Chapter Eight: Words of Wisdom
The incessant buzz of the extractor fan in the bathroom grated on Zelda's nerves. She took a deep breath, gripping the scissors tightly, and with each deliberate snip, her hair fell away in clumps until it framed her face just above her shoulders. She stood in front of the mirror to carefully craft a fringe that would transform her look.
A wave of emotion surged through her as she caught sight of Aria's face in the mirror, a haunting echo of herself reflecting back. They might not have been identical twins, but the similarities were striking enough to take her breath away. Zelda felt a lump rise in her throat, her gaze fixed on the mirror. She gripped the edge of the sink tightly, the porcelain creaking softly under the pressure of her hold.
Zelda dropped her head with a humourless huff of laughter. "What am I doing," she muttered in defeat.
There was a knock on the door and Frenzy's voice came through the wood. "Zelda?"
"It's unlocked," she said.
The door creaked open, and the minicon stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He stared at her for a moment, red visor clear enough to reveal his equally as red optics. There was something questioning in his gaze.
"Why'd you do it? Why'd you bring me back?" he asked.
Ah.
Zelda let the scissors slip from her fingers, the metallic blades clattering loudly against the countertop. She took a deep breath, sinking down onto the cool porcelain of the toilet seat, her shoulders sagging with tiredness. Frenzy leaned against the door, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his stance relaxed yet watchful as he studied her with a keen, searching gaze.
In some ways, Frenzy reminded Zelda of Jazz.
"A few weeks ago, I had a dream. To provide some context, ever since I became the AllSpark, I've been dreaming a lot about the war. In these dreams, I am always connected to a single person. I can feel their emotions and see their experiences," Zelda began, pausing briefly to collect her thoughts. "In a recent dream, I saw Rumble and Ravage sneaking onto the military base where the other Cube shard was being kept safe. I felt Rumble's pain, and when I saw you, I could sense your desire to return."
Frenzy let out a deep, weary sigh as he dropped his arms to his sides. With a gentleness, he moved closer to Zelda. Slowly, he knelt on one knee before her, his movements deliberate and respectful. Taking her hands in his own, he cradled them tenderly, guiding them to press against his cheeks. The warmth of his cheeks lingered against her flesh palm, grounding her in a way Zelda hadn't known she needed.
"Thank you."
Zelda slowly shook her head and she leaned down, their temples knocking together. "I understand the pain of losing loved ones. If I can spare anyone that agony, no matter who it is, then I will."
"You are far too kind for your own good," Frenzy noted blandly.
Zelda merely chuckled. "I'm not. I've done terrible things to survive."
"Ain't we all, though?" Frenzy rebuffed. "My people are at war. Every Cybertronian, no matter the faction, has killed at least one other for the sake of surviving. And I know humans can be awful too. I scrounged the internet enough to unfortunately find some of the worst slag there is."
Zelda shuddered at the thought.
"Now," Frenzy got a look strikingly like the older Autobots got when Zelda did something questionable. There was a wary dread that rose in an almost comical matter. "Whose spark are you holding?"
Zelda startled, shocked that Frenzy knew. "How—"
"When you brought me back, I could see you tethering someone else," he interrupted. "I don't need to be a doctor to know how dangerous that is for someone of you…composite."
"Composite," Zelda snerked, unable to stop her smile. It dragged a grin from Frenzy.
"Want me to call you fleshy?" He retorted playfully, nudging Zelda's cheek.
"I certainly wouldn't be offended," Zelda said truthfully. "It's what humans are, right?"
Frenzy laughed, withdrawing slightly from her space. He shook his helm. "You gotta untether."
Zelda pressed her lips together. "I'm not going to."
"And kill yourself in the process?" He rebuffed in disbelief. "Whoever it is, they ain't gone so long as their frame is intact. You're just killing yourself for no reason."
"I can't," Zelda choked out, shaking her head.
"Yes, you can," Frenzy said firmly. Any hint of humour was gone now. "Bond or not, I bet they also told ya the same. Now, who is it?"
Zelda bowed her head, resting it on Frenzy's shoulder. "Optimus. It's Optimus."
Frenzy froze, his disbelief doubled, swirling through their bond. "It's Prime? No, my point stands even firmer. No way Prime is fine with you holdin' him like this!"
Zelda shrugged. "He doesn't really get an option in this situation."
"But he should, he does," Frenzy empathised, grabbing Zelda by the shoulders and forcing her to look him in the optic. "You're not helpin' anyone by holdin' his spark, you stubborn bitch."
Zelda just smiled. "I am stubborn."
Frenzy groaned, throwing his helm back. "No, you're not gettin' out of this. If I have to go to those Autobots you're travellin' with and tell 'em what you're doin', I will," Frenzy threatened.
She remained silent, understanding that Frenzy was serious about the ultimatum.
"Just, think about it, yeah?" Frenzy asked. No, begged. "The longer you have his spark in ya, the more at risk you are. Let me see. I ain't a fleshy doctor but I can give you the low down."
Zelda let out a weary sigh as she slowly pulled her shirt up and over her head. As the fabric slipped away, she grimaced, wincing at the persistent ache radiating from her chest.
A soft, muted luminosity radiated from inside her chest, casting an ethereal glow. In the dim, overhead bathroom lights, the subtle glow became even more pronounced, creating a striking contrast against her ribs and sternum. A moment of awe hung in the air between them as the gravity of the situation began to set in.
Frenzy reached out with a delicate touch, a single digit pressing gently against where chest became breast. Zelda felt a jolt of discomfort as he made contact, a sharp hiss escaping her lips. Until that point, she had managed to push the truth aside but now, denial crumbled into stark reality.
The weight of it all pressed heavily upon her, and she realised with a chill that it was not just discomfort. The growing sensation of alienation gnawed at her, and the weight of her condition settled heavily in her stomach. Her body was rejecting to housing Optimus's spark and it was killing her.
"Your stubbornness isn't going to win you this," Frenzy whispered, something like fear creeping into his voice.
Zelda swallowed thickly. She couldn't deny it anymore.
Frenzy helped Zelda emerge from the bathroom forty minutes later, her hair now bleached and dyed blond. The scent of the bleach lingered, even after she washed it several times and vomited from its overwhelming smell.
Not denying Frenzy's help as he guided her to a settee Simmons had on the lower floor, she collapsed onto it breathlessly. Exhaustion tugged heavily at her everything, and the pills she had taken hours earlier had begun wearing off. Every ounce of pain was making itself known, and Zelda was struggling to keep her head above the water.
Mikaela, having been sorting through items Simmons had gathered (water, rations, and the lot. Simmons was, despite their history, a man Zelda knew she could rely on), dropped what she was doing to reach into her hip bag. She pulled out the small container with the modified painkillers.
"Here," she said, handing them over with a bottle of water.
"Thanks," Zelda murmured and she quickly took the pills. The quicker they started working, the sooner Zelda could get her head back on straight. The pain made it hard for her to focus, and now of all times Zelda needed to be completely with it.
"I went to check up with the 'bots while you were in the bathroom. They know the basics of the plan and that we'll be leaving in the morning," Mikaela explained. She leant back on the table still covered in everything Simmons had pulled out and crossed her arms.
Zelda frowned. "In the morning?"
Frenzy and Mikaela both gave Zelda a look she did not like one bit.
"Do we need to rehash the conversation we just had in the bathroom already?" Frenzy questioned drily, a hint of incredulous in his voice.
Zelda sighed. "Okay, okay. I understand."
"Good, because we're not leaving until you've gotten a proper rest," Mikaela said point blank.
Wanting to put that topic behind them before something else about her health could come up, Zelda asked: "Where's Leo and Simmons?"
"Simmons took Leo with him to the corner shop to get some more supplies," Mikaela answered.
"…Leo?" Zelda questioned hesitantly.
Mikaela laughed, trying to stifle the sound when Zelda winced at the volume. "Simmons gave him a good run down about how to act. Leo started panicking when Simmons tagged him. I offered, but Simmons said something about girls helping girls."
"Do I want to ask what's up with that guy?" Frenzy asked. "He a newbie?"
Zelda smirked lightly. "He runs a conspiracy website. He got his hands on lots of videos and entirely believed in your existence, and yet face to face with it, he was scared shitless."
"Not even Sam was that terrified," Mikaela giggled, perhaps a bit cruelly.
Frenzy grinned, dropping onto the settee beside Zelda. "So he's a pussy, eh? He gives that vibe."
Zelda choked on a laugh, slumping back into the settee tiredly. "To be fair, most people would probably have the same reaction. Sam, on the other hand, he's…"
"I love Sam a lot, but he's a bit wacky," Mikaela said lovingly.
"…It's a Witwicky thing," Zelda sighed. "I mean, Ron can be just as…"
"And yourself?" Mikaela teased.
"Oh, yeah, don't let my front fool you, Keala. I'm missing a few screws," Zelda assured her entirely honestly. Frenzy snerked in amusement.
"No. No fragging way is he coming with us," Sunstreaker denied the moment his holoform dropped into the basement and saw Frenzy.
Ah, so Mikaela hadn't informed them about Zelda resurrecting Frenzy. Zelda winced slightly.
Frenzy, lounging back on the settee, grinned. "Well, you gotta suck it up, 'cause I am."
Zelda sighed, running her hand through her blonde hair. "Sunny."
"This is asking for trouble," Sideswipe added, backing Sunstreaker up. "He's one of Soundwave's, Zelda."
"Well, we wouldn't have a location if it weren't for him," Zelda rebuffed. "I'm not asking you to trust him, guys. I'm asking you to trust me."
"We do," Bumblebee said without hesitation. He pointed at Frenzy. "He's one we don't trust."
"Then trust my judgement," Zelda reiterated.
"Of course we do, Doll," Sideswipe agreed with a hint of frustration. He moved closer, standing before her and turned to Frenzy, who was sitting beside her, content as could be. "He hasn't given us a reason to trust he won't broadcast our location the first chance he has."
"I could have already," Frenzy remarked nonchalantly, arms tucked behind his helm. "Soundwave was more than firm in wanting my location, and he knows the only reason I'm alive is because of Zelda. But I didn't."
Sideswipe stared him down.
"Sides," Zelda said softly. "Trust me."
With a sigh, Sideswipe turned to Sunstreaker and Bumblebee. Zelda knew the trio were having a conversation over their private commlink.
"Okay," Sunstreaker said eventually, still looking like he wanted to fight this decision. "He can come."
All three looked like they hated it, and Zelda couldn't really argue with it. None of them had the same bond with Frenzy as she did. They hadn't had any heart-to-hearts like she and Frenzy just had. But Frenzy had proven himself to her, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Zelda hated to admit it, but Frenzy had become her confidant, and she knew he was smug about it.
"Then let's get going," Zelda said, pushing to her feet.
When they arrived at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, it was getting late. Skids, Mudflap, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker were parked at the back of the car park, a small ways away from the building at Zelda's request.
"Why not park closer?" Leo questioned.
"Only idiots park that close when they haven't got a concrete plan," Simmons said drily as he, Leo and Mikaela gathered beside Sideswipe's passenger door, where Zelda was sat.
"Yo, one of you Autobots burst me that holoform spec, would ya?" Frenzy asked from Sideswipe's small backseat. Typically, a Lamborghini didn't even have a backseat, but Cybertronians were not strictly confined by the specifications of the vehicles they looked like.
Frenzy had spent a few hours recharging, catching up on rest he sorely needed after Zelda had brought him back, but afterwards, he had transformed and sprawled himself across Sideswipe's backseats-slash-trunk area.
(Sideswipe had refused anyone in the driver's seat and onlined his holoform, which meant the other three were with Bumblebee because Sunstreaker outright refused them into his interior.
Ah, some things never change, Zelda thought fondly. To date, unless it was an emergency while out on a mission, no one but Zelda had been inside Sunstreaker's alt-mode.
Of course, neither of the three humans wanted to ride with Mudflap or Skids either for their…slightly hectic driving.)
"No," was Sideswipe's deadpan response.
"Well, one of us has gotta go in with them, and I'm the only capable one. Plus, I've got the necessary skills to sneak inside their systems and disrupt the cameras," Frenzy pointed out smugly.
Zelda sighed and patted the door frame. "Sides, just do it."
She could feel his discontent, but Sideswipe didn't protest. Frenzy made an eager noise as Sideswipe sent over the information he had requested.
"Wicked," he whispered quietly.
"Right, now that's sorted," Simmons said drily, eyeing Frenzy from where he stood. "We're going in under the guise of visitors. We know they are currently doing display maintenance thanks to Frenzy's research. We have got to get behind those boards to hide."
Simmons had a no-nonsense attitude as he explained the plan. It had been roughed out during the journey, but they needed something solid. Usually, Zelda would have taken charge, and she had chipped in when Simmons was bouncing around ideas, but she had rested largely during the car journey.
Her thoughts had been tangled up with her conversation with Frenzy. About the fact that housing Optimus's spark was slowly killing her. It was a grim constant on her mind. Zelda needed to come to a conclusion and soon.
"You sure I can't just stay here?" Leo began nervously, sparing uneasy glances toward the Smithsonian. "I'm not some spy. I can't keep my cool. Guards have guns. I don't want to die."
"Pussy," Frenzy whispered from Sideswipe's backseat.
Zelda gave a weary sigh. "They don't carry guns, just tasers, Leo."
Simmons, in contrast to Zelda, was vastly annoyed. He got closer to Leo, grasping him by the shoulder and forcing Leo to look him in the eye. "Kid, you compromise this mission, you are dead to us."
Leo just stared at Simmons with a mix of bewilderment and fear.
"How about we don't work ourselves up?" Mikaela said, pressing her hands between the two males to separate them. "Simmons, don't antagonise him and Leo, take some breaths. You're capable."
Leo swallowed and nodded. "I'm capable." He didn't sound convinced.
Zelda pushed herself from Sideswipe's passenger seat, listening as Frenzy crawled into her now vacant seat and transformed. There was a shuffle of fabric, signifying he had activated his holoform.
"Leo, if you let yourself panic, you will only wind yourself up. You'll be with someone at all times, okay?" Zelda assured him before turning to Simmons with a pointed look. "Like Mikaela said, please stop saying things that will antagonise him."
Simmons merely shrugged. "He needs to toughen up a bit."
Leo gave Simmons a dirty look.
"So, we heading in or what?" Frenzy asked as he climbed out of Sideswipe's interior.
His holoform, half a head taller than Zelda but definitely smaller than Sideswipe or Sunstreaker, had taken on someone of Latino heritage with wavey black hair that fell around his ears. He was attractive with his defined but soft features. In a way, he reminded Zelda of Bumblebee's holoform in that regard, with hints of youth still.
Clothing-wise, Frenzy wore a crisp white shirt and a slightly baggy red hoodie with a white hood. He also wore a muted red and black cap which his hood was tucked up over. He wore beige cargo pants and black combat boots. His eyes, however, were still visibly red, more of a bricky one but red nonetheless—not a colour that would pass for a human.
"Might want to adjust the eye colour," Zelda told him.
Frenzy merely grinned. "Nah."
Zelda scoffed lightly before wandering over to Bumblebee, where Wheelie was hold up. "You okay staying here?"
"Oh yeah, I'm good stayin' right here, sweetspark!" Wheelie assured from Bumblebee's passenger seat.
"Okay," Zelda smiled before turning her attention to her little brother. "Bee, we'll try to be as quickly as we can, but considering the Seeker's been in stasis for a while, he might wake up a bit…"
"Cranky?" Bumblebee sniggered.
"I suppose so," Zelda agreed with a smile. "Hopefully nothing goes wrong."
She closed his driver's door and patted the roof of Bumblebee's alt-mode before moving to join the group. Zelda nodded Mudflap and Skids way before transferring her gaze to Sunstreaker. He was still displeased with her decision to bring Frenzy with them. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were, but the former was being more passive-aggressive about it.
Zelda dreaded what the others would say about Frenzy once they all met up again. She knew that Sunstreaker was in communication with Jazz as he was Optimus's right hand and had taken charge of the Autobots back on base.
With a sigh, Zelda and the group headed toward the large modern building.
It was surprisingly easy. Once inside the building, the group behaved like a typical group of visitors as they examined their surroundings. Blackbird was located in the main building, alongside other decommissioned planes and space-related machinery. Despite a desire to explore the museum to the fullest, time was not on their side. With only an hour left before the museum closed its doors for the day, Mikaela, Zelda, and Frenzy moved with purpose. Their destination was the in-the-works display obscured by wooden boards and seemingly forgotten amid the more glamorous exhibits.
Frenzy expertly tapped into the building's intricate system, manipulating the security footage to create a seamless loop that masked their presence. It provided just enough time for them to discreetly hide away behind the display boards.
Fifteen minutes later, Simmons and Leo approached quietly. Their footsteps muffled against the polished floor as they made their way. As Frenzy had done for them, he looped the cameras long enough for Simmons and Leo to slip behind another board. Here, in the shadows, they waited.
Zelda leaned back against the wall, half hidden by mannequins dressed in astronaut gear raised on a small dais. She settled there in quiet contemplation, her head resting against the wall and legs tucked close. Mikaela sat on the edge of the platform while Frenzy remained near the connection point he had established, keeping a watchful eye on the cameras and security.
A hand absentmindedly settled on her chest, lingering just above the place where Optimus's spark resided. Frenzy's words echoed in her mind, and Zelda found no reason to argue with them. The flesh beneath her fingers felt unnaturally soft, the skin oddly pliable, leading her to question whether it was dying off. Beneath that, her heart raced, pounding against her ribs with a frantic intensity that left her near breathless. The chaotic rhythm of its beats surged and stumbled, a sensation she couldn't shake off or ignore.
Zelda squeezed her eyes shut, a gesture filled with resignation and acceptance. Deep down, however, she was acutely aware that the inevitable had already set its wheels in motion. Whether she chose to sever or maintain the tether with Optimus, it was far too late.
Typically, she prided herself on her ability to ignore her body's subtle signals, dismissing them like background noise. But that skill required an intimate familiarity with those cues, and at this moment, they were too loud to ignore. Zelda knew she couldn't escape the reality of the situation any longer; it was far too late for that. She could no longer afford to be indifferent.
At this moment, the choice before her was critical. It was a matter of prolonging her life, of surviving another day to see it through, and she understood that maintaining that bond jeopardised her mission. It was a heart-wrenching choice, but one that she had to make for the sake of the world.
Zelda shifted her gaze toward Frenzy, her eyes tracing the lines of his holoform's pensive expression as he stared blankly at the wall. She could almost sense the intensity of his focus, knowing that he was immersed in diligently monitoring the cameras to ensure their safety.
She wondered what Soundwave was like. She had only ever seen him in dreams by mechs and femmes that had encountered him on the battlefield. Even then, Soundwave was the Chief Communications Officer, Megatron's left hand where Starscream was his right, meaning he was not often on the battlefield in the same way any other would be. He was literally all hearing and seeing as far as Zelda, and the Autobots, were concerned.
A part of Zelda wanted to meet him, if only to put a name to a non-murky face. She wanted to ask questions to someone who had his servos in everything he could. She almost laughed, but Zelda swallowed the sound and buried her face in her knees. Once again, she found herself trying to distract herself without even realising it. How typical.
It was fear. Zelda couldn't kid her way out of this. The only reason she housed Optimus's spark was because feeling how their thread frayed terrified her. A deep, soul-wrenching ache had formed as it began unravelling before her. It had terrified her—the thought of losing anyone else.
But her fear had only ensured her downfall. There was irony in there. After all Zelda had done, this was how her lights were gonna go out.
Although, the concrete would have been funnier. R.I.P Zelda Louis Larsson, 1982 to 2009. Died by cracking her skull open on concrete.
Wait.
Zelda took another breath. She held it until she gathered herself together, then released with a frustrated sigh.
"Are you okay?" Mikaela whispers with concern.
With a weary smile, Zelda nodded. "Yeah, just tired is all."
She had made up her mind: stopping The Fallen was her top priority, no matter what. Zelda had to untether.