There was a mix of darkness and light and she felt herself floating between dream and reality. She remembered being shot, along with the pain. And the fear. And the cold. Then again, darkness. She remembered her life passing by which she has heard so often happens to those who die. She remembered the way her life had been until she has been abducted, the day she has been ripped away from her family. It has been one of the most terrifying days in her whole life, only surpassed by the ordeal that has followed. She recalled the day she took her chance and escaped and how she found him…
"I am no expert but… isn't it supposed to breathe? Are you really sure it is still alive?"
Alive? Yes, she felt quite alive but how was that possible? She tried to take a deep breath and succeeded but it felt strange, awkward, almost unnecessary. Maybe she wasn't alive after all. How confusing…
Someone huffed impatiently. "Starscream, I am monitoring its spark rate all the time. I will be notified if there was something wrong with it. Right now, it just seems to be recharging. Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do... Those readings simply do not make any sense."
The voices were getting louder and clearer and with that, the darkness ebbed away. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She didn't move right away for she expected pain rushing through her body after all she has been trough but blinked in surprise when she felt nothing of the sort. She gently and as quiet as possible pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked down on her hands in astonishment. They were dirty alright, but there were no scratches, no bruises nor anything resembling an injury, no signs of maltreatment, no trace of ever being beaten, they weren't even burnt from the sun! She turned and froze, eyes open wide, when she saw her reflection onto a large piece of metal close to her. Her eyes! What happened to her eyes? What happened at all?!
"The readings are still displaying Megatron's spark."
She turned violently when she heard the familiar name and spotted two mechs but only saw their backs. They were standing in front of an enormous monitor which was showing very confusing data and a picture of Megatron's face. Along with that, she heard a soft and steady sound that reminded her of a healthy heartbeat.
"Regardless of your confusion doctor, you obviously seem to have a theory, do you not?" The silver mech stated with curiosity. She stood up, registering the rest of her body wasn't hurting as well. She truly has forgotten what it felt like to move without pain, the lightness of every step. Avoiding something that seemed to be large broken bits of glass, she went to the edge of the table she was standing on, looking down and flinching at the height.
"Hmm. I admit, there is something on my mind, but it couldn't possibly be the explanation to all of this. Not with Cybertron being nothing more than a scrap heap. And that's not even the most important part of it."
She watched the red mech thinking hard about something which clearly was making his head hurt. She watched the silver mech as well, as the both of them were staring silently at the screen before them, not noticing their lab rat has woken up.
"I would never risk my finish saying that in front of our master for he already seems to be in a very bad mood. However, If I didn't know better I would say that tiny thing is our Lord's…"
The doors opened and no other than Megatron entered the med bay, effectively silencing the mechs by nothing else than his presence. The warlord spotted the human immediately, scowling darkly when he saw how the expression on her face changed as she locked optics with him. Her gaze was expectantly, hopeful, even excited. She was in a much better condition than when he has left her in the care of his second and medic.
"My Lord", the seeker piped up, purring, "We managed to fix the human as you ordered. It is…" The silver mech followed his master's gaze and frowned, surprised to see the creature standing on the edge of the med berth, "well, it is online!"
Knockout turned to the human as well, still unsettled by those bright, blue optics. There was no doubt, no way anything other than energon could be the source of that very specific color. The doctor shuddered. Creepy little monster!
"So, you actually managed to stabilize her", the warlord sounded as if he was anything but pleased, "how fortunate for you".
Knockout and Starscream looked at each other, not knowing whether they truly did right or wrong by saving her. Megatron approached the med berth, intimidating the human by staring her down. It satisfied him to see her wince.
"She still looks like a mess, though!", he growled, "I don't want her running around my ship like that. Knockout, you will make something of her."
All the doctor could do was to nod dumbfounded, speechless for the first time. She will be running around the ship? They were taking care of a human? Was that a joke? Well, his master never has been known for his sense of humor. Maybe his theory was sound after all.
"Starscream, I will have Soundwave inform the troops that she is not to be harmed. Nevertheless, you will assure her safety. If something happens to her, I will personally hold you responsible. Have I made myself clear? "
Starscream's wings drooped in shock and outrage. "Master! I… I mean… It…. What!? Are you truly asking me to…"
"NO, Starscream", Megatron scowled at his second, interrupting the pitiful brabble, then rumbled, "I am ordering you."
The seeker wined softly before he clenched his dentals, trying not to spill out the words as he bowed lightly. "As you wish, my liege."
She listened very carefully to the conversation, absorbing not only the words but observing the way the other mechs were addressing Megatron, their submissive tone as well and their reactions to his orders. When the warlord was about to just turn away and leave the med bay, she shook her head in puzzlement, reaching out for him. "Wait! Please!", she gasped, "What will happen to me? What did happen to me? Megatron!"
She realized her mistake to late. The warlord turned back to her with such hostility and wrath in his gaze that it made her jump back immediately along with Knockout and Starscream.
"Don't you DARE addressing me in this tone EVER AGAIN!", he hollered at her right before the doors closed behind him, leaving two battle-hardened Decepticons and a human scared for their life. After a few seconds, the seeker was the first one able to speak.
"As the chosen one to keep you safe", Starscream said sarcastically, "for Primus sake and for the sake of my life, don't you ever do that again!"
oooooooooooooooooooo
Days later, she still didn't know why Megatron has reacted this enraged or why he was allowing her to live at all and to wander around the ship when it was highly obvious, that he hated her.
His reaction made a shudder running down her spine even now while she was sneaking through the corridors of the Nemesis for the first time. She has been resting a lot the last couple of days and was even able to wash all the dirt and dried blood off her after an unhappy Knockout organized a small container of water which, to her, has been a small swimming pool. But what truly blew her socks off has been the set of new clothes Knockout somehow managed to get a hold of, refusing to reveal anything on their whereabouts, no matter how often she has asked him. Not that he or anyone else ever bothered to answer her questions or talking to her at all.
However, truth to be told, she hasn't felt that good in a very long time. Her body didn't hurt anymore. She didn't have to work to exhaustion, she didn't have to run, she didn't have to hide, she didn't have to fear more than the derogatory attitude on the part of the Decepticons, mostly from Starscream. He was showing and telling her on each possible occasion how pathetic, unimportant and weak she was but she could live with that. Compared to what she was used to, it was a vacation.
The only thing she had to care about right now was getting used to some… physical changes. Her eyes, glowing brightly with a soothing blue light, were just the visible signs of those changes. She looked down to the small bottle on her belt which was filled with energon to her disposal. Since she has ended up on the Nemesis, drinking that was the strangest thing she has done so far but her body was longing for nothing else than that. She would get used to it, especially because she didn't need much of it to feel utterly content.
Because neither Knockout nor Starscream have bothered to talk to her in the med bay, she has decided she would just sneak passed them and take a walk. After all, it seemed that she was to stay aboard this ship so she could as well make herself familiar with it if no one else bothered to do so. So far, she has discovered it was… huge! As was everything, beginning with the tools the mechs use to perform their tasks and ending with the mechs themselves. The ship must truly be darkening the sun when flying in a proper angle. Crossing the corridors, she truly felt like the small, weak insect Starscream was addressing her as.
She has not noticed the silent mech behind her until he passed her by, making her jump in surprise. He didn't look like one of the vehicons she has seen before and the way he was moving was quite different from the others as well. He stopped in front of a console and started to work on it.
'So, this is the human that concerns Lord Megatron...'
She blinked in surprise, not just because the voice emanating from the mech was as well different from everything she has heard so far but because he was talking about her. Well, who else could 'the human' be?
'Starscream is going to pay for letting her out of his sights' the mech mused, not even looking at her. He turned from the console and directed himself to the lifts, intending to reach the bridge. There has been a fluctuation in one of the ground bridge's subroutines earlier he had to tend to.
She ran after him as fast as she could, overly curious and jumped inside the lift right before the door closed, not realizing the distance she has managed.
'Fascinating. So, it seems to be true.'
She stared up at him in astonishment, not able to look away until the door opened again. The mech left the lift along with the human but did not care about the fact that she was following him. After all, she wasn't his responsibility.
The mech reached his working station and started to recalibrate the ground bridge controls. The human stood beside him for a while, not being noticed by anyone on the bridge yet. He as well didn't pay attention to her any longer for the malfunction in the ground bridge's systems was trickier than anticipated. That's why he didn't notice her starting to climb up his working station, reaching the edge of the console where his digits were tipping eagerly to solve the problem before him. After she got there, she frowned, dividing her attention between the screen and the mech. The speed in which the mech was handling the task was unbelievable. There was so much data, so many equations popping up, so many links, there was no way the mech could handle them unless…
"That's amazing", she whispered after a while, "you are linked to the computer system itself!"
'I am indeed linked to the cybersystem of the ship'.
The longer she stared at the screen the more she felt the fascination. She tried to understand what the mech was doing, amusing him by that. She still tried to make sense of all the given information when she stumbled over something familiar.
"That vortex again," she murmured, "it looks like some kind of wormhole."
There was a brief pause when the mech beside her did a quick research about the word, not interrupting his main task though and thus giving the meaning of multitasking a whole new dimension.
'The theory of the ground bridge being a wormhole is partly correct. It links two distant locations like a wormhole does. However, a wormhole's appearance is erratic while a ground bridge can be opened at will to whatever location is desired.'
Neither the mech nor the human became aware of Megatron when he entered the bridge, Knockout in tow.
"Yes, my lord", Knockout seemed somehow nervous while explaining things, "After I doublechecked the readings from your examination earlier, there is no doubt about the whereabout of that spark. It is a part of yours." The doctor looked worried as if expecting to be beaten up for his analysis.
"It requires the exact coordinates to open a ground bridge, does it not?"
The warlord scowled at his medic but didn't say anything right away. He was very much aware of the rumors that were spreading amongst the Decepticon ranks like wildfire although it has been only a few days since he brought the human to the ship. Some have seen her already in the med bay, asking themselves if the rumors and the whispers were true.
'Affirmative. Exact coordinates are required on both ends of the ground bridge.'
How was he supposed to handle this situation? As much as he would love to, he couldn't just crush her for he didn't know how it would affect him. He was dealing with a part of his own spark after all!
"So, knowing the coordinates, I can open a ground bridge to whatever location I want…"
The warlord turned around violently when he finally noticed the familiar voice, spotting her on one of the ground bridge controls beside his surveillance communications officer. Knockout followed his masters gaze. He sighed and started to think about how he would have to treat the commander in his med bay again. The second in command should get a season ticket.
'There are limitations to its use.'
The purple mech displayed a few scenarios which would either render the ground bridge useless or ending the life of whomever was to pass through it. She was silent for a moment, while Megatron approached the console with a dark expression. She hasn't noticed him yet.
"I understand… so, in order to avoid stupid accidents, I truly need to locate the place I would
want to travel to first."
Megatron stopped, clearly puzzled. He took a closer look at the women and noticed her optics have changed somehow. Not only were her pupils glowing brightly blue but the whole of her optics.
"You could do it easily…"
"May I ask who you are talking to?"
He has expected the women to wince in surprise or to be startled at least, but she simply turned her gaze to him, as if he has been standing there the whole time. She frowned and looked around, confused.
"Well, to Soundwave of course. There isn't anyone else nearby, right?"
Her eyes turned back to the usual form immediately, when said communications officer flinched violently, turning his visor straight at her in surprise. She almost fell from the console but managed to avoid slipping over the edge.
"Now what?!", she gasped.
Soundwave turned his visor from the human to his master and back at her again. The warlord was taken aback. It took much to surprise his communications officer. And surprised he was. The warlord knew him best of all to see how disturbed the mech was.
"How is it possible that you can hear him?", the warlord growled at the woman.
"Hear him? I… do not understand. He was talking to me."
"Maybe I can explain."
Knockout joined his leader with a knowing expression, almost grinning smugly. He has seen the optics of the human as well as his master and concluded the only possible explanation. "It would seem our dear Soundwave isn't the only one being able to link himself to a cybersystem. Not anymore. What we just witnessed…I think, she was kinda online along with him. That's why she could hear his thoughts I assume and answered to them aloud. However, given Soundwave reaction, he wasn't aware of her."
"Just a handful of cybertronians ever had that ability", Megatron snarled, looking from Knockout to the human as if she was personally responsible for a great mistake. But for the first time, there wasn't just disgust and anger in his gaze but a small amount of curiosity as well. It made her relax a little. She looked back at Soundwave when a sudden thought struck her.
"I am sorry if I invaded your personal space", her tone was genuinely apologizing, "In my defense: I had no idea! I didn't even realize I was somehow connected to… well, I don't know, until your sudden wince."
Soundwave didn't answer in any way but only continued to stare her down, if you can even call it that. She was starting to get very uncomfortable when a sound emanated from another console and one of the vehicons piped up.
"My lord, I am detecting an energon signature from deep space. It seems to be a small vessel. It isn't answering my hails but I am quite sure it is of Decepticon origin."
"Is it moving?"
"Yes, my liege. It is heading for earth. Estimated time to arrival: four days."
Megatron gave it a thought.
"If it is indeed one of us, I will not risk it to crush on earth's surface and being found by the Autobots. Set an intercept course. I want to rendezvous with the vessel in less than two days, far away from the Autobots reach."
The vehicon did what he has been ordered while Megatron turned his gaze back to the human, who has been listening to the conversation carefully but right now he didn't have the patience to deal with her.
"Soundwave, observe the vessel and gather as much information about it as possible while we are approaching its position. Knockout, take the human back to the med bay for further recharge. Oh, and if you stumble over my second by chance," the warlord sneered, "please tell him that I would like to have a little chit-chat with him."
Before Knockout could grab the human with his servo, which she didn't appreciate at all, she dodged out of his reach. She didn't want to make the doctor or anyone else angry or to defy the orders given to her but she did want to take advantage of the situation. She couldn't just let the opportunity slip. She chose her words and her tone carefully, then piped up humbly: "Lord Megatron, "she began, surprising all present mechs on the bridge though most of them were pretending not to listen at all, "may I ask a favor?"
oooooooooooooooooooo
She woke up with a shriek, amusing the silver seeker who has been trying to wake her from recharge as gentle as possible. Meaning: he has slammed one of his servos down on the table next to where she has been sleeping curled up, trapped in a terrible nightmare. It has been that day again. The day after everything had changed! She stared up to Starscream while her pants only faded away slowly. He was grinning nastily.
"Did you have a bad dream?", he acted as if concerned, then scoffed, "How pathetic."
After the 'chit-chat' with Megatron, the silver mech has spent an hour under medical treatment and since then rarely has left her out of his sights but his behavior toward her was beyond pejorative.
"What happened?" she only managed to ask.
"Lord Megatron has summoned you to the bridge."
"What for?"
Starscream didn't bother to answer. Instead, he grabbed her tiny frame before she could hide somewhere where he couldn't reach her which was a game they have played several times by now. She really didn't like being dragged around like that, she would rather run beside the mechs! The seeker intended to leave the med bay when he almost bumped into Knockout, who was carrying a device that reminded her of a microscope.
"What do you need that for?", she asked curiously from between two of the seeker's digits.
Knockout cared to explain as much as the seeker did: nothing. He only smirked when he saw her peeking out of the seeker's lightly clenched claws, looking like a prisoner behind bars.
"I see you two have already become friends?", the doctor mocked the commander who scowled and left the med bay with a growl eventually.
She let out a gentle snort but didn't resist. Instead, she was getting nervous. Megatron hasn't responded to her request but she was pretty sure he did asked Soundwave to do the research, nonetheless. She would have asked the silent mech personally, but after what has become of their first conversation, she has not dared. Did he find them?
Her heart… well, her spark started to skip beats when she thought about seeing her family. They sure have changed a lot. Will they recognize her? How was she supposed to explain what has happened to her during the past five years and after her escape? Could she just show up? She didn't want to scare them off right away! After all, they might be believing her dead for quite some time now. Would she recognize her…
Starscream entered the bridge where Soundwave was waiting for her but there was no sign of Megatron. She sighed disappointed but trembled when she felt someone's presence inside her mind all of the sudden.
"Soundwave!"
The seeker frowned at the human's reaction and looked over to the communications officer, bewildered. So, he truly was talking to her! He never talked to any of them but to a fraggin human he does! Wasn't that betraying the vow of silence? That aft! He put the human down on Soundwave's console harshly. "She is your concern during the next hour!" The purple mech didn't react to Starscream which made the seeker even more furious.
'The research has been successful. Lord Megatron is allowing you to open a ground bridge.'
The instinctive attempt to resist the mech's presence which simply has been forced upon her died immediately. Her eyes opened wide.
'However, you will be accompanied by Laserbeak, my symbiont. He is small enough to not be spotted by humans right away but will ensure your safety and your return to the ship if necessary.'
She looked down on his chest, already seeing the shape of the minicon in her mind. She trembled.
"U…Understood."
Soundwave didn't need to use the console to open the ground bridge right in the middle of the bridge. 'It is the middle of the night where you are heading and it is cold due to human terms, so there shouldn't be other humans around. If there are any, you are to avoid being seen.'
She nodded but wasn't paying close attention to the instructions for she was beginning to tremble violently and failed to hide it. Everything went so fast all of the sudden!
Soundwave noticed her nervousness but didn't care to think of its cause. He reached out a servo for her, allowing her to climb onto it and put her down to the ground far gentler than the seeker did before. She clenched her fists, feeling fear and excitement at the same time. Now! After all that time. Finally!
She approached the bright green swirl slowly but each step made her walk faster and faster until the walk became a sprint. Only when she was almost through the vortex, she stopped and turned to Soundwave again.
"Thank you", she whispered with a sincere and deep gratitude before she passed the swirl. Laserbeak pooped out of Soundwave's chest and followed suit. When they were both gone, the bridge closed behind the human and the minicon. Soundwave stared at the spot where they have disappeared with an unreadable expression.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Team Prime was taken aback in disgust.
All of them just finished listening to Agent Fowler as he briefed them on the humans who has been annihilated by Megatron canon blast. They were human traffickers of the worst sort, enriching themselves by depriving others of their freedom and dignity, using and selling them as if they were just objects made only to give them pleasure and wealth. Fowler would have said much more but Prime stopped him by raising servo, making clear they have heard enough.
Bumblebee whirled angrily, saying he couldn't believe that humans are capable of doing something like that to each other, to someone of their own kind and that what happened might be for the best. The statement and the supportive nods amongst his team made the Prime frown sternly.
"Regardless of the loathsome crimes those humans might have committed, we shall not forget that they were killed by Megatron. We swore to defend human kind against the Decepticons. We are not to judge them especially because our own history. As you all might remember, there was a time back on Cybertron when one Cybertronian turned against another which was the beginning of our home world's downfall."
Optimus looked at each one of his comrades firmly, as they all looked to the ground, ashamed, then added with a softer expression: "We have to try harder to prevent further casualties but what already happened cannot be changed." He turned back to the Agent Fowler. "Did you find out anything about the women Megatron has taken hostage?"
"Prime", Fowler huffed with a somewhat defensive tone, "you didn't give me any information about said women, not even a picture! The description you provided me with is hardly enough to do any research. I am sorry but rather than guessing she was either a victim or a part of the human traffickers I cannot tell you anything."
"It doesn't matter", Arcee piped up, "either way, Megatron now has a human hostage but didn't make any demands yet. What's with this new strategy? The Decepticons may not be as cautious as we are when it comes to keep a low profile on earth, but they certainly didn't show up in the presence of humans for fun."
"I agree, "Ratchet hummed, "she has to be of some value to the Decepticon cause. It would be best if we could get her out of their hold but right now, we do not possess the means to do so. The Nemesis is cloaked as usually and Megatron's doubled, distorted signal disappeared as well from the radar after he passed the ground bridge with the human."
Optimus offlined his optics for a moment, then frowned. "We are on a holding pattern until an opportunity arises. Nevertheless, freeing the human will become one of our top priorities for whatever she knows or whatever advantage she could provide the Decepticons with, Megatron is certainly going to use it for his dark intentions, whatever those might be."
oooooooooooooooooooo
She couldn't move. Her eyes were wide in shock and confusion. This had to be a mistake, the wrong coordinates, a misunderstanding in names. Maybe the ground bridge wasn't functioning the way it should or maybe Megatron just intended to plaque her for daring to ask a favor of him.
A graveyard.
Though she didn't need to breathe, she felt like a large weight on her chest was choking her. The cold and the snow and the wind weren't affecting her but the surroundings were reflecting her inner feelings. She trembled in trepidation, not being able to express anything more than disbelief on her face.
She let her bright blue eyes wander around the well-groomed rows of graves. She knew the place. She has been here a few times, together with her family. Without thinking or feeling, she numbly started to move, her feet finding the path on their own. Without a winter coat, with her eyes glowing and her slow movements, she would have looked like a ghost to any other human. But, she was alone except for Laserbeak who was flying above her silently. She reached one of the main pathways and turned…
…and turned and turned around until her head started to spin, laughing out loud. The small four years old girl squealed in delight and continued to rush after her much bigger sister trying to catch her. Who would have expected her parents to have one more child at their age? But there she was, chasing after her, and she couldn't believe her mum and dad were ever concerned for her being angry at them. Ridiculous! She pretended to stumble to the ground with a soft shriek which made her sister tackling her with a force only a toddler could apply. She picked her up, smiling at her and turned…
…to the left. She still only felt the void inside of her while she kept walking down the path, moving as quietly as the snow was falling to the ground, covering the world under a cold white blanket. The only sound that could be heard was the snow crunching under her feet. Even Laserbeak didn't utter any sound right now. After a few more steps she stopped and lifted her head…
…to the night sky as she was standing on the veranda and sighed. School will be over soon and yet, she still didn't know what to do with herself. "I wouldn't be concerned that much if I were you", her dad said with a hand on her head and an assuring smile on his face, "I didn't know what to make of myself at your age either. I have grown up nevertheless, and so will you." She smiled softly and looked to her mother as well.
"You know, I think you should focus on your achievements rather than the unknown future. You will graduate soon! You should allow yourself to be proud. And you should be awarded." Her mother looked over to her husband with a hardly hidden smile. "Tell her".
Her father laughed. "We thought we could go on a little vacation after your graduation, the whole lot of us. Maybe somewhere warmer? It would do us well, especially you. Consider it a gift for your excellent grades. What do you think?"
She cheered loudly, excited and fixed her gaze…
…to the gravestone before her. She closed her eyes as if she could make it disappear this way but, of course, it wouldn't. The weight on her chest became much heavier, clenching her heart hard though the void inside her remained untouched. She didn't move. Not until she gathered the courage to read over the tomb's epigraph.
She fell to her knees, feeling a violent tremble coming up. A chocked sob erupted from her as she saw the names on the stone. Her father. Her mother. Her sister… Her own name. She saw the names along with the date of death. It was the very same day when everything has changed. No. no. no. no.
No.
The silence was crushing her from the inside and the void spread to her whole being. It hurt physically. Her eyes welled up with tears, glowing blue tears who found their way down her cheeks. She has been alone all the time. All those horrible years, her family has been dead and she hasn't been able to sense it. They have been everything that has kept her fighting, the only thing that has kept her alive. The prospect of seeing them again and of getting back home has made her run for her life but they didn't make it that day. They have been killed. All of them.
The pain was overwhelming. It shuttered the void to pieces, filling it up with a mass of emotions she barely could handle. Pain. Grief. Sorrow. Loneliness. Blame.
But there was so much more. She closed her eyes again, embracing the feelings without resistance, clenching her fists. She let the anger grow, the fury rise. She thought about a face to blame their deaths on it but there was none. She hasn't seen who killed them, she didn't even know!
So, the wrath spread and it felt like it was infecting and spoiling her soul deeply and badly. She didn't even know she was capable of such powerful and terrible feelings. In all her life, she has never been this enraged, this angry, this furious. And because there was no face to blame those feelings on, they all sank down on herself.