I finally re-did it. Chapter 8 is finally done.
Also for those of you who read the original character 8 and got the big reveal shown early, pretend you didn't read that. I decided it was better to reveal the info later, it felt to soon to do it here. (So no spoiling for others!)
[...] = Comm
{...} = Bumblebee speak
Chapter 8
The dark crimson femme groaned as her systems began to reboot.
Her optic onlined to a rocky and metal ceiling. Confused, she tried to get up, but was unable to. She looked down at her frame to find that she had been strapped to a berth. She looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings.
"This must be the Autobot base. Nice."
As she struggled to break free, she noticed that someone had repaired her.
Probably Ratchet.
She stopped her struggles and listened. She could pick up the faint sound of chatter in the distance.
"Hey! Is someone there?"
The chatter abruptly stopped, then the sound of pedefalls started to grow near.
Eventually, the autobots' medic, Ratchet, arrived at the room.
"So you've finally awaken."
The femme silently nodded in response.
Ratchet activated his comm.
[Optimus.]
[Yes, old friend?]
[The femme has awoken.]
The majority of the autobots had crowded the berth at the announcement of her arousal (minus the humans, Ratchet had insisted). They all seemed very curious about what the femme had to say.
The mysterious femme looked up at Optimus with a fire in her optics. Optimus returned it with a look of curiosity and suspicion.
"Fellow Cybertronian, what is your designation?"
It took about a breem for her to reply.
"Bloodracer."
Optimus took a few moments to proccess the name. He was quite sure he had heard it before.
"What is your allegiance?"
A slight wave of panic washed over her. Bloodracer's optics darted around the room before glaring into Prime's.
"Neutral."
Many bots began to doubt her response the moment she said it. It was too unusual for a neutral to be so strong and skilled in combat. No Neutral could ever go toe-to-toe with Megatron himself and survive like she did.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!"
Silence.
"What was your former allegiance?"
"I never was in one!"
Bloodracer's quick and sharp replies meant she was obviously hiding something.
"She's obviously lying, Optimus!" Stormrust spat out.
So Prime asked her again.
This time, she didn't respond.
Ratchet stared at her, then noticed something off.
"Optimus."
"Yes Ratchet?"
Ratchet went up to Bloodracer and studied her chassis. He was right.
"I believe we have our answer right here."
Optimus went in closer for a look.
Upon Bloodracer's chassis, there appeared to be the faint marks of what once was...
A Decepticon symbol.
Optimus looked up angrily into the crimson femme's optics.
"You lied to us."
The autobots glared at her angrily. Skyshard had to stop her brother from attacking Bloodracer.
"How dare you?" screeched Stormrust.
"It was because if you knew then you would never let me go! Yes, I was once a decepticon, but I really am a neutral now!"
"Then why did you save our comrade?"
"Why not? I had nothing better to do! I was in the right place at the right time! Plus, I wanted a chance for just me and Buckethead to fight alone. I guess I was unprepared though..."
Ratchet stared at Bloodracer's faceplate. Her optics seemed familiar, but that was all he could see since she had her mouthplate on.
"How can we be sure you are not a decepticon spy?"
"Because Ratchet..." her faceplate began to retract, "you know exactly why."
Ratchet stared at her unveiled faceplate, trying to remember where he had seen it before. Then it struck him.
As the medic looked at Bloodracer with a shocked expression, she gave him a sort of shushing gesture, wanted him to be quiet about the information he had just learned. The 'bots looked at Ratchet quizically.
"Nothing... just knew her before. We can trust her." Rachet reassured them.
He looked up at Optimus, receiving a nod and small smile.
"So we should probably get these off of you then."
Ratchet deactivated the cuffs on the berth. As soon as they were gone, Bloodracer jumped up and off the berth, and had her mouthplate active back on.
"Finally, I get to move! That position was giving me aches."
The other autobots stared at her somewhat awkwardly. Bloodracer smiled at them with her optics. She went over to greet them.
"Optimus, it's an honour, although I would have preferred us meeting under less tense and friendlier conditions."
Bloodracer continued to greet all the the autobots, surprisingly knowing all of their names. Eventually, they left the room, and Bloodracer went to greet the other two autobots who had stayed behind. Bumblebee and Scorchstrike stopped their conversation as Bloodracer strut into the main area.
"Hey Bee and Scorchy!" she ran over to them. "How are you two?"
The two young mechs looked at her quizzically, confused by their former prisoner's now cheery attitude, as she talked to them like they were good friends. They glanced at each other, exchanging the same surprised and puzzled look, then turned back to her.
{Uh... Hi?} Bumblebee beeped.
Bloodracer gave him sort of a blank stare. "Pardon?"
Bumblebee beeped angrily in response, as both him and Scorchstrike came to the conclusion that she really wasn't cybertronian. But before they could start throwing accusations, she adjusted something on her helm.
"Sorry, I haven't really met anyone else who talks like that. Mind saying that again, Bumblebee?"
{I said hi!}
"Oh. Yes, and hello to the two of you."
After hearing her response, both Bumblebee and Scorchstrike calmed down, knowing that their fear was a lie.
{So, what your name?}
"Bloodracer."
"Bloodracer? That seems like sort of a harsh name."
"It's because she was a decepticon," Ratchet informed them as he walked into the rather spacious room. "But I'm quite certain that she a neutral now."
"How come doc?" Scorchstrike implied.
"Uh... complicated reasons that would take too long to explain."
"Huh."
As Ratchet went to work on the large computer, Optimus quietly entered the room, listening to the conversation.
{So Bloodracer, why'd you save Scorchy?}
"Well, Megatron and Scorches just happened to pass by, so I took the opportunity. I felt sorry for Scorchstrike, and wanted and chance to fight toe-to-toe with Lord Buckethead."
Scorchstrike snickered at the nickname.
"Anyways, it had been a long time since my last real fight, so I guess that's why it didn't end so well. On that note, thanks for the fix Ratchet!"
"It was nothing. Besides, it was Scorchstrike that insisted that I patch you up."
"Well then, thanks Scorchy!"
Scorchstrike scratched the back of his neck cables, embarrassed. "Aw shucks, it was the least I could do for you after you saved me."
As the conversation went on, Arcee suddenly butt in.
"So, how do you know so much about us if you left the decepticons so long ago? You definitely shouldn't know the kids."
"Well, i still had hung on to quite a few comm frequencies after I left, so that's just one of ways that I found out about your new recruits. Also, being a neutral, I would sometimes find and watch your conflicts with the decepticons, and seeing them in the battlefield confirmed that the rumors were true. And I did snipe a few vehicons every now and then."
Satisfied with the answer, Arcee joined them.
"But about you Scorchstrike; how did the autobots find you? Or did you find them?"
"Well, they found me and my siblings, Stormrust and Skyshard. I'm the youngest while Stormy's the oldest. Apparently, our carrier gave us to the autobots, as she was unable to take good care of us, but took off once she left us in Ratchet's servos. I guess I'm glad that Ratchet and the autobots took us in and raised us, but I'd still like to meet my sire and carrier some day."
Bloodracer put a servo on the kid's shoulder, giving him a deep look of sadness and sympathy.
As the conversation continued on, it took a much more cheerful and happy tone, having all the cybertronians enjoy the social interaction, and more join in. It went on for quite a few hours, as both the Autobots and the former decepticon learned about and had a few laughs with each other.
Optimus gave a great big smile.
Also if any of you are wondering about the parallel fic to this, "Curing the Dead", which takes place later in this storyline; i have yet to progress because I need to figure out Bloodracer and Knockout's interaction in this fic and such, because she is surprisingly necessary to that fic as well.
So I most definitely haven't given up on it, i just need to progress up to a certain point in this fic before I can progress that one. That is all.