Author's Note: This first chapter was cowritten by myself, Misgel, and Rian Moeru. I'd like to thank Misgel for acting as my story Beta. Also, this story is more like an AU of the original TF Prime series so things will happen out of order from the show. Thank you and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime.

CHAPTER 1

-5 Million Years before Arrival to Earth—

Warmth.

That was the first sensation…

It was wrapped completely around its thick metallic hide. It blanketed and caressed limbs, a strong torso, a serpentine head, and everything else in between like a comforting cocoon.

Then came a strange unidentifiable scent.

Bright golden optics slowly blinked open as self-awareness blazed like a strong current of electricity, sparking thought processes. Its optics hurt. This was the first time that they had ever been opened. Those bright yellow optics opened and closed a few times and the creature's lips pulled back to reveal long, sharp fangs. The confused being was expressing a silent snarl of discomfort.

Its first emotion.

What the creature couldn't understand, was why its vision was so impaired. Everything beyond the tank was fuzzy and blurry. That's when it noticed that it was being confined within a cylindrical glass prison…and the reason for the optic disruption became clear. The creature realized it was floating gently within a strange yellow liquid.

Yellow optics brightened in silent wonder. The liquid…it was the source of that odd scent. How could such a scent be detected if its body was completely submerged in fluid? Then it understood that the liquid had invaded all of its chemoreceptors within its long snout.

A blurred figure came within its eyesight. Though it seemed far away and the image was incredibly fuzzy and barely distinguishable…the creature floating within the tank somehow knew it had stronger and sharper senses than the odd, blurry figure on the other side of the room.

The figure was leaning against something and it walked upright rather than on all fours. What was that thing? What was it doing? Why was it missing two legs? It was a strange color that originally confused the creature but thankfully, its processor decoded and defined the color.

Purple. The strange one was purple.

The Purple-One had its back turned, ignoring the glowing tank behind him. The submerged creature opened its mouth to speak…to get the other being's attention. There was no sound. Only bubbles escaped its maw. It was frustrating to say the least.

Then to the creature's delight, the two-legged thing turned around as if it heard her. The Purple-One slowly ambled over, revealing that it only had one red optic. How could it see where it was going with just one? The single optic seemed to glow a little brighter. It captivated the creature's gaze…it was almost as if the Purple-one was looking into the floating being's spark. Just that lone optical sensor seemed to gleam as it reflected remarkable intelligence, ruthlessness, and a cold lack of empathy.

The Predacon within the tank couldn't entirely smell the Purple-one but for some reason it had a strong feeling that the two-legged being was a male.

His stance upon arrival at the base of the tank suggested other qualities. He held himself tall and proud, suggesting that the Purple-one may very well be an Alpha of some sort. The strange two-legged mech might have appeared intimidating if he wasn't so small. Nevertheless, the incubating creature had a feeling that he was to be respected and obeyed. The creature in the pod opened its maw as though snarling as an even stronger feeling burned within its spark. The beast bared its fangs in warning when the Purple-one placed a servo on the tank.

NO! This wasn't right! She was a fierce and mighty warrior! She was not meant to serve a master. She was a master! An Alpha in her own right!

The Purple being spoke in a strange language foreign to her audios. She canted her head in confusion and felt frustrated that he could not be understood. There was no emotion in his voice. And yet…strangely enough the meaning of his words became clear within her life-spark—like someone who was unseen had translated them for her.

"It's not yet time," he gently stroked the glass, "You must grow. Only then can you take flight, my Predacon."

Suddenly the temperature in her tank became a little warmer and pushed her further towards the realm of dreams. A heavy sleepiness not her own descended upon her. Yellow optics gently shuttered closed and the last sensation she felt…was her body coiling gently.

-120 Years Later-

The Predacon femme was unsure how long she'd been in that fluid-filled tank. Awakening had been very difficult. The warmth she'd grown so accustomed to, began to drain away beneath her. A cold chill caressed her body and it merely served to worsen her already foul mood. She did not want to leave her cozy, confining space. It was warm and safe. Not to mention she'd been allowed to slumber for as long as she'd liked…at least it felt that way. Now she was angry that she was no longer allowed to dictate her own recharge cycles.

After the yellow liquid drained away, the tank hissed open to allow her passage into the outside world, beyond the small confines of the only home she'd ever known. She took one hesitant step forwards and snarled down at her shaking legs that threatened to give out on her. Legs she'd never used until now…

The Purple-one who claimed to be her creator was standing nearby…watching her intently. She seethed internally when her knees buckled, sending her crashing down on all fours. She screeched in fury and then rested her head upon her forelegs, feeling completely humiliated. She couldn't even walk without appearing like a complete failure! She bared her teeth and growled deeply, optics and nostrils flaring in rage. She was a mighty huntress! Her first impression made her feel like a hatchling! A HATCHLING!

Her creator's scent grew stronger as he cautiously approached. She snapped her head in his direction and growled out a clear warning. Her back-plating bristled as he continued to approach. As he neared, he raised an outstretched hand as though he wished to touch her. With narrowed optics, she hissed at him and slowly backed away, clearly with distrust.

Then the emotionless, monotonous voice returned, only it sounded mildly gentler and was much clearer now that fluid no longer obstructed her audial receptors.

"I am Shockwave. I created you. You have no need to fear me."

Her optics followed his every move and she watched warily as he brought his hand up to touch her thick, metal hide. All he did was pat her…

"You are not a failure. You are my first success. The firstborn of many more yet to come," he spoke deeply as he began to run his fingers across the horns on her head.

She didn't want to admit it…but his touch soothed her and the last of her anger abated. She turned her head to look at him and grunted as if she didn't believe him.

"As any new-spark…you must learn the essentials. I will not do the work for you. You must learn to walk on your own," he stated impassively. He stepped aside to give her room to stand.

She struggled to stand again, and succeeded for a few minutes, before collapsing again. It was her second failure! She raised her head towards the ceiling and roared in distress. She was too angry to look at him and snapped her jaws towards the wall instead. It truly surprised her when she felt a hand gently scratching the crown of her head. She jerked her head up and lifted her lip components to bare her fangs at him.

When he said nothing and gave no indication of what he might be thinking or feeling…her optics flashed an apology and she released a small, pitiful croon. She lowered her head in shame, feeling unworthy to receive attention from him. Then as if reading her mind, he attempted to drag her out of her well of self-pity.

"I do not expect you to immediately succeed. Just don't do anything foolish to inadvertently harm yourself. You are to follow any commands I give you. If you rebel, you will be severely punished," he warned coldly.

After two more attempts, her legs were finally strong enough to support her. Carefully, she began to walk on all fours, though she couldn't help but look down at her clawed paws to ensure she didn't accidentally trip over herself. Steadily she could feel strength returning. It coursed throughout her entire body!

Her creator, Shockwave…ordered her to follow him.

She trotted happily after him and was pleased when he brought her into a massive underground arena of sorts. Shockwave designed it specifically with the Predacons in mind. It was a safe place where he could record observations and complete his experiments without having to worry about a Predacon destroying his lab. He went and stood within the arena's upper observation room and began to give her instructions via the overhead intercom.

The female Predacon soon went from walking to running. She let out a mighty, victorious roar as she accomplished and mastered skills in minutes, everything that a sparkling or a hatchling learned in centuries. During a run, she tripped over something she couldn't see. Her tail tried to balance her out to prevent a fall, but it wasn't enough. That's when she discovered something truly remarkable. Two golden wings unfurled from around her body and they instinctively snapped open to regain her balance.

Totally amazed that she possessed such an astonishing marvel, she tried to crane her head around to get a better look at them. It was difficult despite the fact she had a long neck since she was still getting acclimated to her new body. All that she succeeded in doing…was to run in circles, chasing her long tail.

She didn't know it but she was the spitting image of what the outline of a common dragon looked like in ancient human lore. Her base color was a dark, midnight black. Various parts of her structural anatomy were accented with bold, white outlines. Her wings, the tip of her long tail, the small crown of horns adorning her head, were a bright, blazing gold. The golden metal even ran from her forehead down to her snout, where it stopped at the tip of her muzzle.

Having failed at one simple task, a soft growl rumbled powerfully through her chest as her ire mounted. She'd caught a glimpse of herself at least. Her plating bristled when she heard the heavy footfalls of Shockwave behind her. She turned around and sat on her haunches, gazing at him expectantly.

"You have done well. You will soon be ready for your first test."

Shockwave reached his hand out and ran it softly down her snout. Her bright, golden optics widened considerably at such an unforeseen action.

Something was buried deep within her spark…knowledge. Memory. It was there but out of reach. Like an ancient song that had been forgotten, it whispered only partial lyrics. Words she felt she knew and should remember, but whose meanings slipped through her claws all the same. The harmony itself was fragmented. Although as time began to progress since her awakening, the song flowed and the rhythm beat in perfect unison with her spark.

Over time she began to feel disgraced. With her master's every touch, it made her feel less like an intelligent being and more like an animal. Even though he was her creator, he was still just a stranger! Only a mate or a trusted clan member were ever permitted to initiate this form of contact.

She felt confused. If Shockwave was her master and her creator…did that make it okay for him to touch her like this? Was it his right even though he was not a Predacon?

Whenever she did something that pleased Shockwave, generally when it came to perfecting a mission he'd send her out on…he would stroke and scratch the underside of her jaw near the base of her neck. She was both humiliated and ashamed when she couldn't stop herself from purring. She leant into her master's touch. When it seemed he was about to pull his hand away, she crooned and raised her head slightly to expose her neckline and lower jaw. Surprisingly her master almost always obliged her silent request and continued to pet her. Her optics closed and a small shiver jolted through her body as another purr was released. She nuzzled him and crooned with delight and savored the pleasant sensation.

Shockwave would then return to his computer terminal and update his notes. A video log was also included with her file.

The young, female Predacon returned to her designated corner and curled up on the floor. She drowned in shame and felt that she'd damned herself in dishonor. After Shockwave left his lab to meet with his associates, energon coolant leaked from the corners of her optical sensors to splash soundlessly on the floor. Despite the fact it felt like someone was singing to her within her spark, telling her it wasn't her fault…that she was never meant to have been subjected to these two-legged Cybertronians, the ones that were not her kind…did nothing to ease her pain.

She rested her head upon her forelegs. Her normally bright yellow optics dimmed. She keened softly to herself in distress. Rather than a mighty hunter…she'd become a PET. It was degrading…and she began to wish that she'd never awoken from her peaceful slumber within that pod.

-4 Million Years Later-

Shockwave was very pleased so far with the Predacon's progress. He pitted her in an arena against Autobot captives. Megatron and his highest ranking officers attended the event. The Autobots were allowed to choose from a selection of weapons in which to defend themselves against the Predacon. Proto-blasters, shock-rods, electro-staffs, and melee weapons forged from the strongest Cybertronian alloy. All in perfect, working condition. Megatron promised the captives that if they survived—he would set them free.

Of course none survived…

The Decepticon scientist trained his first Predacon subject, sometimes brutally until she mastered whatever skills she was required to possess. In the beginning she was defiant and did not do well following his commands. An extended length of torture and pain put the Predacon back in line until she finally submitted and accepted him as her Alpha. Her metallic hide became stronger and more impenetrable as she aged, making her a nearly indestructible weapon.

Shockwave had yet to finish cloning a male of her species and was eager to begin the testing. He wanted to compare notes regarding both male and female. Shockwave logically assumed that the males were bound to be far more aggressive and domineering than the females. Of course he still needed to test that theory…

Since the male had begun the latter stages of incubating, he decided to introduce the female to the male's cloning pod where he remained in stasis. All the while, he studied every behavior and temperament, never ceasing to note and log everything within his data module.

As soon as the female Predacon spotted the male, curled up within his pod, looking quite reminiscent to a hatchling…maternal instincts kicked in since the male appeared to be smaller in size. Of course, she had no idea that the male Predacon in front of her was going to be at least twice her size once fully matured and released from his cloning vat.

She gently bumped her snout against the glass directly in front of the other Predacon's face as though to see if he was in fact, okay. She crooned at him.

To Shockwave's amazement, the male briefly opened his yellow optics to meet the protective gaze of the female, with only two inches of glass separating them.

She couldn't understand why she was so protective. Clearly he wasn't truly a hatchling since his body was starting to display all natural signs of full maturity. This Predacon was going to be an adult…like her. Perhaps she was feeling protective of him because the male was currently helpless, defenseless, and weak…locked in a damnable pod like she had been. She felt a sense of kinship with him. It wasn't just because he was the first and only other Predacon she'd ever seen…there was a sense of recognition between them, one she could not explain.

Her sharp olfactory sensors were able to faintly detect the male's scent. There was something about him…it smelled... familiar. It was as though she'd known him all of her life and yet could not recall a fragment of memory regarding such a fancy.

The male softly bumped his head against the glass in response, much to her dismay. In reflex, she licked the cloning pod, directly over the male's reflection. Did the master create him to be her mate?

A soft, deep rumbling sound began to emanate from within the confines of the cloning pod. It took a moment for Shockwave and the female Predacon to realize what it was: The male was purring. He nuzzled the glass as though attempting to caress her face. His maw partially opened to reveal parted mandibles that seemed to shiver in response to the female's soft crooning.

Shockwave frowned.

He did not intend for the male and female to pair. They were created to serve Lord Megatron. The two would not be able to perform their duties or follow simple commands if they remained together. They would be far too distracted and if they possessed emotion on a sentient level…their missions would be compromised—especially if one or both of them were wounded on the battlefield. The Predacons were meant to be weapons...used solely against their hated foes, the Autobots. It was Megatron's command. Shockwave could not exploit their savagery and might, if the two chose each other as bondsmates.

It was time to separate them.

Forever…

"Predacon! Return to me at once."

She either didn't hear his command or simply chose to ignore it.

"I will not command you a second time."

The female turned her neck around with narrowed optics and hissed at him. Then she returned to her silent vigil, watching over the slumbering male as he continued to float innocently within his cloning tube.

Shockwave activated an energon staff and watched as it surged with raw electricity.

"This is your last chance. Obey."

The Predacon femme turned around to face her master and reared up on both of her hind legs. Her beautiful golden wings shimmered in the yellow glow behind her. She completely concealed the male from Shockwave's view.

"Very well. You bring pain only to yourself," Shockwave nearly growled.

The female flapped her large wings to gain enough altitude, thankful there was just enough space for what she intended to do. With a furious roar, she folded her wings in and impacted the ground with all fours and created a quake effect. The impact tremor knocked Shockwave off of his feet, eliciting a Cybertronian curse from the mech.

She crouched down protectively in front of the cloning pod and snarled, baring her sharp fangs. It was clear to Shockwave that the reason behind the female's domineering aggression, was because she'd already considered the male to be her future mate.

Now that was a problem…

Shockwave threw down the staff after deactivating it. A simple punishment for her disobedience was not going to solve this dilemma. He would have to devise a more lasting solution. Once the Predacon turned her back on him to resume her protective watch of the incubating male, Shockwave calmly and quietly loaded three special rounds of ammunition in a rifle of his own design. The tranquilizers were still experimental and had yet to be tested.

As any true scientist, he had already documented and measured the correct dosages for the serum in accordance to the Predacon's weight and overall body mass. His logical mind was devoid of the shadow of a doubt that the female would be forced into stasis within the first two and a half nano-seconds...and yet, there was a part of him that truly desired to see his creation rise above expectations.

With a sharp, calculating mind, he aimed the weapon at the female Predacon's exposed haunches and slid his index finger over the trigger guard. With one deft movement, he switched off the safety and lined up the perfect shot as he eyed his target down the length of the barrel. He squeezed the trigger without any hesitation, the resounding 'ZING' of the first projectile firing from the ammunition chamber, alerted the female Predacon to approaching danger.

Shockwave observed her behavior with one cold, analyzing, crimson optic. Her head snapped up when she heard the sharp whistle of the approaching tranquilizer. She managed to partially turn, whipping around to snarl in his direction as her body instinctively dropped into a defensive crouch with bristling plates. It was in vain, for the tranquilizer, pierced her hide...sinking deep enough into an energon line to release the sedatives directly into her energon-stream.

The Predacon collapsed to the ground with a faint groan, already deep in stasis. It only took half a nano-second, if that, to force her into stasis.

How disappointing...

Shockwave gently set the rifle down on a nearby counter-top and slowly approached the slumbering beast. He gazed down at her, seemingly devoid of all emotion. He had hoped it would have taken more than one round to put her under. Perhaps she wasn't as strong as he'd first believed…

When it came to serving under Lord Megatron, any sign of weakness almost always proved fatal. To the leader of the Decepticons, only the strong survived. It was time to put his Predacon through one final test. Should she prove her worth, Project Predacon would continue. If not, she would be solely responsible...for the extinction of her entire race.

The Predacon flickered her optics online, only to see darkness. Her body felt heavy, sluggish. Her limbs hardly moved to her will, and a fog filled her processor. Coding drifted aimlessly. It was hard to finish one thought without jumping to the next. Only one thought cut through the distorted data: where was her mate?!

The femme lifted her helm, snapping her neck back and forth, trying to find the male in the incubating pod. She only found she was alone. And it was dark. So dark!

It took time for her to move her body. Longer, to find any purchase on her trembling legs. She felt the scrambled data of her processor struggle to form lines of code, but it was a slow progress, inhibiting her from thinking clearly. However, she determined she was in a small room, just barely big enough for her to pace its length, but no more. She could not even unfurl her broad wings to their full length.

There was no door, no exit. She was trapped. The Predacon traced the walls over and over, trying to find the slightest flaw. She tore at them with her claws, pounded them with her tail, blasted them with her freezing breath. It only left scratches, dents, and puddles of melted ice.

The femme began to roar, over and over and over again, until her vocalizer became staticky with strain. Something must hear her? He had to hear her?

There was no energon, no fuel. None came, no matter how long she waited. The Predacon did not know how long time had passed. It was impossible to tell time in the darkness of the confining cell.

It became a boring cycle, then. Wake, pace, and ache for energon. She would recharge when none came. Only to wake and repeat the process all over again.

During one recharge cycle...she began to dream.

-Dream-

She felt pride swell within her chest as she watched her little one spread his wings for the first time. The female nuzzled her hatchling with the tip of her long snout and gave him an encouraging push towards the ledge of a cliff face. The young male whimpered as he saw just how high up they were. A vertical drop greeted his sharp optics and he released a shrill screech. Backing away quickly on all fours, the young Predacon shook his head with a low whine.

The female Predacon was patient and had she been in bipedal form, she would have laughed. Instead, all she could manage was a soft snort of amusement as she took one paw and struggled to push the little one back towards the cliff edge. It was time for him to learn how to fly.

Her son was quite stubborn...his tiny claws scrabbled madly for purchase upon the rough metallic terrain of their planet. He fought her, his plating bristling like an angry kitten. He hissed in defiance as his claws burrowed further into the ground, making it far more difficult for his mother to gently push him forward. He snarled angrily when he was once again returned to his original spot at the cliff's edge. He began to quake from fear and his wings were quickly tucked in.

A warning growl escaped the female Predacon and her own plating began to bristle as she shot the hatchling an annoyed glare. If he did not learn the ways of flight, he would become easy prey. He would be targeted by the hunters of enemy clans. She knew in her spark that she would not be able to protect or defend her young one forever… Even though she was the leader of her clan, not even her power would be enough to save him should the worst befall them in the future.

-End Dream-

She woke up with a startled grunt. The dreams continued throughout the cycles, each one becoming clearer than the last. They were more than dreams…they were memories of a time long past. In one dream...she remembered her name. In another, she learned the identity of her hatchling's sire. Her past mate looked exactly like the male in Shockwave's cloning pod. The only difference...was that in her dreams, there were two that looked nearly identical with the exception of their colored plating. Twin brothers. One was her son's uncle and the other his father. Past memories soon began to blur with the present as her life-force weakened whilst her imprisonment continued.

It was becoming harder to move again. It started as an ache, in her tanks, only to spread through her body from her snout to her tail. She awoke once, only to find she was unable to lift her legs. Many hours she had to fight off the overpowering code within her processor that tried time and time again to force her into emergency stasis lock from energon deprivation.

Just when the Predacon lost all hope that she would ever escape her imprisonment alive...the cell door finally opened, permitting a blinding beam of artificial lighting to sear through her optical sensors, setting them on the fritz and causing mild pain. Once her systems adjusted to the new lighting, she was stunned to see the form of her creator standing in the doorway. In his hands, he carried a large energon cube.

The red stasis lock warnings kept flashing across her vision. She tried to speak, but her vocalizer had shut off a long time ago and her jaw was locked in place. Only a weird, high-pitched sound came out. There was a croon above her, and deft fingers stroked her horns from base to tip. The Predacon wanted the touch to go away, not wanting to admit how reassuring it felt.

Shockwave had not forgotten her.

Suddenly the fingers around her horns moved to the edge of her mouth. Carefully, gently, they pried her clamped jaws apart. The scientist then helped her to drink the life sustaining fluid. At one point he had to pull the container away because she began to guzzle too fast. It was difficult to swallow...and more than once, Shockwave had to massage her throat to help coax the energon down.

She felt her strength returning as the life-saving fuel spread throughout her entire body. Once she was strong enough to stand on all fours, he led her out of the confining cell that had nearly been her tomb. She curiously followed him through a maze of unfamiliar corridors. No longer did she recognize her surroundings. The Predacon was stunned when he led her outside to the surface.

Her head turned to regard her master when he began to speak.

"I have a very important mission for you. To the southeast, is an encampment of Autobot insurgents. They plan to attack and destroy my laboratory. You must eradicate them at any cost. Do not return to me until your mission is complete," he ordered sternly.

The Predacon femme roared and unfurled her wings. With a mighty leap and a strong flap of her wings, she became airborne.

At last! She had some form of freedom! And a mission, when was the last time her master entrusted her with something so important?

After she gained enough altitude, she banked to the right and leveled out her body as she began a southeastern heading.

Dusk had fallen, bringing dark shadows upon the world. Being careful to remain out of scanner range, a skill her master had taught her mere decades ago, she circled once around the camp to look for any devious traps the Autobots might have placed around their perimeter. With a deep growl building in her throat, her optical sensors narrowed when she noticed one very important detail.

She was greatly outnumbered. The Autobots were far more numerous than Shockwave believed. The odds were against her, 3-to-1. Shaking her head with a soft snort, she began to dive towards their camp. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the completion of her mission.

Keeping to the stealth of night, she hoped her first attack would not immediately sound the alarm. She felt the buildup of liquid nitrogen from within her holding tanks, and once it traveled up her throat, she let loose a stream of cold fluid that froze the Autobot soldiers below on contact. About ten of them were hit with her first strafe. She couldn't hold back a roar of victory and pumped her wings again to gain altitude. Out of the corner of her optical sensors, she hissed when she saw an Autobot survivor from her first assault, limp towards the siren panel.

With another blast of her ice breath, the panel was immediately covered in liquid nitrogen, preventing the Autobot from sounding the alarm. He began to scream when she dove right for him with claws outstretched and fangs bared, with the intention of ripping him apart.

Suddenly without warning, her hide was pelted by a maelstrom of small-arms fire. It didn't do much damage but the ammunition once introduced to her strong metal hide, did sting quite a bit. Forced to bank left to avoid a rocket that would have hit her at point-blank range, to her horror, the odds against her nearly tripled when more Autobot soldiers began emerging from hidden passageways beneath the camp. Now she was facing an entire army. The odds swiftly changed from 5-to-1.

With a furious roar she performed amazing aerial feats that would make the Decepticon seeker armada jealous. Not long after the other Autobots emerged, anti-air turrets began firing sizzling hot plasma rounds at her. She was able to dodge most of them but it soon became apparent that she no longer had the advantage of flight. With a mighty roar, she tucked her wings in and performed a nose-dive. At the last second, her wings unfurled, slowing her momentum and she impacted the ground on all fours.

Just as she'd done within the confines of Shockwave's lab, her secondary power created an earthquake effect that knocked down most of her opponents. Before she could spew another bout of ice at her enemies, something heinous struck her hide. It seared and scorched her plating, ripping an agonizing scream from her throat. Something small and round landed next to her feet and her optical sensors widened in alarm.

Using her tail, she flicked the grenade back towards the Autobot soldier who had lobbed it and grunted in satisfaction when it killed her foe.

Her plating bristled and she hissed in warning when she soon became surrounded by dozens of Autobots. They peppered her already abused hide with weapons set on their highest settings, forcing her on the defensive. She used her golden wings to block some of the incoming fire but was unable to avoid getting struck by fragmentation grenades. Sharp jagged pieces of metal, ripped through her mesh, eliciting another pained roar. She began to feel something warm and wet running down her side.

Energon. They finally managed to succeed where all of those Autobot captives failed. She was no longer indestructible...

With growing dread, the Predacon femme soon began to realize...that the mission Shockwave had sent her on, was a suicide mission.

He wasn't expecting her to return alive…

A strong survival instinct burned within her spark and she attempted to leap into the air but was beset upon by heavy, long-range gun emplacements. She roared in agony and spat liquid nitrogen at the nearest squadron of Autobot troops. They froze in seconds. Seeing her opening, she charged straight through them, ignoring the tiny fragments that the frozen mechs had become. With a pained cry, she managed to run clear of the Autobot camp. She didn't stop running until she was out of range of their damnable weapons.

Warnings flashed in her HUD alerting her to the severity of her wounds. She was bleeding out and if she wasn't patched up in time, death was sure to follow. Growing weak from energon loss, she began to limp.

She knew she was not supposed to return to her master until she had completed her mission...but 5-to-1 odds just wasn't fair! He would understand why she was forced to flee, wouldn't he? He came to revive her after locking her away in that prison cell...so he must care about her to some degree. He would fix her and give her a second chance, right?

Snorting softly to herself as the hours ticked slowly by, she became doubtful as time wore on. Soon she could see the outline of her master's hidden entrance in the distance. Only the keen optical sensors of a Predacon could see from dozens of miles away. She froze mid-step however when a thought occurred to her. Partially turning around she saw that she'd leaked an energon trail….one that the Autobots could easily follow.

Fear began to pound viscously through her spark as a dawning realization hit her. She couldn't return to her master's abode. If the Autobots did follow, they would discover Shockwave's lab and destroy it. Frankly, the female Pred didn't care about the lab or even her master. What mattered most, was the innocent male Predacon still within his cloning pod.

A strong desire to protect him filled her spark as did another emotion...one she remembered feeling once in another lifetime. Love. She loved him. She couldn't explain how or why but she did. And she would be damned if she endangered him on her own account.

Turning away from the direction that would have taken her to the only home she'd ever known, she limped through a small portion of the sea of rust and made it into the confined ruins of a war-torn and abandoned city.

After finding a small alcove, created by an overhanging piece of rubble, she crawled inside and coiled her tail around her body. She tucked her wings in and crooned as a terrible pain began to gnaw away at her spark. The red warnings increased, and she soon became annoyed seeing so many lines of code flashing across her vision. YES, she knew she was dying! She didn't need a minute-by-minute update!

She closed her optical sensors with a pained groan, all the while wondering, if she'd ever open them again.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note: Do you like it, hate it? Please review! :D