For now on I'm using Cybertronian instead of Cybertonian. My bad. I've never watched much TF media except the bay movies. I'll go back and fix previous chapters...one day lol.
Enjoy... ;D
Almost
…
The next morning Aria sat out on her front step enjoying the perfect summer weather. Beside her sat Ironhide's holoform, equally relaxed and content.
Music flowed out behind them through the open windows. The grass swayed gently in the breeze. Soft clouds dotted the vibrant blue sky.
Off in the yard, wheelie was attempting to ride Sirius, who kept getting too excited and jumping until the Autobot fell off.
Aria hadn't been expecting the holoform to appear earlier that morning but wasn't disappointed when Wheelie relayed the question. Quite the opposite, in fact.
She looked down at the book in his hand as he flipped through the pages, stopping to read every once and a while. She'd brought it out to him earlier.
She eyed the words from his shoulder. "Find any you like yet?"
Ironhide grunted and turned the page. "The language is difficult to understand in many of these."
"That's because they were written in the sixteenth century by a man named William Shakespeare. His works are notoriously hard to read and understand."
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" He read the first line of Sonnet 18. "Thee?"
"Another way to say 'you' in old English."
Ironhide hummed and flipped the page to one that was dog eared. "You like this one?" His thumb ran over the folded bit of paper.
"I marked it last night, it's Romeo and Juliet."
"The one you mentioned before." He lifted the book closer to his face. "Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague," he read. "I don't understand."
"Romeo and Juliet is a play, like Lakme. This is a passage." She pointed to the previous page where it showed more of the dialogue. "It's an exchange between a boy and a girl who fell in love at first sight, however, they can't be together because they are from different families that hate each other."
"And predictably they refuse and stay together anyway because they realize that even though they should not love each other, they have no control of it."
"I was going to say its ridiculous much like Lakme. They barely know each other and yet they're willing to sacrifice everything because they think they're in love, when in reality, they're just infatuated."
"Didn't you say that poetry or plays weren't meant to be taken literally?" He continued reading. "Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night." He looked back at her with a grin. "La vie en rose."
"So what, now you suddenly like romance?" She struggled through a laugh.
"I like the ways human's express it. Art and poetry. Dramatic plays and songs. All trying to describe a simple feeling."
She lifted her head from his shoulder to better look at him. "You think love is a simple feeling? I don't know how it works with Cybertronians, but it's a very complicated thing for us humans."
"I see that."
"Hm?" Aria looked him in the eye. Why did he keep saying things so cryptically?
"What is love to you, Aria?"
Though his words were soft, they hit her like a truck. "Wha—How should I know? I was sixteen the last time I even dated a guy. I was infatuated yes, but that wore off and I realized he was a loser." She broke eye contact. "I never had feelings even close to the extent love must feel like."
"So you don't know at all."
"Well it must be something mind blowing. You said yourself, there's no shortage of books and plays and songs about it."
"If you don't know what it feels like, then how do you know if you are or not?"
"I'd imagine it'd be an epiphany moment. Like one day you just realize that you're in love and then everything makes sense."
"Just like that." He lifted his free hand and brushed her cheek.
"Yeah." She didn't pull away. "Do you know what love feels like?"
"I do. Perhaps one of those epiphany moments that you spoke of."
"Back on Cybertron?"
He shook his head. "No. Here on earth."
"On earth?"
"Not far from here," he said softly and leaned towards her.
Her heart beat against her chest, his face was only inches from hers. His gaze so soft. More gentle than the breeze that brushed her neck beside his fingertips "Do you...know what you're doing?"
"I have an idea," he whispered and tilted his head.
Was this real? He always talked about love…and now this? Was it a test? An experiment? His expression was so peaceful. Calm. The blue of his eyes, brighter than the sky, half lidded yet confident.
Maybe it was something else.
She leaned in to close the distance when Ironhide's eyes widened in alarm and jerked his head up to the sky.
Wha—
Ironhide's hand grabbed hers in a painfully tight grip and next thing she knew she was being ripped off the steps and away from the house.
"Ironhide what's—" she stopped mid shout when she caught site of a jet appearing over the trees.
"RUN!" Ironhide shouted.
An eerily familiar whine filled her ears as the jet launched two missiles aimed straight for them.
Aria screamed while she ran behind Ironhide towards the road. Ironhide stopped mid step and she ran straight into him. He spun her around so his back was to the house and engulfed her in his arms. The whistling sound grew louder and then…white.
Ironhide's body disappeared as her own body flew through the air. She landed heavily on her side, knocking the wind out of her lungs.
Trying to gain control of her ragged breathing, she sat up. Both the jet and Ironhide were gone.
And so was her house. Only fire and smoke billowing where it once stood, deep gouges in the earth around it.
"Aria! Get out of here!"
She ripped her gaze from the house to the tiny Autobot who had come out of nowhere. "Wheelie?"
"It's Starscream, Aria! You have to run before he turns around!"
She struggled to her feet. Her chest ached from the explosion. "Where's Ironhide?"
"He's gone, we have to go!" Wheelie helped her up anyway he could.
The sound of jet engines returned. Aria sprinted towards the road, Wheelie somewhere behind her. She looked over her shoulder at the fast approaching Decepticon, two more missiles shot out towards her.
This time Wheelie grabbed her leg, bringing her down. As her face hit the gravel of the driveway, two more explosions rocked the earth around her. One hit somewhere on her property and one in the trees. She covered her ears, but it did little to dull the sound.
Once again, she scrambled to get up. She had to get away.
The jet that had previously been high up above now arced around, wing only inches from the ground, more floating than flying. Up close it was huge.
She spun to sprint the opposite direction as the jet rounded on her, blocking the road ahead. It transformed into a giant silver Decepticon, bigger than Optimus.
Starscream.
She screamed at the top of her lungs and urged herself to run even faster, she ran towards the trees. Maybe there she could lose him.
The ground quaked with the robot's footsteps, causing her to stumble as she fled.
Aria reached the tree line and darted in between the tree trunks and bushes. Just behind her, trees snapped and fell, doing little to hinder the Decepticon. Still she ran. Branches whipped her face and arms. Her lungs burned like never before.
The road appeared through the brush, and she ran straight out onto the asphalt. The sound of squealing tires came from her left and she caught sight of a car heading straight toward her. She froze. The speeding car was only a foot away when a giant hand made contact with the side of it, sending it flying across the road and into the trees on the other side.
Still frozen, she looked up until her eyes landed on Starscream's face. The shouts of her neighbours echoed around them.
"Hello, Aria," he greeted as if he didn't just try to kill her.
Aria fell back, her legs going numb. How did he know her name? Was he going to kill her? What was she thinking, of course he was. She couldn't give up now. She had to run!
Taking back control of her legs, she got up as fast as she could, bolting down the road away from him. However, before she could take a second step, his arm swung out. She sailed through the air but she felt nothing. Did he hit her?
She hit the ground, but still no pain. Nothing.
She blinked, not moving. She was back by her house. The pile of smoking rubble that remained of it. The blurred figure of Starscream glinted in the distance as he moved towards her.
No. Not again. She rolled onto her stomach, using her arms and legs to crawl away. She squinted at the field, but no traces of the horses. They must have jumped the fence. They had to have. Sirius ran too. He had been away from the house, hadn't he?
And where was Wheelie?
"Where are you going, Aria? Trying to crawl away like a little insect?"
Something hit her again. Sending her tumbling to the side. Red caught the corner of her eye when she finally came to a halt. Her leg. It was covered in blood. Something white jutted out of her shin.
Oh god. What now? There was nothing she could do. Nowhere she could go. The shed wouldn't protect her. Neither could the trees.
"Hey you, ugly!" Wheelie's voice cut through the crackling fire and her ringing ears.
Starscream turned. "Why if it isn't the little traitor. Come to beg?"
"Beg who, you? Megatron's bitch? No thanks."
"Why you little—" The Decepticon charged towards Wheelie who transformed and darted the other way.
What was Wheelie doing? He was going to get himself killed! But the was nothing she could do, other than accept his distraction and hide.
But where?
She pushed herself up with her arms. They shook under her weight, but held. She rolled onto her knees, putting her weight on the uninjured one first, and pushing off the ground. The second she stood, pain like nothing she'd ever felt before radiated up her bad leg.
She howled and collapsed. The pain wouldn't stop, like fire searing her leg from the inside out. The jagged bone jutted out further.
There was no other option. She had to set it. But how? Pushing it back through the skin and hope that it lines up? Use supplies from the shed to make a brace then run for it?
What other choice was there?
She crawled, using her arms and good leg to push her backwards towards the shed.
Explosions rocked the earth. Trees along the road bent backwards like twigs, chunks of asphalt littered the grass.
Oh no.
Starscream propelled himself into the air, hovering above the treeline.
"It's about time," he said before transforming back into a jet.
He shot off faster than her eyes could follow. A loud boom echoed through the sky and pushed her down into the burnt grass.
Was Wheelie okay? Her neighbours? The person in the car?
Was she?
She got back on her arms and crawled faster. She was only halfway to the shed.
Her ears rang louder and louder. Roaring. Rumbling.
No. Not her ears. Something else—
The whistling of incoming missiles drowned out the sound. All she could do was throw herself back down as the jet flew past.
Searing heat. Pressure like a brick wall.
She coughed. Her lungs felt like stones. The air tasted like ash and fire, heavy with smoke. The shed was in pieces, strewn out like a puzzle yet to be assembled.
From the rubble, she looked toward the sky beyond her house where Starscream flew off.
Something else caught her eye. A faint blue glow through the billowing smoke that spiraled around it. A whirring sound she knew well. As it grew louder, the odd swirls of smoke spun faster, the glow brighter. Then a flash of ebony.
His silhouette formed through the ashes. His eyes searching.
"Ironhide!" She hollered through her burning throat.
His eyes were on her in an instant.
However, his gaze left hers in favor for the sky above. Starscream flew overhead and straight towards him.
Ironhide managed to sidestep just before Starscream transformed and collided with him at full force. Both Cybertronians went flying from the velocity of the attack.
The two titans battled hand to hand. Starscream was much bigger than Ironhide, but the ladder was more nimble.
If there were words exchanged, they were in Cybertronian, the metallic noises drowning in the loud crashes of metal.
The fight was brutal, like nothing she'd ever seen before. Ironhide grabbed Starscream's arm mid swing and punched him squarely in the face, sending him flying back into the rubble.
Starscream got up using his jets to slam into Ironhide again. Ironhide held on and flipped him over his back and into the ground.
Instead of getting up, Starscream caught him off guard by shooting him with a gun protruding from his wrist.
Pieces of metal flew off of Ironhide's body, landing around her like rain. The Decepticon took the opening and clashed once again, now clearly having the upper hand.
She couldn't watch this! She had to do something, anything to help. If only she had a weapon.
Her eyes fell on the remains of the shed. Wait. She did!
Crawling through the rubble, she pulled out one of the compound bows. She scrambled through more boards and debris, tossing them to the side. There! A handful of arrows.
But the tips were dull. Not meant for anything more than target practice. What were they going to do to a Cybertronian?
A crunch and more flying metal. This time from Starscream. Silver shards sparkled like glass.
That was it! Ironhide once said he had special armor.
She crawled back out to the grass where pieces of black steel were strewn, grabbing one.
She looked between the shard and the battle ahead. It was just shorter than the length of her palm and almost as wide.
Starscream landed blow after blow on Ironhide, who could only dodge and land a punch here and there.
She clutched the metal in her hand, the edges digging into her skin painfully. He was there for her, and now she needed to be there for him.
She grabbed some twine and pulled it from under a pile of hay. Blood from her fingers made it harder to wrap the metal onto the arrow. She secured it in a knot. It was heavy, she'd have to get closer to make it work. She put the bow on her lap.
The ground shook with their heavy steps. Still locked in a deadly dance that neither would let up on, both Autobot and Decepticon didn't notice as she crawled closer. Her target in sight, all she had to do was wait for an opportunity.
But where?
A moment later, Ironhide landed an elbow into Starscream's neck. Starscream stumbled back towards her. So close she could make out the exposed cables behind his ankle.
It was now or never.
With every ounce of strength she had left, she pulled back the string of her dad's bow, took aim, and shot.
The black arrowhead hit its mark, severing the cables. Blue liquid gushed out.
Starscream let out a shriek and began hopping on one leg, reaching behind him to pull the arrow out. His red eyes met hers.
"Why you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud bang rang out. He went sailing past Aria, silver metal flying everywhere.
Ironhide had shot him point blank with one of his cannons. His arm still outstretched to fire another.
Starscream gathered himself surprisingly fast, sloppily transforming into his alt form and taking off.
Ironhide went into a sideways stance. The cannon he had pointed towards the retreating jet shifted into something longer and narrower, the end glowing brightly. Static charged the air.
He balled his hand into a fist and fired the devastating gun. White light shot out, making contact with the jet. The sound boomed after the impact and the jet spiraled down somewhere far in the distance.
Was he dead?
"Aria."
Ironhide kneeled down in front of her, his face close to hers. He looked tired, but not just from the fight. She didn't know how she could tell, but it was as plain as day to her eyes. He was exhausted.
She parted her lips to speak but the lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything. Fingers came up to her face, brushing against her cheek softly.
"You came back," she croaked.
Ironhide's fingers slid down her cheek to her shoulder. From there his hand came around behind her and he brought his face close to hers. It felt like a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning it.
"Of course I did," he rumbled.
Warm tears streamed down her face as she sobbed into the metal of the crook of his neck. She never wanted to let go. Large fingertips gently brushed against her back, comforting her.
She released him, sitting back on the ground. Ironhide's eyes fell from her face, down to her leg. She followed his gaze but quickly looked away. The pain once again surfacing to the forefront of her mind. She clenched her jaw.
"You're…bleeding." His voice was off.
"I think my leg's broken, Ironhide." Her hands began to tremble.
Ironhide made a frightening noise and glared out into the distance where Starscream had crash landed. "I'm going to kill him."
Her arms and legs tingled uncomfortably. Everything felt hollow. It was too hot and too cold.
"I don't feel well."
Ironhide looked back at her. His expression changed instantly. "Aria, your skin is losing color."
"I think I'm in shock." Black spots filled her vision.
"Stay awake. We have to leave before the police arrive." He took a step back and transformed.
Even without her glasses, she could see his alt form was completely haggard. Panels barely fit back together, scratched, torn, and dented.
"I don't think I can…"
"Come on," Ironhide's holoform appeared beside her, fuzzy and flickering.
He lifted her in his arms. His body felt hazy, staticky. Sometimes firm, sometimes fleeting, like the surface tension of water. He placed her in the driver's seat and flickered out of existence. The door closed.
Only half the road remained intact. Downed trees and powerlines laid in the ditches. At least the destruction was mostly localized around her house.
Well, where her house once was.
"Stay with me, Aria." Ironhide's voice cracked through the speakers.
But she was numb.
…