*****************************Woods************************************
Sarah ran, the air of the deep wood burning in her lungs. Her hair becoming tangled as she ran. Thorns tearing her clothes. There was no path here and quickly she became hopelessly turned around. She ran until she could run no more. Tripping over some tree roots she let out a cry of fright as she fell.
All around her was silent. Sarah listened and looked but saw no sign of her ape like pursuer. She breathed a sigh of relief and got to her feet. Her legs were shaking and she leaned against the tree for support, catching her breath.
The tree suddenly moved, growling at her as vines dropped from its branches entangling her body, lifting her up slightly. Eyes opened on the tree truck as well as a mouth with teeth! "You have got to be kidding me!" Sarah practically screamed as she struggled. This tree was planning on making her lunch. What kind of horrible world was this?
"Let me go!" Sarah kicked at the eyes on the tree. It screeched and tightens its hold around her chest. Sarah gasped for breath, spots starting to dance in her eyes. It couldn't end like this! Could it? Sarah passed out and the tree moved her still form toward its dripping sap filled mouth when a laser bolt cut the vine holding Sarah. She dropped to the ground, the tree recoiled screaming, waving its vines in a frantic pained motion.
Monkian picked up the human girl with a grunt. The vines fell way and he was pleased to see she was still breathing. Mumm-Ra would have his hide if she has been killed and whatever power source she had lost to the ages.
A moment later he teleported away from the forest into the dark, wet, prison in Mumm-Ra's pyramid. The air was stale and smelled of mold and rot. This was a place that no one ever left alive. Rotten corpse and bones lay around in the different cells. Picking one at random Monkian opened it, dumped Sarah's unconscious form just inside the metal doors and slammed it shut once more. "Ohh there, task completed, Ook…now to see is Slythe and Jackelman have failed." And with that he was gone once more.
*******************************Berbil Village**********************************
"Bumblebee move!" Hot Rod shouted as the yellow scout ducked into cover just as another volley of laser fire rained down from above.
"Lizard men on the left!" Pathro called from his place on Jazz's shoulder before leaping to engage while the bot shot at everything he could see.
"Hurry this way! Come on!" Wily Kat and Kit where doing their best to herd the berbils and villagers away from the massive fighting.
Cheetara struggled with two jackelmen. They snapped at her and grabbed at her body. Suddenly they were both whipped away. "Tigra!" She exclaimed happy to see him.
"Sorry I'm late." He said taking a back to back stance with Cheetara.
They both knocked away attackers. "Late? I'd say you are right on time." Even with the seriousness of the fight, there was a smile in her voice.
More laser fire and a building close by began to crumble.
"Anyone have a plan?" Hot Rod shouted while firing back. Lion-O hurried to Optimus Primes side.
"Toss me at the lead ship!" Lion-O commanded of Optimus gesturing to the largest ship hovering quite some distance above them.
"Are you sure?" Optimus asked, offering his hand for Lion-O to climb upon, as more laser blasts happened around them.
"Yes, Do it." Lion-O said with the voice of a leader. Optimus respected that and tossed the Lord of the thundercats as hard as he could up to the lead ship. Lion-O landed easily on the main glass frightening Slythe and Jackleman who were controlling the attack from the safety of the lead ship. Lion-O managed a quick wave before stabbing the sword of omens into the power control panel, causing chains explosions throughout the ship.
Lion-O jumped away as the crippled ship called an all retreat. Falling through the air, Optimus caught him with ease, cradling him just for a moment in his hands.
All of the lizard and jackelmen soldiers, had teleported away. The ones that were capable anyway and a cheer roared through the village. The people hurried out thanking the Thundercats and Autobots for saving them. Even though much of the village had been destroyed, the promise to help rebuild was made by Optimus and by Lion-O.
"Lion-O…your sword?" Tigra question as the eye of thundara still trembled.
"Something else must be wrong. Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight." Lion-O spoke placing the sword up to his face. "It's Sarah…this attack was just a distraction, Monkian has captured her and placed her in the dark pyramid."
"Sarah!" Bumblebee and Hot Rod shouted together.
"You know her?" Panthro asked.
"She's our friend. The one who went missing!" Bumblebee said, worry in his voice. What was this dark pyramid? Was his charge really in such a horrible place?
"We have to save her!" Hot Rod added.
"We will Hot Rod, but just what is this dark pyramid?" Optimus asked the thundercats. His voice was steady and calm, leading by example. It would do no good to rush in without a plan.
"Mumm-Ra's temple. A place of evil and darkness. No one's ever come out alive. Except for Lion-O." Wily Kit said nodding at the leader.
"And I must admit, that was more luck than skill." Lion-O honestly added. There would be no point in giving his new friends false hope.
"Why don't we just attack it outright?" Ironhide gruffed. Like slag he would just sit around and let anything happen to the child of all spark, or anyone in the cohort, without a fight.
"You'd never get close. Mumm-Ra's pyramid has defenses all around it. Powerful stuff." Panthro frowned thinking. His mind was on the same wave length as Ironhide's. Both had a soft spot for kids and both knew they had found a brother in arms in the other.
"There might be a way." Robear Bill spoke up. "There is an old pipe spillway that goes under the pyramid of darkness. It might be a way in."
As the sun began to set plans were being made and time was very short.
**************************Dark prison cell**************************************
Slowly Sarah cracked her eyes open followed immediately by a rough cough as she tried to breath in the dusty, stale air. A strange beam of yellowish light danced across her. Sarah held still as she could and waited. A voice spoke softly close by. "Oh you poor thing."
Sarah tried to push herself up on her elbows to turn towards the voice as it continued to speech quietly more to itself that to her. "Bruised ribs, multiple scratches, sprained ankle, possible concussion…and difficult air quality down here to breath." The voice then let out a sigh and noticed her movements. "It's alright. I won't hurt you." The voice promised, and Sarah rubbed her eyes trying to adjust them in the dark. She knew whoever was speaking was telling the truth. The voice had so much compassion and empathy in it.
Sarah got to her feet as best she could. The voice had been right, she hurt all over as she made her way towards the sound in the dark. Driven by some unknown desire, not to be alone in such a wretched, dark place.
Finally her eyes adjusted to the dim blue light and she could see the owner of the voice. A robot?! He was seated on the wet ground, against the far stone wall of the cell. He was chained at the wrists by great bands of metal, making his hands paralleled to his shoulders. His chest and head were red in color but dull and dirty. His arms and legs appeared to once be white but were now stained with green muck and rust. Panels on him especially the legs and aft areas looked fully rusted, and she could see small holes here and there.
"He must be in terrible pain." Sarah thought forgetting her own injuries for the moment. She looked up into his blue eyes, or blue lights, realizing he was the only source of light in the cell.
For a moment they just looked at each other before he spoke. "My name is First Aid."
"I'm Sarah…chirp." She replied and First Aid was shocked at what he had heard.
"Could you…repeat that please?" He asked the human girl.
Sarah cocked her head. Perhaps he was a bit deaf. "I'm Sarah." She said a bit louder. This time there was no chirp, perhaps he had just imagined it? It had been orns since First Aid had spoken to anyone.
They were silent again for a moment before Sarah spoke. "May I come closer, please?" She asked.
"Yes, I would like that very much." First Aid answered as Sarah moved between his legs and gently reached up to put her hands onto his thigh lifting herself into a seated position on his lap and leaned against him. First Aid let out a deep venting of air but Sarah did not pull away she only asked. "Is this alright?"
He nodded, "Forgive me if I startled you. It has been, a very long time since I have felt the warmth of another living thing."
Sarah looked at him. "I feel like, I should be embarrassed or something I'm not usually this forward or anything…but you feel so familiar. That…probably sounds very silly." She said as a self-berating chirp left her lips. First Aid knew he had not imagined it this time but she seemed completely unaware of the sounds she was making.
"Have you been with autobots before?" he wondered.
"What's an autobot?" Sarah asked.
"Well me, I am an autobot. Have you been around others like me?" First Aid asked.
Sarah shook her head. "Not that I remember. See I got this…" She turned her head to show First Aid. "Bad bump on my head and it affected my memory. But maybe I have been, maybe that's why you feel so right. Chirp click." Sarah yawned, a combination of the cold wetness of the cell and her injuries making her tired. Her body wanted rest.
She was speaking in sparkling, First Aid was positive now, but he was also positive she was 100% human at least on a basic scan. He decided to reply in Cybertronian and watch her response. "Whirr click click."
Sarah responded immediately but curling against him closer keeping warm. She was already half asleep when First Aid scanned her again. Yes it was safe for her to sleep, so he did his best to keep his outer form at a comfortably warm temperature to ease her sleeping.
And he tried with all his might not to imagine what Mumm-Ra had in store for her.
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