Alright so this is a chapter is the beginning of the end for season 1 of Transformers Prime. Now I know what you're all thinking, why did I start this story so close to the end of the first season? The answer is simple, it was the best place to insert Amber into the story. Being Silas's daughter he wasn't introduced till mid-way through the first season and even than I feel there could have been more done with MECH. I will be doing more with MECH, even though Silas is down for the time being but who's to say that without their leader MECH would stop being who they are.
Anyway without further a do the disclaimer: I do not own Transformers in any shape or form.
Chapter 5
Things at base were going well, even after Amber had endured a lecture from Fowler but had convince him to help her find some buyers for the military gear. She had been a bit surprised when he had made an offer on her great grandfather's flamethrower. "What can I say, ever since I was a little kid I have always wanted to try one." he admitted with a blush.
"Ok now you have to let us see it in action Amber. Please?" Miko pleaded with her and finally Amber caved. On the condition they do it somewhere near base, with all of the bots and a lot of water on hand just in case. Also Miko wasn't allowed to touch it, ever.
The day after they had been at the cabin Amber surprised them all when she gave Jack, Raf, Miko, June and Fowler each with their own comm watches. "I recalled you guys telling me about the time you were all stuck in, what did you call it the shadow zone? Also with the number of times Fowler and June have been taken captive I figured that this was better than using your cells to contact the bots or base. Also with them disguised as watches if you're ever taken by the Decepicons or even MECH, they won't think to take them away from you." Amber explained well showing them how they worked.
"I must say I am impressed Amber." Ratchet said smiling at her which she was all too eager to return. Though she was still a little hostile at times Amber had really warmed up around all of Team Prime and showed that she not only cared but had a fun side too.
At that moment she was with the other 3 kids who were all gathered around Raf's computer looking at a web site. "Pass. Natta. Kid in a costume." Jack was saying well Raf scrolled over the pictures of so called alien encounters. "Nope. Ah, hold. Camera sure loves Bee."
Amber looked at the picture of Bee. "I wouldn't blame any car enthusiast since the car mode Bee scanned is a popular mussel car."
"Yeah, what can you do when you're a star? Your paparazzi bate." MIko said, leaning back making rocker hand poses.
"Wait, is that Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked interrupting their conversation.
"On a conspiracy web site, where users post evidence of close encounters but we have it under control Ratchet." Raf told him with confidence and further explained. "We just scrub and replace Bee with-"
In place of Bumblebee's picture on the sight was a cat in a space suit wearing a pinwheel hat that sang. "Mars cat says, take me to your feeder." When Ratchet laughed they all looked at him in surprise but he looked more surprised than they were. "Did Ratchet just laugh?" Miko asked in awe.
"Does this mean that hell has frozen over or is the world coming to an end?" Amber asked making the other three laugh and Ratchet to scowl at them.
"Hey Optimus do you want to see something funny?" Jack asked the Autobot leader.
"No." Was the short reply, making Amber frown at her guardian. In the last few days she had noticed that he had seemed distracted and that was not like him at all. The other bots commented on Optimus keeping his emotions in check, it inspired Ratchet to tell them bit about what Optimus was like before the war. How he was a bit like Jack before he was made a prime, which surprised the kids. Amber couldn't really see her guardian being anyone else but the strong, confident leader she had come to know.
Their light hearted conversation was cut off by Fowler contacting base and informing them that a slew of tech heists that had happened all over. At first they had thought It was MECH, but after catching a snap shot of Soundwave they now knew it to be the cons. Looking at the list of tech that the cons had taken it didn't take Ratchet long to realise that they were for building a new Space Bridge. Thankfully Miko had given Amber a rundown of what she had called the Smack Down in Space, so she was up to speed on current events.
It wasn't too long after that the kids all left base with their guardians for the evening through the main door. With Amber deciding to stay and proven herself not a spy for MECH, they had finally allowed her to know where the base was. Amber was glad to have their trust and she also enjoyed having long drives back to the Darby's house. She and Optimus spent the time talking about everything, anything or simply enjoying the silence in each other's company.
Today however Amber was on a mission. "Optimus, I've noticed that you've been distracted lately. Is there something going on that you're not telling us?"
"What do you know of the upcoming planetary alignment that is to happen in two days' time?" he asked her after a moment of thoughtful silence.
"I remember the science teacher mentioned it in passing but I think I droned him out from boredom." Amber confessed noting the small sigh that came from her guardian's speakers. "I'm sorry I can't help it. There really isn't anything they are teaching at school that I don't already know. Well living on the streets and needing to pass the time, especially on rainy or hot days I would spend it hanging around the library. So I maybe a bit ahead of the rest of the kids in school."
Optimus hummed in thought, thinking that maybe they would have to look into different schooling for his charge. He put that in the back of his mind to discuss with June later and told her of the prophecy that was from the Covent of Primus that was due to come to fruition. Amber frowned hearing the troubling words well it sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine which didn't go unnoticed by him. "I did not mean to upset you Amber."
"You didn't Optimus but it does give me an unsettled feeling, like something big is about to happen and it's the last thing we suspect." She told him well they pulled up to the house. Amber went to hop out but the belt around her tightened a bit, stopping her.
"Whatever may come Amber remember that you along with everyone else are safe with us." he told her, meaning every word.
The smile she gave him made him happy. "I know we are Optimus."
Later that night, well in bed Amber tossed and turned, stuck in one of her old nightmares.
She was at the range laying on the ground, a sniper rifle resting heavily on her right shoulder, well she looked through the scope. She was most likely around the age of ten and couldn't even lift the thing but that didn't stop Silas from teaching her. She was shooting targets far down the range, hitting them almost dead center, with a few going astray. But then the paper targets changed into people and her blood ran cold.
There was 5 of them in total, two men, two women and one was a child, all of familiar to Amber. These 5 had been haunting her mind since the day she was forced to take their lives, always wishing that she could have taken their place. She felt her hands beginning to shake well she looked at their faces, all at ease, laughing and looking like they had no care in the world. "Take the shot." she heard her father say.
"No." she said, her voice shaking in fear.
This refusal was followed by pain that she knew had happened long ago but now just a reminder in her mind. "Do you want further punishment?" Amber shook her head no, her whole body trembling now. "Then be a good little assassin and take the shot." When she refused again, her eyes stinging with tears well she watched the little boy innocently play with his toys. Her body was pulled away from the rifle and she was slapped across her the right across face, feeling the skin being cut open. Amber looked up at her attacker in fear but instead of Silas towering over her it was a tall mech, with spiky armor and glowing purple eyes.
"I will strike down the taint of Primus." the mech's deep voice filling her very soul with dread well she watched him raise a mace like hand to strike her down.
Amber bolted up in bed, breathing heavily and a scream caught in her throat. It took her a moment but she finally slowed her breathing down and eventually her heart rate. After that she didn't try to go back to sleep, instead she got up and headed down stairs to get a drink. She nearly groaned when she saw what that it was only 3 in the morning. She decided instead to make herself a cup of tea and with a blanket wrapped around her she went and sat outside.
Looking up at the stars Amber wondered what it was like out there, where others Cybertronians could be. She knew from what Optimus had told her that there had been Mechs and Femmes that hand been neutral during the war but had to flee or be destroyed in the cross fire. This brought the strange mech from her nightmare back to her mind and she was filled with dread again. It was odd that he had been there in place of Silas, which was not an improvement in any way, in fact it was much worse.
The darkness will rise and the weak will perish.
"Amber?" She jumped out of her skin turning to look at June in shock, who was in her robe well poking her head out the screen door. "What are you doing sitting out here in the middle of the night?" Amber looked away not really wanting to answer, wondering about what had pop in her head before June had startled her. She heard shuffling from the door and a moment later June sat down next to her. "You had a nightmare again I take it?"
"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you, I was trying to be quiet."
June shook her head well wrapping an arm around the young girl, surprised to find her trembling, which wasn't like Amber. "You never have to apologise for something like waking me up after you have a nightmare Amber. In fact I would feel better if you talked to me about them. Or if you want we can see about you seeing a therapist."
"Don't I have to be, well legally alive for that?" Amber asked her uncertain.
June giggled at that. "Yes I guess you do. We should see if Fowler can do anything about fixing that for you. You can't go to college or university if you're dead."
Amber looked at her in surprise. "I never considered going to secondary school, than again I never thought I would ever get to go to school period. I guess that is something I can look at doing now."
"With your good grades you most defiantly can but I think that we need to take care of you first and no one will force you do anything. Everything will all be up to you, as it should be." June told her with a smile well giving her a small squeeze glad that Amber was no longer trembling. "Now I think it's time we both went back to bed."
-o0o-
The next day, with it being a Saturday, Jack, Amber and Miko were all hanging out at base when Fowler called in. (("Prime. The cons really stepped in it this time. They hit a US military lab. Our boys in green will fended them off till your team shows."))
"Agent Fowler, I fear that Megatron's desperation maybe at its zenith and you know that I cannot condone even a single human casualty." Optimus said not in the mood to mess around. Well Fowler called off their forces, Ratchet bridged Optimus, Arcee and Bulkhead to the base. The medic than contacted the team's scout. "Bumblebee, the team may require back up. Their three clicks north of your current position, just off the highway. If you leave Raf at the exit ramp I can bridge him back to base from there."
The other three didn't think much of what was going on, with it almost being a daily occurrence at this point. Miko and Jack kept racing well Amber drew in a notebook that Optimus had given her for to write down whatever. She hadn't told him yet but she had start to fill its pages with technology ideas, weapons and etc. When Optimus called for a ground bridge Amber picked up the slight termer in his voice that gave her pause. Most would not have noticed it but like Ratchet she knew him well enough now to know that something was wrong.
"Must be an Autobot down." Ratchet muttered well he opened the bridge noticing Amber approach. None of them were prepared for Arcee to walk in with a worried Bumblebee and an injured Raf cradled in the femme's arms. Amber's heart stopped at the sight. "What happened?"
"Megatron." was all Arcee had to say to get Ratchet in medic mode, telling them to go to his lab, bringing Amber out of her frozen state and running after them.
"Ratchet, you're going to need a small set of hands. Let me help." Amber said running after him, glad that he took her up on her offer. Following Ratchet's instructions Amber had Raf hooked up to a heart monitor well he laid on the only human size gurney they had. "Rafael isn't responding. We must run a diagnosis's on his assemblage- ah I mean vital statistics." he muttered well picking up some of his tools, like he would to help one of the bots but then he looked down at Raf. "AHH! My tools their all wrong!" he threw his tools a side in frustration.
Jack pulled out his phone. "We need to call my mom."
"Your mother maybe a nurse but does she know anything about the effects of energon on the human body?" Ratchet demanded not happy that he would call his mom.
"Do you know anything about the human body?!" Jack snapped at the Mech silencing him. Jack called June and she was soon there, taking charge of the situation. She saw Amber at Raf's side, taking Raf's pulse, telling June what it was before she stepped out of the way. June even end up putting Ratchet in his place when he tried to tell June what he thought was helpful. Amber took in Raf's sick face again and felt panic boiling up inside of her well he was replaced by the boy from her nightmares. Amber suddenly couldn't breathe, she quickly left the lab but Arcee watched her go, noting the panic on her face.
She made to follow the girl and ask what was wrong but Bee in that moment decided to punch the wall in anger promising to hurt Megatron for hurting Raf. She calmed him down first and once she was sure that he wouldn't do anything else, Arcee went looking for Amber. When she found her, Amber was in full blown panic attack, her breathing erratic and was unsteadily pacing. "Amber are you ok?" Arcee asked kneeling close to her and trying to get her attention.
Amber turned to her but she surprised the femme when a pained a whimper left her. Not saying anything Amber fell into the fetal position on her heels and began to rock back and forth, muttering something that Arcee couldn't make out. Trying again Arcee gently placed a hand on Amber's back and carefully rubbed. Amber stopped rocking and muttering but her breathing was still fast. "Easy Amber, easy. Try to get control of your breathing."
It took a few moments, Arcee on edge the entire time but eventually Amber was able to slow her breathing and uncurl herself. She leaned into Arcee's hand and looked up at her, her face was pale and her eyes wet. "Sorry." she croaked, wincing at her now dry throat.
"What happened, are you ok?" Arcee asked worried about her.
"Panic attack. First one I've had in a long time." Amber muttered well she wiped her face on her shirt sleeve. Arcee wasn't sure what a panic attack was but she knew that Amber did need support at the moment. But she also couldn't just forget about the situation back in the lab either. "Are you ok to go back to the lab? Maybe see if Ratchet and June need any help." she said offering Amber a kind smile and letting her climb onto her hand. Amber reluctantly nodded and let Arcee carry her back to the lab, putting her down next to Miko, just in time for Optimus to contact Ratchet.
(("Ratchet, how is Rafael?")) Hearing Optimus's voice helped Amber to settle somewhat but she was still uneasy.
"It is too soon to know." Ratchet said worried.
(("Hes in good hands.")) Optimus assured him.
"Not mine Optimus. Curse my pride. We've accepted these humans into our lives yet I bothered to learn so little of their science and medicine." Ratchet's confession was surprising.
(("Pull yourself together old friend, Rafael needs you."))
"And I have grown to need him." Ratchet said not only looking at Raf but the rest of the humans as well, Amber smiled at him but he could see that something was off about her. He wasn't given time to think about it well Optimus ordered a ground bridge, Ratchet asked Amber handle it. She was grateful for the distraction and soon came back with Bulkhead just when June announced. "Jack, help me get Raf to the car. Hes going to the emergency room."
"Nurse Darby, your doctors won't be able to comprehend what's afflicting him. Not without a decade of study." Ratchet said, finally collecting his thoughts and thinking the situation through.
"I don't have time to argue." June snapped at him.
"Dark Energon"
Everyone turned and looked at Amber in surprise. "What?" June asked confused.
"Optimus told me that Megatron has Dark Energon running through him. Wouldn't that affect Raf differently that regular energon?" Amber asked looking up at Ratchet.
"Of course why didn't I realise it sooner." Ratchet said and after scanning Raf again he got some energon from Bee and had June and Jack wheel him into his examination chamber. Once everything was ready he activated the chamber, allowing an energon cascade to fill the chamber. Once it was done the humans ran in and June checked on him. "His pulse rate is stabilizing." June said relieved when Raf opened his eyes.
"Bee." Raf said smiling weakly at his guardian and friend.
They took a moment to distress and be happy that Raf was going to be ok, but then June turned to frown at Amber, noticing something was wrong. At the same time Arcee noticed that Bulkhead had come back to base, without Optimus. "Amber are you ok?" June asked approaching her.
"I'm ok. The situation induced a panic attack, which I haven't had in a while." Amber explained, rubbing her arm ashamed. It was then they heard Arcee getting upset with Bulkhead, apparently leaving Optimus behind. Amber's eyes widened and she would have panicked again if June hadn't grabbed and pulled her into her arms. Well the bots all turned their attention to finding and helping Optimus, June fussed over Raf and Amber, having the girl sit at the end of the gurney and started taking her pulse.
"Wait, how is this possible?" Ratchets question gained their attention and confused them.
"What, what is it?" Arcee asked worried.
"We need to get Optimus out of there now!"
-o0o-
Megatron stood over Optimus well the last Prime stared at the erupting volcano that had Dark Energon coming out of it. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Well, well. It seems that the blood of Unicron I've been seek is not out there, but rather, right here."
"Why is the blood of Unicron erupting from the earth?" Optimus asked himself weakly.
"A question Optimus that you shell take to your grave." Megatron said well he raised his blade ready to strike Prime down. Before he could bring it down a ground bridge opened and Bulkhead charged at him. Once the con leader was off Optimus, Bulkhead kept him busy well Arcee and Ratchet helped Optimus up and through the ground bridge.
Bulkhead was thrown back by Megatron and the big guy growled ready to charge at him again but Arcee stopped him shouting from the bridge. "Bulkhead! Now! Now! Now!" Bulkhead didn't hesitate to abandon his fight, transform and high tail it to safety. Megatron was hot on his tail, ready to take him out but Bulk made it through the bridge which than closed before Megatron could land a hit.
Megatron growled well wiping Dark Energon off his face plate, looking at it, glee filling his optics. "This is merely the beginning! I now possess enough Dark Energon to reanimate Unicron himself." he shouted to the sky, his merciless laugh filling the area.
Back at the Autobot base Bee maned the ground bridge controls well Ratchet and Bulkhead helped Optimus to a medical berth. "Easy Optimus. From the looks of things you've been exposed to a massive amount of Dark Energon." Ratchet told him.
"I am not the only one." Optimus said, his optics landing on Raf and Amber, the younger of the two looking much better well he lounged on the gurney and June put his glasses back on his nose. Optimus smiled at the young boy who said hi but June was glaring at the leader.
"He's lucky to be alive." she snapped at him.
"Megatron found more of the dark stuff?" Jack asked well he, and Miko walked down from the upper level to join them. Amber look nervously at her guardian, who noticed that she was out of sorts.
"A volcano full." Arcee said.
"The question is how?" Bulkhead asked confused.
"No, the question is what. As in what is the blood of Unicron doing here?" Ratchet asked.
"The cons killed a unicorn?" Miko asked, making Amber face palm at her silly question having clearly heard the name the medic were using. All of the bots stared at Miko in confusion which worsened when she tried to explain it. Thankfully Ratchet finally understood and explained who they were talking about. "Unicron… an ancient evil whose fossilised blood comprises the matter we call Dark Energon, as legends would have it."
"So you're saying that this Unicron is some sort of boogie-man?" June asked her voice full of doubt.
"Boogie-man" Ratchet asked confused again.
"Make believe creepy guy that hides in your closet." Miko's explanation went over better this time.
"No nurse Darby. Unicron is very real… was… well that is I do believe that he once existed I just don't prescribe to the theory that his premortal life force is the substance that which we call dark energon." Ratchet sort of rambled, which did not impress June at all.
"I've heard enough. Jack please help me get Raf into the car." she said pushing the gurney towards her car.
"Ah mom, I thought he was doing better?" Jack asked confused.
"Raf needs to be examined by real doctors." June said, wounding Ratchet's already bruised pride. "And his family needs to know what happened. His real family."
"Mom Raf's family can't protect him, not like they can." Jack said trying to talk sense into his mother.
"June… it deeply grieves me that I have failed but I will do everything in my power to insure that no harm comes to our human friends. Or any human ever again." Optimus said, slowly getting to his feet.
"Optimus… their children, they do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples, not their own survival." June said, though it was no surprise that she felt this way. It was well known that she had been worried about the kids being around the bots since she had met them.
"Mom, Dark Energon is pouring out of the earth, it doesn't do that. This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours." Jack said, hoping she would understand.
June was not in an understanding sort of mood. "You're coming with me, all 4 of you and they are not coming back."
"I understand." Optimus said sadly looking down at Amber, who he had come to appreciate having at his side.
"That's it? After all we've been through together, see ya?" Miko asked hurt by Prime's decision. What about our freedom to choose?"
"That may fly on their planet but not here." June told the girl well she got Raf in her car. "Get in."
"Do you really expect me to ride in a non-transforming vehicle?"
"Miko I'm serious." June said well glaring at the young girl.
"You're not my mother." Miko sassed, hands on her hips.
"Miko…" Bulk groaned at his charge.
"Neither are you." She snapped at Bulkhead, surprising him.
"Well I am yours and responsible for Amber. Let's go you two." June said.
"I'm sorry June but you're not responsible for me anymore." Amber said, hopping off the gurney and then explained. "Once the court hearing was done the deal I had with Fowler was over and I was free to do as I wish. So you really have no authority over me, I'm staying."
Arcee approached her partner and friend. "She is your mom."
Jack looked at his mom sadly. "I'm staying too. I'm sorry." They could all see the hurt in June's eye hearing her own son say this well sparing a glance at Amber who was also looking a bit sad about the situation. June then looked angry again before she turned and closed Raf's door before climbing into the driver's seat. She then refused a ground bridge, opting to drive out of the base, letting all of them see Raf's sad face well she drove away.
They barely had time to recover when Fowler contacted base, very unhappy. (("Prime do you copy?"))
"I hear you agent Fowler." Optimus said well they all turned to the communications at Ratchet's work station.
(("Been watching the news? Mother Nature's got a twitch in her britches.")) Fowler said.
"We know about the volcano." Optimus told him.
(("And the quakes?")) Fowler asked before he went on to explain further. (("7 major tumblers at the exact magnitude at the exact same time a volcanic eruption. All over the globe on different tectonic plates, theoretically unrelated if they hadn't happened-"))
"-at the exact same time." Ratchet finished for him.
"Check it out, more good news." Miko said from the recreation area, where she had turned the tv on and putting on the news. A weather report stating that odd and terrible weather phenomenon was going on all over the world.
(("Don't tell me the cons have built a weather machine?")) Fowler demanded.
"One that powerful? Highly unlikely." Ratchet told him
"I do believe that the appearance of Dark Energon at this point in time to be coincidental." Optimus said well he picked Amber up and surprised her when he put her on his right shoulder. Not saying a word of explanation, Bumblebee transformed and drove off, most likely to go after Raf and June. Sure enough 15 minutes later he drove back and let the two out before he changed back.
"Ah… we're back." Raf said.
"And we're glad." Ratchet said relieved.
Jack went to check on his mom before they all walked up to the upper level, where they continued to watch the news. They were soon visited by Fowler who stormed into to base in a huff. "What have you learned Prime? And you better not blow smoke up my-" he paused when he spotted June, and smiled at her. "Mrs. Darby, what a nice surprise."
"Special Agent Fowler." June said, returning his smile.
"We have learned this. As with so called magma from the volcano, these earth quakes originated far below the earth's crust. From the very center. The earth's core in fact." Ratchet explained.
"Quakes don't start there, do they?" Fowler asked confused.
"Not usually no." Amber told him from Optimus's shoulder, where until she had spoken had gone unnoticed by Fowler. He looked at her and blinked in surprise at seeing her there.
Ratchet discovered a moment later that the tiny tremors that were happening all over the world had a pattern. Once he changed the pattern to audio and played it the base was quiet except for the sound of a Cybertronina sparkbeat. Amber felt herself turn cold, was soon shivering and then she heard 3 little word in her mind.
He is awakening.
-o0o-
AN: We all know who he is and what is to come but I'm afraid that you'll just have to wait and see what will happen to Amber next. As always please feel free to leave a review because I only get better if I hear from all of you.