So sorry for the late update! I hope this makes up for it!
Sunstreaker sat alone in the dark room thinking about what his brother had told him earlier.
"If it weren't for Barricade, Sam wouldn't be here." he mumbled to himself. Great, now he was beginning to sympathize with the Con.
'Well, he did warn you, and what did you do? Nothing.'
"Shut up." He snapped at his conscious.
'And you owe it to him for saving your charge's life.'
"I don't owe him scrap." Why should Sunstreaker owe him anything? There has to be some kind of ulterior motive for Barricade's sudden 'transformation'. Sunstreaker has fought in this war for a long time and killed his fair share of mechs; sometimes, if he wasn't careful, they were from his own team, and he would feel guilty about that. But Barricade was a different story; Barricade killed mechs, femmes, and sparklings mercilessly, Decepticon or not. And back then, he showed no sign of wanting to change.
Sunstreaker let out a frustrated sigh and laid down flat on his back. He didn't know what to make of his situation, he was confused. He looked to the wall that his berth rested against and saw a small piece of paper taped on it. The picture was poorly drawn in crayon, and looked like a certain black mech with pink splotches. In the bottom right corner of the paper in pink crayon it said, 'Sam Cross, 8'. This was the prank she had planned before the accident.
Flashback-
"Ready to go, pumpkin?" Nina asked Sam.
"Yep! Hang on a sec!" She ran back over to Sunny and Sides and gave them the crayon covered paper. "Hold onto this and we'll start the prank tomorrow." Sunny took the paper and grunted.
End Flashback
He still remembered that stupid grin she wore before she left. It was forever burned into his memory banks; because that was the last time he's ever seen it. Now whenever she smiles, there is always a pain behind it. It wasn't natural.
Sunstreaker traced his finger on the piece of paper, and then carefully pulled it off the wall. He sat back up, his arms resting on his legs, and just stared at the picture. They never had the chance to do her prank.
"Sam." He sighed. He closed his optics.
Flashback-
He hated human hospitals. He hated the hospitals back on Cybertron, but human hospitals were the worst. The fact that a bunch of very sick organics were stuck together under one roof gave him chills of disgust, not to mention the many diseases one could catch if they weren't careful. Thank Primus he was Cybertronian and couldn't get any of these human illnesses, but that still didn't make them any less disgusting. But he couldn't care less at the moment; he was more worried about Sam. She and her mother were in a terrible car accident on the way home from the base.
Sunstreaker followed Ratchet as he quickly hurried through the hallway. He finally stopped one doctor and asked where they were keeping Nina and Samantha Cross. The doctor looked at him and Ratchet, almost suspiciously.
"And you are?" he asked Ratchet. Sunstreaker could tell by the way Ratchet was tenses and how he glared at the doctor that he was trying not to blow up at the doctor. Something was wrong. Ratchet didn't normally act like this unless something was seriously wrong.
"I work on the military base with Nina Cross and serve as the primary physician for her and her daughter. They were in an accident on their way home. Now please, tell me where they are."
"Ah yes, the ambulances arrived a short while ago. I'm sorry sir, but according to the records, Nina Cross has passed away shortly after arriving here. Her daughter, Samantha, is currently in ICU under critical condition."
"Where?" Sunstreaker demanded. Ratchet was too shocked to speak, he almost lost control of his holoform. The doctor pointed down the hall.
"Down the hall and to the right, room 225." Sunstreaker nodded and he and Ratchet ran down the hall.
When they slowly, they nearly collapsed at the sight of their young charge. Wires covered her body, tubes down her throat and in her nose, and IVs and heart monitors hooked up to her. A life-support system was also hooked up to her, making her chest rise and fall mechanically. Other than the blood stains and cuts and bruises on her body, she was completely pale; almost lifeless. Her hair was in total disarray.
"Sam." Ratchet whispered. Sunstreaker was at a loss for words. He walked over to her and lightly touched her small hand as if it would shatter at the touch of a feather. The door opened behind them and they turned around to see a different doctor walk in.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Pilkin." He shook hands with Ratchet.
"Dr. Ratchet, Samantha's primary physician."
"Ah, yes, so I was informed. I'm so sorry for your loss, my condolences to you both."
"Yes, well, can you tell me if Sam will be okay?" Ratchet asked, obviously not wanting to hear any sympathy for the loss of his charge.
"Of course." Pilkin cleared his throat, then looked at the chart he carried in. "The force of impact from the collision added so much stress to her body, it's a miracle she survived at all. A child her age, she should've died on impact."
"That's good, right? That means she'll be okay?" Sunstreaker asked. Ratchet didn't say anything, he knew what was coming. Pilkin looked uneasy.
"Not necessarily. Even if she pulls through, there may be physical and/or mental damage that she could suffer possibly for the rest of her life. The physical damage we can take care of through therapy, but it's her mental state that most concerns me. If she pulls through, we're talking about a roller coaster of emotions she will go through; random anger bursts, inclusion, depression, regression, nightmares, maybe even suicidal thoughts."
"Wait a minute, Doctor, you said if she pulls through. What exactly is her survival rate?" Ratchet asked, almost afraid to know.
"Well, judging by the severe amount of trauma a child her age went through, I don't expect her to survive the night."
End Flashback
He could still feel the sting in his spark as if the doctor had said that only moments ago. Sunstreaker onlined his optics and stared at the picture in his hand. 'Sam.'
She had survived the night and even went on to make a full recovery, with minimal physical stress, but her mind suffered serious damage. She was no longer the same fun-loving little girl he knew and loved. For nearly a year after the accident, she never spoke to anyone, and if she was, it was usually yelling. After that, she grew more introverted. She kept her problems to herself, got into serious trouble at school, and became a risk-taker. When she first decided to help NEST in battling the Decepticons, Ratchet actually believed that she became suicidal. It took a lot of convincing on her part to have Ratchet permit her to fight. At least taking her frustrations out on target droids and Cons were better that taking them out on herself. But Sunstreaker wasn't so sure if having a mini Ironhide was such a good thing.
Sunstreaker stood up, put the picture into a special compartment in his chassis, and exited his room.
I woke up from a dreamless sleep with my throat feeling raw. I looked over to my nightstand and saw a glass of water. I took it and drank it greedily. The digital clock read 4:30 pm. Great, I missed another day of school, now I'll probably have to come in for weekend detentions to make up for the lost days. I don't even know what day it is. I really didn't care, I was sore, my wounds were starting to itch under the bandages that I have on my upper arm, head, and torso, and, on top of all that, I was starving. Still feeling the lag of sleep, I debated whether or not I should stay in bed, but my stomach eventually won the argument by growling loudly. I groaned and pulled myself out of bed.
Everything in my body was stiff, so it took a little longer than usual to get to my bathroom. I turned on the light and nearly screamed when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Well, actually, that was an understatement. I did scream, stumbled backwards, tripped, and fell on my back…which hurt like hell. Hopefully no one heard that. After slowing my heart rate down a little, I slowly got back up, groaning in pain, and hesitated before making my way towards the mirror. My horrifying self came into view.
My hair was in tangles with some dry blood stains, some was matted to my face do to sweat. My skin was very pale, and my eyes were dull with black rings around them. A bruise on my cheek, both my arms, surely more places where I couldn't see, and cuts everywhere. I looked like I just escaped the morgue! Whatever was left of my mentality had started to break down again, but I refused to cry this time. But as I held back my tears, I thought to what brought me here in the first place- Sideways.
It was thanks to Sideways I'm like this- paranoid and frail-looking. A new wave of emotion took the place of the sadness and fear, and it was so dominant that I nearly screamed again- anger. I was so angry at how pitiful my life was. After so many years of fighting so I wouldn't be the damsel in distress, and yet, that was exactly what I turned into. I took deep, ragged breaths to try and calm myself. I felt as though I was suffocating, drowning in my own insanity. I haven't had one of these breakdowns since I was young. When I started to see clearly again, I got undressed and stepped into the shower. The water was burning hot, but it pleasured my cold skin. For a while I just stood in the water; that bad feeling I felt last night was getting worse.
Ratchet worked quietly in his Med Bay like always, but he seemed even quieter today. He had made a promise to protect Sam, and now he felt like he was breaking that promise. He had already failed Nina, he wasn't going to stand by idly and watch his child get hurt again.
He froze.
He was already too late for that. Sideways had already hurt her, in more ways that he could ever imagine, and for reasons unknown. He had taken advantage of her, and he was going to pay for that. A slow and painful death doesn't even come close to what Ratchet will have in store for Sideways once he gets his servos on him. After all, he was a doctor, he could take a mech apart from the inside out; but, he was also an Autobot. Committing such a deed would forever taint his spark.
'Tch. As if this war hasn't done enough of that already.' He thought bitterly. Although his programming overrode his ability to act like a Decepticon, it didn't override his ability to think like one.
So for the rest of the day, Ratchet stayed cooped up in his Med Bay, thinking up twisted and diabolical ways to kill Sideways. Some were so good, that he stored them away in his memory banks for later.
I walked out of my room feeling refreshed. I looked and felt much better; except I was still a little pale with dark rings under my eyes, and I was still sore. I was wearing my black converses, denim shorts, and a dark blue tank-top.
I wanted to find Sunny and apologize about last night, but I had one place to stop first- Med Bay. I wanted to get my board back because I was not going to walk to get around the base.
As I walked down the halls, I was kind of surprised to find that I was the only one there; then again, it was evening, so everyone must be having dinner. I didn't really care, I was enjoying the silence. I don't think I could ever talk to anyone right now, not if they know what happened. Apparently God hates me, because I heard a pair of larger footsteps walking towards me. I turned around and saw Ironhide walking towards me. He seemed to be surprised to see me.
"Sam? What are you doing out of bed?" he asked.
"Going to see Ratch and see if I can have my board back." He gave me a look.
"Now Sam, I don't think you're in any condition to ride, and I'll bet my high grade Ratchet thinks the same thing. But I'm sure he's gonna want to see you up and about." He scooped me up and carried me to the Med Bay.
As we walked through the base, the emptiness was really beginning to feel creep.
"Ironhide, where is everyone?" I asked.
"Most are out on patrol searching for Sideways. The others are in the rec. room."
"Oh." I looked down with a pang of guilt. They were out risking their lives to find Sideways because I was an idiot and got myself kidnapped by him.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked.
"For causing so much trouble for everyone." Ironhide put me on the ground, transformed and activated his holoform. Before I realized what was happening, he pulled me into a tight embrace. I fought to suppress the groan from the slight pain, but he noticed and loosened his grip. He held my shoulders so that I was looking in his eyes, which were dark and stern with concern and another feeling I wasn't entirely sure on.
"Listen to me, don't you ever think that. Do you understand?" he growled, sending shivers down my spine. I was beginning to feel a little scared, like he was going to punish me. He felt me shake and his face relaxed. He pulled me into another hug, this one gentler than the other.
"We all love you Sam. Don't forget that."
"Okay." 'But then why don't I feel any better?'
His holoform disappeared and he transformed, holding out his hand for me to climb on, which I did.
"Let's go see Ratchet." He said, walking towards Med Bay.
"NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Ratchet shouted after I asked for my board back.
"Please Ratchet! I promise I'll be careful. I swear, I'll even wear my helmet!" I begged.
"NO! You are still recovering from your injuries and your skateboard should be the last thing on your list."
"C'mon Ratchet, just give her the board. It'll help her get around the base easier." Ironhide ducked to avoid getting hit in the head by a flying wrench.
"You are NOT HELPING! Get OUT of my Med Bay before I GIVE you a reason to be here!" Ratchet threatened. Ironhide held up his hands in defense and looked to me.
"Sorry, kid. I tried."
"It's okay, Hide. Thanks." I said. Ironhide turned around and walked out the door, leaving us alone. Ratchet sighed and I looked to him.
"So, besides the initial soreness, how do you feel today?" he asked. I shrugged.
"I'm okay. Like you said, just a little sore." I said, rubbing my shoulder subconsciously.
"I didn't mean physically, Sam. How are you feeling?" he asked. I shrugged again. What was I supposed to tell him? I couldn't tell him about my bad feeling, because I didn't know what the cause of it was. And what was I suppose to say? 'Other than scaring the crap out of myself and having a near-mental breakdown in my bathroom, I'm peachy-king?' Yea, that would go over well.
"I'm fine, Ratchet, really. To be honest, I think I need to get some air." As if on cue, the Med Bay door opened and in walked….
HA! Cliffy! Just kidding!
The Med Bay doors opened and in walked Sunstreaker, looking out of it.
"Sunstreaker?" He nearly jumped at the sound of my voice.
"Sam?" he was at my side in an instant. "How are you feeling?"
"Eh." I said, giving him the hand gesture of 'so-so'. "Actually, I need some air. Is it okay if we go for a drive?"
"I don't have a problem with it as long as it's okay with the Hatchet." Sunstreaker said. We both looked to Ratchet. I could've sworn he would have face-palmed if he wasn't holding a data pad. He let out an irritated sigh.
"Fine, but do not overdo yourself, Sam. You're still healing."
"Don't worry, Ratch, I'll take good care of her." Sunstreaker said, scooping me up.
"That's exactly why I should worry." He snapped. "Just keep her safe, Sunstreaker." He said through the comm. link.
Sunstreaker held up the 'okay' sign and walked out of Med Bay. When we were outside, he shifted down until I was sitting comfortably in the passenger seat with the seatbelt strapped gently around me. We drove off at a leisurely pace, which was fine by me.
An hour passed by and we were still driving around. By now, it was already dark outside and the silence was starting to become awkward. I decided to apologize first and get it over with.
"Listen Sunstreaker-" I started, but I stopped because I couldn't think of what to say.
'What are you doing?' I yelled at myself. 'Just apologize already. You're making yourself look like an idiot!'
Before I could open my mouth to apologize, Sunstreaker pulled off to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I haven't even been paying attention to where we were going, I had no idea where we were.
"Sunstreaker?" I asked. He didn't say anything. We just sat there in silence. 'Oh no, is he still mad? Please don't be mad.' A hand gently touching my arm snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked to see Sunstreaker's holoform staring at me with an almost blank expression. I wanted him to say something, anything. I couldn't take his silent treatment anymore!
"I'm sorry Sunstreaker! I'm so sorry!" I nearly yelled, nearing a breakdown. He just continued to stare at me. "I never should have yelled at you, I take back everything I said." Nothing. "I understand if you hate me." Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it showed, but he still said nothing. "Primus, Sunstreaker! Will you please say something?"
I was shocked when he suddenly pulled me into him, his arms wrapped around me comfortingly. He buried his face into my neck, but I couldn't move.
"I don't hate you." He whispered softly. My eyes were wide. Was this really happening?
"You are everything to me Sam, don't you realize that now?" My body relaxed and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer to me.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. He pulled back a little so he could see my face, but he was still close.
"I love you, Sam. I never want to lose you again." He said seriously as he stared into my eyes. My face warmed up and my heart nearly burst out of my chest. I smiled.
"I love you too, Sunny."
I don't think I've ever seen a bigger smile on his perfect face.
Alright! Finally finished, and it only took, what? A month? A month and a half? Again, I'm so sorry! I did, however, see Dark of the Moon yesterday to get me in the moment….I cried. From the moment Ironhide died to the end, I cried. It was amazing! I was still mad he died though! Oh well, it was still amazing! Especially in IMAX.
Plan to upload soon, because I leave for college and band camp on August 14…