Ruby - Transformers: The Last Knight

And Then He Broke Me

Cade hurried over to Bumble Bee, stumbling in the soft sand. 

"Drift!" He called over Bee's comm system, "Can you hear us? Is it Megatron?"

"I do not know," Drift's usual calm voice was frantic, "They're shielding, I only picked the signal up because it came in close range, you must run!"

Ruby stood with her hands on her thighs, catching her breath. The token had hit her hard,  and sucked her energy. She felt like she needed to lay down. It was as if she was allergic to the thing.

"We need to split up," she said, looking up at Cade through the tangled strands of hair across her eyes.

"No way!"

Simmons stepped between them, "She's right. Whoever is coming is moving fast. We can't outrun them. But they can't chase both of you."

Hot Rod and Top Spin transformed, doors up, and revved their engines.

"Cade, go with Simmons, he knows his stuff," said Ruby, "Bee, you're with me."

Cade allowed Simmons to herd him over to Hot Rod's open door; "This is insane," he called, "You better find a way back to us ASAP! We're better off sticking together!"

Ruby barely heard him, or the engines as they left. She tilted her head back and stared into the big blue sky. 

Shielded signal. The government, their forces, they didn't have the technology to shield themselves from Drift. Megatron did, and had for the past year, but he had no reason to shield anymore. So who was coming for them? Coming for her? 

*

He landed in the shallow waves with a mighty splash. Droplets of sea water stung Ruby's cheeks like tears. Her mouth gaped open as she took in his tall body, hide painted blue and red, parts so intricate and complex only a god could have made him. 

Optimus had returned. Spending all that time staring into space had finally brought him back. 

And something was terribly, utterly wrong. 

Ruby couldn't place it at first. The shock wouldn't leave, and the joy didn't come. The three of them stood in a triangle: Ruby and Bee on the sand, Optimus just a hundred yards from them both, sea foaming around his knees. 

His metal shone too brightly in the tropical sun. Ruby's body trembled with fatigue and too much power. She struggled to string her thoughts together, to get any words past her lips, when Bee took a step forward.

Optimus' face guard banged down down over his mouth and he raised his huge samurai sword. Noises whirled out of Bee's throat. He held up his palms and backed up. 

Optimus kept his sword out, his eyes, no, optics, going to Ruby. There was nothing but the gentle waves on the shore and the hammering of her heart. He began to advance, steadily sloshing through the water until he cast her in his shadow. 

Ruby looked up at him. Gone were his bright sapphire eyes. Instead, eerie amethyst orbs bore into her face.

Her heart broke so badly, so loudly, he must have heard it. Had someone done this to him? Was this even him?

"What-"

The moment she spoke, he swung. 

Bee had surged forwards, fully aware that this was not the Optimus they knew. The sword whistled over Ruby's head, aiming for Bee's chest. Bee dissembled to avoid the blow, his body parts collapsing like a house of cards. 

"What are you doing?" cried Ruby, unable to believe her eyes. 

Optimus blinked at her. He released his second sword and stalked past her to where Bee's parts reformed. 

"Oh no you don't," she snarled. 

Despite the exhaustion in her bones, her blood brimmed with power. It formed around her closed fists. Could she strike him? Could she hurt the one who had given her this life, this family?

No. But she sure as hell wasn't going to let him hurt anyone else.

Glowing blue threads of power sprouted from her cupped hands and wrapped themselves around Optimus' wrists. She pulled. Her arm muscles strained against his resistance as she tried to get his sword-baring hands behind his back. He dragged her after him, her feet burrowing into the sand. It grated on her legs, it got in her shoes and stuck between her toes. 

"Stop this madness!" she cried.

Optimus arced his hands in one big swoop. He yanked Ruby off her feet. She sailed over him, spinning around to land on her feet and block him. 

He lifted his mouth guard. "You," he growled, "Come."

"I can't," Ruby whispered, her eyes filling with fluid, "Earth needs me,"

She readied herself, feet apart, knees loose, hands raised. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. 

"Then I, Nemesis Prime, will take you." 

His mouth guard slammed back down. One sword retracted and he grabbed for her. Ruby danced out of his reach.

"No," she sobbed, "Something's wrong, let me help,"

He was fast. He swiped for her again. His large, solid fingers hit the side of her body and sent her sprawling in the sand. More of her heart broke, like cracks spreading through glass. 

She pushed herself up. Her ribs screamed and burned. Also broken. She pressed a palm to her side. Her vision blurred with tears. Yellow flashed and a canon whined.

"Bee, no!" 

Ruby jumped and, with a burst of red light, rebuffed Optimus' blow. He struck again and again. His sword smashed against her blocks, always aiming for Bee, never her. Metal rang in her ears. She could barely comprehend what was happening. 

The world spun, they sparred too fast. Him against her and Bee. He was stronger than them, more skilled; a true warrior with a corrupted spark.

"You'd kill your oldest friend?!" she yelled at him. Her arms were becoming jelly, her counter moves slower. But there was enough power in her, in the bracelet, to end this. She'd rather die.

The very tip of his sword nicked her cheek bone. She felt the warm blood instantly well over the skin. For a second, the smallest of split seconds, Optimus' eyes flashed blue and he hesitated. 

Hope elevated Ruby. 

"Stop! Stop!" she cried, "I'll go with you! Don't hurt him!"

Bumble Bee was on his knees. His malfunctioning voice box went crazy. No!No!No!  he played. 

Ruby held up her hand, "It's alright Bee, I'm going to fix this,"

She let Optimus seize her around the middle. She couldn't stop the cry of pain from passing her lips as he squeezed her broken ribs. 

He rocketed into the sky, so fast and straight the air was ripped from Ruby's lungs and she knew no more.