Livia gasped, her little fingers pushing against the metal desperately as it weighted down against her. Her lungs burned with effort, shaking beneath the unrelenting pressure of the debris.
The ground shook with explosions. Screams of pain and battle cries echoed through the air, but they seemed muffled to her. Miniscule problems far away, as she suffocated beneath the rubble.
Her small fists panged against her confines and her tears dripped slowly down her face. It was hopeless.
It was all so hopeless. She was going to die.
"Livia!"
Livia's small, trembling breaths got caught in her throat at the voice. He was coming.
He would be too late.
She tried to cry out to him, but her voice was too soft, too quiet and hoarse among the chaos of the battle. She would never escape. It was hopeless.
Suddenly, sharp silver fingers dug themselves into the metal above her and pulled it away. Livia gasped, sitting up and coughing, trying to suck in air as quickly as possible. Her vision went black for a moment, but then she was fine.
She was fine. She was saved.
"Livia." Megatron's gentle voice cooed and he kneeled down, taking her hands in his. "It's okay. I've got you."
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to die here.
Livia pulled her metal fingers away from his and stood, becoming smaller and softer. Megatron looked down at her.
"That's right." He said. "This is a dream."
Livia backed away, her feet now sinking into the grass of her childhood forest. The trees were familiar. She knew this place like the back of her hand.
Megatron stood. "So this is where Olivebranch was hiding you all these years."
Livia took another step back. "How are you here?"
Megatron smirked, but did not reply, intent on studying his surroundings.
"This was the place where Unicron tried to kill you and Optimus." He stated. "Somehow we keep coming back to this wretched shrubbery."
"This is my dream. You're not supposed to be here, why are you here?!" Livia demanded.
Megatron finally looked down at her. "Would you have preferred to be alone? Endlessly suffocating beneath the rubble of the Peace Keep, with no one there to pull you out?"
"But it's not a lie is it? You didn't pull me out." Livia snarled. "I died."
Megatron raised an eyebrow. "That is where you are mistaken, Livia. I did pull you out. I was just too late."
Their surroundings shifted again and Livia was back on Cybertron, standing next to the warlord. A snarky comment died in her throat as Livia watched a younger version of Megatron run through a chaotic battlefield.
His sword stabbed into anything and anyone that was in his path, Autobots and Decepticons alike. Even Peacekeepers fell to his blade.
They moved forward thoughtlessly, watching as the warlord called out, his voice thick with fear and desperation. Eventually, he came across more rubble, but this time, a small, limp foot stuck out from beneath it.
"LIFESTAR!" Megatron roared, sheathing his blades and tearing away the rubble.
There was a pause as he stared down into the hole, two lifeless optics staring back into him. Those two optics would haunt his soul forever.
She was dead. Gone.
A red and blue mech approached, his once weak frame now strong and powerful. Megatron looked up at the mech in confusion.
"Orion?"
The mech did not answer, his heartbroken eyes instead rested on Lifestar's lifeless corpse. Then, a sword sprouted from his arm.
"What have you done?" Optimus demanded.
Megatron's body tensed and he stood. "What have I done? Your Autobots are the ones who attacked this neutral ground!"
"Lies! They've known of Lifestar's location for days!" Optimus yelled. "You attacked this place! Your quest for power killed her!"
Megatron shook with rage. "You left her!? For days!? You abandoned her with strangers! For what!? What have you done to yourself, Orion!?"
"My name is Optimus now. Optimus Prime."
Megatron's eyes widened. "You..."
His swords slid out and both of them stared at each other in utter hatred.
And then they fought.
The battlefield faded away, replaced with soft grass and a clear blue sky. Livia stared off into the forest as if she was still watching the scene.
"What are you trying to prove?" Livia asked, turning back to the look at Megatron.
"That I tried my hardest to protect you. That Optimus is the one who abandoned you to Olivebranch." He said.
Livia glared. "So you think I'll like you more if I think it's Optimus's fault I died!?"
"I just want you to know that I am the one who put you above all other agendas. Above my place in the war. Optimus's desire to win was stronger than his love for you. You will only ever be second in Optimus eyes, but to me? You will always be my first priority." Megatron told her.
Livia didn't respond for a second and she moved her gaze away. He was doing it again. Convincing her that maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
Was he right?
No. He lied to her before, he could be lying to her again.
But he only lied so that she would trust him. Megatron could have tortured Orion into decoding the database. Locked him away and then he wouldn't have been able to escape.
But Megatron put his desire for them to trust him over his desire to succeed in the war. Maybe really did just want a family again.
Livia closed her eyes. She wished the right course of action would just present itself. That someone would take away her right to chose so that whatever path she took would not be blamed on her if it went wrong.
Megatron said that family would always take you in. No matter what you've done.
"Livia?" Megatron prodded gently. "I cannot always be here for you if you remain with the Autobots."
She opened her eyes and turned to him. "What are you trying to say?"
"Come to me. Leave the Autobots." He answered.
Livia shook her head. "No. They- they're my family too."
"Maybe now." Megatron said. "Maybe they like you now, but it will not stay that way forever."
Livia glared. "You don't know the Autobots like I do."
"You don't know the Autobots like I do." Megatron retaliated. "They're just as bad as us Decepticons. It's all a matter of perspective."
"Besides," Megatron grinned, "nobody understands you like I do."
Most times that Livia woke up, she'd jerk awake. Unless she was low on energon, Livia's nightmare always made her recharge end abruptly.
But this time, Livia's eyes opened slowly and she felt at peace.
The peace did not last long.
"IWANABASHSOMEHEADSBASHSOMEHEADSTEARAPARTTHOSEEVILCONSWE'REGONNABLOWTHEMUPBECAUSETHE'REEVILANDWEGOTBULKHEAD!"
Livia covered her eyes and launched off the couch, leaning over the railing to see Miko screaming at the top of her lungs while attacking a guitar connected to two speakers.
"MIKO SHUT UP!" Livia screamed.
The teenager didn't hear her, so Livia looked around for help. Where was the grumpy medic!?
In fact, where were all of the bots!?
Livia ran over to Raf, who was wearing headphones and calmly typing away on his computer.
"RAF! WHERE ARE THE BOTS!?"
He didn't hear her so Livia tapped his forehead and then waved her arms around wildly. He turned his screen to her.
Scouting, mostly.
Livia groaned and ran to the ladder, determined to beat the scrap out of Miko.
As she approached, Miko spotted the angry teenager and screeched, dropping her guitar and running away. Livia chased after her furious and Miko screamed.
"RAF! HELP ME!"
"HE'S WEARING SOUNDPROOF HEADPHONES, MIKO! NOBODY IS GOING TO SAVE YOU!"
Miko ran behind a table and stopped. Livia was at the other end and the two stared at each other for a moment.
"Ya know, for the daughter of Optimus Prime, you're not very peaceful." Miko pointed out.
Livia narrowed her eyes. "For someone who hangs out with Raf, you're not very smart. I specifically said, do not interrupt my nap."
Miko smiled meekly. "Well, Ratchet went scouting a signal with Optimus. It's not every day I have the opportunity to rock out at base."
Livia growled and decided she'd had enough with the conversation. She took a few steps away from the table.
"Giving up alread- AHHH!"
Livia ran forward and jumped onto the table. Miko tried to run again, but Livia lunged forward, tackling the other girl to the floor. They began to roll around as Miko flailed around and Livia attempted to pin her.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Miko screamed. "SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!"
"Death would be merciful!" Livia cackled.
The groundbridge suddenly opened and both girls froze.
They were in the middle of the floor, in clear view of all of the Autobots as they stepped through.
"What's going on here?" Bulkhead asked.
Livia jumped off of Miko and ran away. "Miko started it!"
Miko got up and tried to run off, too but Bulkhead stopped her.
"You'll pay for this, Livia!"