Bumblebee POV
I put Sam on my right shoulder and headed for the rec room because the comms were absolutely filled with information on Kinetica telling Galloway off. No one likes him… not even Bluestreak, and I thought he likes everybody!
Kinetica, Arcee, Autumn, and Mikaela were all in the rec room. Kinetica was getting a cube of coffee, although why she was doing that I have no idea, because Sam and Mikaela together couldn't drink that much. She had already gotten a couple of bottles of that Starbucks stuff, and a trio of energon cubes.
Kinetica took everything over to the table where everyone was sitting, and started passing everything out. She gave Mikaela, who was sitting on Autumn's right shoulder the Starbucks, and Arcee and Ravage a cube of energon each. Then she did something that surprised me, she gave Autumn the cube that contained the coffee, while keeping a cube of energon for herself.
"Are you sure that Autumn can still drink that? Coffee can cause a lot of damage to our systems." I said in an alarmed warning.
"When I changed Autumn from human into a bot, I made sure that I didn't remove all vestiges of her human past. She is able to consume a small amount of solid human food, and a single cube of non-carbonated fluids. Unlike you or I, or any other bot in existence for that matter, Autumn is able to enjoy human sustenance in ways that were previously denied to her. So… yes, she's able to enjoy that coffee, where you and I can't." Kinetica told me.
"Why didn't you build your frame so that you could eat human foods?" Mikaela asked curiously.
"I very well could have… but that's something special that I reserved specifically for Autumn." Kinetica answered easily.
I had to reset some processors on that one! The Allspark had given someone else an ability that even she didn't have!
"I… I'm not special…" Autumn protested in a near whisper.
"You are now." Mikaela shot back with a snickering laugh.
I can see that Autumn didn't actually believe that statement from Mikaela. I couldn't understand why though… everyone is special in some unique way!
"Really?" Autumn asked doubtfully.
"Autumn… do you really think that I would have gone through the effort and spent the power necessary to change you from human to bot if I didn't think you were special? Would Ratchet have spent the time to repair your voice as a human, and make the repairs on your frame as a bot, if he didn't think you were worth it? Would the Autobots keep you supplied with energon which is a very valuable resource right now, if they didn't think you are special? There are very few individuals that Ravage likes… to my knowledge there are only two other bots that Ravage will have anything to do with… do you really think Ravage would be willing to stay with you if she didn't think you are special?" Kinetica asked sincerely.
Autumn had a stricken and somewhat surprised look on her face as she stared down at Ravage. Instead of saying anything, she just shook her head slowly and sadly.
"Exactly! There are several people here Autumn, who believe that you are special… even if you don't think you're special, there are many others here who do!" Kinetica said firmly but gently at the same time.
I could see that she was being very gentle with Autumn, but then, everyone was! Even Ratchet was fairly nice to her, and he was grouchy with everyone!
There was one thing I'd heard about though, and it was something that nearly blew my processors when I heard about it. Autumn apparently liked 'The Terror Twins'! I heard Ratchet telling Optimus that she'd even hugged Sunstreaker without even getting growled at! That bot didn't even allow his own twin brother to touch him without severe repercussions! That alone kind of proved that Autumn really is something special.
Then there's Soundwave. That mech scares everyone! With that telepathy of his, he knows what you are going to do before you even try it! As dangerous as he is, he left the Decepticons and joined the Autobots for Autumn.
Suddenly, Kinetica turned to Autumn with a truly torqued expression.
"Keep telling her things like that, because you'll be dealt with soon enough!" Kinetica snarled angrily.
Poor Autumn looks as if she is about to burst into tears while running. I can't say that I blame her either, because that tone has me ready to start running!
"M… Mami?" Autumn asked in a very shaken tone.
"I'm not speaking to you Autumn… I'm talking to that voice residing in your helm!" Kinetica said gently.
"Wait a minute! She's got a voice in her head?" Mikaela demanded with a look of stunned shock.
"Yes, she does. It's a voice that Soundwave was forced to argue with not long before you two met for the second time." Kinetica replied to Mikaela before looking back up face Autumn.
"You have been denigrating and humiliating Autumn since long before I came into contact with her. That is going to stop… now! Autumn is mine… and there is nothing you or anyone can say about her to make me change my mind!" Kinetica said in a hiss of rage.
That was when Autumn's face twisted into a look of insane rage and she reached up to grab Kinetica by her throat. Kinetica responded by plucking Mikaela off Autumn's shoulder and smiling at both of them.
This has to be about the most frightening thing I've ever seen! Autumn is seriously trying to kill Kinetica, but Kinetica only reached back to place Mikaela safely on the table before restraining Autumn forcefully while being very gentle about it at the same time.
"I'm not going to change my mind about Autumn, and you certainly don't have the ability to make me. You can't make me injure Autumn either! I know you enjoy her pain, revel in her misery, and are strengthened by her absolute despair… but no more. Autumn is my daughter now! I am going to see that she is happy, cheerful, cherished, and as much as you are going to hate it… she will know that she is loved!" Kinetica said sternly.
Mikaela POV
Don't ask me what's going on, because I have no idea! What I do know… is that one second Mom is putting me on the table while she wrestles with Autumn, and the next second, I'm in some kind of pitch dark room.
I'm really confused when I look around. All the bots that I know are there except Autumn. I turn almost a full circle and finally spot her behind me. Instead of the femme that I was looking for, she's human again. I know that's her because I distinctly remember what she used to look like. She's curled up in a corner. Her knees are pulled up against her chest, head down, and arms covering her face. It's like she expects to get beaten or something. I don't know how or why, but I know she's scared. No… she's more than that. Autumn is so terrified right now that she can't even scream. Don't ask me how I know this… because I just do! I… I can feel it!
I start to walk over to her when a woman's voice yells at me to stop and leave Autumn alone. I look towards where the voice came from and feel the blood freeze in my chest!
Bloody Mary has nothing on this bitch! Her black, matted and blood splattered hair is kind of curly and goes down to her waist. She's not wearing anything, but God I wish she was! She's got these huge dark bruises everywhere, and lots… and I mean lots of bleeding cuts and gashes all over her body. She is glaring at me with red eyes, ragged lips, and a fang filled mouth that's drooling with blood. This bitch looks like a nightmare zombie that got pissed!
I'm staring at her in shock, and I swear can see some of her ribs because the skin and muscle is ripped away, and one of the small breasts is even missing… with only a bloody hole to show where it's supposed to be!
That's when I get pissed! I'm not letting some female version of Freddy Kruger on the rag tell me what to do. I know the bots will give me all the cover I need, so I deliberately march over to where Autumn is cowering in a corner.
"Bitch! I told you to stay away from her! She's going to die like everything else, and if you try to help her, I'll kill you first!"
Her voice was like something straight out of The Exorcist… or maybe Hell itself. She started moving towards me… fast! As fast as she was, she was still blown backwards by an explosion.
That's when Ravage stepped in front of me. I remember Autumn telling me that she had missiles, but being told something, and seeing it is a whole other story! They came up out of her back and were pointed straight at 'The Demon'! I could see that one of them had been fired, but even as I looked, Ravage rotated the missiles so that the two that were left formed the right side of a pyramid while the third one on the bottom left was being reloaded. That huge metal panther was crouched low to the ground and ready to pounce. Those big metal fangs were showing, and if I had thought she looked dangerous before, she now took that to a whole new level.
I stepped back towards Autumn while watching what is happening in front of me. Because she had to reload, I know that it was Ravage who caused that explosion. Looks like she's got my back, so I can see about Autumn.
I go over to Autumn and kneel down beside her. I put my hand on her back and start rubbing gently.
"It's going to be okay Autumn. We're all here, and that bitch isn't going to get near you." I tell her.
Autumn lowered her arms and raised her head to look up at me. That is when I see the scar across her throat. She tries to say something but no sound comes out. Not only is she human again, but she mute again too! She starts to cry, but before her tears even start to fall, I'm talking to her.
"Don't worry about this Autumn! Ratchet fixed your voice once before, so you can bet that he knows how to do it again!" I tell her in a firm tone.
A couple of thumps attract my attention for a second, and I look around to see Soundwave, Lazerbeak, and Buzzsaw standing in front of us providing cover. I can't see past them, but I can hear that Demon snarling something or other, and she sounds madder than hell.
Optimus POV
I am not sure how this has occurred, but I believe that I, along with many others, are now inside Autumn's mind. The human creature that has been tormenting Autumn is now exposed to us.
Ravage has struck the first blow, but Kinetica… she has become enraged! She is slapping the creature hard enough to fling it across this strange room and hit the far wall. Slaps, kicks, and back hands are being rapidly unleashed by the now irate femme as she moves forward to maintain close range. The sheer speed with which she landed her strikes against the creature, are much like watching a video game where one is pounding on a helpless opponent! Then, I see her grab the creature, stand to her full height and throw the thing against the floor before trying to crush it beneath her massive foot. The head, shoulders and only part of the creature's chest is left exposed, but I can easily hear the snapping of bones as Kinetica begins to apply her weight.
"You might defeat me and think that you've won, but sooner or later Autumn will have to sleep, and when she does, I'll have free reign over her once more!"
That statement was followed by a sadistically sinister laugh that made even the worst mech I have ever encountered seem to be a decent bot by comparison. That laughter was so evil that I felt my metal crawl when I heard it. I have fought in many battles in which I might have been killed, I have even fought Megatron to the death, and never have I felt such fear as I do upon hearing that laugh.
"Autumn will be sleeping with me from now on, and Ravage will always be with her. That means you will never catch her unguarded again! Oh… don't worry about that though, because I know exactly how to deal with you!" Kinetica replied with a vengeful smile of her own.
"Soundwave… can you kill this creature permanently?" Kinetica asked as she looked over at the bot standing defensively in front of Mikaela and Autumn.
"Answer: affirmative! Elimination and eradication of destructive persona recommended." Soundwave answered.
"Good!" Kinetica said as she applied more of her weight to the creature eliciting a scream of rage from it.
It is somehow strange, but I can feel Autumn's terror, Mikaela's determination, Kinetica's resolve along with the emotions of every bot here, but there is no fear from the creature beneath Kinetica's right foot. Instead, there is only an intense rage that defies any description I might try to give.
"Kill that Demon bitch! If that's what Autumn's had to put up with along with everything else, then make it slow and painful! I want that bitch to suffer!" Mikaela snarled as she took a position next to Soundwave's leg.
"Make that thing scream in pain! Let her know what it feels like to be in agony for once. Autumn's been through enough!" Mikaela snapped angrily.
"I couldn't possibly agree with you more, Mikaela." Kinetica said sweetly as she started to crush the creature.
An audio piercing scream of absolute agony tore through the large room and caused almost everyone to double over while clutching their head in pain. As I fell to my knees in pain from the head splitting shriek, I saw that there were only two individuals who weren't affected by it.
Kinetica stood with a strangely pleased smile on her face, while Autumn stood from her position in a corner. No longer cowering, Autumn stood proudly, defiantly while seeming to draw strength and determination from within. The pain I am in, is nearly forgotten as I watch Autumn grow taller and more robust. Then her body begins to change… until she stands tall and lithe in her own frame again.
"Soundwave? I need you to kill this thing immediately." Kinetica asked without looking away from the zombie type creature beneath her right foot.
"Answer: affirmative… termination and eradication in progress." The mech replied almost eagerly.
For as long as I have known him and known of him, Soundwave has been nearly as emotionless as Prowl. Everything I have heard about the bot tends to indicate that he doesn't have any emotions! Apparently… I have heard wrong!
Soundwave raised his head from where he was kneeling down on the floor holding his head because of the same pain that I am dealing with. Then, the mech surged to his feet and staggered towards Kinetica.
"Autobot Autumn will be harmed… no… more!"
I know that those last two words were snarled in rage! I can feel the anger coming from him and I know that it's directed at the creature that Kinetica has pinned. I know the anger is his and it intensifies right before the strange creature vanishes completely.
The room then begins to brighten, I see that the floor of the room is old wood that has been covered in various dark stains. An old worn mattress lay on the floor in one corner with a single solitary sheet that had been tossed to one side. The sheet had seen better days, but not in this decade. It was so worn and threadbare that it was nearly transparent. There was no furniture to be seen except for a very inexpensive alarm clock that sat on the floor. There was a closet, but the door to it was so dilapidated that it couldn't be closed.
"Autumn… do you know what this place is?" Mikaela asked softly.
"This was my bedroom." Autumn answered tonelessly.
"I never had anything because we couldn't afford it. My… father… kept spending everything on his booze, drugs, and whores. Before the Autobots found me, I was already a size zero, and even those shirts and pants were getting big on me." Autumn added bitterly.
Arcee POV
The barren room vanished in a blaze of white light, and I blinked to find myself back in the rec room. I was once again sitting at the table with Kinetica, Autumn, and Mikaela, while Bee is standing not too far away. Kinetica was holding Autumn by her wrists, restraining her without hurting her.
"Autumn?" Kinetica said gently as she pulled the young femme into an embrace.
"Yes Mami?"
"I'm very sorry that I had to hold you like that. I did try not to hurt you, but I wasn't given much of a choice." Kinetica said seriously.
"I know. She… she was going to kill you!" Autumn whispered almost in tears.
"No. She certainly intended to try, but neither you, nor your frame has that ability. The materials of your frame aren't strong enough to damage the materials of my frame at all. That's why I needed to restrain you, to keep her from hurting your sister and to keep her from hurting you!" Kinetica told her gently.
Autumn nodded her head before looking over at Mikaela standing on the table.
"Do you really think she's gone?" Autumn asked in doubt.
"As far as I can tell Autumn… she is gone. Only Soundwave would be able to say for certain though. So asking him is something you should do." Kinetica answered before Mikaela could respond.
At that moment, every bot on base came running into the rec room.