This chapter's a little upsetting, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, you don't have to read it.
Chapter 3
When I awoke I was lying on the hard, painful ground, with Optimus, Kodi and Shouri looking down at me.
Um, excuse me.
I'm just an average Cybertronian, NOT something to be stared at. Please stop.
"Are you all right?" Optimus asked me uncertainly.
"Yeah." I pulled a face and sat up. "What happened?"
"You fainted."
"At least, we hope you fainted." Kodi broke in. "'Cause if you fell asleep…"
Optimus gave me a questioning look.
"They've been going on like this for a while now. What are they talking about?"
"It doesn't matter." I allowed my teacher to pull me to my feet, and turned to Kodi and Shouri. "Everything's fine."
"All right." Shouri sighed, "In that case, we should get going."
We headed off again. I lagged behind awkwardly, just behind Optimus. It was about ten minutes later that I finally got up my courage and quickened my pace to fall into step beside him.
"There's something I've really got to take care of." I told him quietly, so the others couldn't hear, "Please, don't tell Kodi or Shouri I'm gone. If they notice, just tell them I'll catch up with you later."
He gave me a questioning look, but nodded, and I started running back the way we'd come.
It was about two hours later that I next saw them. I was tired, upset and angry, sitting at the table in the kitchen of my dad's house, in the middle of a blazing argument with him, when they came in. Surprisingly with the other Autobots, and the three human sparklings, in tow.
"You lied, didn't you?" Shouri accused as they came in, "You fell asleep."
"Yeah."
My dad gave me a look, and glanced at the Autobots warily. He wouldn't dare do anything to me while they were there, unless I pushed him off the edge.
"What happened?" Kodi asked warily, seeing the sadness and anger on my face.
I hesitated before I answered.
"Shannon and Graham are both dead."
Kodi and Shouri were staring at me in horror, like they were praying that they had misheard me.
"It's no great loss to the village!" my dad protested, "They were both weak. They can be easily replaced, both of them."
"Tell that to Shannon's creators." I told him, "Graham's mate and sparklings."
He fell silent. Shouri sat down weakly.
"I just can't believe it…" she said quietly, "How did it happen?"
"Decepticon."
"I'll kill 'im." Kodi said, going to storm out dramatically.
"I've already done it." I told her.
"So it was the one that you chased here from the old mansion?"
I looked at her.
"How did you know that?"
"We found this." She replied, depositing a large metal machine on the table, about the size of my head.
It had a screen which showed the registration numbers and positions for all of the Rogues, Autobots and Decepticons in the area. It was following the tracking chip inbuilt into all Cybertronians' armour.
"It's how we found your friends." Kodi told me, "We saw Graham and the Decepticon disappear in your workshop."
I nodded. Optimus was standing behind me, a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.
"Well, since you've got everyone now," my dad interrupted, "I think you should leave."
"Clara!" a young voice cried out as we came out of the house.
I smiled and picked up the 5-yr-old sparkling easily as she ran over to me, happy to just snuggle up in my arms. Annalease had been born only a few days before I had left to live with Starscream, so I hadn't seen her much at all throughout her short life. Still, I cherished the time I got to spend with my younger half sister.
"Are you gonna leave again?" Annalease asked nervously, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah. I have to."
"Are you going back to Starscream?"
I felt myself stiffen slightly.
"No." I shook my head and put her down. "You go on now. Mum will be looking for you."
For a moment I thought I saw a hint of fear in Annalease's green optics, but it was gone so quickly I persuaded myself I'd imagined it.
"You'll come and see me real soon, right."
I smiled.
"Yeah, of course I will."
She looked relieved at that, and ran off.
"Who is she?" Optimus asked me.
The other Autobots had gone ahead, leaving town in search of a place where we could teleport without any interruptions. Shouri was still inside. Kodi was watching the two of us curiously.
"My sister." I replied.
"What was that she was saying about Starscream?"
"Nothing." I said, way too quickly to be believed.
"It's nothing that you loved him and lived with him for five years?" I heard Kodi ask sarcastically behind me. I ignored her and started walking, pretending I couldn't hear her. Optimus was quick to catch up with me.
"You used to live with Starscream?"
"Yep." I replied, not slowing down or even looking at him. "So what?"
"Clara, I have to know." Optimus sped up a little so he could turn to face me, holding my arms to keep me in place. "I mean, really, how do I know you are not going to betray us to Starscream?"
I looked at him angrily, but I was pleading with him as well. Praying that he would believe me.
"Optimus, I would rather die than betray you, or anyone else, to Starscream." I gently pulled away from his grip. "You have no idea what he did to me."
The anger in Optimus' optics receded, to be replaced with sadness and regret.
"I'm sorry," he told me, taking a step towards me. I didn't resist as he pulled me into his arms. "I'm sorry."
We stood like that for a few minutes, then I reluctantly pulled away from him.
"Come on." I said quietly. "We should get back to the others, before they start getting in trouble again."
Thankfully, we got to the ship without any problems this time. Not even Jazz said anything to me when we got back. They could sense that I was in a bad mood.
I went straight to my room so I could try to catch up on lost recharge time. So many teleport trips wasn't doing me any good. Also, Earth and Cybertron obviously have a huge time difference. We'd come from noon on Cybertron to late night on Earth, a couple of days after we left. The sparklings had quickly gone home as soon as we got back to the ship.
It was about 3am local time when recharge finally found me.
It wasn't a good thing.
I woke up about two minutes later, and I was up and out of that room like a bullet from a gun.
I ended up slamming into Optimus. Don't ask me what he was doing outside my room at 3am. Heck, there's no point even asking him. I've tried. A lot of times. He appears to turn deaf until the subject is changed.
Thankfully we were both still standing, considering how frantic I was.
"Whoa! Clara! What's wrong? I, er, thought you were recharging."
I dashed past him and sprinted up the corridor, not even pausing to apologise. Thankfully he could tell, as you've hopefully realised by now: I was in a rush. I could hear him calling after me as I ran up the stairs, but I didn't offer him any kind of response.
I activated the teleport, inputting the coordinates I knew so well, grabbing the remote from its shelf.
As the teleport opened up in front of me, I felt something, or someone, slamming into the back of me, knocking us both through.
"What are you doing, Ironhide?" I demanded as I got to my feet.
"I could ask you the same question." The weapons specialist replied as I shut down the teleport. "At least I've got an excuse."
"Oh yeah? What's your excuse?"
"Optimus sent me." He replied coolly. "Where are we? What are we doing here?"
I ignored him and started running again. I didn't have time for this. I heard him following me.
It was only a few minutes to our destination.
The house we were looking for was apart from the rest of the Rogue village. The house next door to it was further than houses usually were. The upstairs window was open in the house we were headed to. The light was on, but I couldn't see anything inside.
"MUM!" I screamed, "ANNALEASE!"
There was no reply.
I sprinted round to the front of the house, praying to Primus that I would get there in time.
The front door was unlocked. I opened it and ran inside, upstairs to where I'd seen the light.
It was coming from a room at the end of the corridor. The door stood open.
I ran in and I swear I felt so sick at what I saw that my spark almost failed me completely.
I wish it had.
It would've saved me the agonising pain I've had to endure between then and now.
I stumbled through the door weakly and fell to my knees.
I was too late.
My mother had already left, and she had already done the devastating thing I'd tried, and failed, to stop.
"What happened here?" Ironhide asked me.
I didn't answer him as I pulled Annalease's limp, lifeless form into my arms, cradling her as I rocked back and forth, sobbing softly.