It's been years, Chloe thinks. Four years since she has last seen her friends. The last was a message from Optimus warning them to stay away. She snorts. It's funny thinking that she is human and she stays clear from her own species.
They are in the woods today. Ironhide is asleep, resting after having travelled at night while she slept. Chloe is washing herself in a nearby stream and watches the sun go down, waiting for her hair to dry. They've travelled from one end of America to the other. She supposes that now they must be somewhere near Idaho. Not long after she is completely dry, she decides to turn back. Her big metal boyfriend is snoring softly, finally asleep deeply after several nights of not sleeping correctly. She supposes she can leave him for the moment.
A few hours later, when the sky is turning dark she decides to wake him. " Hey, sleepyhead." She drawls and steps next to him. She taps his nose softly and then his eyes open, the blue optics focusing on her. Chloe smiles. " Did you sleep well?" Ironhide groans. " Actually, I did." -" You think we can stay here tonight?" Ironhide nods. " It is safe. I think it would be no problem." They sit by the fire, Chloe waiting for her clothes to dry, Ironhide staring into the flames.
During dinner, or what they now call dinner, Chloe is munching on a piece of canned meat and Ironhide on a piece of metal when the black robot speaks up.
" I wonder how they are." Ironhide says. Chloe smiles sadly. " I hate it, not kowing anything." Ironhide nods. " Yes, I agree. I hate not knowing how they are." Then his head turns to look at her." I sometimes wonder if it was a good idea to take you with me." Chloe stands up and walks over to him. " It was a decision I made for my own." She says, blonde hair, now much shorter faling on his rightshoulder. " And I would make the same choice again and again, were I to live my life hundreds of times anew." Ironhide turns, blue optics whirring to look at her. " I love you, my mate." Ironhide whispers Chloe smiles, arms outstretched, eyes shining. " I love you, Ironhide, my mate."
Ironhide's lover, his mate, leans forward and he thinks no matter if she's flesh, I would not spent my life with anyone else. Ironhide doesn't move when Chloe steps over his legs and climbs up his chest. She hangs forward and then puts her lips on his. For a moment all is right again with the world and their troubles dissapear. Then Chloe smiles and climbs down.
Ironhide starts to lay himself on the ground and Chloe follows, stepping in between his arms with an old pillow stuffed with whatever she could find an a small bedcover. Before she can think further on what tommorow wil bring, the young woman sinks into sleep, arm resting on the cold metal of Ironhide's arm.
Months later.
It is early evening, still light and clear outside, when the alarms go off. Chloe wakes with a startle, not sure what has happened, barely up when she hears the whirring of Ironhide's arms and legs clicking into place.
"They found us." He snarls. Chloe's heart thuds in panick, fear making itself master of herself, yet she pushes it down. The old building they are in will not cover them for long and so they know they have to go now. " Ironhide." She whispers urgently. " Coming" He says. He stands up slowly, touches Chloe's cheek and then forms into his carform. Chloe takes her things and hops in, and then they leave as fast as they can.
This time they are however not lucky. Somehw Cemetery Wind seems to find them each time.
"Wait , Ironhide." -Chloe sinks down onto the ground, body heaving. "I'm at my limit."
-" We cannot stop. A little farther and we can rest." -" I've been running all day. I feel like I'm going to gong to faint." Chloe whispers. They'd not stopped for long, only to eat quickly before leaving again. First Ironhide had carried her with him, but soon the region became to rocky to ride along and so they had walked at a brisk pace until Ironhide had somehow caught a sign that they were coming closer and since then they'd been running and running.
Still wet from the waterfall they had passed through, Chloe breathes deeply. Ironhide still looks around, very sure they are still being tracked. " Will you not fight them?" -" I wil but only as last resort. I fear some of my own are with them, those damn robots." At that Chloe nearly blows a fuse. " Your own kind are teaming up against you?!" Ironhide nods. " If you cannot walk, I will carry you." His arms already reach out. Chloe shakes her head. " No, I should be fi-.."
She can't even finish her sentence before she hears the whizz of a missile and a loud explosion fills her ears, sending Ironhide to the ground and Chloe flying several yards away. The impact is brute and sudden, and Chloe hears her ribs crack when she impacts the ground. She coughs, slime and blood starting to form in her mouth. She is belly down, hands trying to push herself up and she nearly succeeds when a second explosion impacts near her and she is sent flying again. This time it sends her so far she falls into a roof and as she starts slipping of it she grips herself, hanging loosely from the edge of the old house.
She screams in pain when she tumbles back, arms outstretched and ribs screaming in agony. The young woman hears the telltale signs of Ironhide's canons going off, shooting left and right, as he curses at their pursuers who are screaming to shoot him down.
' Shoot that bitch!" Someone shouts and before she knows it, bullets fly around her, grazing her knees and legs. She screams again, arms losing their strength and then Chloe is falling, and everything seemed to slow. Her blood flies around her in droplets and ringlets, her hair flows around her, her mouth open in a gasp as she feels herself fall backwards to the cold ground.
Before she can do anything a large hand moves forward and harshly grips her around her waist and for a moment she feels like a car has rammed into her full force. Ironhide falls, rolling over the ground, all the while holding onto Chloe. As the men around them shout orders, Ironhide tries to stand, stil holding the young woman in his hand.
" You damned bastards!" He roars. " Is this the gratitude we receive for having protected you for years?!"
Then he stands and starts to run for cover. The cemetery wind soldiers don't give up however and are at it again. With heavily armed cars they drive after the autobot who is about to transform when his way is cut off. And then a shot resounds. It is enough for Chloe to turn her head and see the rocket flying towards them before it hits Ironhide's left side. He stumbles, nearly going to the ground when another shot is fired and she can see the sparks flying from the hole forming in his abdomen.
" Noo!" Chloe's screech, high, disbelieving, ends in a wordless cry as Ironhide, still firing, starts to fall forward. The men holler and surround him.
" Ironhide!" His blonde-haired lover screams, still clenched in his hand. Then he sinks to the ground. Groaning in pain, but still angry. " Enough, you despicable creatures! Enough!"
Another impact, and he is hit in the middle and then it appears. A large silhouette, silver, much larger then Ironhide. " Lockdown." The autobot spits. The silver robot says nothing, only tears the canons right off Ironhides arms.
Now it is Ironhide who roars in pain. Chloe still screams his name as he tries to get himself up when the soldiers, cruel in their game, shoot large nets and make him fall again, on his back. Parts go flying everywhere and his arm shakes before throwing Chloe half away, no strenght left. She is in freefall, through the air and lands hard on his open chest, that is broken, scratched and green liquid is pouring from between his chestplates. Her hands and body are full of the liquid, her darling's lifeblood yet she crawls upwards to her face as he heaves and the robot Lockdown comes forward.
" Where is Prime." He growls, acting as if Chloe is air. Chloe stumbls backward, knifecutting pain in her legs as she crawls towards Ironhide's neck. She sees the men laughing, jeering and then one shoots again, right into Ironhide's chest. " No, stop!" She screams, arms envelopping Ironhide's head and then she puts herself in front of him, half lying, half sitting up, arms spread wide.
"Where is Prime!" Lockdown growls again. Ironhide doens't answer , only brings his arm forward, shaking, fingers half torn, and holds onto Chloe, bringing her to his chest, hands protectively envelopping her. " I will never tell you." He says.
" Then, you will both die." Lockdown growls and then retrieves a large sword. Chloe's eyes widen. " Ironhide...!" She cries in fear. " I'm...here." He coughs. And then, human's back to his front, both arms over her on his chest, holding on to the human woman in his arms, Ironhide looks up to face his enemy.
Lockdown brings up the large sword in his hand and then brings it down. Chloe's scream pierces the air as the sword cleaves into her stomach and ribcage and into the autobot's lifesource below.
One heartbeat, two, and she falls still. A last shake and the weapon specialist of the autobot's to falls still. Lifeless blue and lifeless cold green eyes stare into nowhere.
Lockdown tears the tiny human and Ironhide's arm from his sword and then retrieves Ironhide's spark. He steps away and pays no attention to the carnage of autobot and human he leaves behind.