Consider all chapters up to this completely revised.
So, anyway, thanks to:
Stesuna the Dragon - I'm sorry I didn't use any of your names but I suddenly thought of 'FlareSpark' because of being a flamed unicorn. His major attack would probably be something along the lines of attack the spark directly with fire(hence the name). Your ideas were appreciated, though.
DemonGirly91 - Yeah, just one new surprise after another. I'll give you a hint of the next chapter - Screamer is in for some huge aft-kicking!
Elita One - I don't know...should I kill Screamer?? I could turn him into a brain-dead slave mech or something.
Chapter 19
Moonracer is alive?!
Ratchet's optics snapped online as incredibly vivid images of a wounded Nexia flashed through his processor. Images of her chained to a wall, broken and bleeding while crying out his name haunted his very thoughts each waking hour of the day. He could barely get any recharge for the haunting nightmares that plagued his recharge.
He blinked, rubbing his face tiredly as he checked his internal clock. Once again he awoke at an odd hour: four in the morning by human standards. He would have prescribed himself some sleeping pills but human medicine didn't work on Cybertronian beings.
It's been one week exactly since Nexia was captured by Starscream and not one day has gone by that Ratchet didn't curse himself for his stupidity and carelessness. Because of his rash actions Nexia was taken by the Decepticon bastards, albeit she went willingly. The Autobot medic blamed himself for being weak; if he hadn't been weak then she wouldn't have had to give herself up.
Ratchet still thought that it was his fault even though the winged girl smiled softly at him as they left. The old medic grunted sadly as he rose from the berth, wounds still stinging painfully after a while. He had gotten Wheeljack to solder them back together…but the pain of loss was causing them to ache.
Every so often some of the other mechs would come and visit him, trying to ease the pain of his broken spark. Ratchet would had been convinced that she was dead had it not been for the faint glowing and pulsing of her spark next to his. It had recovered only a little…but then it would let out a source of energy and flicker dangerously light.
They had no idea where the Decepticon base was…so there was a small chance that they would be able to infiltrate it. The Autobot medic had stayed up late every night running plans through his processor…but Prowl only shot them down. They were too dangerous for him to go by himself.
The only good thing about their situation was that Ratchet and Wheeljack had completed the serum that would stabilize her emotions. There would be no more attacks on her nervous system and hopefully her spark would return to its normal strength. The depressed medic could only hope that they would be able to get to Nexia in time.
Nexia awoke to the seventh day of her nightmare. Every day for the past week she had been tortured, sustaining countless amounts of injuries. She would survive by dreaming of her Autobot lover…of the warm feeling his spark would send to hers. Even though she was miles away she could still feel the warmth.
The worst injuries she could feel, though, were the large lacerations across her abdomen, the puncture wounds on her wings, and she was pretty sure that her ankle was broken. She was sure in a pinch but she wouldn't trade her position because if she had it would have Ratchet who was in trouble. She was content with her decision.
Although…since Megatron was dead she didn't feel quite so overwhelmed. It was he who murdered her grandfather and her people. Since he was gone she felt as if she had a chance at escaping. No offense…well yeah. It was meant to be offensive. Starscream was a complete dumbass.
Nexia drooped her head down onto her chest, as her arms were chained to the wall. There was no room between her wrists and the wall so her arms were sore from hanging so long. There were deep cuts on her wrists from struggling; blood dripped freely from the wounds.
A tear shimmered down her cheek as she thought of her spark mate, finally free from her constant chattering. He was probably blaming himself for her choice. At least he was safe and the Decepticons were stupid enough to allow her Ironhide's katana. If only she could reach the button that activated the homing beacon's new upgrade! Wheeljack helped her install a special communications system if she inputted the right sequence. I would save her the energy of trying to escape.
Suddenly, the door to her cell was pried open and a small female robot was shoved in, causing her to stumble before crashing onto her face. It was done quickly and before the femme could stand the door was hauled shut once again.
Nexia looked shocked before she smiled slightly, happy for the company. As the femme stood Nexia was able to get a better look at her armor. It was faded with years of being pushed around. Her gears squeaked and she was in much need of repairing. The small femme had grime and dirt all over her light blue-green armor. She had silver highlighting her arms and had bright blue optics, signaling that she was an Autobot.
Nexia was proven correct when the femme jumped up, twirling around to face the assaulter. The Autobot insignia was engraved in her upper left shoulder, showing that she was of the Autobot faction. The winged girl was happy – now she would be able to get free and activate the communications feature added into her Katana. She was the only one who could do it; if the femme tried to do it…well she'd be in for a surprise.
"I figured that dirty femmes should stick together." the black and white mech sneered, glaring at the two females that were occupying the cell. Nexia recognized the black and white police vehicle – it was Barricade. Both females glared at the offending mech, Nexia growling in irritation.
"Frag off, Barricade" the light blue femme hissed at the Decepticon. The cop car hissed in response before shirking off back into the shadows. He glared at the winged girl; he was probably still sore that she killed his partner.
The familiar blue femme massaged her stiff joints before turning to the winged girl. Optics and eyes widened before the dusty femme drew her hidden blaster from her subspace pocket. Targeting the winged girl the femme curled down on one knee, keeping the blaster trained on the immobile form. Nexia's eyes widened in disbelief; she was chained to a wall for Primus' sake!
"Who are you? Why are you here?" the femme demanded, narrowing her optics. Nexia hesitated, looking at the familiar blue optics before answering the femme's question. She really did seem familiar.
"My name is Nexia. I am the last Phoenix of Cybertron." she introduced herself, still staring at the femme's familiar optics and facial plates. There were no femmes in the Autobot base and the last picture she had seen of any kind of femme was a picture of Moonracer, Ratchet's friend who was killed. Wait…that was it! She was Ratchet's presumably dead best friend, Moonracer!
"Moonracer?! Is that you??" the winged girl exclaimed suddenly, catching the dusty blue-green femme off guard. She looked at Nexia for a moment before raising her small blaster once again. Her optics narrowed and glinted red for the briefest of moments; Nexia, however, didn't catch the change in the dusty blue-green femme's optic color.
"How do you know my name, Phoenix? How do I know that you're not a sleazy Decepticon spy?" she questioned Nexia, voice dangerously low. The poor femme had probably gone through some tough times at the Decepticon base. The dusty blue-green femme threatened to pull the trigger on her small blaster as the winged girl blanched, trying to come up with an appropriate answer.
"Wait! I'm from the Autobot Earth base…with Ratchet! I'm his spark mate!" Nexia cried out, closing her eyes and expecting the excruciating pain from the Autobot's weapon. She was praying that Moonracer would believe her…but it was a long shot. She had been stuck in the Decepticon base for who knows how long. When the winged girl felt no pain Nexia cracked open one of her eyes to meet the confused face of the Autobot femme.
"How do I know you aren't lying?" Moonracer asked, finally lowering her weapon and packing it safely away in her subspace. She was still cautious, however, and kept her hand near her subspace pocket. That way she could easily draw her blaster again if need be. The dusty blue-green femme's expression was no longer one of anger and surprise but more of pure curiosity.
"His nickname is the Hatchet. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe gave it to him ten thousand years ago…and he used to sit on the Autobot council before he became a medic in the war." Nexia whispered, smiling softly. She knew this was proof enough as only Autobots knew of the medic's nickname…and even fewer knew that he was on the council. Moonracer was one of them.
The dusty blue-green femme smiled suddenly, laughing out in delight as she rushed towards the chained girl. She was happy that the winged girl was of the Autobot faction.
"Oh my Primus! It's been so long since I've had company! I've been held prisoner by the Decepticons for Primus knows how long! It's even better since you're a femme as well." the dusty blue femme exclaimed, lowering herself to become face to face with the chained winged girl.
"It's fine, Moonracer. I know how it feels to be alone for a long period of time. Ratchet told me about you, you know?" Nexia said, smiling softly but wincing when she moved her ankle in a bad way. Moonracer, whose grin faded into a concerned frown, swiftly appeared by the winged girl's side. The dusty blue-green femme scowling at the sight of Nexia's injuries. Her glare intensified when she saw that her new friend's arms were cuffed to the wall.
"You're injured. And what do you mean that Ratchet told you about me? What did he say? I hope it wasn't anything bad…" heat was rushing up to Moonracer's cheek plates. She looked away, embarrassed about the conversation. She looked back when Nexia whimpered softly as she reopened one of the gashes along her abdomen. The winged girl coughed softly as specks of blood stained her lips.
"I remember that day. I was shot in the chassis near my spark chamber. I did come close to off lining but a Decepticon took pity on me and fixed me up. I've been a prisoner here ever since…" she said softly.
Moonracer looked down at the ground, now becoming soaked with Nexia's blood. It seems as though the gashes had reopened themselves in all the excitement. The dusty blue-green femme gasped, immediately taking grasp of the iron holding her winged companion to the wall. She was a robot…which meant that she was stronger than the winged girl by default.
"No, you don't have to…you might hurt yourself…" Nexia mumbled, looking Moonracer deep in the optics. Her eyes widened when she saw determination, anger, and a hint of…regret? What would Moonracer regret doing? Suddenly, the winged girl felt a searing pain shoot up her arms, causing her to fall into a crumpled heap to the ground. She coughed, freezing up as another emotional attack seized her frame. The white hot fire spread through her nervous system; it was worse than before.
"Primus! I didn't know it would hurt you that much! I'm sorry!!" the blue femme exclaimed, taking Nexia into her arms as the winged girl convulsed. Finally, the seizures stopped but a small trail of blood seeped from between her lips. She looked up at Moonracer weakly but shook her head. Nexia coughed, spitting out all the blood that had made its way to her mouth.
"No, it wasn't you. My condition is a long story. It wasn't your fault…" Nexia said, explaining how she came to be in her condition. Moonracer sat, cradling the winged girl in her arms as she listened intently to the tale. Her jaw clenched in anger as she thought about the Decepticons…and how she came to be in the dark, dingy cell.
The dusty blue-green femme's optics were transfixed on the small girl in her arms, jumping when Nexia's eyes suddenly met her bright blue optics. She squirmed a bit, making Moonracer set her down gently upon the stained floor. Nexia stood, walking shakily to the katana sitting in the corner. Moonracer's optics flared as she watched what the winged girl was doing. She watched the winged girl closely, hand still by her subspace pocket…just in case.
"No! Violence is certainly not the answer! What are you doing?!" her startled cry died down in her throat as Nexia shot her a confused and bewildered look, picking up the katana by its scabbard. The dusty blue-green femme had thought that she was going to harm herself.
Moonracer shook her head sheepishly as she motioned for the little organic to continue what she was doing. Nexia pressed a small button, hidden within the rope wrapped around the hilt of the sword. Suddenly a small, thin rod ejected from the hilt, transforming itself into a small headset. It was unfortunate that the homing beacon that was installed had been damaged during the flight over here. The winged girl looked back at Moonracer and smiled, happy as the dusty blue-green femme was smiling with such radiance.
The two femmes didn't have to worry about any of the Decepticons barging in on them because there were no cameras. It was basically a soundproof room as well. Most of the guards were well timed on when they wanted to appear…but just in case they had to be quick.
All of the Decepticons were most likely in recharge, snoring away in the upper parts of the base. They were still in California but she didn't know exactly where. The winged girl was just glad that they weren't underwater. It would have been much too difficult to perform an escape.
All she knew was that they were able to fly to Tranquility Lake in about five and a half hours, which would put such a strain on her injured wings. Nexia had a plan, though. She didn't know if she had enough strength but she was determined to get Moonracer back to her best friend.
Nexia was going to summon Xylon and have him carry Moonracer, as Phoenixes can carry immensely heavy loads. The winged girl was going to ride on the back of FlareSpark. The Black Flamed Unicorn could break the speed of sound.
The dusty blue-green femme watched intently as Nexia donned the headset, concentrating on locating the signal. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Ratchet's internal communications unit. The winged girl wanted to communicate with her spark mate so badly. Her spark still had a faint connection with his…all she had to do was concentrate.
It was all static at first…but then she heard the voice she had been dying to hear for the past seven days. The winged girl nearly cried out of joy but she held back her sob, instead giving the thumbs up to the femme beside her.
"Nex?" Ratchet's voice asked in disbelief. She could hear the doubt in his voice as her eyes welled up with even more tears tears. Moonracer caught on to what happening as her optics also was filled with happiness, coming up behind Nexia and wrapping her in a gentle hug.
"Yeah, Ratchet. Oh, you don't know how I've longed to hear your voice again, love." Nexia whispered breathlessly, tears streaming down her face. She was listening to her beloved and right then she knew that everything was going to be alright. They would make it out alive.
Ratchet had been wandering around the base for the past several hours, just wandering aimlessly before ending up in his Medical Bay. He sat down heavily at his desk, not paying attention to anything around him. He was like a ghost.
He had a stack of paperwork on his desk, neglected by the medic because of his worry for his sparkmate. He barely noticed when Wheeljack made his way into the Medical Bay but Ratchet had no energy to shout at the white inventor. The white mech knew that the Autobot medic was feeling terrible…as was he but it was not to the degree that Ratchet was feeling. Nexia was one of his best friends in a way.
Wheeljack stared at his friend sadly, wanting to help ease his friend's pain. Suddenly, Ratchet's head started buzzing. It was indicating that someone was trying to contact his internal communications system. Wheeljack began talking softly but stopped abruptly when Ratchet raised a hand. Ratchet's metallic eyebrows furrowed in confusion before a look of realization covered his face. Suddenly the medic's eyes started watering with tears of energon, alarming the scientist.
"Someone's trying to contact my internal communications system. The only ones with the codes are the Autobots and Nexia. The other Autobots know not to contact with me now. I think Nexia is trying to communicate with me somehow!" Ratchet exclaimed, his optics widening in excitement. The inventor's own optics widened before he grabbed a chair and sat down next to the medic.
"Well? What did she say? Can you hear her? Can you respond back?" Wheeljack asked, babbling away in worry. He knew better, though, and was keeping his optics on the mech in front of him. He was only shushed by the medic as he seemed to be in a form of deep concentration.
"Nex? Nexia, can you hear me?" the medic whispered, activating his loudspeaker for the communications system. Suddenly her melodious voice appeared over the speaker, bringing wide grinds, and tears for Ratchet, to the mechs' faces. They knew that she was speaking to all of the Autobots.
"Yeah, Ratchet. Oh, you don't know how I've longed to hear your voice again, love." she whispered softly, causing the two mechs to strain to hear the winged girl's voice. Wheeljack discreetly sent a message to the other Autobots currently in the base before turning back to the medic. He said that they should gather around and listen from Ratchet directly.
"Nex…are you alright? Have you been harmed by the Decepticons?" Ratchet asked franticly, wanting to know the extent of the damage done to her currently frail body. He knew that Starscream would have at least experiment on the winged girl's body.
"I…yes." she said, her voice laced in disdain. She obviously didn't want the medic to know about her obvious pain lest he feel any worse than his current guilt. He wasn't being fooled as his metallic eyebrows furrowed even further. Wheeljack's hand was forming a fist, his grip was denting his own palm. He didn't care at the moment; he'd have Ratchet look at it later.
"Yes to the first question or yes to the second?" he demanded, voice sharp. He was angry…no…he was downright furious at the Decepticons. They had no right to harm something as charming, wonderful, beautiful, and delicate as Nexia. He could feel the anger radiating from the inventor beside him as well.
"Yes…to…the first, love. I am alright…but I suppose I should tell you the extent of my injuries from the torture." she sighed, finally giving in to the medic's prodding. Just as he was about to reply the twins came charging into the room, followed closely by Jazz and Optimus. He supposed that Prowl, Hound, and Bumblebee were on duty but he decided not to dwell on the fact. They would come when they would come.
"What are the extent of your injuries?" the medic asked, now aware that the others were in the room with him. He motioned for the other mechs to take a seat around him. When they heard him mention injuries their faces went from ecstatic to furious. Nexia was close to them all.
"Well…I have several puncture wounds to my wings…from needles I suppose. They did that when I was unconscious so I don't know how they got there. I have three large lacerations across my abdomen and my ankle is most likely broken. I walked to my katana but I had to ignore the pain to save my dignity." she replied, suddenly sheepish. The mechs around the room grew quiet, a murderous look upon each of their faces. Ratchet, himself, looked like he was ready to kill any who stepped into his path. It took all of his willpower not to get up and search for the winged femme then and there.
"But that is not why I contacted you. I wanted to say that I can escape but I need your help. Meet me by Tranquility Lake." she pleaded, sounding sure of herself. Ratchet wanted to object, to say that they would be able to rescue the winged girl, but he was unsure of the fact.
The medic agreed, sending a look to his leader. Optimus nodded his head, telling Ratchet to try to get the conversation started again. The medic was going to say something but the winged girl beat him to it.
"I found someone you might like to meet again, Ratchet." Nexia said, causing the medic to smile due to the happiness in her voice. As long as the winged girl was happy he was happy…no matter the situation.
"And who might that be?" Ratchet asked, suddenly wary of any who would try to manipulate his beloved. She wasn't naïve but she could be controlled if it were for the wellbeing of the Autobot medic.
"Moonracer. She's alive Ratchet." Nexia's voice said, sending Ratchet's processor reeling. He was extremely confused and the other Autobots were speechless. Moonracer was alive?