Several more days had passed and many miles were travelled roughly as her condition dwindled by the rise and set of the sun.
Lauren wretched, hunched on her hands and knees as she expelled bile from her stomach and the preserved peaches from that morning's breakfast. Fat tears blurred her vision and saliva strung from her dry lips.
She felt as if her skin was burning and melting off, despite her shivers that said otherwise. Collapsing onto her side, her body trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattered and sweat dampened her clammy skin. Hair stuck to her face uncomfortably.
Megatron resided beside her and the watering-hole in a kneeling position. A grimace contorted his features as he watched the gross display before him. She was weak beyond her ailment and her condition deteriorated by the klik. She had died once before him, and now he was watching it in real time with no real way to combat it.
They needed to move and soon as he needed to relay back to Soundwave promptly.
The decepticon scooped up some water and poured it carefully over her face, ridding her of her own fluids and cooling her in the process.
Lauren coughed her throat raw and spat, residing herself to rest her head against the moist sand. All energy and strength she may have had was robbed from her and all she wanted to do was sleep in an attempt at escape.
Megatron took her into his palm. "We need to move, now, bug." His helm casted a shadow over her form and for that, she was thankful.
"I c-can't-" A wheeze coupled with a wince cut her off unceremoniously.
He snarled. "Quit your vocalizing." It wasn't a suggestion, but an order and she complied without fight.
Retrieving his covering, he pulled it over his helm swiftly, obscuring his face. His transformation followed soon there after, bringing Lauren within himself and depositing her body onto the front seat of his cab.
Lauren studied the interior and rested herself further into the plush seat coverings, taking in her respite from the harsh sun. Unconsciousness claimed her only minutes later.
Megatron revved his engine as he crossed the plains with haste.
"Soundwave, report." He hailed.
"Soundwave reporting for duty, my lord." His tone was always flat and monotonous.
"Mobilize all seeker troops, 22.9576° S, 18.4904° E immediately. Bring Scalpel." Despite the uneven terrain and rough ride, Lauren still didn't stir.
"Scalpel resides with Blackout, mobilizing now."
"You do me great honor, Soundwave." Megatron zeroed in on his given coordinates.
_______________
Soundwave roared into the vastness of space as he ripped himself away from the human satellite with ease.
He'd waited long and patiently for this moment, his lord's orders. To see it come to fruition was a pleasure to him.
"Seekers, mobilize effective immediately. 22.9576° S, 18.4904° E." He broadcasted to all troops across the planet, being sure to leave the frenzied Dreadbot-Berserker duo out of the equation, before tuning his frequency to fit that of his fellow decepticons.
"Blackout to bring Scalpel to Lord Megatron, effective immediately." It had been a drawn out cycle since he regrouped and part of him was not looking forward to seeing familiar faces.
"Affirm, Blackout incoming."
"Starscream reporting."
Soudwave snarled when he heard the narcissistic seeker respond.
"Thank Primus we are back in busy baby! Hail to lord Megatron!"
Soundwave glared at Nitrozeus's antics and obnoxious way of speaking as he began his decent toward Earth.
"All hail lord Megatron." Was a collective statement in celebration for new orders and the decepticons revival.
_______________
When Lauren awoke, she was in a feverish daze. Her mind felt fuzzy and clouded. Without thinking, she moved to sit up and hissed in pain. She blinked away what sleepiness she could and panned her sights out the passenger window to watch the scenery whip past in a blur. "Where are we...?" Came her mumbled question as nausea crept up on her.
"A randevu. Do not be impatient, girl." His response further rumbled the truck courteously of his ever present gruffness.
Lauren grunted in acknowledgment, but couldn't find it within herself to question him further. Her eyes roamed the truck's cab and she soon spotted the small radio with peaked interest.
Shakily, she reached out and twisted the dial, it was static, but soon caught a station.
A breathy laugh escaped her and she curled onto her side with a cough, wiping some sweat from her neck. Silently, she mumbled along to the familiar lyrics as her eyelids grew too heavy for her to keep open.
"You can never say never. While we don't know when. But time and time again. Younger now than we were before. Don't let me go."
Her body was burning and her breath labored, but she meekly kept soft tune with the song. Megatron made a point to push himself and his speed limits in a attempt to reach his point faster. Unbeknownst to Lauren, he'd dialed back the station to be quieter as she whispered the lyrics blearily.
"Far as the eye can see under your command. I will be your guardian when all is crumbling, I'll steady your hand."
The lyrics were soon lost on her tongue and she slipped back beneath unconsciousness, her head rolled back and legs slacked, her flesh dawning a flush. He switched the station off swiftly, ridding himself of its nuisance.
It wasn't much longer before his coordinates lined up exactly where he wanted them; the furthermost point triangulated between the nearest human outposts the large rock structure would serve him as a temporary shelter in his dire time.
With haste, he transformed and held Lauren's form close as he hunched and made his way within the rock formation. The temperature difference was palpable and it was well in depth, secluded, and reasonably safe. It was defendable.
Pulling the makeshift hood from his helm, he tossed it to the ground and rested her atop it. She stirred slightly, but did not wake.
He left her to the dark and emerged, the sun was to start its decent in moments time. His men would arrive in due time. His spark surged with newfound rejuvenation as he awaited patiently.
Nightfall was quick to snuff out the sun's light and Lauren soon awoke with a shiver. Her fingers brushed the thick canvas and she was quick to pull it over her in preservation of the little warmth she had. Through the darkness, she could make out Megatron's foreboding silhouette outlined by pale moonlight. He was sat with a knee propped up.
With difficulty, the brunette clambered to her feet with the rock wall as support. Lightheadedness nearly brought her crumbling back to the floor, but she persisted weakly. She'd never felt so sick in her whole life and it was draining every last drop of energy from her. Bags clawed at her under eyes in an ugly display of sleep deprivation and her stomach churned hungrily with nausea to accompany the unpleasant feeling.
Lauren shuffled along the the rock wall wearily, pausing occasionally to rest before continuing. The thick canvas hung from her shoulders like a much too large cape.
Megatron turned his helm slightly to the side, directing his audio receptor in the direction of the femme. "You only further your ailment, human." He jeered at her lack in self preservation.
She made no move to respond as she sluggardly approached the mech. A breeze whistled through the cave like structure and she shuddered at its vicious bite.
Stooping to stand beside him, she heaved feebly, pulling the cloth around her tighter. Her eyes didn't meet him as she stared off into the Namibia plain. It was serine and leagues darker than it ever got in Texas which allowed for the stars to shine through the blackness with vivid brightness. She slid down the rock into a curled position.
Her sapphire eyes studied the abyssal night sky in wonderment before she spotted something. At first she regarded it as a shooting star, but when it barreled through earth's ozone layer with a resounding clangor, she knew to think otherwise.
A throaty hum left Megatron as he rose to height, offering his open palm to her with a direct stare that left her no room for option.
He hoisted her high and she couldn't help, but savor the warmth that rolled off his metal. God, she felt like a helpless child, a lost puppy. The thought made her frown and her brows furrow. She was already of no use, but now she was really useless. Bile crept up her throat and she swallowed it and tears back.
The flying object made quick time in its plumet to the sand below, a fiery tail followed it's path. The sound on impact made her jump in a startle as he set her further within the nature provided shelter.
She watched as his form trudged into the darkness, his optics lighting the way in a crimson glow. With a hand poised above her wound, she shuffled forward slightly.
The loud, ground shaking footsteps weren't something she worried about, until another pair of ruby optics lit up the night, and then another. Three pairs of eyes stalked in the darkness and she couldn't help but shift a bit closer to investigate.
The telltale sound of transformation filled the air and she search the darkness for something more, but came up with nothing until she was put in the spotlight.
Her eyes snapped up to face the imposing stare, the light blinded her and she shied away, but was soon plucked from he ground with force and held high in the air like a stray kitten that had been caught. The worse-for-wear cloth of her shirt threated to rip against her dead weight and she threw her arms up in an effort to support her weight with no success.
"Hot damn! Would you look at this! We have ourselves a pet!" The bot bellowed out exuberantly as he jerked her too and from like a bagged fish, her shirt threads snapping in the process and tears flooded her eyes both in fear and from the pain.
"P-put me down...!" Lauren bellowed weakly, her cries shredding her already raw throat. Fabric ripping made her panic and the darkness obscured just how high up she was. Her hand flailed up to grasp his claw, but he shook her hold off. "P-please...! M-Megatron!"
The cries were barely past her lips before her aggressor was snatched violently, giving her shirt the final tug it needed to tear. Lauren hit the sand this a thud and a scream ripped through her vocal chords before being overtaken by wet wheezes. Fresh blood spilled from her wound and she used the last remaining remnant of her strength to drag herself toward the safety of her cave.
Megatron ripped Nitrozeus away from Lauren violently, his claws embedding themselves deep beneath his metal with a crunch as he beat him to the earth below. Blind rage made his spark surge hungrily with bloodlust.
"Whoa- hey, man! What crawled up your ass?" Nitrozeus rolled out of way of an incoming blow and steadied himself against his leader.
"You are not to put your cretinous hands upon her or I will tear you from limb to limb and melt you down into human scrap." Megatron invaded his space and stared the single optic decepticon down. He roared, his denta bared as he seized his subordinate by the helm. "Understood? "
"I understand my lord." Nitrozeus submitted, though Megatron held him there in threat for several kliks before tossing him aside harshly, taking one of his horn like formation with him.
Lauren listened to the conflict as she attempted to shrink away into the depth of her hovel. Movement was a limited thing as the wind licked at her bare torso and she held firm on her wound that gushed blood defiantly though her fingers. She sucked in a sharp intake and blinked back tears as another pair of optics approached her, but what was she too do about it? It wasn't like she could get up and run and even if she could, she doubted she'd get very far. It felt like a fire had be alit within her chest and she forced herself to look at the newcomer. It wasn't long before the other unfamiliar presence crept up behind the one before her.
The glow of their optics coupled together felt like certain doom being casted upon her and she wasn't prepared to die. Her free arm covered her chest area both to preserve her dignity and to warm herself, and they still continued their soundless staring. "What?!" She grit out through clenched teeth, spittle flew from her hiss.
Soundwave studied the small femme with underlying intrigue. To provoke such a reaction from their leader was a rare sight and made questions bubble within him. Something about her rang familiar deep within him.
Blackout was not as reserved in his speculations. "Why have a human insect around?" He hissed at Megatron who was stalking up to them. He cast another disgusted look to the human and growled in disdain. Scalpel skittered around his shoulder servo with untamed curiosity, muttering to himself about her such injuries and how he'd like to look better at her flesh.
"Watch your tone Blackout, or do you want to join the pits with autobot scrap?" The decepticon leader snapped back harshly, silencing the seeker bot into submission with a threatening step in his direction.
Soundwave moved aside to create a berth for his leader to encroach upon with ease.
Lauren rested her head back against the rock as her world spun and she fought back regurgitating.
Megatron swiped what remained of her tattered top from the floor before entering her space. His spark fought within him at the sight of her state and he growled lowly. "Doctor, examine the femme." He ordered sharply.
Scalpel skittered with excitement, rubbing his two front legs together as he scaled Blackout's form. "Ja, ja mein lord." The small decepticon expressed as he crawled toward the femme.
Spotting the smaller spider-like bot, Lauren pushed away with a new instillation of fear. It was bigger the closer it got and she couldn't help, but panic.
"Be still, girl!" Megatron barked in irritation.
She wanted to retort, but couldn't find her voice as the bug eyed bot scuttled around her, all the while it mumbled to itself in a thick German accent. Swallowing thickly, she turned her head away forcefully as it forced her hand away from her wound. Flicking some spectacles over it's little red eyes, it poked and prodded her with 'oo's and 'ah's. It brushed some hair from her face gently and studied the bruise decorating her cheek. The brights of its small optics made her see spots and she snapped her eyes closed reflexively. It trailed to her chest and rested its head atop her sternum.
The small bot snapped his head up to Megatron, removing his spectacles before rambling off in such way that she couldn't understand.
"Zere is ein bad Hinfeczion und she is sdarffing, mein lord." Scalpel skittered around some more, her flesh felt good against his small legs. "She vill need meticine und broper zusdinace or she vill die, mein lord. Vo is she?"
Megatron glared hard with a deep growl, his claws flexed beside him. "Blackout take Scalpel to the outpost East and do what you must. Go, now." He ordered harshly with a wild gesture of his hand.
Despite Blackout's opposition, he listened loyally. Scalpel muttered to Blackout who only grunted as he transformed back into his helicopter mode and took off into the night.
Nitrozeus walked the perimeter as he sought out any and all information of the femme. His facial recognition didn't fail him when her information came to him clear as day. His shoulder servo ached from when Megatron had imbedded his claws and he cursed into the night. He had been looking to knock some heads, not get his head knocked. Everything was shit show.
Megatron scooped Lauren into his hand mindfully and she cried out in pain, reigniting his anger towards his subordinate. "Patience, fragile one." He stated as he emerged into the formation, crouched as to fit. When he glanced down to her once more, he was perplexed to find her ages caged over her breast area and not her wound that allowed a steady stream of blood to pool beneath her and onto his palm. He retrieved the canvas awning and draped it over her before placing her back down.
Despite her sports bra, she felt exposed and more vulnerable than ever. She was grateful for the canvas cloth as she pulled it over herself silently.
The decepticon leader remerged into the night, the blood on him smelled of iron and nitrogen. His spark pulled at him, demanding he return to her vicinity, but he refused as he approached Soundwave.
"Lord Megatron." The communications officer greeted firmly.
"You serve me well, Soundwave." Megatron praised with a grunt. His crimson optics followed Nitrozeus as he patrolled.
"Who is the girl? Shall she be used for information? Hostage?" He inquired blatantly, not looking at his leader as he too followed Nitrozeus.
Megatron did not reply for several kliks, but eventually spoke in a calm, flat tone. "She is my conjunx." Soundwave was one of his closest, most loyal companions and had been for a long time. They worked well together and felt the officer was deserving of the explanation.
Soundwave broke his stoic stare on the tracker to look up at the decepticon lord. "A conjunx, my lord?" The femme's odd familiarity suddenly made sense.
His gruff, authoritative tone returned. "You are to watch her if I am not around. Do not let tonight be replicated."
Pry he would not, but serve he would. "Affirmative." He concluded with a nod of his helm. "Blackout is incoming."
Megatron huffed and strode his way over to wear Blackout had landed, swiftly transforming.
Wordlessly, the seeker handed over a pile of items that were clumped together haphazardly, but all kept their integrity. A glare was present along Blackout's features as he stared past his leader.
Following his gaze, Megatron growled out in wordless warning, blackout scoffed and shrugged off. He turned and made way for where Lauren resided, Scalpel skittered in an attempt to keep up, muttering to himself with enthusiasm.
Lauren's soft cries greeted him and Scalpel scuttled past him in haste.
Once upon her trembling form, he set aside all the items that had been gathered allowing the small spider decepticon to rifle through it in search of what he desired.
Scalpel made a small pile consisting of; rubbing alcohol, fresh gauze, bandages, a needle, and thread. Satisfied, he crawled over Lauren, dragging away the canvas awning.
Lauren trembled both from the cold desert night and her own silent sobs. Her eyes sought out the only thing familiar to her, Megatron. He was there, his optics stared through her and her eyes pleaded for help.
She held his stare for as long as she was able, it brought on a strange innate sense of tranquility that she was not use to, but welcomed nonetheless. It was unspoken and her mind was drawn back to what he had said previously about spark-mating. The sheer idea scared her and brought on a sense of apprehensiveness, but knew that what was said, was done and that was it. She'd have to figure it out and learn. Something about the whole concept felt primal and unlike anything she'd ever heard of before, but she supposed that made sense.
Lauren didn't expect to scream when the spider bot assaulted her with the disinfectant. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and she squirmed when he pat the area dry.
Quick examination provided no exit wound and an internal scan revealed the bullet lodged bellow her stomach. The doctor made a knowing noise as he turned to Megatron. "Zee pullet needs to pe remoffed, sche cannot moffe."
Lauren sniffled. "Please..." Her plea came out weak and strained as her face stained with salty tears.
Megatron made no move as Scalpel awaited his response and when he got none, he proceeded in adjusting his spectacles, a small headlight aided him.
With no warning, Scalpel plunged his slender digits into the entry wound in search of the bullet.
She bucked and wails left her as she was subsequentially tortured. Her surroundings became fuzzy and she pleaded for it to stop, but she went unheard.
Lauren fell still, her head lulling to the side and Megatron's spark about ripped out of his chassis. He growled both at himself and to signal the doctor to work faster.
Scalpel sutured her swiftly and marveled his work, but it was short lived as the decepticon lord bat him out and away with a snarl.
He gazed upon her stillness as her chest rose and fell with each inhale. He was gentle when taking her into his palm and Scalpel was right, she was far lighter than she had been a deca cycle ago.
His chassis slid apart to reveal his spark chamber and he held her close enough to be met with the bristling light. It eased him in a way he could not vocalize and he knew it did the same in return. It also allowed him a moment to think.
Beyond the rock structure, his subordinates stayed near, listening to everything their audio receptors would pickup and lying in wait for the orders to come.
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