1. Guardians (A TFP Fanfiction Story)

Chapter 30

For what seemed like a long time, I felt nothing but an intense desire for something. As time went on, I realized that something was Energon. I wanted it so badly; no, it was more than that. It was like I needed it. I could feel the time pass, even though I was in darkness. Desire turned into hunger, hunger into desperation. Eventually, I felt pain. Like my body was being crushed under a rock. I knew it had to do with my new parts, and my most recent exposure to Dark Energon. It felt terrible, and it seemed to last a long while.

Then came the fulfillment, the relief. Something filled my body, taking the pain away and giving my strength back. After a few moments, I knew it had to be Energon. It felt amazing, but at the same time, I felt awful. I disliked my new need for it, wishing I didn't have to take the supply. My body took it, nonetheless, and soon I found myself drawing closer to consciousness.

Light entered my eyes as they fluttered open slowly, and I felt the my head start to ache. I groaned quietly, my vision still blurry. I could feel that I was in bed again because of the softness of the blankets. I blinked a few times, seeing a figure standing over me. Who was it..?

"-ylor? Taylor?" I heard a voice whisper gently. I hadn't realized that all had been silent up until now..

I blinked again and saw that it was Nurse Darby. Her eyes were bent with worry and she was reaching for my face with her hand. Her fingers brushed some bangs out of my eyes when she saw them open. She smiled slightly when I turned my head to see her.

"Hey, there," she said, her voice sweet and concerned. "How do you feel?"

I swallowed, my mouth feeling dry. "Better.. what happened to me?" I asked weakly, shifting my weight to my arms. I slowly pushed myself up, and thankfully my body didn't ache.

She rested her arms on my shoulders, signaling for me to take it slow. "We weren't sure at first.. you were out for a good while."

I sighed, leaning back on the rail of the bed. "Oh..." I quickly remembered what had happened previously. The Dark Energon volcano, the earth quakes and total waves... the revaluation of Unicron himself being the earth's core. I shot up quickly, looking for the others. The children were all standing off near the monitors, Jack looking at something in his hand longingly. Bulkhead was leaning on the wall in the hallway, his optics distant, arms crossed. Bumblebee was slouched next to Arcee, who also had her arms crossed. The two were having a quiet conversation, none of which I could catch. Ratchet was at the monitor, but he wasn't typing, over even looking at it. He was leaning on the rail with his back to me, helm down. Agent Fowler was on the phone with someone, his voice agitated. Each and every one of their faces were solemn, and Optimus was no where in sight.

"Is something wrong?" Nurse Darby asked, noticing the worry on my face.

I turned to her, my head down a little. "..Is something wrong?"

She cringed, her eyes starting to water all of the sudden. Her hands left my shoulders and fell to her sides as she stood up straight. "No.. and yes. We defeated Unicron, with the surprise help of Megatron."

I jumped. "Megatron helped us?"

She nodded, her eyes hard. "He didn't want to bow down to the dark lord, so he helped us locate where he was. Optimus had the only thing that could stop him, the Matrix of Leadership."

I nodded once, having heard of it from my guardian. Nurse Darby blinked in surprise before continuing.

"...they did it. They put Unicron back in stasis, together. I heard they made quite the surprise team." She paused, taking a deep breath. "But there was a cost."

My body went tense. "What happened?"

She took a shaky breath. "Optimus... he lost his memories. He went back to his previous life, Orion Pax. Megatron took him aboard his warship.." she stopped before her voice could crack.