AUTHOR'S NOTES: I hope you all like this chapter, it's my favorite so far. It's my baby. It turned out a LOT longer then I had previously thought, but then again, there isn't anything wrong with an accidentally long update. Ii wish some of the stories I read would do that once in a while. 'Oops! This chapter's really long!" Hey I ain't complaining. Happy accident indeed.

I hope the time jump doesn't throw you all off too much. Anyway, thank you for all the positive reviews and wonderful support! If you guys have any critiques to give, don't be afraid to give them. I'm always open for improvment on anything I do. Also, I drew a pic of Brea and posted it on my Deviantart account. To see my Dev page, just go to my profile and there are links that will direct you. If you do view it, please leave a comment! Thanks!

Phase Four: Blind

Chapter Seven

It is said that time is a mere illusion. If that was so, then it was a very convincing illusion.

How long had it been?

Her rough estimate slated her time living in Kaon, held up in Xeon's office, at around six months. Possibly more. Possibly less. She dared not ask her master what the real time was. Brea had learned early on that asking or saying things that somehow implied that she was unhappy with her life there or that she wanted to be freed would upset Xeon. She was not one to be curious about how mad he could get. Despite his normal placidity and indifference to most things concerning his pet, Xeon was capable of unreeling anger. She would see flashes of it every so often, but he was always quick to regain his composure; a small aspect of his personality that Brea was always grateful for. Only once did he truly loose his temper. Over exactly what, she did not know. She only knew that he stormed into his office on evening, eyes flashing, and his face was contorted into a scowl so severe, Brea vaguely wondered if it were at all possible for it to stay that way. He had spent several minutes pacing the room, muttering darkly. His anger reached a boiling point and he walked over to his desk and began pounding at the top, bellowing in anger. Watching the aggressive behavior with panic, Brea wedged herself into the farthest corner of her cage and did not reemerge until after her master had left. On his next visit, he made no actions to even indicate he had ever had the fit of rage and Brea was not eager to bring it up.

Her earlier days living with Xeon were filled with such uncertainty and fear that it was the only thing occupying her mind. It was only until month into her captivity that she really even thought of her family or of any of her fellow humans and their fates. When the realization came to her that she might never see them again, hitting her quiet literally like a load of brick, she spent several long minutes staring into space before the world promptly collapsed on her. Luckily, Xeon had not been around when she had her breakdown and she ha not suffered another since. She didn't know or care to think of how he would react to such a display. As long as he was happy, things were pleasant.

First impressions left Brea with the notion that despite his overall calmness paralleled with his occasional bouts of anger, Xeon was quite paranoid. It took a good three months before he was convinced that whoever was trying to get into his office had finally stopped their attempts. He never elaborated who it was or what they were after. And she was content in not knowing, merely glad that she never had to use the little alarm tripper he had installed for her. Many times she feared that the mysterious assailants would siege the office by force, plowing down the door and smashing through the window.

In the third month, Xeon became irrationally chipper with the news that his office was safe from intruders. Brea never asked how he knew this for a fact, but she became deathly afraid that her job as 'guard' was now obsolete…as was her life. But Xeon made no notion to indicate he intended to get rid of her. Instead, he surprised her one day when he entered his office, declaring he had a surprise for her.

The fear of termination still lingered in her mind as Xeon placed her on his desk. She watched, still as stone, as Xeon extracted a small box from thin air. It was a feat that had boggled her mind in the beginning and something she would ask him to do over and over again, just to watch object appear and disappear in and out of thin air. She was mildly surprised he obliged so often, even though he seemed quiet amused at her reactions and awe-filled looks at the sight of something tangible and real suddenly disappearing and reappearing at the flick of a wrist. He tried to explain the dynamics of 'sub-space' pockets to her, but none of the bewildering muddle of quantum physics translated to anything she could understand. But it was fun to watch.

Xeon opened the little box to reveal a small circlet of gold metal, decorative carvings around it. Brea marveled at the beautiful piece of work and then felt her insides drop when she realized what it was.

A collar.

Her master did not seem to notice his pet's sudden epiphany and easily slipped the metal ring around her neck, the two end meeting and sealing together. It was thin and light, but tall and covered her scars completely, restricting the movements of her neck some. It felt awkward and if she wasn't careful about how she moved, she could give herself a painful knick under the chin.

But she dared not ask for it to be removed.

Six months…six moths of obeying and watching. Time past slowly at times and then other times it would be gone in a flash like some vague memory. Sometimes she wondered if it really had been six months; maybe it had only been a week, or maybe so much as much as a year. She spent her time alone; her thoughts were her only friend. When the quiet was too much for her, she would hum or sing songs she could remember the lyrics too. For nearly a week, she past the time by singing the tune to a coffee commercial over and over again until she couldn't stand to utter the words anymore.

Locked away in the office that was so very large and so very small at the same time; her world never changed and she felt the urges to disobey, to rebel, and resist dwindle away with every passing 'day'. She would obey, but inside she would muddle in her own self misery, never taking the chance at freedom and never having the courage to stand up against those who were trying to destroy everything she knew. A side of her simply didn't even seem to care anymore. The dominant thoughts that coaxed her into submission were always careful to warn her of what could happen to her if she ever disobeyed.

And then there was the other side of her mind that would appear every so often to feebly attempt to rile her up and get her to stand up for herself, her people. It could never hold onto control for very long and sooner rather then later, the dooming thoughts of acquiescence would take their rightful place at the forefront of her cognitive thoughts.

But hope's faint song never stopped playing in her head, it was always present if not somewhat muted. It wouldn't allow her to completely relinquish herself.

It wasn't much, but all she had was vague hope of one day doing all the things she wanted to do. Sometimes she would imagine herself coming up with and executing elaborate escape plans that would make James Bond proud, but her dreams always stopped short of the real goal; returning to Earth. To her family. It was a far fetched notion that seemed so far away and so unreachable that after a time, she refused to even dream about it.

Capitulation eventually took over.

Brea watched the skyline with failing interest.

The doors hissed open.

"Nothing to report, sir," Brea said absently in Cybertronian from her place on the window sill, not bothering to look up at her master as he entered. There had been nothing to report for several months, but she still said the same thing over and over whenever Xeon visited. It was as if she was programmed to say it. "There was a fight on the balcony across the way though. Some Mechs going at it."

"I suppose it was those two from Iacon again," Xeon commented absently with a small hint of nastiness in his tone as he set at his desk. "Viral always invites them to her get-togethers and they always fight. Why she even bothers trying to attract their interest is beyond my logic capabilities."

"I couldn't tell," She replied, "There were too many others trying to pry them apart. The yellow one tried toss the other over the edge. It was kinda funny."

She heard Xeon chuckle lightly. "Perhaps I should have accepted the invitation then, it sounds as though it was a surprisingly enjoyable evening."

"How come you never go to Lady Viral's parties?" She asked. "She sends invitations all the time."

"Viral is a socialite. She sends invitations to everyone of high stature that she feels may add to her social importance. But in no fashion am I obligated to attend. Rather I find myself in a situation that is…unbecoming of someone in my position. "

"All work and no play makes for a dull Mech."

"Preferably dull then run the risk of social disgraced."

She looked through the window, longingly.

"Sounds like it'd be fun though," Brea commented, switching back to English. "It'd be nice to get out of here once in a while."

Xeon turned to stare at her pointedly; it was not the first time Brea had made a bold comment about wanting to get out and see more of the city. "I assure you; such gatherings are quite boring unless you're inclined to overcharging your systems on over-priced high-grade. Which I do no believe I have need to inform you of the consequences of someone of your make-up partaking in such commodities."

"Melting into goo doesn't sound too fun…"

"Quite."

A pause.

"You're Cybertronian is improving," He commented, sounding surprised, "You're pronunciation is still weak however."

"I will improve it, sir," Brea assured him, pushing off the window sill. "Have you ever gone to one of her parties?"

He pinned her with a sharp look.

"If you are trying to convince me of accepting her constant invitations," Xeon told her, "You have already failed. I will hear no more on the subject."

Brea sighed. Well…it was worth a try.

Six months of being in the same room, most of which was spent by herself, had given Brea a strange new boldness. Perhaps it was simply because silence was beginning to become such the norm that whenever there were ears (or audios) to listen, she was going to make use of that time. When Xeon was around, she spoke to him respectfully, yet she was no longer shy of making her opinions known; perpetual boredom did that to people. She wasn't afraid of asking questions and expressing her annoyance at certain things; like how the drones that cleaned the office every once in a while. It was not uncommon for her to spend the entire time dodging the scurrying little droids as they past around the floor, sweeping up, cleaning, and whatever else the hell they did. She wasn't too sure, seeing as she was too busy trying not to be flattened by them to really see.

Again, she was not afraid to complain.

Within reason of course. She'd never admitted her desire to find out what had happened to her family and her people, why she had been abducted, and generally why any of the past events had occurred at all. Of course, Xeon was punctual in warning her when she was treading into dangerous territory and she was always smart enough to never push an issue he labeled as Taboo.

Six months had given her plenty of time to sharpen her linguistic skills as well. Xeon had agreed to teach her a little Cybertronian and at first, all she learned was just a few words each visit, mostly because it was all Xeon had time for. He seemed very impressed at her progress though. She found other ways to learn when Xeon had no time for it; namely by watching.

After Xeon had declared that his office was secure from the attempted intruders, he began to showing up at his office accompanied by other Mechs. These new Mechs would always send glances her way; some curious, others scornful, most indifferent. They would sit for hours and talk while Brea sat in her cage, listening to how they pronounced the words, where they enunciated, and even the rhythm of their speech. One such (uncomfortable) meeting that (ironically) resulted in her greatest leap of progress was when Lady Viral came to visit.

Brea had been sitting on the edge of the step, humming quietly to herself when the doors opened and a shrill voice that made Brea wince, accompanied by muffled footsteps clamored into the room.

"…if I had known they would behave in such a fashion there would be no possibility that I should ever allow them to set one transistor into my abode again. No matter how charming they are."

Brea instantly recognized the magenta femme as she strolled into the room and Brea superimposed the image of her high school's head cheerleader and resident school bitch over her face.

Brea grinned.

Courtney I think I've found you're other half…

She blinked and then frowned at herself.

Why the hell am I thinking about Courtney Hodgings?!

Her momentary self-incredulously was abruptly cut off when Viral's voice slit the air.

"Oh! My lord Xeon!" Brea flinched and looked up to see Viral making a beeline for her. Brea jumped off the step and tried to run, but the femme's hands were fast. Brea squeaked in protest as Lady Viral scooped her up and began to…cuddle her.

"What an adorable little human!" She cooed. Brea wiggled in her grasp, wanting nothing more then to be released.

When she glanced his way, she saw Xeon watching…and he was smiling!

Brea sent the Mech the most severe glare she could muster, but it made no difference. Viral did not let go.

"What is her name?" Viral asked, adjusting Brea so she held her out at arms length, seemingly to get a better look at her. The femme tilted her head in contemplation. "Or it a male? I can never tell when they're young and thin like this."

Xeon chuckled amusedly as sat back in his seat. "Her name is Brea."

"So it is a female!" Viral cheered, bringing Brea closer to her chest plate. "I thought as much. The males are so hard to control. They're only good for the arenas or the breeding program as far as I'm concerned. Speaking of which, I enrolled my own little Aida in the breeding program! She has the most striking features. That fluff on their heads? Well, my little Aida's is bright red. I simply had to have another just like her! No conceptions yet, but I am hopeful we see results soon. Only the top gladiator will do for my pet, but it seems as though they make poor breeders."

"I've heard you have quite the collection now," Xeon commented.

"I do, I do," She replied, tucking Brea into the crook of her arm and repeatedly petting and stroking her like a cat. Brea wished she had some sort of sharp object to jab into the femme's fingers. Viral's shrill voice had an odd tinge to it. Brea could hear the words more clearly and pick out the individual sounds, making it easier to understand. But after a while, the femme's voice was so grating it was almost not worth it listening to her….

"Six, now."

"How do you manage?"

"Oh they are very well trained. Most of them are for the parties. A number of my guests are intrigued by the little creatures, so I make sure there are enough to go around. It seems as though I am doing all the advertising for them myself."

"And doing a marvelous job it seems," Xeon replied.

"So, when is the next session?" Viral asked, changing subject abruptly.

The amusement on Xeon's face disappeared instantly.

"Half an orn."

"Oh my, I hope those morons will be sensible about this whole deal. Really, it's such a good venture for Kaon and for Cybertron. Why they do not see the good in your work is so beyond me."

"Some roots grow far deeper then we would like, but they are there. And it is our duty to see that those roots do not ruin the foundation of our society."

"I will certainly be there to advocate your side if the need should arise, My Lord."

Xeon smiled. "That is exactly what I was hoping to hear my lady."

Brea was held captive for another hour as Viral and Xeon talked, the conversation topic lost on her while she struggled to escape the femme's grasp.

Cybertronian was, in all sense of the phrase, an alien language. Pronunciations, honorifics, sentence structure; they were all hard to grasp and had she been home on Earth trying to learn it, she would have given up long ago. But her unique situation appeared to be the ideal setting for learning such a language. The hardest part to learn was pronunciation, simply because human anatomy did not suit that way of talking. She found after a while of speaking in Cybertronian, her mouth would feel tired and stiff. But with practice, she learned to work past it.

Xeon, as she learned some time later, was an Emirate, which essentially meant he was the 'Senator' figure of Kaon. However, his position was not exactly the same as a Senator. He represented the city of Kaon in the Senate. (Brea's inner self smiled at the idea that these beings had a Senate) But as to what that entailed, she did not know. The Senate itself only met every ten orns, roughly four months. Brea learned all of this after a strange period of absence of Xeon's routine visits. When he finally appeared a few days after his usual visit, he did not look pleased. He spent several long minutes staring out the large window before trumping over to the shelves and rummaging through the various metal panels (data-pads, she learned) lined there. Brea kept out of the way, watching from her cage. He muttered darkly to himself in Cybertronian and at the time, Brea only knew a little Cybertronian, but she caught phrases like "…ignorant bigots…" and "…how dare they…" and something that sounded like "…be the one to bring the third war…" Brea wisely refrained from asking any questions that day.

Brea had been sitting on the window sill, gazing across the way over to another tower where a large, glass domed balcony encircled the top of the structure and inside, she could see the jubilant party being held. Lady Viral lived in that tower and she was quite a fan of social gatherings. Xeon entered the office with yet another Mech and Brea turned to look. She felt her heart seize in her chest when she saw the large black Mech stride into the room who seemed so familiar. Her mind flashed with memories of the beginning of her ordeal and the image of the giant overseers came to her. It was the black Mech from so long ago aboard the transport ship.

The Mech almost immediately noticed her and despite the fact his mouth was covered with a face mask, by the way his visor glowed, she knew he was smiling. "Well, well…look who we have here."

Brea got up from the sill hastily and made her way around the desk, never taking her eyes off him as she walked out of sight from the Mech. She heard him laugh. "Lord Xeon, I don't think your pet likes me."

"She is still unaccustomed to strangers. She had an…unpleasant encounter with Lady Viral not long ago," Xeon replied walking up to the desk and looking down at Brea as she peeked around the edge to stare at the familiar Mech, insides churning and heart hammering. The black Mech laughed and muttered something in the affirmative. In English, Xeon said, "Brea, go to your cage and recharge. We have business to attend to."

Brea looked up into Xeon's face curiously before looking back at the black Mech uncertainly. Obediently, and without speaking, Brea made her way across the room to the step and hauled herself up easily. She resisted the urge to turn and look at the Mech, she could feel his mechanical eyes on her, and managed to make it to her cage. She stepped inside and closed the door shut before making her way to the bed and laid down, burying her face into the fabric.

She listened.

"I see you've managed to keep it alive this long," The Mech commented to Xeon in Cybertronian. "Most of the first couple batches didn't make it past the fourth orn."

"It is not difficult," Xeon replied as he settled into his seat, speaking smoothly in Cybertronian. "She's quite capable of taking care of herself given the proper supplies."

The smile in the Mech's visor disappeared. "Is that wise?" He walked over to the desk and took up a chair that had been satiated in front. "Give a human enough leeway and they'll wiggle right out of your reach. You should be more strict, especially with the young ones. They're more impressionable."

"Brea is obedient enough," Xeon replied, not sounding at all concern. "She's learned her place here very well."

"I am only cautioning you, sir," said the Mech, "We've been seeing more uprisings amongst the domesticated group lately. Seventeen were neutralized last orn for disobedience. The compound staff is barely keeping up. And we're getting more requests for training before delivery."

Xeon looked up from his data-pad, "Am I correct in understanding that despite these defects, the demand is still rising?"

"It's as strong as ever," the Mech replied. "It's starting to become difficult capturing the native ones. They've learned to hide. And I will give them this; they are very good at hiding. So much so that we're expecting delays with the next shipment. There also seems to be some sort of disease or something passing through the population. We're getting more reports from ground hunters finding groups of them dead in caves or by rivers. Our scientists are suspecting a possible leak from one of the refineries is contaminating the water source. That combined with news from the Citadel, well…Mechs down there are starting to get nervous. And that's bad for business…"

"Do not worry, Vortex. Your trade is far from doomed. When the breeding program begins to grow, we will no longer have to stock our inventory with wild humans. The first litter of Cybertronian born humans is due within the next seven orns and most have already been claimed by customers," Xeon replied, the news not even fazing him. "Send word to Maul not to slow refinery output. The ground hunters will simply have to tough it out as best they can. We still need wild humans to supplement current demand. The arenas are running low on fighters as well. Motormaster wants a new shipment of young males. He said the last shipment had some that were too young and some were too old. He'll send Wildrider down to pick out the proper candidates."

"Of course, my lord."

"Has the Senate contacted you at all?"

"We had an inspector show up at the processing facility half an orn back," The previously unnamed 'Vortex' replied disdainfully and then added with a scoff, "You could tell he was Iacon manufactured."

"One of Prime's?"

"Of course."

Xeon made a harsh noise, like a snort. "He's starting to encroach upon our business ventures again, but this time he's doing it legally and the Senate is starting to get curious as well."

"I heard about the last session of the Senate from Ratbat," Vortex shifted in his chair and after a nervous pause, he said, "Are you going to do it?"

"I have no choice if that is what they decide. It will look highly suspicious if I refuse them. I will need Swindle to fabricate replacement documentation, just in case the Senate decides to investigate."

"Swindle's already drawing up some invoices for the Energon imports for Ratbat. The security board asked him for the documentation. I will inform him of his new assignment as soon as I return."

"See that you do."

Brea's heart pounded in her temples and her hands clutched at the fabric. She breathed in slow and shallow while her mind raced. A terrible feeling began to grow in her gut and she worried she was going to be sick. Her mind was screaming for the world to slow and allow her to adjust.

The rest of the Mechs' conversation was drowned out by the sound of her own pounding heart. She vaguely heard Xeon say goodbye to Vortex and as soon as the door hissed shut, Brea gulped in air she'd been withheld from taking. Her short shallow breathes began to quicken and she felt panic settle in over her.

"Brea," Xeon's smooth voice called from over head.

Shakily, Brea raised her head, feeling hot streams drip down her cheeks. Xeon stared down at her, expressionless.

"It was you…" She sobbed. "B-but…W-why…?"

His eyes were narrow slits.

"The universe is cruel human. Survival dictates us all," Xeon said. "And to survive, we must do what we can."

Brea sat up, scrubbing at her cheeks, "But…why do this to us?"

"You planet is the only thing keeping Cybertron from a third civil war," Xeon said in a way that sounded as if he was trying to comfort her, "As long as there is Energon to spare, both sides are happy. As soon as that Energon supply ends, the coalition will fall apart and we'll begin another millions vorns of useless fighting; the last war very nearly wiped us out of existence. This city is thriving because of my ingenuity. Those in Iacon would have us return to those days of scrounging and killing. I will not see my city, all my hard work, crumble because Prime and his militia."

"But…my people…"

"You're species is alive because of me," He said, eyes narrowing. "We could have easily killed you all off and harvested the planet as we wish, but the humans race lives on here, because I decided so. Do not mistake my generosity for genocide."

Brea stared up into his blood red eyes that seemed to bear down on her and burn her insides. She shrank under their glare.

His voice was low and dangerous, a warning hidden within his words, as he said, "Servitude is a far better fate than oblivion; wouldn't you agree little Brea?"

Author's Notes (2): Please, like you didn't see this coming. D