Raptrana
Part Six: Comforted
I was afraid. I didn’t want to really go through this, and I
didn’t want Dad to, either. It might
hurt us more, if we have to go through letting her go again. I might become even
more depressed
than I was when I first entered the Beast Wars.
We were going to visit Mom.
Two days ago, was when Carlos had told me about his parents. Yesterday, he told
me that
Mom had took him in, until one of his relatives had prepared a home for him.
Today, he was back.
“Abby, are going to do this, or not?”
“I dunno. Slaggit, Carlos, I’m afraid about this.”
“Talkin’ like a real Cybertronian now, aren’t you? Ah, well. I
guess that I’ll just have to get
Rat-face, and have him annoy you, until you agree to come.”
Dad chuckled at my not-so-nice reply. Carlos was now acquainted with the rest of
the
Maximals, and knew who annoyed me the most. Rattrap, then Nightscream. That gremlin
thought
that I was lying about my past, and so he didn’t like me. The feelings were
mutual.
I sighed, and looked to my father. “I . . . I really don’t like putting you
through this, Dad. I’m
afraid that . . . that . . . that something bad will happen.”
He smiled, and ruffled my hair, as I was in my human mode. “Everything
couldn’t be going
for the better, daughter. You’ll see.”
“Don’t tell me that you’ve already snuck off, and seen her without me.”
“You know that I wouldn’t do something as . . . ignorant . . . as that.”
I shuffled my feet, and converted to my beast mode. “Yeah, I know. Alright
Carlos, you win.
Let me get Optimus and the gang.”
“Not needed,” Silverbolt’s voice said. I turned, and saw them standing
there. If I were still
in my human mode, I’d be a bright red.
“Okay, fine,” I replied. “Let’s go.”
We followed Carlos though the forest, to an old road, worn and patched numerous
times. He
picked up a mountain bike, and walked next to it. As soon as we started to hit
signs of civilization,
I stopped him. “Carlos, I don’t remember. Are the people here friendly
toward Cybertronians, or
not?”
He winced. “Forgot. No.”
I swore colorfully, and my father snorted. “I don’t want to know where you
learned it.”
“Freakin’ straight,” I replied, and let myself mold into my human mode.
“I’m known
worldwide by now, right?”
“Yup. That’ll work.”
I grinned, and looked at the clothes I wore. I had a black top on, sleeveless,
and khaki pants,
that were wide-legged. Under the lags of the pants, I had black boots, that went
up to my knees.
When I walked in them, they were silent. Around my neck, was the pendant. I’d
ask Dad about it
later.
We walked down the street, and I saw many people stop whatever they were doing,
and stare.
One kid even said, “Mommie? Isn’t that that girl who was missing?” His
mother “shushed” him, and
pulled him into the house. I grinned to Carlos, and we continued down the
street. Cars slowed,
people gawked, and I looked straight ahead, with Dad on my right, and Carlos on
my left.
We reached the side-street, that brought us to our old summer home. I sighed at
the
peacefulness, and relaxed. I did so too soon.
“WHERE IS IT?!” a voice yelled. We all knew that voice, with the exception
of Carlos.
I reverted to my beast mode, then robot mode, in record time, drawing my sword.
“Carlos,
you stay here. Hide in those bushes. Dad? Let’s give him the biggest surprise
of his insignificant
life.”
“You gonna try ta pull some of dose fast moves on ’im, like when you first
met ’im?” Rattrap
asked.
“Depends. Maybe I’ll kick him again.”
Dad choked back a laugh. “The one time I’d invite you to see something, was
in that valley.”
“You’re slaggin’ me,” Rattrap said. “You actually pulled a move
like . . . dat . . . on ’im?!”
“Yeah, and he then he shot me square in the chest. That’s part of what
killed me, remember.”
“I don’ want to.”
“Right. Sorry. Anyways, who’s up for a little bully-beating?”
Dad drew his sword, as did Cheetor with both of his. “Bring it on,” they
snarled. The three
of us were the first ones running in. I saw my two brothers and three sisters
huddled together,
guarded by some strange hovering drones. I indicated for Cheetor and Nightscream
to take care of
them. Optimus and the rest dispatched of the other drones, while Dad and I
stormed our way through
to Megatron. We grinned at each other, and both of us tapped on his shoulders,
and when he turned,
we ran to behind him, in the opposite direction. He howled in rage, and whirled
again, to our
surprise.
Dad and I looked at each other, then behind us. Mom was there. She looked at
Dinobot’s
face, and covered her mouth with her hand. “Get the kids inside,” I hissed.
“Hurry. They don’t need
to see this.”
“Baby,” Mom whispered. I had turned back around. I heard her footsteps
running in the
direction of the boys.
Megatron was staring at us long and hard. “Bu . . . but I killed
you!”
“Sorry to disappoint you Megs, but we’re not all that easy to vanquish on
one go. And this
time, you’ll be sorry that you’ve even thought about trying to kill
off the human race.” I took a
fighting stance, next to my father. We ran at him, yelling wrathfully. I jumped,
and flipped, landing
with a slash at Megatron’s shoulder. It was a good aim, as he screamed, and
batted me to the side.
I grunted as I hit the ground, but I got back up, and pulled out my pistol,
aiming at his back. I hit him
several times, before he turned around, and charged at me. I tucked my sword in
my subspace pocket,
then dodged him, and ran over to where Dad was sitting, winded. “You okay?”
“Will be,” he wheezed. “Slaggin’ idiot.”
“Oh, no.”
“What?”
“Look.” I pointed to a baby, crawling across the lawn. Megatron, too, had
spotted it. I was
faster, though. As he shot, I leaped across the line of fire, and curled around
the startled child. It
started crying, and I felt more shots come in contact with my body, but I
didn’t move. This child’s
life was more important than mine at the moment. I heard Megatron yell in
surprise, then call a hasty
retreat. A hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Dad kneeling next
to me.
“With all this, you’re going to get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.”
I smiled, and sat back, looking at the baby in my arms. I gently set him or her
down on the
grass, and dropped to my beast mode, painfully. “Access internal repair
system,” I said, hearing it
power up. Mom came running out of the house, and picked the baby up. Chandler
had followed her,
and after kissing its crown, set it in Chandler’s arms. She then embraced me,
sobbing. I returned it
as best I could in this form.
“I thought you were dead,” she said softly.
“Don’t bring that up, because I was, for a while.”
She held me out at arm’s length, and shook my shoulders. “You ever
scare me like that again,
and you . . . you’re grounded.”
We both laughed at how stupid that sounded. Optimus called, “You can
change, you know.”
“It won’t affect anything?”
“Trust me.”
“Uh, problem? I don’t,” I replied playfully.
“One more wisecrack, and I’ll be the one teaching you the lesson.”
I chuckled, and changed to my human form, then embraced Mom again. “I missed
you,
Mumma.”
“Don’t get me started,” she replied, starting to cry again. Then, she
wiped her eyes on her
sleeve, and looked at my father, who was sitting quietly. He smiled gently, one
of the only times I’ve
ever seen him do so, and she pulled him into the hug, too. “I’m going to
kill you both, if either of
you do something as stupid as that.”
I laughed, and sat back. “Mom, these are our friends, the Maximals.” I
introduced her to
everybody, and they either smiled or nodded.
Rattrap looked between me and her, then me and my father. “Sheesh.”
I grinned, and leapt after him. I caught his tail, and said, “Hey, Optimus?
You remember
when you decided to bring me to the Axalon? How I said that I’d hang Rattrap
from his tail if he said
anything too rude? Can I? Please?”
Optimus thought, and sighed. “Fine, go ahead.”
Rattrap started apologizing immediately, as I walked over to a tall oak tree. I
looked up it,
and said, “You see this tree, Vermin? Yes? Good. One more comment, and
you’ll be hung offa it.
Got it?”
He nodded, and I dropped him. Mom looked almost shocked, but Dad said something
in a
low whisper, and she nodded. He went to his beast mode, and the rest of my
siblings came out. I
slapped my forehead. “Wait! I gotta get Carlos!”
I ran down the road, and saw Carlos there, sitting on a rock. “They found the
bike, trashed
it, and I’m suing. I also twisted my ankle running from them.”
I laughed, and changed to my beast mode. I said, “Hop on.”
Carlos looked unsure. “I won’t hurt you?”
I shook my head. “Naw. Trust me.”
He climbed into my back, and I walked back toward home. I returned, to find the
Maximals
outside. Mom and Dad were nowhere to be seen. I let Carlos off, and he walked
normally. “You
liar!” I yelled at him. “You didn’t twist your ankle!”
“Nope. Thanks for the ride, though, Abby.”
I chased him around, and caught up with him in the first few paces, then
tripping him, and
standing over him. “You’re the biggest fibber and freak I’ve ever seen.
No, wait, you’re only the
second. Rattrap comes first.”
Carlos laughed, and I let him up. I walked over to Optimus, and asked,
“Where’s Dad? And
Mom?”
“Inside, discussing some things. The kids were sent out here,” he replied.
Nightscream walked over. “Are those three girls always that
obnoxious?”
I watched the trio scowling at me. “Nope. They’re usually worse.”
“Man, do I feel sorry for you.”
“A first,” I said under my breath. He glowered at me, and walked off. I
walked over to the
kids. Chandler and Brannon instantly tackled me, and I waited it out, tapping my
claws on a rock.
“Done yet?”
They laughed, but still sat on me. The baby was being held onto tightly by
Janette, the loudest
of my three sisters. “Guys, please let me up?”
They looked at each other, and shrugged. “Why should we?” Brannon asked.
I shook my head, and stood, shaking my brothers off of me. The sat there,
looking at me
stupidly. “I just wanted you two to feel . . . shall we say . . .
significant?”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s so totally unethical, that I could puke.”
“Learning big words, aren’t we, Brannon?”
He smirked, and I changed into my human form, and started to walk over to my
half-sisters.
Kerry screamed at me, and I stopped. “So much for a warm welcome.”
Brannon reprimanded her, reminding her of who I was. Janette actually smiled at
me. A real
smile, with trust and faith in it. “I saw you.”
“Hmm? When?”
“When you saved Katyana.”
“The baby?”
“Yeah. She’s another sister.”
I smiled, and remembered that Mom was eight-and-a-half months pregnant, when I
left.
“Could I hold her?”
“Janette, don’t let her! You saw what she is! A freak!” Kerry
screeched the last word,
practically in my face.
Everything stopped. Optimus sought my eyes, but I wouldn’t look at him. “So?
You have a
point, Kerry? What if I am? I can’t help being who I am. The only thing I can
do about it, is love
both my parents, and make the best of it. As for you, you little jerk,
you’d better learn to control your
tongue. I know that I won’t hurt you, but other people might, if you
say stuff like that to them. So
back off.”
Kerry’s eyes widened, and I must’ve looked evil or something, because she
backed away a
step. She then narrowed her eyes back at me, and flounced off, sitting at the
base of a tree trunk. I
heard a screen door close, and I turned in time, to see my mother smiling at me
from inside the
house. Dad was grinning like fool behind her, shaking his head. I shrugged to
them, and they
disappeared back into the shadows of the house. I turned back to Janette, and
she held Katyana out
for me to take. I did do, and gently. The baby cooed at me, and I smiled. Kelly,
Kerry’s twin, came
over, and hugged my waist. “I don’t care about what Kerry says. That looked
cool, when you were
transforming.”
I chuckled, and replied, “When I first did it, I was so scared. I even scared
myself.”
“It’s still cool.”
“Okay, you win, Kelly. And you’re right. It is cool, being able to
transform.”
“What are you gonna do now?” Janette asked me.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, really. Protect you guys and Mom, I guess.”
“From who?”
“You know that guy who was here earlier, but we scared him off?”
“Yeah.”
“Him.”
“Why would he hurt Mom?”
“Because of me. When you’re older, I’ll explain it for you. And Kerry,
when she finally
comes around.”
Katyana smiled up at me, and I blew at her eyes, watching her smile more. It
always works
with young kids. The screen door closed again, and I heard Mom say, “Now I’m
in trouble. Rather,
Abby, you. Katy need her diaper changed.”
I quickly handed her to Mom, and scurried behind Dad. “Hide me.”
Mom laughed, and replied, “No, don’t. I’ll get her later.”
Kerry ran to Mom, and whispered something into her ear. Mom looked up to me, and
rolled
her eyes. “You know Kerry, your sister is right. Go to your room, now.”
“But Mom!” She whined.
“But what? Move!”
Kerry stormed into the house, and Cheetor laughed. “She acts just like Raptr–slag.
Abby.”
“Does not!” I snorted. “And I don’t really care what name you call me
by. You’re used to
Raptrana, so say it. Don’t try to force yourself to do anything that you
don’t want to.”
“Good. Thank you,” Cheetor said, sighing. Chandler looked over to him, and I
suddenly
made a connection between the two. They acted alike, and even talked alike, to a
point. That’s why
I liked the cat so much.
I slept out under the stars with my father for one last night . . .