1st : There's angst. Just because I was in a angsty writing mood and it got put into this fic.
2nd : These ###### mean that a flashback is commencing/ending.
3rd : Did you know that spellcheck tries to change 'Dinobot' into 'Dingbat'? Sorry. Thought I'd share that. *hehe*
4th : Came to my attention that technically if I'm writing in the timeline just before Dinobot's death, that I'm missing Silverbolt. Assume he's on some long-winded mission throughout the fic, okay? *sheepish grin*
Comprende?
Bueno. Go read. And review!!
Awakenings
and near-homicidal incidents
Deep in the bowels of the Maximal ship, a form stirred, braided ponytails half-undone as the female slowly lifted her head from the metal floor. It had been pure precaution and good thinking by Zelgadis to put the Clone in one of the brigs. Locking her up meant that none of them would have to worry about her waking up and wandering around the ship. However, they hadn't taken into consideration the fact that as the original Telca's clone, this copy might just have some of Telca's... less 'endearing' qualities.
"....hello? Hello?" Telcatwo sat up and tugged her pink and white dress back into place, taking a moment to fix the neon pink clips in her hair before looking around at the rather uninviting room she was locked in, then at the open door that was blocked by numerous laser beams. "HELLO!! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!!?!"
~*~
Lashana blinked and looked around. "Did anyone else hear that?"
Dinobot and Rattrap momentarily forgot about their sudden urge to kill her and frowned for a moment, both of them straining to hear what had caught the Elf's attention.
"I cannot detect anything," the raptor announced, looking at Lashana curiously. "Are you certain that you're not going senile?"
"Hardy fuckin' har har," she snarled, sending him a scathing glare. "I am so incredibly not hearing things!"
"Eh, as much as I hate to admit it, the pointy-eared's right," Rattrap sighed, ignoring the glare she sent at him in response to the nickname. "The clone's making noise."
"Oh Gods... it's awake?!" Duncan yelped, tightening his hold on his katana. "I thought it was supposed to be out of it for ten hours!"
"It was!" she groaned. "But if she's a clone of Telca then it stands to reason that she has the same ability to shake off spells that Telca has."
~Lovely. So what do we do now?~
Lashana smirked evilly and looked at Rattrap and Dinobot. "We elect babysitters while the rest of us go talisman hunting."
"My place is on the battlefield. If you think that I am going to stay behind and watch over that abomination--mrft!" The last was due to the fact that Optimus had just literally clamped the raptor's snout shut.
"I doubt she can cause any real trouble. As far as we've seen, she can't weave any magicks like you can," the Maximal Commander pointed out, looking at Lashana patiently. "We can leave her here unguarded."
~I don't think that's a good idea. She's a Clone of Telca. You don't know how.... inventive Telca can get when she's backed into a corner. I don't think we should risk triggering those same traits in the Clone,~ Mewtwo said softly, glancing over at Lashana for support. ~We've never actually dealt with something like this before. There's no telling what was passed on from original to clone.~
"I have to agree with Mewtwo. Not that I have any clue about how magicks work, but if the original Telca possessed magicks like you said, then there's a chance that the Clone might have inherited the same skills," Rhinox told them, seeing Lashana nod slightly in agreement.
"Point. And considering what Telca's capable of, I really do not want to find out if the Clone's capable of weaving any sort of spell...." she trailed off and folded her arms over her chest, staring down at one of the jewelled talisman bracelets she was wearing. "I could try to put a sleep spell on her, but I don't know what it'll do."
"What do you mean? I thought you said you were a sorceress," Cheetor frowned.
"I am. But I specialize in Shamanistic and Black Magicks. Being adept in the Black arts means that I'm incapable of weaving any White Magick spells. Which means we need Zel and since he's not here..." She paused a moment, then looked at Mewtwo. "Can't you just Psyburn her into unconsciousness?"
~Not unless you want her brain to turn into mush.~
"Sure."
"Lashana!"
She rolled her eyes at Optimus' outraged cry. "Oh, fine. Then you figure out what the hell to do with her!" That said, she snatched her backpack off the floor, grabbed Mewtwo's arm and dragged him towards the lift, pausing to grab Duncan's shirt collar along the way. "We're going talisman hunting."
"Slag." Optimus muttered, releasing a struggling Dinobot with a resigned sigh. "Take Cheetor and Rattrap and go with them. At the very least keep her from destroying another large part of the planet!"
~*~
"Um, do we have any idea where Zel went?" Duncan asked as the trio trekked towards the distant Pred ship.
~None. Does it matter? He'll come back whenever his need for caffeine overrides his fear of Lashana.~
"Y'know, I'm really starting to resent how you say that."
~Uh... sorry?~
"No you're not."
~True. But what are you going to do about i-- ACK! Get that thought out of your head!!~
"Hehe."
Duncan rolled his eyes at their antics, sending Mewtwo a sympathetic look afterwards. "Lashana. That was cruel."
"Yet oddly entertaining."
Lashana paused in mid-step and glanced back over her shoulder, eyeing the three beast-moded followers curiously before letting her gaze fall on Dinobot. "What do you think you're doing?"
"We're supposed ta watch over you," Rattrap grumbled sourly. "Optimus doesn't want you to blow up another piece of the landscape."
"Hmpft." Never in my life have I seen something so ridiculous as a transmetal rat with wheels.
"Besides, you can't go up against the Preds on your own," Cheetor pointed out as he padded over to him. sleek transmetal hide catching the waning light of the moon. "You'll need backup."
She sighed heavily and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache starting to throb at the edges of her mind. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"No."
~Lashana?~ Mewtwo walked in front of her and rested a hand on her left shoulder, looking down at her worriedly as he switched to what she called a 'private bandwidth', keeping the others from eves dropping. ~Are you alright?~
"M'fine. Let's just get this over with. I want to go home," she murmured, pulling away and turning to continue walking towards the lava wasteland. "I need a shower and a good cup of coffee."
"You and me both," Duncan sighed, moving to walk by her side and falling silent for a moment before speaking up again. "What's the plan?"
"When I think of one, you'll be the first to know."
"By the Pit! I'm following a child into battle...." Dinobot snarled, teeth fully bared as he darted forward and stood directly in front of the Elf, forcing her to pay attention to him. "This is absurd! We do not even know where that idiotic talisman is! Do you expect us to simply wander around enemy territory until we stumble upon it?!"
Lashana gritted her teeth, hands fisting at her sides. "Dinobot, get out of my way."
Duncan, being the closest to her, saw the signs first, and quickly backed away from the Elf, signalling to Mewtwo and the others to keep their distance as Lashana's eyes narrowed.
"You're not only a hybrid child with no experience, you're a complete fool! This madness must end! Return to the Axalon. Those of us who actually know what we are doing will devise a proper battle strategy and--"
"Oh sheee-yit," Rattrap breathed as an aura of rage flickered to life around Lashana. He swallowed thickly and glanced at Cheetor. "Kiddo, I think we're about to lose Chopperface."
~Dinobot! Back away!!~ Mewtwo yelled, not daring to approach in case Lashana snapped. ~Don't just stand there you idiot! Run!~
The raptor's eyes widened at the sight before him, and he found himself unconsciously obeying the yelled orders, warily backing away from the Elf in front of him as the talismans she was wearing began glowing brightly. Her head was lowered, the clip that had been holding her hair up now lying forgotten on the ground next to her right foot, letting her hair fly wildly in the wind that her aura was stirring up. All in all he was glad her bangs were currently hiding her eyes, he didn't think he wanted to see the expression in them at the moment.
Lashana growled loudly, trembling with anger. If it was one thing that she hated being called, it was being called a 'hybrid' or a 'half-blood'. It was the only true thing she was ashamed of. And when it was spat out at her as if she was useless because of it, someone usually ended up paying for it. With interest.
~Oh I'm going to get myself killed.... You three, stay here!~ Not waiting for any protests - not that he expected any - Mewtwo ran forward and planted himself between Dinobot and Lashana, unnerved by what he was sensing from her. ~....'Shana? Lashana, calm down. You have to save your energy remember? So we can get the talisman and go home? Lashana, please!~
"Get out of the way, 'Two. This is personal."
He shivered at the cold whisper, but didn't back down. Instead, he lightly probed the edges of her mind, easily evading getting caught up in her rage as he delved into her subconscious, eyes widening when he realised what had angered her. Startled, he whirled on Dinobot, meeting the raptor's gaze. ~Apologise to her! Now!~
"What?! You can't be serious!"
~I'm as deadly serious as she is!~ the pokemon yelled as he rose a barrier to restrain Lashana. Figuring that this was one of those desperate times that called for desperate measures, he reached out and lay one hand on Lashana's forehead, and the other on Dinobots. ~You're about to get a crash course in emotional torment.~
"What are you--?!"
#############
Loneliness.
A young Elven boy looked up from playing tag with his friends, blinking at the young white-haired girl that was sitting under a willow tree, idly playing with a picked flower. "Hey! Lookit her! Her ears aren't right! And what's wrong with her hair?"
An older boy turned and followed the younger's gaze, sneering in disgust. "She's a half-blood, Kel. Ain't you never seen one?"
"What's a 'half-blood'?"
"They're absolutely worthless. They're not like us. She's got human blood in her. Hey!! Get away from there you freak!" The older hefted a rock and threw it, startling the girl as the projectile hit her shoulder. "You'll pollute the tree's aura!"
Sadness.
"Mommy? What's that?"
The Human woman turned, staring at the teenager that was looking through the bookshelves. "It's just a filthy half-blood, dear. Just ignore it. It'll go away."
PAIN
"W-what do you mean I can't enrol here? It's a college isn't it? Aren't you here to teach?"
"Oh, we are a college, miss Inferno. But I suspect that the college in Gladsfront would be more... beneficial to you."
"You're kidding right? That's not a college, it's a ward for the..." A pause. "...for the rehabilitation of...."
"The mentally challenged. Yes. Your kind, while not welcome here, would find that institution rather useful I would think." The Dean smiled cruelly. "Now if you'd kindly vacate the premises, I have actual people that I have to speak to today."
############
Dinobot jerked, breaking contact with Mewtwo and the visions that were forcing their way into his mind. "What the slag did you do to me?!"
~I did nothing. You seemed to need a first hand explanation of why you're acting like a complete bastard, so I let you see some of Lashana's memories,~ Mewtwo said, telepathically keeping Lashana from realising what he had just done.
"....memories?"
~You stumbled right into an emotional hornets nest,~ the pokemon told him, turning to look at the Elf once again, ignoring the danger as he reached out and rested his fingers on her temples, gently easing himself into her mind. ~Lashana...~
"What.... what just happened?" Rattrap muttered as the Elf's aura suddenly vanished, enabling Mewtwo to pull the girl into his arms.
"You're asking the wrong 'bot," Cheetor answered, more confused than ever.
Duncan heaved a sigh of relief. "Whatever it was....I think it's over." Even so, he moved cautiously as he approached the other trio, watching Lashana for any signs of danger as he got well within reach of her. "Is she okay?"
~I don't-- ~
"I'm fine," Lashana whispered as she pulled out of Mewtwo's arms, backing away from him and forcing a smile. "Just lost my temper is all. You know me!"
~Lashana....~
"I'm fine. Stop worrying so much 'Two, your fur will turn grey!" she teased, tucking her hair behind her ears as she grinned. "What are you all standing around here for? I thought y'all wanted to find that talisman!"
Duncan blinked, staring after the Elf that was now striding purposefully towards Pred territory. "Uh..."
"What the slag was that?!" Rattrap asked the question that was now on everyone's minds.
~That was her ignoring what just happened.~
"Oh." Cheetor looked from the group to the Elf. "....she needs acting lessons."
~*~
"And I thought this place looked bad from the air. It's even worse up close!" Duncan gagged, covering his nose and mouth with a hand to keep himself from inhaling the smoke and who knew what else that was coming from the numerous lava pits littering the landscape in front of them. The group was standing at the edge of a two meter high cliff that overlooked the Pred territory, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he'd soon find out if he could heal from lava burns.
"And yet it doesn't bother me as much as the smell of
Xellos' room. Go figure." Lashana stepped up onto a slanted rock and carefully
slid down it onto lower ground, wrinkling her nose at the smell of sulphur.
"Ugh.... 'Two? You remember where you bumped into me?"
~Yes. It's about two hundred meters ahead.~
She looked at the treacherous ground again and groaned. "Greaaat. Well c'mon, let's get this over with."
"Wait." Dinobot slid down the side of the cliff and landed next to her. "I must speak with you."
"I think you've said enough for one day," she murmured emotionlessly as she turned to start picking her way around the breaks of flowing lava in the ground.
"Inferno, please. This is important."
I never told them my last name.... Her curiousity overwhelming the urge to kick him in the head, she looked at him and nodded slightly, waiting as he yelled at the others to go ahead before following him over to a more stable piece of land. "Where did you hear that name?"
He growled under his breath. "Let me speak. I would never do this in front of the Maximals. I...." the word stuck in his throat, but he forced it out. "....apologise. I should not have insulted you the way I did."
Lashana stared at him in shock. She hadn't been expecting this! "A-accepted.... But that doesn't explain how you know my last name."
"Earlier, when you were about to attack me, Mewtwo telepathically showed me some of your memories.... Memories pertaining to your hatred of.... that term."
"Oh. Okay." She tucked her hair behind her ears again, took a breath to calm herself and smiled serenely. "....would you excuse me a moment? MEWTWO!!! Get. Over. Here. NOW!!"
The pokemon glanced back over his shoulder, saw her expression, and ran.
Dinobot grabbed her arm before she could give chase, talons lightly pricking her skin. "Don't. He was only concerned with your welfare."
"No one's supposed to know my past! Not my Soul-Bonded, not my best-friend, no one!" The talisman necklace glowed brightly as she jerked her arm out of his hold, ignoring the scratches his talons left behind as she did so, hissing under her breath when she saw the look in his eyes. "I don't want your pity. This is why I didn't want anyone to know. I don't want people looking at me like I'm some charity case. So my childhood sucked, big frakkin' deal. It doesn't matter. And dammit let go of my belt!"
He met her gaze defiantly, a part of him belatedly wondering if hed be able to outrun one of those Dragon Slave spells of hers. "I do not pity you. Frankly, I'm rather surprised."
Huh? She thought that was worth another go. "Huh?"
"You're stronger than I took you for," he smirked, releasing her belt and hissing under his breath when a talon got stuck in the braided leather. "Despite everything you.... Oh slag it all...."
Rolling her eyes, Lashana batted his other claw aside and twisted to try to free him. "Despite everything I what?" she coaxed, wincing when her ribs protested at having to put up with her current attempts at twisting around far enough to be able to free him.
"Didn't turn out like them."
She paused and looked at him for a moment before shrugging and returning her attention to what she was doing, stepping away when she finally managed to get his talon free of the leatherwork. "I gave up trying to hate them a long time ago. It wasn't worth the effort." A loud whistle caught her attention, and she turned to look over at Duncan as he waved at them to hurry up, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Mewtwo whacking Rattrap with his tail. "C'mon. I think 'Two's about ready to drop-kick the rat into a lava pit."
"Wouldn't want to miss that," the raptor agreed rather cheerfully.
"Oy...." Deciding that she really didn't want to get into the topic of torturing Rattrap, she sighed and looked at the ground between herself and the other group, studying it closely for a moment before grinning and running forward.
Duncan yelped as she took a running leap over a huge lava pit, feeling the colour drain from his face in horror when she stumbled in her landing and nearly fell into a chasm. "Dear Gods she's insane."
"Ya only noticed that now?" Rattrap muttered, yelping when Mewtwo whacked him with his tail again. "Hey! Do that again and I'll--"
~You'll what?~ Mewtwo smirked. ~Bite me in the knee?~
"Why you little...."
"Mewtwo stop tormenting him like that. He's not prepared for the verbal warfare we're used too. It's too easy and rather sad," Lashana said when she reached them, teetering on the edge of another chasm before regaining her balance. "Phew. This place is more dangerous than the basement of the Palace."
~Not possible,~ Mewtwo murmured as he stepped over Rattrap and walked over to her, looking at her for a moment before smiling slightly. ~I see that he's still breathing and in one piece, so I take it that things went well?~
"Yeah.... As well as things can go at the moment anyway."
~ 'Shana.... You know I didn't mean to-- ~ Whatever he had been about to say was lost in the deep sigh he let out when she leaned forward and hugged him, burying her face into the fur on his chest.
Cheetor blinked as the pokemon wrapped his arms and tail around the Elf, then glanced at Rattrap. "This is confusing. I thought she was Soul Bonded to someone. What's she doing with him?"
"It's called cheati--"
WHACK!
"Thanks," Lashana muttered to Duncan, who nodded and looked down at the transmetal rat he had just beaned with the hilt of his katana. It was another few moments before she pulled away from Mewtwo, smiling as she stepped away. "Well? Any clue where that talisman is yet?"
~It can't be too far from here. At least I don't think so...~
"That'll have to do. RAYWING!" The jewels on the talismans she was wearing glowed momentarily as she leapt into the air, and she grinned as she glanced down at the group. "I'm gonna go take a look around! Stay put!"
"Since when have we ever listened to her?" Duncan smirked, exchanging amused glances with Mewtwo before he brushed soot off of his shirt and headed for the dilapidated ship. "Besides, someone's gotta be there to get her out of trouble."
"At least this is better than manning the comms," Cheetor grinned as he trotted after him, glancing up where the Elf had just flown into a dark cloud before smirking and activating his jets. "There's no way I'm gonna miss all the fun. Hey, Mewtwo, I'm headin' after Lashana!"
~What?! Cheetor, wait!! Oh for the love of....~
Dinobot grumbled as he walked up next to the pokemon and the immortal, dragging a still semi-comatose Rattrap by his tail as he did so. "This is the worst plan I have ever had the misfortune of being part of. I hope you realise that."
"I hadn't even realised that we had a plan yet," Duncan said, highly amused.
"You think this is funny?!"
"It could be worse," the Immortal shrugged. "Telca could be with us."
Mewtwo shuddered.
~*~
"HELLO?! CAN SOMEONE LET ME OUT?" Telcatwo cried as she re-braided her pigtails and fussed with the clips in her hair."I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THE BATCH OF MUFFINS I WAS MAKING ARE BURNING!!!"
Optimus groaned and banged his head against a wall. "By the Matrix, what have I done to deserve this?!?"
"Maybe the Universe needed to laugh," Rhinox suggested, suddenly finding the readings of the talisman shards very interesting when the other 'bot turned to glare at him nastily.