Raptrana
Part Four: Journey
Dad! You . . . you can’t just do this!”
My father looked away from me. “I have to, Abigail.” He still used my old
name, when we
were alone. “I saw this in a dream, and I somehow knew that I had to do
this.”
“But you’ll die! It’s suicide!”
“If I don’t do this, then you won’t even exist.”
“I don’t care about me!”
“Abigail . . . daughter . . . please listen to me.”
“No. You’re not going down there alone.”
Dinobot’s shoulders slumped, and he lifted my chin up, to look into his eyes.
“You will listen
to me, daughter. This is something that is for the better.”
“Why can’t I help you?” I whispered. “You yourself said that I’m twice
over a better sword’s-
person than you were when you were my age.”
“I know. But you are to carry on my legacy. I need you to watch over the other
Maximals for
me.” He turned, and looked over the valley. “They need you.”
“But I need you!” I yelled. “I don’t feel as if I’ve
finished my training!” I walked in front of
him. “You just don’t want to see me suffer, and I know that. Besides . . . I
don’t want for you to
suffer, either. If we fight together, we might just both come out of this
alive.”
“No,” Dad said curtly. “That is not what will happen.”
I sighed, and looked away from my father. I looked back, and he was gone.
“FATHER!” I screamed. I heard shots from inside the valley, and I knew that
the battle had
begun. I called the base on my comm-link. “Oh, no . . . Raptrana to base!”
~Base here,~ Rhinox answered. ~You sound stressed. What’s up?~
“I don’t have time to explain! You have my co-ordinates?”
~Yes . . . is he alone, Abigail?~
“You know?!” I whispered.
~Your father trusted me with your past, remember? Now I understand him
better. There’s
a bunch of Preds around your area. You need backup?~
“Yes!” I said, exasperated. “Dad’s in trouble, and we need help.”
~Understood. I’ll tell the others right away. Base out.~
I knew that it would be too late by the time that the others arrived. I bit my
lip, took a deep
breath, then ran off the cliff, and grabbed hold of a tree branch. I climbed
down, and landed silently
behind Inferno, who was torching the place. I drew my sword, ran him through,
and twisted it, then
ran on to another Predacon. It was Quickstrike. Unfortunately, he saw me coming,
and managed to
hit me three times, before I sliced his shooting arm off, and gouged a hole in
his chest. He fell, and
I rubbed my left knee. He hit that twice, but I’d survive . . . I hope. He had
also hit my right hip,
almost hitting my stomach.
I passed the remains of Waspinator and Rampage. Both were obviously in Stasis
Lock.
Waspinator had been shoved into Rampage’s cannon, and the crab had imploded. I
heard a shout,
and came upon Tarantulus fighting my father. I’d never seen Dad fight, and I
now knew why he
didn’t want me in the valley while he was. Within three seconds, Tarantulus
was down and out for
the count. I hid behind a rock, and watched my father slowly make his way to his
sword, which had
been torn out of his grasp.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? Dinobot, ah yes. You’re not looking
so good,
traitor.”
“Better than you’ll ever look,” Dad retorted.
“Hah! I doubt that greatly. You are of the old! Obsolete technology.”
He and my father fought, and I saw Dad thrown back against a rock. Megatron was
about to
kill him, when I ran out into the open, and ran past him, cutting his side as I
did so. I was now
between him and Dinobot. I could feel my anger and hatred toward him radiate
outward.
“Who the Pit are you?” Megatron asked.
“Your worst nightmare,” I growled. I imagine that I sounded like my father,
because
Megatron took a step back. He aimed his gun at my chest. As he fired, I took out
my shield, lightning
fast, and blocked it. I struggled forward, tightening my grip on my sword. As
soon as I was close
enough, I whirled, slashing Megatron’s arm, and causing him to stop firing. He
immediately
retaliated, by lashing out, and catching me in the gut. I stumbled backward, but
caught my balance,
and threw down my shield, as it was scrapped by now. I took a two-handed grip on
my sword, and
twirled, extending my arms out as far as they could. Megatron grunted, and I
pulled my sword free
from him. He aimed a punch at my head, but I dodged it, and gave an upper-cut,
and caught his chin.
I leaped back, and was preparing myself for another attack, when I felt my arms
grabbed from behind
me. Megatron took my sword from my hand, and looked it over. I took a quick
glance over my
shoulder. Blackarachnia was holding my arms tight, and grinning evilly.
I turned my attention back to Megatron, and saw him snap my sword in two.
“Really. You
are as pathetic as that traitor.” I looked at Dad out of the corner of
my eye, and saw him struggling
to stand. Megatron came closer, and I waited until he was in perfect range,
before I elbowed the she-
spider in the stomach. I then kicked out, getting Megatron square where it
counts. He kneeled, and
I ran over to my father, and helped him stand.
“You disobeyed me.”
“I had to.”
“You’re hurt as well.”
“You’re still alive.”
“You’re a willful child.”
“Don’t complement yourself.”
“Behind you!” he hissed, and I turned, letting him hold onto a tree.
Blackness enveloped me, as a sharp pain ended all feeling below my waist.
Later, I don’t know how much longer though, I woke up, and saw Cheetor looking
into my
eyes worriedly. “Guys, she’s coming around.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, weakly.
“Over there,” Cheetor said, pointing.
“Is he alive?”
“Not for long,” the child replied, his voice breaking. “You want to go to
him?”
I nodded, and Cheetor picked me up. I was amazed in his strength, although
momentarily.
He laid me next to my father.
Dinobot said, “You disobedient whelp.”
I smiled, and said, “So?”
“I’m proud of you.”
Rattrap was holding my father’s hand, biting his lip. I could tell that he was
close to tears.
I swallowed, and looked to my father. “I guess you wouldn’t want it any
other way, huh?”
“No.” He chuckled dryly. “Just like your mother.”
“Thanks.”
I could feel my systems powering down, but with the last of my strength, I took
hold of my
father’s hand, and sighed, closing my eyes, and saying what I knew would be my
last words, in a
hoarse whisper.
“I am Abigail, daughter to Lynne and Dinobot. Human and Cybertronian. I lived
for truth and
strength. I . . . lived . . .”
For the last time, darkness enfolded me. This time, I sank into it willingly, to
be rid of the
pain. I sank into it with my father beside me, guiding me . . .