Hey guys! You can consider everything up until this chapter revised XD
Thanks to:
electrogirl88 - Thanks! I love to write so it motivates me when people say I do a good job.
Stesuna the Dragon - I'll try to update more often now that the SATs are over with.
Starstreak 777 - Lol, me too! I might put something like that in later a later chapter where Ratchet thinks Bee kidnaps Nexia again but she's really sleeping in the Med Bay or something.
Thanks guys!!
Chapter 15
Dangers of the Eclipse
The next week was rather boring for everyone. There had been zero Decepticon activity since Mission City and the Lookout, which meant the Autobots were getting restless. The twins were wanting to kick some Decepticon aft but since there was no activity they couldn't get their wish fulfilled. They had to settle for sparring outside the base in their spare time.
No more Autobots have landed on Earth and that was making Optimus depressed. The large mech kept his hopes high for a certain amount of time but it was beginning to dwindle. The Autobot leader was truly beginning to believe that they were the only ones left in the Galaxy.
There also had been no contacts from any Femmes, which meant there was no way for the Autobots to reproduce. Nexia had been experimenting with Wheeljack but she was having a bit of difficulty understanding the concept of the experiments. Wheeljack and the winged girl were experimenting with the recovered shard of the allspark. It worked in mysterious ways and they were trying to create sparklings. Apparently the shard either didn't have enough power or the sparkling would suffer and then die.
The two were trying to devise a way to harness aided power within the sparkling's spark chamber. It would gather together the weak power of the allspark and utilize it to create a spark. Unfortunately it meant that Wheeljack had to work with chemicals.
Down in the white scientist's laboratory, which was covered in a bomb-proof metallic alloy, Wheeljack poured a chemical into the beaker with another, creating a huge explosion. Bright colors blossomed and bright blue and white tendrils caught Nexia by the arms and legs, electrocuting her and causing excruciating pain. Since the winged girl and the Autobot medic were connected at the spark the medic must have known something happened in the lab.
The next thing Nexia knew she was screaming bloody murder while Wheeljack was shouting her name, trying to get the tendrils of energy to release her body. It was hard; the tendrils seemed like they were responding to her own energy. The door crashed open as Ratchet dashed into the room. He had felt a dulled down reaction to the pain through their bond. A nerve-wracking pain shot through their system before Nexia fell limp, falling off the table and into Ratchet's shaking hands.
The Autobot medic's processor was running miles as he ran scan over scan on his beloved, Wheeljack standing nervously in the background. Nexia's energy level was spiking dangerously high, higher than her body should have allowed. They rushed to the Medical Bay, hoping that they would be able to figure out what was wrong.
The worried medic set her gently down onto one of the berths, wincing as he felt Nexia's spark shutter. He tried to calm it with his own spark but all of his efforts were in vain. Ratchet's scans were inconclusive so they had no choice but to leave her on the berth. Little did they know that a solar eclipse was going to occur later in the day.
You see, a Phoenix's power is relative to the energy emitted from the sun. If the sun is covered then a Pheonix's power is extremely limited.
"What were you working on?" Ratchet asked, turning to the white scientist. Wheeljack winced as the medic started fixing his wounds. Ratchet didn't show it on the outside but he was furious. Wheeljack knew better than to let someone as small as the winged girl into the room while he was working with dangerous chemicals.
"The Allspark." he simply responded quietly. He knew that Ratchet was furious so he hung his head in shame.
"The Allspark is a solid form. Why are you working with chemicals if you don't need them?" the medic asked, narrowing his optics at the white mech.
"We were trying to find a way to enhance or help the shard to grow. The chemicals were only to be a catalyst in our experiments." Wheeljack replied, gazing sadly at the winged girl.
The medic was about to respond but Nexia's heart monitor went haywire. Her heart sped as Ratchet and Wheeljack rushed to her side. They activated their holoforms and reached her just in time as she opened her eyes her heart went back to normal. It was incredibly unusual. In moments Ratchet had her nestled safely within his arms while Wheeljack was studying the monitor. He was no medic but he was trained well enough to tell that something strange was going on.
"Nex? Are you alright?" Ratchet whispered, removing the wires from her chest. The machines weren't telling him anything so it was up to Nexia to tell him what was wrong.
"The Eclipse is approaching." she whispered, staring blankly into the space before her. Wheeljack turned and gasped at what she said, optics widening in obvious surprise. Then his optics saddened as he stared down at the oblivious winged girl.
"What does she mean?" Ratchet all but demanded from the white mech. Before Wheeljack could answer, however, Nexia started whispering again. Both of the mechs leaned close to her in order to understand her whispering.
"The Eclipse. The only power able to drain a Phoenix's powers. The Eclipse is approaching." she whispered, still staring at the same spot in the air. Ratchet finally understood what she was talking about. The solar eclipse that was scheduled for today! The sun would be covered, which is what Nexia's fire based power is based from. The horrified medic gulped, afraid of what would happen to Nexia with the Decepticons after her.
"Don't worry." she said, finally shifting her gaze to the medic. Ratchet cupped her face with his hand and nuzzled his face into her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed with happiness.
"I may not be able to use my fire but I can still fly and use my katana." she said, trying to ignite her fist but failing. She failed to mention that she was already feeling weak. Ratchet sighed in relief, resting his holoform's forehead against hers. They were about to kiss but Wheeljack cleared his throat. They both jumped apart, blushing furiously at forgetting about the other mech.
"How about we take a break?" Wheeljack suggested to the other two, brushing his holoform's white hair away from his face. The other two smiled, nodding at the scientist's idea. They pondered at what to do until Nexia jumped up with an idea. Her excited face made the Autobot medic break out into a smile – Wheeljack noticed and was happy that his best friend had found a reason to be happy.
"Let's go to the water park! I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun there…" she said, eyes shining in excitement. The other two nodded, although Ratchet was a little hesitant, and contact the other Autobots, letting them know about their plan. Once Optimus gave the OK the three of them were out the door.
Surprisingly the Tranquility Water Park was not crowded as much as Nexia thought it would be. She banished her wings in order to fit in and tied her hair back in a small ponytail. She let a few strands of hair frame her face, forming a look she thought was cute. She was dressed in a white shirt and jean shorts with her bathing suit underneath. Ratchet had abandoned the lab jacket, as had Wheeljack, so they only wore swimming trunks and button up shirts.
When they arrived the two Autobots parked in the far corner of the parking lot, under a huge oak tree for the shade. They paid for entrance and walked to a sunny table. The now wingless girl smiled, revering the feeling of the sun hitting her face. She felt a little rejuvenated but she knew that the worse was yet to come.
Ratchet watched as Nexia shed her top, rather slowly just for him, and peeled down her shorts even slower. Her bathing suit was black, of course, with the Tokio Hotel symbol on the middle of the black halter top. Although her bathing suit showed some of the scars she had on her back Ratchet still thought she was beautiful. Now all he had to do was make sure she knew it.
"You look beautiful, love. You are the most beautiful creature that exists in the universe." Ratchet said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He kissed her neck and she giggled, turning around to kiss him on the lips. She broke apart from him to take a look at his neon green and black swimming trunks. Her eyes trailed over his lithe, somewhat muscular frame, until she nodded in approval. He still wore the glasses, he thought it made him look smart.
"I like it. We match, with the black that is." The winged girl purred, kissing him on the lips again. They were interrupted again by Wheeljack when he threw a couple of inner tubes in their direction. He laughed at them, seeming to enjoy disrupting their 'mushiness' as he calls it.
Nexia and Ratchet broke apart, flushing at being caught by the scientist once again. It was like he had a sixth sense for those types of things. Call it an astute ability. They were about to make their way over to the wave pool to relax but a large explosion caught their attention. Nexia, Ratchet, and Wheeljack ducked out of instinct. The two mechs covered Nexia's exposed flesh with their own holoforms, protecting her from the excess shrapnel.
"What's going on?!" Nexia screamed over the crashes and screams of the terrified people. Ratchet was going to respond but a great trill of evil laughter rang through the air, answering her question. Her eyes widened as her heart froze; the Eclipse was beginning. She looked up at the sun, alarmed to find it already beginning to darken.
Ratchet's fists clenched subconsciously as Nexia's eyes narrowed while they remembered what the silvery-gray jet had done to her. She was about to stand and recall her wings but Ratchet called her back. He gripped her by the arms and pulled her into a fierce kiss before looking her in the eyes. He seemed to be searching for something before he drew her into a hug.
"Please promise me you'll stay here until Wheeljack and I arrive in our bipedal modes. Promise me! I'll bring you your katana to fight with, but until then stay hidden." he said, shaking her slightly. Her eyes widened and she nodded her head, aware that Ratchet was only worrying about her safety. She watched as his holoform dissipated, leaving her huddled in her bathing suite behind a large mass of twisted metal.
She waited, drawing herself into a smaller ball. It got darker outside but according to the internet they weren't supposed to be in the umbra – at least that was something that would help her. She stayed curled into a ball until she hard the screeching of metal upon concrete. She sighed, thinking that it was either Wheeljack or Ratchet.
"Finally." she breathed out, peering over the mass of twisted metal. Red, evil optics stared back at her, causing her to loose her grip and scream. She desperately hoped that either Autobot had heard her. Ratchet still had her katana; she had nothing to fight with.
The Decepticon smiled, showing a row of perfectly filed teeth, pointed to an almost dangerous point. The Decepticon lunged forward, catching her struggling form, and laughing at her pathetic excuse at escaping. She sighed in defeat, settling to look at her captor. Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth in annoyance, daring the Decepticon to try anything.
The terrified winged girl stared at the form in front of her, scanning for some sign of weakness. The mech was black and white, and she guessed that when he transformed he would tale on the guise of a police cruiser. He had sharp 'teeth' and blazing ruby optics.
He had the Tranquility police crest on his chest plating, and instead of the familiar slogan of 'to protect and serve' it was 'to punish and enslave' running down he length of his arm. He laughed again, causing a sinister feeling to run down her spine. Suddenly, her eyelids began to droop as the sky began to darken. The Eclipse had started to blot out the sun. Nexia's powers were weakening.
"Nexia!" she heard, coming from her left. The weakening girl had barely any time to think before she was sent hurling through the air. She screamed in shock, having no time to recall her wings before she hit the ground.
Nexia closed her eyes and prepared for her body to come in contact with the hard concrete…but for some reason the impact never came. Instead, something hard and warm wrapped around her torso before she felt herself being pulled towards a warm and comforting feeling. A humming noise filled her ears as her mind began to relax.
"Nex, you alright? You aren't injured?" the cocky voice of Sunstreaker asked. She opened her eyes and nodded, failing to find her voice. She was weakening considerably – which was bad because the Eclipse was nowhere near complete.
The golden warrior was about to set her down but she was once again flung from his grasp when a familiar silver jet shot at the enraged mech. This time she saw it coming so she was able to recall her wings. She soared up, barely being able to escape being crushed by the unfamiliar black and white mech.
"Where do you think you're going, femme? I will destroy you!" another voice sneered at her. Bright red eyes laughed cruelly at her as she panicked, loosing more energy as she did so. She cursed, clenching her fists in anger. The mech's deep blue coat shone in the sunlight as she dove towards the ground. She twisted, avoiding the wicked claws, and dove towards the familiar pile of twisted metal.
"Skywarp! Pick on someone yur own size!" she heard Ironhide's distinct growl. Skywarp, she guessed, was tackled to the ground by the big black mech. Nexia felt helpless as he punched the blue mech in the jaw. She had lost her fire to the Eclipse so there was no way she could help her Autobot friends.
"F-frenzy k-kill!" a smaller silver blur knocked her to the ground, pulling several feathers from her wings. Blood spurted from the injuries and there was no telling where the Autobot medic was. She could barely fight against him if she didn't have her katana.
The two went rolling around on the ground while biting, kicking, and scratching at each other. Nexia bit back a cry as Frenzy slashed out at her, catching her in the leg with one of his throwing stars. It wasn't bleeding badly but it still hurt to stand. The winged girl was getting desperate as another star pierced her wing, rendering her unable to fly. She kicked Frenzy away and hid quickly, while he was down.
"Ratchet!!" she screamed, looking around for the medic. Nexia shook her head, trembling. She was starting to believe that she was going to die.
"Nexia!? Where are you?!" Ratchet's faint voice replied. One of the Decepticons must be blocking his initial scanners. Horrific thoughts entered her mind causing her to flinch.
"Nex!" she spotted Wheeljack a few feet away. He had her katana in one of his enormous hands. The winged girl let out a sigh of relief as he came closer to her.
"Where's Ratchet?" she asked, looking worriedly in the white inventor's facial plates. He grimaced, turning to the side and shooting at Skywarp.
"He's a little busy at the moment!" he yelled back, chucking the katana in her direction. She jumped, trying to catch it, but Frenzy caught her in the side.
Nexia grunted, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to get out of this one. The little silver bot slashed at her throat, going for her voicebox. His claws came in contact with her skin, drawing warm blood from her body. She shrieked in pain as she shoved the silver body off her.
"Aah!!" she gasped, clutching at her throat as if it were on fire. Her head swam with pain streaming from her throat. She suppressed a scream, although she knew that she wouldn't be able to speak let alone scream, as she ripped the stars from her skin. She had forgotten they were there.
Tears of healing dripped onto the wounds, instantly healing them…but there was no way she could heal the wound on her throat. She sighed in relief as some of the pain lessened and quickly dashed towards the fallen katana.
She grinned, ignoring the fact that she was about to collapse. A searing pain flashed through her skull as Frenzy and Ratchet both rounded the corner at the same time. Frenzy was quicker, as he was smaller, and he attacked her. Ratchet looked at them, alarmed at how Nexia was swaying back and forth. The power of the Eclipse was strong…however it was almost over.
Nexia was surprised when Ratchet called her name, snapping her attention from her thoughts. Frenzy jumped at her but his body froze as she shoved the katana through his spark chamber. She had been quick and managed to avoid his claws. Her throat was still streaming blood but at least Frenzy had been terminated.
His small silver body slid down on the katana, bringing Nexia down with him. She shoved him off her body and stood. The large thundering footsteps and slightly panicked feeling through their bonds alerting her that it was Ratchet. She turned, smiling as she looked up at him before her eyes drooped and she slumped forward.
"No!" Ratchet exclaimed, scooping her up into his hands, bringing her up close to his spark. He scanned her, shocked to find her energy was extremely low. Her heart was slowing down and her body temperature was way below than what she was used to. The large wound across her throat was still bleeding and it needed to stop.
Sunstreaker approached the medic, taking the winged girl into his own hands while Ratchet transformed. When the Autobot medic had completely transformed Sunstreaker gently placed her in the back. Her eyes were fluttering as she tried to stay conscious. The last thing she heard was the frantic voice of her bonded as she finally gave into the dark.
Several spark-wrenching hours later and Nexia was finally stabilized. Ratchet's spark was pulsing erratically with worry as the wound on her throat wasn't healing. She was now in another of her healing sleeps, healing the little scrapes all the shrapnel caused. The odd thing was the healing sleep was doing nothing for the wound Frenzy inflicted on her.
Ratchet was severely depressed, moping around the Medical Bay. He was trying to hide his uneasiness but the other Autobots knew him so well. He barely took his optics off her still body, constantly trying to figure out why she was still stationary. The only conclusion that he had come up with was that the injury was inflicted with Cybertronian metal.
The door opened to reveal Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, who were becoming like protective older brothers to the winged girl. They were devastated, not having their winged buddy to play pranks with. All three of the Autobots activated their holoforms, settling down around the sleeping girl.
The Autobot medic pulled her had into his lap and the twins each took a hold of her hands. Another hour crawled by and nothing changed, breaking the already cracked spark of the neon green mech.
Ratchet touched his forehead to hers and softly kissed it, willing her to wake up. Primus seemed to have granted his wish because she weakly squeezed Sunstreaker's hand. His blue eyes widened in happiness as he pushed his blonde bangs out of his face, Sideswipe doing the same with his fiery colored hair.
"Nex? How are you feeling?" Ratchet asked her, looking intently into her eyes. He ran another scan on her body but all seemed well. She smiled and opened her mouth to respond but no sound erupted from her mouth.
The three looked at her, confused, until a look of realization dawned upon her. She looked at Ratchet and he winced, feeling the sadness seeping through their bond. Ratchet glared at the twins, not bothering to say anything as he picked her up. They shrugged, dismissing their holoforms as they left the Medical Bay. Ratchet walked over to the other side of the berth, setting her down in her cot while staring her in the eyes.
"Nex? Can you tell me what's wrong?" he asked gently, no waning to startle her. She shook her head sadly, a tear trailing down her face. He cupped her face gently and lifted it so that he could see into her eyes. Her eyes were sparkling with sadness, tears threatening to spill over once again.
"Why not?" he questioned her, wondering why she wouldn't talk to him. She opened her mouth and tried to talk but not a sound came out, like before. He furrowed his brows in curiosity as he scanned her throat, but finding nothing amiss. She sighed and created a sort of circle with her hands, hoping Ratchet would catch on. He did eventually as she deflated even more.
"The Eclipse…mixed with Frenzy's attack." he gasped suddenly, drawing her to him. She finally broke down, throwing herself in his lap, and wrapping her arms around his neck. No sounds escaped her mouth as she sobbed on his shoulder, his arms sneaking around her waist. He sighed sadly as he buried his face in her hair, gently setting her down as she cried herself to sleep. Ratchet then vowed that he would fix everything bad and protect her from the world's wrath.