Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime. I only own the OC George Edwards/Bladewolf.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" I roared in pain for what felt like the 500th time, when it's probably been the 20th that I've been shocked by that damn prod. I was left panting and coughing like I went on a marathon. Starscream had taken my words as a challenge and done all he could to break me. When the prod failed after the 10th time, he left a couple of slashes on my chest with his clawed digit tips. When that didn't work, he tried punching and backhanding me
Which hurt a lot.
I was a right state to look at, let me tell you. Clothed had slashed, bloodstains seen along with dried blood, bruises that were turning gray or purple. I should probably be glad it wasn't Megatron doing the torturing... it would be 500 times worse than what Starscream has done to me.
Throughout it all, I did not waver or show signs of breaking. I just continued to remain defiant and spit in Starscream's face... once I did so literally.
"I'll ask you nicely one last time. Where is the Autobot base?" The Decepticon SIC demanded.
"Augh..." I groaned in pain.
"You are really driving my patience, boy." Starscream growled.
"You know, Starscream..." I said, panting. "You can try all you want... you can be as intimidating and scary as you want... but you're no Megatron."
This pissed Starscream off and he jammed the prod into my chest much harder than before and I screamed in pure agony as a sinister and cruel smirk came onto Starscream's faceplate.
"You can't keep this up forever, George." Starscream said, now circling me. At some point, he had managed to get my name out of me. "No matter how strong they are, everyone breaks. Even the strongest of Autobots have broken under Decepticon interrogation."
I chuckled weakly and painfully. "Look at that... you've broken Autobots... but you can't break a simple human. Guess you should reconsider your... opinion about humanity being weak."
Starscream narrowed his eyes before he spoke with begrudging respect. "You would've made a fine Cybertronian in another lifetime. But the Universe was not that kind to you. Now, ell me where the Autobot base is and this all ends."
"Never." I shook my head.
Starscream growled and got right in my face. "I should just kill you now and be done with it, perhaps Fowler will break easier than you. Perhaps I'll end your life."
"Then I'd win." I countered.
Starscream's eyes flashed a dark red before he lunged and wrapped his servos tightly around my body. "You dare to challenge me, boy! All I have to do is squeeze." Starscream growled as he tightened his grip to prove his point.
I grunted and closed my eyes in pain before I managed to open them and shoot Starscream a determined and firm glare. "What's stopping you?"
Starscream growled in response before he reluctantly released me and I swung a little. "No... no, I do enjoy a challenge and you are providing one."
"You... you won't win." I gritted out.
"Won't I? I doubt that." Starscream chuckled lowly, raising the prod. "Now, let's-"
Starscream paused as he heard blaster fire outside and I smiled weakly. Looks like the Autobots were here to bring me home. Hopefully they got to Fowler as well.
"Someone find out what is going on out there!" Starscream demanded and two Vehicon guards ran out to investigate while Starscream turned back to me. "Tell me what I want to know! Perhaps I'll capture one of the Autobots and bring them here so you can watch me rip out their Spark! Maybe... I'll start with that lovely two-wheeler, Arcee."
That made me snap.
"Keep your fucking hands off my friends or I'll beat you so bad that it'll make what Megatron does to you look like child's play!" I shouted with fury.
"Oh really?" Starscream scoffed.
"Damn right!"
"What can you do-" He was interrupted by a sound that something was transforming, he turned around and was shot by a blue beam of electricity.
Starscream saw where the beam came from and his eyes widened as he saw, instead of a regular human arm, George's right arm had broken free of the chains and transformed...
However, the sound of the door opening caught his attention and he looked to see one of the Vehicons he had sent out to investigate the blaster fire. "Well?" He demanded.
He was answered by the body falling forward, revealing Bulkhead standing behind it. Bulkhead shot at the other Vehicon, who had been in the room, and moved into the brig with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, both armed and eager to fire as they took out the Vehicon guards before aiming at Starscream, pausing when they saw the state George was in.
"Not so fast!" Starscream said, deploying his own weapon and pointing it at the human.
Suddenly, he felt a tap on the top of his head. He looked up and saw the Autobot Arcee hidden above him, gun humming and ready to be fired.
"I wouldn't!" Arcee growled angrily.
Starscream smirked as he remembered the reaction George had upon him threatening Arcee. Seems he was quite fond of the two-wheeler.
"Oh, but I might." He taunted back and his smirk widened as Arcee glared at him. Really, there was something attractive about her fits of anger. If he didn't know any better he would say that Arcee would fit in better with the Decepticons than with the Autobots.
it was a standoff as everyone had a weapon aimed. Starscream kept his aimed at George, edging it close until it was pressed into the human's head and the SIC watched the Autobots fidget nervously, obviously concerned and worried for the human given his state.
The Autobots would not risk their humans' safety. Perhaps Starscream should hang on to George a little bit longer then. He may be able to use the human as a bargaining chip in the future. The idea had merit, plus there was still the matter of breaking the wilful boy.
"Now, George and I will take our leave." Starscream said and he watched with amusement as the Autobots shifted a little, whether from nerves or anger, Starscream could only guess.
"You're pathetic, Starscream. Why Megatron doesn't just kill you I'll never know." George suddenly said, having woken up and seen the situation and knew he needed to distract Starscream.
"How dare-?!" Starscream didn't get the chance to finish as he had lowered his guard at the insult, inched his weapon away from the human, and the Autobots took their opportunity to fire on him without hitting George. Starscream yelped before he transformed and shot off out of there.
Arcee dropped down from where she was and gasped upon seeing the state George was in. "By the All-Spark, George!" Once the others heard her. they got a good look at him. He was battered, bruised and had some been bleeding all over him. He was being held up by chains on his left hand. But what they saw on his other arm shocked them. On his arm they saw something that was impossible to see.
It was an EDK Techvolt.
However, Arcee ignored that for now as she moved to undo his chains as gently as she could. George grunted in weakened pain at the movement but offered no resistance not like he could.
"Primus..." Cliffjumper gasped as he came on Arcee's other side.
"Oh kid, what did he do to you?" Bulkhead asked in a low tone and Bumblebee let out some sad sounding beeps.
"No one should have to suffer the way you have." The Autobot scout said.
"We need to get him, and the rest of the humans out of here." Cliffjumper said the gestured to George's changed arm. "And inform Ratchet and Optimus of this."
"I didn't tell him where the base was." George said as tears started going down his face with a weak smile.
"That's good, George. You did really good." Arcee whispered with a sad smile. His eyes dazingly shifted to her.
"You... you look so beautiful." He whispered before he passed out again.
Arcee was taken back from what he said. She wasn't sure if the others heard it…but she did. She shook her helm, ignoring it for now. She still had to get him out. If there was any time to get George and the others out, it was now. Bumblebee transformed into Vehicle mode and opened the door. Arcee gently put him on the back seat of Bumblebee.
They sped off to get the others as soon as possible and get off this ship. As soon as they found the other humans, Bulkhead jumped over them and changed form, smashing the Vehicon that had spotted them to the ground. He then transformed again as Fowler and the kids immediately climbed in.
Now with the humans in their grasp, the Autobots gunned it out of the nemesis and back to the Autobot base.
It took a good half hour until they reached the base. Bumblebee opened his door to let Arcee carry George. Fowler had brought out a gurney to rest the young man on. When the humans of the group saw him, they thought of him as if he was dead. But he was lucky to be alive as Bulkhead explained it to them. Then that's when they saw the Cybertronian tech attached to him. They still don't know how that got onto him, with some figuring it was due to him becoming Cybertronian.
Everyone couldn't believe what they heard. George being tortured and was so close to death by Starscream's hands. Cliffjumper didn't take it well. He said he'd Offline him for doing something so cruel to his friend.
Arcee had moved to operate the Groundbridge, bringing back Optimus and Ratchet, who had been calling to be bridged back to base for fifteen minutes. Ratchet's medic sensors must have been tingling because the first thing he asked when he was bridged back was who had been hurt.
Once Optimus and Ratchet had found George, Ratchet was quickly at work to help the young man. Although he didn't know much about the human body, he was still helping in any way that he can. However, his optics had narrowed at the sight of the Cybertronian tech that replaced George's right arm.
While Ratchet scanned and stabilized George, Optimus demanded to know what had happened in his absence.
The explanations seemed to go on for hours, but in truth, they only lasted minutes. Then came the moment where everyone tried to take the blame for what happened. Arcee for leaving the base with Bumblebee and ignoring his orders to stay with the children, Fowler for taking George out of Cliffjumper and Bulkhead's care, Bulkhead and Cliffjumper for allowing the children to come with them onto the Decepticon Warship, and Jack for not being able to keep Miko from following after Bulkhead and Cliffjumper.
Optimus stared at the dower and guilty party in the room. In truth, it was all their faults. However, had he not been so adamant on keeping his Autobots with their assigned children, none of this might have happened. It was just the way fate went sometimes. Even though a person can take every precaution necessary, things can still go wrong.
With those thoughts in mind, Optimus turned to look at George, a human who had bled for them today. A human who was becoming one of them. Who had already went through so much by dying and being brought back. Arcee had told Optimus that George had not broken, had not given into Starscream's demands and kept the location the Autobot base to himself.
Optimus' respect and admiration for the young man increased tenfold. He could see that George would make a fine Prime one day.
The events of today had proven too much for Jack, as he had decided to go home and get out while he still could.
Once the base was deserted, save for Optimus, Ratchet, cliffjumper and Arcee, the latter two who were recharging in their own quarters, the medic was busy examining scans he had taken of George's body and was baffled, stunned, at what he had discovered.
"It can't be..." He muttered in amazement and shock.
"Ratchet." the voice of Optimus caused him to turn and see the Autobot leader approaching. "How is George?"
"He's doing fine. His injuries are healing quite well, but... there's been a very interesting development." Ratchet said and pulled up the latest scan of George's blood and the results of said scan. "The Nanites in his system have had multiplied themselves twenty-fold since last orbital-cycle, massively accelerating his transformation. But the torture he sustained t Starscream's hands have caused something quite unexpected."
Pressing a few more buttons, Ratchet pulled up a sample of George's blood, a normal sight. And then he pulled up a recent sample. Optimus' optics narrowed as he saw that among the red and white blood cells... there was pure Energon in there as well.
"He's not just becoming a Cybertronian." Ratchet said. "He's becoming a Techno-Organic."
"How is this possible?" Optimus asked, looking at his old friend.
"The torture he sustained at Starscream's hands." Ratchet said as he looked at more scans he had taken of George's body. "It not only caused the Nanites to multiply and accelerate the transformation, but it had somehow caused Energon to enter his bloodstream. The Energon merged and combined with his blood cells, and his body adapted and evolved to accept the changes. As for the Cybertronian side... he'll be one of us before our other human charges online for the cycle,"
"His femme creator is one of the Original Thirteen. If they want George to become one of us, then no one will hinder them." Optimus said, attempting to calm his medic. "But I doubt this is what Solus Prime imagined when she gave him her Nanites."
The ground shook slightly as the two of them were talking a breem later, and a faint shout came from inside the med-bay. With curious looks on their faceplates, both Ratchet and Optimus walked toward the med-bay doors.
"Primus..." Ratchet said quietly after the doors opened. Still getting back on to his pedes, was a very confused, and very large Cybertronian mech.
I woke up and looked up at the ceiling of Ratchet's med-bay. I started sitting up as I would normally, and stopped immediately at the faint sound of moving gears. Without moving, I looked around the med-bay for signs of an Autobot and saw none. Since I was the only one who could have made the sounds, I finished sitting up and looked down.
The sight of my own body made me jump so much that I fell and hit the floor with a resounding boom.
My back hit the floor first and at that moment I found out in a painful way that I had wings. "OW!" I yelled, getting up off my wings and standing to my feet... No to my pedes.
'Not now, expanding knowledge!' I scolded my CPU... Wait... 'Damn it! Well played knowledge, well played.'
The med-bay doors opened, admitting Optimus and Ratchet as I stood to my pedes.
"Primus," I heard Ratchet say when they saw me standing in the med-bay.
I looked down again at body... Chassis... 'I give up.'
My armor was jet-black and very thick. I doubt much would be able to damage it. And I had what looked like wheels on my pedes, which was unusual since I had wings as well.
Was I a Triple-Changer like Blitzwing from Animated?
Looking back up at the two Autobots I said dryly, "It seems as if I missed something important."
And that's it for this chapter. I know it might not make sense, but to put it short, the torture George went through caused an unexpected change and development. He was meant to become a full-fledged Cybertronian, but the torture at Starscream's hands caused Energon to enter his bloodstream, merged and combine with his blood, but his body adapted and evolved to it, causing the changes that would make him Techno-Organic.
And they also accelerated his transformation into a Cybertronian, enabling him to have both a Cybertronian form and a human form to return to. That way he's not just Cybertronian.
As for what his Cybertronian body looks like, think of a cross between Barricade from Transformers Universe and Bayverse Lockdown but with a jet black colour and blue optics obviously. As for his vehicle modes, well he's going to be a Triple-Changer and I've already decided on vehicle modes.
For his ground-based vehicle mode, he'll be a black 2022 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, and his jet mode will be Megatron's jet mode from The Last Knight.