Rated: M for adult themes: language, violence, mental rape, character death, mech erotica, torture, gore, and suicidal ideation. This varies from chapter to chapter, so read at your own risk.
Important Note: I started this series of fics before Revenge of the Fallen hit the theaters. This is an A.U. 2007 movie verse fic, NOT a ROTF/DOTM/AE/LK/BB or whatever follows fic.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this work of complete fiction is Velocity/Sira and Hardcore. They are mine. Everything else is copyrighted and owned by some really rich people. I make no money from this but wish I could.
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Full Velocity: Finding Salvation
Chapter 22: Desperation
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Sira raced to the end of the alley as tires squealed behind her. Bolting out of the backstreet, she slammed into a man, knocking them both to the ground.
"Fuck," she snapped and rolled to her feet. Running into the street, she dodged around vehicles, only vaguely aware of the torrent of profanity and car horns in her wake. The smooth woop-woop of a police siren did not reassure her; the police could not help. Reaching the other side of the street, she vaulted a construction barrier to disappear down a different alley.
Wanting to lose her pursuer, Sira briefly considered trying to fade away among shops and groups of people. She quickly abandoned that idea, not wanting to sacrifice the innocent.
A crash as people screamed and shouted.
Sira glanced behind her, and a police car blew through the orange and white barrier horses. She recognized that vehicle, and panic squeezed her chest.
Reaching the end of the alley, she turned right. This street offered fewer pedestrians, and she didn't slow to avoid human obstacles. Halfway down the block, she crossed the street and cut left down a different road.
Sirens screamed through the gaps between the buildings. The Decepticon traveled parallel to her, and she realized he intended to cut her off. In the open, the Decepticon would run her down within seconds. Seeing a constructions site, Sira decided to change the game. Crossing to the other side of the street, she laced her fingers in the chainlink and began to climb. Scaling the fence slowed her down, but the idle equipment and partially destroyed buildings would offer better cover without the risk of people turning into cannon fodder.
Jumping from the top of the fence, she sprinted across the dirt to the condemned building. Slipping through the hollow structure, she found herself in the middle of an abandoned industrial complex. Several buildings, loosely linked together, with open areas large enough for semis and other vehicles.
Squatting beneath a broken window, Sira pulled her phone from her pocket. She paused before dialing Optimus, trying to figure out how to tell him her location when she did not really know herself. Leaning her head against the exposed concrete, she listened for the Decepticon and tried to slow her ragged breathing. Sweat soaked her hair and trickled down her back as her heart pounded furiously from more than exertion.
A thump vibrated the ground, snapping her muscles into taught bands. Tilting her head, she listened to the heavy pedfalls. The echoes bouncing around the concrete kept Sira from following the mech's movements.
The building exploded around her, turning the brick and mortar above her head into shrapnel. A giant hand ripped through the wall next to the window. Metal claws dug into the hard surface, pulling, and enlarging the opening,
Sira screamed and dove out of the way as massive talons raked the air inches from her head.
Sira bounded to her feet, but loose rubble tripped her. Landing hard, sharp rocks and debris bit through her pants and into her knee. Pain rocketed up her thighs and through her body, pulling a scream from her.
Peering over her shoulder, Sira saw the Decepticon struggling to pull himself through the opening. Larger and more powerful, she had to use smaller size and nimbleness to its full advantage.
"I can smell your blood," he growled as he scrambled to reach her.
Limping, Sira sucked air through her teeth, afraid to look at her knee. The warm copper scent of blood filled her sinuses as every step set her nerves on fire. This was more than a scuffed knee; she had seriously injured herself when she tripped, and that injury would slow her down. Moving across the empty space, she intended to exit the building and find another hiding spot before the Decepticon made it to his peds.
They were engaging in a deadly game of cat and mouse, where she became the unaccustomed mouse. Leaving the building, Sira desperately searched for another place to hide, preferably too small for the Decepticon to get into.
Her heart pounded, her knee nearly unbearable, and every breath burned her lungs. She couldn't keep this pace up for long. Ducking behind a forklift, she needed a better hiding spot. Surveying the yard, she judged the distance to the other buildings.
The Decepticon charged out of the building she just left; his roars muted by the falling rubble. Heavy ped falls thudded around the yard. Sira pressed her hands against the chipped, yellow paint and peeked over the fork truck; the Decepticon squatted and glance into one of the other buildings.
Sliding to keep the vehicle between them, Sira watched him search for her. As he circled the yard, she circled the machine. Nothing blocked her from the fence, but she needed the mech further among the buildings, further away from her. Keeping her sights on the Decepticon, she dropped her hand and felt in the dust around her. Her fingers bumped against a stone, and she curled her hand around it. Flinging the rock as hard as she could, it rattled in the distance.
The Decepticon snapped his head towards the sound and stalked towards it. Sira could not believe the ruse worked as he ducked into a cargo bay and disappeared.
Sira struggled to her feet and limped towards the fence; her injured knee slowed her down. Hitting the fence, she slid her fingers between the links. Trying to use her bad leg as support she slipped her foot in an opening and lifted herself off the ground. Reaching upward, she continued, hopeful adrenaline making it easier to ignore the pain.
Claws sliced through the chainlink next to her. Curling inward and around her, the hand snatched her off the fence. Air whizzed past her before the ground knocked the oxygen from her lungs.
Coughing, she rolled onto her knees. Raising her head, she watched the black mech walk towards her, a cruel smile exposing jagged dental plates.
"Did you think that would work?" the Decepticon laughed.
Reaching deep within her, she opened the forge of her soul. Her claws extending, and the beast within her rose to confront the threat. No longer able to run, she reshaped the bones and muscles of her body to meet the monster approaching her.
"That trick does not impress me."
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Barricade checked along his armor, noting the scorch marks and other damage. The Prime's pet packed a nasty sting, but she failed to inflict as much damage as before. The female surprised him when she turned and attacked. She caught him off guard and landed several impressive strikes. Ultimately, her attack proved futile and brief.
Checking on the female, she had not moved, but his scans showed she still functioned. The Decepticon chuckled, genuinely looking forward to the task at hand.
Walking back towards the female, he dropped to his knees. Reaching out, Barricade bumped the female with his hand. "Online." He demanded.
Eyelids fluttered, and the female moaned.
Picking up her communication device, he scrolled through the shortlist of names. Finding the one he wanted, he waited to make contact. Once he opened the comm line, he had less than a breem to finish and clear the area; having no intentions of being found by the Autobots.
Nudging the pet again, he snapped at her. "I said get up.
She stirred. Pushing herself to her elbows, she moaned. A cough racked her body before blood thickened spittle erupted from her mouth. "Fuck you," she wheezed between sharp teeth.
Grabbing her leg, the Decepticon twisted it until the female flipped onto her back with a shriek. Dragging her towards him, he enjoyed watching the pet desperately scrabbling to stop the movement. She would not get away, no matter how much she struggled.
Barricade pushed the send button with his free hand and then immediately dropped the phone near the pet's head. "Your master is going to miss you."
Barricade struck. Plunging a claw into the female's soft abdomen, he twisted his hand and tore sideways.
The organic femme's screams filled the dirty air and the audio processors of Optimus Prime.
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Raw screams echoed through the comm line and into his processor.
Locking in on her phone's signal, The Prime of Cybertron tore out of the parking lot in a squeal of smoking tires. Rage and fear roared through his engine, he needed to reach her, to protect her, to keep her safe.
Another scream shattered the connection and pierced his spark, then Sira whimpered and pleaded, soft, pitiful noises that chilled his energon and damned him to the Pit.
Ignoring traffic laws, Optimus blew through red lights and pushed cars out of his way. Blaring on his horn, he sent pedestrians fleeing from his path. Finally, as the city center rose around him, he mapped a route to Sira. Ignoring the warnings and closed off streets, Optimus crushed the construction blockades, barely feeling them disintegrate on his bumper.
Fishtailing around a corner, he took to the narrower alleyways. Sparks flew as he raked his side mirrors along buildings, leaving a trail of violent gouges in the facades and mortar, a testament to his desperation. Trash cans and dumpsters, flattened by his tires or smashed between his mass and buildings, marked his path.
Panic coated his thoughts with an oily slime, and horrors from millions of years of war chewed at his memories. No stranger to the sounds of torture, he witnessed prisoners brutalized beyond their capacity to cope; survivors left with shattered minds and bodies; casualties of war not found on any roster. Their broken vocals pleading for death, and many of them receiving a swift, merciful end. Sira's organic body would not take much abuse and he pushed himself a little faster. Praying he could get to her in time.
Exiting an alley, Optimus raced along a street parallel to partially demolished buildings. He searched frantically for an opening; the signal from Sira's phone lay just beyond. Rounding a corner, the building gave way to a yard with loading docks. Accelerating, he charged forward. Turning, he drifted sideways into the flimsy barrier, his mass obliterating the chainlink.
He did not have to search for his friend. Sira lay exposed in the middle of the yard. Not caring who witnessed or what traps could await him, Optimus quickly transformed and rushed to the female.
A keening moan escaped his vocal processor; someone made Sira a focal point for a horrific tableau. She lay prone on the bare earth. A length of metal pierced her lithe, feline body and pinned her to the ground. Deep gouges tore open flesh, exposing bone and organs, punishment before the final blow. Blood soaked the earth around her, turning it a dark, angry red. Familiar glyphs were carved into the dirt on either side. "Failure" and "Weak" screamed at him in his own language, proving his inability to protect her. This was not human vengeance.
Dropping to his knees, Optimus scanned the too still body. Her heart still fluttered.
"Sira, I am here. Hold on a little longer," he begged.
Her eyelids fluttered briefly at the sound of his voice. She struggled to focus. The once brilliant orbs now dull, their inner light almost extinguished. He swallowed his pain and rage. The Decepticons would pay for this, but not today.
Sending a ping, he called a nearby Autobot to him. Since Barricade's reappearance, they always traveled in pairs. Today, Bumblebee trailed behind, unseen but present.
"I'm sorry…." Words escaped him, and he couldn't continue. The torrent of emotions within threatened to cloud his thoughts. He had to stay in control and focused, if only for her. He shuttered his optics and steadied himself, ignoring the empty ache in his spark. He had to be the Prime. His personal torment was unimportant.
Optimus felt something deep inside stir and awaken. The always present weight, a constant reminder of who and what he was. It set him apart from all others. It slipped into his consciousness, strengthening his resolve, and feeding him knowledge. He welcomed its influence.
Leaning close to his friend, he asked, "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," she breathed out.
Oh, Primus. Please let this work.
"Sira, come to me. Answer only to my voice and come only to me," he pleaded, hoping that she understood.
Cycling his vents deeply, he reached down and grabbed the piece of rebar. He pulled the offensive length of metal from Sira with one clean, deft movement and threw it aside. The small, agonizing moans she made almost shattered his spark.
His chest armor slid back, revealing his spark chamber, leaving him open and vulnerable. Placing his hands on either side of Sira, he dug into the raw dirt beneath her. Gingerly, trying to move her as little as possible, he noticed the limpness of her body and how limbs bend in places without joints. Bringing her as close as he dared to his exposed spark and the relic that surrounded it, he repeatedly called to her.
Dust and pebbles rained from between his fingers as the tiny heart fluttered erratically. Yet, he continued to call for Sira while letting her body die in his hands.
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Author's Notes: I forgot to mention: In chapter 21, Sira sang "A Horse with No Name" by America.
d8rkforcen1ght7: Thank you. You may reference anything in my writing, actually anyone can reference anything they like. Well, crud, I can't tell you if you are correct or not.
TomRiddlesTwin: Thank you