CHAP 42

Mira and Booster weren't having much luck finding Nos-4-a2 or the other energy vampire. Even with the lights back on and the hornets offline thanks to XR the search was still long and hard. "What if XR's wrong?" Booster asked after a moment. "What if they both got out?"

"I don't think they did," Mira told him, looking around as if expecting to see the vampires very soon. Her eyes locked on something. "I know they didn't."

"How can you be so sure?"

The Tangean princess pointed down the hall. "Call it a hunch," she said.

The red alien looked to where she was pointing. Down the hall he saw two figures walking toward them. When he squinted he made out Prowl and... "Sari?" he exclaimed, surprised and confused. "Is that Sari?"

Mira nodded. "It sure looks like it," she said. "and it seems like those two have the people we were looking for with them."

The space rangers headed down the hall to meet them. "Prowl! Sari!" they called.

The two, upon hearing their names being called, stopped conversing and looked up. They spotted the space rangers coming toward them.

"Huh?" Prowl said when they drew near. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came here to bring you and XR back," Mira explained, standing in front of them. She folded her arms and made a serious face. "Commander Nebula found out about the two of you stealing the star hopper."

"So he sent you here to bring us back?" he questioned.

"Well not exactly," she said, looking sheepish. "He doesn't know we're here..."

"So you two disobeyed the rules too then?"

She blushed, embarrassed. "Well yeah.."

"I see."

Mira looked at the fembot in Prowl's arms. "Whoa, how did you manage to get her back?"

"Let's just say we had a little help from an unlikely source," he replied, glancing back at Nos-4-a2 who was glaring at everyone. "Who willingly gave her back to us once he finished having his own fun with her."

"Bleck," Sari said, sticking out her tongue. "I'd hate to image what ever else he might have done to her in the meantime."

"Huh?" Mira looked confused.

"Nevermind," Prowl said unwilling to explain what she meant because it would be awkward. "Let's just pick up XR and get out of here."

"But how are we going to get back to Star Command?" Mira wanted to know as they walked down the hall toward the control room. "I mean our ships can't hold more than two people at a time and counting Sari, Shadowstar, and fang face there that makes five people.."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Sari stared smirking. "I seem to remembering parking 42 in the atmosphere. All we have to do is have someone go up and get it and we can take that and the ships you brought back to Star Command no problem."

Two hours later

"Well nothing's changed," Prowl stated, coming into 42's control room after checking on the prisoners in the brig. "Shadowstar is still unconscious."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mira asked, turning to stare at him. "I mean after all she's done to you and stuff I'd think you'd be happy that she's offline. Well not offline just kind of out of it which makes me wonder why you would be happy that she's unconscious anyway since that doesn't mean she's dead and things would be better for you if she was and-"

"I think I get the point," he said, flopping down in the co-pilot chair. He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "The thing is I would rather have her online than off, since her being this was is unpredictable. Any minute she could wake up and cause trouble. If she was awake I would have one less thing to worry about."

"I don't think you need to worry about that either," the Tangean Princess replied. "I mean XR and Sari are in the brig keeping an eye on them."

"No, they're keeping an eye on Nos-4-a2," the cyber ninja corrected, looking over at her. "They're so intend on watching him and making sure he doesn't cause any trouble that I doubt they even know Shadowstar is in the other cell."

"I'm sure they do," she told him. "XR's might be a jerk sometimes but he's reliable. I can assure you that he's perfectly aware that she's in the other cell and will tell us if she wakes up." then she thought betetr of it. 'Then again he's not so reliable. I remember he once.."

"I hope so," Prowl said before she could start rambling again.

She sent him a reassuring smile then went back to controlling the ship. "You know, Prwl," she said. "and this might be totally of topic but now that you have the energy vampire and thus have one less problem to worry about there is another thing that is way more important."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she said. "Even though you have her it didn't really change much. You're still stuck in this dimension and..."

Why did she have to remind him? "I know," he said impatiently. "There is still that."

"Maybe I can help with that," a voice spoke up.

The two turned in their seats and looked at the speaker, a small Grub. Nimrod. "What do you mean?"

When the group left the planet the Grub had come up to them and begged to be taken off. When asked why he'd replied by saying he'd been promised freedom and he didn't want that promise to be broken. After they'd question him further about it he'd told them Shadowstar had vowed to help him leave and set up a new life. Of course that was a surprise since Shadowstar was considered by both groups to be an evil, selfish, energy vampire who cared about nobody but herself. It didn't make sense that she would make such a promise but stranger things had happened so they didn't question it further.

Not wanting to disappoint the insect they'd given him a lift. They would drop him off in Trade World before going to Star Command with their prisoners.

"Do you remember the portal Zurg created by accident between this world and it's mirror opposite?" the Grub questioned them.

"Yes, what about it?" Mira replied.

"I think I might be able to reproduce it," the insect replied. "But it would take awhile since I don't know the co-ordinance for your own dimension or anything like that."

Prowl stared at him, unable to say anything. He could do that? For real? "What does he mean?" he asked Mira.

She frowned. "It's a long story," she told him, her tone hinting that she would rather not talk about it.

But Prowl was curious. "We both have the time," the Autobot replied, folding his arms. "So why don't you tell me."

She sighed, knowing it was hopeless to avoid it, then began.

"Would you kindly stop that blasted noise?!" Nos-4-a2 shouted, glaring at XR and Sari who stood outside the cell singing "The Emo Vampire Song". "You're giving me a processor ache!"

"Did you hear something, XR?" Sari asked, pretending to ignore the energy vampire.

"Nope," he said, grinning evilly. "Didn't hear a thing."

"Then I guess it was the wind," she stated.

"Don't ignore me, you little brats1" Nos shouted. "I know you can hear me! If you don't shut up this instant I'll-"

"You'll what?" Sari asked, turning to him. She walked over to the cell and looked in at him, smirking. "As long as those cuffs are on, you can't do anything. One more thing," she added, tapping her finger against the bars with a sadistic grin on her face. "Those cuffs also prevent you from using that dorky mind control of yours. I know this because I did a check when I slapped them on you so..." her grin widened with wicked glee. "No mind tripping for you, fangy."

"Speaking of which," XR said. "Do you think we could keep those things when you and your friend go back to your own world? They would come in handy."

"Sorry," she said, turning back to him. "We have to use those things when Shadowstar wakes up to keep her from trying to get away. That is if she wakes up," she added.

"Oh craters," he grumbled, looking irritated.

"Hey, if you're so bent on getting your hands on a pair maybe I can make you one."

The robot eyed her. "You?" he looked doubtful.

"Of course," she replied. "I can do lots of things. After all I know how to fly your ship and I didn't even take any lessons."

"How do you do that?"

"I don't know," she admitted, shrugging. "I just can."

"Well that's weird," he commented, thoughtfully. "I mean I know how my stuff works because I was shown the blue prints and stuff by the LGMs and your friend Prowl seems to know how he got his abilities. It just seems odd that you don't know."

"To be honest I don't really know much about my origins or why I can do what I can do," she admitted. "Nobody told me much about it so I can only make guesses."

"Like?"

"Forget it," she said, no longer wishing to discuss it. Just thinking about it depressed her. "I don't want to talk about it anymore." she crossed the room and sat down beside him, resting her elbows on her knees and looking into the energy vampire's cell. "Hey, XR."

"Hmm?"
"You ever heard the song "I know a song that annoys everyone?"

He smiled. "Of course I do."

Then the two proceeded to sing the song, getting louder and louder each time they had to repeat it.

"Craters," Nos-4-a2 grumbled, falling back onto the cot. "Now I'm going to have to put up with that the rest of the way to Star Command. Can't those two ever shut up?"

A few hours later.

Commander Nebula was not happy when the group first stepped out of 42 but when he saw who they had with them, his expression softened. "So you got what you came for then," he said to Prowl. The man looked at Sari. "It's good to see that you're your normal self again."

Sari looked away. Prowl had told her what the commander had allowed to happen to her and she wasn't very happy with him but she also was told about what happened to Buzz so she knew she had to say something even if she didn't want to. "I'm sorry about Buzz," she told him. "I hope you realize that if I had been myself I never would have done that to him."

"Don't blame yourself," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know it wasn't your fault. "

She nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said. "Now for the energy vampire." he turned to Nos-4-a2 wo was being held between Mira and Booster. "We can't have him running around the galaxy causing problems and incarcerating him doesn't seem to do any good. I believe he should be shut down so he can no longer be a problem."

"Are you mad?" the energy vampire exclaimed horrified by his proposal. "You can't do that! You have no right to do that to me!"

The commander's face said otherwise. They both knew he would never change and more trouble would follow if he was kept online. Everyone knew that but... it didn't make Prowl feel any better. Much as he realized doing so would be the best he didn't agree with it. "Isn't that a big extreme?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Everyone looked over at him.

"I know he's an evil energy vampire and has caused many problems but do you have to terminate him?" the Autobot questioned.

"Prowl," Commmander Nebula said, turning to him. "You don't know everything this guy has done. He's gone so far as to turn everyone in the galaxy into wirewolves just to feed his sick obsession."

"I never said he wasn't guilty," Prowl told him. "It's just that."

"Just what?"

Prowl looked down at Shadowstar who he held in his arms. She was still unconscious. "He's a living being," he said. "He's a robot but he's alive and had a free will and a personality...."

"Prowl," Sari said, staring at him like he was a total stranger. "That guy is a creep, why are you defending him?"

Prowl didn't know the answer himself. He shook his head. "It just feels wrong."

"This is still not your decision to make, Prowl," Commander Nebula informed him, pointing into his face. "I would advise you to stay out of this. The only thing you need to worry about is how you're going to get back to your own universe. Let me and my rangers worry about Nos-4-a2. You don't seem to understand the situation here, possibly because you're a machine yourself-"

"That is not true" the Autobot cut him off. He shot the man a cold stare, unable to believe that he would accuse him of such a thing, as if he didn't care about anyone there... and how dare he make such assumptions just because he was a machine. "Just because he's a villain doesn't mean he deserves to die. I sympathize on how you no longer wish to deal with him but permanently shutting him down won't solve anything." he looked back at the femme as he continued. "Do you really think that having him turned off would prevent anything from happening again? For all you know he could just be found and brought back."

"Not if we dismember him."

Nos-4-a2's optics widened in horror. "No! I will not allow i!"

Prowl looked at him then at Commander Nebula. "From what XR has told me Nos-4-a2 has been blown up before and look he's still alive," he pointed out. "He can be put back together. Not matter what you do to his parts he can still come back." he noticed the man seemed to be thinking up another solution. "No."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"I don't have to it's obvious," he stated. "Your next option would to incinerate the parts or use them for different things." How dare you defile a machine like that! "You'd shut him down, take him apart, and destroy or reuse his parts in other things. Now let me tell you honestly. If I was in his place I would not want that to happen to him." he handed Shadowstar to Sari so he could gesture better. "Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable since I am a machine myself. I don't care what he's done to you in the past that kind of thing is uncalled for." and it's wrong. I don't care if he is evil. Doing so is a violation.

"You still don't have any say."

'Maybe not," Prowl replied. "But I don't know how long Sari and I will be stuck here and if you try to do this while we are I won't allow it."

Commander Nebula knew he was right. Nobody knew how long the cyber ninja and his friend would be stuck there since nobody seemed to know of any way to send them back. "What do you suggest we do then?"

"For now I would suggest incarceration in a cell that he can't easily get out of." he pointed at the femme. "Same for her. I don't know how much longer she will be out but we can't take any chances." he added. "Once we are gone you can do with him as you see fit."

"Fine." Nebula consented. "We'll send them both to PC-7 for now."

As the space rangers led Nos-4-a2 away and Sari followed with Shadowstar, Commander Nebula turned to Prowl and asked. "Incidentally how did she end up like that?"

"Nos-4-a2." Prowl replied before moving to follow the others, leaving the man standing there open mouthed.

A few days later

"I still don't know," Nimrod the Grub said, testing something on the computer. "I've checked through everything and I can't seem to be able to replicate the accident that opened the first portal." he frowned at the screen. "Something seems off."

"Oh great," Sari grumbled, from her seat at another computer console. "So what are you going to do then? Give up?"

"No," he replied, shooting her a look of irritation. "I'm going to keep working."

After sending Nos-4-a2 and Shadowstar to PC-7 the space rangers had visited Buzz Lightyear. He's said he was doing fine and would be up before they knew it. In the meantime they decided to work on the space bridge that would send Prowl and Sari and the other energy vampire back to their own world. Since Nimrod, Shadowstar's little Grub friend, seemed to know something about it he was given the task of building it. Of course Sari offered to help for two reasons. She seemed to know a lot about bridges and she wanted to avoid XR whom she still considered a pervert. So they worked together on the project but things still seemed to be taking awhile.

"Why don't you let me try something?" she asked.

"Not again," he grumbled. "Last time I let you it only made it worse." he pointed at the half constructed bridge below them. "I don't know what you did but it set us back another few days."

"Did not!" she snapped.

"Did too!" he he shot back hotly. "I thought you said you had the power to fix things easily."

"I do."
"Then why did it break?"

"I don't know."

"Just stay out of my way," he ordered. "Try working on something else and leave the construction to me."

"Okay fine." she got up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?"
"Someplace where I can think!" she snapped before the door shut on her.

The girl walked down the hall, grumbling to herself. "Stupid machine and its stupid builder. Why didn't it work?" she looked at her hands. "I can usually fix things easily with these powers how come nothing happened this time? How come it only made things worse?" she dropped her hands and sighed. "I guess I can't rely on it for everything. Maybe I've grown so used to it that I'm taking it for granite."

She found a bench and sat down in it, resting her chin in her hands. "Maybe I should just let Nimrod do what he's doing and use my ability when he's done and it's ready."

But she did not want to wait. It had been more than a week since this whole thing started and she just wanted to go home. Home with her dad and Optimus and Bumblebee. She even missed Ratchet though he was a big grouch. "Sorry guys," she said, closing her eyes to hold back her tears. "I guess you'll just have to wait a little longer."

"Sari?"

She raised her head. Prowl stood over her, looking worried. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"No," she said not even attempting to pretend otherwise. "I want to go home."

"I do too," he told her, sitting down on the bench beside her. He was still so small, she would never get used to him being the size of a grown man instead of as big as a house. "But we must be patient."

"I don't want to be patient!" she shouted. "I've waited long enough! I'm sick of this and I'm sick of them! I want to go home! I want Dad to come in and kiss me good night, I want to help Optimus to loosen up, I want to pose for Bulkhead's paintings, I want to try to cheer up Ratchet and I want to hang out with Bumblebee! I want to be with my friends."

"Am I not your friend?" the Autobot asked.

Sari jumped and looked at him. He seemed sad. "Of course you are," she said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I only meant that I want to see the others and.." she looked away. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"For everything." he looked away. "If I hadn't wanted to go to Cybertron this never would have happened. We'd both still be in our world and and you never would have been kidnapped and turned into a slave to that vampire." he shook his head. "and I'm also sorry I did not save you when I had the chance."

"Why didn't you?" she asked. "I wondered..."

"I was scared," he admitted. "The moment I tried to get you I had a flashback about what the other vampire did to me and I panicked." he looked at her. "My self preservation kicked int. I did not mean for you to be left behind."

She placed her hand on his. "Don't let it bother you," she said, meeting his eyes. "It wasn't your fault. I can't blame you for running, after what she did to you. It was a natural reaction." she smiled. "I would have done the same thing if it had been me."

In spite of himself he returned it. "You know I'm homesick too."

"You are?"

"Of course," he said. "You think I want to stay here? I've got things to do plus I've been worried about something."

"What?" she asked curiously.

"I've been worried that Bumblebee will cut down my tree in my absence."

Sari laughed. "Knowing him he would."

"I hope not," he stated. "Because if he did I'm have to return the favor..."

"How?"

"I don't know," he admitted."But I'd think of something."

Just then a explosion rocked the air. The two looked at each other. "The control room!" Sari shouted, getting to her feet. "Come on."

Both dashed back toward the control room. When they reached it the doors opened and two figures stepped out. Nimrod and XR. Both were covered in smoke. "Okay so maybe that didn't work either," XR stated, coughing.

"XR!" Sari exclaimed, staring at him in surprise. "What were you doing in there?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, wiping off the smoke stained. "I was trying to help you go home."

"Help is not the word I'd use." Nimrod snapped, folding his arms. "You ruined it! Now I have to rebuild the whole thing!"

"What?!" Sari exclaimed. "Are you telling me he blew up the bridge?!"

"Among other things," the grub replied. He gave them a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but it looks like you're going to be here awhile longer."

Sari looked like she was going to say something to that but Prowl grabbed ger hand and led her away. "Prowl!" she shouted as they walked down the hall. "Why did you do that? Now we're stuck here! I'm going to go crazy!"

"Sari," Prowl said, looking back at her. "I know you might not want to hear this but I figured that instead of making a big deal about it why don't we just try to get the best out of this situation?"

"Like how?" she snapped. "This place is boring. I'm sick of seeing it. How can I make the best out of it?"

He smiled. "I have a few ideas."

"Huh?"

"Lightyear told me there are other planets besides the ones we've been to in this galaxy," he said. "and since we can't go home right away I concluded that we should visit them to pass the time. It would get our minds off the problem and make time go a lot faster." he smiled at her. "What do you say? We can take one of the two person ships and go by ourselves. They don't have to come with us."

She thought about that for a moment then nodded. "Okay fine," she agreed. "Just as long as I don't have to see this place anymore."

"Don't worry, he assured her. "I'll make sure you don't have to come back here until the bridge is complete."

She smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.. "Lead the way."

To Be Continued?