Lauren hunched herself over the water's edge, her reflection stared back as if to mock her.
It was gone. Everything of hers, everything that she had come to know was ripped out from beneath her, leaving her barren and with only her name. Her home, her shop, all of those stupid unfinished projects ceased to exist.
She blamed everyone, but she blamed herself most of all. If she hadn't been stupid- selfish- maybe if she had actually listened to those radio adverts, then she wouldn't be bleeding over a watering hole admits the plains of Namibia, Africa.
Hot, angry tears stung her eyes as she bit back of cry of pain. This wasn't her home, she didn't belong in all of this, whatever this was.
Megatron was right and she loathed that fact.
She was lost and unable to do anything about it. Helplessness had never felt so demeaning in her whole life.
A strangled sob slipped past her lips as she cupped some water in her hands. Using her teeth to hold her shirt up, she did was she could to clean her wound. The surrounding edges were dark in color and she prayed it wasn't infected. The breeze that swept past bit her and she hissed. Her skin felt impossibly hot as she sweat away every last bit of hydration her body had to offer, brain pounding against her skull in the process.
Earth rattling footsteps approached from behind her, but she made no move to greet the decepticon as he marched up beside where she resided.
Megatron took a seat at the water's edge, not offering any words of his own as he plunged his hand into the murky liquid.
"What're you doing?" Lauren's tone was accusatory and she was tense, a pained look colored her features. Her breathing was labored and her lungs wheezed filling her mouth with the taste of iron. She swallowed back her saliva, her brows knit together sending creases along her forehead. Part of her was undeniably angry, furious even, with him for uprooting her life the way he had. Half-lidded eyes stared up at him in her best attempt at a glare.
"Have you no faith in your leader?" He ground out bluntly as he scooped the water over her in a cascade.
It initially startled her, but it soon subsided in favor of the cool liquid against her skin. She stared up at him in a pitiful display, clutching her abdomen from the pain of her wound and the uncomfortableness of encroaching hunger.
The sun was setting fast and she knew the night would be far too cold for her wet state.
Megatron stood to height. "Come, we must move."
Lauren rose to her feet with a wince as she followed slowly in his wake, the sun was beginning to disappear beyond the sandy horizon.
Her feet dragged for what felt like hours and it wasn't long before she stumbled, hitting the sand with a curse. Lauren coughed, shivering where she lay.
The decepticon turned to her and without room for deliberation, scooped her into his palm and trekked on in silence as he kept his guard up.
Her weight had lessened in his hold and he noted her feverish temperature, the air she vented was wet and hoarse. A growl rumbled out of him.
_______________
A coughing fit yanked Lauren from the blissfulness of sleep and thrusted her back into harsh reality.
Her back hit a hard surface as she wheezed and the warmth of fire nipped at her damp skin. Lauren shifted against the rock she was lent against and scooted closer to the fire in an attempt to escape the frigid desert air. "M-Megatron?" She called out, but nothing came of it. "Hello?"
A bud of panic rooted deep within her as she searched the surrounding area flutily.
Wetness glossed over her eyes and she groaned in pain as she attempted to get to her feet with what strength she still had. Her damp clothes stuck to her skin, grossly stained with her blood, mud, and grease.
"Megatron...!" She croaked desperately.
Had he left her here? Had she been abandoned again...?
Lauren bit down on her lip to silence her cries as a flurry of emotions swept over her like a rolling storm. She stumbled to the ground once more and succumbed to her own sorrow in a wallow.
_______________
"Areal view indicates military outposts west of your coordinates." Came the even tone of Soundwave.
With squared shoulders, Megatron readied his artillery. "You've pleased me Soundwave." He grunted with the back of his throat.
"Autobot Ratchet has been decommissioned, sir."
Megatron kept silent on his previous encounter with the bounty hunter as the outpost came into distant view, he snarled. "Report later, Soundwave."
"Affirmative."
His coms went silent after that exchange and he halted as his optics scanned over the most compatible vehicle of choice, which was another truck in question, dawning more of a beige pallet.
Admits his configuration, his spark jerked sharply and he roared lowly at the suddenness. "Patience, fragile one."
He came upon the outpost swiftly and undetected in his new alt form.
Once beyond the pathetic gates, he swiftly transformed to begin his onslaught. Stealth had never been his preferred method of infantry.
He roared for all to hear as he revenged the camp. The screams of agony and fear made his processors surge with a long thirsted after blood lust. "Disgusting," He obliterated one building after the other. "Human scrap!" A man liquified under his stomp.
"All hail Megatron!" He roared to his fullest, lionizing in the death of it all.
No human remained in his destruction as he turned the outpost into a grave yard. His weapons returned beneath his plating and he kicked through the debris in search of what he had came for.
The decepticon was not informed on what humans could and could not consume safely, not versed in what it took to keep one alive.
He growled out in disdain as he ripped miscellaneous items from the ruble with his only filter being; organic.
The decepticon warlord didn't account that his method of assault would likely ruin the integrity of most everything. She would have to make due with whatever he got.
His spark pulsated again and he grunted at the way it knocked around within its chamber. The whole thing was foreign to him and it grated on his nerves.
He knew that all the things he was feeling were not of his own doing, but of her's. It was odd and he did not welcome the change.
Once he had collected whatever he could he turned to leave, snagging a large, thick piece of canvas in his retreat. He threw it up over his helm much like how she had used the tarp to cover him.
Once back in his alt form, he sped off, sending a cloud of sand up behind his aft.
It wasn't long until he approached the small makeshift camp he'd set up. The first thing that greeted him was hoarse, bellowing sobs and the erratic heartbeat of Lauren.
Lauren spotted the unfamiliar vehicle and, in her panic, dragged herself back up against the rock, curling in on herself as a way to shield herself from what was to come. She trembled and choked on her tears. Metal on metal and the familiar whirring made her head snap up to face Megatron.
His hand deposited a cluster of random items onto the ground before her. She startled away from it, but soon turned back to survey what the contents really were.
It was various articles of canned food, some metal bits, and what she thought was cloth. Her finger tips brushed against the items and she frowned, her eyes strained from crying. "W-where did you go? Why did you leave me?!" She wailed sorrowfully. "I-I thought-"
He growled rancorously. "Well your thoughts were unfounded, ingrate." His denta bared sharply in warning.
Lauren hiccupped and cursed at him. "I'm an ingrate?! Fuck you!"
Megatron slammed his claws into the sand beside her and roared in vexation. "Do NOT take such tone with me, insect! Besides, what would you be without me?" His words cut through her with ease and she scowled through her tears.
Something within he yanked and it felt like her rage increased tenfold. "Without you?!" Lauren spat through her pain into his face. "I have nothing and that is thanks to you!"
With a grunted vent, he pulled out of her space and took his seat on the opposite side of the fire. He offered no further words and she didn't instigate as she rested against the rock.
Silently, she gazed up to the night sky as her thoughts consumed her. Her foot knocked into a can and she shifted her sights down to the small pile before her. She stole a glance at Megatron who seemed to be lost in the embers of the fire. The glow of the fire was nothing in comparison to the shine of his optics.
Growing guilt began to gnaw at her and she sighed. It wasn't fair of her to scream at him, especially after he'd went out of his way to try and help. A frown pulled at the corners of her mouth and her heart ached. She knew what she was getting into when she took him in. It was just as much her fault as it was his.
The events of that day flashed to the forefront of her mind and she scowled as the realization of it all came down on her.
Lauren was hit with the epiphany that, no matter what had happened, she would've ended up homeless in every scenario. She was fucked no matter what happened and that made her want to be sick. She gripped her wound tighter as she sat up straighter.
That was another thing that crossed her mind.
Surely, she should've bled out by now. At least, they did in TV shows. Lauren attempted to piece together what happened after the initial incident, but she drew a blank. Her brows furrowed.
Her eyes wandered back to his imposing form. "I'm sorry..." Lauren apologized softly. "For what I said. Thank you for the food."
Megatron grunted in response, and that was all he offered.
Lauren chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "Megatron?"
"What, girl?"
A moment of silence passed before she opened her mouth to speak. "What happened after I got shot? Do you know? I don't really remember."
The decepticon flexed his claws inwardly and a low reverberation rumbled from within him before he spoke. "You perished from your affliction." His words were picked carefully and stated bluntly.
Confusion settled in her as she tried to wrap her mind around his words. "Did... Did I die?" She questioned apprehensively. Megatron's gaze shifted toward the fire and he said nothing. "I did, didn't I? Then, how...? Why?" She trailed off, lost. Her pain was forgotten momentarily as leaned froward slightly, her sapphire eyes pleaded for an answer.
"Come closer, girl." He ordered, his tone was throaty and flat. He jerked his helm in a 'come' motion.
Lauren struggled to her feet as she held the rock for support. Not a single thought crossed her mind when she waved her hand out for him. He obliged, lending her the tip of his claw for support as she shuffled her way over. Though, halfway through her attempt, her boot caught a small divot in the sand, sending her toppling.
The ground never kissed her skin as Megatron caught her, bringing her to his chassis. His plating slid apart to reveal his spark chamber in all its bright glory.
Immediately, she was enamored. A small smile tugged at her lips as she shifted to be closer. "What is it?" She whispered, reaching out a hand toward the dancing light. It was beautiful and she adored it.
Megatron observed her and the way his spark yearned to reach out for her. The pull was odd and it made him rumble out a quiet growl. "We call it a spark. It contains our life force and our memories." He explained.
A soul.
The vibration of his chassis went unnoticed by her as her fingers just barely caressed the light, causing the decepticon warlord to grunt, his claws flexing reflexively.
Lauren pulled her hand away swiftly. "I'm sorry, I should've asked."
"Your apology is nugatory and unneeded, fleshling. You cannot hurt me."
Her eyes never left the spark and she watched with curiosity as it whipped around from within him. "What does this mean...? Why're you showing me this?" She reached out a tentative hand once more and the spark came to her beckoning, it was warm, but did not burn. The pull was inviting and she smiled.
"When you perished, I split my spark in two." He stated bluntly, casting his optics back to the fire.
Time felt slow for a moment as she processed his words. Her chest felt tight for so many reasons and she stared into the blue spark blankly. "You were the one who brought me back...?"
He growled once more. "It's called 'spark bonding'-"
"Don't tell me. Please. I don't want to know right now..." Her request was spoken softly and only above a whisper. Her hand clasped tighter over her wound and suddenly it felt like it took on a whole new meaning.
"You are my conjunx endura." Was all he followed up with. Megatron remained silent for some time, but shifted her form to be closer to his spark chamber. "You need recharge, bug."
"Just a little longer." The spark pulsated and wound itself around her hand.
His shoulder servos whirred as he relaxed against the trunk of a tree. He wanted to abash himself for engaging in such a moment. If his decepticons could see him now, what would they think of their almighty ruler? Part of him screamed that this was wrong and that he should've just laid her to rest, but another part snapped that he knew he didn't want to do that, and was that right? It wasn't as if he could help what his spark wanted, he was a slave to it, much like them all.
Never in a million eons did he ever think he'd find himself in this situation, but never in his whole existence did something so fragile ever make him feel so strong, so whole.
His optics found their way to her small form once more and she was deep in recharge, unaware of the world around her. It became blatant in that split second that they were one collectively from that point on.
A part of him would always belong to her, and her to him. And he surrendered who he was for who she is, so that he may become anew.
The warrior within him raged on about such a connection, a ball and chain. While the Cybertronian instinctively took to the newfound experience naturally.
The wound would heal with time, he told himself while simultaneously being reminded that she was an organic, human. He wanted to be disgusted and revolt her, because he certainly did with the rest of her species, but it never came. The negative connotations never clicked.
Human felt like a curse word and he snarled into the night.
Organic and Cybertronian conjunxs were not unheard of, but were far and few in-between, often told as cautionary tails to sparklings early in life to not pick the wrong sparkmate, for it was something that could never be undone.
Her life expectancy was microscopic when compared to his and he knew that. He'd already lived thousands of her lifetimes. She was so young and yet so old all at once.
Megatron closed his spark chamber and shifted her to rest upon his bent knee servo. Her skin was moist and she still felt feverish. It made his wires pulse and he used a claw to move aside a clump of knotted hair. Her labored breathing was accompanied by the contortion of her facial muscles. Dark crimson stained the majority of her coverings. Gently, he hooked a claw beneath the hem of her top and yanked it just enough to gaze upon her wound.
The edges were dark and the flesh surrounding it was angrily swollen as a soft, a wet scab formed opaque in color. Lauren shuddered at a gust of wind and curled deeper within herself to preserve warmth.
He was not versed in organics' ways of life, nor the biological and anatomical differences, save for the basics of gender, but her wound did not seem to be healing and she weighed less from the last time he'd approximated.
A hard look crossed his metal features. He needed to establish a base of operations and soon before he started biting his time.
Tipping his helm back, he went into partial rest mode as to stay on active alert. Ready if any threat was to pose itself.
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