So I think I kinda rushed on this one...

But hopefully you guys don't mind that it's so short :)

Enjoy!

Of The Spark And Heart

Part 1

Chapter 18

All there seemed to be was darkness. There was no light. There was no sound. There was just nothing. Fera could feel herself floating in that nothing. She could feel nothing. Think nothing. See nothing. It was a horrible, crushing feeling that she couldn't push away. All she knew was that she was numb and afraid. Very, very afraid. Of what, she didn't know. She was very cold and it was hard to breath. Moving was impossible here. Did she want to move? No. No, she was fine here. She was too afraid.

Why was she so afraid? All of her memories were just mixed up blobs that made no coherent sense whatsoever. The last memory she could actually consider was a feeling of fear and pain and uncertainty. Was she dead? She hoped not. She had to return to something. To someone. To them. Who were them? Were they important? Of course they were. They had to be. A series of visions passed over her too quickly for her to understand, and that frustrated her. Fera winced and tried to focus. It was so hard to concentrate here in this nothingness. Someone needed her. They needed her. But why was it so hard? She wanted to go back, she did. But she was just so very, very afraid.

Then, there was the claws.

They curled over her and clamped down. Hard. Her breath became stripped from her and she couldn't feel her legs. She tried to struggle, to get away. But those claws dug into her skin and clothes, growing tighter the more she attempted escape. The tips pierced her skin and she could feel her own blood trickling over her clothes.

Screaming broke the stillness, but she didn't know if it was her own or someone else's. It felt somehow disconnected from her, as if it were and out-of-body experience. But it was such a deep cry of agony, one that was so loud and so piercing that it rocked the very concious she held. No air entered her lungs. No sound reached a helping ear. Her body was being squeezed harder and harder, crushing the very life from her. The surrounding space was so hot and constricting that it kept her from sucking in any feeling of oxygen. Those claws ripped into her body and something popped. Not good. Fera arched herself back and her mouth froze wide in a silent scream. No more could she make noise- she was in so much agony.

Knifes shot from the claws and sliced through her, impaling her in a series of laser-thin rods. New terror waved over her like a heavy weight, sending freezing cold ice through her viens and draining any courage from her. All of it was gone now.

Let me go! she screamed; begged.

Her eyes burned with unshed tears and her entire body locked in a state of paralysis. The pressure didn't leave her and those terrible claws seemed to play with her. The fingers tightened one by one, getting a terrified, yet soundless, shriek from its victim. Fera gasped for breath and yet came up with hot smoke that burned her throat.

Those claws changed and seemed to melt, turning to boiling, liquefied version of what it was. It swirled around her and suddenly she was taken up in a silver whirlpool. The silver wound up her legs and froze them there, traveling up her body. It was so hot! The burning was like nothing she'd ever experience before. It was like molten lava, coursing not only around her, but through her. Once again, she screamed, and she could feel the vibrating of her vocal cords as she did. Fera curled in her arms and fought to get free of this liquid prison, trying to run away from what clung to her.

The silver climbed over her arms and pinned them, searing her from the outside in, as if she were cooking in a pot of boiling water. It reached her shoulders and finally started up her neck, taking its time as she screamed until her insides were raw and then on still. Her tears were slick against her cheeks and they coursed into her mouth and over her chin to sizzle into the silver water as it reached her jawline.

Please...she called pitifully.

Someone...help me...

That awful, burning silver reached her face and though she strained her neck to keep it away, it still came up and over her head. It washed over her, through the thin skin of her face into the muscle beneath. Even her eyes cooked, filling with that hot torture that now slipped into her nose and deep into her throat. Her mind scrabbled over itself as she tried so hard to remember. Why am I so scared?! she roared in thought. I want to know! She knew the claws, and she knew the melting silver...but what had that to do with her? It was so frustrating!

On and on she flailed and on and on she quietly screamed with her streaming tears. The nothingness had suddenly become the silver liquid, coursing around her as if it were an ocean. Her body settled into spasms of twitching stress and her limbs refused to move. Those memories she so desperately clung on to couldn't be deciphered and that was the most painful thought of all. The silver pulsed around her and threw her like a ragdoll as she slowly burned. Her lungs were full of nothing but hot, molten silver and no air could possibly reach her.

I'm going to die, she thought sadly. Can you die when you're already dead? Where will I go? I don't want to die... She went on to repeat this to herself as a constant mantra. I don't want to die, I don't want to die.

Her hope was lost. What was hope in death? But then, right there, as she relented and floated with the current, was hope. Such a small thing, so dim and feeble that it could have easily been looked over. The pulsing it emitted coursed to block the crushing silver around it, as if it was in a protective bubblel. The newness of such a light in darkness was frightening and the pain she had slowly grown used to called her away, whispering that if she just gave up- just let herself fall- that everything would be better. But the hope would not leave her no matter how much she pushed it away. It was a small light in her darkness. The pain carried around it, stalking it like it was its prey. It was trying so hard to find the smaller feeling's weakness. But the hope didn't fade or waver. It instead grew stronger.

The pain drew back, suddenly shrinking in the light. A path was made and the new light and it slipped through, drawing closer to her despite the hesitance she expressed. That hope caressed her heart and completely surrounded it, protecting it and sheilding it from the silver's suffocating presence. And suddenly, Fera wasn't so afraid.

She had hope.

Fera opened her eyes and closed her mouth, shutting off the screams and enduring the pain instead of running from it. The hope jumped at her, trying to reach her and pulling her towards it. She clambered for that hope, clutching on for dear life. The hope, relieved, encircled her protectively and pushed away the fear and the hopelessness and the pain. The nothingness was now hope. The pain was now hope. The fear was now hope.

But that hope was not just hope. It was somehow someone. Someone who protected her fiercely and focused on making her feel safe. Not alone. Safe. It was so pleasant and familiar, even though it was such a strange someone. A stranger of hope. Fera curled into herself, cupping hope to her in a content grasp by her heart. Hope was her new light, pushing away the silver water and making her feel better. Her fear was still there, but even hope couldn't destroy that completely. It could dull it, but not annihilate it. The balance was needed. Without Fear, there could not be Hope.

Hope held her firmly and seemed to speak. It murmured in her ear pure gibberish and it whispered things she did not understand. But she could feel what they meant, and she nearly laughed. Hope was strong beside her and she actually smiled with the warmth. It somehow felt like she knew this essence and it felt as if it had been inside of her all along. It was apart of her and she was apart of it. Simple.

Even then, Hope spoke on in hushed tones, lulling her into a calm, relaxed state. Fera wanted to know what it was saying, but just having it near was enough. Hope spoke on to her and she listened in silence. Who was Hope to her? Was it itself as a complete separate being? Or was Hope something more? Before she could ask, Hope stopped talking. Around her, the silver drained away and left them alone. Fera clutched at Hope in confusion. Where was its voice? Why had it stopped speaking? Was she alone again?

Hope slowly began to pulled back, the barrier around Fera fading. She panicked and tightened her grip on Hope, desperately holding onto whatever comfort she had left. Hope hesitated, but then continued to move. Even though Fera held so dearly to it, Hope left her hands and entered her, digging its way to her heart. There was a pause, but she abruptly reached out, catching Hope and pulling it close. Hope entered her heart and collected itself there, humming softly. Fera felt the wave of reassurance and comfort coming from Hope and she felt a wholeness she had never experienced before. Hope was apart of her now. It had always been, but now it was truly and officially.

That feeling was received with open arms, taken up on both sides. Fera reveled in this connection and she hummed along with Hope. But when Hope stopped, she did too. Then her heart skipped a beat.

You must live, Hope said simply.

Fera's eyes snapped open. Those shadows were staring down at her. Were they worried? The light in the room was painfully bright, blinding her for a moment before dimming. It was nothing like Hope's light. But when it had faded, she was able to focus more clearly. A harsh throb echoed in her head and a pounding headache found itself front and center. Her throat was parched and her lips felt chapped. The shadows around her became smaller and actual faces formed. The people moved away, relieving some pressure from her arms and legs. She suddenly realized she'd been held down.

"What happened?" she groaned, her tone scratchy.

By moving her head to the side, she was able to vaguely understand where she was. It was a small room, most likely one of the medical spaces. One of the faces moved closer and Fera recognized her after a few seconds. "You don't remember? Anything at all?" she asked, shocked. Fera knitted her eyebrows and lifted a lead-heavy arm to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Some things, but nothing much. I feel like crap." she dropped the arm and the woman chuckled almost nervously. "Don't be offended, but you look like it." the doctor commented.

Fera followed Doctor Shelby's movements as she dismissed the nurses that had obviously been there to hold Fera down. They were alone in seconds, and Fera attempting to sit once the extra company was gone. Terra came over and helped her, letting her slump in soreness as the full extent of her injuries took place. "You lost consciousness after that new Autobot rescued you from that Decepticon. You were pretty shaken up considering you had strained muscling around your arms and the ripping of your stitches." the doctor came around to sit on the edge of the bed Fera sat on, a clipboard in her hand. "Not only that, but you have a minor concussion and some bruising of your organs and some burns. It's amazing you're awake."

Doctor Shelby put down the clipboard and leaned back on her hand. "When are you not trying to die?" she asked teasingly. Although, Fera had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't completely joking. Fera chuckled, but regretted it as her side burst in pain. "Let me guess...no painkillers right?" she assumed. "Too dangerous." she mocked the serious tone of a doctor and Terra snorted, curling her lip in distaste. "I don't talk like that." she denied in a hurt voice. Fera sat back against the pillows and watched her doctor with a small grin. "Who's the one who saved me?" Fera asked, placing a hand over her waist. Right now, that dream was just a dream, and Hope was not apart of her heart, nor a being in itself. But there was still that small tug she felt...

"Don't know." Terra said, shrugging. "I do know it's a fembot though, that much is for sure. But I haven't heard her name or what connection she has to the Autobots. She's getting checked out now I would assume, considering she's a new entry to the base and everything." the doctor once again shrugged and stood, walking over to the countertop and retrieving something from beneath the cabinets. "Listen, I know it's hard to actually sit for a moment or two, but could you please not try to get yourself killed while I'm gone? I'd really appreciate the lack of paperwork. " she turned and walked a few steps, tossing the object.

Fera started to catch it, but the object landed safely in her lap. Picking it up, she found it to be a tube of aloe lotion. "That should soothe the burning. But absolutely no pills, got it? I'll be back in awhile to check on you. I think your fits are over, but we are going to continue watching you just in case. Try to get some rest." Terra ordered firmly. Fera looked up and nodded, knowing that even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to get anything. Those cabinets were locked tight and any and all medication was stashed somewhere hidden. Those meds could be hidden better than this base. Terra pointed a finger at Fera, adding a solid warning to her words before she pointed to a security camera and then turned to leave.

"Thanks Terra, you really like to keep an eye on your traumatized patients don't you?" Fera mumbled, twisting open the cap of the lotion. Her arms were pink and a few splotches of red could be seen here and there. It was nothing serious, but it did feel like a really bad sunburn. The aloe lotion was like a breeze of fresh air against the agitated skin, cooling the heat in the surface and aiding the pain.

Fera threw the tube aside and sunk into her bed, sighing. Comfort couldn't be achieved in this instance, so she would have to make do. When the lights above buzzed on, she stared at the wall before her for only a minute before groaning. Couldn't they at least have a TV in here? It would definitely be some time before Doctor Shelby would be coming back, so couldn't there be something for her to do? Drawing wasn't an option since she was tired of that. And her pencil broke.

The other option was playing her violin, but that was a joke more than a possibility. Fera rolled her head towards the door and stared. Was it cold in here? The thin pajamas she'd been put in barely seemed made for heat. Now that she thought of it... Looking down, Fera saw her abdomen covered in white gauze. Again. She sighed and moved her hand to remove the blanket. Can't trust a doctor to put you in something decent. Figures.

Fera stood on shaking, weak legs and she moved to find her clothes. Her feet were as heavy as wet sand and her neck was killing her. She found her dirtied, ripped pants slung over the back of her chair. Pain laced up her body as she slowly undressed her bottoms and pulled on the old clothing. Now she was actually more comfortable. Fera looked for her shirt, but she found nothing. There was her jacket though, folded neatly at the corner of the countertop. She reached the fabric and pulled it on over the bandages, trying as best she could to hide them. "That's a heck of a lot better. I can actually not freeze my butt off in here." she shifted her shoulders and winced. Funny, she thought to herself, wasn't I just screaming from the hot silver not more than ten minutes ago? She turned back around and moaned dramatically when she saw the little black bubble on the ceiling. She casted an irritated glance at the camera and thought of just how many ways she could destroy the annoyance.

Just as she was starting to pout of her lack of privacy, she decided to drop it and she instead looked behind her. Her bed lay before her, open and waiting. Her covers that she had strangely gotten used to were ruffled and laid in messy heaps. Fatigue overcame her as she felt the heat in her body warming her up and she began trudging forward for the mattress. Her fingers slid over the top of the textured surface and she paused for a moment to pinch it between her thumb and forefinger.

That was when it hit her. Hope. It made its presence known by physically pulsing in her heart, causing her to gasp and nearly fall over. Her hand clenched the fabric at her chest and she gasped.

It was a strong, confusing sensation she felt as she leaned over the mattress. She could feel the light and hear the words it murmured. All of it was so mixed up and jumbled in a way that she couldn't understand, and that frightened her. The taunt muscles in her chest constricted to a point where she was feeling actual pain. All those familiar things she'd felt while in her dream resurfaced and she twisted her face into that of confusion.

But that was a dream. It must of been. Hope was not an actually being. It was an emotion. Right?

Fera looked to the door. She didn't know why she did. She just did. And she didn't know why she walked towards it either, or why she walked through it. Why was she walking down the hall? What was this...tugging in her heart? Hope was such a powerful feeling as it pulled against her, drawing her towards whatever it was. The hall was empty and no one stopped the shuffling, bleary-eyed teenager who stepped through the concrete path. What was the time? Looking up at the wall, she found a small clock that said 9:33. Lockdown was in less than a half hour.

Moving on, Fera wandered past the hall she had been abducted in and she laid a hand against the wall. Where was she going? This pulling in her heart was leading her somewhere. The south wing? Why? Fera continued and let her hand slid down behind her, swinging it beside her until it hung limply.

Eventually, she found herself slowly moving past the doors until her feet refused to move on from one. The cramps in her legs were crawling up her body in complaint that she was far from where she needed to be. The path she'd taken was long and tiring, yet even as she wished to stop and rest, something egged her on. She was at a medical room. How many times had she been to one of these places? Fera entered in the passcode and the door slid open.

She knew who was there before she even had entered. It was strange really, and she didn't know where the instincts came from. The pulling was getting increasingly stronger. The need to continue grew with it. All she did know was that Hope was somehow, for some reason, leading her to him. Yet no questions surfaced as to just why she was where she was. Everything was so fuzzy and made no sense...

Her heart was filling with Hope and as she came closer to the berth, she felt the muscles relaxing in her chest. Her hands and legs moved before she could even think, finding footholds and pieces to grab so she could lift herself up. The muscles in her arms and legs whined in discomfort at this abuse. However, these feelings were roughly pushed aside. It was more done for her actually, like something was making her ignore the pitiful soreness. She wasn't really thinking per se, more acting out of the line of her heart.

It was only a few minutes of painful climbing and foggy thoughts before Fera found herself atop the berth. Instincts that she never remembered possessing pushed her on and told her to move. To move and keep moving until told otherwise. The energy radiating from her necklace warmed her and it buzzed with the faint light it permitted. Was it somehow connected to Hope? That tug in her heart echoed with the necklace without missing a single beat. The body before her came closer as she carried on to once again start climbing. Where was she going again? Had she'd even known before? The air was chilly, but the form beneath her was as well. A faint glow came from his chest, between the cracks of the new, but temporary, plate recently placed there.

Fera drew herself on all fours to crawl over his chest, slipping over him to come close to the wound. Her muscles screamed at her and her mind was blank with fatigue. But her heart told her to continue. So she did. Wasn't the heart what was thought to hold your feelings about emotional issues and situations? And wasn't it the most irrational of the two ways to follow? But it was almost always felt as what was right. So that's why it was often followed.

Knowing full wall her heart was drawing her to something new and unfamiliar, Fera continued on until her hand met the seal over his heart. She'd heard the term 'spark' used by many of the Autobots, so that's what she assumed it was called. She felt her body suddenly collapse, allowing her to fall over the seal and just lay there. But her heart was not yet finished. It wanted more than this. This connection forced her to rise to her hands in a numb tiredness that nearly had her fainting again. Her necklace hummed like Hope had and it strained on its chain. The link between the necklace and Fera's heart seemed odd and she leaned forward to allow it to do what it wanted. For some reason, she felt compelled to follow it. Just so it could keep giving her that pleasant warmth.

The necklace grew brighter- startlingly so. The bright white light that came from it turned a shade of light blue and then it became white again. Something clicked and the plate suddenly drew back, almost allowing Fera to fall into the wound. When she regained herself, she saw a bright, magnificent light coming from inside. Absolutely awed, Fera came closer and her eyes widened, beholding what she assumed was his spark. The hovering energy slowly circled in place, sending off a low vibrating hum as it did so. A soft halo surrounded the spark and cascaded over the space around it, including the features of the human before it. It was so bright and entrancing, with a low pulse like that of a heart beating seemingly in tune with hers.

When she leaned more, her body was suddenly wretched forward, pulling her towards the glowing beauty that was his spark. She pulled back, panicked and scared. But then, tendrils of pale blue light escaped the spark and reached up like climbing vines, searching. Fera stopped her struggles and immediately felt relaxed. The necklace dragging her down held her firmly in place as she allowed it to reach for the now floating spark. Sol's spark lifted up and climbed closer to her, allowing her to feel the warmth and the power radiating from it. Fera almost reached out to touch it, but something held her back. It was so beautiful...

"Fera!" someone had called her name, but it was too late as the spark and her necklace suddenly met.

A loud pulse of energy exploded from the contact, ripping across Fera's body and ruffling her clothing. Her fingers dug into the small pieces of metal beneath her as she tried to hold on for dear life. Ringing started up in her ears, as well as a blast of air to her face and strained arms. A wave of electricity followed the blast and flushed over her mercilessly. As of any contact with a large electrical shock, Fera nervous systems reacted violently. She was sent into a fit of agony-filled paralysis, locking her muscles and throwing her head back. Veins protruded from her neck and her knuckles turned white, now locked on to the metal without the manual ability to let go.

Fera's jaw locked and her lungs seized up, preventing any air from coming to her. She felt her eyes roll and the air sizzle around her. Everything happened so fast that she was unable to comprehend anything except the pain and the amazing spectacle before her. Literal sparks flew and those tendrils encircled her and the necklace, beating with it, feeding from it. Waves of both hot and cold flushed against her entire body to repeatedly send her through a series of clammy goosebumps and sweat.

Then it was all over. As fast as it had begun, the even ceased.

The spark yanked itself away from her and shot back into Sol's chest quiet violently. His entire frame shook as her body herself fell limp against his open chest. She lifted up slightly as the plate closed, somehow turned into some form of access point by the necklace she wore. Her mind raced and her lungs heaved air. She coughed and grimaced, numbly bringing her arms closer. When she pushed herself up, his body had finished moving and she gasped.

Teal blue lights abruptly flickered and shot online, a stuttering gasp of air being taken in by vents hidden behind the protective sheets of his protoform. He gave a mighty cough, jolting Fera and causing her to almost lose her balance. The mighty form underneath her weak one trembled with a new warmth that was so different from the frigid cold she'd grown used to. When her vision began to fail and she felt herself slowly falling back against his chest, her necklace clattered to her neck while the miracle before her lifted his head and looked on his chest, his face filled with so much shock that it took her breath away.

Or maybe that was when her head hit metal.

He lives! :D

Please comment, recommend me, and offer some insight of whatever seems wrong- I love to hear from you guys :)

What shall happen next?