Disclaimer: Hey guys! Shadow Katakura here with a VERY overdue update. I haven't updated this story since 2019. Wow. Between COVID-19, the loss of family members, and college, I completely lost the will to write. However, I can say that I am finally in the head space to return to FanFiction. I will not promise consistency just yet, but I hope you all bear with me :)
Without further ado, on to the chapter!
"So, there I am on the lookout when out of nowhere these high beams light up my rearview. Then, it hits me. I'm illegally parked!"
I gave an amused hum as I drove beside Cliffjumper. We'd been patrolling another part of Nevada for about an hour now. The mech got bored quickly, and now Arcee and I were on a three-way com-link with him as he told us about his many misadventures in Earth's cities. Some of which we'd heard before, such as this one, but I doubt he cares at this point.
"Another parking ticket?" Arcee drawled.
"Better. The boot," Cliffjumper sounded like he would be smirking if we weren't in vehicle form.
"Big, metal tire clamp. Impossible to remove." I snorted.
"Bingo! So the local police do their thing, and I let 'em get all the way down the block," Cliff continued. "That's when I take off my new, shiny shoe, and BANG!"
"New York's finest soil themselves," Arcee chuckled.
"You two know me. You mess with Cliffjumper," Cliff started.
"And you get the horns," Arcee and I finished in unison.
Cliffjumper let out a hearty laugh. I would have shaken my helm if I was in bipedal form. I sighed. "You know, that doesn't comply with Autobot rule number one. Keep a low profile?"
"Come on boss lady," Cliff scoffed. He gave me the nickname boss lady after nicknaming Optimus as boss bot. "What can I say? Patrolling for energon out here in dullsville gets lonesome. Almost makes them miss the Decepticons."
"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff," Arcee reminded our friend.
"Primus, you make it sound so depressing 'Cee," I cringed internally. Suddenly, both Cliff and I's energon scanners went off. We were close to an energon source.
"Shadow and I are getting a signal," Cliff said in shock.
"Need backup?" Arcee quickly asked.
"Do I ever need backup? Besides, I've got Shadow here with me," Cliff scoffed.
"We'll be fine 'Cee," I assured her. "Who's gonna show? The 'Cons?"
Cliffjumper and I sped up and then swerved off-road to follow the signal. We came to a huge crater and inside were energon crystals. Lots of energon crystals. With our reserves already low, this would be a big help for Team Prime. I couldn't wait to tell Optimus!
"We hit the jackpot, Cliff!" I cheered.
"You bet we did," Cliff laughed.
Our laughter died out when a large shadow was cast overheard. We quickly transformed and looked up. My jaw dropped. In front of us was a sight I thought I wouldn't see again for a long time. We hadn't seen these guys in three years. Now, they were back. The warship called the Nemesis loomed overhead and with it came a sense of doom.
"Decepticons," I breathed. I then noticed one of the ship's guns aiming at us. "Cliff, get down! NOW!"
I reacted faster than Cliff did. I grabbed him and shoved him out of the way of the incoming blaster shot. However, the impact of the shot hitting the ground still threw us into the crater. I grunted as I slammed into one of the large energon crystals.
"Shadow! You okay?" Cliff turned to me with a look of worry.
"I'm fine," I waved him off. But then I glanced in front of us. "We've got bigger problems."
A hoard of the 'Con drones called vehicons landed in front of us. Usually the drones aren't tough opponents, but this was too many to take on without help.
"Arcee," Cliff coughed. "About that backup..."
"I'm gonna call in the team! Hold out until we get there, you two!" Arcee was clearly on the verge of panicking, but I knew she worried about us. Without Nightshade and with her sisters somewhere in another galaxy, the team was all she had.
"We've got you 'Cee," I tried to sound reassuring before the com-link went off.
I dropped into a fighting stance. All we had to do was hold them off until backup arrived. Simple enough, right?
"Fair warning, boys," Cliffjumper threatened. "We'll put a few dings in ya."
We both transformed and sped back up the crater. We used the side of the crater to launch ourselves in the air before transforming and bringing pit down on the drones. I landed on a drone's shoulder and quickly twisted my body. His helm snapped off, and I propelled myself off of his dead frame and onto my next opponent. I deployed my wrist blades and sliced another drone across the chest before kicking him down. I grunted as I was hit from behind, but I ducked and recovered to deploy my blaster and shoot the drone straight in the helm. I whipped my helm around when I heard Cliff yell out in pain before being kicked back down in the crater.
"CLIFFJUMPER!" I screamed. That lapse in focus was all two of the drones needed to double-team me and send me flying right next to him. "Oof! Frag, that hurt!"
I turned to Cliff and gasped when I saw one of his horns had gotten shot knocked off. Needless to say, he was not happy about that.
"You want the horns?! You got 'em," Cliff hissed before opening fire on the vehicons. They soon returned fire.
Apparently, I was the only one with sense here. Energon is highly, highly flammable. As in, we should not be firing blaster shots in the vicinity of these crystals.
"Wait Cliff! You're gonna blow up the ener - AHHH!" I screamed as the energon was ignited behind me and Cliff and I were once again sent flying.
I grunted as I landed on my winglets. Warning signals flashed across my optics. However, I made out that we had gotten thrown behind a large boulder. I groaned as I tried to stand but couldn't. Cliff was leaking energon from his right leg. We were in no shape to fight. I lifted my helm when I heard footsteps coming toward us. I made a split second decision.
I could survive a trip on the Nemesis. Cliff would not.
As Cliff was fading in and out of consciousness, I forced myself to sit up enough to unfold my backplates. I reached inside and hissed as I yanked out my cloaking device. This device would keep Cliff hidden until help arrived. I also put a temporary patch from my subspace on the leak in his leg.
"Shadow," Cliff wheezed. "What ... are you doing?"
"Saving you," I whispered as I slammed the device into his side. In an instant, he was invisible. Cliff tried to speak again, but a hissing noise informed me he'd slipped into stasis mode for the time being. Knowing that he was safe for now, I collapsed from my injuries. A second later, two drones came around the boulder and saw me.
"Where'd he go?!" The drone demanded.
I weakly raised my helm. "Rot in the pit."
I swore as I was roughly grabbed by the two drones. Just as I thought, they didn't suspect Cliff was still laying there. None of them checked to see where he was. I was the prize here. After all, I was the sparkmate of the last Prime, and ... let's not go there just yet.
The drones dragged me onto the landing bay of the Nemesis and into the control room. Warnings were still flashing across my optics, but I forced myself to stay alert. I shut off my side of the sparkbond, so that Optimus wouldn't feel any pain. It was the least I could do. He was about to be in some emotional pain. I was dropped to the floor, and I lifted my helm to see who I was in front of.
"Shadowstalker," Starscream's mouth folded into an evil smirk. "What a surprise."
"Starscream," I greeted with as much venom as I could muster with all my pain receptors ringing. "Where's the big guy? Don't tell me he left you in charge when Soundwave was right there."
The Decepticon second-in-command looked downright murderous. He moved to strike me when a slender hand snaked around his from the shadows. Soundwave, the Decepticon's communication chief, stepped into the light.
"Ah, there you are," I coughed up some more energon. "I knew you were around here somewhere."
"What are you-?!" Starscream, well, screamed.
Soundwave's face screen lit up and a recording played. A voice whom I hadn't heard in three years said, "Shadowstalker is not to be harmed by anyone aboard this ship but me. Is that clear?"
I couldn't help the sarcastic chuckle that escaped me. That fragger was sick. But, that fragger also was the reason Starscream's claws weren't impaled in my chest right now.
"Very well," Starscream conceded begrudgingly. "Take her to the master brig and make sure she doesn't bleed out." He glared at me. "Rest assured, your demise will come soon, Shadowstalker."
I said nothing. I only glared at the seeker. I grunted as I was pulled to my feet by none other than Soundwave himself. He wasn't as rough as the drones, but he wasn't gentle either. I could see the warnings still flashing across my optics. Knowing that I was stuck here until further notice, I let myself slip into stasis.
I was now a Decepticon prisoner.
Optimus Prime was many things.
He was the last Prime. He was a leader. He was stoic, and he knew how to keep a lid on his emotions. However, all of that flew out the window the moment he felt Shadow shut her side of the bond. He then turned into a worried sparkmate who was feeling quite murderous when he landed on his feet after driving out of the ground bridge, blasters blazing. He lowered them when he realized he and his team were the only ones there.
"An untapped energon deposit," He observed.
"What's left of it," Bulkhead, the team Wrecker, shook his helm.
"First Decepticon activity in three years," Ratchet started.
"That we know of," The Prime cut his old friend off. His battle mask slid off of his face. "If they're scouting for energon, they may be preparing for his return."
Arcee and Bumblebee, the team scout, led the way down into the crater to search for signs of their friends. Arcee gasped as she came across Cliffjumper's horn. She held it up for the others to see as she tried to keep from letting her emotions get the best of her.
"Ratchet, can you track their positions?" Optimus demanded.
Ratchet opened up his wrist to reveal his medical scanner. He frowned in confusion and worry. "It says Cliffjumper is still here. His signal is weak, but it's here. Shadow's isn't showing up for some reason."
Optimus' spark dropped. He knew his sparkmate well, and he knew if it came down to it, she would sacrifice herself to save her teammates. But, the bond said she was still alive. So where was she? And where was Cliffjumper?
CLANG!
"Ouch!" Bulk hissed as he jumped back. Everyone turned to him, but he looked absolutely confused. "What the frag? There's nothing here."
Everyone turned to Arcee in surprise as she ran over to where the boulder that Bulkhead was standing next beside. She felt around on the ground before she felt him. She felt what she thought was his arm, so she moved down to his side. Arcee felt a block, and she snatched the cloaking device away to reveal an injured, unconscious Cliffjumper. She stumbled back, and Bumblebee caught the femme before she collapsed from the realization of what had happened there.
"By the Allspark," Ratchet breathed.
"So that means..." Bulkhead started as he glanced at the rest of the team.
"She cloaked him to save him. Shadow's on the Nemesis," Bumblebee's voice cracked as he held onto Arcee.
Optimus was silent. He couldn't speak. He fell to his knees, and his team gathered around him. His sparkmate. His love. His Shadow. She was injured on the ship of the enemy, and he couldn't do anything to save her.
He didn't save her.
I groaned as I slowly opened my optics. I winced as they adjusted to the low lighting of the room. I did a systems overview. My winglet had been repaired, as well as my other injuries. I was still sore as scrap, but I wasn't bleeding anymore, and the pain was bearable to the point that warning signals weren't flashing across my optics anymore. The 'Cons must have picked up a medic during their time away. However, I noticed that my weapons had been disabled, and my arms were chained to the wall I was sitting against. I used my feet to propel myself into a sitting position.
"In retrospect, I really didn't plan this through," I mumbled. "Cliff is so going to owe me and Optimus is going to kill me."
"Ah. You're awake." A voice dryly remarked.
I snapped my helm to the left corner of the room where the voice came from. A figure walked out of the darkness and into the light. The silver mech was tall, and his red optics were slanted into this weird look of malice and adoration. A sick, twisted game that we'd played since this war started. Megatron, the big, bad leader of the Decepticons, stared down at me as if I were a disobedient sparkling. I gave him a cheshire cat grin, full of loathing.
"Hello, uncle dearest."
And that ends this chapter. I debated for a long time whether I wanted to bring in Jack, Miko, Raf, and, surprise, Terra, in this chapter or the next chapter. Since the Darkness Rising arc will be mainly in Shadow's point of view, thus taking place with the Decepticons majority of the time, I decided to set that up in the next chapter when Cliff gets back to base and realizes just what Shadow did to save him :)
Until next time, and hopefully not another three-year break, Shadow out!
