A month has passed since I was sent away from home by Quintessa. Team Prime has been kind to me, but I still kept to myself for fear of getting too close and then something bad happening. Grant it, I would spend time with the children, but when I wasn't with them, I was on missions or on the roof trying to clear my mind. A few times when I was on the roof, Optimus had come across me; sitting on the edge singing softly to myself. But here recently after dealing with Optimus being framed, Agent Fowler being grilled about the team, Bulkhead getting trapped on the Decepticon warship, Dark energon making yet another appearance. Only this time, I couldn't help because I was in stasis lock with the others and my arm had broken when I fell frozen in mid flight, the hunt for Iaconian relics; some I found on my own were from my dimension and Optimus let me keep them, Optimus went to Antarctica, Ratchet and Wheeljack messed with Soundwave, and Bulkhead became gravely injured due to a toxic substance known as Tox-En. Today was pretty lax and I decided to help with the decoding of relics. Though I was doing that from a datapad connected to the main computer. Shocked the hell out of Ratchet when he learned I could read Iaconian.
"For the hundredth time! I can read Iaconian because of my guardians. Another Cybertronian language I can read is the Language of the Primes, but that was within the past year." I gave the medic a blank stare. Jack and Raf were looking for images of Bee and replacing them with other pictures, while Miko was helping Bulkhead with therapy.
"Why can't I just drive from now on?" the green mech asked panting. Ratchet turned to him.
"Because your legs will atrophy if you choose not to use them." the medic snapped. I grabbed a wrench I carried with me from my foster parents and threw it at the white and orange mech. "Dawn..."
"Don't be an ass, you won't get the mini wrench of doom." I pressed a button on a small remote and the wrench came flying back.
"Wait... what's that?" Jack asked looking at an image. I got up and moved behind the boys next to Bee. Raf zoomed in and all energon left my face.
"A cybertronian escape pod?" Raf looked up at me then the others.
"Here in Earth's atmosphere?" the medic had a confused expression as Optimus walked up to us. The young boy transferred the image to the big computer so everyone could see.
"Autobot or Decepticon?" Arcee asked.
"Impossible to tell, given the image resolution." Ratchet said.
"In any event, this merits investigation." Optimus added. His clearer and deeper voice made my spark skip a beat.
"On the day I finally decide to wear a dress. What could go wrong?" I muttered jumping off the platform.
"Thanks for the lift, Arcee." I jumped from the femme when we got to the other side of the groundbridge and landed in a puddle of energon, some splashing onto my dress. "Imma kill the fucker in the pod. Autobot or not."
"I have a solvent that can clean that out back at base." Ratchet rolled his optics after transforming with the others. I transformed my servos into both my cannons and activated my ped thrusters. We approached the pod carefully and Arcee wiped away some dust.
"A Decepticon escape pod." Optimus concluded. No shit, Sherlock.
"If there was a Decepticon, it blew its way out." Arcee stated before someone opened fire on us.
"Can't we have one peaceful mission?" I groaned as my cannons whirred to life and I began firing on the Vehicons and some Insecticons.
"Apparently not." Arcee replied jumping behind a boulder as I ducked behind the pod.
"I'm so gonna need a drink after this." I muttered firing some more.
An Insecticon cornered me, so I freed one servo and summoned my talisman into the giant sword. The beast looked at me in fear as I charged him and pierced his thick armor with the Knight's blade. A screech came from my opponent as my weapon sliced through his spark. I didn't bat an eyelash as I watched it fall to the ground dead. As I went to poke my head out and fire my activated cannon, I saw the energon on fire and rushing for the pod. Before I knew what was happening, I was engulfed in extremely hot blue flames while flying back into a pile of rocks. It took a good moment for the pain to hit me as I laid on the ground. Then a scream of excruciating pain tore its way out of me. The blue sky was filled with smoke as I listened to someone cheering.
~Where's Dawn?~ I heard Bee whirr. Slowly I managed to roll over into my charred front side. I looked down and saw that underneath my blackened flesh was smooth silver metal.
"Is she not with you?" Arcee asked.
"Who's Dawn?" a new voice questioned.
"DAWN!" Optimus called out slowly moving around the area. I made a pained smile form.
"O-over h-here!" I shouted while wincing in pain. Rushing pedsteps came my direction and Optimus stopped in front of me. "It hurts!"
Tears formed in my vision as I was gently picked up.
"Who is that?" the new voice inquired. I looked at the new bot and glared at him. He was the one who shot the energon.
"Your living nightmare, judging by that glare." Arcee crossed her arms while worry was etched onto her faceplate. Much like the others that knew her better than the new recruit. My vision went dark as my body forced itself into stasis. Damn, cybertronian parts.
"What happened to Dawn?" worried voices shouted when I was laid on a smooth cool surface.
"He happened." I heard Arcee growl.
"I didn't know she was there! What is she anyway?" the new kid defended.
"No longer human, thanks to you. I'll have to remove all the burnt flesh and she'll be left with just a basic protoform. Even her clothing is incinerated." Ratchet snapped. It was weird hearing this while I was out of it.
"She's a native life form?" the new bot gasped.
"Was, and she served alongside a different Optimus in a parallel dimension." Bulkhead sneered.
"Easy Bulk." Miko warned the green mech.
"He almost killed Dawn! She's one of our strongest fighters. Nearly as strong as Optimus." Bulkhead told the girl. I felt a warmth in my spark chamber that spread throughout my body. It was quite soothing.
Silence soon filled the base other than the hum of computers, Bulkhead's therapy, and Miko's coaching. Gentle and well trained hands moved along my body gently peeling something off of me. One particular spot sent a wave of pain through me till after a few hours, a crème like substance was placed on me before a blanket covered everything but my head. Scared that I lost connection to my prosthetics, I tried wiggling my digits and toes. It worked, they were still there. After a while I felt a new energy and slowly opened my... optics. I had noticed that my human eye was slowly changing beneath the flesh, but that was all. Carefully, I looked around the room then at what exposed parts of my body I could. It was all smooth metal known as protoform. Even my limbs had become protoform. Although I was metal, I was complete, no prosthesis at all. A small smile crept onto my face as I looked at my perfectly smooth arms.
"By the Allspark. Dawn, you're awake so soon?" Ratchet gave me a wide opticed look.
"Yeah. Is that bad?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"Primus no. It means that Smokescreen can finally be put in his place. But you need to go change." Ratchet offered me his servo once I managed to stand and make a crude towel out of the blanket.
"Okay." I gave him my thanks and ran into my room where I threw on a practical but cute outfit. My hair was surprisingly soft again. Like it was before Lockdown got ahold of me. I left my hair down and clear of my face. Before I left my room, I looked in a mirror and saw that my optics were pure white. No other color, nothing. "Haunting, and mysterious. I like it."
On a small shelf by the door, I kept all my visors. I grabbed a dark royal blue one.
"The others will be glad to know that you are awake and nearly back to full health." Ratchet gave me a very, very tiny smile as I sat in his servo and he headed for the main room.
"So where's the little shit that nearly killed me?" I cracked my knuckles and peered around the base.
"Helping the others." Ratchet replied. "You'll get your chance, for now, I want you to rest and drink some energon or your alcohol.
Optimus doesn't like the fact that Liquor can be used as a fuel for me. But Ratchet is all for it and keeps a large stash of Moonshine and Vodka hidden for my use, since it saves energon supplies.
"I'll take a jar of Moonshine. I'm guessing my body can still consume it?" I opened a locked compartment in the concrete platform and pulled out a mason jar of clear liquid.
"Yes. Your systems are similar to that of a holoform's." the medic nodded. With me being at base and helping repairs and base maintenance, he's been much nicer. Soon Optimus called for a groundbridge as I was finishing the last gulp of Moonshine. I stood up and cracked my knuckles.
"I'm gonna go in the other room real quick and scare the hell out the little fucker once I'm sure Prime is done reprimanding him." I jumped off the medical berth and walked into the hallway. Just as I was out of sight, the others came in and began talking. After about thirty minutes, I slipped behind the platform and heard a lax in the conversation.
"Smokescreen, just a word of advice. Dawn is probably lurking around here somewhere bent on revenge for what you did to her." Ratchet warned the rookie.
"It was accident, if I'd have known she was there, I would have aim away from the energon." the new kid whined.
"Whatever the Rising Sun does to you, I will not punish her. She doesn't kill, if that brings any consolation." Optimus placed a servo on the rookie's shoulder plating before heading to his quarters. I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of his aft. Prime gave me a subtle nod in which I returned meaning I could begin my punishment.
"If she doesn't kill out of revenge on an Autobot, what does she do?" Smokescreen asked Ratchet.
"She spent quite a bit of time with Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and the Wreckers in her dimension. Dawn is crafty and can be very malicious." Ratchet had a smirk on his faceplates as the rookie backed away scared and looked around wildly. "Also, she was fostered by Ironhide and the Ratchet in her dimension. So you might wind up with a few dents I'll have to repair."
I picked up a rock and threw it at some pipes, making a loud clang that sent the rookie running to his room. Chuckling, I followed the young mech down the hall where he ran into the room furthest from mine and Optimus' wing. When I came up to the door, I dragged my digit tips along the metal; causing a loud screech of metal on metal. A scared shout came from within the room. After a while of doing that and tapping on the door, I hid among some piping and waited for the rookie to come out. An hour passed and sure enough he made a dash for the main room. A crooked smirk etched itself onto my face as I followed him silently. Everyone was in the main room. Perfect to land the punishment. Activating my flight thrusters in my peds, I flew out of sight of everyone. Once Smokescreen was in the perfect spot, I deactivated my thrusters.
"Hey, you little shit!" I shouted falling rapidly, before the rookie knew what happened I had landed a right hook on him, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud bang. "Thanks for ruining my life. At least when I was still a bit fleshy, I could have found a human mate. Now I'm practically a full Cybertronian, aka a Minibot."
"Impressive right hook." Arcee complimented after I stood to my full height.
"You're Dawn?!" Smokescreen looked at me with wide and scared optics.
"Smokescreen, go see Ratchet." Optimus ordered. "You have served your punishment from Miss Summers."
"Optimus, we need to talk. I meant to inform you earlier. This morning, I was reading the last datapad sent to me from your counterpart. Can we please talk in my quarters?" I looked up at the Prime.
"Very well." Optimus offered me his servo and I climbed onto it trying to hide the blue blush forming.