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Serendipity	By : AkashaEmily Category: S through Z > Transformers (Movie Only) > Transformers (Movie Only) Views: 5248 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters of the Transformers franchise as well as the franchise itself are licensed and owned by Hasbro. I do this for entertainment purposes only and do not profit AT ALL- monetarily or otherwise- from the writting of these stories.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
A/N: You know, I find
myself pining for the days where I could feel satisfied writing five paged
chapters� Anyway, sincerest apologies for the extreme
lateness. Please enjoy.

Chapter Seven

�� Before
his blue optics had even fully cycled online, Bumblebee was already moving, his
processor gripped by a single driving command that canceled out all the other
alerts and sensory data crowding his HUD. It did not matter that his weapons
had been disabled, or that he seemed to be locked in some sort of holding cell,
or that Decepticons had apparently taken Jolt and he prisoner, or that they
weren�t on Earth anymore. It was all just secondary information- facts to be
taken into account at a later date after his primary command had been fulfilled-
and the yellow mech immediately began examining the door lock, systematically
testing its vulnerabilities, hunting for something he could exploit and thereby
gain freedom.
Sam was here.
Despite how ludicrous the idea
was without any evidence, the absolute certainty Bumblebee felt that this was
an undeniable fact and not merely a fanciful hope generated by his overwrought
emotional circuits overrode any disbelief from his logic components. Sam was
here somewhere and Bumblebee needed to find him; nothing else mattered.
When subtler methods proved
fruitless, the yellow guardian decided to be blunt and began kicking at the door.
Bumblebee ignored Jolt�s warning of caution and just kept attacking the lock,
intending to continue until either the metal gave or his body did, his
secondary battle routines already plotting out the best way to overpower any
Decepticon that came to punish him.
After exactly five hundred
seventy three kicks and two hundred twenty four punches, the door and its
Pit-spawned lock were still holding strong. Undaunted, Bumblebee continued, his
vocalizer squealing static as he cursed at it in several languages, promising
it all sorts of vile fates if it continued to defy him.
�..feed
you to Unicron himself!� Bumblebee growled, the words almost distorted beyond comprehension as his
vocalizer cut in and out. Stabilizers whirring, he drew back his foot for
another hit-
Abruptly, the pale illumination
from the single overhead light winked out and, with a muffled clunk, the lock mechanism released.
�The power�s gone out.� He heard
Jolt comment but didn�t pay the other Autobot any mind as Bumblebee tore open
the door and strode down the hallway without a backward glance. Bumblebee felt
the blue mech following behind him like a large shadow but couldn�t spare any
processing power for him or for the potential danger they were in as they
navigated the base, taking abrupt- almost random- turns through the dark dilapidated
maze of corridors.
Sam�s guardian led the way, urged
forward by a force that pulled at his very spark, a power he could not name but
didn�t dare question.
Decepticons, Primus, a raging nanovi infection- �Bee didn�t care what guided him so long
as it took him to Sam.

Leo
peeked out from his hiding spot within the hallway alcove, ignoring the looks
from the other students passing by. He didn�t have the energy to spare worrying
about them however, too focused on tracking his target through the school, on finding out what was going on. The Autobots would have
given him a call if they�d found Sam, right? Even Mikaela would have sent him a
text or an email if they�d found his roomie yet there
had been no communication whatsoever to let him know that Sam had been returned
to the school unharmed.
This
led Leo to two conclusions:
1)      The
Autobots had found Sam and hadn�t told Leo because they were dicks and had
forgotten all about his invaluable help.
2)      They
didn�t know Sam was back at school which, in all honesty, was a very un-Sam
thing to do given how tight he was with the �Bots and all.
Conclusion
number two led to scary conclusion number three:
3)      It
walked like Sam, acted like Sam, but it wasn�t Sam.
Which
meant that, since all the �Bots were gone, it was up to Leo to trail the
not-Sam thing and hope to God his freaking cell phone finally found a signal so
he could at least text Bumblebee that a not-Sam Sam was walking around campus
pretending to be Sam, including taking Sam�s finals which had been SO freaking
creepy in Astronomy�
Coast
clear, Leo crept down the hallway to the next bend, his cell phone in hand with
�No signal� clear on the small screen. There was no way in Hell Leo was going to take the not-Sam thing on alone but at least he could
keep an eye on it until someone with big guns showed up to handle the, well,
whatever it was. Leo�s only job was to keep an eye on the not-Sam Sam until
then from a nice safe distance and, after trying to call for help yet again
from his uncooperative phone, the teenager plastered his back against the wall
behind him, peeking around the corner awkwardly. The movies always made this
look so damn easy but it really wasn�t and Leo could feel muscles he hadn�t
known existed strain in protest as he hunted for his target only to find that
it had vanished. Completely.
Not-Sam
Sam had pulled a Sam.
Leo
stepped out into the empty hallway, looking around, dumbfounded and annoyed
that his awesome stealth skills had been thwarted-
Part
of the wall next to Leo rippled in a humanoid shape then dropped away to reveal
an all too familiar homicidal blonde, making the human male squeal as he danced
out of reach of the deceptively small hand that shot out to nab him. He swore
and begged to whatever deity would listen for the Decepticon to trip or an act
of God to strike her down as she pursued him down the open air corridor and out
across the grassy lawn when he raced through the first available archway he
encountered.
Legs
burning, heart pounding, Leo had a brief moment to realize that this was what
gazelles must feel like while pursued across the Serengeti before he was
tackled from behind.

There were a handful of days that
Will Lennox swore he would never forget. The day he met Sarah and the day they
married. The day his parents died. The day the Decepticons attacked his base in
Iraq. Mission City. The day he held
his baby girl for the first time. The day Fig and the rest of his unit
were finally laid to rest in American soil. Each special and unique, they were
coveted treasures to be shared with only the closest of allies, intangible
monuments to both the triumphs and losses in the life of the man known as Major
William Lennox.�
Today, however, would be the only
to hold the odd title of �Will�s weirdest day ever.�
Shortly after Alice�s arrival,
the owner of the auto shop had appeared and, holding a wrench with a gaggle of
followers trailing threateningly behind him, had �asked� them to leave the
shop. Will had had to forcibly rein in the impulse to laugh out loud at the
absurdity of the situation, at the fact that the mechanics were playing with
fire because Alice- slim, delicate, and packing more heat in her skintight teal
dress than a platoon of marines - could reduce this place into a doppelganger
of Ground Zero and there was no way these idiots would make her move if she
didn�t want to. Hanging up on Mikaela, the Major had felt a rush of adrenaline,
his body priming itself for a fight, but then, to Will�s
complete amazement, Alice had looked at him and suggested they go grab a
burger. Unsurprisingly, they�d driven separately, Ironhide right on her bumper
as she and Leo- who she had lifted off his feet and shoved into the vehicle
when he tried to get away- led the way in an older model Ford that Will found
oddly familiar but couldn�t place no matter how hard he tried.
In the days since Sam�s
disappearance, the weather had warmed up and so here they were, , sitting
outside in the patio section of the closest Burger Queen at the table nearest
the parking lot, surrounded by college kids and families excited about the
upcoming holiday. Alice had refused to release Leo- �Insurance,� she�d said.-
but the box she�d been holding in the shop had been readily handed over and,
after inspecting the contents, Will found that it was filled with mangled car
parts.
The ones that Lennox could
recognize as components of the front fender were dented and not just mildly so,
suggesting that the scenario Will had previously imagined might not be too far
off the mark. There was no obvious blood evidence and, even though he had known
not to expect any, Lennox still felt disappointed that nothing blatantly incriminating
was left.
Forcing that thought aside, the
Major scratched his temple absently and let his attention be absorbed by the
blonde sitting across the table. She still had one hand fisted in Leo�s shirt
collar but the other was occupied with the hamburger she was eating.
A hamburger, an honest-to-God real
hamburger, complete with mustard, mayo, ketchup and pickles. Robots weren�t
supposed to eat, right, so where did the food go..?
Will stared in blatant fascination
as she took another bite and, while chewing, set the food down so that she
could sip her soda. Leo, too, was allowing his curiosity to rule him and poked
her burger suspiciously, clearly checking for some type of trick. Will half
expected the thing to poke back or bite and he didn�t know whether to be
relieved or worried when it didn�t.
��Okay,� The sudden sound of his own voice
startled Will and the surprise helped him focus. �So that�s how you nabbed Leo
but why were you at the school taking Sam�s exams in the first place?�
She shrugged and Will couldn�t help but marvel at how smooth the movement was,
how natural it was performed by the machine in front of him as if it were a
gesture she had made all her life. Maybe she had or at least the Cybertronian
equivalent but, somehow, he didn�t think so. �According to your culture, no
youngling should be denied an education.�
Despite his attempts to be
professional, Lennox felt his jaw drop.
�What about the younglings you
killed hunting Sam?� Ironhide hissed from where he was parked behind Will. �They
were not only denied an education but their existence, their very lives!�
�Sam is special.� Alice said.
�That youngling will do great things. All efforts should be made to nurture his
growth both physically and psychologically.�
She spoke as if it was a fact of
nature, something they should have known and understood without having to be
told. Implying that, since the other students weren�t
�special,� they had thus been expendable, their lives of no consequence, and so
she had killed them out of hand because they had gotten in her way. Her
callous disregard of the lives she had taken, her casual dismissal of the
misery she had caused to all those parents who would now only be visiting their
son or daughter in a cemetery, was disgusting and, as she continued to eat, Will
had to rein in the angry impulse to whip out his gun and simply blow her head
off. But he didn�t and part of him hated himself for it.
Unaware of his thoughts, Alice
dipped a French fry in her small paper container of ketchup, scooping up a
liberal amount before popping it in her mouth and licking her finger clean in a
manner that would have been arousing if it hadn�t been performed by a murderous
robot.
Will felt nauseated and was glad
he hadn�t ordered anything. �Right. Sam�s special.
Fine, but why are you here now?�
�Ask her to let me go!� Leo asked
in a tiny voice, leaning as far away from her as his shirt fabric would allow.
�And can you let him go?� Will asked, annoyed.
�I can make her let go.� Ironhide
hissed. Will could hear mechanisms shifting inside the
TopKick as the weapons specialist fought to restrain himself from transforming
and blowing the Decepticon away in a pique of
frustration. The Major could sympathize and had to force his hand away from his
gun.
Alice leaned slightly to her
left, peering over Will�s right shoulder at the Autobot and smirked tauntingly,
batting her eyelashes as her hand unclenched from Leo�s shirt. Before the
teenager could bolt for freedom however, her hand disappeared into his lap,
making Leo immediately freeze as he blushed fiercely, and Will thanked God that
the table hid from view whatever part of Leo she had a hold of now.
Ironhide�s engine rumbled loudly,
making some people look over in alarm, but when the Autobot made no further
sound, their attention returned to their meals.
Knowing that he
was relatively safe with Ironhide watching his back, Will put his head in his
hands and prayed for both patience and guidance. When it became evident that no great
insight or flood of calm would be forthcoming however, he gave up, ready to
leave until something about her actions finally clicked into place with the
help of her previous remark regarding Sam.
�Sam�s alive.� Will said, trying
to not sound as relieved or excited or worried as he felt. Why else would she
waste time and precious energy pretending to be Sam if he were dead? �Does your
master have him or does Megatron?�
To his surprise, instead of
continuing her attempt to ape a typical human female, every trace of
personality began to rapidly seep away, draining until there was nothing left
except a blank empty expression. Alice looked at him and Will had the peculiar
feeling that this was the first time that she was actually paying attention to
him, that she may even really be seeing him. Without any display of emotion to
distract from it, the focus and concentration in her gaze unnerved him, made
him want to squirm or look away but he held stock still, staring right back at
her, unwilling to back down.
If she was through pretending
then so was he. Ignoring the sound of protest that came from Ironhide behind
him, Will leaned forward, invading her personal space as he pressed his
advantage. He lowered his voice, knowing that both Cybertronians would be able
to hear him above the din caused by the restaurant�s patrons. �What exactly do
the Decepticons want from Sam?��
Alice tilted her head, staring at
him for a moment, before leaning forward to put her mouth near Will�s ear.
Lennox had to fight the urge to pull away as she whispered, her words so soft
that he almost couldn�t hear them over the combined noise of their surroundings
and the blood pounding in his ears.
�I don�t understand.� Will said, feeling frustrated when she pulled away and leaned back in
her seat, clearly not willing to explain her message. If human cryptic messages
weren�t his strong suit then alien cryptic messages were completely beyond him.
�That doesn�t explain anything!�
�It will.� She said. Alice
blinked once then smirked, her eerie flat expression gradually
vanishing as her face became mobile- became human- once more. �Please pass it
along to Optimus. I will see you again, Major.�
And then she laughed abruptly, a
rich sound full of complete amusement that drew attention to them all from the
other eaters. It was the kind of sound that made men turn to look and Will
jerked back as if stuck, one hand on the butt of his gun before he even
realized that his arm had moved. He stared at her, prepared to fend off an
attack as she stood up and, one hand on Leo�s shoulder, smoothed her other hand
down her dress showily just as a rather buff college kid walked up to their
table.
�You know, now that finals are
over, my friends and I are going to go celebrate.� The
kid said and, smiling at the Decepticon, turned up the charm when she smiled up
at him invitingly. Jerking a thumb behind him, he gestured to a group of males
gathered around a large truck. �We were wondering if you wanted to come along?�
The guy was obviously the member
of one of the college�s athletic clubs though Will wasn�t sure which one given
the distribution of muscle in the guy�s shoulders and legs but he clearly
thought he was an undeniable ladies� man. His entire demeanor screamed that the
idea that Alice could possibly say no to his advances had never entered his
tiny little mind and, after that initial look at Alice�s face, the guy�s eyes
drifted to her chest and stayed there rather obviously. Will thought that any
self respecting woman would have slapped the jerk into next week by now but
Alice wasn�t human and she smiled at the jock as if pleased by the attention.
Before he could completely squash
it, a surprisingly sad part of Lennox wondered what kind of human women the
Decepticon had been observing to be able to mimic such behavior so
convincingly.
�Look kid,� Will ventured into
the conversation not sure who he was trying to protect and really weirded out
by his indecision. �The grown-ups are talking so why don�t you and the rest of
the Goof Troop go pick up chicks somewhere else.�
�Hey pops, your wife know you�re
cheating on her with a co-ed?� The jock snapped, blinking at Will in a way that
suggested he hadn�t registered that the Major was there until now.
Suspicion skyrocketing that the
new-comer was another Decepticon specifically targeting them, Lennox glanced
down at his left hand, his wedding ring glinting in the weak sun. Kid was more
observant then Will had given him credit for but no
one had the right to assume he was cheating on his wife.
�I say let him have her.� Leo
said suddenly, canting his head in the jock�s direction. �If she kills him
she�s doing women everywhere a favor.�
�Really?� Alice inquired, glancing at Leo
for confirmation, and something in her tone said that she might take the
comment to heart.
�No!� Lennox said sternly,
wondering how Sam handled situations like this on a regular basis and still
managed to remain sane. He focused on the jock who was
looking at them all in confusion and annoyance. �For your own
good, get lost, kid.�
There was a not so subtle flexing
of muscle. �Or what Grandpa?�
Grand..! Grandpa?!
How old did the jackass think Will was?!
�His truck will shoot you.� Alice
said to the male with a straight face, then laughed
when the jock shot am alarmed look at the TopKick. She put a hand on the guy�s
chest and trailed a finger down it slowly, enticingly, hinting at things that Will had no desire to think about. �But never mind them. Why
don�t you and I and all your little friends go celebrate, hm?�
She smiled at him seductively,
her hand moving from his chest to touch his arm and he immediately wound it
around his waist as he draped an arm over her shoulders possessively. Then and
only then did she finally release Leo and the teenager practically leapt out of
his seat to throw himself at the door to Ironhide�s cab, making little mewling
noises as he clawed at the handle.
The jock smirked in victory and Will could only shake his head at the kid�s stupidity. With
the guy�s own willing cooperation, she�d just effectively taken him hostage and
there wasn�t a damn thing Will could do about it in
public. He was sure that, if pressed, he could make up a believable cover story
that would allow him to drawn his weapon and empty the clip into her head- escaped
psychopathic killer sounded completely plausible- but Will knew he wouldn�t be
able to take her on alone. She certainly wasn�t going to simply stand still and
let him kill her, which meant that Ironhide would get involved and there was no
way in Hell that the tried-and-true toxic gas leak induced hallucination
explanation would work when the battle took place at a Burger Queen..!
�Don�t kill him.� Lennox looked
at the Decepticon in a final appeal. �He doesn�t know what he�s getting into.�
Tucking her head beneath the
jock�s chin, Alice smiled at him benignly, a bare flexing of lips that could
mean a million things and yet promised absolutely nothing. �
The jock snorted, tightening his
grip. �Don�t worry about me, old man. I like a tiger in the sack.�
�A tiger would be safer.� Will
muttered before he could stop himself, scrubbing a hand through his hair in
frustration. At least you could shoot the tiger in the head with a regular
bullet and not worry about it getting back up. Half of Will despaired over the
idea of letting the kid leave with the homicidal alien but the other half was
pointing out loudly that the jerk needed a wakeup call, that it was like the
universe itself had arranged for a massive demonstration of karmic vengeance and
poetic justice of epic proportions to befall the jerk. Everything about the
kid- the swagger, the Narcissistic confidence, the possessive demonstration for
a girl he�s known all of a minute- set off alarms in Will�s head that the guy
had a way of not taking �no� for an answer when it came to women.
�Forces are moving against you.�
Alice said suddenly, angling her head so that only Will could see her face. Like
a switch had been flipped, her expression had blanked out again, all traces of
her faux humanity vanishing as her eyes flicked back and forth between Lennox
and the Autobot in disguise behind him. �Be very careful who you and yours
trust.�
And then her eyes were all for
Ironhide as she said something in Cybertronian that made the TopKick jerk, the
action distracting the jock so that he looked at it sharply as Alice flipped
her humanity switch into the �on� position again.
Disturbed, Will watched as, with
a little push and a bright smile, she got the jock moving, allowing him to lead
her toward the waiting group of males, the whole lot of them watching her
approach hungrily. Lennox watched them greet her, watched the jock�s hand on
her shoulder slip to cup her ass, watched the Decepticon smile as they pawed
her while she fastened her seat belt, and wondered how exactly he was supposed
to explain any of this when they got back to base.

Alicia woke with a jerk, blinking
blurrily in the eerie grey twilight of the medical ward, wondering what had
woken her from such a deep sleep. She lay still, listening, the act taking more
energy than was pretty for her sleep fogged mind but when nothing out of the
ordinary caught her attention she pulled her blanket higher, smiling a bit at
the thought of a giant robot alien tucking her in. She was betting it was
Scavenger who had both supplied the cloth and draped it over her since he
seemed to be the most considerate of the group though Hook, for all his
condescending perfectionist bluster, did occasionally have his moments-
Her train of thought was derailed
by the sound of liquid hitting a hard surface and she sat up slowly, waiting
until the lightheadedness passed before standing. She�d made that mistake
before, and had no desire for a repeat, thank you very much, so she moved with
deliberate caution, levering herself up until her feet touched the floor, toes
curling in shock at the sudden coolness of the metal they encountered. The
shock helped her wake up a bit more and, after rubbing her face with her hands,
Alicia set off to investigate the noise, wrapping her blanket around her
shoulders like a cloak since the thin pink fabric of the moo-moo she used as a
night gown wouldn�t keep her warm enough as she moved around.
Despite their comparatively
gigantic size, the Constructicons had exceptional skill designing mechanisms
for human usage and it was with a fond if tired smile that Alicia stepped into
the small elevator-like cage located at the end the shelf where she resided and
hit the button that would bring her to the main table. Once there, she walked
across the work surface, soft guide lights in the metal chasing back the
dimness, leading her safely to where another elevator awaited to take her to
the room�s floor.
The lights embedded in the floor
along the walls of the medical bay were brighter now that she wasn�t quite so
high up, allowing Alicia to look around for the source of the sound she could
still hear without having to worry about accidentally tripping over it. A few
seconds of listening told her that whatever it was wasn�t in this room and
Alicia cursed under her breath since that meant that the source of the noise
was in the room Hook had put the jet trio in.
Alicia slowed to a stop, both
hands running over her belly nervously as she stared up at the door that seemed
to loom over her menacingly. She did not
want to go in there, not after her previous meeting with the jet� Firecracker,
was it? It had definitely been storm sound themed� Thunderclap?
No! Ah, now she had it- Thundercracker, the blue flyer with major anger issues.
She shivered, the memory of large metal fingers wrapping around her small body,
of her muscles being squeezed while her bones creaked in warning, and nearly
turned around to head back to her bed- sound be damned. But she didn�t and, after
a calming breath, walked forward defiantly until she was directly in front of
the seam where the double doors met to form the barrier to the room beyond.
Was it just her or had the lights
just flickered? Alicia paused, frowning as she tried to detect any change in
the brightness of the illumination in the room. Just as she was about to chalk
it up to her eyes playing tricks on her, the room was plunged into a darkness
so complete it was almost a physical weight against her skin. It sent a chill
down her spine but, before she could truly become afraid, the light returned to
its previous level.
Well
that was ominous.
Trepidation mounting, she waited for the doors to open and let her inside for
just a small peek but when they stubbornly remained shut, she canted her head
to the side in puzzlement. Not that she�d really explored exactly how much
freedom she had beyond the medical ward, Alicia had yet to be barred access
from any room she�d come across and this sudden refusal of admittance was felt
like a rejection despite the fact that she really didn�t want to go inside.
Just to be sure, she backed up a bit and waved a hand in a wide arch, trying to
trigger whatever motion sensors the doors ran on� which was pointless
considering that they were calibrated for giant
freaking robots!
Way
to go, idiot. Running
a hand through her frizzy dark brown hair, she decided to go back to bed,
thinking herself a fool for tromping all the way down here. Her sense of time
was completely screwed up but she was sure that her m�os would be up soon and, like very large toddlers with severe ADD, would
want to play games or something...
Was that a moan? Her smile at her previous thoughts slipped away to be
replaced by a puzzled frown as she put her ear to the door seam, listening
intently for the noise again. The sound had lacked the digital quality the
voices of the robots always had, as if she were talking to someone using an
internet chat service, and had sounded more human even if it was faint. Confused,
she pressed harder against the door, concentrating, worrying her bottom lip
absently as she waited.
�Alicia?�
The voice came from right behind
her without warning and Alicia shrieked, jumping in surprise. Stumbling, she
would have landed on her ass if Hook�s hand hadn�t darted forward to catch her
and, heart in her throat, she could only lay back
against his fingers, gulping air as she tried to catch her breath.
�Madra de d�os, Hook!� Alicia said when
she could speak beyond her racing heartbeat, glaring up at the robot as he
straightened from his crouched position, keeping his hand in front of him as he
moved. She smacked his thumb as hard as she could to make him stop, her hand
stinging a bit as a result. �You scared the Hell outta
me!��
Hook�s head canted to the side,
metallic lips briefly quirking up in a smirk before flattening into a stern
line. �What are you doing out of bed?�
�I heard a noise.� The moment she
said it she wanted to take it back. What, was she three? Papa, I heard a noise in the closet. Can you go look, por favor? If Hook offered her a glass of warm milk,
she�d never be able to live it down.
Hook grunted- at least that�s
what she thought the short metallic cough-like sound was supposed to be- and
looked at the door with a frown, some mechanism in his chest making soft
clicking noises in a constant stream that Alicia found distracting, especially
when the robot began to speak.�� H

�Noisy slaggers even when recharging.� Hook said in disgust, shaking
his head as he turned around. �Shouldn�t expect anything less
of Starscream�s Trine.�
Trine, hm? Scavenger had mentioned that
each group had a specific label and this must the one for the group of flyers.
It made sense, actually, considering how similar they all appeared. Alicia
filed that tidbit of information away for examination at a future date. �No, it
was a wet noise, like something was leaking. And I think someone�s in pain
because there was a moan.�
Hook paused, his eyebrows- or eye-ridges
maybe, because giant robots from outer space technically didn�t have any hair-
arching up as he looked first at her then at the door before sighing loudly,
the wash of air rushing over her a moment before a second blast followed as a
result of the smaller room�s double doors opening.
She had to cover her eyes as all
the overhead lights abruptly turned on but even through her hands the bright
illumination felt like a physical force hitting her, a large invisible slap
that momentarily left her blind and dumb so that Alicia had no idea what that
God-awful buzzing was nor, more importantly, why she was suddenly tumbling out
of Hook�s lowered hand to land safely in some sort of puddle.
Above her, she could hear Hook
moving around, cursing in his native language the robots had a tendency to use
with one another and she resisted the urge to cover her ears while the harsh
sounds of someone butchering an active modem with a rusty chainsaw echoed
through the small room. Blinking furiously to regain her senses, Alicia felt
her face twist into an expression of disgust as she held up her hand to look at
the violet slime now covering it before putting the appendage back down into the
puddle for stability. A quick glance for the source of the thick fluid revealed
that it had come from above, from something on the robot-sized metal bed rising
like a monolith from the floor, and Alicia hastily scooted out of the way as more
fluid oozed over the edge like some kind of hideous rain.
Hook continued to curse, his
grating voice nearly drowning out the more delicate sounds of metal sliding
against metal, but above the din was the constant buzzing she had heard before
being set down. It was as if someone had disturbed a gigantic hive and the
inhabitants were not only thoroughly riled, but also extremely pissed. Alicia
half expected to see a swarm of bees roiling near the ceiling as they waited to
strike and she instinctively hunched awkwardly around her middle even as she
glanced up at the metal table above. From her new position she could see into
Skywarp�s chest but had to quickly put a hand up to shield her eyes and turned
her face away because a light- dark but still bright as the sun- buried amidst
the internal mechanisms was retina searing. It took several seconds to blink
the resulting after images from her eyes and even then a full minute for her
brain to fully understand what she was seeing on the floor beside her.
��Hook, are there any other humans here?�� Her voice sounded strange to her ears, softer
and far away, her eyes never moving from the body in next to her. Every square
inch of him bathed in the thick mess that still dribbled occasionally from
table, the person lay on their left side facing her, and Alicia felt her gaze immediately
fasten on the right arm that bent at an angle a human arm shouldn�t. Unbidden,
her eyes drifted from there to the left arm laying along the floor then traced
the line of the body to look at the person�s legs, the feet nearly hidden by
the person�s pajamas. The remaining limbs appeared fine but, though it was hard
to tell, Alicia was fairly certain that there was something wrong with the
individual�s left shoulder, that the joint wasn�t right somehow, too loose for
the average male�
��Hey,� As if by its own will, her hand settled
on the person�s hip and rocked him gently then with more force when he only
flopped bonelessly. �Hey, wake up!�
Oh
shit! Oh Shit! Oh shit!
In retrospect, it was embarrassing how fast she leapt on the person, tearing at
his soaked clothing without a thought for decency, frantically wiping at the
goo covering his mouth and nose with her blanket before tilting his head back
and beginning CPR. One breath in however informed her that the person wasn�t
simply covered by the thick slime and Alicia turned him on his side, using the
heel of her hand to hit the space between his shoulder blades in quick, sharp
blows in order to clear some of it from his throat. When that wasn�t as helpful
as she had hoped, she resorted to using her fingers to scoop the gunk out
before lowering him onto his back again, tilting his head backward and trying
another breath.
��Hook!� Tears of
frustration were threatening as she began chest compressions, the slime undoing
all her efforts, making her hands slip and slide as she pressed downward. She
felt bones moving under her hands, could see the
splotches of discolor on his exposed skin and wondered if she was causing more
damage than she was hoping to heal. �Hook, I NEED you!�
Her shout was swallowed by an
unholy screeching that suddenly cut through the air. It startled her, making
Alicia yip in surprise, her arms slipping out from under her and sprawling her
across the male�s torso in an awkward heap. The feel of things breaking with
small pops under her weight made her skin crawl, made her nauseous, and she
scrambled upright as quickly as she could, apologizing profusely and hoping to
God she hadn�t just killed the very person she was trying to save. Righting
herself with difficulty, Alicia knelt beside the person and hesitated, her
hands hovering uncertainly.
�No, She
scolded herself, settling her hands firmly over his heart. No, this is no time to be squeamish! She began counting her
thrusts and when she hit thirty, Alicia repositioned the man�s head to deliver
a breath, taking a moment to scoop out the goo that had refilled his mouth
before moving her hands to his chest again.
Above them the screeching became
full-out screaming occasionally interrupted by the ominous sound of tearing
metal. Hook was yelling and Alicia looked upward, feeling her eyes widen as
silver limbs flailed in and out of view as the medic grappled with Starscream,
then, with a feeling akin to horror, she watched as a familiar blue arm suddenly
swung into the fray. Though she didn�t actually see the impact, Alicia heard it
and winced in sympathy as a second later Hook went flying, crashing into the
floor on the other side of the room.
A large shadow fell over her and
Alicia, dragging the unconscious male, hastily scrambled out of the way as two
blue feet came down to hit the floor right where they had been. Unsurprisingly,
the feet slipped in the puddle of thick fluid the moment they took weight and
Alicia could hear mechanisms whirling and clicking furiously as they fought to
counteract the unsteady movement. She held her breath, her grip tight on her
patient, feeling vaguely faint as her heart thundered in her chest, the robot�s
stabilizing components shifting rapidly to no avail. The world seemed to slow
down, sound becoming muted as seconds stretched impossibly into hours as the
robot began to fall forward toward her.
We�re
going to die, all three of us.
But even before she could comprehend the full ramifications of her thought,
large three-fingered hands were wrapping around their very fragile bodies,
hauling them out of harm�s way and against bright yellow armor just as the
familiar figure of Scavenger�s bulky form slammed into the robot that had
nearly crushed her.
Looking between the large fingers
encasing her, Alicia could see Hook grappling with Starscream, the jet
screaming his head off, deep gouges marring the metal skin of his head and
eyes. By the way his hands were clawed and positioned, he was the source of the
damage and Hook was trying to prevent further injuries since the jet appeared
to be completely off his rocker, Hell-bent on gouging his eyes out.
Since she could do nothing to
help Scavenger or Hook, Alicia turned her attention to her new friend, banging
her hand lightly on the robot�s armor until startling blue eyes focused on her.
She had the vague idea that she had seen this robot before somewhere but she
couldn�t place him and so she let it go as something to be figured out later.
�Hey! This guy�s heart has stopped and his lungs are filled with fluid! We need
to do something about both before he dies!�
But the robot was already moving
before she had finished speaking, moving over to the room�s double doors which
swished open at his approach, allowing them into the larger main room of the
medical facility. Alicia and her companion were set down on the familiar
surface of Hook�s desk, the new robot touching the unconscious male almost
reverently as it laid him along the metal with obvious care, and Alicia felt
her eyebrows rise into her hairline before she could stop it. Unlike Scavenger
and the others who touched her as if she were made of glass, this robot
demonstrated a casual familiarity with humans that said plainly it knew exactly
how to handle them without fear of inadvertent damage. It was a reassuring but
strangely distracting fact despite the circumstances.
As she began CPR again, she
watched the yellow robot pull a large trunk out of the air and set it down near
where Alicia sat, popping the lock on the storage device and pushing the lid
out of the way to reveal what looked like a large three tiered tackle or craft
box. Alicia stared openly but was galvanized into movement by the urgent
motions of the robot, fumbling as she picked up the indicated item and followed
the mimed instructions. The thin red banded cylinder was some sort of
auto-injector and her clumsy fingers struggled to pry the protective cap off
and reveal the needle hidden underneath. Jamming it into the meat of the boy�s
thigh, she hit the button to activate the injector, hearing the drug leave the
container with an odd hiss that stopped once the plunger reached the bottom.
There was no immediate reaction from the young male and part of Alicia
despaired as the robot moved her away from the body with one hand while its
other settled two fingers on the boy�s chest. She couldn�t be sure but Alicia
was fairly certain that the robot had delivered an electrical shock if the way
the body suddenly flopped was any indication. As a second and then a third
shock was delivered, Alicia discovered she had hooked her fingers into the
plates of the robot�s fingers but instead of letting go, she only clutched
harder, holding her breath, hoping that somehow against all odds..!
Even though as she had been
willing the young man to respond, it still came as a surprise when it did,
bolting upright, coughing and heaving and gasping as the robot supported him.
Alicia let out a whoop of victory, the joyous sound quickly morphing into a cry
of alarm as, on the bench nearby, Skywarp�s stripped limbs began to twitch, the
fingers of the dark flyer�s hands flexing. The yellow robot let out a squeak of
its own as it offered her a hand, cupping its other around the young man before
hastily backing away from the table, Skywarp�s disembodied hands rolling over,
the fingers working for purchase as they pulled the arm along the smooth desk.
Now, Alicia considered herself a
rational, fairly adaptable human being. She thought that she had taken it quite
well when a giant robotic alien answered the newspaper ad Brian had
commissioned as a joke. Finding out that the responder was a fugitive on the
run from other giant alien robots
after that mess in Egypt? It had taken her a bit but Alicia had dealt with
that, too, once she�d had the full story. Being abruptly kidnapped and taken to
Mars? There should have been a God-damn medal
for how well she adjusted to that! But watching the unattached limbs she had
worked on hours ago suddenly crawl away under their own power? That� That was pushing it, even for her and Alicia gave a
little scream as they fell to the floor and began inching across the metal toward
the doors of the room she had just left.
Alicia sat down in the large
metal hand, put her head in her hands and burst into tears as Skywarp�s limbs
politely knocked on the closed door of the other room where the sounds of
fighting could still be clearly heard.

He couldn�t find it.
Hands on his pelvic plating,
Megatron again reviewed the inventory list of every known sparkling, living or
dead, in the base, laboriously matching each tiny face he�d scanned to its designated
number. They were all there, all accounted for, and the Decepticon leader felt
frustrated irritation try to grip his spark as he finally admitted defeat and dismissed
the data file from his HUD.� It was
entirely possible that Skywarp had simply stolen the sparkling from the
Nemesis� cargo of hatchlings prior to coming to Mars but Megatron�s logic
circuits argued against the idea which meant that the one lodged in the
Seeker�s chassis had to have come from this batch even if there was nothing to
indicate that any of them were missing.
Out-witted by a
notorious dim-wit.
Megatron was not amused but until Skywarp on-lined, the Decepticon leader had
little recourse except to check the sparkling inventory and verify that they
were all there as Megatron checked the status of all the viable hatchlings.
Above him, the lights flickered
and Megatron frowned at them, optics spiraling down into a concentrated glare
until the illumination stabilized, returning to its previous settings. After
checking to ensure that no disruption to the mechanisms supporting the
sparklings had occurred, the silver mech activated the door to the room and had
to hastily activate a force shield to prevent the room from rapid
depressurization. Megatron frowned as he considered the darkened hallway
outside in annoyance then turned his attention back to the room he had emerged
from, eyeing the steady overhead lights thoughtfully. The edges of his EM field
continued to tingle, a silent reminder that at least in this room the
electricity was still on and that the developing sparklings were safe. He
actually spared a moment to silently praise the Constructicons on a job well
done and getting the hatchery room successfully hooked up to the secondary
generator joors ahead of the estimated schedule.
Yes, allowing them a pet was
definitely a move of brilliance on his part.
::Onslaught,:: Megatron
called, activating his internal audio. ::Exactly how many rooms are drawing power from the back-up
generator besides the hatchery and Med Bay?::
�There was a pause before Onslaught answered,
his response mingled with a curiously loud moo from the bovine Melosa. The
Combatacon had taken over monitor duty in the security room earlier and had
mentioned designing some sort of �milking� apparatus but Megatron hadn�t spared
any processing power about it, too preoccupied with his excitement over a
functioning Quartet under his command and solving the mystery of Skywarp�s
sparkling. Now the Decepticon leader wished that he had paid more attention to
Onslaught�s little project.
The tactician�s voice was calm
and collected when he answered, as if the lack of power were of no consequence.
::There are no
other rooms drawing power from that generator other than Med Bay, my Lord.
Hook�s been too busy with Skywarp�s repairs.::
Frag.
Megatron�s optics flicked up to
the gently glowing lights in the hatchery�s ceiling, processor humming as it
considered the evidence contradicting Onslaught�s statement. ::Is it possible
that the generator swap was completed but that no report was filed or that one
of the others did it without Hook�s knowledge?::
::Constructicons just confirmed it. Other repairs to the base
took higher priority. The gestalt is already working on it but, if we have the
right parts, they think it will be almost three joors before the main generator
is working.::
Whatever response the Decepticon
leader would have said was lost as the yellow Autobot strode past the hatchery
door, completely ignoring Megatron framed in the doorway. The silver mech
watched him go, demeanor warring between outrage and bemusement at the blatant
disregard until the darkness swallowed the brightly colored frame. It took
serious bearings to do something so reckless when in the middle of enemy
territory unless the mech had some sort of insurance that protected him from
attack� Megatron�s optics narrowed in speculation, the bright red color dimming
until it had almost faded from visual detection. They had had two Autobot
prisoners; if one was out then the other couldn�t be far behind and as if
summoned by that thought, Megatron�s sensors detected the second Autobot
approaching, moving in a much more cautious pattern. The Decepticon leader sent
a quick command to the force shield controls then waited patiently before
pouncing on the blue armored figure and dragging the overpowered form inside
the room.
�If I remember correctly, your
name is Jolt and you have electrical capabilities.� Megatron said
conversationally, keeping a tight grip on his prisoner as he flexed his claws
and began using them to explore the Autobot�s armor. As homicidal as his
reputation may be, Megatron actually had no desire to kill the mech- certainly
not considering Onslaught�s report that there should be no electricity in a
room that stubbornly remained powered. Whatever beneficial glitch in the grid
that allowed the phenomenon could fail at any moment and Megatron fully intended
to take advantage of the living generator that had just landed in his lap. �
But it wouldn�t do to hand his
enemy so many defenseless hostages, Autobot honor or no. Ignoring Jolt�s
thrashing, noisy protests, Megatron found the armor catch he wanted, pried it
open and tweaked the revealed wiring, instantly quieting any more
objections.�
When he had assured that the
hatchery would continue to receive electricity, Megatron left the room and,
though he commanded the force shield to remain in place, shut the chamber�s
doors. Now, where had that other Autobot disappeared to?
Optics cycling to zero light
conditions, the Decepticon leader began issuing orders to his troops, tracking
the progress of the repairs that were already being addressed. The
Constructicons weren�t usually so on point, though, and it was odd that they
hadn�t needed any prompting from him to fulfill their duties. Suspicion and
paranoia stirred within Megatron�s cortex like a vengeful cloud but he forced
them aside, concentrating on the rhythm of his ventilation cycle until he felt
calm enough to proceed without killing anyone. Punishing the very efficiency he
had long sought in his soldiers would be neither productive nor helpful.
Still, there was a very thin line
between being efficient and autonomous.
Megatron pinned a note to his HUD
to find out who had spurred this sudden bout of activity- and watch them
carefully.
But back to finding that Autobot�
::Lord Megatron, your illustrious presence is requested in
the Med Bay!:: Hook�s
voice was an enraged snarl in the Decepticon leader�s audio and Megatron could
feel his left supraorbital ridge twitch in annoyance.
It took more effort than should
have been necessary to keep his temper in check and respond with an unruffled
tone of voice. ::The
Autobot prisoners have escaped. One has been� subdued but the other is
traipsing around freely�::
::I know!:: Hook
hissed. ::He�s
here but he�s� preoccupied. The Seekers are out of their processors and
Scavenger isn�t enough back up to control them all!::
::I thought you sedated them.:: His voice was mild and calm but
Megatron was already moving in Hook�s direction, his long strides covering a
lot of ground with minimal effort.
::I did sedate them! They�re just-::
Hook�s indignant
and hostile tirade suddenly became an audio blanking screech that forced
Megatron to cut the signal in order to protect the delicate mechanisms.
The Decepticon leader was not
running, not really, but he was hurryi- moving with
extreme purpose and in only a klik he had successfully made it from the other
side of the base to his destination. The doors opened with a quiet swish, permitting him entrance to the
room beyond, and Megatron halted midstep, processor
overheating as he took in the sight of the Autobot Bumblebee sitting on Hook�s
desk while on the other side of the room Scavenger sat firmly on a dazed
Thundercracker�s back plating. Howling, Starscream by the sound of it, was coming from the back room and it took a moment for the
Decepticon leader to make any sense out of the inane raving.
�� -Out! Get it out!
It�s hacking meeeeeeeeeeee!� The Seeker screamed, suddenly
staggering through the double doors tearing furrows in his chassis armor with
his wickedly hooked claws. �Get out, get out, get oooout!!!�
Megatron felt sincere, spark-deep
pangs of sadness and pity for the distraught Seeker, and before he could stop
it, he heard himself making soothing little ultrasonic pulses as he approached
Starscream slowly. Instead of calming the other mech, however, it only appeared
to startle him further and the Air Commander retreated from his advancing
leader, the scratched lenses of Starscream�s optics struggling to focus as he
peered wildly around the room for some avenue of escape.� ��
It was then that the Seeker�s
gaze locked onto the Autobot- no, on something the Autobot held- and the
ensuing cacophony was bad enough to make his previous vocalizations seem
pleasant in comparison. Megatron, about to capture the Seeker, had to clamp his
hands over the receptor finials for the handful of nanokliks
it took to cycle down his audio sensors or else risk damaging the sensitive
mechanisms permanently. Starscream, true to his nature, seized upon the
distraction and launched himself at the Autobot, covering the distance
separating them in one jump, claws out and ready to shred the yellow armor. In
a move that would have made any Decepticon proud, making almost as much noise
as Starscream, Bumblebee- Megatron�s processor finally found the correct
designation- brought his pede up and slammed it into the Seeker�s facial plates
before the larger mech could connect.
::Onslaught, Hightower Med Bay immediately.:: Megatron ordered over the comm.
as he approached the shrieking Seeker. Consulting his peripheral sensors,
Megatron noted that the Constructicon medic had yet to leave the back room, a
sign that did not bode well for anyone. Still, images to maintain and all that
and the Decepticon leader roared out, �Hook stop laying
around and get over here!�
Starscream reared back, retaliating
with one massive fist swinging into the side of the Autobot�s head, the
Seeker�s other hand wrapping around a yellow armored leg, digging into it and
crushing the exposed cables, making Bumblebee scream. Shoulder assemblies
whining in protest, the Air Commander used the leg as a handle to swing the
Autobot off the desk and into Megatron before the Decepticon leader could
dodge, the pair tumbling backwards and landing with the hunched Autobot sitting
in Megatron�s lap.
�You did this! You�re
responsible!� Starscream raged, weapons� systems powering on loudly as he
advanced, armor plates clamped tight to his frame, small servos in his
appendages misfiring jerkily. Fluid oozed from the ruptured lines in his
chassis and in his facial plates, creating the illusion that he was mimicking
what humans called �weeping.� �This is all your fault, insect! All of it! Lowly
fleshling scum! I�m going to tear you apart, boy!�
�Boy? It was then that an alert popped up on
Megatron�s HUD and the former High Lord Protector felt his ventilations cease,
his spark freeze in its casing briefly before his fuel pump picked up pace,
making him feel overheated. Megatron�s optics darted down to where the
Autobot�s hands lay cupped protectively, sheltering not just Alicia from the
raving mech but also another very familiar human.
The Decepticon leader could feel
his emotional circuits shorting out at the discovery but he could do nothing as
Starscream leveled his chain gun at them and opened fire just before
Thundercracker barreled into the silver Seeker, Scavenger right behind him. The
shot went wide, narrowly missing them and spraying the wall above where
Megatron sat.
�It hurts!� Starscream mewled
piteously into the resulting silence from somewhere on the bottom of the pile
of mechs. �It hurts! It hurts so badly!�
Ignoring his Air Commander,
Megatron quickly dealt with the Autobot by wrapping his stronger hand around
the exposed neck cabling, squeezing it tightly as his other hand pried open
Bumblebee�s fingers. The Decepticon leader deftly brushed Alicia away from the
young male, his long spindly fingers closing around the boy-
Abruptly, Megatron found himself
face down on shifting sand, his frame feeling as if it had been fed through a
human car crusher or had fallen from a great height.
�Greetings, former High Lord,� A
voice boomed, tone amused. Before he could get up, an invisible force lifted
Megatron to his pedes and the Decepticon leader stared up at the familiar
elongated forms of the Original Twelve, the name of each Prime
popping up on his HUD as he scanned his surroundings. �We have been looking
forward to speaking with you.�

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