2. Charge (A TFP Fanfiction)

Chapter 24

I squirmed in the hold of the seeker as he went through the large halls of the Nemesis, not wishing to meet yet another cruel Decepticon. I avoided eye contact with all passing Vehicons, though I could still hear their snickers and feel their stares as we went along. Tears were still flowing down my face as I finally gave up, losing almost all strength, panting heavily and going limp. My hands started shaking and my spark ached terribly, my instincts still telling me that something was wrong, something had happened, but I didn't know what. 

I had heard about the Decepticon scientist Shockwave before. Ratchet had admitted that he held him to high standards, though his methods were cruel and he was virtually uncaring. He had told me that his intelligence and scientific expertise was only unrivaled by long disappeared scientists. Then again, everyone had assumed he was gone, too. Arcee had told me, and Jack as well, I'm sure, about her adventure with her deceased partner, Cliffjumper, against Shockwave. At the end, she had shot him in his only optic just before the GroundBridge had exploded, supposedly offlining him. 

However, when Starscream walked into the lab and held me out in front of the giant mech, I knew instantly that he was all too real. Real, and completely fine. His chassis was scratched slightly, the only indication that he had been in an explosion. He was tall, a dark purple framing his entire structure, with a very toned chassis. He indeed had only one cold, red optic, but he had no faceplate, no features at all. I couldn't tell what he was feeling in any way at the moment. One servo had long, delicate digits, but the other had grown into a huge cannon, a cord attached to the end, one that led to his backside. He looked down at me without a sound for a few moments, studying me with an intense silence. I shivered under his gaze, and I could feel Starscream tensing as well. 

"This is the human?" came a deep, cold voice from the mech as his optic lifted to gaze at the seeker. 

Starscream stuttered slightly. "Y-yes, of course. This human is the one I told you about." He lifted me up, showing me off like a shiny new toy. "Other humans gave her Cybertronian qualities."

Shockwave remained expressionless as his optic fell back to me. "They discovered our biotech and put it inside her?" he asked, his monotone voice hinting a small bit of disbelief. "What a savage species."

I resisted the urge to blurt "We're the savage species?!", angry but too afraid to resist the harsh mech. Starscream pushed me forward in a signal for the larger Decepticon to take me. Shockwave paid the seeker no mind, much to his annoyance, and turned his 'helm' to a berth on the opposite side of the room. 

"Set the human over there," he instructed without looking at him. "I have no doubt that it will not be able to escape."

Starscream huffed, taking a moment before doing as he was told. "Just because you are in charge of the scientific department doesn't mean that you need to be ordering me, your equal in rank, around like some Vehicon." His movements were rough as he grew more frustrated. He nearly tossed me onto the hard metal berth, causing me to grunt. 

Shockwave's optic turned sharply to glare at him, taking the seeker by surprise. "Be careful with my specimen," he growled lowly, slowly getting closer to him. "I need it in its best condition." He got all up in his faceplate for a moment before he glanced at me. "And it seems you have already done enough harm," he added in what seemed like annoyance as he edged closer to Starscream. 

Ever the coward, he held up his servos in surrender. "My apologies," he said with a nervous laugh. "I will.. leave you to your work now." He hurriedly sidestepped the large Con and speed walked towards the door. "Good luck getting anything interesting from her," he grumbled just before he exited. 

Now alone and without distractions, Shockwave turned his attention over to me. He stepped closer, stopping at the berth and leaning down, reaching his thin servo out to me. I flinched, whimpering and backing away. It didn't matter that I was acting like a frightened animal; I was terrified, and tired of being hurt. 

I just wanted to go home.

Back into Ratchet's protective servos.

Not his.

Shockwave was nothing like my smart bot.

The large purple Con noted my behavior and backed away slightly. He hovered over me, looking over my entire body. After a moment, he said, "You are a human femme. You have similar attributes to our Cybertronian femmies." 

I could only nod, confirming that I was female, or in their case, femme.

This time he didn't hesitate when I backed away as he reached for me. The freezing cold metal touched my legs, his optic scanning the ripped jeans flesh up and down. I shivered uncontrollably as he moved the servo up and pulled up my shirt slightly to scan the bruises around my middle. A mad feeling of nausea fell into my stomach, but I swallowed and squeezed my eyes shut. He ran the tips of his digits up my arms, the slight touch sending terrified chills up my arms. I froze when they paused over my upper arm where my spark was held, my eyes flying open. 

"You contain a spark?" he said, sounding the slightest bit surprised.

I whimpered in reply, turning to him with eyes wide. He didn't seem fazed as he pressed at the skin at my shoulder harshly, causing me to yelp in pain. Much to my surprise, my spark chamber opened up quickly, revealing the pulsing blue gem. Both the spark and my heart pattered wildly in my chest as he tapped it gently, sending flaring pain up my body. 

"It's tainted," he said in realization. "Where did you get this?" he pulled on my arm harshly, yanking me closer.

Out of pure terror, I screamed, shutting my eyes tight and struggling against his grip. "Ratchet!!" I cried in terror. I wanted nothing more than him to come rescue me from this horrible fate. It felt selfish. Normally, I put others first. They were more important than my well being. But right now, all I could feel was the fear, the pain, and the strongest desire to return to him. 

Shockwave finally backed away, though because he had no expressions, I couldn't tell why. He cocked his 'helm' at me slightly, like he was trying to figure something out.

"It is apparent that you are not informed of today's earlier events," he said, his voice back to cold and monotone.

I hugged myself and inched farther back on the berth, my eyes wide and wet. "W-What d-do you mean?" I forced myself to ask after a pause. 

He turned as he began to speak, heading over to the computers on our right. "Your guardian, Ratchet, is no more. The Autobots, including Optimus Prime, have perished."

What? 

It felt like I was slammed into a brick wall as he pulled up an image on the large screen, one that seemed to tear my heart in half. No noise came from my mouth, no matter how much I tried.

The Autobot base was gone. Obliterated. 

With all the Autobots with it.

Optimus.

Bulkhead.

Bumblebee.

Arcee.

Wheeljack. 

Smokescreen.

Ultra Magnus.

Ratchet. 

All gone.

And my hopes with them. 

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AND THEN THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER TO THIS BOOK-