Ruby - Transformers: The Last Knight

Turn Out the Light

Ruby lay on her back, staring up at the patched canvas roof. The pitter-patter noise reminded her of rain. Why was she in a tent? Why was she laying down? And whose jacket was covering her like a blanket? 

She wouldn't get up yet, no, she might not be able to. Her body felt too heavy, like she'd been shot with KSI's special Ruby stun gun. Whoever owned this jacket must be a heavy smoker, or have been standing next to a potent bonfire, because it reeked; and whatever was acting as a pillow dug into her skull. 

"Ow," she said out loud, then;

"Optimus!" She sat bolt up right, heart racing as she remembered Quintessa and her Nemisis Prime inducing powers. The block on the bracelet broke and a flash of white light engulfed Ruby as her power rushed back.

Lennox burst through the tent flap;

"Don't move!"

He aimed the custom cannon at her. 

"What?" She took in the black ash smeared across his face and the rain water carving a path down his temple, "Did something happen? Where is Optimus? Oh my goodness, did he attack you?!"

Lennox slowly lowered the gun, keeping his eyes locked on her. She read the panic, the mistrust, and her own eyes widened, "I attacked you?"

Shame turned her organs to ice. What had she done?

She looked away, intending to hide behind her hair.  But it was up; braided tightly across her skull and down her back. 

"Ow," she said again, "Why is my hair pinned back like this?" she ripped out the hair ties, avoiding looking at Lennox. He hadn't answered her question, but as she combed through her hair with her fingers she felt it. The energy fizzing within her felt alive, like an exercised blood hound that wanted more. And the way Lennox watched her, like she might rip his head off at any moment. 

"I'm really sorry," she whispered, "Did I hurt you? Did I hurt anyone else?"

"You're you," he decided out loud. He slung the cannon across his back and plonked himself down next to Ruby. He took her head in both of his hands and turned it from side to side, "Creepy," he said.

Ruby battered his hands away, "Thanks,"

"See for yourself," he took a small tablet out of his pocket and tapped the screen.

Ruby took it from him and gasped. She zoomed in on the picture. "I look like a monster,"

"You were,"

Her outline glowed white; one hand was drawn back like she was about to throw the angry red bullet of energy in her palm. The other hand held a flaming purple sword, made purely of light and looking deadlier than anything she ever seen. And her eyes, burning with lilac fury, made her look exactly like the queen Quintessa said she could be. A cold, merciless queen.

Ruby bit her lip until she tasted blood. At least some part of her was still human. She dropped the tablet back in Lennox's lap.

"Here's your jacket back," she said eventually, tossing that at him too. 

Underneath it, she wore a silver tunic with lilac stitching. 

"I don't even want to know how I ended up in this god-awful outfit," she sighed. She got up and paced; "Come on then, give it to me straight, what the heck did I do?"

Lennox rubbed his eyes. Ruby felt her composure shake and she paced all the faster. Real fear pricked her skin like a million needles. 

"You landed like a hurricane," Lennox said under his breath, as if speaking it made it too true to bare; 

"You asked for Cade. Santos, for once, was right to be paranoid. The TRF kept their guard up. But you disabled their weapons, our weapons. I instantly advised we retreat. Fall back. Run. You were not you, but you were capable of anything. Then came Megatron. And we were entirely defenseless."

Tears spilled down Ruby's cheeks. Never, not ever had she hurt a human. Not in such a heartless, casual way. As wrong as TRF were, they didn't deserve such treatment. They were trying to protect their own, and they'd never forgive her. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. 

"Optimus came," Lennox continued, "He said nothing. I thought he was going to help us. I thought he'd save you. But he just watched. And when I stunned you and your power was frozen, he took off. Megatron left."

Ruby tried to remember. She imagined her power blazing through her veins, the crash and boom of decepticon fire, the heavy gaze of Optimus. Nothing. Perhaps it was better that she didn't remember. But she couldn't un-see the picture of herself. Nemesis Ruby. How ridiculous. 

"We sedated you, kept you down until the others could get here. Grimlock seemed to know what to do, he, er, exorcised you, or whatever," he scratched the back of his head. "Simmons told us everything he knows." 

Suddenly Lennox was up, frantic. He grabbed Ruby's wrists in fists of steel; "You must not go back to Prime. You have to stay away from him. You are the key to this elaborate plan and you must not be found. Otherwise everything will be lost." He released her; "Go back to your fiancé; hide, let us deal with the threat. They cannot destroy Earth without you. Stay gone."

"I can help-"

"No." spat Lennox, "You're too dangerous now. Too powerful. How long have you felt it? How long have you known you have the power to destroy worlds?"

Ruby's tears fell thick and fast. Her mouth worked but she had no answer. 

Lennox held open the tent flap, "Simmons has a car for you. Hot Rod will take you to the airport."

Ruby stepped out into the rain, disguising her tears. She turned back to him;

"What happened to you?"

He just shook his head and disappeared among the tents. 

Ruby stood there until she was soaked through and the chill on her skin matched her heart. She had never felt more alone.