Indy glanced at alpha. "I'd rather like to speak to your... friend first." she said to Prime, although she was looking at Alpha.
--------
Cap zoomed over some rocks, taking a shortcut. In tankmode, he could get places the others couldn't, which meant getting to their enemy faster. "Which forest if he going for, Hound?"
Jade and Terra took to the air to search from overhead, going off on an angle from each other. Terra followed the Autobots on the ground, While Jade circled around to look for Orcas.
--------
Megatron waited for Orcas to contact him. It had been too long. He wondered if the werewolf realy was a traitor, but instead hit a couple keys on his computer, and a blinking red dot came up.
The tracking device he'd placed on the werewolf hadn't moved since he reached the ark, but now it was on the move again.
Alpha looked at Indy and figured she was talking about Hammertread. "HT, right?" She asked, blinking. "If so, follow me." She led her towards HT.
Prime followed the two femmes, troups marching after. Hammertread was grumbling something about traitorous Autobots and traitorous decepticons, and a few uncomplimentary comments about the ancestry of both, for several generations. Trailbreaker glared at Hammertread, then answered the doorchime. "It's about time you got here." he muttered and walked away, back to the desk he had been sitting at, in the center of the giant room.
Alpha walked in and saw HT. She looked at the ground and then at Indy. "Well...there he is..." she pointed to Hammertread. "Now what?"
Hammertread sat up, and regaurded the group of Autobots cooly, then glanced at the humans around Indy's feet. Something flashed across his memory... marching down the hall surrounded by human soldiers... one of them shocked him with a handheld tazer... a fight broke out...
a blue mech standing beside Indy... Offering to pound him to bits for Alpha because he was being annoying.
He glanced at Alpha.
----
Orcus growled and touched his comm. "Megatron!"
Hound stopped, having lost track of Orcas. "Found him." Jade swooped down. Terra followed.
"Megatron here. report."
Orcus saw them and panted.
"I'm being chased by Autobots, sir! After escaping their cells..." He said as he ran.
Terra swooped down and grabbed his arm in her claws, but then yelled with pain as Orcus bit down on her bat feets, causing her to drop him.
The werewolf kept running, licking his lips clean of Terra's energon. He grinned. Not bad.
Before Jade could land, a missile hit her wing, and she turned to look as she fell.
She reached for her comlink to yell "Decepticons!", but hit the ground before her hand could reach the commswitch. The impact knocked her out. "Where'd she go?" Cable yelled, looking at the sky. "I think this way." Cap radioed back. "hey Terra, you see anything?"
Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Megatron, and Soundwave flew up and Megatron and Soundwave landed. "I presume you have an explanation for where you've been!?" megatron demanded.
Skwarp warped so he was right above Terra. He divebomb-tackled her. "Well well well, what have we here." he landed with the struggling femme. Megatron and Soundwave turned to look at her.
"Cap?" Cable called over his comm. "Where are you!? We can't see ya!"
A tree fell in the distance.
"Never mind." the yellow and blue car took off into the forest, and Jade picked herself up dizzily, heading in the same direction.
Terra screamed and struggled. "Lemme go! I'm not going back!" She whimpered, thinking that they were going to take her back. After all, she WAS an escaped Decepticon experiment...
Orcus stood up. "They captured me, sir, the Autobots." He said, looking at him. The mech saw the energon dripping off of Terra's foot and reminded himself to get her later. He licked his lips absent mindedly. Terra whimpered.
Cap crested the hill first, and saw the Decepticons, and the struggling Terra.
He gasped as his mind flashed back to Cybertron...
Cap and the forest green mech, Tripper peeked through a broken window of the building they were in, to see Megatron and the seeker trio, with Soundwave, holding what seemed to be a small red mech... Fastrack, no!" Before he could catch him, the young gunner was running out firing at the Decepticon leader. Megatron turned and fired.
'Cap' ducked. "Have they all been taken care of?" megatron asked.
"affirmative." came soundwave's answer. "Retread HELP!" the red mech squiggled in the blue cassetticon's grasp. "Who?" Megatron asked. "Our captain. out leader. He'll show you!" the red mech kicked, but Megatron only laughed. "Then he will share the same fate as all of you." The tank cringed at the final blast of Megatron's cannon.
"TERRA!" the Decepticons looked up. the tank fired off three shots, scattering the seekers, and transformed and zoomed down the hill towards them.
----------
Alpha locked optics with Hammertread and then looked down. She swallowed. "Hey, HT..." She muttered.
"Alright, Indy...here he is...again." She deadpanned.
"He keeps doing this and he'll end up having to rent this cell as his part time home..."
Hammertread bklinked. "I know you..." he looked away. "I think."
Alpha nodded. "You do, HT..." She said, looking at him. "You've gotta remember me...please..." She begged, her optics looking at the floor.
-
Terra squirmed in the seeker's grasp. She screamed and kicked. "Lemme go! I won't go back! I won't! I can't!" She said as she tried to flap her wings. The femme screamed again as a crack was heard. Something, or rather, someone, had snapped her flesh wings. Tears fell from Terra's optics as she continued to struggle.
Orcus growled as he ran as fast he had ever run before. He grinned, "That little...flesh bot...is going to be my newest toy once I get away..." He chuckled.
Cap transformed, and fired off a shot at Megatron, who ducked.
"LET HER GO!!" he bellowed, firing again. Soundwave ducked behind a rock and fired back.
Cap ignored the blast as it bounced off his armor. He kept walking. He fired at Orcas's head. His optics glowed bright blue with a fury he hadn't felt since his unit was ambushed. Soundwave fired again. The tank fired back, hitting the cassette host in the chestplate, knocking him out.
Megatron aimed his armcannon at Terra.
Cap aimed at Megatron's head.
"let. her. go."
"NOW!!!" he barked.
---------
Indy looked at Alpha. "So, how are we going to get to him without him trying to rip us apart?" she asked.
Hammertread looked at her, then Alpha again. "If you think I'm going to let you put false memories into my head you're wrong." he snarled.
He remembered something about Alpha telling her the same thing... but why?"
"I'm just a psychic that lends my talents to whoevah needs them." the red sportscar looked at him.
Trailbreaker stood up behind them. "I might be able to offer some help. I can use my frocefield to hold him still, but not for very long." Hammertread glared at him like 'You can try.'
Alpha looked at Hammertread. "This is for your own good, HT..." She said softly. The femme looked at Trailbreaker. "Do it. I can help with the force field if needed, using my psychic energy..." She offered. She was going to do anything to get Hammertread back to normal.
Indy nodded.
Trailbreaker activated his forcefield, shoving the giant tank against the wall, and holding him there. He growled as he struggled against it's hold. "You'd...better...hurry..." Trailbreaker said, concentrating on keeping the field in place.
-----------
Terra cried out, and tried to get away, fear overriding every logic chip she had in her techo-organic body. She kicked and screamed, closing her optics tightly. The bat was way too afraid to think normally and calmly. She wasn't going to go back to all that pain. All those tests...not after she had tasted what life could truely hold. She looked at Cap. "Help me!"
Megatron turned and fired at Cap...
the tank dodged, and ran, but instead of tackling Megatron, he went right past, aiming for Orcas.
Orcus yelled as he did. He moved out of the way...and got hit by another blast with Megatron's cannon.
He let go of Terra, who ran a couple steps, but was grabbed by Megatron before she could get away.
----------
Alpha joined in on helping the mech keep the forcefield up with her pyshic powers. She groaned and put all of her energy into holding it up. "Hurry, Indy."
Indy deactivated the field and stepped into the cell, motioning for Alpha to follow. The field clicked back on after them, just in case Trailbreaker's forcefield gave away. Indy walked up.
"No..." Hammertread turned his head to one side. "Don't touch me!!" he wiggled against the field...
Indy glanced at Alpha. "Don't worry about the field. Come and help me. Youah memories of him should help."
Alpha walked over to Hammertread, tears in her optics, and touched his cheeks. "Easy, Hammertread...I'm not going to hurt you..." She promised as she swallowed. "Ready, Indy?"
----------
Terra yelped and squrimed. "Cap, help me!" She begged as she fought against Megatron.
Cap looked up, giving Orcas the chance to punch him in the nose and get free to run. Starscream and the jets swung over, keeping the rest of the autobots busy. It was just the two of them, and Terra. Megatron grinned, aiming his arcannon at her head from where his arm was around her. He took a step back...
Cap ran and tackled him, shooving his cannon away from Terra's head and punching him in the face with his other hand. the shot went wild, hit Thundercracker, who was flying overhead..
Terra fell to the ground and sobbed as her broken wings bled, not only energon, but blood as well. She struggled to get to her feet as she crawled away from Megatron. The poor femme had been scared of going back and now...she couldn't handle the pain that went with it.
-----------
Hammertread growled loudly, trying to resist. Indy put her hands over Alpha's. "No... let me go!" the tank howled, struggling even more.
he whimpered, starting to shake, knowing he was helpless. and that scared him.
Alpha looked at Hammertread and looked away. Tears ran down her cheeks. "We're not going to hurt you, Hammertread. I never would..." She whispered before helping Indy take the mental barriers away.
The field started to loose it's grip, and Hammetread moved a little from side to side. He roared, not wanting to believe it, and the resistance in his mind only caused more pain, which made him angrier. He finally froze for a second, then roared like a beast released from hell, and brioke the field, throwing both femmes back onto their skidplates. He stomped over, red optics glowing like hell-coals, and grabbed Alpha by the upper arm, hauling her rougly to her feet, his grip so tight around her arm the metal squeaked.
He growled low in his vocaliser, and narrowed his optics.
Alpha gasped, looking at him. She trembled in fear, but then braved up. The pain in her arm was nothing compaired whatever else she had been through. Alpha reached up with her one free arm and touched his cheek. "Hammertread...come on...please remember...it's me...it's Alpha..." She whispered, looking him in the optics. "Please remember me...don't let Megatron's machine stop you from remembering who you really are...remember Driveby? Kit? The Blue Twit!"
--------
The sound of other autobots's engines sounded in the distance. "Get out of here." Cap yelled at Terra. "Go!" Megatron fired at Terra.
Cap jumped at him, grabbing his armcannon, wrestling with the silver Decepticon for a second, and exchanging a couple of punches. The rest of the autobots appeared over the hill, those who weren't trying to keep Starscream and the jets away.
The tank puched him again.. The autobots helped Terra into the back of Ironhide's van mode, and they took off for the Ark.
Cable grinned at where Cap's back was to him from atop the hill, silently cheering him on.
Suddenly, a bright white light lanced out, going right through the mini-tank. Megatron paused, scowled at the group as he fell, and took to the air.
"CAP!" Cable screamed, and bolted down the hill.
Terra felt something in her spark drop. "No..." She whispered, knowing Cap was, if not dead, seriously injured. She shook her head and tears fell. "No...no...no please..."
Cable ran over and rolled over the tank from his side to his back. "Megatron blasted a hole all the way through him." His voice shook. Ratchet ran up and looked over him. "He's alive. But barely. We have to get him back to base. Now." he transformed and sped back to base with Cap. Cable transformed and did a peelout, chasing after him.
---------
Hammertread leaned down, towering over her. Before anyone could blink, he'd wrapped his other arm around her and lifted her all the way off the ground in a crushing hug. He chuckled lowly. "Had you scared, didn't I?" he chuckled into her audio.
Alpha blinked, but then smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Primus, HT, you did! Don't ever scare me like that again!" She smiled.
Hammertread grinned. "So how is little Kittar?" he set Alpha back down.
((he used to never ever call her by name, just the impersonal 'kid'. He's not the cold creature he was. grins ))
Indy picked herself up, holding her head where she'd hit it on the floortile. She looked at him.
"Thank you." he said.
Indy's jaw hit the floor. "Youah...welcome..." she said, like she herself didn't believe she had heard what he had just said.
She looked at Alpha, optic ridges inching higher in question.
Alpha smiled. "She's fine. Worried to death about her 'uncle HT' but fine." She smiled up at him. The femme then looked at Indy. She shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm just happy he's back to normal." The femme admitted. "And not trying to kill me..."
Here, she rubbed her cheek where he had hit her when they had fought the first time his memory had been erased.
HT smirked, but didn't apologise. He still didn't want anyone else to think he was weak.
"I'll call Prime." Indy nodded, clicking off the field, then back on once she was out of the cell, so even if Hammertread tried to escape, he still wouldn't be able to.
-----------
Ratchet sped into the repairbay, where Ironhide was allready with Terra, Wheeljack was working on her wing. He looked up as the medic placed the tank on the repair berth and started to hook up various backup power lines and work on the most major of the damage. "lucky bastard. The blast barely missed his spark casing. Had he moved an inch further he'd be dead right now." he mumbled.
Cap's blue optics lit slightly. "...terr..a..." he whispered.
"You're safe." Ratchet replied. "You're back at the Ark." The mini-tank's fingers twitched slightly, and Ratchet put a hand over his arm to keep him from moving. "Don't try to move. You're severely injured." he glanced at Terra. "I don't know how he's awake. He shouldn't even be concious." he noted.
"te...rra." Cap gasped.
Terra gripped his hand. "I'm here, Cap...I'm here..." She whispered, "Don't leave me...please. Don't leave me"
Ratchet moved around to the other side of the repair table, trying to get the tank's systems re-routed before he could have a cascade failure on all systems. He glanced at Terra.
The doors banged open, and Cable, Becaon, Gunlock, Ty, and Driveby came running through, Jade behind them. "What's going on?" Driveby demanded.
"Get out!" Ratchet yelled. "I can't work with all of you standing of him like a bunck of broody hens." he glared.
Cable folded his arms.
"Just let him do his job, guys." Jade mumbled from behind them.
Terra ignored him and continued to hold onto Cap's hand. "Please...please don't leave me...I can't live without you..." She said, looking at him. The bat kissed the mech's hand. "Please don't leave me..."
-------------
Alpha looked around to make sure no one was around and then hugged Hammertread. "Glad t' have ya back t' normal, HT." She said, letting go of him. "Ya had me scared there for a minute." She said, rubbed her arm.
Indy came back over and clicked off the forcefield. "Alpha, Prime says he'll be down in a minute, but he's kinda busy right now. Something about on of Driveby's group getting shot." she said. She glanced at Hammertread, sensing the difference in his emotions. she smiled.
Alpha nodded and then looked around. "Oh shoot! I gotta get down there!" She said, "I've supposed to be helping Ratchet!" She looked at her internal clock, "I am late for my shift! Shoot!" THe femme muttered.
"Don't let him kill anyone!" She called back to Indy as she ran towards the med bay. "Or they'll be hell to pay...both of ya!"
--------
the doors opened again, and Prime walked through.
Ratchet threw his hands in the air. "Oh for the love of... DO YOU MIND!!?"
He went back to work, hurriedly tying in what systems he could.
"It's...o..kay..." Cap mumbled.
"He's awake!" Cable cheered and hurried up next to Terra.
Ratchet glared, but said nothing more.
He knew there wasn't anything else he could do.
He could try. But no one had ever gotten a hole blasted through them by Megatron, and lived to tell about it.
After a moment, Driveby and the others silently walked up, Prime behind them.
"You did a courageous thing." Prime rumbled. "had..to." Cap replied, forcing a smile at Terra.
Alpha walked in. Cap offlined his optics breifly before speaking again. "Had to make up for my cowardace in the past." he took another breath, and his optics met Prime's.
"My troup was ambushed in Iacon." Prime's optics widened in suprise. He looked over at Alpha.
Alpha looked at the ground. She knew what he meant. She had seen it in his mind.
Terra shook her head. "No...No...Cap, please..." She whimpered, clutching her hand. Tears fell from her optics and onto the mech. "Please don't...you can't die..."
Alpha took a deep breath and told the story.
Cap had been an Autobot, in charge of a unit of eight Autobots, who were trying to keep the Decepticons from invading a city at the outskirts of Iacon. Cap and one of the group had circled around to one side of the city, and when they returned, when none of the others would respond over the radio. When he and Tripwire got back to the area, they had ducked inside an old gutted bulding, which had been destroyed by bombs or something. Megatron had basically massacred the rest of his troup, and had Fasttrack, the scout for his unit, prisoner. Tripwire ran out of the building to try and save him, And, in a moment of weakness, Cap stayed put, hidden inside the building, while both were shot, knowing he'd share their fate if he showed himself. Cap...well, Retread, was his actual name, had only had the rank of captain, but had been put in charge of the group because of the lack of ranking officers in the army at the time. "Cap" is actuall his old nickname, short for captain.
When she was finished, she was looking at the ground. Yes, again.
Terra looked at Cap once Alpha had finished and stroked his forehead. "You could have just let me die..." She whispered.
"Why did you do this?" She asked, putting his hand to her forehead.
Cap looked up at Terra, almost like he was going to cry himself. "I should have gone out defending my team a long time ago, Terra. but it's a blessing from Primus I've had the chance to know you."
Blue optics dimmed slightly, and flickered out.
Driveby and her team stood at attention, quickly saluting. A blue spark appeared from the greying form, lighting the entire room, before slowing to hover, brightening as though gazing at them one final time.
"We'll miss you, Cap'n." Cable sobbed. Then the spark flashed, as though smiling, and shot straight up, dissapearing through the metal plating of the ceiling.
Everyone's stare followed it, and then back to where he had been.
Terra sobbed and clutched his hand. Her body was wracked with her sobs as she leaned over Cap's body and cried. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her.
Alpha looked at the ground and slowly walked out of the med bay. She had tears in her optics and pulled Prime out of the med bay. "N-Not to..." She trailed off and wiped her tears away. "B-But Ht's kinda..." She looked at the ground, ashamed she was talking about him when someone had just died. But she couldn't help it.
"look." Cable nodded to where the tank was starting to fade into thin air, as though he had never existed.
Driveby and her team took a step forward.
Terra blinked. Her optics widened. "C-Cap?" She whimpered.
The final bit of grey faded from view, like a mirage, and Jade stepped forward. "I wonder..." she breathed.
---
Hammertread paced his cell, then flopped down, and started counting ceiling tiles. He grinned.
He glanced at Indy and chuckled.
"And there's floor tiles, too." he rolled over so he was facing the bars.
"And look, a bunch of human soldiers." The captain of the group facepalmed, and Hammertread laughed.
"I think I'm gonna like it here just fine, after all." he grinned.
Omega laughed as he became visable. He was standing across from Hammertread's cell. "Mind if I help?" He grinned. "I do enjoy annoying these humans."
"Sure." Hammertread scooted over, to give Omega some room on the bench next to him.
Omega laughed. "Ya know...I wonder if they'll hold up as long as the others." He chuckled before counting.
"One idiot, two squishies, three idiots, four little shrimpies..." he recieved a glare from one of the human soldiers. "...six little rodents"
"Hey!"
he chuckled, and looked at Omega.
"Not again!" One of the other soldiers protested.
Omega laughed. "One little human...two little human...three little human..."
"Four little idiots." Alpha and Omega said at the same time.
"Huh? Hey! Wanna annoy them with us?" Omega offered his sister, grinning.
Alpha laughed. "Maybe later, bro." She said, but there was sadness behind both her voice and her optics. Anyone who knew her could see that.
Omega's wings drooped. "Kay."
Hammertread looked up at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.
Omega touched his sister mind, but then yelped. "Ow! Hey! All ya had to do was say no!"
Alpha smirked, but then it fell. "...Cap died saving Terra from Megatron..." She whispered, looking down.
Omega's wings drooped even farther. "Oh..."
"Yep..." Alpha muttered. The truck bed on her back slumped slightly along with her shoulders.
Hammertread looked out of the cell at the human soldiers, who looked none too pleased.
Indy walked back in with Prime.
----------
meanwhile...
"ding dong." the doorbell rang, and the two people answered it. The short blonde-haired man in fatigues gulped. "uh...hi... um.. I know you're daughter... "
he glanced from one person to the other. "It's kinda hard to explain..."
he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously.
The two moved aside, letting the young man enter the white farmhouse...
-
Jade grinned and ran out of the repairbay. "what!? What!?" Cable followed after.
"It's okay, just... stay with terra. I'll be back." Jade headed for Wheelajck's shop, where her car was kept.
"I'm going with you." Cable caught up to her.
"So are we." Driveby walked up, Ty, Gunlock, and Beacon beside her. Jade just nodded, knowing they were going to say that.
"but who's gonna stay with terra?" she asked.
Everyone looked at Cable.
He sighed and looked at the ground. "Alright." he said softly, heading back to the repairbay.
-------------
Alpha looked up at Prime. "Heyas, Prime." She said.
Omega shot up, almost hitting Hammertread in the head with his wings.
"Sorry!" He winced before walking over to his sister's side.
"I was told I should speak with you." Prime said.
"aww, but we were just starting to have fun." HT smirked. "Right guys?" he leaned over to look past Prime and called to the troups.
"F#$ you!" came the reply.
"Only humans can do that, and I already have a girlfriend. But thanks for the offer" HT called back, glancing at Alpha and grinning. He just got a dirty look, and no response to that.
------
Terra was still in the med bay, sobbing. She had her arms folded and was laying her head on the med bay where her boyfriend's body had once been. She shook with ever sob.
Terra clutched the bed. "W-Why? Why? I was just starting to forget everything...and they took him away from me...they always take everything away from me.."
Cable came up behind her and pulled her into a hug. "It'll be okay... he was my friend, too. like a brother, really." he looked around for Ratchet to help him out, but the CMO had allready retreated to his office. He felt bad enough he couldn't do his job well enough this once.
"Come on, let's go back to our quarters. We can talk there." he said softly.
----
Omega was the one who shot him the dirty look. He was offended someone would say that to his sister.
Alpha rolled her optics, but smirked, shaking her head. She then blinked. Was he talking about DriveBy...or her? He had to be talking about Driveby. She did love him, but...he cared about Driveby more than her...right?
HT smiled at Alpha, then turned his attention to Prime. "They were right. Megatron put mental barriers in my head. In a chip." he held a hand to his head. "But Indy managed to get around it. It might come back if you can't get the chip out." he trailed off.
After a second he continued. "I should not have been so naieve to think things would be the same as they were five million years ago. Megatron is not the leader he once was." his voice took on more conviction as he went on. "And I will never be the mindless soldier I once was to him." he took off the Decepticon symbol that had been placed on his chest. "And this." He ripped it in half, then to shreds. "Will never mean anything to me again." he let the tiny purple shreds of metal drift to the flooring. He looked at prime and waited for an answer.
Alpha was stunned, but she then smiled and couldn't help but laugh.
Omega smirked and laughed as well.
Prime smiled behind his faceplate, but managed to keep it from showing. "Very well. If that is your desiscion..." He smiled.
Alpha grinned and glomped her brother.
"Ack!" Omega yelped. "Why ya glompin' me? He's the one that's not a Decepticon anymore. Oops...wrong choice of words..." He muttered.
"'Cause he's got an attitude 'bout people touchin' 'im and I really don't wanna get on his bad side." Alpha smirked.
Prime shook his head.
HT folded his arms, then grabbed Alpha up and have her a bear hug. Her armor creaked, and he chuckled.
Alpha gaped, her optics wide. "Okay then..." She muttered, looking up at him. "Who are you and what have you done to Hammertread?" She asked and then laughed.
Omega rolled his optics, but smirked.
Prime shook his head.
Hammertread set Alpha back down. "I'm me. Who are you?" he mock-scowled. The group walked out of the brig, towards the command room, where Indy was waiting. The human soldiers followed.
"I remember, now. Even before I fell off that cliff. Before the mechs who found me reprogrammed my neurocircuitry so I wouldn't remember." he looked at her.
They reached the command room, and Indy nodded. "I'm probably gonna have a lot to explain foah not getting Orcas, but... she glanced at the doorway. "Maybe he'll make the mistake of coming to us someday. If you evah captchuh any moah Decepticons, let us knoe, and We'll try to get heah soonah." she looked like she was trying to believe it, but knew she'd be in huge trouble when she got home.
"I was wondering." prime glanced at Hammertread. "You have some experience from your facility working with neuro-processor chips, might you be able to help us out with something?" he glanced at Hammertread, who squeezed Alpha's hand slightly at the mention. HT glanced at her unsuredly.
"Perhaps." Indy nodded.
--------
Meanwhile, a black and red Dodge Shadow pulled into the driveway of the white farmhouse, and the blonde-haired (human Jade) rang the doorbell. "Mom, Dad, I'm home." she grinned.
--------
Cable led Terra into the crew's quarters and handed her an energon cube, wondering what Jade meant. "Maybe... do you want to go talk to someone? I'm sure Jazz or Smokescreen would be in the rec. room." he offered.
Smokescreen was the unoficcial counselor at the Ark, but he knew Terra might be more inclined to talk to one of the other mechs.
Terra shook her head, tears still in her optics, and just buried her face in her arms, which were wrapped tightly around her legs.