"Where is she!?" Breakdown cried out as Megatron and Starscream limped into the med-bay. Knockout had the two bed's down already. Soundwave was preparing the human medical equipment. Megatron had requested an oxygen machine and it terrified the two medics because he did not explain why. Megatron sat closest to the desk with the human medical equipment on it. Knockout and Breakdown set down Starscream on his own berth. They had no clue where Miko was, there was no sight of her. 'She is here', is the only answer they would get from Megatron. Starscream also didn't know where Miko was.
The three of them jumped back as Megatron opened up his chestplate. His spark pulsed as it was revealed to the medics. It was full of dark energon and so had been dyed a dark purple. But a light pink streak trailed down and was connected to the human they were all looking for. She was dirty, her hair was full of pebbles. She looked pale and tired, her eyes were sunken, her hands were quivering. What was truly worrying was the lack of movement in her chest. She wasn't breathing. But she stared up at them all, her legs crossed and she was turning her head. She opened her mouth, in some attempt to speak she started to move her mouth but just a croaky, grunt-like sound came out. Knockout's mouth fell open and his optics were wide. Breakdown had a similar expression, but he looked more worried. He tried to reach for Miko, but didn't dare cross into Megatron's spark chamber. Knockout frowned as he knelt down. He looked at her closely, inspecting her and examining her. He frowned as looked at her.
"Can you lift up your shirt?" He explained. Miko pouted as she looked down. She mouthed something but no noise came out. He moved back confused, but he almost jumped as Megatron spoke.
"The spark energy burns her shirt." He explained. Knockout stared up at their master. He looked back down at Miko who just nodded. He pulled away, standing and absolutely baffled.
"How did you know what she said?" He took the scanner from Breakdown. He did scans on Miko. He frowned as he watched the scan results pop up. He figured she was too close to Megatron's spark to get a clear reading. Dark energon signals were popping up on the scan. But he saw that her heart was beating, her blood was flowing and her organs were all working. Well, all but her lungs, they were not working. He could see there was some foreign matter in her lungs. He frowned as he zoomed in at that part, he figured it was some of the dust. He'd have to perform a trachea. He'd have to put her to sleep to do so. The current problem was of course, getting her away from the spark energy.
"She told me. I can hear her voice, through the connection I hypothesise." Megatron explained. Knockout frowned but nodded. He looked at the medical devices and tapped his pede against the ground. Breakdown finally snapped out of his wonder as he looked at Miko. He titled his helm.
"Lord Megatron, if you're attached to Miko as a 'life-support' machine…. How do we remove her without causing harm?" He looked up at the Warlord. Megatron paused at this. He had not thought that far. He snarled as he plunged himself into thought. Miko looked up at them all. She wiped at her face, trying to clear the dirt off. Breakdown grabbed the small packet of 'wipes' for her. He placed it down beside Miko. She mouthed 'thanks', but again no noise came out. She opened up the packet and took out one of the baby wipes. She was never so glad to have a clean face. She pressed hard into her skin, getting off all the dirt she could. She had to go through several baby wipes until she was done. She handed the packet and dirty wipes back to Breakdown.
"Did she sustain any other injury?" Knockout called. Miko jumped up. Breakdown watched as she turned her leg. He frowned. He saw what was once a cut, quite a large one. But it had scabbed over. Other parts of the once-wound had completely healed over. It was the only clean skin on her leg. He stared at it for a moment. It was a large cut, very large, it shouldn't have healed like a trivial paper cut. Miko turned to look at the wound. Her eyes widened in shock. She rubbed a hand along the wound, she did this quite a few times. Her disbelief was clear. She looked at the spark and then back to Breakdown.
"Mh, it was a rather large wound before… It seems the dark energon is not only a powerful substance for my endurance, seems it works well for humans too." Megatron pulled himself out of his thoughts. Breakdown nodded as he wrote it down in a datapad. Miko could read some of it. It was medical notes on her. She tilted her head as she read as much as she could.
'Episodes of Depression have become rarer. Continue non-medication treatment' That was written a few days ago, the newest entry read 'Dark energon infected, lab tests needed. Full body examination recommended.' Miko winced. She looked up at Megatron, he was busy with Soundwave. The third-in-command had brought energon cubes for the two cave-in mechs. She wasn't hungry herself. No, she had more things to worry about than food. What was her non-medication treatment? Was it the flights? The gifts she received? She really didn't know. She supposed that's why the treatment was successful because she didn't know when she was being treated. Knockout looked over at the pad and nodded.
"Lord Megatron, do we have your consent to reach into your spark chamber to perform some procedures to get Miko out safely?" Knockout smiled at the warlord. Miko went to look at his helm to see his faceplate. But all she saw was the roof to the spark chamber, she frowned and decided to look at his spark instead.
"Do you have a specific procedure in mind?"
"Yes, in fact I do! We'll bring the tray over to your lap, have the machines on the tray and connect Miko before putting her on the machines. But to do this, we'll have to put Miko under anaesthetics." He gestured to a tray they could wheel around. It would be level with the floor of the spark chamber. She felt the pulse of the spark energy, it hummed and sparked in a way that made her shudder. What caused that? She looked up at the spark, her best guess was Megatron was deep in thought. That he accidentally zapped her or whatever.
"... Miko, are you okay with that?" Megatron finally spoke. She blinked as she realised all the Decepticons were looking at her. She looked at the machines and shrugged.
"Yeah sure, I'd like to be able to talk again!" She reasoned. Megatron chuckled. He gave the okay to Knockout. Miko watched the tray rattle over and she was given a breathing mask. It was hooked onto a machine that let her breath in sleeping gas. She frowned as she leaned against the opening of the spark chamber. She wasn't sure the gas was worki-
She woke up with a mask on her face. She felt someone stroking her head, it was weirdly soothing. She opened her eyes, a dim light was filling the room. She was on a soft bed and could see flowers past the person. Her vision became clearer and she was Breakdown- Human sized. He certainly was still Cybertronian, but just… Smaller. She was wrapped up in a heavy but cosy blanket and so didn't sit up, she wasn't sure she could. But her arms were outside the blanket and so she reached and touched Breakdown's side. He sat up and saw her. He smiled as he turned to her.
"Morning kid, you had all worried. I'll notify the others…" He tapped a few buttons on the terminal beside them. He then stood, he unfolded his chest and took out a holoform attachment. Miko's eyes widened. But he disappeared and the real version of Breakdown moved on the other side of her. She turned as he knelt beside the platform her bed sat on.
"You gave us all quite a scare- Don't take off the mask, you need the extra help getting the air. And… Don't say I used the holoform tech, I just wanted you to have some comfort." He admitted. Miko nodded. She began to sit up. She stopped in a jerk as she felt pain rip through her. She groaned as she looked down at herself. She was in a pyjama shirt-dress, it was long and black. But it was fluffy. She patted it and smiled, it was puffy too. She looked at the flowers, they were beautiful really. They were a diverse range and some she couldn't name. She reached out for them, but it was too far from her reach. Breakdown nudged them close enough for her to scoop up the bouquet. She smiled as she looked at them and then she noticed the ribbon tied to them. She looked down and saw a large, large teddy by her feet. She put the flowers down and then scooped up the teddy. It was a shark, a dark grey. But then the gills and some details on the fins were a dark purple. The eyes were two dark grey Xs. The mouth was open, and it had a pocket in it. She didn't bother checking the pocket because she was just thrilled with it. She knew exactly what it was.
She hugged the teddy, it was full of fluffy and some bean bag beans. She loved the teddy, she loved it so much! Breakdown chuckled.
"Lucky kid, getting ya birthday gifts early!" Breakdown snorted. Miko paused. Huh, so this was her birthday gift from one of them? So cool! She looked back at Breakdown, she noted that he never looked at her directly. She just hugged her teddy tight. It was a comfort, it was so heavy and it felt wonderful.
Breakdown chuckled as he checked her vitals.
"You slept for a really long time, you even started to have nightmares, calmed down when I started to pet your head… Again, don't tell the others." He chuckled. Miko nodded as she looked at the machines she was hooked onto. There were drips going into her arm, heart monitors that snaked down the neck of her shirt. She had never been hooked up to as many machines before. Even when she had the shards of glass in her arm. She felt so tired, her body was aching. She hated this, this cycle of getting better just to end up in a medical bed again. She hated it, she hated it. But… She had never gotten a teddy from it before. She patted the shark's head. She liked the way his snout stayed stiff and bobbed up and down. It never went too soft and it never dipped inwards. It was a good quality teddy.
"The dark energon hasn't been hurting you, weirdly enough. We've been doing scans on your vitals, and you're even a little healthier than you should be." Breakdown scratched his helm. Miko nodded as she patted the mask on her face. It was filling her with oxygen and she wasn't sure if she could keep it on or off. She wanted to take it off, badly. The feeling of it made her gag. The cold, rubbery feeling and the smell of it. It sucked. She wondered how she looked. Breakdown sighed as he placed a servo beside her bed. She giggled as she looked at him.
"Ya know kid… We don't really say it but ya mean a lot to me and Knockout. You really do." He assured her, Miko beamed as she looked at him. So both them and Megatron seem to care about her a lot. It was a good feeling. Miko jumped as the door hissed open. She realised they were in a smaller, more private room off the side of the medical bay. Megatron stood in the doorway, his shoulders raised high and he looked unbearably tense. Miko reached up to him. A small and simple gesture that showed everything she wanted to portray. She wanted him, she wanted him by her side and she wanted him there quickly. It was similar to when a child wanted 'ups' from their parents. He was quick to obey, he knelt beside the desk her bed sat on. His shoulders were shaking as they finally dropped. Breakdown pulled away and walked over to Knockout, he looked sad but that quickly disappeared as Knockout held his servo. She could see Starscream on his own bed drinking energon.
"There you are my darling pet… Awake and well." Megatron cooed. Miko smiled as he lifted up his claw to her cheek. She leaned into his touch. He was such a comfort. Megatron chuckled as the door closed. It was just her and him now. She lifted up the shark for him to see.
"I see him, I see the shark. He's yours, he was going to be your birthday present, but I figured you'd take a particular comfort in him." Megatron hummed as he looked at her. He turned to all the machines, staring at the vitals. Miko looked at them too, she didn't understand them as much as she wished she did. She looked at Megatron and he turned back to look at her.
"Have you not seen yourself? I suppose you haven't with how calm you are." Megatron reasoned with a sigh. He picked up her datapad and placed it on her lap. Miko frowned as she turned on the camera and pointed it towards her. She went quiet, she lowered it as she stared.
There were tubes going into her nose, small tubes. Her eyes had two big black circles around them, from tiredness she realised. She looked terribly pale. But the most apparent change to her face was her eyes. The black circles were highlighted. She looked like a body you'd fish out of a river.
There were big neon rings instead of her usual golden-rust pupils. Her pupils were pink. They were glowing and they were pink. Miko touched her cheeks, she just stared. She couldn't comprehend what she was looking at. She looked at Megatron. He closed his optics for a moment, she watched as his Decepticon insignia started to glow. She watched it flicker and pulse. Megatron opened his optics and they were a dark purple. She watched in amazement, so his eyes changed colour with the dark energon? She looked back at her reflection, at the pink eyes. She just let the datapad fall and she curled into a ball. She wasn't sure what to do with all this information. It all came so suddenly. She could cry. She was so overwhelmed. She was so utterly overwhelmed. She sniffled. She hated it, she hated being hooked up to these many machines especially. She paused as she felt something tap her arms. She looked up to see the shark plush.
She looked up and laughed, Megtaron had nudged the teddy to her. She scooped it up and hugged it tight. She buried her face in it.
"Talk back to me, you must try at least." Megatron spoke softly. She frowned as she tapped the mask. He tutted and glanced back at the two medics. Neither were paying any attention. Megatron leaned down to cover her from their view, "You can take the mask off- I won't snitch on you." He whispered. Miko looked at the oxygen mask. She was quick to rip it off. She took in deep breaths. She felt able to breath well enough without the mask.
"How long will I be like this?" She gestured to all the tubes in her body. Megatron grunted as he examined her.
"I'll have Knockout remove the items such as the feeding tubes and the monitors. The dark energon shows me your vitals. You'll be back in your bed by the night." He vowed. She nodded and just focused on taking deep breaths. She could feel how she wasn't taking in enough air. She placed the mask against her face and breathed in the oxygen. Megatron watched her. There was a moment of silence between the two. A mutual enjoyment of each other's company. They didn't need words to communicate. They didn't need to communicate. Miko smiled as she patted the shark. She stroked its head gently.
"Thanks for saving me- You really didn't need to do all this." She gestured around. Megatron frowned as he looked down at her. He then started to cackle, shaking his helm.
"You seem to forget how fragile you are, pet." Megatron cooed over her. She snorted as she took down the mask.
"I'm not that fragile if I've survived all this… Though I'm really tired." She admitted. Megatron turned to Knockout. He spoke in Cybertronian and Knockout returned the favour and Miko felt quite left out. Megatron turned back to her, "It's your medication, you have some sleeping helpers and painkillers in your blood system currently." He explained. She nodded. She fumbled a few times as she tried to get the mask back up to her face. Megatron frowned as he watched her. A silence fell over them and he didn't dare disturb it. Miko had been through a lot in the past few days. He felt a tinge of regret, he didn't want her to suffer. Megatron decided it as he looked at her, he decided that she would stay in the Nemesis for a period of time. She would stay until he was sure she was better.
Miko smiled as she touched some of the petals on the flowers. One was a dark red, it sprawled out thin, thin little petals and some stems.
"Do you like the spider lilies? I believed it went well with the camellia and the chrysanthemums." Megatron explained. Miko giggled at the thought of Megatron arranging flowers. She placed them to the side. Her little shark friend will always be on the bed though. She loved her shark. Well, he wasn't a small shark friend. He was about four feet! Miko hugged the teddy tight again. She buried her face against his gills. Knockout walked in, he bowed to Megatron and went to the side of Miko. She had Decepticons on either side of her. Normally she imagined how she'd defeat either 'Con, which one would she take out first? But now, she just watched them. She didn't want to hurt the other beings in the room. Knockout leaned down as he checked her vitals. He tutted as he looked down at Miko.
"I am going to do a scan on your vitals, and some blood tests." He explained. He pulled over a tray of needles. Miko winced at the idea. She just nodded and stared at the needles. She hated needles, she always did. She jumped as a light covered her. She winced and blinked. She looked at the scanner as Knockout read it. He nodded as he showed it to Megatron. He tilted his helm and nodded.
"I see… Good. Send the order to Soundwave to make some refurbishments to her sleeping space. That curtain may come in handy." He waved to Breakdown. The other mech nodded and went off to do as he was told. Knockout smiled as he took one of the needles. She could see a smaller needle and container was attached to it. She shuddered as she inched away.
"Frightened of needles, pet? Just hold onto the shark, bury your face in him. I'll be here with you." Megatron hummed. Miko nodded, she was quick to do as he suggested.. She whimpered as she prepared herself. She felt pressure press down on her back. She realised it was Megatron's claws. She took deep breaths as she hugged the teddy. She hugged it tighter as she felt a pressure on her arm.
A yell escaped her as she felt the needle go in, it didn't hurt, just felt like a pinch. But it was still unpleasant. Finally the needle left her body, a plaster was slid on to where it had been. She sat up and looked at the blood. She perked up as she saw the colour of her blood. It had become this wine-like colour. It wasn't red and it wasn't purple. It was like a dark wine colour. Megatron and Knockout stared at it in wonder.
"Woah…" She stared. Megatron hummed as he leaned in close to look at it. Knockout sighed as he put it in a secure vile.
"I'll test the sample, but I may need more. But for now you're discharged. But I've had Soundwave collect you an inhaler, do you know how to use one?" He explained. Miko paused and nodded. A classmate was asthmatic, she put the thing to her mouth and pressed down on the thing at the top! Easy! She wondered how it tasted… Knockout walked the vile to a storage container. He walked back to Miko's oxygen machine. He tapped some buttons. Miko paused as she felt tired, she felt so sleepy.
"Just let it take over, kid, it's easier to remove the tubes this way…" Knockout's voice was the last thing she heard.
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Jack sighed as he sat on the medical table. The Autobots were in a hurry, the thought of losing him was something that sent them all into a panic. Arcee was kneeling beside him, she was covered in dirt and dust.
"You're lucky to have found the drills when you did." Optimus spoke softly. June nodded as she looked at Arcee. The three had been blunt when talking about what happened. Megatron and Miko attempt to kill Starscream, the Seeker accidentally finding Bulkhead but Jack and Arcee rescue him just in time. By the time they left, there were clear signs the Decepticons had left. Optimus was rubbing at his chin as he thought. He seemed to be deep in thought. Jack sighed as he looked at Bulkhead. The mech was anxious to learn what had become of Miko.
"She looked…. Like one of the 'Cons, she acted like one too." Jack sighed as he started to repeat the story again, "She was cowering under Megatron's helmet but she got real… Really cocky and threw around some words like how you guys were trying to find her." He sighed as he rubbed at the side of his head. His fingers entangled with his hair. June rubbed his back as she sat beside him. Optimus stopped rubbing his chin as he listened to Jack.
"And… Megatron erm, he told her to get out of the cave system with me and I… She knew how to drive the drill, she could- can read Cybertronian now. I asked her some questions," Jack stopped. He looked ahead of himself, like he was trying to comprehend what happened. He couldn't understand what happened, "I asked her about him calling her a pet. Because he did and she just talked about it like it was nothing, she called herself his pet… Why would anyone demean themselves like that?" He looked at Optimus.
The Prime stopped as he looked at Jack. He knew Megatron would try to get a closer bond with Miko. But declaring her as his pet was something that had not occurred to Optimus.
"And Miko just nodded and said yeah, and she seemed to be really happy to be his 'pet', it was so weird. She claimed she wasn't going to school anymore, that Soundwave was teaching her… And then… We started to fight and, I managed to throw her off the drill." Jack looked down at his stitched up arm. He'd have a scar after this. He wasn't sure how deep it would be but he dreaded the thought of it.
"I can't believe Miko would just… Let Megatron claim her as a pet." June muttered. She placed a hand on her chest. She looked up at Optimus. The Prime sighed as he looked away. He couldn't bear the idea that Miko was really a Decepticon now. He still wanted her back. He wanted her to be an Autobot again, with Bulkhead again. That was where she belonged. He felt it within himself the need to apologise. He wanted her to know they still saw her worth. That she was worth something. He looked around and saw the Autobots all look to him for guidance.
He wanted to tell them she could be brought back. But that was not true, not in his spark and he hated the idea of lying. It was unhealthy for them all, for him, for Bulkhead and for Miko. It had become obvious there was a bigger issue to Miko. There had to be. An argument would not cause her to stray this far. There must be an issue elsewhere. But what he had come to realise is that Miko was happy. She was happy with Megatron.
"... Miko has made her choice. Miko Nakadai is a Decepticon." He announced. The entire room went silent. They all stared at him, their mouths hung open and they were in shock. Optimus stood up straight, "Miko has chosen her path, and that is by Megatron's side… Our search for her must come to an end." His shoulders fell. He hated to admit defeat. Bulkhead just stared at the ground. The roar that came from him startled everyone, he smashed the screen beside him. The once diamond shaped screen was now lop-sided. June screamed as she pulled the boys away. The other Autobots just stared in horror.
"No! No! No! I'm not losing Miko! I'm not losing my charge!" He stomped his foot, shaking his helm. Optimus walked over to him, gently placing a servo on his shoulder. Bulkhead clenched his fists.
"Bulkhead, calm yourself. I know losing any of our own hurts, but I believe Miko was in greater pain and that in some way, she is better off with the Decepticons." He pulled Bulkhead away from the group. The wrecker was shaking as he looked up at Optimus.
"But- I can't be the only one to lose their charge. Miko, she's my girl… Optimus we cannot give up!" He pulled away from the prime completely. Optimus looked sad as he watched the mech. He looked ready to break, Bulkhead was at the tipping point. He gestured down the hall.
"I know how much you care for her Bulkhead, but you must use that care to let her go… To let her better herself in a way she sees best. I believe it is best if you go to your room." Optimus had a sternness in his voice that made Bulkhead go quiet. All protests had been silenced by it. Bulkhead just nodded and walked away in silent rage. Optimus just watched him. He was aware of the others staring at him. He was aware of the shock from the Wreckers outburst. He turned away.
"I forget sometimes, I really do, how wreckers bottled up their emotions till this point…" It was true. Wreckers were the toughest of the tough for the Autobot army. They had to face horrible warzones. They had to face the most brutal and horrible warzones. In this horridness they had formed a band of brotherhood, they had formed identities in this. So they had learned to shut off their emotions, the more shut off you were, the more admirable you were. It became a game almost, to be more and more sealed away. It did have a downside, that when they exploded, they really did in a horrible way. It wasn't too bad when they did it because it was mostly on the battlefield… But now…
They all looked at the broken screen. It sparked and glitched. Ratchet was quick to turn off the entire console, he turned to Optimus who just stared at it. The medic was shifting from pede to pede. Optimus turned and paused. Arcee was missing… So was June.
"Where did the two others go?" He gestured to Bumblebee. The Scout jumped. He gestured upwards. A few quiet beeps came out of him. Optimus understood what he meant. They had fled to the roof. Optimus closed his optics. He had come to hate the life they lived in.
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Arcee rubbed at her arms, she watched June. The woman was pacing, she seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. Arcee herself was panicked too, she had never seen Bulkhead that angry. She liked to think sometimes that she was just as tall, just as powerful as the other mechs and femmes. But now, now was the reminder that she was in fact not. She was smaller, so much smaller than the others. She was weaker than him too. It scared her. It really did. If he had punched any more to the left, she could have been crushed. Arcee rubbed at her face as she looked at June.
"You doing okay?" She called. June stopped. She turned to Arcee. She just stared at her, nodding to herself. She rubbed her hands together. She just kept nodding. Then she began the walk to the two-wheeler. Arcee smiled at her and patted the ground beside her. June fell, sitting beside Arcee. She crossed her arms and pressed her legs tight together. June kept nodding until she spoke, "That was… Terrifying." Her voice cracked at the last word. Arcee nodded. She looked down at the small human. She gently reached down and rubbed June's back.
"They are… They really are. Maybe Optimus is right- Miko is better off with the 'Cons- Well, if Megatron wasn't as violent as he is. Maybe…" Arcee rubbed at her servos. June looked up at her. A slightly shocked expression covered her face. Arcee shrugged but then June spoke.
"I feel partly to blame. I tried to talk to her one day outside the local convenience store- But she was… She was so volatile, I tried to calm her. I tried to reason with her, but she was so sure of her place… Her place in the warship, at Megatron's side." June rubbed at her head. Arcee nodded and looked up at the sky.
"Like what she said to Jack?"
"Exactly, she was calling herself Megatron's pet and didn't care for my attempts to connect with her."
"... How did you try to connect with her?"
"My own story, about Jack's father… How he made me feel safe like Megatron makes her feel safe. Sometimes safety can be a cage…. But, she really is convinced. She was utterly convinced Megatron had her best interest in mind." She ran a hand through her hair, the pull caused her hair band to fall out. She let it. She did not care much about her aesthetics currently. Arcee went quiet, she had known Jack's sire was not present in his life. He never probed why. Arcee tilted her head and frowned. Should she now? It seemed June was open about talking about it.
"What was he like?"
"... Well, erm… Daniel, his name was Daniel. He was a mechanic, his dad was and he wanted Jack to be one too. He was good to me when we first met, he would bring me flowers at work sometimes." June giggled. Arcee smiled at her. She wanted June to be happy, but she knew where this story was going. So her smile was sad, Arcee could not manage much else. She reached out and gently placed her servo on June's hand.
"Well, that was until I started to become pregnant, he expected me to work, to stay a certain body type and to somehow have dinner on the plate before he got back from work. It became so stressful and then he got up and left. It was a week or two after Jack was born and I didn't lose weight immediately." June sighed. She waved away any concern with one hand. But her other hand did not move from Arcee's. It instead curled into a tight fist. Arcee sighed as she looked up at the clouds. The clouds rolled and folded past.
"I'm so sorry June, that must have been terrible." Arcee whispered. June looked up at the clouds and nodded. There was a moment of quiet. No words needed to be spoken. They were both in pain, both knew the pain of loss. Arcee still missed her partners, despite her best efforts of forgetting. June could not lie, a part of her was still missing Daniel. She rubbed at her arm.
"I am proud of what I did, I'm proud of how I got out but sometimes…" June muttered the rest under her breath. Arcee turned and frowned. She wondered if it was because her audio receptors had glitched, but she realised that June had truly whispered what she said. Why would she ever do that?
"You can talk to me June, I promise. I won't judge whatever you need to say." Arcee wrapped her larger servo around June's fist. The other watched this simple act. Her defences fell and she sighed, shaking her head she spoke, "Sometimes I wonder if I got out fast enough. Jack grew up so very alone. He had no grandparents, no Aunts or Uncles, no cousins… It was truly just me and him and I had to work almost all day…" June rubbed at her face. She sat against the elevator cover. The helicopter pad sat beside them.
Arcee nodded. She understood human sparklings did the best surrounded by 'family' . It's how they learned how to act and what is right and wrong. So Jack being so alone while young was not good.
"He punched someone when he was four ya know?" June snorted. She shrugged as she thought, "A boy had been bullying him and so he punched him… I thought nothing of it back then. It was a phase he'd outgrow- And now he's stabbed someone!" She half-laughed and half-sobbed. Arcee just nodded. She was quiet as she thought about what June said. Jack stabbing Miko with the rock was a disturbing idea. Understandable with how desperate the situation was. But disturbing with how unnecessary it seemed, was he afraid she would take him to the Decepticons? Was he afraid she'd leave him in a cave? Arcee couldn't understand it. Maybe there were several reasons, maybe there were none.
She looked at June and sighed, "Well. You two are not alone anymore. You have me, and you have Fowler and you have Optimus. You're not alone anymore, I'm sure we can get Jack and you some support. But you're not alone, I promise you are not alone." June turned to Arcee. Some tears ran down her cheek. She smiled, she pulled her hand away from the two-wheeler. Arcee froze up, worried she had offended her. Instead June threw her arms around Arcee's neck and hugged her tight. Arcee was stiff, she was frozen in confusion. It took her a moment to realise what had happened. She chuckled and hugged June back. The two just stayed there, enjoying the sense of being held.
It was a quiet moment. It was a quiet hug. It was a tender moment and a tender hug. It was a secret moment as well. They let themselves be weak in it. A mother, alone and tired. A soldier alone and scarred. Arcee gently rubbed June's back. She just let the woman sob. The stress of it coming out. The small body was trembling, the tiny frame was shaking. Arcee hummed as she waited for June to make the first move. She decided she'd let June decide when they were going to separate. June's hands were clasped together, shaking and holding onto the two-wheeler for dear life. They didn't separate for what felt like half-an-hour. Finally June did pull away. She wiped at her face.
"Thank you- I should probably head home, I have an early shift tomorrow morning." She brushed her shirt down and she fixed her hair. Arcee nodded, she stood up and smiled down at the human. June didn't have an Autobot Guardian, there were no active-duty Autobots free enough to be-... Actually. Arcee placed a hand on June's shoulder and smiled.
"Can you wait there for a nano-sec?" Arcee walked to the large elevator. June nodded and patiently waited as the Autobot descended. The door opened and Arcee crawled out. The others jumped in surprised at her reappearance. Optimus had been talking to Jack, the two stared at her with wide eyes and optics. She jumped off the human platform and walked to Optimus.
"Sir, I have a request." Arcee stood to attention. Optimus was surprised by this. It usually meant the request was serious… And they wanted brownie points by being official and formal. He patted her shoulder and she sighed, relaxing herself. She nodded and gestured to the elevator.
"I was wondering if it'd be okay if I would drive June around for a while, okay with you and Jack. I think it'd be good for Bulkhead if he hung around with a human again and Jack would be the best at it." The two were surprised. Jack remembered the first time she and Arcee met. Arcee saved June from M.E.C.H and they had been friendly since. He had wished his mother got a Guardian, he was terrified of her being taken again because she didn't have one. Arcee was right as well. Bulkhead needed a companion again. He looked at his arm, he could barely ride a bike in his state, no less a motorbike.
"... I'm okay with it." Jack was the first to speak. Optimus perked up at this. Arcee smiled, the widest smile he had seen her have in a while. Optimus finally nodded. He was glad to see some unity in the base, it had been a while since there was any positivity. He wouldn't dare disturb it.
"If Jack is, I am. Of course Arcee, I'm sure you and June will be fine." Arcee nodded, she thanked them both. A ding from the elevator alerted them to June joining. It was Optimus who turned to her. He smiled as he bowed himself and leaned down to be closer to June. She stood up straight, waiting for him to speak.
"June, there has been a change. Arcee has asked to become your partner, your guardian, is that alright with you?" Optimus looked back at the two-wheeler. She shyly waved at the two. June stared at them all confused.
"Jack? Are you okay with it?" She turned to her son. Jack gave a thumbs up to his mum.
"Yeah- They already asked me. Go for it mum!" June stood there, a little dumb founded. She walked to Arcee. She had no bags with her, she had rushed to the base when she got the call about Jack. They already had medical supplies there so she didn't need to bring him anything. She looked at Arcee, the large alien, the autonomous mechanical marvel.
"Are you okay with being here Jack?" She turned to her son. He waved away her concern.
"I'm going to take a nap, rest here for a while." He gestured to the couch behind him. June nodded. She figured he'd find more comfort with the giants, and they'd find comfort with him. They had lost enough, he had been hurt enough. They needed each other. She jumped as she heard machines clicking and whirring. She spun around to see a motorcycle before her, engines whirring. She stared in awe, Arcee leaned herself towards June. A silent invitation. The choice was hers, and she had to make it now. She had lived carefully for much of her life. She had too. June Darby had never even been on a rollercoaster, no less driven a motorbike on her own. Jack handed her his helmet, she stared down at it. She looked at her reflection.
June was not a young woman anymore, she didn't even have her own last name anymore. She kept the last name for Jack's sake, in case his dad ever showed up again and somehow did a 180. She always held out hope for that. She held out for a lot of things… She always figured she would eventually get to do it. She never did. June looked up at the motorbike. For once she'd like to be a little bit selfish. It did seem trendy these days to be a little selfish if the current state of the Autobots was anything to go by. She sighed as she buttoned up her cardigan. She adjusted the helmet and then slipped it on. She brushed hair away from her face. With some hesitation she got onto the motorbike saddle. She frowned, there were no seatbelts on here. She placed two shaky hands on the grips and she leaned forward. It was scary how free she felt. She froze as she heard the door of the base groan open. Arcee's engines revved, but she did not speed off. They slowly drove out of the base. June kept glancing back as they exited the base. Arcee revved a few more times.
"Ready to take off?" She called. June looked back as the Autobot door closed.
"... Yes." June admitted. She turned back, she faced straight ahead. She leaned down, gripped the handle bars. She readied herself and braced. Arcee shot off, they jumped as they hit the road. June screamed, but it wasn't one of fear. She was excited. She was overjoyed. She felt the air flutter and rush past her. The hum of the engine made her spine shake. It was amazing, it was exhilarating! She laughed as they drove towards the town, faster and faster.
June sat up. She got steadier and steadier as they went. She got more confident even. She looked down at the motorbike. She smiled as she patted the front of it.
"Enjoying this June!?" Arcee called over the wind and the engine noise. June nodded, they entered the outskirts of the city. She wondered if anyone from the book club would see her. She'd have to buy more motorbike safety gear, like a proper jumpsuit and helmet. She would have to pick up a motorbike magazine, see what was what. She frowned, she had to stop worrying so much. She laughed as they rounded a corner. It was amazing, it was fantastic. It was exciting.
She could certainly get used to this…
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Miko smiled as she laid in the bed, she had the headboard moved. It was now on the other end, so her feet were to the wall and her head closer to the edge of the desk. She had her head rested on the shark's tummy, she liked how it propped up her head. She gripped the mattress lazily, she was so tired. The surgery had taken a lot out of her. The lights were dim as they both sat in silence. To much noise hurt Miko's head and so Megatron's voice was like torture. She had just barely woken up. She had cold food, it was the only thing she could stomach, well barely stomach. So they had moved the mini-fridge beside the bed. Miko scooted closer to the edge of the bed. She opened the door and grabbed her water bottle. She watched as the cold water hit the warm air. It became foggy. She unscrewed the bottle and lazily drank. She rescrewed the bottle and put it back into the fridge. She closed the door. She looked back at Megatron who was typing away on his terminal. He didn't seem to mind working in the dark.
He was researching his own notes, grimacing as he remembered how frantic and erratic he was at the time. His notes were half sentences, ramblings and notes that were not Cybertronian or English. He had not organised any of the notes, not even alphabetically. He glanced at Miko. He had never tested the effects of Dark Energon on a human or any organic matter. It was too late now.
Megatron had come to the decision that the reason he could not exert control over Miko like he could with his infected undead drones was because she was not undead. She had gotten close to death certainly but she had not actually died. That was the key difference. She was certainly still human. Miko yawned, she buried herself under the bed covers more. Her flowers were beside her instruments and had filled her area with a smell of pollen and perfume. She had decided she loved the smell, an odd freshness compared to the usual smells of the ship. Miko a hand, lazily waving to him. Megatron snorted as he waved back to her. He frowned as he read some more of his notes. About the regenerative properties, about how it seemed to improve his stamina. He wondered if the same would happen for Miko, would she become 'superhuman'? He was amused by the idea. His own little super-pet. Yet, for now, she was a very sick pet. A very, very sick pet. He pushed himself a little more upright and leaned over to Miko. She didn't really react, she just closed her eyes and snuggled into the shark. He gently stroked her back, and watched her relax. Her eyes fluttered open and looked at Megatron.
"I'm okay, I'm okay…" She hummed. Megatron sighed as he just kept stroking her back. Miko rubbed at her eyes, whimpering from the strain of sitting up. She looked up at him. He pulled his servo away as he watched her roll onto her back. She smiled up at him. He examined her before speaking, "Does your chest still hurt?" He gestured to his own. She nodded as she looked down at the purple markings. It was not glowing anymore, but it was still very much present. She touched them, hissing in pain at how tender her skin was.
"Yeah, yeah. It's sore when I touch it. But I feel better now, thanks." She sat up slowly. She groaned, even that was a strain. She glanced over at Megatron. Never once had he lost the look of concern. She watched as he knelt to be closer to her, she sighed as she sat up completely. Though her shoulders were quick to fall and droop. She was so tired and her shoulder blades ached.
"So… If I connected to your spark, does that mean anything? Like, are we connected forever now?" Miko looked at the spark energy that had nestled into her chest. While the glowing subsided, it was still bright and purple. It looked like a tattoo, a horrible tattoo. It could have been at least a little pretty. Megatron hummed as he considered the question. He looked at the screen with all his research. The dark energon connected him, to an extent, to his undead servants. To the weaker beings, well… Megatron stood and went back to the computer. He went to some of his other notes. The beings he controlled had larger and more concentrated doses of the dark substance. It seemed the more they had contact, the less free-will they had. It seemed he had the correct amount to exert his will over them and keep his own free-will. Now, Miko had a filtered version of dark energon. A mixture of his spark energy and dark energon was now implanted in her chest and flowed through her veins. He remembered the conversation they had in the caves.
Amica Endura, that was what they had called themselves. He recalled the vague knowledge he had on Enduras. He finally nodded as he looked at her.
"Indeed we are, in the same way other endura are connected. While it is not the same for our species differences. But we are Amica Endura. Though if the occasion arises I'm sure we could reconnect and that would certainly make the bond stronger." He explained. Miko nodded as she looked down at her chest. She smiled a little at it all. She never had really bonded with anyone. She rubbed at her chest. She liked the feeling of his spark energy being warm and it made her fuzzy. She liked the feeling that was his care for her. It was such a direct and real feeling, there was no doubt that it was real. She liked that, it drove away her anxiety and doubt. She looked at his chestplate. She was about to speak but Megatron's rumbling voice cut her off.
"We should wait till we reconnect. I want to know if you're better." He hummed. He gently tapped her back, as if to pat her back. She chuckled at that. She figured he knew what she was going to say because of the yawned as she hugged herself. Megatron stood up. He groaned and stretched. Miko watched quietly as he walked to his energon storage and grabbed himself a cube. Miko should have eaten too, but she couldn't take the idea of eating. She couldn't stomach it. She didn't even like the idea of getting out of the bed.
"This sucks- It really does." She admitted. Megatron perked up as he looked over at her.
"You're still having trouble digesting food? Have you tried the liquid food mix that Soundwave got you?" He gestured to the fridge. Miko snorted. Megatron had not grasped the word 'smoothies' or 'milkshakes' yet. Miko opened the fridge and peered into the fridge. She noticed at the back of the fridge was a pink bottle. She grabbed it and opened it up. There, a pink, banana smelling drink was contained. A 'huh' escaped her. She slowly drank it. She felt some illness but she persisted. Miko put the lid back on the drink, she gagged a few times but the smoothie stayed down.
"This is not fun… Hey, do you think it's because I have to eat energon now?" She called. Megatron stopped at this. Energon was supposedly toxic to humans, but Miko was fine even though she had energon in her veins. He looked down at his own energon. He scraped the tiniest piece out of the cube and then handed it to ehr. Miko snorted as she took it. It was jelly like, cold and left a wetness in her hands. Like jelly ice.
"If I start puking blood tell Starscream he's a little bitch." Miko then threw the energon into her mouth. Megatron sat up ever so slightly as he watched. Miko chewed the energon cube. She winced at the taste. It wasn't… Odd. It tasted like what you think meat tastes like. Miko almost choked in shock. The texture was indeed gelatin but it seemed to disintegrate like cotton candy. She didn't have to chew it as such but instead swished it around her mouth like mouthwash. Yet it remained goopy until it disintegrated. Miko swallowed what was left. She just sat there, waiting for something to happen. Megatron was examining her closely, she noticed he was taking notes. Miko rubbed at her stomach. She didn't feel sick when eating it, she didn't feel sick at all. She smiled as she looked at Megatron. She hadn't exploded and she hadn't imploded. She looked down, she noticed the purple streaks on her chest glowed more. She turned back to Megatron and tilted her head.
"Can I have some more?" Megatron sat up at this. He stared in awe at this revelation. He looked at the living area and frowned.
"Get a bowl or plate first, go." He ordered. Miko frowned but nodded. She crawled out of bed and slipped her slippers on. She stumbled her way over to her cupboards. Opening them up, she grabbed a noodle bowl, then she ran over to Megatron and presented it to him. Megatron slowly and carefully scooped out more energon and placed it in the bowl. Miko looked at it, it only filled up a fifth of the bowl. She walked back to her area and sat on her couch. She ate with her hands, breaking some off and putting it in her mouth. She wondered if she could try cooking with the energon. It didn't taste too bad and she felt better as she ate. She looked over at Megatron, neither realised her way of eating energon was just to copy him. He ate with his digits too, breaking off pieces. She copied as she ate.
"Do you enjoy the taste of it? Having it refrigerated is to improve the quality."He explained. Miko nodded as she ate. She frowned as she examined the energon, she rolled it around in her mouth more. She didn't dislike the taste, it would take a while for her to get used to. Miko swallowed her energon.
"Yeah, it's unique… It's helping my stomach settle anyway." Indeed it was. It was like taking pain medicine or a hot water bottle. She wondered if she could mix the energon with noodles or rice. The energon tendrils were glowing more and more. She patted her chest. Megatron wrote down more notes.
"Most likely the spark energy is taking the energon and using it to fuel itself… Mh, you may have to continue a regular consumption of the energon to keep the spark energy alive." Megatron seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else. Miko just listened as he talked to himself. She looked at the spark energy, not noticing that it was growing as she ate. She didn't mind it anyway, it made the dull pain go away and it made her feel better. Miko yawned. She placed down the empty bowl and closed her eyes. She almost felt her body sway, almost she stopped herself. But instead she fell forward. Miko yelled but found herself caught on Megatron's two large digits. He pulled her away and held her up from him. She giggled as she looked up at him. She was like a cat or ferret to him. She beamed up at him as he tilted her head. He just snorted and laughed as she looked at her. It made Miko smile as she watched him.
"You're such a cute pet. I couldn't think of anyone else, I'd rather be connected too. Speaking of which, how are you feeling with the connection?"
"Oh- Well erm… It's kinda funny. I'm feeling less anxious, I think it's your confidence leaking into me." She admitted. Megatron smiled as he bowed his helm to her. They both sat there, enjoying each other's company. Megatron picked up her blanket and set them both on his shoulder. She just wrapped herself up and snuggled into his neck. She swore she could hear his sparkbeat. It seemed so loud. But she liked the loudness. It was a comfort. He was a comfort.
Megatron worked away as Miko fell back asleep. After such a hectic day, they both deserved some rest, some aftercare. Megatron could only hope the bond would remain strong.