Chapter 3: Confessions
Upon our return to the base, Bee and I received a verbal lashing from my father for our recklessness. Then, once that was done and over with, the Autobots met up in the debriefing room for what Dino had so kindly termed: 'story time.' So, now the Autobots and a few humans were all sitting around, patiently waiting for me to tell them of my Cybertronian life. "I'll start my story just after my father left for Earth, I was nine years old," I said, as I used my optics to portray my memories to the group.
"At the time, Cybertron was just coming out of the worst of the war. The Decepticons were taking charge and killing off the Autobots, so my mother, SolarFlare, took me into hiding. A year later, a Decepticon, by the name of Blackout, found us. He murdered my mother for treason, claiming that she was no better than an Autobot for mating with one. He would have killed me too if it wasn't for Soundwave. He suggested that they should keep me as a "pet" so to speak. I was tortured for years, day after day, until I turned eighteen. Then I was left to rust in solitary confinement until I escaped two years ago in a makeshift shuttlecraft that I created from some parts of my holding cell combined with bits and pieces of my machinery. I drifted through space for two years before I found Earth. But, when I did, I ended up here, then you found me, and the rest id history."
I blinked once, allowing my optics to revert back to their normal shade of purple. "No bot, let alone femme, should have to undergo that amount of torture," Optimus finally said after letting the information sink in. I stood up, "I may be a femme, Optimus," I said, "and I may be out of practice, but do not doubt my skills for a second, because that torture allowed me to become who I am today." "I never said I doubted you, Regenerate," Optimus stood as well, "I only said that no one should ever have to endure that kind of torture." He reached out to put a hand on my shoulder but I flinched away from him. "I'm sorry, Optimus," I said as I backed away, towards the exit, "but I need time."
With that as my last statement, I turned and ran out of the base, transforming into my alt-form as soon as I got outside. "Regenerate, wait!" I heard Optimus call after me. I ignored him and drove faster. Before long, I was being perused by BumbleBee and Dino. I sped up before darting into an alleyway, too small for a car to fit through, but just big enough for a bike. I transformed and scaled the buildings that served as the walls of the alley, and searched the city for a safe haven, where I could escape for a while. I saw the sheen of the river as it glowed in the light of the setting sun. I dove off the building and hit the street in my alt-form once more. I arrived at the river without seeing head or tail of Dino or BumbleBee. I sat down under the shade of a large oak tree and pulled my knees to my chest. I felt strange, as if my reality had just come crashing down on me once my past had been voiced. The torture and seclusion that I had suffered through most of my life had toyed with my processors and I was now feeling the repercussions of it. I laid my head down on my knees as the energon tears cascaded in waves from my optics.
BumbleBee finally found me hours later, after the tears had ceased. "There you are," Bee said, ducking under the tree to sit with me, "have you been here the whole time? Cause I could've sworn that Dino and I checked here at least –" He stopped when he saw my tear soaked face. "Hey what's wrong? Why were you crying?" He wen to put his arm around my shoulder to comfort me, but I flinched away and stood up to put distance between us. I saw hurt flash through his optics. "I'm sorry, Bee, I'm just not ready for this yet. After being secluded mot of my life, it's like I've forgotten how to act normal," I explained as I turned my back to him and gazed out over the riverbed. "I'll help you to become acclimated again, if you'll let me," BumbleBee said, hugging me from behind, "help me, help you." That was it. My breaking point. My optics shot wide open before I off-lined myself in a desperate attempt to escape. I same technique I would use time and time again while I was imprisoned on Cybertron. I went limp in BumbleBee's strong arms before my whole world went black.