Title: Shade of Life ~ Reaching You ~: Chapter 5
Genre: Romance, Drama, Humor, and Action.
Pairings: Optimus x Adelia (Main), Megatron x Elizabeth (Main), Barricade x Melanie (Supportive), Sideswipe x Annalisa (Supportive)
Summary: Reaching You is the second part of the Shades of Life trilogy. Sequel to Meeting You, prequel to Holding You, and acts as a main focus of the three. The story involves around Adelia Campbell and her two best friends, Melanie Lee and Annalisa Snow. Their lives were changed forever the night five meteors fell from the sky, and then six giant alien robots showed up on Adelia's neighbor backyard. Somehow, three years later, they found her, claimed she's the All Spark, and told her she's the most important thing for their planet's, and Earth's, survival. She just had to stay away, and alive, from the Decepticons. Easy thing to do, right?
Warnings:
1) This story will be tied in with Dark of the Moon. So SPOILERS ALERT!
2) I'm LugiaTsuyu. I was from Thailand. So English is not my first language. That's why you will probably find a lot of grammar mistakes and not so smooth writing (such as repeated words and so on). And any comments, criticisms, corrections, and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
3) I am writing this as I go, so yeah. LOL
4) Also, you will probably find a lot of OOCness because I've never watch the Transformers cartoon before, just the three films, so I will apologize about that in advance. So please bear with me and I hope you will like my story. (Even though I am turning an action-packed franchise into romantic drama one.)
Disclaimers: I do not own Transformers, just my original characters, as it belongs to Hasbro, Marvel, and Paramount.
Credit to: I have to give these authors credits. As they were the ones who inspired me to write this story. First to orphan mia, for her incredible 'Strange Creature/. Then to Elexies, for her awesome 'Gateway of the Mind' story. And last but not least, to Ray of Starlight, for her amazing 'The Ties that Bind' series. I really thank you all for giving me the courage to finally written down my imaginations for others to see.
~o~
~o~
Chapter 5:
Decepticons x The Beginning of Her Nightmare
Autobots x Getting to Know Each Other
~o~
Blazing heat licked her skin, crawled its way deep to the core of her consciousness, slowly waking her from the painless death...
Am I in hell? Beth thought.
She knew she was sweating. She could feel that uncomfortable moisture on her skin, and the smell of...dried-grass and dirt?
Wait.
Hell has grass and dirt?
Starting to doubt her surrounding, Beth fluttered her eyes open.
And could do nothing but let out a soundless scream.
There he was, two meters away, sitting one knee pointed skyward and another stretched out on the ground, a very king-like posture, with his bloody crimson eyes—optics—staring at her.
She hadn't notice his half-torn face when she'd first saw him, as he had covered it with a hood. But he'd taken it off now. And instead of making him look weak, the disfigurement somehow managed to put a dangerous vibe all over him.
And those little spider-like robots creeping out from the wound only added to her fear.
"Hn," he said deep in his throat, a wicked smile appeared on his metallic mouth. "Took you long enough to come to, fleshling. I was beginning to get bored."
She didn't need to ask what he would do to her if he was bored. The answer was obvious enough in his optics.
"I- I'm...I'm sorry" Beth blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind.
Megatron raised his brow. Not quite the reaction he expected. But it was a good sign, he mused. It would be too boring if the human female was predictable. "Come closer."
Obediently, she pushed herself from the grass and shakily walked toward him. Fear was vibrating from her, but she didn't avoid his gaze when she glanced up at him with those uniquely-colored eyes.
Interesting.
"What are you called, fleshling?"
She grasped for air. "E-...Li-Liz-a" Her name had never been so difficult, and painful, to say.
The giant robot was clearly annoyed by her stuttering, so he cut her off with, "I will just call you fleshling"
Her only response was to blink dumbly at him.
The squealing sounds behind her caught Beth's attention. She whirled around, and saw...robotic babies?
There were at least a dozen of them, trying to poke themselves out of the hollow oil barrels. The containers were huge, but with two to three of them crammed in each, it had became way too small. And Beth couldn't surpass a sudden sympathy that struck her unannounced.
The giant, scary robot stood up to his thirty-five feet height, strode to the little ones, dipped his clawed hands into a large, wooden bowl he had picked up from the ground next to the barrels, and fed them with something that looked a lot like metal sprinkles.
"Don't be greedy, my fragile ones." He said when some of them almost fall out of the barrel while trying to reach for the food.
The gentleness in his voice surprised her. Touched her, even. And Beth had to ask herself if this scorching heat was making her insane.
Without knowing why, she rushed over and grabbed one of that metal-sprinkle bowls when she saw the one in his hand was about to run out. And, with both of hers, she quietly offered it to him.
He suspiciously narrowed his optics at her. "What are you doing, fleshing?"
"Um, I, ah...You're almost out of it. And they...they still look..." She glance at the babies. Murderously, "Hungry."
He growled low in his throat, yanked the bowl—none too gently—from her, and went back to his feeding without saying anything.
Few minutes had passed, Beth was nervously rubbing her damp palms on her faded jeans—deciding whether she should use this chance to run away or not—when he spoke again. "You are my slave now, fleshling."
Since he hadn't killed her the first time, she'd already figured as much. But hearing it out loud still gave her a chill down the spine. "Y-yes." She managed.
"You will address me as Lord Megatron." Now he turned to her. And in addition, so did his canon.
"Lord Megatron" She whispered, trying really hard to concentrate on his face rather than his gun.
With that, he tucked his weapon away, then pointed to the little robots. "Your main duty is to take care of them." A pause and a smirk. "And entertain me."
'Come on, little girl, entertain me.'
Her breath caught. Her heartbeat quicken to an almost inhuman speed. That nightmare, a long-buried memory, hit her so hard she took a step back in retreat. Beth unconsciously shook her head and hugged herself defensively.
Megatron saw what was in her eyes and told himself he did not like that one bit. He enjoyed seeing terror in these useless organic-based life forms, but only when it was directed at him.
She wasn't looking at him now, but those eyes displayed something deeper, stronger than fear. It was pure despair and horror.
Yes, he did not like that at all.
"Pull yourself together, fleshing! Or I will get rid of your existence now!" And he meant every word.
The threat put a stop to her current state of mind. Beth took a long gulp of breath and exhaled slowly.
It was thirteen years ago, that monster is long gone, and I'm stronger now, Beth told herself.
...If only she could believe that...
A loud engine noise from up above snapped her attention back to the present. Beth looked at the sky and saw a F-22 military jet flying closer to them. Her first reaction was to cry out for help, but the strange patterns on the aircraft told her it's not manmade, but something alien.
The jet landed a few meters away from the giant robot and...transformed.
Its wings, engine parts, and cockpit shifted around, making all sorts of heavy electronic sounds. Seconds later, a thirty feet of a robot was standing in its place. Compared to...Lord Megatron, this one had an eagle, bird-like shape. The only similarity between the two—and the little ones—was those bright red optics.
"Master, I've returned from space." His voice, unlike his—their—master, was very...squeaky, Beth decided. It had a very sinister tone just like Lord Megatron's, but with less power and a lot more...annoying—not that she would ever say it out loud.
"I can see that for myself, you piece of junk." Megatron snarled. He moved away from the oil barrels, but not before he shoved the baby-robot-food bowl at her. Beth, automatically knew what he wanted from her, continued to feed the babies.
Megatron did not want to admit, even to himself, but he was impressed with this human female more and more by each passing minute. She was extremely vulnerable, but there was undeniable courage. It could easily be seen by the way her eyes widen for only an earth second, when his irritating second-in-command approached them, before a calm acceptance washed over her.
Oh, she would most likely going to run away at some point—humans were foolish that way—but it would be an enjoyable, effortless game to hunt her down. Megatron was almost looking forward to that.
But his light mood was instantly gone as Starscream inquired in an overly-faked respect. "Master, this human insect is...?"
"A pet." Megatron hissed and found it satisfying that the human female's hands flinched a little, but nothing else.
Starscream narrowed his optics at the silent insect's back, then grinned viciously. "Come here, woman."
Beth stopped what she was doing, reluctantly turned to look at the bird-like robot under her long lashes, and started toward him when Megatron growled. "You are my slave, fleshing! You do not take orders from anyone but me!"
His voice was like thunder striking the ground, so she let out a, "Y-yes, Lord Megatron," and immediately went back to feeding the younglings.
Starscream was more than furious, but as always, he hid it under the revere pretense. "You are truly the ruler of the universe, my master."
"Enough with your disgusting flattery, Starscream. What of the mission I had assigned to you?" Megatron dropped himself to the ground once more. The injuries he got from his last battle with Prime five months ago had weaken him greatly. And with this traitorous, backstabbing Starscream around, he had to be more cautious than usual.
Starscream gritted his teeth, unclenched them, then calmly spoke, "I've conveyed your order to Soundwave. He will be arriving here approximately two earth weeks from now, along with Laserbeak."
Optics focused on his new pet— who was...talking to one of the younglings—Megatron nodded. "Have them contact that filthy, low-life Gould," he paused a little. "And tell Shockwave to meet me here as soon as he is able." That, from Megatron, meant Shockwave has less than two days to make an appearance.
At his commander's dismissive tone, Starscream forced himself to bow. "I will see it through, Lord Megatron." Then he quickly transformed himself back into a F-22, and took off to the clear, afternoon sky of Namibia.
Listening to a fading sound of the jet's engine, the Decepticon Leader gave a malicious chuckle.
"Let it begins."
~o~
~o~
Adelia—fleshly showered in her cartoony pajamas—slowly, quietly, opened her bedroom's door and tiptoed out into the darken hallway with a kindle in her hand.
It's only nine twenty p.m., but all of the NEST soldiers had left for their private quarters located behind the operation hangar.
Two hours ago she had found out that, apparently, her sleeping chamber was only recently arranged in an old backup operation room. It was a request from Optimus, because he'd wanted to make it convenient for him and his comrades to keep their optics on her well-being.
"Is there something you need, Dee?"
Adelia jolted, almost dropping her precious device on the ground. She turned to her left and saw a pair of neon-blue optics glowing in the shadow. "Oh God, Optimus. You almost give me a heart attack."
He was about to apologize, but thought better of it. " Do you need anything?"
Even in the dark, her smile was very bright. "You have a perfect timing, actually." She strode to the fenced-edge of the indoor balcony, where it leveled with his face. "I can't sleep well when I'm alone."And it's waaaay too early yet." Do you mind if I, say, sleep with you?"
"With me?" His voice only held confusion, no indication of any inappropriate thoughts human boys might have in the same situation.
"Yeah, like, inside your vehicle mode. You do have a backseat, right? I can sleep there." She said with so much anticipation.
And Optimus found it very difficult to refuse. "I don't mind, Dee. But are you going to be comfortable in the small confinement of my disguise form?"
Her grin widen. "Oh, trust me, Optimus. I'll sleep like a baby"
"Very well then." He reached out his hand, and she immediately jumped over the railing onto his palm.
He set her on down the floor near the other Autobots, who were all resting in their vehicle forms. While Sideswipe was flashing his headlights at her, Optimus transformed himself into an eighteen-wheeler Peterbilt. Once he's done, he opened his passenger door for her. And with the front seat already bent down, Adelia climbed over into the back.
The cushion in his 'car' was a lot softer than she'd thought, Adelia sighed joyfully. "Not only will I sleep like a baby, I'll dream like one, too." Hugging her kindle to her chest, she curled herself on the seat and buried her face in its tender surface. "This is very comfortable"
"I'm glad" His voice radiated from the radio's speaker.
"Would it bother you if I turn on the reading light?" She asked.
"Not at all, Dee." The ceiling light inside the car flickered on.
"Thank you." She smiled, flicked a button on the bottom of her reading device, and the screen appeared on the last page she had left it.
Just as Adelia finished reading the first sentence on the page, Optimus asked, "Are you cold, Dee? Do you need a blanket?"
His considerate thoughts touched her heart. "Nope. This temperature is perfect."
The serene silence took over them. And she was in the middle of mind-cursing the novel's main characters—who were having a huge misunderstanding because both were too stupid to see how much they love each other—when Optimus spoke softly. "About what your friend had said, is it true?"
"Hah?" It took five seconds for his question to register in her mind—a usual thing when she was reading. "Oh. Which one? Anna said a lot of things today."
"The scars on your back, for one." There was a small trace of accusation in his voice, or was that her imagination?
Adelia turned off her kindle. "It was true. I don't have it anymore, Optimus. I didn't lie to you guys when I said I've always want a scar." She grinned. "I had it once. It was kind of cool, too. It looked like I have wings folded on my back."
Then she exhaled loudly. "But Anna freaked out and forced me to have it surgically removed." Another sigh escaped from her. " I knew she was rich, being a celebrity and all, but I never knew she was that rich."
His response was another question. "I do not wish to intrude, but would you mind telling me about what happened...three years ago?"
"Oh, you mean on that highway?" She sprang upright to a sitting position.
"And your life after...the incident." He needed to know.
She wrinkled her nose. "Well, there's not much to tell. My aunt and Mel—she's my other best friend—and me were on our way back from visiting my parents at the dam. We were gonna stay at Mission City for couple of days, you know, and wait for Anna to finish her music shooting thing before going home...Then everything happened at once." She leaned forward and rested her head on the shoulder of the driver seat. "You saved us, Optimus. I don't care what anybody else thinks. Or what you think. You saved us."
She didn't wait for his reply and shrugged. "After that, I didn't really know what happened. The three of us woke up in some hospital two days later, though I think my aunt was unconscious until the third day. We were told later that Cade, that's Mel's boyfriend, took us there." She didn't mention how Melanie's boyfriend, whom neither Adelia nor Annalisa had ever heard about before, suddenly—and magically—showed up in the girl's life. "Anna told me after I got out of the hospital that my parents were dead. It answered a lot of questions I had about why they never came to visit me."
Adelia couldn't remember what exactly she had felt when she'd found out about her parents' deaths, only Annalisa's tear-filled eyes and quivering voice delivering the news. Probably nothing, she thought, because my brain and heart were numb.
"Dee, I am—" Optimus started.
She cut him off with, "I'm fine now, really." And it was the truth. She had survived it, thanks to all the supports her friends had given her. "When I heard my parents were no longer with me, of course I was sad. But soon I realized that the good times I had with them will always be in my memory." It was then that she let out a bitter laugh, "But what nearly destroyed me was what my aunt did. She only came to live with me, took care of me, because my parents were paying her. So with them gone, she just...left."
In that moment, Optimus truly wished he could gather the girl into his arms and ease her sadness away. "She does not deserve you, then."
Those words, coming from him, meant the world to her. "Thank you, Optimus."
Mood lighten up, she went on. "Anna stepped in. I know it may sounds unbelievable, but if it wasn't for her, I would've ended up in a foster home somewhere."
The blonde had known how it's like first hand, so she did everything she could in making sure that Adelia wouldn't end up in the system. Anna gave her a home, literally, and refused to accept any kind of payment in return. All Adelia had to do was find a way to pay for her own personal expenses...Which reminded her; contact the animal shelter and tell them she might have to quit working there.
"She must be a great friend." Optimus said.
Adelia's head snapped up. She was taken aback to hear that from him. No one, even her parents, had understood why she and Melanie could become friends with the blonde. 'That girl is too belligerent.' Most would say.
But this man...male...Autobot Leader, who had witnessed and had been the target of Annalisa's foul temper, was able to notice the thing that most people couldn't; Annalisa was the truest friend one could ever ask for.
"Yeah, Anna's great." She grinned at the car radio. "She's just loud. Anna doesn't really mean anyone harm. And, between the three of us, she's the most loyal. The type that would take a bullet for you." In a thinking gesture, Adelia tapped her chin with her index finger. "Mel is probably the most mature."
"What about you?" He asked when she became quiet.
Adelia moved her kindle out of the way and lay back down against the backseat. "The most selfish." she said simply without having to think.
"Dee." His tone told her he disagreed.
She laughed. "It's true, Optimus. When we spend more time together, you'll see that I'm the most selfish person in the whole galaxy."
"You are not selfish, Dee. Otherwise, you wouldn't have left all that you know and those precious to you behind to assist us."
He would definitely take that back if he'd discovered her real motive for helping them, Adelia mused. It was nothing more than her own selfish desire to be close to him that kept her here. And it was the same selfishness that kept her mouth shut.
Ashamed, she changed the topic. "Enough about me," she shifted to her side, facing the radio. " What about you, Optimus? You mind telling me about you and your friends?"
Optimus, sensing her discomfort, let the subject passed. "What do you wish to know?"
She couldn't hide her enthusiasm. "Lots of stuff!"
Adelia took a deep breath and fired her first must-know-ASAP question at him. "What is your type?"
"Type?" He had absolutely no idea what she meant.
"Er...What kind of girl do you prefer?"
When he remained quiet, Adelia half-clarified, half-pushed. "You know, the kind of girl you like to be around and all that?"
"I find your company to be pleasant." He paused, unsure."Is that an answer to your question?"
Is that an answer to my question?
THAT, Adelia thought, was a sweetest knockout punch to the heart. And she had to put in a heck of an effort not to let out a dreamy moan. Worse, she had never believed in butterflies-in-the-stomach thing, now they seemed to be flapping their wings all over her entire body.
"Um, yes." She tugged at the hem of her pajama top. "Ah, what..what is your favorite hobby?"
"I enjoy stargazing when I have the time to spare."
"Favorite color?"
"Sky blue."
"Really? Me, too!" Except she now loved the color red as well. "What about your favorite movie?"
"I can't answer that, as I have never seen any...movie."
"None?" At his silent reply, Adelia patted the back of the driver seat. "Don't worry, Optimus. One of these days we'll all have a movie night together. You can pick the title."
"I am looking forward to it." He said sincerely.
She grinned "Awesome! Next, what is your favorite food?" It was already out before she realized that this was a pretty stupid question.
"I do not have one. We Cybertronians survive on Energon alone."
She scratched her head. "Sorry. I remember that after I already blurted out the question."
He chuckled. "It's all right, Dee. But this reminds me...".
"Yeah?"
"Why did your friend react so strangely when you mentioned about preparing a meal for her?"
At first, all Adelia did was blinking her eyes repeatedly, but then she rolled onto her back and let out a hysterical laughter. "There's...ha ha...a reason for...ha...that."
He didn't say anything and waited until she had calm down a little. "It all started with my aunt." Another wave of uncontrollable laughter. "God, my stomach hurts." She wiped the tears away from her eyes with the heel of her hand. "My aunt Delilah was, and probably still is, very strict. She expects girls to be a proper lady and the like."
"Me?" Adelia pointed a thumb to her chest. "The complete opposite. So every day she would nag, and nag, and nag about how I should learn to knit, to sew, blah, blah, blah..." She inhaled slowly. "...To cook."
Optimus was starting to see where this was leading.
"So one day, when she was totally on my last nerve, I grant her her wish." Adelia's grin was very sly. "Let just say that Aunt Delilah ended up in the hospital for three days because of food poisoning and I was banded from the kitchen for the rest of my life."
He could not help it anymore, Optimus burst out laughing. The sound was peculiar to his own audio receptors...but like a beautiful melody from heaven to her ears.
"I will keep in mind not to 'get on your last nerve', Dee." He said in a teasing tone.
Adelia giggled. "You do that, Optimus." Though she knew she could never be mad at him. "But don't tell the others just yet—the soldiers, at least."
"You have my word." He promised her.
Adelia was about to smile when a yawn escaped from her instead.
"You should get some rest, Dee." Optimus suggested.
She glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten oh five p.m. Still too early, but...She yawned again. "I guessed I'm beat today."
She could sense that he was about to apologize to her, so she asked hurriedly. "Can you wake me up around six in the morning? Or whenever you have to start your work?"
"Yes." Was all he said.
Satisfied, she sleepily rubbed her cheek on the soft cushion of his backseat. "Good night, Optimus."
"Good night, Dee." He paused a little before adding the last two words, "Sweet dreams."
And Adelia fell asleep with the biggest smile on her face.
~o~
~o~
Author's Note: I'm back~~~~ LOL. This chapter was really difficult to write, but it wouldn't have taken me this long if I hadn't been so busy entertaining my family who came from Thailand for a visit. And don't worry, I'll stop complaining about my horrible grammar and lack of vocabulary soon. Not because I've gotten good at it or anything, but because I know it's inevitable and I will keep trying and trying my best to improve it. I just hope that it's easy to understand and not confusing or annoying when you read my story.
Aaaaanyway, how's this chapter? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Do you like the new character, Beth? How about a darker side of Adelia?
I have to admit something that really surprised me though...I'm currently love to write about MEGATRON more than OPTIMUS *Gasp*O_O! I suspect that's because Megatron is the closest to being human and therefore is easier to relate to, while Optimus seems too noble and formal and perfect (though he kind of changed...a lot...in Dark of the Moon). LOL
Thank you for always reading Reaching You and commenting. I will keep trying my best for all of you!
See you next chapter!