AN: I didn't realize it has been this long. Anyway I finally finished the last chapter. It is not perfect but I have run out of spare time to work on it now that classes have started back up. Eventually I will get around to rewriting and perfecting the whole story to my level of satisfaction. IF you have any comments or suggestions I be glade to hear them. Well enjoy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He knew the sensation well as it had saved his spark numerous times in battle. The sensation of every gear, servos and piston priming itself for a fight; yet what was causing it? Was it her behavior or was it the fact that the environment now screamed out- ambush? But this was Nightstalker and she just wanted to talk. Right? He shook his head to clear the thoughts running through it. No this is ridiculous. It's Nightstalker, she would never hurt me. Visually scanning the room as she approached, Refit unconsciously braced him self by shifting his stance. For as much as he fought it he knew something was just not right.
As she innocently approached Refit she detached the second dagger and held both behind her back; concealing them. His nervous display made her consciously droop her wings for she knew this would impact on him the impression of sadness and defeat. Stupid. I forgot he told me how he could pick up on an ambush. I am going to have to play this role carefully. Stopping only a few feet away from Refit she looked him in the optics before speaking with an aire of hurt and pain. "You…you said he…"venting softly she lowered her head and gazed at the floor in front of her.
Her display worked as intended for upon seeing Nightstalker so visibly upset and shaken Refit pushed aside all his vorns of training and stepped towards her. Reaching out he placed his hand on her chin and ever so lightly lifted her head up so that he could see her ruby optics. And to think optics such as hers usually meant death for my kind. As he took her by the shoulders and pulled her into an embrace, he questioned her statement. "What do you mean by that?"
Startled by his actions she rested her head against his hood like she used to do with Riverrun when she was upset. As she did so, the idea of just forgetting her plan passed though her thoughts but was quickly suppressed by the remembrance of Riverrun and Sunspots deaths. With this remembrance came a surge of loss and hatred for all autobots and it refocused her. No! No turning back now. Bringing her arms around from behind her back she kept them low so that the daggers remained hidden flat against her wrists. Taking another long deep vent she reached up and gave him a hug. "Stop lying to me. I want you to just stop lying to me."
Those few words dug like daggers deep into his spark while causing memories of the times he did lie to her to surface. She, she can't have. No there is no way she could have found out but her tone…she knows! Upon this realization his optics flashed brightly as he lifted his head.
The slight shutter she felt escaping from Refits body was the signal she had been expecting. He was not stupid and so she expected him to figure it out soon that she had indeed found out. Being so, the embrace had been planed for this very reason as it allowed her time to locate the two crucial spots; for if she missed there be no second chance. Reacting quickly to his movement she lifted her hands from this back, flicked out the daggers, spun them around against her palms and dug them deep into his plating. From his cry and wobble she knew they hit the right spots- communications and lower hydraulic lines.
Pain flashed through his body and the warrior in him over powered any prior notions as he grabbed Nightstalker by the waist, picked her up and threw her across the room. A sharp cry and loud crack of metal on metal told him she would be out for only a moment. Stepping forward Refit collapsed to the floor. Stunned, he went to stand but was shocked to find that his legs did not follow. Looking over he eyed Nightstalkers listless body lying up against the foot of the wall. What did she do? I let my guard down. Stupid! I know better than this. Running a quick diagnostic only showed that all connections and data input were active but his hydraulics pressure returned as zero. Zero!? As it dawned on him he reached around behind he felt the torn plating and then examined his hand to see it covered in golden liquid. "She severed my hydraulics. I'm paralyzed." Movement across the room suddenly caught his attention and he watched in dreaded silence as her fingers twitched and optics flickered back on. It was not long after that that the severity of the situation dawned as she pushed up on her arms and rose to her knees. Reaching for his comm. he tried to get out a message as a low laughter sounded in the room.
"You know from all those stories you told us I expected more from you." Rising to a standing position she pushed aside the table while glaring down at Refit. The direction of his gaze told her that he was trying to call for helpand this amused her. "It's no use" she spoke with a strange calmness "I severed not only your main hydraulics but your communications as well and nobody knows you're here." Walking forward she smirked while stooping to pick up her dagger. "Or will hear you scream in agony."
He knew she was right. The location was ideal; isolated from the base, in an infrequently used area, and with no communication. This sort of situation only lent to one thing and he new it may would become his tomb if he did not get his act together. Watching her approach him he knew the one before him was not Nightstalker. Not his Nightstalker, not Sunspots Nightstalker. No something had changed and this part of her he never witnessed. She was taking pleasure in his pain and seamed to have full intentions of killing him. "STAY BACK. I'm warning you. I may not have control of my legs but I still got plenty of fight in the rest of me. Come any closer and I will fight." Though this comment made his spark heavy with the possibility of having to hurt her, the situation had quickly become kill or be killed.
"Stay back! Oh don't make me laugh. You are in no place to tell me what to do." Scoffing at his comment she motioned backwards with her head "for a seasoned war veteran you surprise me that you would leave your only weapon." Her sentence hung in the air as she watched Refit look behind her to his weapon lying on the table. "Do you really think I'm stupid? That I would not find out?" As he went to respond she quickly cut him off. "That was a rhetorical question" as the sound of charging laser cannons filled the room.
-----------------------------------------------
The modernly silent operation of command was shattered as Tunneler burst in venting heavily as his optics darted franticly around the room; locking onto their target. "Windstorm I believe we have made a grave error. Please tell me you know where Nightstalker is?"
Looking up from the screen before him to see who had interrupted the conference, he saw Tunneler run over with concern etched on his face. "Error? No I do not know where Nightstalker is. If this is not important it will have to wait as you can see I am in an important meeting," gesturing with his hand towards the monitors displaying the faces of several mechs.
"Is the continued existence of your second in commands spark important enough?" Tunneler snapped back in frustration.
Windstorms optics flashed as he turned to face the monitors. "Fellow commanders I must excuse myself as urgent business has me otherwise engaged." Reaching out but before he could turn off the monitor a large orange mech on the screen spoke up. "Do you require any assistance? We could not help but overhear you?" Shaking his head Windstorm thanked them and turned off the screen. Providing his full attention to Tunneler "what is it? What is wrong with Refit?"
"As I said I think we made an error in regards to Nightstalker. I do not think Fastscan's patch worked as we intended. You must have noticed but she has been displaying more con like qualities rather than less." Walking over to the computers he brought up and flicked though some files. "It has been bothering me how she does not hang out with Refit anymore and I thought it was just that she needed time; but it all changed after I found this." Pressing his thumb down on a key brought up a file on the screen. "See there it is. It looks like a regular error but in actuality it is a hidden transmission. I localized it down to their secret hide out." Looking over at Windstorm "I think she got a message from the decepticons we have been trying to locate and she knows."
Secret Hideout? Windstorms memories surfaced with all the incidents where he had been following the two only to have them disappear. So that is where they went. Wait how did? Oh never mind. "Ok. Say it was a transmission and she got it, how does this put Refits spark in jeopardy? He is a seasoned fighter and she is not."
Looking back in shock at Windstorms lack of action and concern Tunneler raised his voice unintentionally. "Don't underestimate her. You can't have forgotten she has that mind trick ability plus Refit would never suspect her and in so all she need is to catch him off guard for a moment."
Folding his arms across his chest plate he nodded in acknowledgement "Yes that is true but you still have not shown me any evidence that she is going to hurt him."
Throwing his hands up in frustration Tunneler punched some more keys and brought up the security monitors. Both watched as one would blink out and then come back on. "That! That is a trick I taught her. We used it in battle to get through areas without being caught. This is not a glitch. Also her personal computer has been wiped and I cannot pinpoint her or Refits location."
The evidence was starting to accumulate and Windstorm face finally showed what Tunneler had been trying to get across- Refit was in danger. Turning swiftly Windstorm dashed across the room and hit a communication terminal. "Refit its Windstorm report your location." Getting only silence in return he tried twice more before turning around to look at the mechs in the room watching him. "Find him…NOW!"
------------------------------------------------------------
He could tell from looking at her that nothing he say would get through to her. The overwhelming need for revenge, to make him pay had over taken her logic circuits. Reaching out with his hands while trying to distract her by talking to her, he reached for some of the tools lying on the floor to the side. Feeling two within his grasp he grabbed and threw them at her; one catching her in the face while the other tore a large chunk out of her right wing and imbedded in her door panel behind.
Rubbing her face she spit out some energon, fury reflective in her optics. "That was a mistake." Her injured wings kept sending pain racing up her back and it was at this moment she cursed the sensitivity levels of seeker wings. Raising her arm cannons she let off two shots which connected with Refits shoulder joints; sending him sliding backwards on the floor.
As the noise from the blasts cleared from the room she stood visible above the prone and paralyzed body of Refit. "I told you that was a mistake" she sneered as she delved into his mind. Any resistance he put up was quickly squelched as she broke though. You were his best friend. He trusted you and you killed him. As he heard Nightstalker voice Riverruns death was being played out in front of him with painful detail. As he watched Riverrun die over and over again under his hands, she continued to taunt him in his pain. He trusted you. Sunspot trusted you. I trusted you. This trust was betrayed and so you must pay with the one thing you cherish most.
As Refit was stuck in his perpetual nightmare, Nightstalker had approached him. Removing her dagger she gripped it in her right hand. Examining his horrified expression she could feel his pain and mental suffering. Straddling his legs she knelt down to face Refit. At the peak of his terror he brought him out of that nightmare and into a whole new one. As the inflicted memory ended the room was enveloped by his tortured scream as she plunged the dagger deep into his chest plating and pulled down; creating a long gash.
Gagging on the Energon spilling into his systems he looked at her. "Why? Why are you doing this?" his voice quivered from the pain that raked though his body. "Please stop this. I did not want this to happen. I did not want to kill him but he left me no choice."
"NO CHOICE! How this for a choice. You could have let me go." Letting go of the dagger and pulling her arm back she punched Refit hard across his cheek. "You could have ignored Windstorms order" again she punched him and was rewarded with the sound of crushing metal.
Refit groaned in pain she is mad with pain, guilt and anger. There is no logic here and I am powerless to defend myself. I have to try to get through to her or I am one dead mech. The fact that Nightstalker was functioning on a basic level provided the answer. He knew this was the only way to snap her out but might very well cause her to become even worse. Yet his position could not get any worse and it was a risk he was very willing to take. Looking into her optics and with a voice as firm as he could get with a broken jaw hinge he questioned her. "Nightstalker what do you think Riverrun would say if he saw you now?"
A low growl emitted from deep within her as her optics darkened and she replied to his question with a touch of sarcasm "Oh I don't know. Maybe if you hadn't killed him I could have asked." Yanking out the dagger from his chest she dug it deep into his side, issuing a sharp cry of pain from Refit. Watching as he withered beneath her she reached up and gently caressed his face. "Do you think Riverrun felt this much pain as he died by your hands?"
Her touch against his dented and cracked plating was surprisingly light and if the sensation of her dagger begin run across his lower body did not exist then he would have though he got through to her. Yet he knew he was in a bad predicament and her next question just added to his misery. "Do you think Sunspot felt this much pain as he slowly died from his injuries?" Feeling the dagger slide back across his body he watched her optics narrow and a sneer appear on her face, causing a sudden explosion of clarity. Oh Primus! She is not crazy. She knows exactly what she is doing and is enjoying this! I'm going to die…"
His sudden blank expression of realization caused her to produce an evil giggling sound. "And he finally clues in. About time you realized you are going to pay for what you have done. Did you really think I would let you get away with it? You-you took away everything, EVERYTHING I had in this world." Sliding her dagger hard across his body produced a trail of energon and oil behind as if it flowed straight from the blade. A stifled moan of misery and shutter was all that his battered body could respond with. Reattaching the dagger to her side in a fluid motion as she finished cutting his body, Nightstalker leaned back slightly to examine her work. "Humm….Yes it almost looks like Riverrun and Sunspot but something is missing." Catching Refits pained gaze she grinned once more. "Oh yes, now I know what is missing." With a movement too fast for his processor to follow she shoved her hands deep into the gash in his chest, grabbed onto the edges and forcefully ripped back the plating to expose the wires, his glowing spark and laser core contained beneath.
The pain was too much for him to even scream. As her hands penetrated his chest he tried one last vain effort to move his body out of her grasp. Shuttering, with alarms wailing and systems malfunctions dashing across his vision he knew the end was near. As his systems started to shut down he decided to leave her with a parting gift; although she would not cherish it now she may in the future. Gathering the remainder of his energy he focused on her and waited till her optics met his. As they locked on for just the smallest of moments he spoke his final words. "I am sorry for the pain your in. This experience…no this life was not what we had planned for you or Sunspot. You're much too young to have the death of a mech on your hands. I …" his body shuttered as systems shutdown "want you to know. I forgive you."
"You forgive me? Forgive me! I don't need your forgiveness and you have no right to say their names." Grabbing her dagger she slashed it across his neck severing his vocal box and several fuel lines. "You will never, NEVER say their names again." Screaming with rage she grabbed the daggers hilt with both hands and plunged it though his laser core and into his spark located beneath.
The rushing release of core energy separated the two as it threw her back and across the room. Hitting and skidding across the floor she raised her head to look at the smoldering and now grey remains. As she watched the smoke rise from his torn chest she realized, as the quick moment of revenge satisfaction had passed, that she still felt as angry and frustrated as before. She continued to watch motionless and silent till the smoke ceased. I forgive you. A sudden surge of horror registered as she heard his last words again. "No! What have I done? I-I didn't plan on killing him." As the realization set in that she was now completely alone a cry of pain and terror escaped.
----------------------------------------------------
"Report. Has anyone found them?" Windstorms concern and worry was evident in his tone and the fact that he was again pacing a hole in the floor. He watched as those under his command worked feverously to locate the two as well as repair the damage Nightstalker had done to the systems.
"No Sir. I am sorry to say we have not found anything yet." Giving a quick salute after delivering the message the small femme darted back to her post.
Venting hard he continued to pace. Running all the reports through his processor he dammed himself for not going with his original plan to just have her reformatted. Accepting an incoming message he was discouraged to hear that Tunnelers group had come up empty as well. They were the only ones left who knew the locations that Nightstalker frequented and so had gone to check them out.
"Sir! A repot just came in of a loud explosion sound. Possibly coming from the lower levels."
Upon hearing this, the pacing stopped and his posture took on the full air of a commander. "Locate the closest team and have them investigate. Also inform everyone to consider her armed and dangerous. Until we find out she is to be treated in all respects as a decepticon."
A hush came over the room as the orders were passed on. All present stopped what they were doing and look to their commander though the awkward silence was interrupted as Fastscan plowed into the room.
"What in the grand name of primus above are you thinking? Ordering her to be treated like a con! You realize that there are mechs here that will kill her on the spot now with those orders." Coming up to Windstorm he stopped just in front venting quickly in attempt to lower his core temperatures.
Snarling Windstorm turned to face his CMO "Yes I know exactly what I am doing and don't you ever dare…"
His sentence was cut off by the quick jab of Fastscan's finer into his chest plate. "I will dare! I will NOT have you branding her a con. For all creation she is only five vorns old. She does not know any better, you do."
The clash of metal on metal and the collective gasp of those present grabbed all attention, leaving command in silence. Recoiling his arm Windstorm rubbed his knuckles where they had collided with his CMO faceplate. "I do not brand her. She was created branded. I do not need to say she is a con because she always was one."
As Windstorm turned his back and walked away Fastscan was left to think as others rushed in to help him to his feet. She was always a con? How does he know and does she know? Not sure what to say he turned to leave but was stopped by one last comment from Windstorm. "Oh and Fastscan. Never again question my command in front of subordinates or next time you will be in the brig."
Mumbling to himself he forced a proper but yet resentful acknowledgement "Yes. Sir" as he was lead from the deck.
--------------------------------------------------------
Stumbling to her feet she knew someone was bound to have heard that explosion. Making her way out of the room she locked it and triple secured the seal. This should ensure me some extra time before they find him being careful to avoid the patrols she made her way up and into the shuttle bay. Offlining the only sentry there was she ran across to the shuttle she had prepped earlier. Entering, she locked the access hatch and sat down at the controls. Turing on the various systems, she powered up the engines. Ten minutes till I can take off safely, five minutes pushing it.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Sir there is a shuttle prepping for launch in the hanger."
"What? There are no scheduled flights to leave. Bring it up on screen." As the small grey shuttle appeared Windstorm scanned though the data track to see if he missed something.
"Energy signature within… its Nightstalker sir."
Reaching past the mechs shoulder Windstorm pressed a button on the terminal opening a comm. to the shuttle. "Nightstalker this is Windstorm. We know you are there. Power down and come out."
"Shuttles taking off sir."
Growling at the blatant disregard for his order he signaled for the shuttle bay doors to be closed. Turning his attention back to the monitor he tried one more time to get through to her. "Nightstalker you can not get out so power down and land." Getting only static in return he watched as the shuttle continued towards the closing doors. Taking a venture he spoke out "Yes, we did not tell you the whole truth but there was good reasoning behind it. Come back and…"
His sentence was broken as a young feminine voice cut in "Come back! Why would I want to do that? I already know the truth. I know what you did, what you ordered and I will never forgive you it." With that the frequency was cut off and all they could do was watch the monitors as the shuttle just made it out before the bay doors closed.
Continuing to watch as the shuttle charged its engines he though to himself. Let her go. Just let her go. There are more pressing matters to attend to such as where my 2IC is. Yet no sooner had this thought been processed when he was distracted by Tunnelers presence at his side.
"Sir? Did you hear me sir?" His audio was sullen and wavering as he reached out and placed one hand on Windstorms shoulder. Watching as Windstorm turned his head to face him he paused before speaking. "We found Refit. He's dead. There was nothing Fastscan could do for him." Seeing Windstorms optics fade and his sudden movement towards the door, Tunneler sidestepped to block his movement. "No, not yet. It's pretty nasty. Give Fastscan some time to make him more….presentable."
Windstorm stopped motionless Nasty? Presentable? Memories of him and Refit fighting alongside in battle, drinking against each other at parties, and just plain old chumming around flashed though his processor at the same speed his anger towards Nightstalker was rising. Shaking Tunnelers hand off his shoulder he turned to the monitor that displayed the leaving shuttle. Pausing for a moment his bellowed orders vibrated off the command room walls. "Shoot her down, now! I will not allow her to go to the cons and they will never have her and her abilities."
Knowing nothing he say now would make any difference Tunneler turned his gaze from the screen as the sounds of the bases auto guns firing up resounded in the room. Refit did not deserve to die like that but I am not sure she fully knew what she was doing. Offlining his optics as the sounds of the guns firing entered his audio receptors he thought to himself. Please make it out ok and good luck. When we meet again it will be at the end of our guns.
----------------------------------------------------------
She had expected to be shot at and so had maxed the engines to put her out of range of the base guns. Even so her shuttle still received a few hits; though minor in damage. Breaking though the atmosphere and out into space she set the shuttle on autopilot for the first planet Dayrunner had stated may contain possible decepticons he knew would come assist them. Now that the autopilot was on she could attend to her own wounds. Retiring to the back of the ship she took down the med kits she had stowed and opened them. Sitting down she started to repair the numerous gashed and the wounds that her self repair systems could not handle. In complete silence she worked before finally finishing and put the tools away. Refusing her systems the chance to devote any thought to what just occurred she focused only on the task set before her. I must find them the help they need and I will kill any autobots who stands in my way. Lying down on the recharge berth as the shuttles systems lowered to minimal operating levels, she allowed herself to slip into stasis for the long trip into space.
The End?