The sky's the limit

Chapter 10

A/N: ooooo this is nearing its end. I really enjoyed writing this one because I like the combination of fighting where one bot is in one form while the other is in another form. It really shows that they aren't reliant on one thing. Anyway hope you enjoy, please review. I don't own Transformers nor any OCs in this fic. All OCs belong to SuperSentai199.

Shades optics onlined slowly, luckily the light was still dim in the room so she wasn't blinded by anything as she awoke from recharge. She noticed the berth in the middle of the room was empty and immediately remembered the previous night's events. She smiled remembered Predakings warm embrace after she parted her wings. His soft and gentle touches as they kisses and his servos ran up and down her armour plating massaging her. Those sensations made her relax into his touch so much more. He had pulled her against him even more and they had fell into recharge in each other's arms on the floor in the corner not long after. "You're beautiful" Shade heard his voice softly speak out and she noticed that he was looking directly at her. Her helm rested on one of his arms while the other was draped over her waist protectively. Shade smiled at him and brought one of her servos up to stroke along his cheek.

"You're too cute" she replied to him as he nudged his faceplates into her touch even more. She made him melt at the touch and his spark pulse a little harder. The thing that Shade loved most about the previous night was that he didn't force her. Not like Megatron wanted; he had happily told her that that wasn't what he was looking for.

"I could wait an entire lifetime for you and nothing would stop me from being with you" the femme chose not to say anything back. Though she would happily admit that he made her happy and he was the reason that she could bare being around decepticons so much but there was still something missing; her family. He would never understand and she very much doubted that he would get along with them. What scared her is that she knew that eventually she would have to choose. The time would come where she would have to decide whether to go with her family or with him. It scared her because she didn't know what to do, she didn't know what her spark really wanted.

She could practically hear her sire's wise words speaking to her. As much as he loved her and she loved him she knew he would want her to be happy. He would tell her that no matter what she chose he would always be there for her. His voice was literally in her audio receptors thinking about him. It had been so long since she had been with him and the others as a family but in all that time she had grown. Changed not just physically but mentally as well; Shade had learned so much from this experience that now she was a much better bot. Her fighting had improved significantly and she was now much stronger.

Shade was pulled out of her processor when a loud knocking came from the door "Boss we got energon out here" it seemed that Skylynx was one to ruin a moment.

Shade pulled herself up allowing herself to stretch and wake up properly. Predaking followed opening the door gesturing for Shade to go first. She smiled at his kindness and as she walked past she quickly reached up and planted a kiss on his cheekplate. As she pulled away she felt his body significantly warm up which she couldn't help but giggle about. Moving out to the main room Shade noticed that Skylight and Nightblade were in deep conversation with the two mech predacons. Skylight having taken a shining to Darksteel and Nightblade having taken a shining to Skylynx.

Predaking noticed the energon cubes on the side and was the one to move over and grab the last two and returned to Shades side. Handing one of the cubes to her she gracefully took it, offering him a smile. "Thanks"

The two stood there together for a while sipping their energon while they watched their partners. It was a content moment seeing the four cybertronians engage and show interest in one another. For a little while all of them seemed to forget where they were or who was aboard the ship that commanded the mechs. Shade couldn't help but notice that both her friends were closing the distance with the mechs obviously feeling more comfortable with the company that they now had. Though she failed to notice that her behaviour was the same, her body unconsciously scooting closer to Predaking. Only until their servos that rested at their sides touched and they could feel each other did the two of the take a step away from the other.

The energon in both of their bodies warming in embarrassment a little. "If last night made you feel…uncomfortable"

Shade made sure to stop him there. He had struggled to find the right words and now she was worried that he would try to take it back "Please don't" she turned her back to the four sitting down so that her optics were focussed on Predakings face. She looked right up into him making sure he was paying attention to her words. "Do you really think that I would have kissed you back if I felt uncomfortable? If my spark thought that it was wrong"

Predakings spark pulsated at her voice. She didn't regret kissing him and neither did he. His spark spoke out loudly to kiss her then but didn't want to out in the open in front of the others. "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't care about you; that my spark didn't sing for you when we were apart"

She smiled, giggling slightly. He started out under orders to abuse her and ended up loving her? "I'd be lying too" she moved to grab his empty cube and place both of them down. She wanted his full attention but she also wanted him to understand. Understand that she has no allegiance to the decepticons and that she would always protect her family. Shade grasped his servos in hers, rubbing her digits over the tops of his plating. "But I can't ignore what you're doing and who you pledge your loyalty to. I will not abandon my family" that was when she let go of his servos "My spark calls to you too" he couldn't help the big grin that grew on his face plates "but I can't be with you so long as you want to kill someone I love and pledge your loyalty to a murderer" she went to move away towards her window spot but was stopped when Predaking grabbed her arm getting her attention before she would ignore him.

"I promised that I wouldn't hurt him"

"You didn't promise not hurt everyone else though" Shade yanked her arm out of his grasp and moved away, sitting herself down at the window. She could see from the corner of her optics that Predaking was watching her. She understood that what she said may have hurt but to be with him would be to betray everything that she stood for, to betray Optimus. Until Predaking saw what Megatron and the decepticons were for himself properly she would try to keep her distance. Which would get harder the longer she stayed away. Her spark hurting at the thought of it; like it didn't want to lose its other half.

The femme vented lightly trying to keep her cool. Her gaze focussed on the outside world that she was kept from she began to think about Ratchet. The one bot that rarely left the autobot base. He was somewhere on this ship and she needed to find him. She wondered what Megatron wanted with him? If he was okay? Was he being experimented on? It worried her spark further. To distract herself she remembered the times that Ratchet would watch over her while Optimus was on a mission back on Cybertron. Growing up he taught her many things while making sure that she was on top of her training with her Sire. The medic always made sure she was doing something productive. Though she wondered if that was because when she was bored she would annoy him while he monitored communications.

One particular memory she was fond of was when Ratchet was ignoring her and she managed to sneak off with Wheeljack on his ship. She would listen to the wreckers war stories and when they eventually returned Ratchet got really protective of her. The old bot would argue with Wheeljack about taking her out of the base without authorisation making sure that it was wielded into his processor that it wasn't safe for her. While every time Wheeljack would argue that Shade needed down time and didn't need to be confined all the time. The memories made a bit of lubricant run down from her optic that she quickly wiped away.

Not one autobot hadn't sealed themselves on to her spark. Even a strict bot like Ultra Magnus. The one bot that made sure she was safe on the battlefield. It sounded funny but he would protect her; watch her back while she fought. He would often instruct her of ways she could perfect her fighting strategies. Most people saw him as a bot that would be hard to get on with but Shade didn't. You just had to be around him for a long time to see that he wasn't as bad as people first see him as. Her processor made her think of each member of her family individually; it all made her realise that she had been gone for a long time. She had not been with her family since Cybertron fell which she guessed was a long time ago now. Thinking of them all, her servo unconsciously lifted to her chest plates where her digits wrapped around her necklace that never left her. Her thumb rubbing over the blue and purple shades of the pendant that represented herself and Arcee.

Shade couldn't help but admit to herself that she missed her Sire the most. The one bot that was there for her when no one else was. Her father; the mech that took her in when she was young and taught her everything she would need to know. Optimus had begun teaching her from a young age which made her a skilled fighter. Her own knowledge was much bigger having been taught that of the wisdom of the primes from Optimus as well. Often she would wonder why he shared this knowledge with her. Shade had been tempted in the past to ask if she was expected to fill his peds. She may not biologically be related but to everyone she was the daughter of a Prime.

"Shade?" she was pulled out of her processor by Skylight. The femme speaking softly and full of concern. Shade looked to her friend and saw that Nightblade and the two mech predacons were staring at her; there faces blank. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I'm just thinking" Shade then began to consider what would happen should Megatron enquire why the femmes hadn't been impregnated. The autobots wouldn't sit around while Ratchet was kept a prisoner either. She could feel it deep down. Her family were coming and she would have to decide where she would stand. With their new found strength she was sure that her two best friends could defend themselves but she would still watch their backs regardless. If her feelings were right then it might be the only chance they get at actually leaving the Nemesis and perhaps being with the others. That was when she considered the predacons. They wanted to protect the femmes from Megatrons abuse but what about everything else? Shade sighed hoping that they would soon leave the warship. She had never been so concentrated on their safety before. The weight of her friends lives in her servos – was this what it felt like to be Optimus? "We can't stay here"

Nightblade was the first to enquire what Shade was thinking about "What do you mean?"

"We are autobots and we don't belong amoung the decepticon ranks. Remember that we are still prisoners here and we've been here too long. The longer we stay here the more dangerous it becomes. Even Ratchet's a prisoner now and we can't just sit back anymore" her voice was firm. Shade never imagined herself feeling this much in control and the one to make these decisions. She'd grown so much from her time on the warship that she didn't recognise herself anymore. But it was time to stop sitting around.

Nightblade and Skylight couldn't believe that the autobot medic was now aboard as well. It seemed that the bots weren't doing so well and with that they had to agree with Shade. "So that's the mech that boss went to see" Darksteel nudged Skylnx "I wondered why he was in a hurry"

Shade heard the mechs loud and clear and her optics widened in fear. Skylynx shook his helm and glanced back at Shade "Where do you three think you'll get from here? Didn't you already try to escape?" he was questioning Shade quite logically.

She shook off his questions and focussed more on Darksteel "What did you just say? Where did Predaking go?" she had failed to even register that he wasn't even in the room anymore and had left without her noticing.

"Errrr said he had business to take care of with the autobot"

Shades vents screamed out. Her plating shook while her spark sunk. She was scared but there was something else. An ember burning inside of her that was getting brighter. She was mad. No she was furious. He had promised to her and on his honour he was now breaking that promise. Before anything more could be said the door to their quarters opened and Soundwave strolled in like he belonged. Shades wings spread as far as they could and she jumped over to him which did startle the silent mech from the sudden action but he wasn't one to show much emotion so stayed still. "Soundwave, there is a decent mech inside of you that I am appealing to now. You allowed us to stretch outside so there is good in you. I don't care that you kidnapped me or my two friends. I don't even care that if it was you that brought Ratchet aboard the Nemesis; I just need to know where he is now"

Shade stared into his blank visor. She hoped appealing to his better nature might work making it verbal that she had noticed that he didn't seem like the deadly communications officer that she used to know. Something in him had changed which made her feel a little more comfortable with him. It was then that Soundwave's visor lit up. A recording of Megatrons voice speaking through "I made a promise to someone that I intend to keep" Then his visor showed a security footage of Ratchet being escorted down a dark corridor to a door that she knew lead to the flight deck. She watched in anticipation as Ratchet was thrown into the room right in front of where Predaking stood looking down at the medic with intimidation. The footage then cut off and Soundwave immediately side stepped. Shade didn't waste time as she flew past him and down the dark corridor ignoring the screams of her name from her friends.

Shades sole focus was getting to the flight deck now. Her optics didn't even glance at vehicons that she glided past. Her form was so fast that she Nightblade and Skylight couldn't keep up properly while they too were being followed by Skylynx and Darksteel. Her body vented out hot air at her growing anger. She trusted him and he gave her his word which he had voluntary broken. Her spark felt like fire as she kept on running; her emotions so strong that she could feel her body almost transform but she held back the instinct. She wanted him to hear her words before anything else.

Seeing the door that lead to the flight deck right in front of her she pushed forward, her strong and durable body able to smash right through it to wear she now stood on the flight deck. Her audio receptors picked up the sound of her friends behind her running to keep up but she didn't wait. Her optics had scanned the deck and had focussed on Predakings beast form beating Ratchet. The medic leaking energon from the punches and hits that he was taking.

Shade let out a growl from her mouth before charging at predaking. The dragon like predacon having struck Ratchet with his tail. Ratchet however couldn't help the pained grunts that he made as his body was tossed to the floor away from Predaking. Though the more distance that was put between them the more Predaking clenched as he moved towards the medic with narrowed yellow optics and was ready to strike again. Just as he was about to hit Ratchet again Shade jumped up into the air, using her wings as a boost, and she descended down at high velocity towards Predaking. At the last second she thrust her peds forward to land a very hard kick to the beasts backside making him fall forward over Ratchet.

The purple and pink predacon femme kept her form steady after her hit with her wings allowing herself to touch back down onto the floor. Her optics narrowed at the beast that she thought she knew. The mech she trusted and was ready to give her spark to.

She was easily distracted however hearing Ratchet in pain. She was light on her feet as she moved over to him and helped him up. She was careful as she bent down so that she was level with him and put his servo around her neck so that she now supported him. The medic's tired optics took a quick look at her before registering who she was. "Shade?" his voice rough from the hits he took.

"It's me Ratchet. It's good to see you but would have been better if you didn't look like you had just had a run in with a scraplet" she joked and could hear him chuckle a little which made her a little more relieved. She hadn't heard him laugh in so long that it was a sound to be remembered.

"I heard that you had changed" he stopped for a second to cough out through his vents. He must have been feeling very weak "You saved Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Bumblebee and Optimus" he spoke lowly.

She gave him a smile showing that she was still the femme that he remembered only that she looked different "Yeah and now it's time I saved you. I'm getting you out of here" she went to help him walk away but was stopped by an angered roar from Predaking as he had regained himself and didn't look at all pleased that Shade had intervened. She growled to him response that Ratchet picked up on and could see that as she glared daggers at Predaking she was being protective of the medic.

"Shade!" the femme heard her name being called from being her where the others must have caught up and were now watching them in concern.

Shade though didn't spare a glance at them. She wanted to make sure that Predaking knew she was angry with him and she wasn't going to let him off with this. Now it was personal. She made her voice firm and venomous when she began to shout at the dragon like beast "You promised and you dishonour yourself by going back on your word" Predaking lowered himself but still tried to make himself looked bigger and meaner. He took a step towards them as he also tried to intimidate shade as well which didn't seem to work. "I love you Predaking but you have gone too far this time. I have tried to convince you and show you the truth but you just won't let me in and as long as you are with Megatron then we are enemies" Shade lowered herself and released Ratchet so that he was resting on the floor. He was vigilant as he watched Shade and Predaking but chose not to say anything, he needed to regain his strength. "If you want to kill Ratchet" Shade stood to her full height. Not exactly bigger than Predaking but it was definitely bigger than Ratchet remembered her being. She then spread her wings out fully and stepped in front of the medic so that he was protected out of the conflict behind her "You're going to have to kill a predacon to do it" she referred to herself as the one he would have to kill and at those words the beast took a step back, his optics softened a little not wanting to hurt her. He had already done that though by betraying her trust; going back on his word. Dishonouring himself.

Looking into her optics he could see that they had hardened, she was being dead serious. He had tried to put his vengeance aside but couldn't. It was too powerful and it filled him up right to the point to where he now stood and decided in a split second; he would not kill Shade but he would fight through her to get to Ratchet. He screeched out and began running at Shade. The femme reacting immediately her inner warrior taking over as she pivoted on the spot wrapped her servos around Ratchet and flew up into the air just as Predaking was about to attack her. She had seen right through his attack and made sure to protect the old bot. She flew out further on to the flight deck and landed softly putting Ratchet down gently before turning around so that her attention was on the fight. She would keep him away from Ratchet as much as possible so it was her that moved first now as she ran Predaking. In an attempt to knock her away he swung his body around to hit her with his tail but she jumped up over his attack evading it and punched him in the face plates.

She began to think less of how much she loved him as she jumped up and onto his back using her talon like digits rip off some of his armour plating with made him screech in pain. She attempted to get at his inner wiring and inflict a bit of damaged but was stopped when she was thrown off his back and onto the floor. She didn't have the time to pick herself up as he picked her up in his mouth and bit down on her with his sharp denta. She yelled out from the pain before being thrown away from him. Her form crashed onto the floor and made an unpleasant noise as she slide to a stop. She could feel that her energon line were raw from almost being punctured but that didn't stop her from picking herself up. She glanced to Predaking expecting him to attack her again but he had disregarded her and was going for Ratchet. It made her energon boil to see that he was trying to avoid killing her. It was then that she swore in her processor that if he killed Ratchet then she would kill him. There would be no being together after this. Clenching her servos she activated her forearm blades and lunged herself at him swiping her blades across his vulnerable side. The attack made him stop moving towards Ratchet and focus back on fighting her.

He tried hitting her with his talons but she flapped her wings to push her back and used her peds to push off the ground to evade the attack by back flipping away. It frustrated him that she was smaller and much more agile so it was much harder for him land a hit on her. Shade also had more fighting experience which was very evident in the way she fought. She anticipated her opponent's moves swiftly which would be why she moved Ratchet further away from him. Getting frustrated Predaking charged his fire attack opting to hit her that way. Shade saw this as his plating from his chest began to light up. His head then tilted back before he would attack her but she wouldn't let that happen. He had left himself vulnerable again and so took her chance she focussed her strength and ran right at him. Her body crashing into his chest plated which forced air out of his vents and cut off his fire attack. Predaking tried swiping his claws at her but she was able to quickly duck her helm and push him back. Grasping her digits around him she let herself fall down on her back pulling him with her. Right at the last minute she pushed her peds up into her flipping him up over her and using his weight against him. Predaking landed helm first on the floor as he slide to a stop his armour shifted as he transformed into his bi-pedal form. When he was done transforming he grunted from the throbbing that ran through his body. Shade didn't let up, she kept her distance as she watched him get up again. "Megatron…expects me to offline him" Predaking sounded out of breath as he sat up and gradually stood on his peds.

"Well he's going to be disappointed" she didn't let up on the venomous way she spoke "That murderer has taken too many lives already and I won't let him take another" Predaking chose not to say anything further. He shot her a curious glance hoping that she was elaborate "Optimus Prime is not my biological sire; he found me in my home, my real sire dead on the floor and my carrier had been kidnapped and taken to a decepticon prison called Helix. Megatron had his main base there where they experimented and tortured innocent bots. The autobots were running an infiltration mission to bring down Helix the day Cybertron died. Megatron must have got word because whatever he did destroyed Helix and any bot inside while killing the planet" she clenched her fists at the memory but she wanted to prove to him that she wasn't acting on vengeance for her creators but fighting for the greater good. She fights in the name of Optimus Prime and the autobots not to get revenge for happened when she was young. The predacon didn't know what to say or if he dare to say anything at all. "I don't fight for revenge, to make Megatron pay but to stop him and protect other life from his tyranny. So if you really want to dishonour your name further and kill Ratchet then you will have to go through me"

Shade could no longer keep back her emotions as she transformed into her beast form. She roared out into the air and spread her wings to their full length making herself look that much bigger than him. Predaking considered it; he watched as Shade once again moved to place herself between him and the medic and he couldn't help but admire her. She was majestic and fought for all the right reasons. It hurt his spark that he had hurt her and she had been hurt by Megatron in such a way but yet she hadn't given in. Shade hadn't gone out on her own as he had to make sure that the Megatron got what he deserved. She was doing things the right way and would make sure that justice was given how it should be. He contemplated just charging through her and killing the autobot but she still wouldn't allow it and even if he did do it he could see in Shades optics that she would never forgive him. The real question would be could he live without Shade at his side?