Drain of Lost Past - Act 2
By: Kidcat and MariaSunderland
Chapter 2
~ Running Into Trouble ~
"Hey! Gemini! Wait up!"
A smile came to Gemini’s face as she and saw Cheetor running toward her in beast mode. Her smile was gladly returned as he came to a stop in front of the human. Bending her knees, she lowered herself down and passed her robotic hand on his head, caressing him behind his chrome cheetah ears. A silent purr echoed from his throat.
Gemini giggled sweetly, "Sorry, but even a chrome feline makes me melt."
Cheetor gave a funny look at her comment. The young girl's honey colored eyes widened with surprise, the pink shades of the feminine features of her face turning a bright red. She laughed nervously.
"I meant that as in I like cats, you know..."
Cheetor nodded quickly, seeming as embarrassed as Gemini, "I... I know, don't worry.... Speaking of felines, what's going on with Fena now?"
"Ah...", Gemini sat on her knees in front of the transmetal cheetah, "Last time I saw her... Things didn't go too well", she sighed, “Actually, as suicidal as the idea may be, I was going to her quarters to see how she was feeling; Meaning I will most certainly die from unfair torture by her bare bloody hands."
"What?! No way! I won't let that happen! I'm coming with‑‑"
Gemini's soft and gentle smile widened as she laid her delicate finger upon the metallic cheetah’s lips, "Nah. She won't do that. I was just teasing. I know Fiona better then anyone might ever. She's violent, arrogant, a real bitch when she gets to it, but she won't hurt me up to that point. She's too nice for that!"
"Somehow, that last statement did not make sense", he said and cocked his head in curiosity.
Gemini bit her lower lip, "Yeah, I know... I don't want you to be worried. She won't do anything to me, but I don't know about you. Heck, she's even ready to decapitate Rhinox!"
Cheetor sighed and nodded sadly. A part of him did not want Gemini to get hurt. He would believe her, HOPED she was right, but if, by any chance, something might happen....
Gemini pressed her lips upon Cheetor's forehead, and winked happily, "When I get back, I'd like to know all about the adventures you Maximals have been going through. How's that?"
His ears perked, his features turning to contentment, "Yeah, you bet! I got plenty!"
"Alright, it's a dat... deal then! Be seein' ya!"
Cheetor watched her walk away gracefully. He kept staring, as she turned left into the next hallway, disappearing from his sight. Lost in his thoughts, he remained there still. Gemini was a human, but she was so pretty, so sweet...
A long sigh escaped his lips, sorry to have to forget about her presence for now. As soon as she had stepped out of the pod, he felt like his spots had switched around on their own. He was delighted to find she acknowledged his presence, and even came to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could have felt that little knot in her stomach when she saw him as well.
Maybe he should have gone with her anyway, just to make sure... Rattrap had shown him a few tricks when it came to spying, and perhaps he would be able to use them at last, and if…
… A sharp pain pierced through his robotic rib cage. Before he even realized it, a huge hand grabbed him by the neck, lifting him in the air and sending him flying across the corridor. Dizzy, he stumbled to his feet, realizing he had landed in the training room....
"Whatever I did wrong, it wasn't me!" he yelled at who ever had done this, "Felina? Felina, I'm really sorry about that Sigma. Corp thing.... Felina?"
That’s when something, a large structure, was thrown at his feet. He thought of it as a huge stuffed dummy full of straws at first, for it had landed grotesquely on the ground, as if dismembered. Carefully, he moved the head of the doll with his left paw and gasped. Rattrap definitely was not this much of a sound sleeper. There was no reaction when he attempted to bring his comrade back to reality.
"Hey! Rat Face... Come on!", still convinced the huntress had been at work, he called out to her again, " Felina? Felina, where are you?"
"No, not Felina", a deep voice answered him. Like from a horror movie, the tall body of the evil villain appeared from the shadows, revealing himself with an eerie grace of triumph. GoldenFire showed a large smile as he approached Cheetor, cracking his fingers slowly. His teeth looked more like sharp tools then anything else.
"And don't waste your time kid, he's not about to wake up anytime soon."
Another painful strike to Cheetor's head, this time scratching his right eye, made him roll a couple of meters further into the room. He screamed with pain as a filament of bloody colored oil poured out of the scratch.
"GoldenFire?!! Wuh‑What are you doing?!"
"Planting trees for the old chopper near road 51 ahead of the Axalon. And when I'm done, it'll make a graveyard."
"W‑W‑What?!"
"Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer, kid. The academy never showed you this I suppose."
The tall robot stood in front of Cheetor, a four spiked, sharp, star alike weapon in his hand; one of the spikes still showing a bit of the cheetah's own mech‑fluid. Cheetor growled loudly as GoldenFire closed in menacingly, that cruel grin of satisfaction never leaving his face. In fact, the sinister smile only widened as he approached.
"I knew it! Rhinox tried to warn us! Why are you doing this?" The metallic cheetah unfolded his air‑jets, hoping to fly away in time to escape the fearsome robot, but as soon as his feet left the floor, a bolt blaster slammed in his face, making him fly across the room again, sprawled out on the floor. His face was all black with dirt but with much effort he managed to stand up again, trembling.
.
"Don't try any stupid tricks, kid. I can read your mind. I know what you think. It floats like wind through the holes in my head and filters it. Fiona made sure of that, you see? Full of holes. And right now, these holes tell me you might know too much because Gemini has too much of a big mouth to spare."
"Huh? I‑I know...something important? Wuh‑Whoa! Ultra‑Gear!"
"And you still find a way to joke? You're pathetic. Tell me, will you still be laughing when I get my hands on Gemini?"
Now the transmetal beast clawed the ground with the sharpness of his paws, "Don't you DARE go near her!"
GoldenFire's head went back with a loud mocking laughter, "Well, what do you know, I guess I did hit a nerve after all. She's been here for less then 48 hours and you got your circuits all jumbled up for the wench."
"STOP IT! SHE'S NOT A WENCH!"
Cheetor leaped for the enemy, but GoldenFire had seen it coming from a mile away. With an incredible run‑up, he threw the huge star he had as a weapon like a boomerang. The object moved straight for Cheetor's head. With wonderful speed, the transmetal cheetah rolled to one side, avoiding the sharp spikes by the skin, before the weapon returned to its owner.
"You know, if you transformed, you would fight better… unless you LIKE this little game of mine. Do you? Do you like it? May you need some more, I shall give!" GoldenFire laughed while readying himself to throw the deadly weapon once more.
So that's what Felina's father wanted. He wanted his victim to go back to robot mode... In that case, Cheetor had no intention to transform. His eyes fell on Rattrap. Maybe he had made this error and GoldenFire had finished him off... Well, he was not about to make the same mistake. He would get out of this and protect Gemini at all cost! He had to warn the others that what Rhinox feared had now come true!
GoldenFire took the robotic cheetah by the scruff, and once more, threw him across the room to land on Rattrap.
(Don't
waste your time, kid)
Some odd terror made its way through his mind.
(he's
not about to)
The coolness of his comrade's body, the position of a dummy full of straws....
(wake
up anytime soon)
"I really think you would fight better if you transformed."
" You... killed...him... my... friend...."
"Oh come on. Your not going to cry on me, are you? He deserved it. If you saw how he was handling my daughter... Tsk tsk, you'd do the same if she had been your child. Anyway, let's not change the subject here. Your forces are leaving you. Transform!"
"Nuh‑no... I won't..."
"Fine..." He grabbed Cheetor's head, narrowing his fingers into the cheetah's mouth, "I was trying to make this easier and less painful for you, but since you want to play this way... you're the one who's gonna suffer...deeply."
GoldenFire pulled in different directions, quartering the cheetah face. Cheetor struggled against his aggressor, but the heaviest scratches from his claws were of no effect on this super natural being that was probably the result of another Sigma Corp. experiment. Cheetor cried with inexplicable pain as a split in the middle of the cheetah face appeared. Soon enough, the face was wide opened, showing the robotic form inside the beast form. He turned smaller bot’s arms, legs, everything that could lead the beast to the robot with a discussing dislocating sound. It almost sounded like twigs and branches; cracking and dying. Spasms of pain passed through Cheetor's half transformed body. Then GoldenFire struck his hand between the split cheetah face to pull the robotic head out.
[Warning. Warning. Internal circuits damaged. Completion of transformation impossible. Revert to Beast Mode. Revert to Beast Mode.], Cheetor's internal computer cried.
The pain was too much. Cheetor had never felt such indescribable aches. Such a morbid death...
‘So
that's how it all ends’, he came to think, ‘Optimus told me about the
Matrix... beautiful place... so... beau... tiful... Gemi... can't... protect...
sorry....’
Everything went black...
-------------------------------------------------------
"Fion... Felina? It's me, Gemini. Can I come in?"
She waited but there came no answer. Gemini knocked again, this time with more strength to it.
"Look. I know you're ticked because of what I happened... It's not easy, and... I'm sorry. I was a little rough..."
The metallic door slid open to the right, showing the entrance Felina's quarters. Darkness enveloped everything inside. For a moment it seemed like if the room was plunged into a bluish light... and then another low rumble sounded threw the base. Either the thunderstorm was not over yet, or a new one was moving in. Gemini entered carefully with a deep sigh, hoping she would not to have to deal with Felina's mood swings.
The door closed behind her on its own. As much as it was not normal for a door to have the intelligence to do so, the human did not pay any attention to it; too busy searching for a light switch.
"Felina? Hello?"
The only answer she got was the wind and rain, crashing against the window. Groping the wall, she finally touched a switch and flipped it up. It did not create much of a strong light; a little lamp on the top of the kitten's bed, but it was still enough to distinguish the small table, which had been thrown over in the short fight between Rattrap and GoldenFire. To Gemini, however, it never clicked in to be the case. She moved the table back on its legs, picking up the fallen objects. One of these objects was a cd player, now opened like the beak of a duck. The disk had been spit out in the fall and lay close by. Picking it up, she put the artifact back together.
Felina had always had a penchant for old objects from the 1990s and the beginning of the millennium. A mild smile came to her when she took the headphones and settled them over her ears.
"Wonder what kind of music she's into now", she mumbled to herself, although the smile she wore was washed away when finally she pressed the play button; disappointed...sad...
Yes it was an old song from the 1990s, but it was not what she had believed it to be. ‘SugarPie’ had been one of Fiona's favorites, but this song was far from it. This one, Fiona would only listen to when she was sad. It reminded her of her tragic past. This was her way of being nostalgic and angsty about life. Fortunately it never lasted too long but while it did, it was heartbreaking.
"Oh god... Fiona ... how can you... hurt yourself like that?"
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't sneak into someone's room without being invited in?" a feminine voice, very similar to Felina's, warned Gemini rudely.
As the words were spoken, Gemini quickly threw the headphones back on the table. A silhouette stood against the door before stepping closer to the human and, bit by bit, showed it's slim and gracious body clearer.
"What are you doing here", Gemini growled nervously, already in a defensive stance.
"It's my daughter's room. I have all the right to be here, unlike you, honey", Alana's face then appeared in the feeble light.
"I knew you were up to no good! What the hell do you think you can accomplish? The Beast Wars aren't our war. There's nothing to be done here!"
Alana smiled softly, "Do you really believe that, Gemini? You poor soul… You're so misguided. Do you really think this is all a coincidence: the attack on the Axalon, the crash on the planet, the Golden Disk, this ridiculous war? It would be a shame not to collect all the information on what happened since Cybertron lost all communications with the Axalon."
"What are you saying?" Gemini's broken voice came.
Alana sneered, "What I mean is, Cybertron and the Council might have lost your energy signature, but you can bet that Sigma Corp. hasn’t. It's all part of the game, Gemini. One you agreed to play when you let Biodrag make these modifications to you."
"W-What? You knew?! All along you knew about the Beast Wars?! H-How can you...."
Alana sighed with impatience, "More or less, more or less. There are a few outcomes that we never expected, but it makes it that more interesting, don't you think? This planet is rich with energon. It's even more precious when stabilized. There's more then enough to have the Predacons win a war against the Maximals back on Cybertron, and, far more then enough for Sigma Corp. to proceed with its experiments. Better yet, we're bringing back Transmetals! It's perfect, really. We could have waited longer had you not interfered, or if the rat had not overheard our communication with Megatron, but I suppose we have to settle and move the plans along faster."
"You're insane!", Gemini cried, "How can you do this? How can you play with peoples' lives the way you do?!"
"Oh my, you one to talk, huntress. How many sparks have you extinguished now? How many lives were ruined due to your selfish ambitions, hmmm?"
Gemini didn’t want to hear another word. Drawing her long nails as a weapon, she slashed at Alana who moved out of the way easily, using the shadows to her advantage.
"We are your key back to civilization. We could have brought your Maximals back to Cybertron with minimal damage if only you would have minded your own business and stayed back when the Axalon departed", Alana laughed, but the moment of inattention let Gemini create a gash over her left arm, "Argh!"
Alana ducked quickly, before another strike would have the chance to disfigure her, and took the opportunity to kick Gemini behind the knees, causing the huntress to drop down. Unfortunately, before the young woman could say more, a blaster was put against her head.
"Don't believe I'm here to annihilate you, Gemini", Alana panted, "I'll take you out of Felina's way while we take care of her, but you do belong to Sigma Corp. now. Besides, even if you'd try to speak to Felina now, I doubt she'd listen to you. She missed me so much".
She laughed and slammed the butt of the weapon hard against her opponent’s head. Gemini fell forward, unconscious. Alana moved back to her feet and kicked the huntress over, bringing a shaking hand to her bleeding arm, dripping to the ground.
"That bitch was faster then I expected", she breathed with hatred then activated her com-link, "GoldenFire, I’ve got Gemini. Can you come pick her up in seven cycles?"
"(crissss) Yes, I'm on it. The rat and the cheetah were handed over to Inferno and Waspinator."
Alana rolled her eyes and wiped her forehead from a light sweat, "Good good, the faster this is over, the better..."
-----------------------------------------------------
Felina stretched her legs out in beast mode, the small claws scratching at the metallic floor beneath her. Exhausted and in deep need to think, she had excluded herself away from the rest of the crew by going down near the center coil of the Axalon where Sentinel's systems were. Usually, no one came here without a good reason, and so Felina had often found it to be the best place to rest. If someone needed her, they could still locate her in the base and Optimus would not throw a fit about her not being with Rattrap.
She could see things a bit clearer now that she had taken a few hours rest, but she still needed some time; just a bit more.
Taking the elevator up, she found herself in the General Quarters area. It was rather quiet aside from the low rumble of thunder that was still going on outside. However, something was wrong...
*“Gone. Gone away and gone.”*
Felina stopped short by Cheetor's door as she heard the alien voice. It's not that she trusted the many disgusting voices she now heard since the alien paradise incident, but somehow, she had this awful feeling. She moved her cat ear against the door and listened carefully. Hearing nothing, she shrugged and went along until she stopped by Rattrap's door next.
*“Gone. Gone away and gone.”*
She hesitated, though still feeling something was a miss, she decided to give it a shot anyway.
"Maximize."
She gave a light knock on the metal door. No response. She gave it another try, still no response. Working on the small control panel by its side, she attempted to open the door.
[Energy Signature not recognized.]
Felina rose an eyebrow, "I'll give you an energy signature", she slammed her fist into the control panel.
[Acknowledged.]
"That's better."
The door slid open, but Rattrap was nowhere to be found. Why she had believed he should have been in his quarters was beyond her. Why she even took the risk of having him believe she cared or wanted to have the hint of a conversation with him was just as weird. That was until a shadow covered her. Looking over her shoulder, Felina saw her mother standing there with that ever-sweet smile of hers.
"Oh my, you have ways with machines."
Felina licked her lips nervously and closed the door with another hit on the panel, "I guess so..."
Alana moved forward and wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, "You look so sad, honey. I don't like seeing you like this. You know, even if you're a cyborg, you're still my sweet heard. Listen; let's spend some time, you and I. I know it won't make up for the lost years but it's better then nothing, don't you think?"
Felina stared down at the floor near her feet. Biting down her lower lip painfully, she finally looked up with an equal smile, one she rarely showed to anyone. Having thought things over… thought it over hard and it hurt her so much. Clenching her fists at her sides, she parted her lips, hesitating at first.
"Mamma, I just need to check up on a few things with Rattrap, and I'll be right with you."
Alana's smile widened, "Rattrap was sent on a scouting mission earlier this afternoon. We have plenty of time."
Felina's smile turned sour and her glance went back to the floor, "Rattrap... was sent on a scouting mission? Alone?"
(Felina, Rattrap, it was a hard decision, but since it seems that you can't stop fighting... we came to this one conclusion... from this moment on, you two will be equal partners.)
Alana shook her head, "Oh no. Gemini and Cheetor were sent along", she made a soft amused laugh, "are you worried about him?" There was a moment of silence until she found a red oil streak going down Felina's left cheek, "Honey? Honey, what's going on? Did I say something wrong?"
(Wherever Rattrap goes, you go. Wherever you go, Rattrap goes, protecting each other. )
"Yes...", Felina breathed and moved from her mother's embrace, "You did", she walked a few steps towards the command center, not looking back as another tear of oil moved down her right cheek this time, "I hoped it would last longer, Alana... I hoped that maybe, just maybe I could live the fairytale for a little while...."
Alana frowned, "What?"
"I'm going to start hunting soon", Felina let her know "I would get out of here if I were you, while you still can…"
Without waiting for her mother's reply or looking back, Felina walked away.
End of part 2