ATE: Sorry it took me so long to update this story. Not only was it hard for me to put my thoughts together just to come up with this chap, but I didn't get that much time to work on it. I have a feeling that the next chap might take awhile to come for a few reasons I won't explain. Anyways I'd like to thank 003Baby, DarkButterfly128, Gelly619, and the awkward ocelot O.O for their reviews on the last chap of this story. I hope you readers enjoy this chap!
Declaimer: I don't own Transformers or anything related to it. I only own my OC Valerie.
Chapter 3: First Mission and Self-Blame
"WHAT? Valerie, why didn't you tell us?"
You're probably wondering why I'm being yelled at by Alexis? It turned out that when Jetfire had taken me back to the rec room Alexis and the others happened to be in there. They had asked where I had been and we explained. But then Jetfire accidentally mentioned me doing ballet and well…here I was being bombarded by Alexis while Jetfire watched everything unfold before him.
"Well…I wasn't sure what you guys would think if you knew." I answered, my head lowered with my gaze averted.
From behind me I suddenly heard Jetfire clearing his throat (or what sounded like it), causing me to quickly lift my head up to make eye contact with Alexis.
'Why do I have the feeling that Jetfire mentioned me doing ballet on purpose?' I thought.
"We wouldn't have judged you for taking ballet." Alexis stated. "It's cool that you're doing it."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, totally, amiga!" Carlos said.
"Can you teach me?" Fred asked.
'I'm not going to even answer that…'
"We should come sometime and watch you perform." Rad said.
"Well, since everything here's been settled I'm gonna go see what Optimus is up to." Jetfire said before running out of the room. I felt slightly disappointed that he left but I really couldn't do anything to stop him now.
"So Valerie. What's it like doing ballet?" Alexis asked.
"It's difficult and takes a lot of work. I've been taking it for almost a year but I've only started improving since the past 6 months."
"So? Everybody learns at their own pace."
Alexis was right. Why didn't I realize it before? I always thought that I'd improve at the same pace as the others in class (and even thought that I'd improve overnight), but it turns out that I had to go at my own pace. I needed to take it one step at a time.
Suddenly an alarm went off, blaring loudly in the air. This left me confused. Were we being attacked?
"What's going on?" I asked.
"A Mini-Con has activated. We're going to go retrieve it with the Autobots." Rad answered.
I was reminded of what happened yesterday when I first encountered the transformers. I was terrified by the idea of going but I had to remind myself that I knew who the good guys were. I'd be fine.
Right?
I followed the others to a room where the Autobots were standing around a huge monitor. Optimus briefed us on where the Mini-Con was located, which I forgot what it was called but I remembered it was in the middle of nowhere (doesn't that sound reassuring?). Alexis led me over to this weird platform they stood on and I was momentarily blinded by a light that seemed to be scanning me. When the light went away I looked at my friends to see them wearing the orange jumpsuit's the had worn yesterday. I looked down at myself, surprised when I saw that I was wearing the same orange jumpsuit as the others.
"C'mon, Valerie! You don't want to be left behind, do you?"
I realized that everyone (except Red Alert and Smokescreen since they were staying behind to watch the base) was walking out of the room and I rushed after them, coming into what I remember was the launch room. I watched as the Autobots transformed into vehicles (Optimus was a truck, Hot Shot and Blurr were sports cars, Jetfire a space shuttle, and Scavenger was what appeared to be a bulldozer) and saw Rad, Carlos, and Alexis climb into Optimus, while Fred and Billy got inside Hot Shot. I wasn't sure what to do. Was I supposed to ride with someone? If so, who? There were 5 Autobots I could ride with, but I wasn't sure who I should go with.
"Hey, Valerie! How about you ride with me?"
My head shot in the direction the voice came from, seeing the white space shuttle that I knew was Jetfire. I hesitantly walked over to him.
"Y-you want me to ride with you?" I asked.
"If I didn't want you to I wouldn't have asked. C'mon!"
The door on the side of Jetfire's shuttle form opened up, waiting for me to get in. Not wanting to waste anymore time I quickly got inside and went over to one of the seats that were at the front (there were 6 seats total). As soon as I sat down I started searching for a seat belt or whatever was used in its place, but then these straps snaked around my chest before connecting together with a buckle in front of me. Looking down at it I saw that it was a safety harness. But how…?
"No need to thank me, Skydancer." I felt my face heat up when Jetfire referred to me by the nickname he gave me.
"You did that?" I asked.
"No, I merely watched as you somehow managed to use telekinesis to fasten your safety harness." He replied sarcastically.
I laughed.
"Well, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get to wherever we're going." I closed my eyes.
I heard Jetfire chuckle.
"No need to do that, we'll be there in a matter of seconds."
"Wait! What?"
I never got my answer since I saw what looked to me to be a portal appeared in front of us before showing what I seemed to be our destination. If I hadn't known better I would have thought that our destination was right in front of us and outside the base if it wasn't for the numbers and statistic graphs I saw on it. I felt strange as it seemed to suck everyone into it and my stomach seemed to be upset. I shut my eyes hoping that somehow it would get rid of the weird sensation I was experiencing. It didn't. I suddenly gagged as bile came up and I cover my mouth before forcing myself to swallow it. I immediately regretted doing that but I didn't want to throw up inside Jetfire. Why was I like this? I knew that I didn't get motion sickness!
Just as quickly as we were sucked into the portal, we came out of it and were at the place the Mini-Con was located. I closed my eyes as I tried to slow my breathing, hoping that it at least helped my stomach a bit. I hope I don't throw up again.
"Are you okay, Skydancer?" Jetfire asked and I felt the straps of the safety harness tighten slightly.
"I'm…fine…" I said slowly.
"Sorry this isn't exactly the flight I promised you."
"It's okay, Jetfire. The Mini-Con's important at the moment."
Suddenly Jetfire jerked sharply to the left and I opened my eyes to see something that caused me to feel fear, the Decepticons. This caused him to fly towards the ground and as soon as we landed the safety harness came off before I got out, allowing Jetfire to transform. I turned around just in time to see him get hit and fall to the ground.
"Jetfire!" I cried.
"Don't worry about me! Get with the kids and find that Mini-Con!"
I started running away from where Jetfire was fighting, constantly jumping at every sound I heard from the battle as I looked for my friends. I was terrified, completely scared. What if I was shot, or worse killed?
I felt relief flood through me when I spotted Alexis, Rad, Carlos, Fred, and Bill and rushed over to them.
"Alexis!" I called.
"Valerie! Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine. Do you know where the Mini-Con is?"
"We're not sure, but we know it's somewhere in this area."
We started looking for the Mini-Con among the rocks for where it could possibly be. I came upon an alcove on the rocky wall that went a ways inside and decided to search there. To my surprise, I found the Mini-Con panel sticking out of the ground while the other half was buried. I got on my knees and started digging the panel out with my hands, not caring if I got dirt under my nails.
'It's a small price to pay. The Mini-Con's worth it' I thought.
It took a good amount of time but I eventually got the Mini-Con panel free. I smiled at my accomplishment before running out to find the others, searching in every direction until I spotted them.
"Hey, guys!" I shouted, running over to them. My voice got their attention and they looked in my direction. "I found it! I found the Mini-Con!"
I watched as excited looks came on their faces, but then a shadow passed over me and they were replaced with horrified expressions as they seemed to look past me. I was confused and turned around, only to have my eyes widen in fear when I saw the Decepticon with the weird eyes (Demolisher, if I remembered correctly) standing behind me. I watched as he reached his hand out to me slowly.
"Valerie, RUN!"
That was all I needed to hear and I started running away as fast as I could, clutching the Mini-Con panel close to my chest protectively with both arms. My lungs burned and my legs felt sore, but I couldn't stop running no matter how tired I was. My friends were counting on me.
But my downfall came when I suddenly tripped and I found myself on the rocky ground in pain, my palms stinging from having been scrapped during the fall. My HANDS? I lifted my head up and saw that the Mini-Con panel had landed a few feet away from me when I fell. I had to get it! I was about to get up to get it when I saw Megatron come out of nowhere and grabbed it. I froze in place when he spotted me.
"It's you again, femme. And you found the Mini-Con." The Decepticon leader stated, a smirk on his face. "I should reward you for delivering it to me personally." I felt myself shaking in fear and I gulped. He chuckled, seeming to sense my fear. "I know the perfect reward." He pulled out a blaster and my eyes widen as he aimed it at me. "A quick death!"
My mind started screaming for me to get up and run for it but my body wasn't listening. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, expecting the inevitable to come. This was it! I was going to die and was because of my clumsiness! I saw the images of my friends flash before my mind's eyes, meeting Autobots, talking with Jetfire and remembering the promise he made me.
I heard the blaster go off but didn't feel the impact, followed by more blaster fire rapidly going off. I opened my eyes wondering what happened, only to gasp and my eyes widened when I saw Optimus kneeling in front of me while using his body to shield me from the attack as Megatron continued firing at his back. It didn't help that his form was beaten up a bit and Megatron's attack probably wasn't helping him.
"Optimus!" I cried.
The Autobot leader slowly turned his head and looked down at me with his golden colored optics.
"Valerie! I want you to make a run for it and get to safety!" Optimus told me, his voice sounding somewhat strain from the attack.
"But Optimus-!"
"Go! That's an order!"
I hesitantly got up, completely dumbstruck and shocked that…that Optimus was risking his life to protect me and allowing me to get away safely. There was nothing I could do except run. That was why he was taking the blows from Megatron's blaster in the first place. I started running away, not caring where I was heading as long as I was able to get away. I don't know how long I ran and my mind was so caught up in my thoughts that before I knew it I found myself coming into an area where the rest of the Autobots and my friends were, the former group looking worn from the battle. Seeing the transformers in this state made my mind think back on what just happened earlier with Optimus. Speaking about Optimus, I soon heard heavy footsteps behind me and turned to see the Autobot leader limp into the area. I silently gasped at the condition he was in, knowing that he was in worse shape than his men.
'And it's all my fault…' I thought sadly.
"What about the Mini-Con?"
Hot Shot's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to face him and the others.
"Valerie found it but then Demolisher went after her." Rad told the yellow Autobot.
Everyone's attention turned to me and I suddenly felt dread as they looked at me. Their gazes seemed to weigh down on me and I was overcome with guilt.
"So? Where is it?" He asked.
"I was running…and I dropped it when I tripped. And now the Decepticons have it."
I watched as Alexis, Rad, Carlos, Billy, and Fred had shocked expressions, as well as the Autobots expressing their shock in their own way, although I wasn't sure about Blurr since he didn't seem to show it. But seeing everyone's reactions caused the guilt I felt to increase. My eyes started to well up with tears but I refused to let them fall.
My mind didn't seem to register what was said but when the Autobots transformed I knew it was time to head back to the base. I decided to ride with Blurr and sat in the passenger seat. I knew that if I rode with him that he wouldn't talk to me and I took solace in that. I didn't feel like talking, not after what happened. I felt…I felt worthless! Even after warping back to the base the nauseous feeling in my stomach was nothing compared to the emotional pain I felt at the moment.
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I found myself standing in black nothingness alone. I was alone until I saw my friends and the Autobots standing around me in a circle as a spotlight shown down on each other them.
"You guys…" I said.
They didn't say anything. They didn't need to. The looks on their faces were enough to tell me what was going through their heads. Disappointment. Accusation. As I looked around at everyone I couldn't help but feel the combination of guilt, sadness, and worthlessness go through me. It was too much.
"Alexis? Rad? Carlos? Billy? Fred?"
Even as I called their names they didn't say anything. I gasped when they suddenly disappeared along with the spotlights they were standing under. That only left the Autobots standing where they were around me. One by one they turned their backs on me before disappearing the same way that Alexis, Rad, Carlos, Billy, and Fred did. I looked behind me to see that Jetfire was the only one left.
"Jetfire?" I said.
I started walking towards him, but nothing prepared me for what happened next. He pulled his blaster out and aimed at me, causing me to stop in place and become shocked. Why was he doing this?
"How could you let the Decepticons get their slagging servos on the Mini-Con?" He asked. "Oh, that's right! You tripped, you klutz!"
Everything he said seemed to stab daggers into my chest and I suddenly found myself clutching a hand to my chest.
"I didn't mean to… I'm so sorry…" I said quietly. I started crying.
"Ah, you're leaking. Did I hurt your feelings? Maybe I should just blast you. That way I'd be putting you out of your misery and out of our CPUs. Or I could let you live and continue to suffer." He turned his back to face me. "You know what? I'll just leave you to suffer."
With that he disappeared just like everyone else, leaving me alone in this nothingness.
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My eyes shot open and I bolted into an upright position as I breathed heavily. I felt something on my hands and I looked down at them to see that they were wrapped up in bandages so that my fingers were to only thing not covered by them. They weren't wrapped before. I lifted my head to take in my surroundings and was surprised to find myself in the med bay. When did I get here? I don't remember coming here at all. And I don't remember falling asleep either.
As I continued looking around me I could see that I wasn't the only one in here. I cringed upon seeing Optimus laying on top of a berth while Red Alert worked on him completely focused. Looking to my left I saw Hot Shot on another berth, but when I looked to my right my eyes widened when I saw Jetfire on a berth as well, seeming to be asleep since his optics seemed to be dimmed.
I suddenly remembered my dream and started shaking a bit as my mind replayed everything. I couldn't stay in this room. I needed to get away and be alone. I got up and tried to find a way down from the berth I was on top of and was slightly relieved to find a ladder. As soon as my feet touched the ground I made a bee-line for the door that led into the hallway. I wasn't aware of where I was going but I eventually found myself curled up in a ball crying.
The faces of everyone in my dream wouldn't leave my mind. It was my fault! It was my fault that I lost the Mini-Con! It was my fault that Optimus got hurt all because he was forced to shield me from Megatron's blaster! And now everyone probably hated me for my clumsiness!
'It's my fault!' I thought, shutting my eyes tightly. I started pounding on my head with my fists. 'It's my fault! It's my fault! It's my fault! It's-!'
Suddenly my arm was stopped just when I was about to hit my head again, causing me to become confused. I opened my eyes before lifting my head up, only to have my breath caught in my throat when I saw Jetfire kneeling down in front of me while he held my arm between his index finger and thumb. Even as he looked down at me I could see that he gazed at me with pity. I looked away, not wanting to see that look on his face. I didn't deserve it.
"Skydancer. Look at me." I shook my head, letting him know I didn't want to. "Why won't you look at me?"
"It's my fault…" I said quietly, fresh tears starting to fall from my eyes. "It's all my fault…"
"What are you talking about?"
"I lost the Mini-Con and Optimus got hurt because of me. All of this is my fault."
Jetfire let go of my arm before I felt something on my back.
"It's not your fault, Valerie." He told me. "Optimus got hurt protecting you. He would've done the same thing for any of us if we were in the same situation. Besides this hasn't been the first time the Autobots lost a Mini-Con to the Decepticons."
I soon felt another hand to my left before I was suddenly scooped up in both hands. From my peripheral vision I could see that Jetfire brought me close to his chest and I found myself being cradled close to it. My face heated up from the close contact. I heard Jetfire sigh.
"No wonder you have such low self-esteem. You beat yourself up for something you couldn't help."
I forced myself to look up at him, exposing my tear-stained face. I saw what appeared to be surprise on his face before I saw it soften in concern.
"You're leaking..." He said softly. "Are you that upset about what happened?"
I lowered my gaze before nodding my head. Jetfire lifted me up so that I was held against the Autobot symbol on his chest. I noticed that it was warmer on that spot then the rest of him, not that his metal surface was cold like I thought it'd be when I first met him. I found comfort in the warmth I felt and placed the side of my face against his chest.
"It's going to be okay, Skydancer. That much I can tell you."
A part of me wished that Jetfire was right about what he said, but the other part felt somewhat uncertain about it. What was I supposed to believe?
ATE: That's it for chap 3 of this story. I hope people enjoyed it. Now the next chap will be the events of episode 26: Linkup from Transformers Armada, so you have an idea as to what'll happen next. Anyways, if anyone has any ideas they'd want to suggest for any future chaps of this story feel free to share and I'll give credit for anyone's ideas I use. Please remember to review! ;D