her companion.
"He's my vicious, man-eating, rabid -" Josh bent down and was immediately greeted by slobbering licks to the face, "... traitor of a dog, Rotten..."
"Seems nice to me!" Josh laughed as he stood to get away from the dog kisses.
Evan watched a little as the Autobots interacted with Cat. She seemed so calm and trusting of them.. Why? She certainly doesn't trust him! And what'd he do to her anyway?
"Optimus said you'd requested off temporarily," Jazz stated mater-of-factly, "Figured you'd shut yourself up for o'while."
"Yeah," Cat scratched her head, "I needed some time off... My place was a mess, construction just finished, I just... Didn't feel like doing much of anything."
"A little Code of Honor, then?" Sunny hung one of the controllers in front of Cat, trying to entice their friend to play along with them.
"Nah," cat swatted away the controller, "I'll just watch for a while, if you don't mind.."
"Sure!" Josh grabbed the controller away from Sunny, the mech giving a slight huff, "I'll show ya how it's done!"
Cat rolled her eyes as she and Rotten sat on the ground near the couch, giving him optimal view of the fifty-five foot tall television. Evan continued to watch from afar before sitting back down at his place in the cafeteria. He stared down at his empty plates, where he had absolutely ravaged the meal, and thought quietly to himself.
"You died," Cat stated matter-of-factly.
"Just that one time!" Josh complained, "I'll get it!"
Rotten had laid down to Cat's side when something caught his nose. His head perked up as he smelled the air around him. Cat moved her eyes towards the dog for just a second before going back to watch the game at hand. Rotten, however, decided to investigate. He heaved his large body up from laying down and trotted off towards the cafeteria.
"You gonna get him?" Jazz asked.
"He knows to stay out of the kitchen. Just as long as he smells around he's fine.." Cat replied, waving it off as simple animal curiosity.
Evan was still thinking to himself. Wondering why he seemed to be targeted by Cat. If anything, she should like him better than Josh! At least she's known him longer than -
Something cold touched Evans' legs as he stood up in a flash and backed away from the table, "Whoa!"
The happy panting face of Rotten walked out from under the table as he stared back at the human.
"Scared me..." Evan put a hand to his chest as he calmed himself. Scared by a dog? NOW he was sure he needed to relax a little.
"Rotten!" Evan jumped.. Was it-
Cat stood at the entrance to the cafeteria, her brow narrowed down to a simple glare as she snapped her fingers at the overgrown pup, "Get over here! You know better!"
Rotten's nose pointed to the ground in the 'I'm sorry' stance as he quickly headed back to Cat, looking up at her apologetically. Evan couldn't help but stare at the girl.. Her hair was streaming down over her shoulders and just about more than halfway down her back. It was sleek and shiny, but still a little wet as though she had just hopped out of the shower. Her body had a perfect stance as she stood with her hands on her hips. The bangs on her face covered her milky white face as she stared down at Rotten with the glare. Cat turned her glare from the animal to Evan. Her blue eye was the color of the sky, while her yellow cat-eye stared him down with a clear amount of anger.
"Uh... Hi?" Evan said... or rather asked..
Prowl had finished making his rounds for the morning and decided to stop by and visit the two new additions to the Dam in the medical lab. It was getting close to lunch time, so Prowl assumed that he was catching them just before they made their way to the cafeteria. He marched through the medical bay doors and stopped just inside the bay. Looking around, Prowl could neither see them, nor read their energy signatures (which of course he well stored in his memory banks).
"What can I do for you, Prowl?" Doctor Peterson asked as he walked by, marking his notes on his charts.
"I have come to check on our two newest humans, Evan and Josh," Prowl stated, his visor barely looking down to the small human as he spoke.
"They've both been out all day," Peterson responded.
"Is that so? I would have thought that I could, at least, catch Evan. Doesn't he usually stay around the lab?" Prowl asked.
"Usually," Peterson put his charts down, "But I think he may have gotten a little cabin fever by staying for so long. I believe he went to find Josh."
"Cabin.. Fever?" Prowl raised an eye-ridge.
"It's not an actual disease," Peterson snorted with a bit of laughter, "It's used to describe a human who has been in the same place for too long and needs a refresher. Boredom, you know?"
"Ah," Prowl realized, "I can definitely understand that."
"You can?" Peterson asked, "Normally you're the type of mech who likes to get stuck in a daily routine."
"Routine is one thing. Having a day where there are no unfortunate deaths due to needless battle and ensuring that, daily, there are no misses to the signs of such things. However, even I need to get away from the Dam from time to time," Prowl turned and left the medical bay almost as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Peterson to think about his words.
Cat was staring straight at the person who she absolutely did not plan, nor want to see...
"Um... Hi?" the boy said nervously. Cat could tell that his body was stressing at the sight of her; her left eye telling her of his increasing stress levels, increase in perspiration. It was all a sign that he either feared, or highly embellished her presence.
"... I suppose our encountering was going to be imminent..." Cat's words were as cold as ice.
Jazz and the twins were listening from the couch, having tuned out Josh's sputterings as he continued to lose in the game. They were highly cautious of Cat interacting with Evan due to her feelings towards the entire situation of him being around. They were totally silent, ready to pounce if they were needed to referee the two.
"Uh.. Yeah..." Evan clearly felt the anguish that exuded from Cat's body, "Listen, I-"
"Come with me..." Cat ordered as she turned and walked towards the entrance of the lounge. She stopped as she'd realized Evan had not moved an inch towards following her, "Are you coming?"
Evan's mind popped into gear as he suddenly found his legs hurrying to catch up with her.
Jazz wasn't sure that the two of them being out of sight was a smart idea and asked, "Do you want us to-"
"No," Cat settled quickly as she continued to trek out of the lounge, Evan scrambling to catch up with her.
It was high noon, and the western desert was dry as ever. The ground cracking at, what seemed to have been, weeks of hot, dry weather. The red, rocky terrain made it nearly impossible for a human to walk without water rations or at least a suitable hat to keep one's head cool and shaded. The dusty winds picked up slightly as Cat led poor Evan into the rocky ridges of nowhere.
"So, uh.." Evan tried to break the ice with a little amount of small talk, "Are we on the Arizona side, or the Nevada side?"
"What?" Cat barely turned a look back to Evan as she strode around the rocky summit.
"Well," Evan said between deep breaths due to his climbing, "Isn't the Dam - in two states? I was pretty sure - it was parted, down the middle, on - which state it's in."
Cat barely glared at Evan from the side of her eye as she turned back forward to continue through the ridges.
"...Nevada..." She answered.
Evan suddenly decided that he'd had enough of this. Cat had been glaring at him, growling at him, and hardly spoke a word to him and he STILL, willfully, followed her without question into the open desert.
"I've had it!" Evan declared as he stopped mid-step and crossed his arms, "If you aren't going to tell me what this is about, I'll be glad to turn around and go back on my own!"
Cat stopped as well. Poor Rotten, who dutiful followed his master, was panting hard as well. He stopped and sat down on a sturdy piece of land as he watched Cat stand still in her tracks. She turned around slowly and looked around.
"... I suppose this will do..."
"Do?" Evan suddenly became worried, "Do for what?"
Cat walked up to Evan with a certain degree of pride in her walk. She came to him until they were mere inches apart.
"I need to set a few boundaries for you.." Cat demanded.
"Boundaries? We haven't talked or seen each other all week!" Evan declared, "How could the boundaries be any safer than that?"
"You need to understand a few things about me and the Autobots. I'm sure you've questioned how they came to be here, and how we've met," Cat stated.
"I'm more concerned about you," Evan said softly.
"What about me?" Cat asked.
"How long were you... you know... How long were you held here after we first met?" Evan asked solemnly.
Cat stepped back a few paces and sat down on a nearby boulder, "...Fourteen more years of torture in that place..." She had kept her eyes to the ground, "I would have thought your parents had kept you informed about me.."
"No," he stated, "Every time I would ask, even years later, they would deny that I had ever met you, and that it was a dream I'd had as a child."
"They did?" Cat was shocked.
Evan nodded.
"And you knew differently, even though they had explained otherwise?" She asked.
"Well," Evan admitted, "After some time I had thought it was all a dream after all I mean, "he shrugged, "Why would children be kept as little soldiers, hidden from the world? I had every reason to believe that it was really a dream.."
"And what changed that reason?" Cat asked, looking to him from across the ridge.
"Well.." Evan stammered a bit, "Y-you did.."
"Really?" Cat's eyes gave Evan a strange, unbelieving glance.
"Well and one other thing..." Evan slumped his shoulders in defeat.
"What?" Cat asked coldly. She wasn't really interested but now that they were on the subject..
Evan reached up to one shoulder and pulled the layer of fake skin away from his prosthesis, "This was really what had me believing otherwise."
Cat was quick to the punch, "Why won't you tell, at least Ratchet, why and how you've obtained those?"
"Did you try looking in the medical section of the Dam?" Evan asked as he rolled the skin back up his shoulder region, "Because I was HERE when I got these.."
Cat wasn't truly surprised, maybe a little shocked... "I need to ask then..."
"What's that?" Evan wasn't sure what he would be facing.
"Were your parents intending on using you as one of us?" Cat just out-rightly asked.
"No, no," Evan waved the question off, "Nothing like that..."
"Then why do you have those?... And why have you refused to tell us?" Cat seethed a little.
"Because you haven't asked me.." Evan responded, "I already knew that you were briefed on everything that went on here.. Hell, you were what went on here! You and your... wait... didn't you have a sister?" Evan asked.
Cat turned her eyes back to the open desert as she began to answer his question, "I had six brothers and sisters... They were all a part of the government's plan to use humans as tightly wound, highly lethal soldiers... Two of them I had never met... three I had barely ever seen... One that I had attached myself to fully..."
"Where are they now?" Evan asked. It wasn't really his business, but he thought he might ask anyway.
"...They're all dead..." Cat said in a low tone of voice.
They were suddenly quiet. Evan wasn't sure what to make of her silence, but he was beginning to feel his blood boil. Not for her cold-hearted way of answering him, but for the fact that she had barely survived such a brutal lifestyle.. It was unbearable to think about, even for him.. He could have only imagined what was going through her mind..
"The thing is," Cat spoke suddenly, "I don't go into it anymore... I have tried and tried to run away from my past..."
Evan listened carefully and thoughtfully.
"I have managed to, so far, stir it up at every turn... Everywhere I go, anything I do... Something happens to me to remind me of what I am... and what I was..." Cat spoke a little softer, "And you," she glared back at him once again, "Have only come to remind me... to ask me... You want to know so badly?" She stood herself up onto the boulder and loomed over him as she spoke loudly, "I DIED the day your parents did!"
"What?" Evan was taken aback.
"Surely you knew that they worked here, specifically?" Cat asked.
"...No... I thought they worked somewhere outside of the city but.. I never knew it was here..." Evan's head looked to the base of the Dam as he allowed himself a moment to gaze at... Was this his parents' tomb?"
"Back in July of last year, I had broken out of my captors' grip..." Cat began, "With the aid of one of the scientists, I made it all the way from here to Los Angeles.. She dropped me off with a few thousand dollars in my pocket and made me promise not to harm a human unless I was in clear and present danger of being harmed by them.."
Evan looked to Cat with a stone, serious face. He, suddenly, wanted to know more... Wanted to know how all of this led to the death of his parents and why the government paid him off so dearly afterwards..
"A day later I met Sam, Mikaela, and the Autobots. Bumblebee, whom you'll meet another time, was in a struggled between protecting Sam and the reigns that the agents had him in... So I used Alchemy to save them... I fell unconscious and was taken, by the Autobots, to a safe place for the night.. The rest is, basically, history however it leads up to the day we went to retrieve the Allspark.." She told the story.
"Allspark?" Evan asked.
Cat gave a curt nod, "Yes.. The Allspark is an amazing source of power. The one who holds and contains it could control the universe.. The Autobots are a specific race of aliens known as Cybertronians. They are, and have been, in a war for millions of years with another part of that race, known as the Decepticons... They have warred against the Autobots for the soul purpose of owning, and controlling the Allspark... Which," she pointed to the Dam, "had landed here on Earth. This Dam was commissioned to be built by President Hoover, after the Allspark landed. They could see it as a high source of energy, so they built this Dam around the Allspark and made the concrete thick enough that it could not be sensed by outer space sources."
"How does all of this -" Evan started before Cat brought her hand up to halt him.
"All in good time..." she advised.
"By the time we had reached the Dam, I had found my sister who had, single handedly, murdered one of the higher ranking officers of the Decepticons..." Cat continued.
"Whoa..." Evan thought, "You mean... You have the capability to take down one of those guys?"
Cat went back to her fervent glare, "I didn't say that..."
"Oh.. I'm sorry I-"
"By the time we had reached the Dam, my sister along with us, I was dying..."
"How?" Evan asked.
"My immune system could no longer hold up to the dangers of the outside world.. You see I was not meant to leave the confines of the laboratory, which meant when I reached the outside world, I wouldn't have much time to live..."
"... How did you- "
"Don't get too far ahead of me, this is where you'll need to know the most..." Cat, once again, halted Evan from speaking. He only nodded in reply.
"We had a plan to get in, steal the Allspark, and get out... But the plan nearly failed... The Decepticons were watching us and decided to try and come take the Allspark right out from underneath us by force. Bumblebee and Ratchet were captured by the Dam's crew, and my sister had allowed the Decepticons to unfreeze their leader, who had also been held here. His name is Megatron.."
Evan nodded to encourage her to continue.
"The Autobots managed to elude the Decepticons, Bumblebee and Ratchet were released, and the Allspark was in the hands of Sam and Mikaela as Bumblebee took them away from here at high speeds. The Autobots, at that time, consisted of Optimus, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jazz and Ironhide. It was them against a few of the Decepticons. But before the Decepticons left here, they made waste of this place, killing the scientist who had saved me before... As well as your parents..." Cat teared up a little so she looked away to the Dam, avoiding the gaze of Evan.
"Mission City... You mean that terrorist attempt on the city was -"
"No terrorist attempt at all... The Decepticons battled with the Autobots, afterwards the government covered the whole thing up, paid everyone off, and paid a few people just to keep their mouths shut.."
"I can't believe it..." Evan sat down on the dusty trail, Rotten crawling over to him to beg for a scratch behind the ears.. "Why didn't they just tell me? I mean... I was brought here for my procedure, but I was told that this was just the where the team of doctors were at..."
"This was the whole shabang.." Cat ended her story, "Your parents didn't want you to know what they did because they were probably afraid you would be taken if the word got out. The rules were very strenuous on the workers, but for a reason."
Evan nodded. His parents had worked hard to ensure he had a good living, and to ensure that he would always be safe... No wonder they fought so hard against him when it came to the subject of the soldiers they were creating here.
"Now," Cat began, "I've told you our story... You tell me yours..."
Ooooo It's a shame I have to end it here huh? For the next chappie! Evan tells his story to Cat, the Autobots finally learn the secret to this boys' past, and... gulp... Cat has new roommates? Next time my minions, next time!