Among the Stars

by J. N. Williamson.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Transformers, nor am I associated with their creators.

Claimer: I however do own Jessica Simmons and all other original material. I also own my imagination and what not.

I also do not own the quote I had taken from the video game, Tomb Raider. For those who will recognize it, kudos and cookies to you all.

Chapter Three

Pain.

It was the first thing that registered through her mind as she blearily blinked up at the thick blanket of darkness—a painful reminder that no matter how hard she prayed this nightmare to end, nothing was further from the truth than watching it all burn to the ground.

How had things escalate so quickly? In no means had she been prepared for what happened—though she couldn't quite recall what had happened. It was all still a blur. All she could remember was—. "Franklin!"

But despair was quick to devour the last shred of hope she had. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that perhaps he could have survived, the more the gruesome image would flash before her.

She had a hard time accepting whether what she had seen was the truth or a figment of her imagination but in simple terms, her mind couldn't even conjure such an image without driving her to utter insanity.

Oh dear God. And then it hit her and despite knowing that breaking down would bring her nowhere, the young woman couldn't stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Things had gone from controlled to FUBAR and there had been nothing she could do to prevent it from happening.

Though being a hero was something she neither wanted nor craved, it churned her stomach in ways that had her gasping for breath. "God, please let them be all right." But the sinking feeling in her gut told her otherwise.

But knowing that staying where she was, Jessica Simmons knew if she were to survive she would have to keep moving—if not for her then she'd do it for them. Though exhaustion had taken its toll on her, the young woman remained determined to overcome the obstacle towering over her.

Teeth grinding together, Jessica could easily see the source of her pain—and though blood had never bothered her, it occurred to her that if she didn't do something to stop the bleeding, she'd never live another day to see the sun set.

But first things first. Though knowing that it would only worsen the pain, Jessica had suffered far worse than the familiar sight of bone protruding through flesh. And knowing that time was running out, instinct kicked in as she practically tore the utility belt from around her waist before tying it in a knot.

Now or never. Mentally counting until three, Jessica prepared herself for the inevitable. Because the moment she snapped her leg in place, the last thing that reached her ears was the deafening scream that rumbled from her chest before she was consumed by nothing but darkness.

Blackout.

In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something. Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us. For when all seemed lost, I found a truth.

It was the sound of a woman's voice calling out to her that roused the young woman from the deep unconsciousness that claimed her moments before. A melodious whisper that pulled her from the darkened abyss—a feeling that could be described as warm, welcoming and most of all, reassuring. That even in darkness, there could be light.

"Do you seek redemption, child?" It was a soft whisper that caressed her skin in ways she had never thought possible, a temptation that seemed to pull at the strings.

Redemption? Did someone such as her deserve such an act of kindness? To right her wrongs in hopes of starting anew? Was it possible? The mere thought—no. This couldn't be real.

"Who are you?" She could not move, nor could she utter a word in retaltion but a small part of her knew that whoever this was, they could sense the turmoil of questions raging within her.

"Who and what I am does not matter," the ethereal woman murmured in response. "—your soul weeps and yet you deny its right to the answers it seeks. There is so much you still have to learn, my child. You have so much power within you and you waste it on such trivial things."

Nothing was making sense. Yes, she sought answers but how did this woman know? What was there to learn? All this was making her head pound in protest, her mind trying to make sense of the sudden happenings occurring but to no avail, it all seemed futile on her part to try and understand.

"You have forgotten me and thus you have forgotten yourself. You have denied me what I so rightfully deserve but yet I cannot fault you, my child. For years you have been fed these lies of false pretenses and a future that does not exist," a sense of dread filled her once more; the pain pulsing through her veins that of a blazing fire scorching its path across her skin. "—it is time that you open your eyes and see the truth of what you are. What you must sacrifice."

"I don't understand," the young woman mused in confusion. "—what's going on? Who are you? What do you mean?" But nothing but silence greeted her in the darkness, the warmth that had radiated from the unknown woman who had reached out to her.

Sacrifice. What sacrifice? Had she not made enough? But despite all, the young woman couldn't help but crave the warmth the entity provided—because in truth, that was what the woman remained.

The unknown. "Come on man," distantly she could hear voices echo in the distance, meshing together in flutter of sounds that made her ears hurt. "—I saw it happen. She couldn't have survived that crash."

I'm here! But she couldn't find it in herself to scream the words that she was desperate for them to hear, with death looming so close, the young woman was forced to remember the woman's words. "You are above them all. Stronger than them all. Do not give in to these lies. Open your eyes and see the truth of what you are." What she was?

"I am not giving up, all right. Am I the only one who heard her scream?" There was a brief moment of silence and Jessica could swore that her heart leaped in joy. "She's here somewhere—."

And it took her a moment to realize that the scream tearing past her lips had been her own—desperation to see another day having fueled the decaying embers of her fire. "William Lennox! I swear to God I will haunt you and Sarah for the rest of my eternal life," relief flooded through her the moment she caught sight of shadowed figures rushing down the sandy slope of the deserted plains Qatar was known for.

"Jesus Christ," though it was a far stretch, Jessica Simmons couldn't help but chuckle in sheer disbelief as the man finally came to a stop, dropping to his knees before gripping her shoulders in a firm grip. "—you are the most craziest bitch I have ever met."

"Yeah," she murmured through the pain, grinning in response before flicking her gaze to those around him—Epps, Donnelly and Fig being the most recognizable. "You guys made it, huh?"

And it was then that slammed into her full force. The happenings finally taking a toll on her. And nothing made her swallow harder than knowing that she was wrong. All this time and the truth had been staring her straight in the face. "Don't you close those eyes on me," Lennox snapped in a firm tone, jolting her from her troubled findings before snapping his fingers in her face. "—do you have a first aid kit on you?"

Nodding her head, Jessica could barely utter a word as she pointed a trembling finger towards the burning wreckage of what had once been a F-22 before shrugging her shoulders. "Had would be the better term," she murmured before forcing a smile. "-though I have some bandages."

Shaking his head in utter disbelief, the man finally turned his gaze downwards her frame before stopping at the bloodied limb oozing blood. His face paled instantly. "You'll be fine," he assured her before turning his head towards the group of men, which only then she discovered the familiar form of the Qatari boy, Mahfouz. "—could you spare me some of that water?"

Though it took the boy longer to comprehend what William was asking, he quickly snapped to attention before reaching for the flask in the small pouch he carried. "Here." Though he made note not to look anywhere but at her wounded leg, Jessica couldn't help but offer him a reassuring smile.

"This is gonna sting."

Dear Jesus. As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, the firm grip holding her down barely warned the young woman before an unbearable pain shot through her body—a shrill scream of pain tumbled from her lips and it was then and there that she finally decided that she wanted no more.

"She passed out." The moment the woman slumped, it became ever aware to Robert Epps that the woman had lost consciousness, the shock most probably having taken its toll on her—though he still could not quite fathom how she was still breathing.

But considering that miracles only happened once, the man was just as relieved as everyone else—despite Fig mumbling incoherent words in Spanish, Epps could see concern shimmering behind William's eyes.

"We should camp here for the night." The man murmured glancing at the woman and when no objection came, the Captain knew that his men were rather to exhausted to express their thoughts on the matter or still trying to comprehend what the hell happened.

He was still having a hard time adjusting to what occurred hours prior but knowing that time was wasting, the man honestly prayed that he'd get his men safely back to the States without minimum casualties—though looking at Simmons, he knew that would be easier said than done.

Though if it were truly up to him, the man would have pressed on through the night but knowing that his men, Mahfouz and Simmons needed as much rest as possible—William Lennox knew that it was the least he could do.

Shaken and troubled, the man was beyond thankful that he was still breathing; functioning properly and still alive to see another day. And though the unknown threat remained, Lennox could only hope that he'd still live long enough to hold his baby girl in his arms and know that he still had a wife to go home too.

"Get some rest," Lennox murmured in a firm tone, giving his men no room to argue before returning his concerned gaze back towards the woman. "—because we're gonna need it."

Looking at the grimace of pain flashing across the young woman's face, William couldn't help but think of his wife—it made his heart ache knowing he was that close to never seeing her again.

He had been this close to giving up on finding Simmons, the young woman who took no bullshit and did what she wanted before thinking of the consequences. It made him remember the day she had earned her callsign as the notorious "El Diablo."

Though as he remembered the day, guilt once again washed over him. Had it not been for her calling out to him, he would have succumbed to the fact that there was no possibility that she could have survived that fatal crash—which made him truly marvel at how strong and determined she was.

Though stubborn, in a sense she reminded him somewhat of Sarah. For it was that revelation that spurred him forward. He couldn't give up on her, not after what she had sacrificed.

And despite uttering the promise within his heart, William knew that it wasn't over. No. This was just the tip of the iceberg and the beginning hadn't even started yet.

Author Note: Considering that I had all the work saved on my iPhone, I was rather angered to see that somehow I managed to clear all written work of the chapters I have written out for Among the Stars and thankfully somehow remembered how this chapter went. I hope that you guys like it. Thanks to everyone who has read and followed this story, as well as those who favorited it. I know that begging for reviews is a little too much to ask for but I would really like to know what you guys think.

If I could just get three or more reviews from this chapter, I promise that I'll do what I can to make this as enjoyable to read just as much as I enjoy writing it.

But without further ado, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint as a lot of questions are probably being asked right now. All will be revealed in the next chapter, though not everything. The only thing that will actually be revealed is the moments that lead up to Jessica crashing the F-22 up until now.

So hopefully that covers some things up. But let's wrap this up. Have a lovely morning, afternoon and evening.

Love,

Jess.