Trigger Warning: This episode has violence and swearing some may not be comfortable with.
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High above Earth, resting just within the atmosphere was the Decepticon warship. It lingered silently above humanity, surveying the society below with the perspective of one viewing insects. The silence was occasionally broken by heavy metallic footsteps as the Cybertronian soldiers patrolled the ship, awaiting orders and generally discussing their most recent battle;
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The Autobots had discovered an Energon deposit, one that was desperately needed by the rebellion. Starscream, the second in command, Breakdown and Knockout had taken a group of Decepticon soldiers to begin mining, when they spotted the rebel leader, Optimus Prime and the Autobots were already upon the scene. The result was a violent and chaotic battle that resulted in Bulkhead firing at the Energon, destroying the supply and Starscream calling for all Decepticons to retreat to the warship.
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"ARGH, those BLASTED Autobots!"
Starscream's fist slammed into the wall in annoyance, before remembering the soldiers behind him and quickly standing up to play it off. "No matter, they weren't able to acquire any Energon, soon they will run themselves ragged."
A chuckle made the jet spin around to the small red medic. "And what, pray tell Knockout, is so amusing?" Instead of the desired reaction of shrinking back, Knockout just tapped his forearm.
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"We may have lost the Energon, however if you want to drain the Autobots of their energy, I have a suggestion, but it will require a…volunteer." The medic smirked, leaning back against the wall behind him as Breakdown just raised an eyebrow.
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"Volunteer?"
"Ah, how generous of you Breakdown." This caused said bot to scoff, a slight head shake.
"Sure. Why not."
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Starscream ran a hand down his face, trying to act composed. "Very well, what does this plan involve?"
"As the humans put it, a 'make over'."
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-X-
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It was rather cool that day. The breeze swept through individuals alike, with a surprising chill making it's way to Jasper, despite it being the middle of Summer.
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Supplies were needed, so Rain took it as a new opportunity to explore the new town she had just moved to, as well as get started on cleaning her home and set up her shop. Sitting up from bed, Rain tied her long black hair up into a ponytail, before braiding it and wrapping it around to form a bun.
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She dug through her suitcase, finding some casual jeans and a long sleeved pale blue shirt. Normally she'd wear something more expressive, but since she had so much cleaning to do, Rain decided to stick with something she didn't mind getting dirty.
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Wondering into the bathroom, Rain reached in and turned the handle, only to be met with spluttering and some sludge. "What?" she pulled her hand back in disgust and turned the tap off. "I can't believe this, they told me they had it all sorted two weeks ago." She groaned, grabbing a dirty towel from her suitcase and wiping her hand.
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Grabbing her phone from the box it was resting and charging on, a number was dialed as Rain sat down. She glanced out the window as more dead leaves blew past from the gutter.
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"Hello, Jasper realestate, this is Jamie speaking."
"Hi Jamie, this is Rain Frosteine-"
"Ah, miss Frosteine! How is the move? Everything doing well?"
"Actually that's why I'm calling. It's about the water, the pipes are all clogged."
"The house is quite old, that's bound to happen unfortunately."
"Jamie, you yourself told me two weeks ago that the water system would be fixed and ready to go before I moved in, so now I'm stuck with no working water in the house."
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Jamie's voice cleared on the other side, showing he had forgotten about it. Rain glanced out the window, she really wanted to get started on cleaning up the place, as the cleaner she hired did a terrible job. "Is there any chance of getting someone up here to fix the water immediately?"
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The sound of a mouse clicking and pages being shuffled could be heard as Jamie was searching something. "Well, the best we can do is later this afternoon to get someone up there to sort it. Unfortunately there's not much we can do until the plumber gets up there, Miss Frosteine." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
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"Alright, we'll go with that. Can you ring me when you know what time they're coming over? I want to go get some supplies to start cleaning this place up properly before I unpack."
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"Of course, my deepest apologies for this Miss Frosteine." She hung up. Normally she wouldn't have done it so abruptly, but it was a bad start to the day and she already had a headache. Glancing at the time, she stood and stretched.
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She'd have to shower later, but she needed food and thought it was a good excuse to get some junk food as a treat, especially as she wasn't in the mood for cooking. Sending an annoyed glance at the sink, she pulled out a water bottle from her handbag and dipped her toothbrush in before putting toothpaste on and brushing her teeth.
This wasn't the first time she went without water, plus she knew how to improvise as well. Using a bit more from her bottle, she rinsed the brush before heading out to her SUV after locking the door. She stopped for a moment and sighed.
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"Just one of those days, I guess."
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Starting the car, she pulled out her phone, looking up takeaway restaurants in Jasper. Picking one, she popped the address into her navigator and drove off, making notes of different stores she drove past. Glancing at the mirror, she noticed the bags under her eyes.
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No matter how much she slept, they never went away, it was basically part of her look but today they seemed darker than usual. Rain shrugged it off as stress and kept an eye out, finally spotting the building ahead, recognizing the establishment from last night.
'I think I'll drive through, I don't really want to wait inside in a line and I'm not in the best mood right now.' She sighed heavily through her nose. 'I was really looking forward to a shower after that long drive, I guess I just passed out on my bed otherwise I could have called them last night and had the water fixed-'
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Her phone rang. She glanced over, seeing Jasper Realestate pop up and wasted no time answering.
"Hello?"
"Ah Miss Frosteine! Unfortunately he won't be able to make it there until the day after tomorrow." Rain felt her stomach drop.
"That long? Jamie, this was supposed to be sorted out over two weeks ago, I need to start cleaning my home, shower, do the dishes and I can't do any of that without any water. Is there anyone else you can get up here to fix the water before then?"
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More clicking could be heard from the other side and Rain parked her car outside of the building, ignoring her grumbling stomach, as she leaned her head back. This was not how she wanted her day to start.
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"Well, there's been a lot of plumbing issues in Jasper lately, so they're scattered pretty thin. Unless you want to try DIY-ing it yourself, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until then." Rain glanced out the window, seeing a hardware store in the distance.
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"I don't mind giving it a try myself but that's coming out of my rent, since this was meant to be done long before I moved in."
"That sounds fair, though I will have to charge you if you cause any damage!" Jamie cheekily replied back as Rain rolled her eyes. "If there's any issues, let me know and if they're available earlier, I will call you right away, Miss Frosteine."
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"Thank you Jamie, I appreciate it." She ended the call and looked over at the hardware store. She could improvise, but she'd definitely would need to do some research to know what exactly she was doing, since the house was rather old.
Her stomach let out a loud growl, reminding her that she hadn't eaten yet and she rolled her eyes. "Oh hush you." Turning into the drive through, she glanced at the menu.
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"Welcome to Fantastic Burger, where every burger is a knock out, can I take your order?" A young teen spoke through the speaker as Rain's eyes squinted.
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"Hi, can I get the chicken burger, no tomato with some cheese added?"
"Do you want that separate or in a meal?"
"Meal please, with a water bottle."
"That comes to $10.95, drive on through."
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Driving through the window, a young teenage boy with a strange hat and apron turned around, clearly not enjoying his job. She recognised him from last night, though he seemed a bit more gloomy. Rain handed him the cash and he handed her a bag and a water bottle.
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"Thank you for shopping at Fantastic Burger. Have a fantastic day." He said dryly as Rain gave an awkward smile.
"Thanks, I'm hoping my day improves too." He gave an empathetic smile as Rain placed the bag on the passenger seat and drove off. She wanted to have her meal somewhere nice, maybe near a park or somewhere with a view so she could think.
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After a while, she found one where it was nice and quiet, parked in the shade.
"Finally."
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Rain took no time to demolish the burger and chips, barely satisfying her hunger. She had a sip of her water bottle before putting it away. That was in case she couldn't fix the plumbing herself.
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She let out a deep sigh, glancing at her phone before looking up several tutorials. Sure, it would eat into her bandwidth, but at least she'd be able to feel more confident if she knew what she was doing. Going through ten different videos, Rain pondered whether to wait it out, or to take the risk of DIYing it herself. Heck, she already told Jamie she'd do it.
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Looking up the supplies she'd need, Rain calculated the total and saw it would have gone over her budget, but luckily she had emergency funds for scenarios like these. She bit her lip, glancing out the window.
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A dark blue SUV of some kind flew past like a bat out of hell, drifting around the corner as a dark green SUV pursuit it. Rain frowned, sitting forward slightly.
"...the hell?"
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After watching the duo vanish behind a building, Rain shook her head, praying it wasn't a regular thing in Jasper. She ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath, glancing at her phone.
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Better get this over with.
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-X-
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"Of all the slaggin' jobs he could've given me, I swear-"
Breakdown swerved past another building. A familiar green figure close behind. Being chased wasn't the issue for Breakdown, he could do this all day. It was the second part that he was mad about. Rapidly scanning the area, the target became clear as a bright flash emitted from the Decepticon.
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Drifting around the corner, Breakdown intentionally slowed down slightly so Bulkhead could see the change.
"Heh, nice try 'Con but changing yer look won't save ya."
"Bulkhead, what's Breakdown's position?" A voice spoke through the radio.
"Just heading downtown, he's changed his look for some reason, rounded the corner and turned white. Not like him to not fight though…"
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"We need to draw Breakdown out of town, Bumblebee and I will assist you."
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-X-
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Taking a deep breath, Rain pushed the trolley out into the car park, looking annoyed. She was able to get all of the parts she needed, that was easy. It was the shop owner that wasn't.
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"Huh, whatchya need that for?" An older man in the store uniform of shorts, shirt and a work apron stood off to the side, hair cut in a short gray buzz cut and a start of a scruffy beard. Rain placed the pipe into the trolley. "Well, I'm just moving in and there's a plumbing issue at my house that was supposed to be sorted two weeks ago. I can either wait for a plumber, or do it myself."
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Glancing at her phone, Rain pushed the trolley forward to the next item but noticed the assistant was following her. "Do you need any help? A little lady like yourself shouldn't be getting your hands dirty cleaning up someone else's mess." The wording put her off slightly.
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"I'm… used to it. I appreciate it but I'm quite capable, thank you." She said, her voice sounding tired while trying to give him a hint. Normally she hated being like this, but it had just been pretty rough the last couple of months and she moved here to be left alone, not interrogated.
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So the next thirty minutes involved finding all the items needed, while being watched by the assistant…or owner, Rain wasn't sure at this point. However, seeing as it was a small town, a lot of people tried to make small talk.
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Rain had never gone through a checkout faster than that moment. She just wanted to have a hot shower, start cleaning the-her house and start setting up shop and start work. Work always helped to get her mind off of things and right now, she needed a distraction.
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Packing all items into the boot, she flopped into the driver's seat, sighed and turned up the music. This time, Zombie by Bad Wolves played. Rain leaned back, took a deep breath and shut her eyes.
"I'm okay, it's a new fresh start, moving's rough, this is normal. Relax, it's okay." She shook her head and started the car, backing up before driving out of the car park. Letting the music play, Rain frowned and switch the song. Why Worry by Set It Off played. It was a welcome change of tone, Rain decided to go over the things she had or wanted to do once the plumbing was fixed.
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First of, would be cleaning the house with a proper scrub. As much as she wanted a hot shower badly, there wasn't much point of doing that before a dirty job. Clean upstairs first, since that was the living area. Downstairs next. Rain then remembered the security gate for the display windows. She still needed to replace that.
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Well, she could order it online, since she wouldn't set up shop until her house was fully set kept pondering her task list while approaching some street lights, slowing as it changed red. Her mind began to wonder a bit, until she noticed something. A green SUV came barreling towards her. It wasn't slowing down.
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".…what are you-"
Realising it wouldn't slow down, Rain ran the light, quickly taking the corner. The SUV's wheels screeched as it shot across the street. Rain looked over her shoulder, seeing the SUV come flying around the corner.
"F*CK."
Accelerating as fast as she could, Rain just missed being taken out by the vehicle, gunning it down the road, glancing at the mirror.
"THE F*CK IS THIS D*CKHEAD DOING?!"
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Rain desperately searched for a police vehicle, hoping this insanity would end, nerves on end from the speed she was going to avoid being rammed by the pursuing green lunatic. The fact that this happened on the bare outskirts of town didn't help. Rain quickly turned the corner, trying to head back into town, but there was a large change of plans. As Rain took the corner, a large red truck flew into the front of her car, crushing it completely. The airbag burst, pieces of glass flew through the air. She tasted blood. It happened so fast, but it felt like time crawled in that moment when she looked up. First, was a weird type of mask symbol on the centre of the grill, but as her eyes travelled up, her heart just about stopped.
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No driver.
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Time felt like it resumed. The force of the collision slammed her back against her seat, as the car spun violently across the road, rolling over twice and finally resting in a shop window. Her eyes were wide, but it felt like she wasn't registering a single thing.
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Not the wailing of the shop's alarm,
Not the screeching of wheels,
Not the strange sounds,
Not the bright flash that the truck and green SUV drove through.
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It wasn't until blood ran up her throat and through her lips, up her nose, between her eyes and dripped, until the fierce pounding in her head, brought her straight back to reality. The adrenaline wore off as the blood rushing to her head made her realise she was upside-down.
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For a moment, Rain remained still, processing what just happened, before grabbing her phone and writing a note, then calling an ambulance.
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A few blocks over, a white SUV changed back to blue.
"Knockout, you are not gonna believe this."
Author's Note:
Someone's gonna have a headache after this.