New chapter, WOOOOOOT! Okay, so here is a new chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy it! XD

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Savannah was trying to be nice, she really was. But all the questions and then the offers to help her around…

She wanted to go insane. She was a grown woman for crying out loud, there was no reason why she couldn't get around without her sight by herself.

Though… she was grateful for the help if she would let herself admit it, much to her surprise the Autobots had re-located to a different base that was in the middle of the ocean instead. Meaning that everything was in a different place than on the other base, and she was easily turned around now.

Maybe she was happy for the help, in a strange way. Of course… she didn't need others asking if she was okay every time she turned around.

"Look, I know you guys just want to help… but give me some space." She finally had to say to Lennox as he asked her if she needed any help yet again. This was the eightieth time in just two hours.

"Sorry… we just, you know, worry about you." Lennox's voice came from her right and she turned to face him.

Savannah didn't miss the sharp intake of breath; however muffled it was—meaning that her scars were still a sight to cause shock.

"I know, but at some point you guys need to get back to work. The Decepticons are still out there and you guys need to be trying to find them." She sighed, wishing that she could see the look on his face… or be able to see exactly what she looked like. "I know they are laying low after the recent defeat, but that is no reason to not keep up on reports and battle strategies."

Lennox was silent long enough that Savannah wasn't even sure he was still standing there, but then she heard him sigh.

"Not very many people would think that way after being captured by them."

"You mean the loved ones of those captured by them wouldn't think that way." Savannah stated calmly.

"Well… yeah." Lennox sounded uncomfortable now. "Look, Savannah… you are the first human to have escaped. And nobody knows why they kept you alive."

"They wanted information, Lennox, information that I actually had but refused to give." Savannah felt her eyes close and she tilted her head down, this was the first time since she had been rescued that she was speaking of what had happened. "The entire time they had me they tried to get me to talk. But I didn't… Megatron wanted to tear me apart, but settled for hearing the only sounds I would make. Screams… screams caused by their tortures."

"Savannah…" Lennox started, but stopped when she held up a hand.

"They used many of the supposedly banned tortures on me. Waterboarding, electrocution… anything that they thought would make me talk. They stuck me in a room with pure silence, and then came back only to drip acid in my eyes." She was shaking, and knew that if Ratchet was anywhere near Lennox would be held responsible for her breakdown. "They handed me to their medic in an attempt to make me talk. That damned spider thing broke bones then mended them, he cut my skin, and then sewed it up in order to try and study the healing process of humans. I estimate he had me for one full month, he made me his experiment. That's when I lost my pupils, I already couldn't see. Why not take the part of the eye that made it possible to do so? The pain was enough to drive anyone insane, to kill anyone. But I stayed alive… and I stayed sane, because I knew that I would be rescued. I don't dream, Lennox… I only see what they did, hear their voices. I haven't had a good night's sleep since I got here."

"Savannah… have you told anybody else about this?" Lennox asked quietly.

"No. I haven't, I didn't see a need." Savannah stated.

"But, Savannah… it's almost been two months." He sounded thoroughly shocked. "How much sleep have you gotten?"

"Maybe an hour a night." Savannah shrugged, but still didn't look up. "I didn't want Ratchet to know, because then he would trap me in the damned med-bay again."

"Then, perhaps, you could talk to someone else." A deep, regal voice stated seriously.

Savannah froze and didn't turn around. She had managed to avoid Optimus for the most part, and knew that he would have been wondering why. But… she just didn't feel like she could face him until she could hold her own head up and stop flinching away from louder noises.

"Savannah, I think we need to talk." Optimus said quietly.

"Optimus…"

"I'll let the two of you talk." Lennox stated, and she heard his footsteps recede and leave the two of them alone.

"Savannah…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. I know you blame yourself for what happened to me and I know that you think I blame you… but I don't." Savannah's voice wavered and she began shaking harder. "I don't blame you… but I don't want you to hurt because I'm hurting, I avoided you to try and keep you from seeing me while I am like this."

"That is not what I wanted to talk about." Optimus stated firmly. "I wanted to speak to you about the fact that you are insisting on staying alone, and that you are not eating. I am not the only one worried about you, but I will say that I worry about you more than you believe."

Savannah was surprised by Optimus' words, and he knew it. The look on her face was enough to prove that to him.

"What…"

"Savannah, we have all been worrying about you. And you have been avoiding all of us." Optimus' words were gentle, and she felt him kneel down and gently pick her up. But all she could do was stay frozen. "I will not ask you to speak of what happened, I know that you will in your own time. All I ask is that you do not avoid any of us. I ask that you do not avoid me."

Savannah kept her face turned toward his, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She had been avoiding the others so that they wouldn't ask her what had happened.

"I didn't… I wasn't… I'm sorry." Savannah whispered. "I didn't mean to make any of you worry, I just…don't want to remember what they did. I don't want to try and remember it, and I definitely don't want to accidentally remember it."

Optimus only allowed a small rumble of sympathy to escape him, and Savannah relaxed a little at the sound of it. For the first time in eight months she began to feel tired, and her body let that show by forcing her to give a large yawn.

"Do you want to go back to your room?" Optimus asked quietly as he noticed her beginning to nod off.

"No, I want to stay here." Savannah stated sleepily. "I haven't wanted to sleep in a while, and now I can't seem to stay awake."

Her statement was punctuated with another yawn and Optimus chuckled.

"Then allow me to make you more comfortable." He rumbled gently, and Savannah heard the sounds of his transformation before realizing that he had transformed around her.

The gentle static pulsations of his holoform appearing played over her skin and she felt Optimus lead her to the bed in his cab in order for her to lie down.

"Sleep, my crystal." He stated quietly. "I will not let anyone disturb you."

But she was already asleep.

/Optimus?/

/Quiet, Ratchet. I have found Savannah and she is sleeping in my cab at the moment./

There was a moment of silence as the information sank in, and then a sigh of relief from the other side of the comm. link.

/I was worried about her, she hasn't been getting any of the rest that a human needs to get./

/I overheard part of her conversation with Major Lennox. She stated that she has not been able to rest more than one hour per night as of late./

More silence followed Optimus' statement, before a string of Cybertronian curses left Ratchet's vocalizer.

/Why in the pit did she not let anybot know about this?!/

/She did not want to worry any of us./

/How is she resting and how long has she been sleeping?/

Optimus had to stifle a chuckle at Ratchet; the old mech couldn't hide the fact that he was worried about Savannah.

/She has only been asleep for about five minutes, Ratchet. However, she seems to be sleeping peacefully./

/Keep an optic on her Optimus, and let me know if she starts having what humans call nightmares./

/How will I be able to tell?/

/She will start fidgeting and will either wake up abruptly or begin talking and screaming./

Optimus turned to look at Savannah, who was laying so still he would have been scared that she was dead if not for her steady breathing.

/At this point she is resting peacefully. I do not believe she is having a… nightmare./

/Just keep an optic on her, and contact me immediately if she begins having a nightmare./

/I will./

Ratchet didn't even say goodbye, he just cut the connection and left Optimus to his thoughts. With a sigh Optimus released the holoform and remained where he was, just listening to Savannah breathe as she slept. After almost two hours, he made sure that there were sensors trained on Savannah before he slipped into a light recharge.

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New chapter finished! If you read it please review it! XD

Beta'd by: Second daughter of eve

Posted: 10/28/13

~Chistarpax