This chapter has been revised!! Thank you for reading!.
I probably did not mention a disclaimer so here it is!
Disclaimer: I do not own any sort of Transformers!! (The idea I mean. I do own some merchandise.) I only own Nexia and her grandfather!
Thanks to everyone who read my story!
Todel - Thank you for the review!!
Setsuna the Dragon - Thank you so much for your review!
xXsomeoneelseXx - I appreciate all of the reviews I get and yours made me extremely happy (along with everyone else's)
ninja-pirate-alchemist - I hope I spelt your name right...anyway thanks for your review!
Elita One - She'll find out sooner or later!
Chapter 3
Bonding Time With The Humans
A few weeks have passed and Nexia is somewhat comfortably living in the Lennox's attic. She adamantly refused when Sarah asked if she would rather stay in the guest room saying that she didn't want to be a burden to them. It was true; the winged girl didn't want to be a burden but at the same time she was still afraid of the Lennox family. It would be a while before she could fully trust humans but she was working on it.
Nexia's once knotted and tangled hair was now soft and straight, shining softly in the morning sunlight. She was borrowing some of Mikaela's clothing, a tight dress-like shirt that reached her knees, with a low-cut back for her wings, and tight jeans that hugged her slim legs. She still wore her combat-like boots, however, because she saw no need to get new ones.
Nexia flipped on the radio in the kitchen, humming along with the song. She flipped to another station when it ended, stopping to listen when a familiar song came on. Once the song started she started twirling, singing along with the lyrics with her eyes closed.
"I shake my head around, walking away without a sound. I sit in the corner, staring at a wall; awaiting for time yet time seems to stall." she sang softly, not noticing Sam and Mikaela knock on the screen door behind her.
"Each cold hard laugh cuts me deep, through my silent mouth my dreams start to seep. The evil looks pierce my right to the bone, my eyes loose the luster with which they once shone." She swayed to the music as she continued to sing, oblivious to the attention she was receiving. She concentrated on images from her past, voicing them as illusions that played like movies upon the den wall.
"I can't call this a nightmare 'cause the sun's in the sky, Day by day thinkin' as I always get by. My eyes start to flutter and I wish to sleep, Yet I can't climb Dream Mountain; It's way too steep. So awake I stay... Words start to play... So I shall call this my neverending daymare, Oh my neverending daymare." she continued as Mikaela opened the door, quietly tiptoeing into the sitting room with Sam. She looked around the house, gasping as she watched the images unfold on the wall, like a movie.
Scene One
A young girl of six ran into the arms of an elderly man, still well built but showing the age he has achieved. She wore a small dress, ivy in color, and had bright silver eyes. Her hair reached her chin and was a beautiful shade of auburn. He smiled, hugging the girl close to him. She pulled back, beaming a beautiful smile up at him. The young girl seemed very familiar, almost like a miniature version of the winged figure dancing and singing in the room before the two humans.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Can you take me flying!?" she asked, unfurling her little wings. They were so tiny! She had asked her grandfather because her wings were still too little to support her body in the air.
"But of course, little one." he said, gathering her up in his strong arms. He spread his great and powerful gray wings and lifted off from the ground into the air. The little girl giggled uncontrollably, flexing her tiny wings a little. He soared through the air with the girl, eventually coming back to a stop on the ground.
"Grandpa, when will I be able to fly?" the little girl asked, curiosity and longing apparent in her wide eyes.
"When you are older, my dear. When you are older you will soar through the heavens, my beautiful Nexia." he said, smiling softly while ruffling the young girl's hair. She scrunched up her nose in a vain attempt at a pout but soon dissolved into a small bout of laughter with the old man.
End Scene One
Little Nexia's giggling voice faded as did the picture upon the wall as Nexia continued singing. She flared her wings out, the longest of her feathers sweeping across the floor. Her shirt flared out when she spun, eyes closed while reminiscing things of the past.
"Yet the horrible days fly by into the years, with only a few to confide in my fears.
I'm way to shy to say what I'm truly thinkin' about, and as time passes by I learn how to shout." She sang, slowing her dancing as another movie appeared on the wall.
Scene Two
An older girl of around fourteen flew behind an elderly man, obviously an older version of Nexia and her grandfather. She smiled at the elder man as they flew around the skies of Iacon, their only day free from the cages of the Quentessons. Once a year they were free from their cages and this year her grandfather decided that she was to meet his good friend.
She flew a little higher, letting the warm breeze of the wind carry her through the air of Cybertron. The putrid air didn't affect her lungs since all Phoenixes have special air filters; she flew higher than her grandfather despite his playful shouts for her to slow down.
"Are we almost there, Grandfather?" she asked as she flew ever higher, gaining speed as she went. The old man matched her speed, grinning as he dove behind her. She gave a little squeak of surprised laughter, turning so that she was floating upon her back.
"Yes, my dear little Nexia. We shall soon arrive and meet my good friend, Orion Pax." he said, chasing the frisky girl with a laugh. The girl and her grandfather turned and tumbled through the maze of metallic buildings, causing havoc and mayhem as they went. They soon spotted the warehouse where Orion worked, flitting down to the entrance as quietly as they could. As they descended they were greeted by a fairly large, and very friendly, blue and red mech.
"Hello, little one. My name is Orion Pax." he said, picking her up and setting her down upon his shoulder. She stared at him for a couple of seconds; she was shy of new strangers but she could sense the good within Orion's spark.
"Hi. My name is Nexia, Nex for short." She smiled back. She decided that she would be nice since she could practically feel the warmth emanating from his spark.
End Scene Two
The current adult form of Nexia stopped singing, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. She was silent for a couple of seconds, reabsorbing the power of her song once again.
"People stop teasin' as we start to agree, Is it them or is it the changed me? I don't care anymore as I laugh out loud, Smirking at them as they watch from the crowd." she continued, coming to the end of the song. She pretended that Orion was there with her to scoop her off her feet, but of course she knew that Orion Pax had been transmuted into Optimus Prime. She wasn't stupid.
"I can't call this a nightmare 'cause the sun's in the sky, Day by day thinkin' as I always get by. My eyes start to flutter and I wish to sleep, Yet I can't climb Dream Mountain; It's way too steep. So awake I stay... Words start to play... So I shall call this my neverending daymare, Oh my neverending daymare." She finished giving a small bow before walking to the radio and flipping it off. She brushed a stray hair of auburn from her face, turning to face the door.
"Hey. Nice song." Mikaela smirked, pulling Sam into view. Nexia blushed, backing up toward the couch. She still didn't trust people that well but she needed to in order to blend in. The winged girl drew a deep breath before waving timidly at the pair, steeling herself for human contact.
"Are you ready? We can wait if you're not." Mikaela asked Nexia, grabbing onto the winged girl's arm. Nexia flinched, instinctively shying away from Mikaela's touch. The other girl frowned for a split second before shrugging it off and grabbing Nexia's arm again, ushering her toward the door. The second time the human female touched Nexia's arm she was more relaxed; she knew it was coming so she didn't shy away.
"Ready to go where?" Nexia asked, walking outside after putting on her shoes. She flexed her wings in the sun, wincing as she stretched the sore tendons a little too much. The small stitches stretched, pulling on her skin as she relaxed her injured wing.
"To the mall!" Sam exclaimed, rushing out the door, closely followed by his girlfriend. Nexia frowned, thinking about the close proximity she would be with other humans. Even though she was getting used to being by their side she was not quite sure she was ready to be in such close proximity of several hundred humans at once. Nexia sighed; there was no way she was getting out if it.
"Do I have to go?" she asked, spotting Bee from the porch. She smiled as she watched the yellow scout transform and kneel down in front of her, offering one of his fingers. She took it, planting a small kiss on his fingertip with a smile as he crooned softly to her. No matter how uncomfortable she was she knew that she had to go or face the wrath of the young human female.
"You don't want to wear the same clothes forever, now, do you? That would be disgusting!" Mikaela exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the cowering winged form.
"What is wrong with wearing the same clothing? On Cybertron we wore clothing for weeks at a time. They were made out of a specific fiber so they wouldn't get soiled." Nexia asked, tilting her head innocently to the side. She was confused; who would change their clothing every single day?
Unknown to Nexia Sam had moved to block the doorway behind her so she couldn't escape. She tried to back up, only running into Sam as she did so. She sighed, finally giving in to the human female's demands.
"Alright! I'll go. Please stop bothering me about going." she said, throwing her arms into the air. Bee chirped happily in the background as Mikaela hugged her, being careful of the special casts Ratchet had set. If the human realized the winged girl had stiffened she didn't show it; she started dragging her towards Bumblebee instead.
"Wait. What about the wings? Won't they cause a problem?" Sam asked, pointing to the large wings protruding from Nexia's back. Mikaela let out a disappointed sigh as she looked at them, realizing their dilemma.
Nexia looked back and forth between the two bickering humans, sighing and closing her eyes. She concentrated, controlling her energy flow to her wings. She cut off the energy supply, willing her wings to disappear. Soon enough they became transparent, fading away into nothingness.
Mikaela and Sam gawked at Nexia, watching the crimson wings fade away into nothingness. Bee made a confused chirp before leaning forward, waving a large finger through the void where her wings used to be. He jumped back slightly when he met nothing but air and looked at the girl with a questioning glance.
"You can't feel my wings, can you?" She asked laughing slightly at the three astonished faces. The auburn haired girl glanced back at her wingless back, an awkward feeling creeping up her spine now that the familiar weight was gone.
"No. There is nothing but air. How in Primus did you accomplish that?" the curious yellow scout inquired, voicing the question that all three of them had in mind. Mikaela stepped forward, searching Nexia's back, but came back with the same outcome as the mech.
"I've taught myself a couple of tricks to blend in with people. It's mainly for my protection since I would be labeled for a freak because of my wings." she said, sadly gazing at the ground in front of her.
"I can make my wings invisible and transparent by cutting off the supply of energy I send to them from my core. There is a backup supply of energy that powers up our energy – separate from our sparks. Our sparks keep us alive but don't power our attacks." she explained smiling slightly at the humans' clueless faces.
She walked over to Bumblebee, who transformed back into his vehicle mode, and turned around to face the two humans. She might as well get this over with when she was in a good mood; there was no turning back now.
"Wait, what about your eyes? Silver, no offence, is not a normal color. Pretty, but still abnormal." Mikaela commented, walking over to Nexia and staring her in the eyes. The silver eyed girl looked downcast, biting her lip; she thought about her abnormal irises and how much trouble they had caused for her in the past.
The sensitive yellow mech revved his engine, trying to bring comfort to the silver eyed girl as the others tried to come up with an idea.
"What about contacts? Do you have any contacts?" Nexia asked gaining the attention of the others. The two humans shook their head, disappointment dripping from their face until Mikaela brought up a valid idea.
"We could say they are colored contacts if anyone asks. Silver is a rare color but it wouldn't draw much attention." she suggested, looking at the silver eyed girl in question. Mikaela beamed when Nexia nodded her consent, grabbing the poor girl's pale hand and pushing her into Bee's backseat.
"To the mall! Hurry, Bee, lets go!" Mikaela exclaimed, while Sam and Nexia groaned; Sam groaned because he was going to carry a multitude of bags while Nexia groaned because she was going up against one of her fears.
Thirty minutes later Bee pulled into the mall parking lot, coming to a stop in front of the entrance. He sat idle for a few moments, patiently waiting for his passengers to exit from his vehicle form. He gave an encouraging chirp to the mortified Phoenix, hoping that it was enough to raise her spirits.
"I'll be back in a few hours," Bee said. "Optimus wanted me for a recon mission." he continued, activating his holoform as Sam closed the door. The blond haired surfer boy blew Nexia a gentle kiss before turning back to the road and pulling out of the parking lot.
Nexia whimpered as she watched Bumblebee's vehicle form drive away, finally turning to face the dozens of humans milling around he door when he disappeared from sight. Mikaela chuckled, taking Nexia's arm and dragging her into the nearest store.
The silver eyed girl sighed in annoyance and dismay, dutifully trying on each outfit that the human girl picked out. She would stall in the changing room for as long as she could before Mikaela barged in and dragged her out in front of the whole store. Quite a crowd of young men had gathered around the windows to watch as she tried on each outfit. Finally, when they were through with the first store, Nexia spoke up.
"How are we going to pay for all of this? I don't have any money and I don't think you could pay for all of this." Nexia softly said, walking forward with an armful of clothes. She was about to discretely put an outfit back on the shelf but the human girl took the bundle of clothing from her arms.
"Captain Lennox and Optimus set us up. We can get as much as you need." Sam said, eyes darkening at the thought of the bags that he was going to carry. They weren't even through with their third store and his arms were already laden down with heavy bags.
Mikaela eyed Nexia's slim form, planning to steer her in the direction of clothing that a certain CMO would enjoy. They gave their bags to Sam, who protested quietly, and started for another store. Nexia was glad for the change; most of the clothing the human girl made her try on was far from modest.
"This store has almost everything. Mix and match however you want!" Mikaela said, shoving her victim to the nearest clothing rack. She wandered off to talk to Sam outside the store as Nexia looked through the clothing rack. The silver eyed girl tried to hide her apparent distaste for the clothing displayed in front of her but she tried to act civil – if not for Mikaela's sake then she would for herself.
Most of the clothing was bright enough to hurt your eyes but one thing caught her eye. It was a knee length dark red skirt with slits on either side that reached her mid thighs. Attached to the skirt were several layers of soft, silky mesh; the black of the mesh contrasted nicely with the dark red of the under layered material.
She took the skirt and put it in her basked without Mikaela noticing, smirking as she did so. Finally, she would have at least one piece of clothing she would enjoy wearing. Another skirt drew her attention – it was short, reaching mid thigh at least, and was a soft emerald green. Black lace rested on the top in an over layer, contrasting beautifully with the green. She would have both skirts so if the human female discovered one she would still have the other.
Nexia didn't prefer bright colors, instead preferring dark, soothing colors. She wandered over to the shirts, rifling through them until she found a matching black belly shirt. Nexia also found several vests that she could wear over white button up shirts; most of them had some sort of intricate design on them.
She put the shirt and vests in the basket with the skirt and wandered over the mesh and fishnet area. Nexia was vaguely surprised that the human female would even consider taking her to this kind of store. This area had anything from tights to hair bands. She picked out a thin, silver fishnet tank to put over the shirt and a pair of camouflage arm warmers. She found two pairs of lace arm warmers – one black and the other white – and a pair of dainty mesh fingerless gloves. They were skin tight and laced up her arm to the elbow.
"I think that will do it. I don't want Mikaela to have a heart attack." Nexia murmured to herself, wandering up to the cashier and paying for her clothes with the money she was given.
"Now for shoes!" Mikaela exclaimed, dragging Nexia and Sam to yet another store. Nexia sighed, obediently trying on shoe after shoe. Soon Mikaela had gotten her two pairs of sneakers, two pairs of heels, flip flops and ninja style sandals, and, her personal favorite, a pair of combat boots that laced half way up her calves. Nexia smiled, happy to finally leave the messy, not to mention noisy, mall.
They waited outside for the hyperactive yellow mech, who had previously contacted Sam to say that he was on his way. A small girl wandered up to Nexia, tugging on her shirt with a small and chubby hand. The silver eyed girl stiffened, glancing down at the young figure tugging on her shirt. Nexia visibly relaxed when she realized that it was only a child, bending down to her level.
"Hey, lady Are you a fairy? You have sparkly eyes. You're so pretty!!" the little girl commented, sticking a thumb in her mouth. Nexia's eyes widened as Mikaela and Sam laughed quietly behind her. Nexia's mouth quirked upward into a soft smile as she patted the small girl on the head.
"No, sweetie, I'm not a fairy. Thank you, though, for complementing my eyes." Nexia said, softly squeezing the girl's hands. Bee pulled up behind the duo and winked at them, causing the girl to giggle and run off, probably to her mother. Bee's holoform stepped out from the car, helping Mikaela and Sam to pile the bags into his trunk. If the bags were heavy he didn't complain and she was grateful for the silence in the car.
"You have great timing Bee. I wanted to know where the conversation was going to go." Sam whined, smacking Bee lightly on the hood before climbing in. Nexia and Mikaela laughed openly at the two before also getting in the Camero. The yellow mech was ecstatic that the silver eyed girl laughed, spark swelling up with joy.
"Wow, Nex. I think you're getting more comfortable around Humans." Mikaela said, wrapping arm around the girl. Nexia smiled and leaned into the embrace, silently agreeing with the human girl. She was still uncomfortable around a large amount of humans but she was getting better around small groups. It helped, to some extent, that Bumblebee was there too.
Ironhide to Bumblebee Bee's communication link flared to life. The kids became quiet, letting Ironhide's rough and scratchy voice flow through the interior of the car.
Bee responding. What do you need, Ironhide? Bee asked. It was unusual that the black mech would call him for something since he was much older than Bumblebee.
Optimus Ahh...suggested that I uh...'make nice' I believe were the words he used. I would like to spend time with the girl. Ironhide grunted, obviously not looking forward to the outing. Optimus had forced him to contact Bumblebee and request time with the girl…to make friends with her. He would rather be at his personal shooting range and not babysitting some brat.
Well she's the last of her kind so you better make nice! Did Optimus really put you up to this? Bee asked him, amusement clearly evident in his voice. Ironhide wasn't the sort of mech who would want to make friends with someone that easily.
Well...Ratchet all but threatened that I needed to treat his patient nicely. I was going to show her my cannons. He doesn't need to know that we're going to my shooting range…and don't you say a word! Ironhide threatened. Bee mentally gulped, afraid for his life. When Ironhide threatens something you better believe that he will come through with that threat.
You better not mess with the Hatchet! He'll weld your aft to the ceiling! Trust me…it is not all that pleasant. Bee reminisced. He could hear Ironhide snort over the link, clearly mocking the young yellow scout.
I'll be there to pick the girl up shortly. Ironhide out. Ironhide's voice faded from Bee's speakers as he ended the link. The silver eyed girl sighed, not looking forward to her little 'visit' with the weapons specialist.
"Well I had better get you back before Ironhide throws a fit. You don't want to be around for one of those. Trust me, even Optimus is weary of one of those kinds of temper tantrums." Bumblebee told Nexia, speeding up quickly as he did.
They made it back in record time, Ironhide was waiting for them impatiently for them beside the porch. Sarah came bursting out of the door and down the stairs, gasping when she saw the Phoenix girl without wings. Nexia smiled slightly in embarrassment, explaining to Sarah that she could make her wings disappear at will.
"Ironhide is rather grumpy at the moment so I'll take care of your clothes. Ratchet also called. Since your fractures were not that severe he wanted to take off your casts." she said, disappearing inside the house.
"We better go. Sam has chores to do and his mom is so weird about that. He should have done them before we left but he is such a procrastinator." Mikaela said, hugging the slightly shorter silver eyed girl. Sam waved goodbye as Bee pulled away, revving his engine as he went. Nexia sighed, turning to the now vehicular Ironhide. He popped the door open, impatiently waiting as she climbed into the cab before setting off for his destination.
A while after they started driving Nexia tried to strike up a conversation. She fiddled nervously, pushing her hair behind her ear. It stayed in place for mere seconds before falling in front of her eyes once again.
"So...Ironhide? What exactly do you do? I mean…of course you're an Autobot but what is your position?" she timidly asked. She waited patiently for him to respond, watching the scenery pass. She finally gavie up on waiting for him to respond as they pulled into an abandoned warehouse. The door popped open again, silently telling her that this was the area that they were supposed to be.
"I am designation Weapons Specialist Ironhide. I am in charge of weapons training and development. My weapon of choice: Photon Cannons." he said, motioning toward the door of the warehouse.
Nexia smiled fully, silver eyes shining in the afternoon sun. She released the hold of energy on her wings, letting hem fade fully into view. She let out a small gasp, feeling the accelerating rush of energy flow from her wings and back into her own body. Ironhide looked on, finally transforming from his giant GMC Topkick into his great bipedal mode, black paint glinting maliciously in the sunlight.
"So, this is where you train? What type of weapons do you use other than your Photon Cannons?" Nexia asked, looking up at Ironhide in excitement. The bot blinked a couple of times before a grin spread across his face.
He picked the winged girl up and entered the warehouse, watching her wings flex and settle upon her back. He reached a crate and set her down, stepping back and whipping out his Plasma Cannon. It started charging, glowing a bright blue-white before letting out a plasma round, hitting the center of a target across the room. He then charged another cannon, smaller than the first, that pulsed with an electric current, burning away the target.
"Whoa! That is so awesome!" Nexia exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. Ironhide grinned again, puffing out his chest and activating his other guns and assorted weaponry. She smiled slightly, eyes gazing out towards the smoking target. She remembered a technique that her grandfather had taught her when she was still a youngster, barely thirty years old. But, of course, Phoenixes were like the transformers, they lived for several millennia. Now…she would still be considered young but in human years she was well over 3 million years old.
"You know... I can do something like that. I'm against using it toward innocent humans, though, so that's why I didn't use it on that Trent guy. I call it my Phoenix Fire Ball. Wanna see?" Nexia asked, grinning wildly. Ironhide nodded, stepping back and allowing Nexia to stand on the crate.
She took a breath and closed her eyes, concentrating like she did when her wings vanished. She opened her eyes and outstretched her hand, palm open and facing up. Ironhide watched intently as Nexia called upon her Phoenix flame. She opened her eyes and smirked, throwing the huge fireball toward the target and watching as it was engulfed in flames.
A horn startled Ironhide out of his stupor, alerting them that another Autobot was on the other side of the wall. The giant mech picked Nexia up, aware that her hand that was not in cast was still flaming. She jumped from his hand to his shoulder, holding onto his helm as he exited the building.
"Hello Ironhide, Nexia. Bumblebee was so kind to reveal your location to me when I discovered you weren't at the Lennox Ranch." Ratchet greeted, transforming from his Search and Rescue vehicle mode to his bipedal robot mode. Ironhide plucked Nexia off his shoulder as she waved at the disgruntled medic, arm still aflame.
"Nexia, your arm! Its been set aflame!" the medic cried in surprise, pointing to the said appendage. She looked at the arm in question and let out a small 'oh dear', quickly extinguishing the flame before the medic had time to rush forward. She and Ratchet stared at each other for a few moments, quickly looking away when they realized they were staring at each other. A blush crawled up the Phoenix's face as Ratchet cleared his air intakes.
Ironhide gave Nexia one last gruff grin and a pat on the head before handing her over to the bewildered medic. He transformed into the Black GMC Topkick that everyone knew him for and sped off, probably back to the Lennox's. Nexia looked up at Ratchet and smiled, flexing her wings subconsciously in her nervous state.
"What was that? Why was your arm not in pain?" the curious medic asked, kneeling down to her height.
"It was Phoenix Fire - condensed energy formed into a controllable flame in the palm of a Phoenix's hand." she explained, answering his question. He nodded, setting her down and activating his holoform. He took out a mini laser from his breast pocket, turning it on and reaching for the cast on Nexia's arm.
"Don't worry. It's only a small laser. I won't even burn your skin." Ratchet said with a small smile. Nexia relaxed, letting him handle the laser. True to his word the laser didn't touch her skin and certainly didn't cause her any pain. She flexed her hand and rotated her ankle when the casts were off, easing them into use. Ratchet then moved onto her left wing, checking the conjuncture of the bone to the skin.
"Your wing should be better in a few weeks. Try not to fly or it will break again." Ratchet said sternly, sticking a finger in Nexia's face. She smiled sheepishly, earning a half-hearted glare from the Autobot medic in return.
"We better get you back. Although Ironhide acts like he doesn't care you are now a part of the old bot's spark. He looked happier than he has been for quite some time." Ratchet finally said after a long while of silence.
Nexia nodded, putting a hand over her mouth while yawning and stretching. His holoform disappeared while his bipedal form transformed into the familiar Search and Rescue vehicle. Nexia climbed into the passenger seat; Ratchet immediately slipping the seatbelt over her lap as a precaution. The ride was uneventful but was smooth, causing Nexia to fall asleep before they reached the house.
Ratchet activated his holoform again when they reached the main road, tightening the seatbelt around the sleeping girl so she wouldn't be harmed. He smiled softly as he looked over her sleeping form, raising the heat just a little so she wouldn't get cold. Something so innocent should not have been treated the way she has been. She should not have even been caught up in the wars in the first place.
He pulled up to the Lennox's house, parking quietly and opening his door. He slid the seatbelt off Nexia and gathered her in his holoform's arms, carrying her up the porch where Will was waiting.
"Thanks, Ratch." he said as the CMO, being uncharacteristically gentle, handed the girl over. The medic's holoform grunted as it dispersed; the hummer speeding off into the night. Will shook his head and carefully navigated his way up to the attic. He took off Nexia's shoes and tucked her into the bed, whispering a goodnight and turning to go to bed with Sarah.