Chapter 3
-Iacon – Scientific Research Lab no. 1-
Hunched over a workbench in a dimly lit lab, Ratchet silently typed at his computer. The night was already long and the moons of Cybertron were high; the room was empty except for the former Autobot medic whose trained blue optics were focused on the screen.
The door behind him softly whisked opened but he didn't bother to look back at them; he already know who had just entered.
"Oh, Ratchet. Still working I see."
"Knockout, still here to pester me from my work?"
The former Decepticon medic, Knockout, scoffed off and grinned smugly. His orange eyes shifted to staring at the computer screen and saw what the doctor was typing.
"Hmm, this cordyceps is really painful, huh. Too bad it didn't exist on this universe's Earth."
Ratchet stopped his typing and leaned back on his chair; a tired sigh escaped his lips. "And our Earth got lucky. This cordyceps is too dangerous," he exclaimed before glancing to the Decepticon medic.
"So…what can you say about it?"
Knockout blinked, mildly surprised that Ratchet asked for his opinion.
"A fragging pain in the ass, that's what. These cordyceps are extremely bright," he glanced at another workbench where several biological species, in hologram form, were displayed. "No matter what kind of species, may it be alien or the humans, it infects without mercy. Kinda reminds me of dark energon, the stuff that Megatron used to revive his dead army."
Knockout looked down at a creature, a bird with multiple wings, slowly being ravaged by the disease. The bird's feathers withered while cordyceps grew out of the animal's orifices, deforming and transforming the poor creature into a hideous form. "This is just a simulation. I'm just glad that the Cordycep hadn't figured out how to infect animals or any other lower species, but only just the humans."
The former Decepticon medic then shifted his optics back at Ratchet. "So are we going to build a cure for it?"
"I am, but I need more samples and time. If Optimus asks us to help the humans of parallel Earth, then we will make it happen."
Knockout nodded in agreement then made a anticipating smirk. "Then I would help you more," he said in an excited manner as he sat down at his own workbench and turned on his own terminal.
Knockout, really? Ratchet thought with skepticism. The former medic was part of the Decepticon faction and he had killed many Autobots before. Till now, he had treated him coldly and yet here he was, offering his service to him.
"It's kinda ironic that you, a former Decepticon, would help me find cure for humans. Don't you detest them?" Ratchet asked as Knockout cast a deadpanned look at him.
"That was before. I've changed. Though I still do detest humans even now, but only a little," the red vehicle Decepticon medic explained as his face flashed a blue shade. "Also, if I'm working, I can distract myself from remembering Breakdown."
Ratchet frowned, but this time the expression was sad instead of grumpy. Breakdown had been Knockout's conjux endura, his significant other and his husband. He died in the millennial war and now he could feel the sadness of the Decepticon medic.
"Now, now, I don't want to be pitied. I'll take over for now so please, do take a break. Your Conjux Endura, by the way, is waiting outside."
Ratchet blinked as he tried to remember his significant other. "Oh, Drift." He looked at the time on his screen and gasped in shock. "It's already midnight, by Primus!" And I promised him dinner! The doctor quickly shut down his terminal and dashed towards the door but before he walked out he paused and glanced at Knockout.
"Knockout…thank you,"
The other medic didn't respond. In truth, he was too surprised too, for the doctor rarely thanked him for anything. He wanted to reply but the door had already closed and the silence of the room returned.
A deep exhausted sigh escaped from the red Decepticon's lips.
"You're welcome."
A solemn expression formed on his face as memories of Breakdown and him played for a short while.
"Ugh, no time for that. Now then, shall I discover the cure for the Cordyceps first?" he shrugged off the distant memory and grinned in excitement before resuming his work.
- Parallel Earth – Grand Canyon – Abandoned tourists store-
After a day of driving, Megatron silently opened the door. In his human avatar, the Decepticon raised a fireman's axe (which he retrieved from the outside). The building that he entered was a huge tourist's gift shop; clothes were hung up along the wall, collecting dusts while rusted canned foods stood on a table by the wall on his right.
He moved forward, quietly and stealthily, while his senses perked up.
*SCREE!* the counter on his left gave away and two runners suddenly jumped on the Decepticon. However, Megatron quickly jumped back and swung his axe upward, decapitating the runner on his left. Then, he pivoted on his left leg and curved his axe at the last runner, splitting its head into two.
*SCREE!* Megatron looked in front. The door that must've led to the store's storage room opened and two infected creatures with deformed fungal infested growth head came out. The Decepticon eyed them hard as he grinned.
"Clickers or is it Stalkers? Hmph, I'm confused," the Decepticon said and the two infected charged at him. The former gladiator quickly grabbed the running clicker on his left and threw his axe forward. The axe planted on the head of the right clicker as Megatron kicked the leg of the remaining clicker, sending it to the floor, before he took out his hunting knife and plunged it on the infected fungal infested skull. Blood splattered on his face but Megatron stood up and scoffed.
He gave one last look around the shop before he shouted behind him: "Optimus, it's clear. Bring her in."
Optimus entered the shop with the girl, Ellie, still asleep in his arms. He looked around and stopped after he saw the grisly sight.
"Megs."
"I'll clean it up, since we'll stay here. I think I found a room for her," Megatron said and led the two towards the door with the label STORAGE hanging on it. He opened it and saw piles of boxes, all filled with dust and dirt.
This would do, Optimus thought with gladness and turn to Megatron. "I'll find a sleeping bag somewhere. Can you bring her stuff inside?"
"Sure."
After looking at a pile of boxes and finding what he was after, Optimus laid the girl inside the newfound sleeping bag and checked the bandage on her leg. It's fine, for now. The Autobot nodded and was about to leave when he heard the girl whimper.
"Joel…"
Optimus looked down and saw the girl whimper in her sleep. The Autobot heard her distressed tone and his lips curled down in gloom. He knelt down and caressed her cheek softly with a smile.
"Its ok, little girl. You're safe now," Optimus Prime said with a gentle and assuring voice. The girl softly smiled in response as the Autobot quietly stood up and leave.
Night has descended quickly and the whole place was enveloped in darkness. Megatron dragged a large drum with old clothes and other flammable objects that he had all found outside towards the middle of the shop and lit it up with a match. The whole room glowed in bright yellow light.
"Hmm, this will do."
Megatron turned around and saw Optimus closing the door softly, leaving the girl alone.
"Is she ok?" the Decepticon asked with mild concern and the Autobot nodded.
"She's having a nightmare but I calmed her down." Optimus looked around and saw the girl's belongings on the wall together with her guitar. He paused as curiosity filled his eyes after he saw the musical instrument.
Megatron noticed his silence and followed his eyes, quickly finding the guitar. "That's a human musical instrument called Guitar; humans play it to pass time."
"Well, we're about to pass some time. As much as possible, as I don't want to leave the girl alone," Optimus said while he moved closer to the guitar.
Megatron crossed his arms on his chest and raised his right brow, inquisitively, at the Autobot's reaction.
"Do you want to play it?"
"Well, I once saw Miko, one of my human friends, playing a guitar. She was good and she enjoyed it. It made me think about how this musical instrument really affects people."
Megatron nodded and then grinned, mischievously, at the Autobot. "You know, I know how to play it. Soundwave installed a musical program in my brain module."
"Really? He did that?"
"Yeah. During the war, I had some research done on how to manipulate humans so I can easily enslave them and one of the theories that I discovered was music hypnotism." The Decepticon chuckled to the memory before he stopped as Optimus's eyes darkened in seriousness. "B-But that was before, I changed, ok? No more of that."
Megatron gulped in nervousness as Optimus sighed deeply and tiredly.
"So… what do you want me to play?" the Decepticon asked as he took the guitar and strummed it. The sound echoed through the silent room and it made the two of them open their mouth partly, surprised at how beautiful the sound was that had come out from the primitive instrument.
"Whoa."
"Indeed." Optimus smiled in enjoyment and sat down by the fire while Megatron leaned his back on the wall.
"So what will you play, Megs?" the Autobot asked as Megatron grinned in excitement, for this would be the first time that he had ever played the guitar.
"Good thing I have a copy of Soundwave's music databank stored in me still. I know a piece."
He looked down on the fingerboard of the guitar, positioning his fingers first and then the Decepticon began to sing.
"Until the stars have said goodbye, darling, close your eyes."
Ellie slowly opened her eyes and saw nothing but a dirty and dimly lit ceiling. She could see the moon, high already on the night sky, from the window. "Where am I-?" she tried to move up but she gasped in pain after she felt pang from her left leg.
She looked down and was startled to see a fresh bandage wrapped around it. "Where am I?" she asked again to no one and only silence greeted her. What happened? I was on the road and then- ...memories of her being attacked played before her mind and her eyes widened in shock as she remembered seeing a very familiar face.
Joel, but it can't be, he's-
"Until the Stars have said good bye, darling close your eyes."
A sweet yet a deep haunting voice filled her ears she quickly darted to the door, which was slightly ajar.
"Damn," the girl cursed softly as she tried to stand up and walk but her injuries wouldn't let her. She looked around for something to aide her limping leg and found an axe.
For protection, she thought as she grabbed the axe and used it as a cane. The woman moved closer to the door and quietly took a peek.
"As sleep pulls you close and we say goodnight.
I'll sing to you softly this sweet lullaby."
Her eyes widened in shock. She was inside in some kind of a souvenir shop and right on the middle, were the two weird men. Those motherfuckers-the aliens! She remembered them and the two giants from before, there's no doubt in her mind that those two weren't from this Earth.
They're playing my guitar. The guitar that Joel had built for me, those shitheads! Anger flared up inside her; however, she paused and let out a silent gasp as the flames cast light on the larger man's face: there, the face of Joel appeared like a faint mask.
"Joel…" she whispered in sadness as the song continued.
"Let the moonlight be our guide as you drift away.
Perhaps we'll meet again one day.
in the light of the sky as the sun rises."
Ellie watched in half amazement as the taller man, the one named Morigan, strummed her guitar faster but perfectly, the tune rising into a crescendo as the song entered into a chorus.
"But nothing in this cruel world has been promised to you.
Only the future we're destined to lose."
"And in the end there's nothing left but our good byes.
Lingering in the wind for all of time."
Ellie was hypnotized from the music. The voice of the man was soft and yet she could feel something in it, something that was very familiar with her. Then she realized that the man's voice was very lonely and sad.
"When suddenly the stars go out and everything's dark.
Darling just know that I'll never be far."
"And as you lay down your head and you take your last breath.
Sleep well, we will meet when you awaken."
Morigan ended his song and the other man, the one named Omaru, if she could remember it right, clapped his hands with gusto. The action snapped Ellie back into reality. The anger returned and without any second thought, she charged at them.
"Stay where you are, you two little shitheads!" Ellie roared as she charged towards the two, eyes wide in fury while her nostrils flared in rage. Optimus was the first to react. He jumped from the floor and backed away, arms up in the air in surrender. Megatron on the other hand, growled vehemently and tried to stop her. However, the girl pointed her axe at him and thundered, "You, Morigan fuckface, put my guitar down!"
"Or else what, you little meatbag!?"
What did you say to me!? Ellie had clearly heard him and her anger rose more. "I'm gonna fucking end you," she growled as she and the man named Morigan locked eyes, fury etched blatantly on their faces.
"Megatron, please listen to her."
"Optimus, this fragging meatbag here is ungrateful!"
Optimus, Megatrash?
"I knew it…those weren't your real names! You're both aliens, aren't you!?"
Megatron and Optimus looked at each other, perplexed at how fast the girl had revealed their identity.
"Yes, little girl," Optimus said calmly in a resigned manner.
"Which is why threatening us would be pointless. Watch this," Megatron said and walked slowly towards the fire, his eyes locked still on Ellie who was still pointing her axe at them in a threatening way.
What is he doing? The former Decepticon hovered his hand above the fire and then plunged it on the flames. Ellie gasped in frightened shock as the skin of the man burned, revealing a charred flesh. The man then pulled his hand back and raised it into the air. "Watch," Megatron said as his hand slowly healed. The girl almost fell but she immediately put her axe on the floor, letting her weight be supported against it.
The man's skin regenerated in a flash. She watched in horror as the skin returned and covered the flesh until it was to its normal state. Megatron played with his hand, turning it to and fro, for a moment more before he then flashed a scary grin.
"Now, put down your axe. Be a good little girl and start thanking us for saving you."
Ellie was repulsed at what the man had suggested. Though it was true that they had saved her, it didn't, however, make them good people. Her past experience had told her that. She glanced at the window and her eyes widened in fear again as she saw the giants, standing still on the ground outside the building.
I wouldn't stand a chance. The girl bit her lower lip, cursing herself, and then, with a begrudging frown, she lowered her weapon.
Megatron chuckled darkly while Optimus slowly approached her. "Little girl, I'm sorry for bringing you with us even though it was against your will."
"Damn right it was," Ellie growled as she sat on the floor. The room fell silent as each of them contemplated on what their next action would be. The girl was in an awkward position. She was now sitting in a room with two beings that looked like humans but were actually aliens. She'd read some comics book before and in them aliens were either friendly or enemies of mankind.
Ellie was very clueless and nervous. Are the two aliens sitting in front of her the bad ones? If so, she was as good as dead because of her injured leg.
"If you're thinking we're bad, then that depends on your next action," Megatron warned while he glanced outside and inspected their original bodies.
Ellie's brow crossed in irritation before she spoke at the other man. " I heard your original names. Optimus…and Megatrash."
"It's Megatron."
"Whatever."
Megatron grit his teeth in anger at the woman's ignorance, but she ignored him. "Optimus, is it? Tell me, what exactly are you two?" she asked with a hint of mild curiosity in her voice, which the Autobot had detected.
"I would love to explain but what should we call you first? You know our real names but we don't know yours. It would be difficult for us to communicate with you."
Should I lie? Ellie thought for a moment, however, she couldn't find a reason to lie in front of aliens. They're not exactly humans…or Fireflies.
"My name is Ellie. Ellie Miller Williams," Ellie introduced herself with a slight sad tone in her voice. Optimus and Megatron looked at each other and the former tyrant smirked smugly. "Guess that I was correct in knowing your name first, Ellie."
Ellie glanced at the man called Megatron, who then approached her and showed a leather-bound notebook. The girl's eyes zeroed in the notebook; it was her diary journal. "Give me that, you piece of shit!"
Ellie snatched the notebook and protectively clasped it to her chest while she threw a curse at the man who showed such arrogant grin.
"Megatron, that's not nice. You shouldn't invade someone's privacy. Apologize to her."
"Ha, just looking for a good laugh, sorry about that kiddo."
Again, that smirk, that smile. Why does this alien bitch remind me of Joel? Ellie wanted to curse herself more for comparing her beloved Joel to this ingrate of an extraterrestrial lifeform as she watched the man leaned on the wall beside her guitar.
"Now then, shall I begin explaining who we are? It would be a long story, Ms. Ellie."
"Ellie is fine." Ellie paused and sent a warning glance towards Megatron. "I don't want to sleep. It's my first time seeing two aliens. I want to know where the hell you two come from," she said with seriousness in her voice.
Optimus Prime opened his right hand and blue lights shot out from his fingers. It startled Ellie but she didn't move from her spot. The blue lights formed into a circular shape, and the woman identified it as a planet after she squinted her eyes.
"A planet."
"Our home world, Cybertron."
And with only silence from the woman, Optimus began his tale.
Ellie was lost in time. She didn't know how many hours had passed since she had started to listen to Optimus's tale. When the Cybertronian had finished, she gave a quick glance at the window and saw the sky turning blue as the sun slowly rose up from the horizon.
"Whoa." The girl only muttered one word, for she couldn't describe what she was feeling right now. Her mind was filled with so much information regarding the two sentient robotic aliens, their home world Cybertron, and the highly advance sentient robotic society living within it. The universe was a lot bigger than what she thought before and it silently excited her to the core.
This is just like one of my comic books, the Iron Giant and Tomorrowland. Ellie's face was still but deep down inside she was smiling, happily, in amazement.
"So you and Megatron were friends." She glanced at taller Decepticon with judging eyes. "Then you became enemies, Megatron forms this Decepticon group while you form the Autobots, and now that the millennial war is over…you're both back to being friends…did I miss anything?"
"We were both exiled. The new Government of Cybertron is conservative; they blamed both factions as precursors of the war."
"Ok, fuck, this is complicated."
"You also missed that your Earth is an alternate one from the one that we know."
"That sounds like the movie Interstellar…which I didn't finish because I was waiting for Joel, the two of us wanted to finish watching it together..." Ellie said and then scratched the back of her head. Her mind was bit fried from all the information that she had learned. "Ok, so basically, you two are exiled here on an Earth that was different from the Earth that you know. Now I got it."
Optimus and Megatron looked each other and chuckled softly. "Yes you did."
Ellie smiled finally. She couldn't believe that standing in front of her were two genuine aliens. And here I was thinking my life was all miserable. I guess God really does exists. She had tons of questions still; however, she felt tired to ask them more. The girl yawned wide and Megatron noticed her fatigued face.
"You should get some sleep, Ellie. I hear humans need at least eight hours of sleep." The former tyrant looked behind him and saw the first ray of the sun hitting the sky.
"You're right, a normal human does need that," Ellie said with frustration as she stood up slowly from the floor, "-but the humans of this world, they don't need it. Runners, clickers or stalkers could charged in here anytime, so I need to keep one of my eyes open for danger."
The woman glared at Megatron and the tyrant smirked at her seriousness.
Optimus notice the tension between the two and he quickly moved to dispel it. "And with that, Ellie, may I ask if I could stay here with you?"
Ellie glanced at the Autobot who cast a soft smile at her.
"You're still injured. It will take a couple of weeks for that to heal. You'll be vulnerable to all sorts of danger."
This man. Ellie couldn't help but to feel irritated because she doesn't want to be guarded by someone she doesn't know, but, however his words were right.
"Fine. Just don't be noisy."
"No need to worry. I'll be in my original body." Optimus said with assurance before his human hologram vanished and whisked into light. Ellie blinked in surprised and quickly rushed towards the window beside Megatron. She saw the red Cybertronian robot come to life. His blue optics looked at her and he waved his right hand.
"Heh, Optimus surely loves to protect weak humans like you."
"I'm sorry, what?" Ellie turned to Megatron, flashing an irritated look.
"You should thank us for helping you. See you around, kiddo." Megatron smirked before he vanished. Ellie watched with bothered eyes as the lager Cybertronian, the grey one with spiky shoulders, opened its red optics and grinned at her, showing his sharp rows of teeth.
Why does he look like Joel!? Ellie clicked her tongue in anger before she observed the former warlord. "You know your head looks like a bucket!" she shouted and the Decepticon scowled in shock. The girl smiled triumphantly at his reaction.
"What did you say to me!?"
"Nothing, see you around, Buckethead!" Ellie turned around and walked back inside the abandoned shop, leaving the former Decepticon leader vehemently frowning.
"Megatron," Optimus called in a careful manner, trying to calm his friend down.
"Optimus, she's so fragging rude!"
"The woman is a hardened survivor, of course she'll be tough."
"Hmph, that girl is lucky because we found and saved her and she's luckier more that we both like her," Megatron said in low grumbling manner while Optimus blushed in response to his words.
Like her…? Optimus couldn't deny his feelings for the girl, ever since he first saw her, he felt the spark inside his spark chamber brightened more. "Yes, I think I like her too…" the Autobot said as Megatron lowered his shoulders, resigned at his conflicting feelings for the girl, before he walked away.
Optimus Prime merely stood and looked at the sky. He wondered if his feelings for the girl were valid. However, unbeknownst to them, Ellie had heard everything. She was standing at the door of the storage room with her face all red from blushing.
Those two like me... she felt very flustered from the confession of the robots. However, a conflicting feeling emerged in her heart as she realized that she needed to tell them both about herself. "I should really tell them that I swing to girls." She let out a tired sigh before she entered her room.
New Chapter is up! So how do you all like it!? Do you like a singing Megatron? Well I made him sing here! Now that Ellie got to meet the two Cybertronains, what do you think will happen next? Will she have a grand adventure all together, or something bad will happen soon? Stay tuned for more!
Special thanks to dropout-ninja for beta-reading
Disclaimer : I do not own the characters of Transformers Prime Cartoon and Last of Us. All names, places and events in this fanfic is purely fictional. If such exists in real life, its purely coincidence.
2nd Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics in this fanfic. Listed below is the owner of the music and lyrics.
Song: Isabella's Lullaby Original from The Promised Neverland
Arrangement: L-Train
Mix: Lowlander
Lyrics and Vocals: Liss Robinett
Here's the music's link: watch?v=WzP-PtGQkM8
Nah, too tired to pass any anger rant against Abby...but I have plans for her and her thing called Lev.