Short Author's Note:

Hi! I hope you enjoy this chaoter too! I'm really sorry for the slow updates. I'm trying my best to make it better for you guys.

Hope you guys aren't disappointed TT

—Stwawbewwy


III. Icy Encounters


There were holes boring into his very spark.

That was the reason Megatron woke up.

He didn't dare open his optics, choosing to pretend that he was asleep. It was better to listen who might be sneaking up on him. By the time whoever it was, was near Megatron would be able to disarm them or pin them down.

The whole day, the human had slept and Megatron went so far as to recharge at a later time but, much to his dismay, it was still fast asleep. So, he went ahead and recharged for the rest of the night.

He can hear shuffling, it was small and faint. Slowly, it approached him, then the noise stops in front of him.

Which was then followed by a voice—soft and gentle despite its context. "Oh, shit."

And then he realised that his servo was vacant. The walking flesh that had rest there was gone.

It must be the human.

Took it long enough to rise. As he was about to open his optics, he stopped when he heard it speak once more.

It was... interesting? Megatron wondered if it had hit its helm or something.

"Oh my god. What the fuck?" There is disbelief—and was that awe?—in its voice. "Honestly, at this point, I don't know if I'm dead or in a coma."

There was another sound of shuffling, the ground crunching beneath its tiny pedes that he would have missed if he wasn't aware of his surroundings. Megatron heard the human let out a string of curses in one of its native tongue. Something about being too hot.

He wondered if the human had too much snow. It did say that excess snow was bad for them.

When he opened his optics, Megatron saw that it was stepping away from the fire and closer to him, removing its arms from the white fur that was on its body and had promptly placed it on its back, clinging on its shoulders.

Wouldn't that just fall off? He grimaced at its actions. Oh, Primus, it's stupid.

And then it finally turned to look at him.

When its dark optics— eyes at it had called them—had landed on him, it stopped moving. As if being still would make it invisible. Its optics had widened, blinking every now and then as its dermas trembled ever so slightly.

Megatron decided that it looked at him with awe and fear.

He can't help but feel pretty smug about it.

What a puny fragile insect. He must have appeared as some sort of god or a devil to her.

"Is it not rude in your culture to stare at others?" Megatron narrowed his optics as he sat up, making its neck crane upwards as its gaze followed his movements.

He bathe in the knowledge that it feared him. It knew of his capabilities and had nothing else to do but to tremble in fear.

The way its optic ridges rose from its eyes, the way it seemed to stop breathing, the way its cheeks reddened as it bit its lip to probably stifle a scream—the human feared him.

It said nothing.

It did not scream.

It did not beg for its life.

It did not run away.

It stood there, staring at him in silence.

He also hated it when no one would answer him. They should be honored that he, Megatron, had spoken to them! The human could use some motivation; it could scream and cry, although annoying, it was better than silence.

"The more you stare, the more I am tempted to remove your fleshy optics," Megatron hissed.

He loved the way that it jumped, as if he had awaken it in whatever trance-like state it was in and was reminded of the danger in front if her— him.

"I am so, so sorry," Its voice mellow and fervent, there was no trace of fear which was—sadly— commendable in her situation. "I didn't mean to come off as disrespectful. It's just... Well, I don't really know where I am and... I'm not sure if I am dead or in a coma, not to mention that you're so..." Its fleshy servos gestured at itself up and down multiple times before it motioned to him, clearly referencing his size. "... big."

Megatron raised an optic ridge at her, confused.

He did not expect its reaction to be—he expected it start running, bolting on the opposite direction from which he sat— anything but... being calm.

There must be wrong with its organic processors.

"I'm Persephone. Persephone Villamora," It introduced itself as if that was important, mist emitting from its dermas when it spoke. "To be honest I don't know where I am or how I got here. But I do remember getting hit by a truck before I woke up here... wherever here is."

"How were you hit by a... a human vehicle?" He inquired, its statement didn't make sense as to how it reached its destination upon his territory. "How does that transfer you to here."

It shrugged. "I didn't see it coming obviously. I mean, don't get me wrong I want to die, but I don't want to die by getting hit by a truck." The human laughed. "But honestly, I don't know how I got here."

Shouldn't it fear death? At this point, Megatron was confused.

"Is that so," He said as his optics scanned its face.

He never really studied humans that much—they weren't worth his time—but he just noticed how a human's faceplates looked identical to that of a cybertronian's.

So similar and yet so different. The difference being his species is superior than theirs.

"Yup!" It chirped, reminding him of the small avifauna he'd hear when he rose from recharge.

Its optics, tired and borderline lifeless, bore into his and he did the same. But the prolonged optic contact didn't faze it, if anything it smiled at him.

Perhaps the human was capable of presenting a very convincing calm façade, but either way Megatron wasn't sure if that intrigued him or bothered him.

What was its designation again?

"Persephone..." The name sounded foreign as it rolled off his glossa, his optics looking to the side as he tried the designation upon his dermas. He repeated it twice before he hummed, helm buried in his thoughts.

A name—as the humans called it—he hasn't heard of before.

He had heard many human designations before, but this one was by far the strangest one he had ever come across upon.

Could this human get any weirder? Megatron humored himself internally.

Its helm nods, optics closed as it smiled at him, emitting strange noises what could be perceived as... agreement?

And then it spoke with such certainty as if confirming its curiosity, "And you're Megatron, right?"

His optics snapped to the little creature, its optics peering up at him. His servo automatically pinning the human on to the ground as his processors ran wild.

How did it know who he is?

It yelped as a thud resonated from the impact he had inflicted. "I found you barely alive, buried within the ice," Megatron seethed threateningly. "I could have left you to die there, but I didn't. Therefore, you owe your life to me, insect."

The human simply looked at him, confused. Its eyes looked at his servo and back to him, before returning its gaze on his servo.

"So, how do you know who I am, human?" Megatron interrogated.

Who sent the insect?

Was this a human scheme?

Was he surrounded?

No doubt he is. If that is so, then the human should be at least somewhat terrified and trembling in its place before his presence

Unless it's a pretender—unless the it is actually a she.

Have the humans captured one of his kind? The energon signal that he sensed from her confirmed his suspicions.

Why else would she have an energon signal?

The possibility of this pretender working for the humans is high and that alone disgusted him. The thought that she, his own species, would work for such lowly beings.

Primus help him.

They could've died valiantly, upholding the cybertronian way of living. Instead they decided to be slaves to an inferior species.

He felt something small and soft caressing his palm.

"It feels so real," She said in awe as if he was a magnificent specimen being examined by a human–that's when he realized that the femme was touching his servo.

Using his free servo, he forced the tiny being's helm to look at him, his faceplates nearing hers in order to frighten the small being.

"When I speak to you, I expect you to answer me. Do you understand, femme?" Megatron growled, voice leaving no room for argument.

But she rolled her optics at him.

"Listen, do you really have to man handle me?" The femme questioned as if his actions were unnecessary.

"Who sent you?" He questioned, voice low as the femme flinched ever so slightly.

His digits pressed itself on her cheek. Cybertronians, specifically pretenders, don't bleed immediately; even with their human disguises. Megatron had seen it first-hand.

"That really hurts, you know?" Her voice trembled.

"Answer me, this instant or I will–"

The words died in his throat as his optics caught sight of the way her skin looked beneath the Earth star. Its optics showed anger as the edges seemed to form droplets, while its lips trembled.

Pretenders, in the eyes of a cybertronian, can easily be detected due to the fact that their armor could still shine through the material they use to shape shift whenever they pretend to be an organic.

It often varies; when these expert, gifted spies have their disguises, a cybertronian could still be able to see their armor beneath the false flesh. Judging from how humans act around pretenders, they couldn't see the metal beneath said spies.

But this one, this... thing in his grasp didn't have any.

His optics scanned her over, observing her from the tip of her helm to the soles of her pedes.

And yet there were no traces or hints of metal beneath the flesh.

Were pretenders capable of evolving?

Probably.

If this creature in his grasp was indeed a pretender, then they are doing a very convincing job of being a human.


It hurts. A fucking lot.

Persephone felt her chest tighten as her mind screamed at her to run despite the other part of it reassuring her that all of this— whatever the fuck 'this' even is—is a figment of her imagination: the pain of the sharp point of his finger piercing her cheek.

Everything about what she sees, hear, feel, and whatnot can't be real. This has to be the effects of being in a coma or some sort of afterlife.

Persephone remembered the out of body experience she felt, the uncomfortable feeling that made her want to puke when she felt eyes observed every inch of her body, especially when she saw herself.

She was either in a coma or she had definitely died because no way this is real.

It didn't made any sense.

Of course, this was all in her head—it had to be in her head.

People in a coma often hear their surroundings or they feel like they just slept and had only woken up. Some say that they lived the life they wanted whether it was being famous, getting rich, or having a happy family—living out their biggest dreams while being in a coma.

As for the dead... Well, they didn't say 'Dead men tell no tale' just for shits n' giggle.

Maybe Heaven came in the form of your own paradise; a life or a moment you want to live out for eternity. Perhaps this was her eternity—her personalized Heaven.

That could only be the reason why she had an out of body experience where she saw her own mangled body—corpse?—before she woke up here.

That had to be it.

And this... area could use some fixing here and there. But how she would do it, Persephone doesn't know.

She glared at him, brows furrowed as she tried not to cry.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

"That really hurts, you know?" She glared at him.

"Answer me, this instant or I will–"

Megatron stopped mid-sentence, become frozen like a statue. His fingers were still holding her head in place and Persephone frankly wondered how scary it is if it was real.

A cold feeling— and she's sure as hell it isn't because of the ground beneath her, which is also SUPER cold—crawled down her spine, making her tremble for a second.

The way his eyes, red like the fires of hell, observed her for a moment before the metal hand that pinned her down had withdrawn.

"What master do you serve?" She heard him ask.

Now, the smart thing to say would immediately answer 'Decepticons' but she'd be lying if she said that. Persephone didn't really side with any of the factions, she understood both causes as she grew up.

But thankfully, this wasn't real.

It didn't make sense if she just got isekaid to this world or something.

"I don't know what you want me to say to you. Jesus Christ, maybe?" Persephone's response came out more of a question than an answer as she shrugged her shoulders.

Megatron snorts at her answer and said, "You can tell me the truth."

Persephone looks at him, studying his face to check for any hint that he would strike her, and replied, "No one."

And like a switch, the metal giant's demeanor had changed and Persephone might as well get whiplash from how fast it had shifted.

He grins at her, showing a wide set of teeth that reminded her of a shark as he plucked her from the ground and was plopped on his servo, looking down on her.

"Ah, I see. So, you're a neutral." Megatron's eyes had this glint of amusement and interest in them when he spoke. "How long have you been here? On this dirt planet, I mean."

One moment he's hurting her and the next he's giving her his sudden interest.

"My whole life," She answered, watching her breath cloud in front of her. "Why?"

Her neck bent backwards to still look up at him due to his massive height and the placement if his giant metal hand, mesmerized by the way his red eyes stood out in the sea of cool colors.

Persephone had to look away every now and then, finding it suffocating whenever she held his gaze. It was cold, but the warmth on her cheeks was uncomfortable... and so is the flutter of her heart when she heard him say her name earlier.

Oh fuck no. Not right now. She thought to herself, resisting the urge to sigh.

"I suppose you're aware of the war seeing as you know my name." Megatron said, his voice was loud as her heart thumped in her chest the same way it would when there's a strong bass.

Persephone asked, snapping out of her thoughts. "What's the war about?"

"The war for Cybertron."

"Ah, right." Persephone felt stupid when she asked that. Of course the war is about Cybertron. Duh!

She wrapped the jacket closer to her, trembling when a cold gust of wind blew past her. Persephone felt the very hairs on her body stand up, goosebumps bloomed on her skin.

"You said that you have lived here on this planet, did your creators told you about the war?" Megatron asked her as he shifted in his seat, making her set both of her hands down on her sides to balance her as he did so.

"You could say that." Persephone chirps her answer, crossing her legs. "Where are we, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Northern part of Dakota," Megatron answered. "The safest place to retreat to while the humans are hunting us down."

Her head tilts to the side as she buried her hands in her pits in an attempt to keep them war. Why would the humans be hunting them down? They're Decepticons, yes, but judging from the events of the movies Decepticons were hunted down in secret.

"Why are they hunting you down?" Persephone asked.

Something wasn't adding up. Persephone didn't know for sure, but she just knew it didn't add up. Megatron was fine, he looked okay—in perfect condition.

He chuckles, it almost sounded bitter and spiteful. But Persephone didn't dare make a sound when she watched him. She wasn't sure if she was mesmerized or intimidated when he moved.

"All of the humans had become cocky ever since they're able to capture cybertronians." Megatron snarled, as if that sentence had been gnawing at him for a while. "It matters not if you're Decepticon or Autobot, if you're cybertronian then they will immediately capture you."

Persephone froze as she let his words wash over her.

Cemetery Wind? Here? If Megatron was alive and functioning, then that shouldn't be right. Sector Seven was shut down, so it's impossible that they'd be behind this.

Besides, they never hunt down Transformers without announcing it in public. Other than that time period in Age of Extinction–

Wait, why was she getting involved in it?

All of this is in her head. The scenery, the sensations, and everything that she sees.

It's just in her head.

Nothing could hurt her when it came down to it. Megatron didn't kill her because deep down inside, she either didn't want to die a second time or because her body that was in the hospital isn't brain dead.

Nothing could hurt her.

Everything is under her control.

"Find a way to revive Cybertron and find a way to, somehow, stop the war." Persephone's own words echoed in her head.

And she fought a cringe that wanted to settle itself on her face at her own words. If this wasn't in her head she'd immediately help in any way she could if she couldn't avoid it.

But it is in her head.

Where's the fun in it if she didn't fuck around, right?

"Who's hunting you down?" Persephone asked, feigning innocence at the fact that she didn't know who was hunting him down.

To be fair, she didn't really know. At the start of Age of Extinction, Megatron was supposed to be dead and turned into Galvatron and yet here he is standing in front of her.

So, she wasn't really faking innocence... right?

When it came down to it, it doesn't matter when everything is just in her head.

"They called themselves Cemetery Wind," Megatron answered, a gust of cloud forming as he spoke. "It's quite strange, but I wouldn't put it pass a human to label themselves with stupid names. Wouldn't you agree, femme?"

Persephone laughed. "Honestly, I can't disagree with you on that." Her laughter was cut short as a shiver runs through her body.

Due to the massive bonfire—which had her thinking she was in hell when she woke up—the snow around the area had melted and turned the grass damp.

Thankfully she had worn her white wedged sandals when she went to buy her missing ingredients at the store, the moistness of the grass didn't enter her bare feet.

And that was great, but the cold wind didn't exactly made Persephone grateful when her toes are bare naked to the chilly atmosphere.

Fuck it, even her dress did little to warm her. The fabric was thick, sure, but it didn't exactly cover all of her legs.

Persephone politely asked him to put her back to the ground. Once his servo was near the ground, she jumped on to the grass.

She turned her back to him, walking closer to the fire and eventually stepping a little back when it got too warm for her liking and sighed in satisfaction at the temperature.

"You claim that you have been on Earth ever since you were sparked." Persephone heard his voice and when she turned to look at him, he had scooted closer. "And you have the slightest idea of who is hunting you and your kind down."

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"You seem... oblivious to what is around you."

"Hey, I'm not oblivious!"

And at his response to her question was a mere chuckle. It was like when a human's chuckle when their pets were confused with their actions or when Persephone sees a cute cat video on YouTube and it makes her laugh.

He looks down at her, eyes bright with amusement at what she—what did she do to elicit a reaction?—had done.

Now that she thought about it, Persephone was a little shaken when she took him in. He was so big that with his the wrong move, he could kill her.

Her eyes flickered to the frost that had grown on his armor. It swirled and grew in different directions without any hindrance—spontaneous like his mood from what she had experienced so far.

She had a huge infatuation with the warlord, she was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions at the moment.

Persephone was in a place—something that she didn't think her mind could come up with—unknown to her. Even tho she only met him today, Megatron was the only sense of familiarity in this place.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

To be honest, she doesn't really know how to feel about anything right now.

But what she knows is that she feel so cold and Persephone's sure she'd die if she wandered too far. However, if she stayed here, she wouldn't have to traverse in the snow.

Persephone is sure that if she stays with him, she would be warm.


End of Chapter III