Unicron Trilogy: You're Not Alone

You know what? I actually love this story very much, and I've spent a lot of time writing one chapter after another while having spare time on the computer at school. I don't expect people to just like it right away, but obviously, I don't care if I get reviews on it or not, this is just put up here for entertainment, and enjoyment. So please enjoy it.

-------------------------

Chapter 1:

The Loss of a Father

A young purple and blue seeker femme rushed forward to greet her father, Storm Saber, a tall grey mech with kind blue optics and the wings of a born flyer. Storm Saber picked up the tiny femme and swung her around, making her squeal in delight as the grey jet-bot brought her back into one arm and tickled the cockpit on her chest, receiving another squeal.

A dark blue and purple femme with golden optics and the alternate form of a water-based vehicle, in her standards, approached the laughing seekers and Storm Saber held the young femme out of the way so that he could greet his bondmate with a kiss, which the young femme retorted with a squint face. “Daddy do yuckies in front of me!” she giggled.

Storm Saber laughed and brought the young femme close towards his chest and blew a kiss on her light grey face, which she giggled loudly. “Then daddy do yuckies on baby?” he asked.

“Noes!” the young femme squealed before Storm Saber put her down and she rushed off to hide while her father gently pulled his bondmate, Aquablade, close to himself and kissed her on the forehead. The water based femme kissed him in return and they pulled each other into a hug before the young femme’s voice broke them apart.

“Momma and daddy read bed time?”

“I’ll do it this time, love,” Storm Saber said with a wink.

“Alright honey,” Aquablade laughed as the grey jet-bot left his bondmate alone to go read their daughter a bed time story.

The young femme was only five thousand years old, an equivalent to that of a five year old human, and was not at the right age to receive a name that would suite her personality. This would only come to be if she reached the age of ten thousand years old (ten human years old) and might be quite the fireball when it came to be.

Aquablade was thinking about naming their daughter Firespitter because of her fiery nature to get what she wanted, but she changed her mind and shook her head. The rule was as simple as anything else. Wait until the colours shone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Saber sat down on the edge of the young femme’s bed and took out her favourite book. “Do you want daddy to read this to you?” he asked.

To his surprise, the purple femme shook her head. “Daddy tell story about Primus and Unicron,” she answered and a glimmer was seen her little sun flower optics.

Storm Saber laughed and helped his daughter into bed before covering her up with the covers and sat down in a seat beside her pillow. “Alright, but will you promise to go to sleep when daddy’s finished?” he asked.

“I promise daddy,” the young femme promised as she crossed her cockpit where her Spark was located.

“Alright then, here it goes, but it might be a bit rusty,” Storm Saber answered and cleared his throat.

The young femme nodded as she settled down.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback

“Before the dawn of time, Order and Chaos existed within an extra dimensional entity known as ‘The One’. To explore the fledgling universe, He created the astral being known as Unicron, and then subdivided him, creating his twin, Primus. Both brothers were multiversal singularities, unique in all realities, but whereas Unicron could only exist in one dimension at a time, moving between them at will, Primus existed simultaneously in all realities at once. It is suggested, in fact, that the two brothers embody the basic concepts of reality – good and evil, order and chaos – and that their continued existence is necessary for the stability of the multiverse.

“As Unicron and Primus went about their appointed task, venturing through the cosmos, it became apparent to Primus that Unicron was a corrupt being, and he took it upon himself to stop the threat posed to all of his existence by his sibling. In combat, Primus was no match for Unicron. In cunning, however, he proved himself to his brother’s superior when he shifted their battle to the astral plane, and then back to the physical world once more, only to have both their essences manifest within metallic planetoids, leaving them both trapped. It was of this act of sacrifice that Primus hoped to contain Unicron’s evil forever. Unfortunately for him, over time, Unicron learned to shape his prison into a giant metallic planet, and Primus followed in suit, becoming the mechanical world of Cybertron. When Unicron then learned how to transform his planetary form even further, into a gigantic robot form, Primus adapted the idea to suit his own ends – rather than transforming his own body, he would create small beings that would be able to change their shape, like Unicron. After performing a ‘test run’ on the moon of Protos, where he successfully created twelve transforming robotic beings, he birthed from his own body a group of thirteen robots that possessed the ability to change shape, like Unicron. These were the Thirteen Original Transformers, each one infused with a fragment of Primus’ life essence known as a Spark.

The Thirteen were Primus’ soldiers in his war with Unicron, which came to its seeming end during a climactic battle in which one of the Thirteen, who would forever afterwards be known as the Fallen, betrayed Primus and became an acolyte of Unicron. The battle ended when the Fallen and Unicron were sucked into a black hole and disappeared from reality. With Unicron gone for now, Primus entered an eons-long-slumber, his self-imposed sleep preventing Unicron from detecting him through the mental link the brothers shared. The Transformer race grew, and Primus fell into the realm of legend, with a portion of his power, the Matrix of Leadership, handed down through the generations, serving as the Transformers’ ever-present link to their creator.”

End Flashback

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Storm Saber opened his optics, he just had to smile. His daughter was sleeping ever so peacefully she must’ve fallen asleep when he was only half-way through the story. Gently, he rubbed her light blue head and kissed her with his pale grey lips. “See you in the morning, little one,” he whispered as he stood up and headed for his and his bondmate’s quarters.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the following morning, Storm Saber gave a reluctant sigh, he hated to leave his family at a time like this, but once duty called, there was not a thing he could do about it, especially when it had something to do with Decepticons attacking the far outskirts of Polyhex.

Just before the grey seeker mech left his apartment, he turned to face his bondmate and daughter and he kissed his wife on the pale blue lips. “I’ll be back soon, love, I just hope that I won’t be gone this long,” he said sadly.

Aquablade gave a quiet laugh before their daughter reached out towards her father. “Daddy give hug?” she asked.

Storm Saber laughed as he picked up his daughter and picked her up. “Can daddy have a kiss?” he asked.

The little femme wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and planted a slobbery kiss on her father’s right cheek. Storm Saber laughed again, then, he too, kissed his daughter on the cheek before she let off a little giggle. “Daddy promise to be back soon?” she asked.

“I promise,” Storm Saber said as he handed his daughter back to his bondmate and planted a quick kiss on her lips again. He reluctantly let go and he shifted to his Cybertronian jet form and blasted off, but little did Aquablade and her daughter know that Storm Saber will never come back.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By near midnight, Aquablade was busy reading a book while her daughter was sleeping the night away. She’d just turned the page when she heard the knock at the door. Sighing, Aquablade got up and headed towards the door, but she failed to notice that her daughter was peeking round the corner where the front door was.

Aquablade opened the door and saw two mechs standing in front of her door. One was silver and blue with a pale blue visor covering his optics, and the second one was silver with tints of grey with a red ‘V’ shape on his crest. “Can I help you?” she asked.

The visored mech cleared his throat, but then looked away, so the silver and black mech spoke. “Are you Aquablade, bondmate of Storm Saber?” he asked.

Aquablade nodded as her daughter finally made herself known by grabbing her mother’s leg and looking up at the strangers that looked so uncomfortable with breaking news of what had become of her beloved flyer. Before Aquablade could try and get her daughter back inside, the little seeker gave a cry. “Daddy sleeping?”

The silver and black mech nodded reluctantly as he looked away. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Aquablade burst into tears as she picked up her daughter and cried while the grey and blue mech explained what had occurred.

It had turned out that the Decepticons had invaded Polyhex and Megatron had tried to destroy one of the locals, but Storm Saber, who’d been present at the battle, had grabbed the Decepticon Tyrant’s cannon and had tried to focus his attention on the grey seeker, but the moment Megatron had turned and faced Storm Saber, he pulled the trigger on his cannon and blasted the Autobot seeker in the chest, right where his Spark was located.

Prowl, the silver and black mech, bent down beside Aquablade and gently rubbed her back while Jazz, the grey and blue mech, lowered his head and quietly said, “He was a good soldier, he even saved Optimus’ life once and our commander couldn’t have been any more prouder than he is now. We hope that Primus cares for his Spark.”

Prowl nodded and turned to Aquablade, “If there’s anything you need, ma’am, we’ll be happy to give you what you need. Especially when you’re caring for your sparkling,” he said gently.

Aquablade continued with her break down while the young femme wiped her mother’s tears away. “Momma not be sad. Daddy sleeping peacefully now,” she said.

Jazz nodded slowly in agreement. “We’ll give you some money so that you have live, even Optimus Prime agrees with the idea because of what Storm Saber did for him and dieing for his belief. It’s the least that we can do for you because we know that Storm Saber would’ve wanted this more than anything.”

Aquablade stood up slowly, still holding her daughter. “I thank-you for your hospitality, but I cannot accept your charity. We have enough money to dwell on, and if we do need you, we’ll give you a holler.”

Prowl and Jazz both nodded and they did a quick bow before they turned and left, leaving Aquablade and her daughter to quietly cry as the water-based femme closed the door and gently carried her daughter to hers and Storm Saber’s room. Time seemed have stopped the moment that Prowl and Jazz had given the news about Storm Saber’s death, and Aquablade could no longer think straight. It was as though her Spark had a hole in it and would never be filled up again.

Gently, she laid her daughter on the bed and she climbed in after her. It pained the water-based femme to be in such a state, but somehow, they were going to have to learn how to cope without the mech that had meant everything to them. As soon as the young femme seeker fell asleep, Aquablade’s optics glowed in the darkness as they cried themselves to sleep, but not before a final thought crossed both their minds.

You promised that you’d come back, Storm Saber (daddy), but what caused you to do such a futile attempt when you knew what was going to happen? Why did you abandon us? Why did you leave us all alone without you to protect us?

None could ever know such an answer, and little did the young femme realise was that her life was about to get even worse than it already was.

A sigh escaped pale grey lips of a blue and purple femme seeker. This thing was becoming extremely old, but it was for the best. Security was becoming low these days, and she had no intention of stopping. She’d come too far to give up now, and she had a mother to care for. Ever since her father, Storm Saber, had been killed at the hands of Megatron, things had become extremely complicated. Her mother, Aquablade, had continued to refuse help from the compassionate Autobots, even when they offered her money. And just when things couldn’t get any worse than they were before, her mother had slowly started to change over the pass five thousand years. It was like as if her mother had become a complete stranger and that home seemed to be a bit unsafe during midnight. That was the time when her mother would return from stealing Energon or selling it to anyone so that she could get the money to buy high-grade Energon. And when her mother would return home, the young femme would quickly make her escape out into the untamed world of Polyhex without a trace, or sign, that she’d been there in the first place.

The young femme sighed again. She didn’t like to steal during midnight; especially when security was so low these days, and she knew that something wasn’t right. But her fuel tanks growled in protest. She hadn’t eaten all day today because of saving the Energon for her mother when she was home alone. Sighing once again, the purple and blue femme seeker quietly moved forward but still scanning her surroundings.

As much as she hated to admit it, but obviously, she was nervous and afraid of what she might be getting herself into. Ever since her mother had started raiding the Energon storages, the security had been getting lower and lower by the thousandth year. Either they were trying to catch the thief, or maybe they were just getting slack with themselves. Whatever the case was, the young femme knew that she would still have to be careful.

As she rounded a bend, she peeked around its corner and saw that there was an Energon storage only half open from its back. The femme froze when she spotted someone walking round the corner. When the guard had passed, the femme took off again at a swift, but silent, pace in case the guard might return in a quick flurry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ducking into the storage as quick as she could, the femme seeker realised that there was only half the amount of Energon than she’d anticipated. Though she didn’t care as long as she got what she needed and would leave before the guard might come back.

Taking out a bag, the femme began to pick up as much Energon cubes as she could. The time limit had been set, and she would have to work fast if she was to gather enough to last herself, and her mother, an entire year before she would have to come back and collect some more.

“What the slag?!” a voice cried out.

Startled, the femme dropped the bag and looked up so swiftly that she thought her head was going to fall off from the toss. Her Spark-beat had increased a dramatic amount, and she felt fear crawl up her back without even knowing about it. Her desperation to run away, however, was cut off because of the guard standing at the front of the door.

The guard was yellow and black with a brown head, and his optics were sky blue that glowed in the dim darkness. Though what made the femme more terrified was the look that he was giving her, and that was of fury, and rage.

The guard took a step forward and the femme took a step back, the bag full of Energon cubes now in between them like a scarp of meat while both of them were like a lion and a cheetah fighting over it.

“What’s a kid like you doing stealing the Energon?” the mech asked in a stern voice.

“I… uh…,” the femme stuttered, obviously too afraid to answer the mech’s question.

“Can’t think of an excuse?” The mech took a step forward and the femme tripped over her own feet and she fell onto her skid-plat.

When the guard lifted an optic ridge at the femme’s fear, he looked down at the bag of Energon cubes, and then focused his attention back onto her again. A slight gasp escaped his lips when he saw how thin the femme was, but his face returned to its sternness. Finally, he lifted up a hand and pointed in the direction that led outside.

Confused, the femme stood up and tilted her head to the side. “You’re…”

The mech gave a warning growl. “Go on! Get out of here before I change my mind!” he snapped.

“Y… yes, sir,” the femme whispered as she tried to walk out the door but the mech stopped her in her tracks. “And take that bag with you. If I catch you sneaking Energon from here again, then I’ll do more than just rearrange your circuits. Clear?”

The femme nodded weakly as she picked up the bag with the cubes still in tact, and she took off at a run before letting off her thrusters while the guard sighed and shook his head. “I must be losing it, I actually let a thief go,” he mumbled.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Returning from the outskirts of Polyhex with a bag full of Energon had to be extremely difficult for the young femme, especially when flying through a fly free zone because there were tonnes of Transformers here that could bump into her while she would be flying home.

As must as she hated doing this, she knew that it was for the best. Besides, flying made her feel free, but that encounter with the guard had knocked the feeling out of her systems, and it made her tremble in fear, but she dared not show it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she landed at the foot of her mother’s apartment, the young femme felt a tremor of fear wash over her. Was her mother still awake and waiting for her return? Unsure about it the answer, the femme hauled the bag of Energon cubes onto her right shoulder and carefully walked through the trashed up front. The apartment was old and worn out from age, and it looked like it hadn’t been used in many years, obviously it had seen its hay day long ago, and now it was nothing more but a lonely place because of the other buildings being knocked down and this one left alone because of Aquablade not finding a place for herself, or her daughter, a place to live.

When the young femme walked into the apartment and opened the door to her mother’s room, she placed the bag onto the floor and winced when she caught the scent of high-grade Energon. It seemed that her mother had raided the fridge again and had helped herself to some high-grade, though she knew that her mother hadn’t killed herself, just gave herself an overdose.

“Mum! I’m home!” the young femme called.

No answer came right away, but the seeker femme was used to those long pauses, especially when her mother was drunk.

The answer came a little quicker than expected. “That you, Storm Saber?” her mother asked.

“No, mum, it’s me, Nameless!” the femme called.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Storm, come sit down and have dinner.”

The young femme sighed in defeat. It was becoming so hard having to remind her mother that she wasn’t her father, but now that he was gone, things were going out of control. It was like as if her mother didn’t know who she was anymore, or if she was in the past, present, or future.

The nameless femme sat down at the table. Her mother hadn’t given her name since she’d started showing her personality, and now, the young femme took it upon herself to just be called Nameless, it was like as if a name didn’t matter to her anymore.

Aquablade placed a plate of Energon in front of Nameless and then left her to eat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days later since her raid on the Energon, Nameless decided to fly about in the fly free zone of Polyhex, but she avoided the crowded areas as much as she possibly could. Too much around her made her nearly choke to death if she stayed around in the most dirtiest sections of Polyhex, even the most crowded areas seemed unsafe because of the way those mechs stared at her like as if she was some spoiled brat. So, Nameless decided to go visit the outskirts of Iacon and find out what the golden city would be like in her optics.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Nameless landed at the front gate of the golden city, she felt a wave of fear pulse through her mind, and somehow, the lovely city made her feel small and alone. She paced up and down in front of the gate, hardly noticing that a familiar Autobot was watching her every move.

Nameless stopped and looked up at the gate. She felt like a cyberant compared to those fine glorious walls that protected the city from fierce attacks like the Decepticons that were raging war against their adversaries while Nameless’ kind lived in the slums to avoid getting involved in the war, but they had to pay the price on living on low supplies and ignore the compassionate ways of the Autobots.

“Hey! I remember you! You’re that kid who raided the Energon storage. Am I right?”

Nameless froze in utter fear and turned to face the familiar Autobot who’d been watching her the whole time since her arrival at the giant gates of Iacon. “Y... yes, I guess I am,” she replied nervously as the bot approached her.

“What brings you here then? Have you decided to stop raiding Energon storages?” the Autobot asked.

“For the time being, I suppose,” Nameless answered and looked down at the ground, avoiding optic contact with the Autobot.

“I suppose we did get off to rough start when we met. Name’s Landmine. What about yours?”

Nameless shrugged and answered in a quiet tone, “Nameless.”

“Nameless? Odd name for someone as fine as you, but I suppose if that’s you name, I could get used it. Mind telling me why you were raiding Energon storages?” Landmine asked.

“My own personal reasons, sir.”

“Alright, that’s understandable.”

Nameless looked up at the gates of Iacon, her own golden optics shimmering in their blazing light. She hardly noticed that Landmine was watching her carefully with his sky blue optics. “Say, I’ve never really seen a femme seeker before, we could use all the fliers we can get to help us win this war, care to join us?

Nameless shrugged. “I’ll have to think about it for now, not sure if my mother would approve it or not.”

Landmine chuckled. “I have a feeling that you’re not a Decepticon, or an Autobot, because of not wearing any of the faction symbols. Are you from the slums?”

Nameless didn’t answer right away and Landmine tilted his head to the side. “Never mind if you are or not, it shouldn’t be any of my business anyway. Are you going to go in?”

Nameless shook her head and turned and left, leaving a puzzled mech to ponder on her strange behaviour towards him. He knew that bots that came from the slums were always one to avoid such deeds, and this young femme just cut the cake. But what made him confused was her non-optic contact. Did this femme have a problem that he couldn’t quite figure out? He’d have to find out if she ever joined up at the Autobot Academey, but right now he needed to complete his guard duty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Nameless returned to her mother’s apartment, she knew instantly that Aquablade had gone out to steal some Energon and then normally wouldn’t return until midnight. She caught the scent of high-grade Energon again and she shook her head in disgust. Just what was she going to do with her mother? She might as well clean up and then head out as quickly as possible to raid an Energon storage before her mother would return with the high-grade and get herself drunk again.

Then again, Nameless could always stay behind for a bit and try to make this place as roomier as she possibly could. As she picked up some of the empty cubes, she heard a loud bang and then a thud. Looks like her mother had returned a little early. A little too early.

Nameless looked up and saw Aquablade stumbling a bit before collapsing onto the floor. The young femme rushed forward to help her mother up, but Aquablade pushed her away. This puzzled Nameless a lot. Why was her mother acting like this? Was something terribly wrong? Did anyone harm her?

Nameless was about to ask what had happened when Aquablade’s optics glowed blood red. Something was wrong, really wrong. “Mum? Are you alright?” Nameless asked.

Aquablade gave a growl when Nameless helped her up and sat her down. “Where’s Storm Saber?”

Nameless was puzzled, but answered, “He’s... dead, don’t you remember, mum?”

“Of course he’s dead! They killed him! Those slaggin’ Autobots killed my bondmate!”

Nameless lifted an optic ridge. “But... Prowl and Jazz reported to us that he was killed at the hands of Megatron.”

Aquablade smirked. “That was all a lie,” she answered coldly as she looked up at Nameless. “You’re no child of mine, who gave you the right to come here anyway.”

Nameless took a step back in fright. Something was really wrong with Aquablade, and it hardly made any sense. “What are you saying, mum?”

Aquablade stood up, her now blood red optics glowing deeper. “Get out of my house!”

Nameless tripped over a pile of empty Energon cubes as Aquablade stood over her, and then, without warning, she threw an arm out and slapped Nameless right across the face. “It’s your entire fault that he’s dead! You’re no daughter of mine! You’re a disgrace!”

“Mum! Settle down! You’re not well!” Nameless cried.

Aquablade just laughed. “I am very well thank-you, Autobot!”

Nameless moved backwards as Aquablade turned and walked away, but then she took out a dirty old knife and gave a silent sigh. “I’m tired of living like this. My.... Storm Saber was taken away from me by those... Autobots, they killed him.... I heard them talk about it, they were celebrating his death. Even Optimus found it amusing.”

Nameless’ optics widened. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Aquablade whispered, “the Autobots are liars, they were the ones who killed him. I heard those slum bots talk about it, and they meant every word about it.”

Nameless shook her head and stood up, ignoring the stinging sensation on her slapped face. “Please! Don’t do it mother!” she begged.

Aquablade laughed softly. “I don’t know who you are, but you... seem familiar to me. My Storm Saber, he used to read you stories, even telling you about Primus and Unicron.”

“It’s me, mum! I’m... Saberblade, named after yours and father’s name,” Nameless whispered as she bowed her head.

“Saberblade?” Aquablade asked.

“Yes.... just don’t leave me all alone! I need you!”

“Sorry.... but I must go... and be with my Storm Saber,” Aquablade whispered before thrusting the knife into her chest where her Spark was located. She then collapsed onto the ground.

“MOTHER!” Saberblade screamed as she rushed towards her mother’s side and removed the knife from her mother’s chest. “Please! Don’t leave me!” she begged.

But Aquablade didn’t answer; she gently placed an Energon covered hand on her daughter’s right cheek where it hadn’t been slapped and she smiled her last smile before her optics dimmed into darkness, but not before she whispered her final words. “I love you...., Saberblade.”

Saberblade cupped her mother’s head, tears pouring from her golden optics before her body shook with devastation and pain. “Mother....,” she sobbed. She then pulled her mother’s limp body towards her chest and sobbed into her neck. In her desperation, she threw back her head and screamed with all her might.

“MOTHER!”

Without a moment to spare, Saberblade stood up and then ran out of the apartment, tears streaming down her pale grey cheeks as she continued to run. Confusion and loneliness burning through her body like an out of controlled fire as she continued to run.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saberblade didn’t know how long she ran for, but she didn’t care until she reached a large gutter that was near the outskirts of Polyhex. She stopped to catch her breath, hardly noticing that her Spark was beating at a thousand miles an hour and her oxygen tanks were screaming for a breath. In her anger and mental confusion, she crawled into the gutter, not caring if any of the gunk got into her joints, and she curled up into a ball, her wings drawn up against her body to stop them from getting in the way while she lay down.

Saberblade hardly cared how long she lay there, but as long as she was left alone, that was all that mattered to her. She never even noticed that she’d cried herself to sleep, but the next thing she found herself thinking about was the dead bodies of her father, Storm Saber, and her mother, Aquablade.

Seven thousand solar cycles, Landmine thought to himself as he walked down the corridors of the Autobot Academy. It had been seven thousand years since he’d last time seen that femme, who’d called herself Nameless, though he wondered what had become of her. Was she dead perhaps? He knew that he shouldn’t jump to conclusions on such matters. Right now, he had to give Prime a report about the Energon storages getting raided again. It had been going on for the last seven thousand years that time when he’d last seen Nameless. The security had to be lowered so that they could get the thief’s confidence going overboard, but the storages still managed to get raided every single time. This made the old teacher extremely worried. Something wasn’t quite right, and he had to find out if it was Nameless, or someone else who’d just gotten far cleverer than Prime had anticipated.

When Landmine knocked on the door of Optimus’ office, the Autobot Leader’s answer came out simple and stoic like always. Landmine entered the office and gave his commander a quick salute, which he returned. “Got the report about the Energon raiding, sir,” Landmine said.

Optimus Prime sighed quietly before motioning his old friend to sit down. Landmine did so without hesitation. “What have you got?”

“Want the bad news, or the worse news, sir?” Landmine asked.

“I’ll go with the bad news, Landmine,” Optimus Prime answered, keeping his face calm, but preparing himself for anything that might come his way.

Landmine sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and began to speak. “Alright, the bad news is, the thief is getting far too clever for us to anticipate his next move. Every time we lower our security, he keeps on getting into the storage without getting detected. It’s like as if he can guess what we’re going to do.”

“And what’s the worse news?”

“The worse news is that our Energon supply is getting pretty low. The raids are happening once a month.”

Optimus Prime sighed gently. Whoever this thief was, he sure was good at this whole raiding. It was like as if he was there one minute, and then the next, gone before anyone could identify him. “Is there anything we can do?”

“Our best priority is to double the security. If these raids keep up, we won’t have enough Energon to put up a fight against Megatron.”

Optimus nodded slightly as he frowned when he noticed that Landmine had shut himself out. Placing his hands together and putting his chin on top of them, he leaned forward a bit until he was looking Landmine right in the optic, but the old warrior hardly noticed his old student’s look.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Optimus spoke up in a concerned tone. “I’ve known you since the day I first came here, I know when you’re looking concerned, or anything else, and this silent treatment is one of them. What’s on your mind, old friend?”

Landmine snapped out of his daze when he realised that Optimus had read his face like a book. “You got me, sir. Obviously, I’ve been worried about a femme that I haven’t seen in the last seven thousand solar cycles, and I can’t help but jump to conclusions on her whereabouts. Something’s really wrong here, and I don’t like it one bit.”

Optimus Prime’s golden optics softened as he leaned back in his chair. He remembered when Landmine had told him about a young femme seeker coming into one of the Energon storages and trying to steal some Energon. Despite his efforts on trying to warn her off, he gave up his gruff act and let the femme go, but gave her a fair warning that if she was raid another storage again, then he’d have no choice but to turn her in. He even remembered Landmine telling him about how he saw the femme again when she appeared at the front of Iacon City’s gates. The talk had been small, and the femme was gone after Landmine had insisted on her joining up at the Academy. And that was the last time the old mech had seen her again.

“You... think she could be...,” Landmine halted at the final word.

Optimus Prime shook his head. “We should not jump to conclusions, Landmine. Our best guess on her behalf is that she might still be functioning. But with this thief out there stealing all our Energon, I cannot guarantee that we’ll find her, especially when we’ve got Megatron out there.”

Landmine groaned in annoyance. He was about to speak again when the alarms started blaring. Both the Autobot Commander and the old warrior jumped to their feet and rushed out to the Control Room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What’s going on?” Optimus Prime asked as he and Landmine rushed through the door.

Red Alert, the CMO, looked up from his typing. “We just detected some Decepticons attacking the outskirts of Polyhex, sir. They’ve knocked down a massive building that could’ve caused a lot of causalities.”

“Alright, you, Landmine, and Inferno, should go out to rescue anyone that has been injured while the rest of us shall cover you in case the Decepticons decide to attack again!” Optimus Prime ordered.

“Roger that sir!” Inferno answered as he stood up and took off at a run with Red Alert following, but Landmine didn’t follow. The old mech’s optics were scanning the area, his thoughts were on the brink of nearly frying themselves. Please, he begged, don’t tell me that Nameless is amongst them.

“Landmine, didn’t you hear me?”

Landmine snapped out of his daze and looked up at Optimus Prime. “Sorry, Prime. I was... in a trance,” he said quietly.

“I understand, but don’t let your emotions get in the way of your job. Go on now and help them,” the Autobot Commander said, his golden optics looking into Landmine’s own sky blue optics.

“Yes, sir,” Landmine answered as he took off and followed after Red Alert and Inferno. However, his thoughts were going so fast that he thought his CPU was going to explode. Please, Primus, just don’t let Nameless be amongst the casualties, if anything happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself. If she dies, then take my life instead of hers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The old warrior and the two emergency mechs arrived at Polyhex so fast that they lost track of time until they reached the collapsed building. The building was in a crumpled heap, it’s top section had landed right on top of many buildings that had gotten in the way, or were extremely close by while it’s bottom section remained perfectly in tact but still had jiggered bits sticking out with beams now looking sharp to the point.

Inferno advised his two comrades to use extreme caution because the bottom section of the building looked very unstable and could collapse anytime. Having shifted to his Cybertronian version of the fire-truck, he quickly put out some fires that were small but still dangerous.

Red Alert looked around and spotted a large hole in the side of the collapsed building that was barely supported by a very unstable beam. Turning to Landmine he said, “Landmine, could you give me a hand on supporting this beam? It could go down at any second if I go inside, so your dumpster (Cybertronian version of a bull-dozer) should be able to hold it up.”

“I think I can do that, but let me know if you come across a purple and blue seeker femme,” Landmine answered with a nod.

Red Alert lifted an optic ridge from behind his visor. “Why’s that?” he asked.

“Just let me know, I don’t have to explain my reasons,” Landmine snapped.

Red Alert waved his arms in front of him. “Alright, alright, no need to get snappy!”

Landmine sighed and he carefully approached the hole where the unstable beam was being held up. Shifting to his alternate mode, he brought his dumpster up and tried to hold the beam steady while Red Alert went inside, but he used extreme caution like Inferno had ordered him too.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Alert was shocked at how much damage had been caused. He had to guess that this was the work of Megatron, for not a single Decepticon alive could cause this much and get away with it. There was no other explanation and the CMO was extremely positive with his answer.

As he crawled through the room, he found no signs of any causality, nor any signs of bodies on the floor. He was about to give Landmine the report when a soft feminie voice gave a whimper. The whimper was so faint that he thought he’d missed it.

Red Alert looked around for a brief moment until he discovered a collapsed beam in the distance and he crawled towards it. “Are you there?” he called.

The whimpering ceased as Red Alert drew closer. “Come on, talk to me! I can’t help you if you’re quiet,” he called again.

The whimpering began to grow louder and Red Alert spotted a purple and blue foot and panic swept through him as he moved onto the other side. To his shock, he thought that he was gazing into the face of Starscream, but when he got a closer look, he realised that the design of the seeker was feminie, and far too slim to even be like him. And he doubted that Starscream had golden optics, or a blue head, as well.

The femme seeker spotted him and she tried to scramble away from him, but Red Alert ceased his approach, trying not to startle her and make her even more frightened of him. “Easy now, you’re going to be alright now,” he said gently.

The femme tilted her head to the side in confusion, as though trying to make out his words and whether or not she should trust him or not. When her struggling had calmed a little, Red Alert approached her a little more slowly and gently placed a hand on her right wing, making her flinch from his touch.

Red Alert was shocked to find a few faint scars on the femme’s arms and wings, including a very large, but old, scar on her right thigh. Seeing fresh wounds on her face told him that they had been caused from when the beam had collapsed on her leg. Another injury, that looked a little serious, was her right wing that was missing; it appeared to have been sliced off by a sharp object, or maybe by a sword. His best estimations of her age was seventeen thousand years old, a little young for someone so tall, and he guessed that she must’ve had a tall creator.

Now that the femme had settled down, Red Alert could get to work on getting her free from the beam that had trapped her legs fiercely. His com-link went off and he answered it without a hesitation, but the femme struggled a little at the sudden noise, so he calmed her down by gently rubbing her left wing that was uninjured.

“Red Alert, did you find anything?” Optimus Prime’s voice asked.

“Yes, sir, we’ve got a femme seeker caught under a beam, she’s got a sliced wing, but that’s the only visual injury I can give. My best guess for her legs is that they may be broken, or perhaps twisted a little,” Red Alert answered.

“You said a seeker femme?! Is she purple and blue?” Landmine asked in a startled voice, since Red Alert had his com-link open to all his comrades.

“I can’t give any details at the current moment, right now she’s in shock and is very frightened of me,” Red Alert answered.

“Can you get the beam off her?” Optimus asked.

“It’s not whether I can do it, sir, I must do it.”

“By Primus, just help her or the Allspark forbid me!” Landmine mumbled.

“I’m going to need some time, cutting through the beam with a buzz saw isn’t going to be easy, and it’s extremely dangerous, especially when there’s an injured involved.”

“Do what you must, we’ll keep an optic out for the Decepticons. Optimus Prime out.”

“Be careful,” Landmine whispered before he switched his com-link off.

Red Alert switched his off and turned to the seeker femme, who was watching him with intelligent optics. He gently place a hand on her arm before drawing out the buzz saw from his missing arm and moved it towards the beam. But as it prepared to cut into the steel, the femme screamed and struggled against his gentle grip. Red Alert settled her down again easily, but she still watched him cautiously.

Red Alert tried the buzz saw again and, this time, the femme didn’t struggle. As the CMO cut away at the beam, Landmine and Optimus Prime kept a constant watch for any Decepticons, even keeping their com-link channels open in case Red Alert could use any help.

Finally, after half an hour, the beam, that kept the femme’s legs pinned to the ground, was removed with ease after the CMO and the femme worked together to shove it off. Red Alert turned to the femme, who was still watching him, and he said, “Will you let me drag you out?”

The femme moved back a bit, obviously still not trusting him. “I know you don’t trust me, but I need to get you out of here. The building could collapse at any nanosecond and would bury you and me alive. Now, will you trust me, or do you still wish to die here?”

The femme tilted her head to side, still deciding if she should trust him, but after several seconds of thinking, she turned herself around and spread her arms out wide so that he could drag her out into the open. Red Alert accepted that tact and he gently placed his arms underneath her arm joints, causing her to wince a little, and he gently dragged her outside, but he was careful to not inflict any more pain.

“We’re coming out now, get ready to drop it, Landmine,” Red Alert called.

“Already got you covered!” Landmine answered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Red Alert had dragged the injured seeker out, Landmine looked like he was getting to the point of overheating from holding onto the beam for so long. When the CMO and the femme were clear of the hole, the old warrior dropped the beam and the hole collapsed. Quickly, Optimus Prime was at their side and he also helped drag the femme a safe distance from the building, and it collapsed on the last second with dust kicking up and the Autobot Commander shielded them both with his blue, silver, and royal red body.

After the dust settled down, Optimus Prime uncovered them and Landmine and Inferno rushed up to them. “Is she alright?” Landmine asked.

Optimus stood back to get a good look at the femme, who frowned up at him but then focused her attention to Red Alert as the CMO carefully approached her, holding his hands up, his body language telling her that he meant her no harm. She relaxed a little, but was still cautious around the others. This odd behaviour puzzled Optimus greatly.

Landmine cleared his throat, catching the attention of the femme. “I thought I’d never see you again, kid,” he said.

The femme shrugged as Optimus Prime looked at him with curious optics. “I take it that this is Nameless, the seeker femme that you told me about?” he asked.

“Yup, that’s her alright. Just never expected her to be this tall after five thousand solar cycles,” Landmine said with a chuckle.

The femme lifted an optic ridge and tilted her head to the side, hardly noticing that Red Alert was tending to her fresh wounds. Finally, she spoke in a quiet voice that was a little scratchy. “I remember you. You’re that mech who let me go after that Energon raid and you’re that guard at the Iacon gates. Landmine was it?”

Landmine smiled a little. “You got that right, kid,” he said and frowned a little when he noticed her scars. “Quick question, Nameless...”

“Saberblade, my name is Saberblade now,” the young femme corrected.

“Right my apologies, Saberblade. Anyway, back to the question. What happened to you?”

“I’d... rather not talk about it,” Saberblade answered quietly as she stood up before Red Alert could stop her. The CMO tried to sit her back down, but she jumped out of his reach and turned to him. “Leave me alone!” she snarled, snapping like a wounded animal.

Red Alert growled and grabbed her a little roughly. “I will not leave you alone until your injuries are tended too, are we clear on that?” he snarled back.

Saberblade winced from his tone and tried to break out of his grip, but it was no use, he was just far too strong and she was far too weak to even stand up much longer. “Fine,” she growled as she sat back down, “but only until you fix my wounds, and since I still have to trust you.”

When she said the word ‘trust’, Red Alert had heard her snarl at the word. He patched up whatever wounds he could until he stood back up. “I’ve done what I can, but we need to get you more proper medical care back at Autobot HQ,” he said.

Saberblade winced at the word ‘Autobot’, and she stood up, her golden optics flashing in anger. “I’ve kept my end of the bargain by trusting you! I will not go to the Autobots if you want me to get involved with your stupid war!”

Optimus Prime lifted an optic ridge. “And what makes you say that we want you to join us?” he asked.

The question caught Saberblade completely off guard. She lowered her head and bit her bottom lip before answering in a dark tone, “Because you the one responsible for killing my father, Storm Saber.”

Landmine looked up in surprise. “You’re Storm Saber’s kid?” he asked.

“Took you long enough to figure that out,” Saberblade snarled, turning to face Landmine, making him wince. “You don’t know how long I had to live alone on the streets! Seven thousand solar cycles of living a miserable life without a mother to care for you! Seven thousand solar cycles of raiding Energon storages just so that you can survive! Seven thousand solar cycles of living in a gutter where you did nothing but cry your optics out, wishing that it wasn’t true that your mother committed suicide after your father was killed by either an Autobot, or that Decepticon Commander, Megatron!”

“You mean it was you who raid the Energon storages?!” Landmine cried.

Saberblade ignored him, but she continued to glare icy daggers at everyone around her. It wasn’t until the kind words of Optimus Prime made her shocked to the core of her Spark. “You’re right about the second saying.”

“Huh?”

“It wasn’t us who killed your father, Saberblade. Megatron was the one who delivered the final blow on him. Storm Saber saved my life before, and he did it again on that day that he died, and I never got the chance to thank him, or repay him for what he did for me. You don’t know what it’s like to think about one of your best soldiers being lost to a menacing killer who must be stopped at all costs.”

Saberblade looked away, her golden optics welling up into tears and she broke down by bringing her knees close to her chest. Red Alert had to follow her in her collapse as she cried her optics out. “Will you still let us take you to Autobot HQ?” he asked.

“Will... will you let me go after I’m... recovered?”

“It’s up to you to decide whether you do want to stay or not. We wish to only help you regain the trust that had been lost after seven thousand solar cycles of being on your own. You do not have to trust us if you do not wish too, but at the moment, we need to get you back to Autobot HQ and get some repairs done,” said Optimus Prime, his voice gentle, but stern.

Saberblade took a deep breath and she looked up at Optimus Prime, but then she toppled over, collapsing into Red Alert’s arms, who’d caught her just in time. The CMO looked up, concern in his red visor. “We have to get her back as soon as possible! She might be going into shock!”

Optimus Prime nodded as he ordered his men to transform and roll out without a moment to spare.

so cool keep it up

When Saberblade switched her optics online, everything was all in a blur. She had no idea how long she’d been in stasis lock for, but her best possible guess of where she was, was indeed very clear because of how clean the walls were and how there was not a single sign of age, rust, or even a scratch. So she must be in Autobot HQ, or in the hospital. She felt a tremor of fear pulsing through her and she sat up so suddenly that she cried out in pain when she felt needles in her arms and sides. She struggled to get them off, but she only made the pain worse.

The moment her second scream carried out, the door opened and Red Alert rushed in, his concern was hidden so well behind his red visor that Saberblade found it hard to believe that he was concerned at all. The CMO gently grabbed the young femme’s wrists and tried to calm her down, but she struggled harder, her fear showing in her golden optics as she cried out again, causing the door to open again and Optimus Prime rushed in with Landmine following.

At the sight of the two Autobots, Saberblade removed her wrists from Red Alert’s grip and tried to remove the needles again, but a gentle hand stopped her and her struggling ceased a little.

“It’s alright, Saberblade, it’s me,” Optimus’ gentle voice whispered.

Saberblade growled a little, but she stopped making an attempt to remove the needles. “I thought you said we’d be in Autobot HQ!” she snarled.

“We are,” Optimus replied.

“It doesn’t look like it to me.”

“You’ve been out for only several cycles,” Red Alert said.

Saberblade lifted an optic ridge. “How do I know that you’re not lying?” she asked.

“We don’t require you to trust us, Saberblade. I said this to you before, we only wish to help you,” Optimus answered as he released his grip on her hand.

Saberblade thought about it for a moment. She knew that the Autobots would never go back on their word, but after that incident with her mother five thousand years ago, she wasn’t sure if she could trust them or not. Did the Autobots really kill her father, or was it all just overhearing? She did remember her mother being over-energized, so it was a possibility that she may have overheard it. Obviously her father wouldn’t have joined the Autobots unless he had a reason, and that was either for the safety of his loved ones, or just so that he could acquire the money he needed to support his family. Whatever the option had been, the ending result hadn’t been very good at all.

“Hey, kid.”

Saberblade looked up from her thoughts and saw the kind blue optics of Landmine. She remembered at how angry he’d been at her when he’d discovered her raiding the Energon storages, and then remembered at how shocked he was when he saw her thin frame against the dim light. She even remembered the slight flash of sympathy he had on his face and how he’d let her go with the cubes.

The young femme turned her head away, avoiding optic contact. She didn’t deserve his kindness and sympathy, not after what she’d done during those five thousand years of hiding away from everyone and stealing Energon cubes.

“If you think I’m mad at you, I think you misunderstood me,” said Landmine with a smile on his lips.

Saberblade lifted an optic ridge, obviously confused. “What do you mean?” she asked as suspicion crossed her face.

Landmine chuckled a little. “I can read your face like a book, kid. I know that you think I’m angry at you for stealing those cubes during the pass five thousand solar cycles. Our supplies maybe low for a moment, but you that we can recover extremely quickly. I forgive you for your actions because you had every right to do it. You were just trying to survive in a world that just wanted to be left alone.”

Saberblade tilted her head to the side in confusion. How could Landmine understand the pain and loneliness that she’d suffered over the past seven thousand years? He didn’t live in the slums like she did! “How do you know what it’s like?” she snapped.

“Way before I joined the Autobots, kid, I too lived out the slums.”

“As if that had ever happened! You’re just trying to get to me!”

Landmine shook his head slowly. “Perhaps if you get the time, you can read my profile. I don’t like talking about my past in public, and neither does Optimus Prime. He was once a student of mine and he too knew about my past. Slums or not, we both had something in common: Peace.”

Saberblade frowned. It was hard to believe that Landmine had been from the slums, but the more she looked at him, the easier it became to see that he really was. She lowered her head in sorrow. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Whatever for, kid?”

“It’s not just for being disrespectful, but for being so ungrateful for what you and the others have done for me. If it hadn’t been you and your kindness, then I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Landmine waved a hand. “No need to apologize, kid. It’s what happens when you’ve been in the slums for so long. All we have to do is build up your trust that you lost over the last seven thousand solar cycles. If all goes well, then maybe you’ll find your true place amongst the Autobots.”

Saberblade smiled weakly. She was going to have to get used to smiling if she was to succeed on becoming a better bot. She sighed before lowering her head as Red Alert reattached the needles that had slipped out after her struggling.

Optimus Prime cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Now that it’s sorted out, I suggest that we leave to allow Saberblade to get some rest, I believe that we’ll have much to talk about and sort out as well.”

Landmine nodded, agreeing with his previous student. He turned to Saberblade and gently placed a hand on her own. She flinched a little, but it was less than before. “We’ll see you soon, kid. Right now, you just focus on recovering physically. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” Saberblade whispered.

Landmine nodded before he and Optimus Prime left the room with Red Alert just making sure that the young seeker femme was comfortable before switching out the lights.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So what do you suggest that we do with Saberblade, sir?” Landmine asked as he and Optimus Prime walked into the Autobot Commander’s office. Optimus Prime sat down in his chair while Landmine sat in the other chair that was in front of his desk. An uncomfortable silence flowed through them for a moment, but Optimus finally spoke in a calm and gentle voice.

“After her physical recovery, I’m thinking about putting Saberblade through counselling, but I reckon it’ll be too much for her to handle. It could take weeks, months, or even solar cycles for someone like her to understand that we mean her no harm in any particular way.”

Landmine sighed before he spoke again. “Then let me take her in, sir! She trusts me more than any other mech!”

Optimus Prime shook his head. “No, I’ll be the one to do it, you will not even have the time to care for someone who has been mentally damaged, and plus, you have students to teach as well at the Academy.”

Landmine sighed quietly. He knew that Prime was right, he’d have to give up his job as a teacher in order to help Saberblade, and it would include getting the right amount of money to help her recover.

“Also, we can’t just have her trusting one Autobot, we need to get her to realise that we’re all worthy of her trust.”

“You’re thinking about adopting her, aren’t you?”

Optimus smiled from behind his silver mask. Trust Landmine to guess my intentions correctly, he thought to himself. Out loud, he said, “Indeed I am, old friend.”

“And for that, I can understand your reason. Your will to help the unfortunate is so strong that I have no doubt in your abilities.”

Optimus nodded as he leaned back in his chair for a moment until Landmine stood up, instantly knowing that he was dismissed for the day. Before he walked out the door, he turned back to face his commander. “I wish you luck on helping her, sir, if there’s anyone who can help her, it would be you,” he whispered and left the office.

Optimus sighed and bit his bottom lip. He’d have to figure out on how to get the adoption papers on Saberblade, but he doubted there’d be anything on her because of living in the slums her entire life, and neither Storm Saber, nor Aquablade realise that they’d die sooner than they’d thought.

Standing up with slowly, Optimus Prime left his office and headed for Med-Bay to tell him of his intentions, but not to Saberblade until she’d physically recovered from her incident.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Optimus Prime had arrived just in time to find Red Alert just leaving the Med-Bay. As he approached the CMO, he cleared his throat to get his attention. Red Alert turned and faced his commander and gave a quick salute.

“At ease,” said Optimus with a chuckle. “I’m off duty now.”

“I see,” Red Alert replied quietly.

“Is she resting?”

“It took me longer than I realised to settle her down after you and Landmine had left. She freaked out so much that I nearly threatened her with an aesthetic. By the way, what are you doing here if you’re off duty now?”

“Try not to give her any threats, Red Alert. It’ll do more harm than good, and I have no intention on breaking the trust that we’ve earned from her so far. As for what reason that brought me here, I wish to speak with you in private, if she hasn’t fallen into recharge yet, then I do not wish for her to hear anything until everything is sorted out.”

“Very well, sir. Follow me.” Red Alert turned and walked away with his commander following until they reached the CMO’s office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Red Alert closed the door and locked it, he turned to his commander and tilted his head to the side. “It’s about Saberblade, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Indeed it is. I’ve decided to take Saberblade in as my adoptive child after she has physically recovered from today. I’ll need to get some papers on doing this, but unfortunately, she does not have anything on her because of the incident with Storm Saber,” Optimus Prime answered calmly.

“I see,” said Red Alert thoughtfully. “Yes, it is going to be difficult to take her in because of her living in the slums, and she wouldn’t exist in the Autobot files because that as well. The best possible ways of doing this is by going to the orphanage and tell them of your intentions. I’m no psychologist, but I’ll help in any way that I can to help restore her trust.”

“I was also thinking about putting her through counselling, but that will be difficult to manage because of taking some of my time to keep the Autobots functioning and stop Megatron at all costs.”

“That’s true, sir. I was hoping to result in me taking her in while you go out there onto the battlefield.”

“That would be a big help, Red Alert, thank-you.”

“Anytime, sir, I’m just doing my job to help out in anyway that I can.”

Optimus Prime nodded and he bid Red Alert farewell before he turned and left the room, leaving the CMO to ponder on the situation of Saberblade’s condition. Obviously it would take a very long time for her to restore her trust, but with enough love and attention, she might be able to pull through in such situations. Physical recovery was extremely easy, but mental recovery was so hard that Transformers that suffered so badly ended up committing suicide some time later. Something inside Red Alert told him that someday, Saberblade will pull through. Though he just hoped that it was no… mistake.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saberblade had recovered far more quicker than Red Alert had anticipated, but he was secretly glad she was going to be alright. It had taken a nearly a month for her to recover, and Optimus was looking forward to telling her the good news of getting adoption papers from the orphanage, who’d approved of him taking her in as his own, but as long as she was given mental treatment as soon as she’d recovered, everything should be alright.

Saberblade had been lying on the medtable for so long, that she’d nearly forgotten how to walk, so Red Alert had to give her a helping hand, and soon she was running about like an energetic sparkling, but she hid her excitement so well, that Red Alert thought she looked glad to just get the strength back into her legs and get of here as soon as possible.

Optimus Prime had come around from time to time to see how she faring, and the visits were becoming quite the routine for the young seeker femme, and she grew used to his presence, including Red Alert’s because she had no other choice but to accept him as a doctor, whether she liked it or not.

But when the Autobot Commander came around, Saberblade knew that something was amiss, otherwise he wouldn’t be here at this time. But what surprised the seeker femme was that Optimus’ optics seemed to have a glint of kindness that she’d never seen before, including warmth that seemed to seep through her. Something wasn’t right about this whole thing, and she didn’t like it one bit.

Optimus Prime seemed to smile with his optics and he offered a hand out to her. Confused by this whole ordeal, Saberblade tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“You’re going home,” Optimus replied gently.

“Home? But... I don’t have a home anymore. It was destroyed by the Decepticons, remember?”

Optimus chuckled, catching Saberblade off guard. “Not back to the slums, little one. You’re coming home with me.”

Saberblade felt her jaw drop. Had the Autobot Commander gone nuts? He couldn’t have done something during the past four weeks... could he? Frowning, Saberblade looked up at Optimus Prime, suspicion in her optics. “Can I still trust you?” she asked.

“You’ve trusted us this far in the past four weeks, have you not?” Optimus asked monotonously.

“I... guess so,” Saberblade whispered, lowering her head. “Sorry.”

“You do not need to be sorry, Saberblade. I’ll do my best to make you feel like it really is home to you, but if we’re going to build up a bond between friends, or family, then we’ll have to start by trusting each other. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll... try.”

“That’s all I ask from you, Saberblade. Now, let’s go home.” Optimus offered his hand out to Saberblade once more. She eyed it a little while longer before her red hand took hold of his and he gently led her away towards her new home, a new future, and a new journey that has just begun.

so sweet this is so ace

“Well, here we are, Saberblade,” said Optimus Prime as he stopped in front of a large house that was rich looking and very clean. “This will be your new home. It might seem a little big, but you’ll get used to it.”

Saberblade bit her bottom lip and shrugged. Not only was she uncomfortable of living in a very nice looking house, but she was completely terrified on what lay inside. Being inside a house brought back terrible memories of long ago, and she did not want to live in another house that would do such a thing, but she promised that she would trust Optimus, and she never liked to go back on her word. But living in the slums alone had made her cautious and very afraid of what lay ahead of her.

Optimus Prime approached the door of the house, keeping a gentle arm over Saberblade’s newly repaired wing. He knew that she was uncomfortable, but he was doing the best that he could to ensure that everything was going to be alright for her, and make her feel more welcomed in a world she believed that she didn’t belong in. But with enough love and attention, Saberblade was bound to get far in the future, but what else could he do other than be there for her?

The Autobot Commander opened up the door of the house and the two walked inside in silence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment they walked inside, Optimus set Saberblade down on a couch. “Do you want me to fix you something? Do you require anything at all?” he asked, trying to make her feel better.

Saberblade didn’t answer. She was too busy looking around her, trying to take in her new surroundings until Optimus gently touched her on the shoulder, making her jump in surprise until she took a deep to ease up her tension. “Sorry,” she whispered as she lowered her gaze and then looked away, refusing to make optic contact with the Autobot Commander.

“You do not need to be sorry,” said Optimus gently as he stroked her wing carefully. He then repeated his questions and she shrugged, unsure of what she really wanted, so Optimus decided to go and fix her up something. But while was doing that, he suggested that she explore the Prime Mansion and get a better feeling of her new home so that she would be more comfortable with herself.

So Saberblade got up and set off to explore the ‘Prime Mansion’. She wasn’t sure why it was called that, but she guessed that it had something to do with the title of ‘Prime’. She remembered sneaking a book from the Iacon Library long ago. She also remembered that it had been about the history of the Primes and what their goals were. She knew that the title of Prime was given to those that the Autobot Matrix of Leadership chose amongst the Autobots once the previous leader had died, or rejoined the Allspark of Primus. Of what the Matrix did to the new leader was increase their physical appearance and were also given amazing abilities that exceeded many. The abilities were simple. They were able to take short glances of the afterlife, were given vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge, and they could even take small glances into the future and the past. Other such abilities were never listed because unknown reasons or they just cannot be explained.

If Saberblade remembered correctly the book had been called History of the Primes, and she knew that she still had the book stored somewhere in her sub-space pocket. But she couldn’t remember where exactly. She’ll have to search herself when she got the chance.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saberblade was amazed at how carefully well done the structure of the Prime Mansion had become. Obviously she’d never seen anything like it before, and she guessed that the Elders had ordered this to be built finely for whatever Prime that stayed here. Though, she had the feeling that Optimus hated living in such a rich place while everyone else just lived lowly below him. She did not deserve to live in this place, and she doubted she ever will fit in amongst the Autobots of Iacon, and they’d probably reject her in a matter of seconds if they saw her. But who was she kidding? She would never find a place to truly belong in, and this place was no acceptation.

She found many rooms of the Prime Mansion and even one that looked like a guest’s room. Probably for those that wished to visit a Prime and then leave after staying for a fair while. She guessed that this was the room that she would be staying in, or maybe in that nice room that was just a few door lengths away.

She then visited the top floor near the attic and she came across Optimus’ room. It was so neat, tidy and smelt fresh and clean like as if a cleaner bot had come by just today, or yesterday. She reckoned that Optimus had been spoilt a fair bit, and he probably hated the Prime life, but she knew that she would have to put up with it for as long as he functioned.

Folding her wings against her sides to offer herself comfort, Saberblade decided to check out the bathroom. It too was neat and tidy, and it smelt of fresh perfume that made her optics water. She would have to get used to this new life, and she hated every detail of this place. But as much as she wanted to complain, she knew that it would only make her stay even worse.

Bored and wanting to find something to do, Saberblade searched through her sub-space pockets and loose joints to find the History of the Primes book that she’d hidden somewhere. Finally, her hands lay upon her chest where the cockpit of her alternate mode sat. Carefully, she opened it up and revealed the book safely tucked away near her Spark chamber. How could she have missed that spot? She’d been so caught up in her thoughts and the events that had occurred that she’d forgotten where she’d stored her favourite book. She was very surprised that Red Alert had not found it there in the first place while he’d been scanning her. Perhaps her Spark had decided to use some of its energies to hide the book from view.

Taking the book out carefully, her fingers just missed getting an electric burst from her Spark, as she closed her Spark chamber gently. Stepping out the bathroom with the book clutched closely to her chest plate, Saberblade headed back downstairs to sit herself down and read for a bit until Optimus would call her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment Saberblade sat down to read, she realised that the book was a little torn and had a couple of bents and dents from age after taking it from the Iacon Library long ago. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down to read, but she believed that being kept busy 24/7 of looking after herself had kept her away from even reading. Sighing, she opened the book carefully and began to read a paragraph.

The Matrix of Leadership

The Matrix of Leadership is a talisman of legend, passed down from Autobot leader to Autobot leader. It comprises an oval-shaped container, holding a glowing, blue crystal. To open the Matrix is to release an unpredictable wave of power from this crystal. The Matrix is believed to an intelligence of its own and will determine when, and how, it will be used. It is also believed that the Matrix came from a piece of Primus’ Spark that houses a vast amount of wisdom and knowledge that allows a Prime to have vast amount of abilities that is still being worked out today. The Matrix also changes a normal Autobot’s physical body, making them stronger, and able to take more damage than they previously do, and are given the title of Prime. Once a Prime dies, their Spark rejoins the Matrix and improves the wisdom of the next leader. The Matrix is then passed down to the next ‘Chosen One’ that it selects on its own or whoever has a Prime Spark amongst the generations of Primes.

Saberblade continued on to read until Optimus’ head popped around the corner and he cleared his throat, catching the young seeker completely off guard by his voice. She looked up at him as she quickly closed the book and hid it away from the Autobot Commander’s line of sight. “Dinner’s ready if you want it,” he said.

Saberblade nodded and she stood up, keeping her train of thoughts to herself as she approached the kitchen and sat down at the table to eat. Optimus placed a bowl of liquid Energon in front of her (an equivalent of soup) and he sat down with his own. “I thought I would make something easy for you to have since your body is taking its time to heal inside,” he said.

Saberblade shrugged and put the spoon to her lips, careful to not burn her tongue. To her surprise, the liquid tasted like nothing she’d ever had before. Looking up, but trying to keep her emotions in tact, she felt a smile tug at her lips and said, “Thanks, it’s been a really long time since anyone’s ever made me something nice.”

Optimus smiled back. “You’re welcome. I’m thinking about taking you to see Ratchet for counselling soon, though I’ll have to book you an appointment to see him.”

Saberblade nodded as she took another spoonful of the Energon. As she swallowed, she felt her throat become parch and her lips seemed to turn as dry as the sun’s rays. She had no idea why it was happening, but she felt herself shake in her shoulders and she dropped the spoon, then she pulled her knees close to her body and cried. Optimus was at her side at once and he gently rubbed her back, but she flinched from his touch and continued to cry. He sighed and let her be for the moment until she regained herself. She had no idea why she’d just cried, but she knew that it had something to do with what had happened in the past. “I… I just don’t know what to believe,” she sniffed.

“Believe what?” Optimus asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“I… I want to believe that Storm Saber died defending you, but after what Aquablade had told me before she committed suicide, I’m… just not sure what to do,” Saberblade answered.

Optimus sighed and gently placed a hand on her wing, this time, she didn’t flinch, just looked at him from the corner of her golden optics. “Believe what you want to believe, I will not pressure you into choosing what lies in your Spark.”

Saberblade nodded once before sniffing again. It just hurt so much to have lost her only family that she’d known since the day that she’d been created and had been raised in a world full of suicide, murder, and hatred. Why couldn’t she have been brought up in Iacon? Then she wouldn’t have to go through with all this mental pain that she suffered all those years ago. Without thinking, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Optimus’ neck. She couldn’t help but leave her tears on his fine metal, and she reckoned that he did care about his armour getting coated in teardrops.

Optimus Prime hadn’t expected Saberblade to give him a hug, but the moment he felt her tears, he knew that she really meant it well. He didn’t care if she wept on him, she could cry on him for as long as she needed to. Gently, he placed a hand on her back and rubbed it, caressing her for as long as she sobbed. He was glad that he’d taken her in as his own, and that she wouldn’t have to live on the streets of the slums anymore. For as long as he functioned, he would protect her with his very life if he had to. Gently he pulled her off of him and wiped the tears away from her optics. “Let’s get you into your room. You need to get some rest if you are to make it to full recovery.”

Saberblade nodded as Optimus stood up and led her to her room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Optimus shook his head when Saberblade approached the guest room. “No, you will not be treated as a guest while you’re under my roof. Come, I’ll show you to a much better room,” he said as he led Saberblade to another room that was just next to his room.

Saberblade had expected the room to just be something too fancy to her taste, but she was shocked to find that it was just a normal room. She took a glance around at the room and walked inside. “I figured that you wanted a more decent room that would be just ordinary to your liking. I hope this suits you just fine.”

“I… I just… don’t know what to say,” Saberblade stuttered.

“Just say nothing about it. It’s the least I can do to make sure that you feel right at home in the Prime Mansion. I know that you must be extremely uncomfortable living in a highly rich place, so this room was made for those that didn’t like the fancy rooms. To be perfectly honest, I really don’t like living in this Mansion and it makes me feel disgusted that I live above those that live on the streets, including the slums in Polyhex.”

Saberblade was a little shocked to hear that coming from Optimus. Had he actually read her mind about what she’d previously thought about? She wasn’t sure, but she remembered that the Autobot Matrix of Leadership was capable of doing incredible things, and it must’ve given Optimus the ability to read minds, or maybe he’d glanced into her future or something like that.

As if he’d read her mind, Optimus turned to look at her, his golden optics soft with vast amounts of knowledge and wisdom beyond anyone’s understanding. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I seem to have a habit of reading minds, or if I’m capable of doing such a thing. To answer that question, I cannot do that. How I know what you’re thinking is by the look in your optics and the way how your facial expression matches it perfectly. If you have anything to ask, or if you need anything, I will be downstairs calling Ratchet on making an appointment for you. Goodnight, Saberblade, I hope that you’ll feel better in the morning.” Without another word, Optimus turned and left Saberblade standing there alone.

Sighing, the young seeker femme headed into her room and sat down on her bed. She was glad that she had an ordinary room and that it suited her perfectly for her moods. She lay down on the bed with her hands behind her head and gazed up at the ceiling. She couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for her, but she was unsure, and right now, she had to focus on getting her trust back into action. But she found herself thinking on what Optimus had said to her. “Believe want you want to believe, I will not pressure you into choosing what lies in your Spark.”

Just what exactly lied in her Spark? Should she really believe that Storm Saber had died at the hands of Megatron, or should she believe what Aquablade had said about the Autobots killing her father mercilessly? She wasn’t sure what to think, and it pained her Spark greatly. Clutching her chest as though it was in pain, Saberblade rolled onto her back and took out the History of the Primes and decided to read for a bit.

She reckoned she lost track of time after a while, for the last thing she remembered was turning her optics off, seeing a red, blue, and silver figure tuck her under her blankets, and then she felt something warm and gentle touch her forehead. She wasn’t sure who it was, but she heard words of a familiar voice. “Sleep well, Saberblade, I understand what it’s like to go through so much pain and suffering in your mind. We’ll see what Ratchet says about your mental condition tomorrow.” And then, total darkness swam through her mind and she knew no more.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Good morning, Saberblade. Did you sleep well?” Optimus asked as Saberblade walked into the kitchen and sat down to have breakfast. She shrugged her shoulders a little, obviously not in the mood to talk about how she’d slept. Understanding her desire to not wanting to answer, Optimus decided to move onto a different topic. “Ratchet says that he’d like to see you this afternoon.”

Saberblade looked a little unsure when Optimus said this. She’d just gotten to know the Autobot Commander, and had no wish of trusting anyone else but him. But if she was to make a full recovery on her mental problems, she would have to put up with idea. After all, she did make a promise didn’t she? Sighing, she just nodded and said, “What can I do in the meantime?”

“I was hoping you might say that. I was thinking about taking you to Autobot Head Quarters to see what it’s like there, or you and I could go for a walk and discuss further matters, but I’ll leave that up to you. But obviously, I need to fill out some reports once your appointment is over for today,” Optimus answered.

“My guess is that you have to go back to Head Quarters to fight the Decepticons?” Saberblade asked quietly.

“It’s a possibility, but it depends on if my men need me. If not, we can spend the rest of the day here at home, but if they do need me then I’ll have to leave you here to look after yourself, or I’ll let someone come here to look after you while I’m gone. Possibly Jazz or maybe even Prowl, they are good friends of mine, and would treat you with as much respect as I do.”

Saberblade trembled. “But… what if they’re not who you think they are? What if it’s all a lie?” she asked as her voice nearly reached at breaking point.

“Saberblade, they will not harm you for as long as they function. They have been my friends since the day I first turned into a warrior, and became a fresh Prime. I trust them with my life and they would do anything in their lives to help the weak and helpless. Now, let’s not discuss this topic any more, I do not want you to worry over nothing.”

Saberblade nodded, mentally agreeing with Optimus’ decision on not wanting to press the matter any further than it already was going towards. Sighing, she sat down and had her breakfast.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the morning, Optimus Prime did not need to go to the Autobot Head Quarters, and it made Saberblade more relaxed until the afternoon rolled in. For most part of the morning, they just spent quality time together, speaking of whatever was on their mind and asking each other questions, but Optimus did not want to ask too many, for he feared that he might step into a territory that he might be forbidden to go into until Saberblade would feel more comfortable talking to him, but it was when the afternoon came that everything seemed to go downhill. The kind chat that they had had completely vanished and Saberblade was reluctant to go and see Ratchet. But Optimus promised her that he would come with her if she needed him and she loathly agreed as long as he did not leave her side until she grew more accustomed to her surroundings.

Saberblade found herself and Optimus Prime standing outside a house that almost looked like a cottage in human terms, but to the Transformers, it was just a house that had been designed to make Ratchet’s patients less threatened by their treatment, and it was starting to have an effect on the young femme’s dislike towards the therapist/medic. Gently taking her hand in his own, Optimus Prime led Saberblade inside the house slowly.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once inside, Optimus set Saberblade down and he approached a counter and told a femme that he and Saberblade were here to see Ratchet. While he talked, Saberblade took a glance around at her ideal surroundings and she noticed a yellow mech sitting beside a much older femme. The yellow mech looked like he was the same age as Saberblade and he hardly seemed to be paying attention to anyone but the femme next to him.

Saberblade wondered who the young mech was until Optimus Prime sat down beside her, taking her out of her thoughts. He looked towards her with his golden optics and smiled behind his silver mask. “Ratchet will be with us in just a nanoclick,” he said, “he’s just finishing up with another mech.”

Saberblade nodded and she touched her chest where the History of the Primes laid inside. She was about to start thinking of what the previous Autobot Commander had been like before Optimus Prime when a mech walked out of a room and a silver mech, with a cross on his shoulders, walked behind him. In his hand, he held a clipboard and a holopen. He turned to the mech and said, “Well I hope to see you again next month, Hotwire, and try to stay out of trouble like you always do. And also, take good care of your son, Hot Shot, he’ll be worth your while when you spend more time with him. There’s nothing better than to strengthen the bond between creator and sparkling.”

“I will, Ratchet, and thanks,” Hotwire said and held out his hand, which Ratchet shook before he smiled. Hotwire then turned and approached the femme and the yellow mech that Saberblade guessed was Hot Shot. “Shall we go home now?” he asked.

Hot Shot smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” he said as he, Hotwire, and the femme, left the room, leaving Ratchet to look at his clipboard before he looked up and then at the young seeker femme, a warm smile caressing his lips. “Saberblade, you’re up.”

this is great i love the prime matsion and i hope there more to come

Saberblade nervously stood up and approached Ratchet, she heard Optimus Prime follow her as she lowered her gaze, not wanting to appear rude in front of the boxed mech. Ratchet tilted his head to the side as he looked at her for a moment before he gave a warm smile and he motioned them to follow him. They obeyed and followed the white mech into a room that was out of earshot from the waiting room.

When they sat down, Ratchet took out some paper and placed them in front of him. He looked at it for a moment before he said in a gentle voice so that he wouldn’t frighten Saberblade, but he did. “So, this is Saberblade?” he asked. He frowned when he saw the young seeker flinch but he made no comment about it.

“Yes, I do believe Red Alert’s told you a bit about her?” Optimus asked.

Ratchet nodded and he looked towards Saberblade again. He was a little surprised to see that she was making optic contact with him for a second before she removed her gaze from him and appeared to be staring at something else. “Well, I suppose we should get started then. You mind telling me what the problem is?” he asked.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what the problem is, Ratchet. Saberblade has suffered some mental damaged long ago and I believe that you’re capable of finding out how and why,” said Optimus as he tilted his head down a notch, his optics looking into Ratchet’s blue ones.

Ratchet placed a hand on his chin and looked towards Saberblade once more. She hadn’t said a word since her arrival and he reckoned this was part of the mental damage. Not trusting strangers right from the moment she meets them. “Does she refuse to make optic contact with anyone except those that she doesn’t trust or meets the first time?” he asked.

“As far as I can tell, that’s an affirmative.”

“I see,” Ratchet said as he took out a holopen and began to write on the paper. The sudden movement made Saberblade twitch and Optimus’ hand gently touched her, giving her a little encouragement to be brave. Ratchet then gazed at Optimus once again. “Does she flinch or even try to move away from a stranger’s touch no matter how nice they are?”

“Yes.”

“Uh huh,” said Ratchet as he scribbled down the answer and he asked the final question that might be something that Optimus couldn’t answer instantly. “Did she ever suffer from abuse or perhaps being yelled at by someone she once trusted?”

Optimus was caught completely off guard by the question. If there was one thing that he couldn’t answer, it was this question. How could he know that Saberblade had suffered abuse from someone she once loved? He wasn’t sure, but he looked at Saberblade for help, but she refused to speak about it. He turned back to Ratchet and said, “I don’t know, her past is a mystery to me, but I believe that she did, otherwise she wouldn’t be on her own in the first place.”

Ratchet stood up slowly and placed the holopen down. Saberblade cautiously watched him as he approached her and bent down in front of her. “Do you mind if I examine you?” he asked. She looked terribly frightened by the request and even Optimus’ gentle touch couldn’t calm her down. But in the end, she submitted and nodded.

Ratchet gently took her arm and took a look at some of the scars that had been there before the accident. She winced when he used a finger to gently offer her comfort. “Hmm,” Ratchet mumbled. “Scars from being whipped, are they not?” he asked.

Saberblade looked surprised by his question. In a trembling voice, she asked, “How did you k… know?”

“As both a therapist and a medic, I can easily read what your body’s been through. You’ve been whipped a dozen times by a leathered whip two thousand solar cycles ago. Am I correct?”

“Y… yes,” Saberblade whimpered and she quickly removed her arm from Ratchet’s grip. “Please! Don’t hate me for escaping a slave trading unit!” she begged.

“Why would you think that?” Optimus asked gently.

“Because you’ll take me back and turn me into a slave again!” Saberblade screamed.

Ratchet shook his head. “We have no intention on hurting you, Saberblade. We only want to help you,” he said.

Saberblade quickly retreated into the far corner of the room, away from Ratchet and Optimus Prime. Her trembling body told them that she was terribly frightened and had no way to escape the room, for Ratchet blocked the only exit with a chair that prevented the door from opening even the slightest notch.

Sighing, Ratchet turned to Optimus. “Let’s not ask her about it again, I’m afraid