Chapter 37

The anger kept burning in her spark, but a new, old fear was quickly rising to overpower it. Demona stared at the massive mech, flashes of her youth and of previous battles darting through her processor. Her claws clenched inside Starscream's chest, causing the mech to convulse with a agonized whine.

Megatron smiled down at her, a sick, twisted expression she had come to hate. Her red optics narrowed.

"Demona," he said, voice bearing a ghost of strain from his wounds, "be merciful."

"If you come closer," she snarled, "you will suffer the same fate."

He chuckled darkly, the claws of one hand clenching, "I do not fear you, creation."

Her optics widened when he abruptly swung down with the same set of claws. She dropped Starscream and turned her body so that he hit her in the side and not the chest, protecting her young. The knife-like edges of his claws left deep gouges in her thick armor, and the force behind the blow sent her flying backwards.

She angled her body, her back taking the damage when her body broke the wall of the hangar. She rolled through the rubble and dirt inside, lifting a hand to press to her chest plates when Sundance squirmed. Someone shouted in alarm, "Demona!"

Quickly, she cast her optics down to Gears and Critter. Both of their organic optics were wide with shock and fear. Gears rushed forward, "Demona, what the hell-"

"Megatron!" Ghost spat, forming a blaster on one arm as she charged out through the whole Demona's body had made. Wheeljack wasn't far behind, carrying some odd-ball weapon she'd never even seen before.

"Shit!" Gears cursed. She spun around to yell at the other humans present, "Jo! Get the boys the hell out of here! Go to the med bay, now!"

The blonde haired girl nodded and grabbed Shark by the sleeve and shouted for her brothers.

Demona opened her chest plates, pulling Sundance out, "Gears, take her, I won't risk losing her!"

Shots were fired outside, someone began to scream in pain. The earth shook.

"Momma! No! Don't leave me!" Sundance cried, clinging to her hand. Gears wrapped her arms around her, "Come on, baby, mommas gonna be fine!"

"I will come back for you, Sundance," Demona promised when the sparkling continued to struggle, "I won't leave you."

The dragon stilled, staring. She whispered, "I love you, momma. Please come back!"

"My spark goes with you," Demona replied, "now go!"

Sundance turned and stumbled off as fast as she could, Gears keeping up with her.

Her chest plates snapped closed and she rose to her feet, claw blades spinning. She was tensing to plunge back into the battle when a small hand landed on one of her toes. Her optics fell to land on Critter, who was staring up at her with pained green optics. He whispered, "You promised, Dem."

"I don't break promises," she answered, "follow mother, get to safety."

He wheeled around and started off. She turned back to the battle, only to find the leader of decepticons missing.

There was a sharp tug on her spark, pulling up. In one motion, she cleared the distance between her and Critter and dropped to cover him with her body. Above her the ceiling caved in beneath the weight of her mech creator. He came crashing down, heavy feet shattering the concrete. Critter bent in his wheel chair and covered his head with his arms. Demona scooped him up in her hands and tensed to roll away.

Deadly claws reached down and sunk deep beneath her armor, puncturing cables and slicing delicate wiring. Megatron lifted her like she was no more than a sparkling.

Acting on impulse, Demona dropped her brother. The distance between her and the earth was short then, so he didn't have much of a fall. Run! Her spark shouted at him, Run, Alex!

But he was frozen, staring up at Megatron with wide eyes. Demona twisted with a growl, claw blades spiraling around her wrists. She fixed her gaze on Megatron's old wounds, the very same ones she had given him four years ago.

Megatron squeezed, sending a blinding wave of pain through her. He raised her higher. Her optics dimmed.

"Demona!" the boy shouted. Megatron turned his optics to him.

Fragging human...She clenched her fists beneath her blades and swung down, cutting deep into the mech's shoulder. Snarling, he threw her across the hangar.

This time Demona landed on her feet, shoving her claw blades through the concrete and into the earth to stop from slamming into another wall. She pulled free, transforming one arm into a cannon.

Her optics widened as he plunged his claws into the ground, forming a sharp, impenetrable cage around Critter. Slag. Fragging moron I am...of course he's going to-

The claws slid through the concrete until they were crushing the boy's wheel chair. Critter yelled out in pain, head thrown back and body shaking violently. Megatron's smiled again, "These humans are so fragile...I could snap every bone in his body with one squeeze."

Demona felt her spark freeze over. She fell still. Megatron chuckled, "You know what I came for."

Demona said nothing. Slowly, her claw blades slid back into her wrist armor. The armor making up the blaster broke apart and reformed back into her hand. She straightened, despite the throbbing pain in her back.

"Demona, don't-" Critter's plea broke out into a scream when Megatron's claws twitched.

"Enough!" Demona snapped, "I yield."

The smile shifted into a feral grin.

First, let me apologize for a LATE update...if any of you are still following me. Don't really have an excuse to give you, I just got carried away with life.

SECOND, let me apologize for a crappy LATE update. It's been awhile since I've visited Demona and them...everyone seems out of character and the chapter is pretty sloppy. I gotta find my rhythm all over again, but thats fine, because I'm not going to just quit in the middle of the story.

Anyway, again, SORRY.

Love to my readers(if I have any left)

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