Mutated Hero

Chapter 9

To give me something to do with my time, rather than aimlessly roaming around the base and exercising, the Autobots and military decided I needed a job. So now I'm currently walking around the base, searching for a good spot for me to start cleaning the floors.

I don't know why this was given to me as a job, I'm sure the Autobots could use some large sized mop to do this. It would make everything easier. But I guess they are too busy working on ways to destroy the Decepticons, and protecting human kind. If only that were actually true.

But still, here I am with a mop in my hand, sweeping the ground below my feet. It's not as dirty as I thought it was, but it's not relatively clean either. This is a large base too, which means I have a lot to go. Good for me.

I didn't argue with the soldiers though about this job. I agreed that I needed something to do. Maybe it could get me closer to being a normal human, and maybe I can be treated right here at the base. Not that I'm treated in a bad way, I just get quite a few annoying looks and comments on the metal on my skin. So rude of them. I don't look that weird.

They should look at themselves in the mirror. All matching in their camo jumpers with the ugly combat boots that are too big for their feet. And they laugh at me. Me. Sometimes I think they need to get their eyes checked. Along with the Autobots, they are just as weird looking.

As I continue cleaning the area, I realize how much cleaner it is compared to the Decepticon warship. Not that the Decepticons' have noses, but it reeks. Smelling like only, burnt energon with a mix of dust. This made me have to hold my breath and cover my mouth as I walked down certain halls, it was just that horrid. They didn't clean, you can guess. But at least they didn't think to make me clean. 

Constantly seeing energon splattered on the walls made me so used to it. To lose some of my energon if I were to be mistreated by any Decepticon and get cut, it didn't bug me Although it should have, I just had to get accustomed to it.

I can tell energon has been dropped on the floors here -as it leaves a distinct smell and stain to it. The Autobots aren't perfect either, and I'm sure some kind of battle took place here. Or Ratchet got annoyed with someone and threw a wrench at them. Which I've caught him do before.

Wiping my brow of sweat, I lean onto the wall behind me and take a breath.

A soldier walks up to me, smiling. "Um..." he starts, rubbing the back of his neck. "T-the soldiers wanted to invite you to come eat with u-us." He stares at the ground.

"Okay."

He looks back up at me with a smile before walking off.

I set the mop against the wall and follow far behind him to the cafeteria. The smell of chicken and corn rises into my nose, and I stare at the door curiously. I haven't had any food for awhile... But I shrug off the thought and enter the room.

The room is filled with tables all around, with soldiers sitting at almost every single seat. In the back, there are tables lined with glass tops along with people standing behind them with nets on their heads and a spoon in their hand, putting food onto plates.

I wrinkle my nose at the smell. I guess it's because I haven't exactly smelled proper food in awhile. Although I have been here for a few days, I have yet to eat. I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that I escaped. I still can't believe I did it. Yet, here I am, standing in the front of a door to a military cafeteria in the Autobot base. Autobots...

I am knocked out of my thoughts when I realize how many people are staring at me. The same man who invited me to eat here walks up, saying, "H-hey, why don't you come sit with us?" and he gestures to the table to the left of me. I smile at him and walk towards the table with him following. 

He stops. "Don't you want to get something to eat?" I stare at him blankly. "uh, sure." But his confused face stays. "Here, I'll come with you."

As we walk up to the glass covered tables, he hands me a plate. I take it and walk down the isle, allowing the men and women in hair nets set food in my plate.

"My name is Ade, by the way." He introduces himself.

"Kira." I return.

Ade and I took a seat later, and as he began to eat, I stare at my food. It just feels so odd to me to see a plate filled with food for me to eat. Cybertronians don't eat -so it's not like I saw the Decepticons eating- but to see a plate in front of me, to see that I am actually being cared for, is just so odd.

"Are you going to eat?" The man sitting across from me asks.

"I guess."

"You guess?" Ade says.

"I don't know, I haven't exactly had proper food in quite some time. This is weird."

"You don't look like you are starving," The same man says, raising a brow.

"Well, no. I live off of energon mostly. Of course I can eat, I just haven't."

"Wait," Ade begins. "Isn't energon the Autobots life source, their blood?"

"Yes. It happens to be my blood as well." I say as if it is the most obvious thing.

The blink at me.

"Really?"

"Yes. For a fact, I didn't eat any real human food on the Decepticon warship, except for the first few years I was there -before my experiments finally set in."

"The experiments that made you... like that?"

"The metal? Yes."

"Oh,"

And we continue to talk, completely dropping the topic of my metal skin and talking about other day to day life things. Ade spoke of his family, the others did so as well and then went on to their daily life here, speaking of the days they had the best time. They were all friends here, I found, something that slightly caught me off guard. I couldn't imagine so many people getting along like that. I guess I need to stop comparing every human to Decepticons.

And the best part of all this, I feel like I am finally becoming like a normal human again. Like I'm not a freak, and I really am part of the military. It's a nice change, and I want to keep it this way. But I still have one thing left to do, and I won't stop until it's finished.

***

The next day begins, and I leave my room with a smile on my face. Today the military and, supposedly, the Autobots have a day off. Which means they are all just spending the day hanging out, not working and having fun. As of no work has ever been done before.

I end up playing cards with Ade and his friends: Cain, Bryson, and Zack. Who all turn out to be really nice, and really good at the game of cards, Of course, they had to teach me how to play the games first, which took about an hour. They didn't even get frustrated with me surprisingly. Which was good.

I kept on losing, though; and a few times I lost my temper because of it. I shouted at the people around me, but I think they thought I was just joking. Even though I wasn't. Even because of this, I'm trying to calm myself down, taking deep breaths.

Deciding I was ready to be alone once more, I smile at the soldiers around me, saying my apologizes before beginning for the stairs. Glancing around, everyone is still having a good time, laughing and playing more games.

Without noticing, my feet slip under me, missing a step on the stairs.

I cover my face with my metal arm, flying through the air to land roughly on the tile beneath me, rolling down a few steps. Pain coursed through my body, and I shut my eyes tight, refusing to open them to see my surroundings.

I bumpmy face a few times, and I open my eyes, moving my hand to check for blood. But nothing was there. I continued to check for my skin, seeing if any of it was damaged. And that is when I notice the scar on my chest.

It isn't bleeding, no. It doesn't feel like anything either.

But in place of skin or veins underneath my skin, lied wires and what looked like a motherboard to a computer.