Chapter 8: Forgotten?

I let out a sharp gasp when I hit something hard and solid, but I was uninjured. I see that I had long metal fingers curled around my body and I find that Smokescreen was the owner of the hand. I look at him fearfully as he took off in a sprint the way we came.

"Ratchet! I've got Decepticons on my tailpipe. We need to bridge Ren back to bas- Agh!" He cries falling to the ground. I flew from his hand and I landed in a roll on the ground. I pull myself to my feet and I see that Smokescreen is struggling to stand and that his back is smoking heavily. He meets my eyes and I look fearfully as Decepticons were blasting through the forest behind him.

"Ren, you need to run and hide. Backup is coming." He said, standing and taking cover from the incoming shots behind the tree.

"What about you?" I ask.

"I'll be fine. You think they can beat me that easily?" He asks, being his usual cocky self.

"Okay. Be careful." I say.

"When am I not?" He asks, transforming his arm into a blaster. Then, ironically, a shot fired through the tree right next to his helm. He froze, his eyes going wide, and then he looked at me.

"Things are getting hot. Get outta here." He said. I nod and I run off into the brush, looking back to see Smokescreen firing shots out of his cannon.

I paid close attention to where I was stepping so as not to trip, but then I ran smack into a branch. I stopped and rubbed my face, pulling away and seeing a little blood. I then picked up my pace again, putting distance between myself and the sounds of battle.

Just when I thought I was far enough to stop for a rest, I feel thundering footsteps vibrating the ground. I turn around and see dark purple armor through the trees and I start to run again, this time I was fun on sprinting, running on adrenaline. I hopped over brush and ducked under branches as if it were something I'd been doing all my life.

I broke out of the tree line and I found myself at the top of a waterfall. It was probably a one hundred and fifty-foot drop down into the water. I look back to see that the Decepticon had also broken through the treeline and was staring right at me.

"The Autobot's new recruit has a human pet. Hehe... Not for long." He started to advance toward me and I made a rash decision. I jumped off the cliff.

The wind made my skirt blow up and my hair blew away from my face. I couldn't scream. I couldn't think. All I could understand was to breathe. Take a breath. Breathe.

I took a gulp of air just before I hit the water and I squeezed my eyes shut. I sunk to the bottom, hitting my feet hard on the bottom, jarring my ankles and knees. I need to stay down here so that he thinks I'm dead. But then, I started to float to the top. I tried to swim down but to no avail.

I let the air out of my lungs slowly, so I wouldn't float as fast, and I found myself starting to suffocate. My lungs burned, head pounded, and a fire was raging behind my eyes. I just needed to stay calm. But how could you when you're about to drown?

I couldn't take it anymore. I swam frantically to the top and when I broke the surface I gasped for air, coughing hysterically. I see that the Decepticon had left and I sighed in relief. I swam to the bank and I crawled through the mud, resting against a rock.

I started to laugh a little. I just did one of those things you only see in movies and came out with a minor injury. I outran a Decepticon. I felt amazing. Now, I needed to find Smokescreen and his backup if it came.

I got up and made my way off the bank, wiping the mud off my shoes on the grass. I took my jacket off and I used it to get the mud off my skin and somewhat off my clothes before tossing it to the side. It was ripped and beyond repair. You could now see my bra through my shirt, but that was the least of my concern.

I found myself in the same spot as the battle. I knew this for a fact because of all the unearthed dirt, bodies, and scorches on the trees and ground. But where were the Autobots? They wouldn't just leave me, would they?

Now, I was presented with the real challenge. Do I wait for someone to clean up the Decepticon bodies, or do I go find a phone?

If it took too long for them to come back, I could freeze, my clothes still being wet, be eaten by an animal, bitten by a spider, the list of risks was endless.

If I went to go find a town, I could get lost, I could still freeze or die by the hand of nature, and if I did find a phone I could be kidnapped.

I had a dilemma.

I decided to climb a tree, in hopes of being able to see something from there. After the long ordeal and almost getting into a spider web that had a bright yellow and menacing spider in the center of it, I found nothing.

Waiting for the Autobots was my plan of action, however, I needed something to keep me warm in the meantime. I gather dry sticks and leaves and I dig a small pit with my hands. I look around for something to start it with and I find bright blue stuff. I remember Smokescreen saying something about it being flammable. Energon.

I take a few sticks, dipping them in the substance, and I place them in my stick pile. I find two rocks and I start banging them together and soon enough they sparked. That stuff was more flammable than I thought and I had to move away as it burst into flames. I smile and I hold my hands over the blue fire.

Night soon came and I was frightened by all the small noises of the jungle around me. I could hear animals, branches cracking, and the sounds of insects buzzing were driving me mad. I was defiantly gonna be late for curfew. I don't think they were coming. Just when I was starting to feel really sad that I was most likely going to die, I was blinded by light.

I shielded my eyes and I looked through my fingers at the silhouettes of the Autobots coming, though. It was Optimus, Bulkhead, and Arcee.

"Oh thank God." I breathe standing up.

"Ren?" Bulkhead seemed surprised.

"How are you alive?" Arcee asks.

"What do you mean? Smokescreen kept the Cons off of me while I ran. I just figured you guys forgot about me." I say.

"Arcee, take Ren back to base. Bulkhead and I will dispose of the bodies." Optimus ordered.

Arcee nodded and stepped aside, waiting for me. I caught up with her and I walked by her side through the groundbridge, that familiar feeling of nausea washing over me, but not as bad this time.

"Ren!" I hear Miko scream. I see her running down the steps and she tackles me in a massive hug.

"Miko?" I was confused. "I can't breathe." She released me and I bring a hand up to wipe a tear away from her cheek. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her makeup was running and she was sniffling.

"Why are you crying?" I ask her, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.

"We all thought you were dead." She cried, hugging me again.