ENTRY:26/5/2021
TW: Heavy angst, traumatised patient.
It has been a week since Ioa fell into a coma. The team although relieved to have their leader back, they were still worried on the unconscious femme. A particular red and blue bot was the most worried of them all, staying up countless nights to accompany the sleeping femme.
As usual the Prime was by her side, taking her servo and grasping it, hoping a sliver of chance she would response. The female medic's paint job was tarnished; specks of dust and claw markings littered her petite frame. Optimus scanned her form slowly, taking in the delicate body of Ioa.
Ioa was about the height of Bumblebee but slender like Arcee. She had jet wings protruding behind her back and wheels on her peds like the Prime. Her headpiece was similar to Arcee, but it was much longer and having a resemblance to a crown. Her torso was gold and white, same with her shoulderplates. The dark blue paint jobs were on her peds, yet again having a similar trait to Optimus.
The Autobot leader was in a gloomy mood, silently observing the injured femme in sorrow. His mind was clouded with so many questions, the main one being Arcee's question. He did not notice his old friend coming closer and jolted in surprise when the mech landed a servo on his shoulderplate.
Slowly, the Prime raised his helm to look at his oldest friend, who was sporting a worried look on his face.
"Optimus, you need to take a rest. Your body needs it." Ratchet advised, concerned for their leader. Optimus shook his helm, not wanting to leave the femme.
"I am not able to fall into recharge knowing that Ioa is injured and yet to online, old friend. I will be fine, please don't worry." Optimus waved the doctor away, adamant on staying by Ioa's side.
Sighing, Ratchet grumbled to the Prime, not liking his leader's stubbornness.
"Ioa's right, you know? You are really stubborn."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said Ioa is right. You don't know when to quit." Ratchet repeated, not caring if he offended his friend. Optimus needs to rest or he's going to end up like Ioa too. Primus knows how long has it been since the Prime refuelled.
"Ratchet, I-"
"Ep Ep Ep! Doctor's orders! If you don't get some rest Optimus, I fear you will end up the same as Ioa. And if you do, I am going to slice you open!" Ratchet threatened the mech. Nodding in relentment, Optimus laid on the berth next to Ioa.
"What are you doing?"
"Accompanying Ioa."
"That's the med berth, Optimus."
"Yes, I'm well aware."
"Well then, get off!" Ratchet said incredulously, shooing his friend off the berth. Optimus did not budge, still on the berth as he laid down on his side to observe the femme.
"I will be resting here, with Ioa."
"OPTIMUS-"
"Please, Ratchet." Optimus pleaded, not being his usual self. The orange and white medic stopped in his tracks and snapped towards the leader.
It was not everyday you get to see Optimus Prime begging.
Sighing, Ratchet nodded and left him be. The Prime said nothing as he laid beside Ioa, his optics trained on the mech. At long last, Optimus's system caved in and he fell into recharge, sleeping peacefully by the femme's side.
---
The next day...
Ioa slowly onlined her optics to see the base's ceiling. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the environment. The femme tried to sit up but ended up whining in pain and laid back down. Her cries woke the sleeping leader up, the Prime swiftly onlined his optics and rushed to her side.
"Ioa! H-How do you feel?" Optimus asked hesitantly. He did not want to seem needy but his tones said otherwise.
The injured femme looked at Optimus and gasped, backing away from him although in much pain. The gesture was like a hit to the guts for Optimus, for the femme was staring at him with fears evident in her optics.
Raising his servos, he tried calmly her down. It was 4 in the morning and the Prime did not want to wake his teammates up.
"Easy Ioa. You are safe, young one." he spoke softly, inching towards the terrified femme. The white and gold bot tensed up, shaking her helm as she backs away from the gigantic bot.
"S-Stay away Autobot! P-Please, don't hurt me! I-I'm merely a low medic, I have no valuable information about the Decepticons! Please, let me go!" replied the femme frightenedly, desperate to get away from the Autobot leader.
If what she read from the database was correct, the Prime was one of the strongest mechs of Cybertron, having powers matching her leader himself. She absolutely DOES NOT want to stick around to find out what he's capable of.
"Ioa it's me, Optimus!" Optimus said, his eyes pleading for the femme to recognise him but it did not work.
"Yes, I'm well aware of your designation, Prime!" Ioa rebutted, unnerved at the mech in front of her. Why was he speaking as if they were a team?
"Do you not remember us...?" Optimus asked sadly, his spark dropped at the sight of the femme not remembering him.
"N-No...I'm sorry. As far as I can remember, I am a Decepticon medic, sir." Ioa said, her gaze softened a little at the sight of the spark-broken mech in front of her. Hesitantly, she extended her servos to cup the mech's face, feeling bad for him.
But she didn't know why.
"I-I'm sorry, Optimus. But I don't seem to recognise...us. M-May I ask how was I transported here? I recalled I was tending to the Vehicons..." Ioa said truthfully, having absolutely no clue to how she was here of all places.
The mech placed his servos against hers, pressing it closer to his face in sorrow. He looked towards the medic in grief before speaking, knowing his decisions were not going to have the best results.
"I'm sorry, Ioa. But I cannot allow you to leave." Optimus said and took locked the femme down on the berth, yelling loudly for Ratchet.
"RATCHET! A LITTLE HELP HERE!"
Sets of pedsteps echoed the hall as the whole team came out, witnessing Ioa thrashing wildly against Optimus's hold. Ratchet chained the femme down, inciting a blood-curdling scream from the femme as she begged them to let her go. Optimus was trying his best not to break down, turning his helm away as he saw Ioa crying hysterically.
"LET ME GO, I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE-"
Ioa was tranquilised by Ratchet, her body slumped and her watering optics closed as she laid still. The whole base was quiet and the tense was palpable. Ratchet went to Optimus, wanting to know what the hell happened.
"What happened, Optimus?"
"She... does not remembers us." Optimus's helm was lowered to the ground, his voice breaking in pain. The whole team was in shock as they snapped their helms to Ioa's direction.
She does not recognise them?
---
Timeskip: The kids are now at base...
The children were updated with Ioa's situation by their charges on the way back to base. They were at the human lounge watching Ioa from afar whom awaken not too long before they arrived. She was breathing erratically as her cooling fans were on full blast, trying to calm her abnormal sparkrate and temperature down.
The amnesiac femme looked around wildly, her optics wide in fear as she tries to think of the possibilities to get far away from them. Her anxiety was further more heightened when she hears a voice in her head telling her to trust them.
What the frag?
"Lightblade, you have to listen to me. You are one of us now and you were injured during the battle with the Decepticons-"
"I can't even hold myself against a Vehicon, let alone with the bunch of them! How on earth do you think I'm suppose to believe your words?!" Ioa cuts Ratchet off, shaking her helm in denial. The voice in her helm grew louder, irritating her even more as she grabs her helm, her shackles rattling.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
'LIGHTBLADE IOA, YOU LISTEN TO ME! YOU ARE ONE OF THEM! PLEASE, HEAR THEIR EXPLANATIONS, THEY SPEAK OF BUT THE TRUTH!'
"SHUT UP! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
'I am part of you Light, I cannot leave you alone. Not like this.'
"WHO ARE YOU!??" Lightblade screeched, not caring if the Autobots are in confusement; the voice was getting on her nerve and the bots are adding to the fuel.
"I'm Shadowglyde Ioa, your alter ego. Please, calm down for once!" the voice echoed in her processor, Ioa groaning as she cradled her helm. Ratchet came to her side holding a syringe on his servo, ready to put her back to sleep when she roared, making the doctor and everyone else took a step back.
"StAY AwaY FrOm mE!" her roar shook the base. The femme was clearly battling for command with Shadowglyde, and she was losing.
"LiSteN tO ThEM- ShUt uP- TheY CaN hElP-LEavE mE- TrUsT ThEm- gO AwaY- OPtIMuS-"
The mentioned bot didn't have to be asked twice; jumping in to help stabilise the chaotic femme.
"Lightblade, listen to me! Please, we won't hurt you!" the Prime begged, hating to see the femme in this predicament.
"In the Pits I will believe you! You have me chained like a caged animal!" Lightblade yelled at his face, taking control momentarily. Ioa was sobbing terribly, her frame shaking and her wounds reopened but she denied their treatment, thrashing around and refusing to be neutralised.
"We don't want you to run away! If you return to the Decepticons, you will be offlined!" Optimus said, hoping it would get the femme to stop resisting them. It worked and Ioa slumped back in defeat, fear and hopelessness clear in her optics.
"P-Please... leave me alone..." Ioa begged, her servos raised in front of her in submission, blocking her view from the Autobots like a terrified sparkling. Optimus held the femme close to him as she shook, afraid and not understanding what was happening.
They were going to get through this together.
"I would like to talk to Ioa in private, if you all please." Optimus said, wanting some privacy to sooth the femme. He picked the traumatised femme up and went to his berthroom, not caring if the femme was threat to him.
He was not going to lose her again for the second time.
A/N: *Carefreely drops this chapter and runs away*
*Gets pulled back by an unknown source*
ACK- SOWWYYYYYY DON'T HURT MEEHHHH
Okay so I did not update yesterday because I was making art and stuff! So ahahahah... don't kill me? Also yes, I did come back only to drop another cliffhanger to yall, I am not sorry ahdhdgshsfsd-
ALSO ALSO, pretty much Ioa's form is like Elita-One as seen on above! This art does not belong to me of course, but it seem to be like a beta model for tfp? I hope that clears everyone's thought on Ioa's biped form.
AS ALWAYS, thank you for reading, commenting and voting! Stay safe and healthy everyone! Enigma signing out!