Raider Red

Chapter 17: Another Chance

"Why?" She asked, her voice almost too soft to hear.

Fowler frowned at her tone and hardened his. "You're under arrest."

Red laughed, her voice light for a moment before cracking. A small sob broke free and Red leaned forward.

"I should jump."

Fowler's expression twisted into one of shock.

"You got what you wanted." Red said, her voice trembling. "MECH is no more. I'm no longer your problem."

He didn't know what to say and after a moment, Fowler lowered his gun and stepped toward her.

"Red, what are you talking about?"

"Silas is dead." Red stared forward bitterly. "MECH came here to kill me."

Fowler reached her side. "Then you're free. Come with me. The Autobots... Optimus will forgive you. You'll be safe there."

"What if I don't want to be safe?" Red whispered. "What if I just want to fly? If even for a split second before gravity takes hold."

Fowler put his hand on her shoulder. "Jumping won't solve anything."

Red looked down. "I won't have to live anymore, knowing I'm not worth anything."

"You are worth so much more than you realize." Fowler told her. "MECH was not your only purpose."

Red turned to look at him, her eyes matching her namesake. "You don't know that. You don't know what it's like to have been raised for one purpose and then that purpose be destroyed."

Fowler shook his head. "You're right. I will never understand. But I do know that you have an entire life ahead of you. You can build a new purpose."

"With what?"

"Us." Fowler straightened and held out a hand to her. "Get away from the ledge and I promise you that you'll find something worth living for if you just keep searching."

Red stared at him for a long moment before swinging her legs over the side of the windowsill. She stood in front of Fowler.

The agent glanced at the beat up MECH agents before guiding Red to the door. She followed him quietly, defeated.

Optimus watched in surprise as Red stepped outside, fully conscious. She sat down silently in the passenger seat as Fowler paced outside, calling someone to pick up the MECH agents in the house.

"Red?" Optimus observed her. "What happened?"

She didn't respond.

Everything about the once determined girl seemed...

Broken.

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Optimus was worried.

Despite the numerous times she'd betrayed them and all of the people she'd hurt, Optimus couldn't help but worry for Red. He couldn't help but see the best parts of her and wish she'd change her darker ways.

Something told him that Red had changed, but in an entirely unexpected way.

Fowler had debriefed them when he got back. He told them about the trashed room and the agents. But more importantly, he told them about their conversation.

Red had sat back down on that metal chair and pulled her knees up to her chest when she got back. There was no mask of calm on her face or even hidden body language.

This time Red was being herself and she was too consumed by grief to care if anyone else saw.

Optimus wanted to say something, anything to make her stop staring at the ground with that horrible, shattered gaze. But he knew nothing to console her.

The feeling of not being able to help tore at his spark. It was a feeling he had felt many times.

When Orion Pax had been declared a Prime by the council, Megatronus had felt beyond betrayed. Orion didn't know what to do. How to help him.

And then Megatron began his rampage.

Optimus was worried that if he didn't act now, help Red get through her pain, then she too would return to the darkside. And Optimus was not ready to fail someone else in that arena.

Optimus stepped forward, not having any kind of plan at all as he approached Red. She didn't even glance at him when he stopped at the edge of the rail.

"Red." Optimus stared down at her.

No reaction.

The Prime glanced at the others, not sure what to do, but Jack was giving him a thumbs up and Arcee was facepalming. Optimus looked back down at Red and sighed.

Optimus hated holding humans. He had never admitted it, but it was something that bothered him. They were so fragile he was always afraid of breaking them.

But when he reached out and carefully picked Red up off of her chair, the girl's weight in his palm just seemed like it belonged.

Red looked up at him, surprise and sadness stretching across her features.

Optimus transformed and drove out of the base. No one lifted a finger to stop them and Red was without sound.

He still wasn't sure what to say to her, so maybe speaking was not the answer here. Perhaps simply knowing that someone was there for her would help Red's grief.

She leaned against his seat and relaxed.

Red looked out the window and remembered all the other times she had ridden inside the Prime's alternative mode.

One particular memory stood out to her and Red closed her eyes. When her mother had died.

Victoria's smile fell completely and she glared out the window. "My mom never loved me."

Optimus was quiet for a moment.

"If there is ever anything bothering you, Victoria, you can talk to me. I have eons of experience." He told her.

Red looked at the dashboard. Optimus had never fully trusted her, but his level of trust had never gone down. No matter what she did, for some reason, Optimus was still hoping she'd change.

"Why?"

The question was so quiet, so soft, that Optimus almost didn't hear her. He slowed down and focused on the girl.

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

Red looked out the window and frowned. "What about a third? Or a fourth?"

"All beings are capable of change. I will deny no one of the chance to do the right thing." Optimus told her.

Red closed her eyes to hold in the tears and she tilted her head back. "This planet doesn't deserve you."