I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS AND I DO NOT OWN THE LYRICS/SONG INVOLVED IN THIS SONGFIC CHAPTER
My hands are searching for you
My arms are outstretched towards you
I feel you on my fingertips
My tongue dances behind my lips for you
The autobot team, despite their injuries and weary bodies, stood silent as a weeping femme was held in the arms of her close friend. She mourned greatly for the lifeless body lying near her legs and the others could do no more for her but lend a soothing servo. The battle had been severe and the outcome had little sweetness in the victory. The largest autobot placed an oversized servo on the shoulder of his small yellow companion as the young bot cried to for the loss of their leader who had been like a father to him.
This fire rising through my being
Burning, I'm not used to seeing you
Sighing, Lightrunner's gaze followed the length of Lumina's arm and discovered that the disgruntled femme still had a death grip on her bonded's still hand. Her cries of sorrow had dwindled to quiet breaths as the silver autobot became aware of everyone's stares and silent demeanors. Raising her saddened eyes Lumina looked over them, offering silent words. Lightrunner's loosened arms around Lumina as she watched her friend try to rise. Lumina was nearly upon her feet when she stumbled, but Lighrunner caught the femme in time.
"You're too weak to stand just yet," she said, supporting Lumina.
Prowl approached the two and offered another support which Lumina gratefully took. The trio walked slowly to the exit as the remaining autobots worked together to collect Prime.
I'm alive, I'm alive
With each step, Lumina's spark ached more, the pulse almost weak. Shutting her optics, she let the others guide her as she slipped into a state of emptiness, processor whirling to put the pieces together.
"You shouldn't give up just yet," a soft voice whispered, "There may be a chance you can save what you lost..."
"But how?" Lumina answered.
Suddenly, she sensed the walking had stopped and opening her eyes, her optics were met by the gaze's of her friends.
"Lumina, are you feeling alright?" Lightrunner questioned, voiced laced with concern.
"Yes, yes I am. I was merely thinking out loud is all," the silver femme said quickly as their slow pace picked up again.
"There is but one way..." the voice whispered within, "What was once whole, must become two. What once was two, must become whole..."
Lumina's mouth set into a firm line as she tried to figure out the riddle.
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
Finally back at the base, Lumina was set about to resting in her room as her wounds healed.
"I don't understand, what does it mean?"
Growing more frustrated, she leaned forward, only to gasp in pain as her spark sped up in a sudden electrical shock. The femme cringed as her servo clutched at her chest.
"Why does it keep doing this...?!" She paused and her spark slowed down to a steady pulse and she laid back again.
"You're in pain..."
"You think?" Lumina answered, optics squinting when the shock returned.
"There is not much time, if you are to both be restored..."
"What do you mean?"
"You ache to hear and feel him again and your spark is forfeit for those feelings of want..."
The soft voice grew silent as Lumina held in a cry of pain. Just the thought of him not being there was enough to send her spark into a fit of shocks.
"What can I do?" the femme asked, body exhausted from the electricity.
"What was once whole, must become two. What once was two, must become whole..." the voice repeated. "You must share what it is that causes you so much pain in order to restore life..."
"Share? Do you mean-?!" Lumina stopped as another wave wracked her body in pain.
"Do you know what you are to do?" the voice returned.
"I'm not sure, but I'll do anything to have him hold me again..." Rising, Lumina slowly headed for the door, ignoring the pain each step inflicted.
My hands float up above me
And you whisper you love me
And I begin to fade
Into our secret place
"Prowl?"
"What is it Lightrunner?" the ninja bot replied, eyeing the femme while wrapping an arm around her.
Lightrunner was unresponsive at first as she leaned against the dark frame of Prowl. "What will happen now?"
"I'm not all that sure. The Elite Guard is coming to collect the decepticons and even us, I suppose..."
His words did little to warm Lightrunner's mood. Blue optics roaming, she spotted Bumblebee leaning against the wall about to pass out from not recharging. Bulkhead had tried to get him to go to bed, but stopped when Bee had made a huge fuss over staying. The young bot just couldn't grasp what had happened.
"I feel sorry for him. Optimus was like a father to him and now..." she let the sentence trail off.
"I know, but with time he'll come to understand, though Bumblebee isn't the one I'm concerned for," Prowl said.
They both knew how Lumina was and both feared she wouldn't be able to get a grip of herself.
The music makes me sway
The angels singing say we are alone with you
I am alone and they are too with you
A small shriek echoed down the halls, alerting everyone.
"Lumina?! Lumina, what's wrong?!" Lightrunner shouted already to her feet and charging down the corridor.
Much to her chagrin, she found the silver friend on her knees in the hallway, servo gripping her chest.
"My spark...it hurts..." Lumina managed to say as Lightrunner lifted the other autobot to her feet.
"You should be resting, not moving-"
"Lightrunner, please. I have to see him..." Lumina's chilling words made the others pause.
Seconds passed by as Prowl was the first to break the silence. "Is that really a good idea?"
His question caught Lumina off guard.
"Yes, it is. I have-"
"No" Lightrunner whispered, "It's too soon for that. If you see him now, we don't know what it could do to your current mental state."
Her commanding tone hushed the rebuttal in Lumina as the yellow femme led her weak friend to the couch. Lumina sat down immediately, spark shocking her again. Prowl embraced Lightrunner in a half hug as they both took a seat, while Bumblebee and Bulkhead stood near the back.
I'm alive, I'm alive
"You can't see him, at least not right now," Lightrunner stated, placing a servo on Lumina's shoulder. The silver femme only shrugged off the kind gesture, face contorting in anguish and anger.
"You have to let me. If I don't-"
"What Lumina? What will happen?"
"If I don't, we could lose our chance to save him and even me...it's complicated, but I-"
"STOP IT!!!" Lightrunner shouted angrily. "Would you just listen to yourself?! Is this some kind of sick joke?"
The two femmes stared each other down as the others watched helplessly. Lumina began to stand, her entire frame quaked with the effort. Her optics shook with angry tears but she held them back as she went for the medbay.
"Lumina stop! Look what you're doing!"
But Lightrunner's words had no control over Lumina's legs as she reached the doors. "Ratchet! Open the door, please! I have to see him!"
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
Lumina listened closely and could hear movement on the other side of the door. Soon it began to slide open and the silver femme could see plain as day her bonded lying motionless on the medical bed.
"Optimus...." Taking an unsteady step, her leg froze as did the rest of her body. Lumina struggled to move, but the commands went unheeded when a sharp pain stabbed through her entire being. Her mouth took the shape of a gasp but no sound came and another wave rocketed through her, more intense then the last. If she wasn't immobile, the femme would have doubled over in pain. A last wave came when time seemed to freeze before her optics in a sharp flux.
"WHAT"S HAPPENING?!" she mentally screamed.
Nearing panic, she noticed near the edges of her vision, colors and light began to blend together then fade into white.
And so I cry
The light is white
And I see you
Lightrunner was the first to notice something was wrong when Lumina had yet to move forward more.
"Ratchet, is she okay?"
The medabot was already at work, trying to diagnose what the problem was when he suddenly voiced, "She's gone catatonic!"
Prowl jumped up with Lightrunner and both ran to the side of their companion.
No matter what they did, Lumina remained unresponsive when Bumblebee managed to say, "Are her optics supposed to be that color?"
The question made everyone turn to see.
"Oh, primus..." Ratchet muttered.
Lumina's optics had gone from a brilliant yellow to pitch black with the faintest sparks of blue. As the autobots tried to comprehend the strange color, a bright flash lit the entire room and left the mechs seeing spots. Lightunner rushed to Optimus's bedside and found the source of the flash.
"Ratchet...come quickly...hurry!" she called. The medabot was at her side. "What is it?"
Lightrunner could only point to what she saw: Prime's eyes open and they shared the same eerie color as Lumina's.
I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive
By this time, the other's were too far away for Lumina to hear them or even come close to that. Blinking a few times, the femme found herself with a vast expanse of dark emptiness. Despite being mechanoid, even Lumina could tell it was below freezing, a strange quality that made it hard to move.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice ringing in the vacant spaces.
Taking a small step, the silver femme began to glide across the expanse, searching for any sign of life. Seeing nothing, Lumina curled her hands into fists as the darkness threatened to consume her and any light. Back turned, a voice seemed to call out to her from an unknown direction. The voice seemed so familiar but ghostlike at the same moment it was used. Following the source she found a lone grey path amidst blackened and dead trees.
"What kind of nightmare is this?" she whispered, floating along the path to where a single ray of light penetrated the shadows, creating the illusion of a glare.
Confused, she stopped and the voice returned, beckoning her towards what was not a glare, but an orb of pure light that pulsed every two seconds. Reaching out, her hands lingered over the orb, unsure of the after effects. Cringing in fear, the tips of her fingers grazed the surface and for a moment, her mind was flooded with memories. All were of her through the eyes of someone else.
"This is...." her voice failed her as realization hit.
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
"Ratchet , what's happening?!" a fearful Bumblebee asked, gripping onto Lightrunner's arms.
"I don't know kid. For once I really don't know..." the old bot replied looking at the shaking yellow bot.
"I do," Lightrunner sighed.
Everyone looked to the femme in confusion.
"Lumina is 'connecting' with Optimus, so to speak. It's an ancient ritual done back on our home world. It's when two love each other so much, they are able to connect their minds no matter how far apart they may be, even when one seems lost forever. If the connection is not made soon, we'll lose both of them."
Looking to Lumina, the sun yellow femme narrowed her optics in thought, secretly wishing her friend the best of luck.
Take my hand
I give it to you
Now you own me, all I am
You said you would never leave me
Lumina stumbled back in surprise as the memories continued to play, overlapping one another. It was becoming to much as she fell to her knees, hands grasping at her head.
Soon the memories slowed down to a specific moment she knew all too well. It was of her only as an animal.
"No...I don't want to relive this, please stop!" she begged to no one in particular.
Having seen Optimus for herself on that day was enough to bear, but seeing herself as a bloodthirsty beast was what broke her strong hold. Pain burst from inside herself, threatening to end it once and for all. Lumina doubled over crying out all her frustrations in the pain.
"Why won't this stop?! Where are you?!" she cried again.
"I'm right here, love," a voice proclaimed.
At once, the pain died away and the final memories seeped out of her vision. Feeling a hand on hers, the silver femme was pulled into a loving embrace and the figure said, "I'm here and now you can be at peace again."
His voice was like to silk to her audio perceptors and she smiled in what had felt like a millennia.
I believe you
I believe...
"Lumina," he sighed.
"Yes?"
"There's something you need to do"
"What's that?" she questioned, never bothering to look at his face.
Lumina felt an arm slip away from the embrace and she followed its path with a sidelong glance. The arm returned and in its grip, it held the pulsing orb.
"Take this with you," he whispered.
Her servo wrapped around his and the orb. "What am I to do with it?"
"You'll know when the time comes..." he smiled and hugged her harder, "Now, it's time to wake up.
"What?! No I can't! Not when I just found-"
"You have too, or we'll never be able to be together again."
His warm tone made every single rebuttal hers disappear. Lumina felt his hand on her face and it was directed towards his. His gentle blue eyes had the femme convinced everything would be alright and her lips met his in a goodbye kiss.
"Time to wake up now" he whispered and the two were engulfed in a white light.
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healed
Lightrunner paced back and forth as Prowl tired in vain to get her to calm down as Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee avoided the impatient femme.
"Gah, it's been an hour! What's taking her so long?!" she muttered angrily.
"Lightrunner, you should calm yourself before you going into Spark Arrest," Prowl tried again.
"How can I?! Slag it!" Lightrunner stormed about more but was caught in a lover's embrace.
"Honestly, love, it will do Lumina no good if she returns to find you've collapsed."
At this point, Lightrunner was too tired to whack Prowl upside the head and so she put up no protests as he led her to a nearby chair. Just as soon she had sat down, a high pitched ringing picked up, the frequency nearly scrambling their circuits.
"Ugh, what is that?!" Bumblebee groaned, servo clutching his head. Just as
soon as the ringing started, it stopped and Lumina's gasp of surprise filled the void. When everyone's processors had cleared, they found the silver femme on the ground, her hand seeming to possess something bright and warm in it's midst.
I'm alive, I'm alive
Lightrunner was at her companion's side, trying to see if she was alright.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she gasped again, spark racing.
Rising shakily, Lumina rushed to Optimus' side while the others gathered around.
"Lumina, what are you doing?" Ratchet asked, optics falling on her servo.
"Finishing what was started..." she replied and lifted open Prime's spark chamber.
Lightrunner stood confused, but she didn't make a move to stop the femme. Bringing her servo high above her head, Lumina uttered a silent prayer, then brought the fist down, releasing the glowing orb in the vacant spark chamber, where it began to pulse faster and grow to fill the container.
"Everyone stand back!" Lumina shouted, shielding her optics.
A strong electrical pulse surged over the motionless mech as Prime's spark chamber snapped shut and glowed a bright blue. Another flash followed by a crackling pop, then nothing.
"Did it work?" she thought and dared to look and to everyone's surprise, Optimus' color had returned and his optics were the same gentle blue she had always remembered.
"Lumina?" he said, seeing her again.
"Oh Optimus!" she cried happily and fell into his arms.