Disclaimer: Beast Machines belongs to Hasbro. 'Wish I Could Fly' belongs to Roxette. I guess I own the plot, but it isn't much of one. Take it if you want.
This is a first for me on two counts: It's my first Beast Machines fic and it's my first attempt at a song fic. So it'll probably be horrible. Please don't kill me.
'Wish I Could Fly'
It was way past midnight. The ever-shining lights of Cybertropolis glowed in the darkness, but where not long ago there would have been signs of life, there was only silence and stillness. Cybertropolis was a ghost town; the lights were shining but nobody was home. Well, almost nobody.
Deep in the catacombs under the city, a tall, slight form lay sleeping where she had nodded off in front of a computer. Her eyes worked furiously under dark violet lids, her lips forming a single word over and over again. Suddenly, her body arched up in a posture of agony and she shrieked, then whispered one name. Then she lay quiet.
Blackarachnia opened her eyes to find they were filled with tears. This was the third time in as many nights she had fallen asleep and dreamed of Silverbolt.
Halfway through the night,
I wake up in a dream
Echoes in my head,
Make every whisper turn into a scream
Silverbolt. The name conjured up only vague memories in her waking mind: a deep soothing voice, shining golden eyes, powerful silver wings. But in her dreams she knew him as if he stood beside her again. He beckoned to her, as he had so many times before, and she would hop onto his back and he would take her flying.
Blackarachnia lifted her head, surreptitiously wiping away tears, and looked around the Maximals' impromptu base of operations. Rattrap was sprawled over his own monitor, fast asleep. Cheetor, Optimus and Nightscream were presumably also asleep in the part of the catacombs kept for that purpose.
She was alone. She remembered that at one time she would have been happy to be alone, but now the silence and stillness threatened to overwhelm her. Rattrap's soft snores did nothing to penetrate the sudden feeling of aloneness, emptiness. Tears threatened again, and for the first time she let them fall.
Shutting her eyes again, Blackarachnia tried to remember her dream. But as with every other night, only vague sensations penetrated her consciousness. She felt the wind on her face, the slow rise and fall of wings beating beneath her, but nothing more. Frustrated, she opened her eyes and stood abruptly. She needed some air.
I dreamed I could fly, out in the blue
Over this town, following you
Over the trees, subways and cars
I'd try to find out who you really are
Careful to make as little noise as possible, Blackarachnia slipped out of the cavern where she had slept and made her way up toward the surface of Cybertropolis. She crept out of a crack in the street and blinked in the sudden brightness. But despite the light, there was a conspicuous absence of noise. It was as if somebody had turned off all sound, blocking out everything but the voices in her head.
He was nearby. She felt it in every corner of her spark. There was no doubt in her mind that Silverbolt was out there, somewhere among the lights of the city. Was he searching for her as she searched for him? Or had he been twisted, warped by Megatron into a fiend? Did he even remember her?
She had no destination in mind; she simply let her feet take her where they would. As she walked it seemed she could hear a voice in her mind, a voice that had once been so familiar and was now distant as an echo.
In the middle of the night,
Cool sweatin' in my bed
Got the windows open wide,
Thinkin' about all the things you said
Echoes. She could hear him, hear his beloved voice in her head, the familiar words drifting from a place she had thought lost forever.
"It is my duty, ma'am. As a Maximal…and as a heroic character."
"I will ever be your champion, milady."
"I know your heart. And when I look into it, I see no evil. Only love."
Blackarachnia smiled when she remembered her response to that last one. Looking around, she was startled to find she was longer at ground level. She had climbed automatically to the top of the building across from the entrance to the catacombs. From here she could see out over the entire eastern side of the city.
She sat on the edge of the roof, her legs curled under her, and stared out across the maze of lights and mechanized movement that never ceased, even at this time of night.
"Oh, Bowser," she whispered, "Where are you? Who are you?"
I wish I could fly, out in the blue
Over this town, following you
I'd fly over rooftops, the great boulevards
To try to find out who you really are
Who you really are
Who you really are
And it seemed, for a moment, that he was there with her again. She looked to her left and gazed once more into soft golden eyes. Wordless, he beckoned to her and she rose, entranced. He flashed his sweet, guileless smile at her and bent to pick her up, sweeping her off her feet. Then they were flying, soaring over the rooftops of Cybertropolis. With a small laugh she reached up to touch his face. 'This time it's real,' she told herself, 'Please let this be real….'
But with her touch he suddenly blurred and dissolved, taking the dream with him. She was left still sitting on the edge of the roof, alone and empty.
I wish I could fly now
I wish I could fly now
The lights below her blurred and bled together as fresh tears filled her eyes.
"No," she groaned, hit with a sudden wave of despair and desperation. He was there, if only she could reach him! She could feel his presence near her like a beacon to her spark. If only she could find from where that presence shone…
In that moment, she made up her mind: she was going to get him back. No matter what it took, no matter how long she had to search. If she had to give her very soul to see him again, so be it. Anything to stop this relentless dreaming, this agonizing emptiness where once he had stood.
I wish I could fly, around and around
Over this town, the dirt on the ground
I'd follow your course of doors left ajar
To try to find out who you really are
To try to find out who you really are
Blackarachnia knew she should be getting back to base. Her mind made up, she felt she could now return. She stood but found herself unable to move. She peered down from where she stood at the edge of the building; it must have been twelve stories straight down to the street.
Struck with a sudden possession, Blackarachnia spread her arms, preparing to leap. But the moment passed and she lowered them, wondering at her own stupidity. She couldn't fly. At least, not anymore.
"I'll find you," she whispered to the night, "Wherever you are, whoever you are now, I'll find you again, my love."
And as she turned to head back down into the dark, lonely catacombs she could swear she heard the echo of an answering whisper, and a flash of silver wings.
I wish I could fly....