Truth Between the Lies
By: Sinead
Part Two
My ears buzzed, ringing in two separate tones. There were voices around me, speaking in low tones. Pain laced my every breath. Did Dinobot revive me? What had happened? Did the Maximals somehow keep me alive?
I opened my eyes, to behold a familiar, aged face . . . a human face . . . I could barely whisper. It even hurt to whisper in anything above a strangled tone. "What . . . ?"
She started crying in her happiness, her tears falling onto my face. She chuckled at herself, and wiped them away gently. I couldn’t move my legs, but I could move my arms awkwardly, as I reached up to embrace her. She pulled away, but held my hands in her own. "You were in a car accident, and fell into a coma. When you were slightly awake, you were speaking about places and people I’ve never even heard about." She stopped, and indicated two shadows standing at the foot of my bed. "They and others came, to help protect you so that something like this wouldn’t happen again. You were almost assassinated, Rebta. You have to be much more careful from now on."
I nodded, and sighed. My grandmother motioned to the two, and they walked into the soft twilight surrounding my bed. I knew their faces, remembered their voices, and understood their personalities.
A tear came unbidden to my eye, and I couldn’t blink it away. I didn’t want to let go of my grandmother’s hands either, but she reached over and wiped it away as it reached my cheek. She mistook it for something else: physical pain. Only I knew that it was emotional pain. It was the memory of the love that one of the two shadows and I had shared.
Her voice was gentle. "I want you to meet two of your new bodyguards: Optimus Primal and Dinobot."
I stumbled, and held onto the railings. My legs were weak from not being used, and a side-effect from the accident. My lower spine had been bruised, and had inflamed, nearly stopping all neural commands from my brain to my lower half. Luckily, I could still control my bladder. That would have been embarrassing. The inflammation was the only serious thing wrong with me, other than minor scrapes and bruises. The scrapes hadn’t even been serious enough to stitch up, and were mainly healed when I awoke. The bruises had faded to the puke-yellow stage, so I still looked somewhat horrible.
I fumbled, and tried to stand up from where I had caught myself with my arms on the bars, but slipped again, and fell to the floor. I scowled up at the parallel bars that were supposed to be helping me re-learn how to walk. I sighed, and pushed myself to my knees, figuring out a way to pull myself back up.
Before I could try the method out, two hands gripped my upper arms firmly, and lifted me to my feet, supporting me until I had my feet under me again, and I was gripping onto the bars once more. The hands let go, and I turned my head to look at Dinobot. The day before, I had overheard him and Rattrap talking about a warrior, a comrade that had fallen in battle.
Her name had been Raptor.
I smiled my thanks, nodding my head, and he rumbled. "You’re not healed yet. Thank me then."
He walked away, a sad look upon his face. Our roles had been switched. By the look upon his face, he was remembering when he had fallen all those times, and I had walked in at all the right times, helping him back up, as well as helping him heal his pride by bantering.
Optimus watched worriedly. I sighed, closed my eyes, and spoke for the first time around their presence. "But . . . even the smallest of choices, the most insignificant of actions, should be returned with gratitude."
His footsteps stopped. I looked up at him. I knew that my voice had been the exact same in the Beast Wars, as it had been when I was human before, as well as now. "And as far as dreams, to me, one was pure reality."
Dinobot walked back to me, as did Optimus, who had paused in shock. The ex-Predacon was stunned, looking me over again, as if for the first time. "But . . . you’re alive."
I nodded. "The accident threw me into a coma, as you know, and I guess into another time and place completely. That’s why there wasn’t a Stasis Pod when I arrived."
Dinobot reached over, and let his hand sift through my shoulder-length dark-rusty hair. His optics burned into my eyes. I met his gaze confidently, a small smile playing around my face. He smiled quietly in return. "So you are Raptor. Even this name . . . Rebta . . . sounds like the other one."
I nodded, and sighed. "Let me finish this hour. And not a word to Rattrap. That would be unnecessary pain I’d have to inflict upon him when I’m able to use my sword again."
Optimus touched my shoulder. "Are you really Raptor?"
I looked at him, then chuckled. While I was making a few more passes, I described a scene that had occurred. It was when Rattrap had come up a lift, and Optimus had learned about the threat I had put upon him, should he annoy me more than necessary.
There was a footfall in the doorway. As I started to turn to look who it was, as I would have done easily any other time, I lost my balance, and fell on my butt again, bruising my ego further. Silverbolt looked sheepish. "Forgive me, milady."
I shook my head, laughing. "Hey, chill! And my name’s Rebta, not ‘milady.’ But I’ll forget this."
The younger bot stared at me, and a moment later, once I was standing at the bars again, Rattrap walked into the room. "Whatcha all lookin’ at?"
I grinned, and stood on my own for a small moment, then clutched at the bars again. He sighed, threw up his arms, and walked back out of the room, almost colliding with Cheetor, who was about to walk in. "Woah! I . . ." Rattrap passed him without a glance. "I’m sorry . . ."
Cheetor sighed, and walked over, to lean on one of the rails. "What’s the deal with him?"
I shrugged, leaning back on the other one. "Dunno."
His optics widened, as he looked at me. "Raptor?"
I smiled, and patted his cheek. "Nice to see you again, kiddo."
Cheetor sat, and I walked along the bars, then managed to get to the chair at one end. I rubbed at my aching knees, and sighed, then sat back, relaxing. Dinobot dropped to his beast mode, and lounged next to the chair. He leaned against it a little, and I let my hand rest upon his head lightly, smiling. Optimus sighed. "You’ve exhausted yourself, Rebta."
I chuckled tiredly. "Well, yeah. I know. But that also means that tomorrow will be easier."
Silverbolt smiled, his still-young demeanor letting him adjust easily, and accept me as easily as he had when I was Cybertronian. Cheetor, as well, came over, and he smiled. "So. You’re really her, huh?"
Dinobot started to glare at Cheetor and Silverbolt, but I itched right behind his head, a spot I knew he would be able to reach. He sighed, and arched his neck, closing his eyes and relaxing. I looked at him. "You been behaving, Dinobot?"
"If you keep scratching, I’ll say yes," he replied.
I laughed, and rubbed a bit harder. "Really, now?"
"Yes!"
I pulled my hand away, and blinked at him. He glared up at me playfully, then transformed, and looked to Optimus. "I’m taking her back to her room."
Optimus smiled, nodded, and Dinobot picked me up easily, holding me like an infant. I sighed, and let my eyes drift closed, leaning closer to him, hearing the others follow behind us. Once in the room I was staying in at the hospital, he closed the door, and set me on the bed. He pulled out something shaped like a button, and placed it below the security camera, looking as if he were simply leaning against the wall. It would scramble the audio, making it seem as if it were a malfunction of the camera, and not foreign interference. My grandmother and I had used models like that one often in the time before the accident, when we didn’t want others to know plans for a festival, or other, more serious plans of state.
Dinobot dropped to his beast mode, and pulled the sheets over me. I looked up at him, and he carefully crawled up beside me. I sighed, and reached up, to rest my hand upon his own. He looked at the gesture, and then covered my own hand with his other one.
His voice was thoughtful. "Hard to believe that what was reality to us, was merely a dream to you."
I shook my head. "No. Everything was real to me, Dinobot. I remember everything."
His head rose up off of the sheets, to look at me. "Even . . . even that night . . ."
I smiled up at him, and he smiled in return, to my pleasant surprise. It faded, and he stood again, to transform to his robot mode once more. He pulled out a sword, not his own, and a small holographic projector. I sat up, and reached out to touch the hilt of the sword. "My own . . . You kept it?"
"It was one of the only things you left behind, Raptor . . ."
I smiled sadly, and rested my palm over the holo-projector on his left hand. It activated, and I saw a blue-tinted hologram of me, when I was Maximal, smiling over my shoulder gently. Dinobot shut it off after a moment, and said, "If you want, I can hold this for you, until we get to where you live."
I nodded, and held my arms out to him. He embraced me gently, aware of my breakable body, as well as the fact that I wasn’t as strong as a Cybertronian. Humans were much, much more weak than those of his species. I sighed into his now-larger shoulder. I really never knew how tall he was, in comparison to my original body. I felt as if I was being hugged by . . . by Icefire again.
I chuckled, and Dinobot looked down at me. I smiled. "You just have to meet someone. I think that she’ll like you. I hope."
He blinked, and replied, "Well, if you wish it so . . ."
I smiled, and Dinobot laid me back again gently, before lying next to me, beast moded once again. I could tell that he still wasn’t comfortable with my appearance, just by the way he was bouncing from one subject to another, as well as shifting between forms just as suddenly and awkwardly. I reached up and rubbed at his snout with my fingertips, in the exact pattern I had traced on the morning after we had . . . we had been with each other. It was also the morning I had died.
The dam broke.
I pulled his head over onto my chest, and kissed the side of it slowly, then said softly, as I wiped a few of the tears away, "You’re still filled with surprises." His eyes opened, and I saw what it was he was upset about. I whispered in a soft tone, trying to imbue as much love as I felt for him into my voice. "You hadn’t let yourself mourn."
"There . . . wasn’t time," he replied haltingly, unable to completely catch his breath from his sobs. "I had to . . . to avenge your death. Rattrap and . . . Silverbolt felt as if they had to . . . as well."
I let my fingers trace his stripes. "Shh. I know it was hard."
He shook his head, raising it up off of my chest, causing a glistening drop of wet to fall lightly upon my face. I let it be, as he hissed, "It was easy. Slag, it was too easy. All were killed."
"All? Dinobot . . . you and two others completely took out the Predacons?"
"Save one. The one who killed you."
"Why?"
"Had it been up to me, then I would have ripped his Spark out with my bare hands!" he replied in a throaty tone, more Velociraptor than Cybertronian. He sighed, and rested his head back down. "A rescue ship arrived from Cybertron and wanted him alive for prosecution. I had no choice, no other option, but to capture him." I sighed, and he continued. "I was pardoned as being a thief. An Elder was on the rescue mission, and had been watching my actions with great disbelief, not thinking that I could be the same bot who had nearly killed her to get the Disk. I was a different bot after meeting you, and . . . I think she knew exactly what had happened to me, to change how I acted.
"However, upon arrival, The Elder was annoyed with Primal for letting me walk free. But I had my orders. Once she saw that I carried them out fully, with no exception, no failure, she seemed to change her mind. Primal knew that I was going to avenge your death in whatever fashion I could come up with. So he authorized the mission, making it public knowledge that I would be in charge of capturing Megatron. The Elder then saw it as redemption."
"So you, Rattrap, and Silverbolt actually killed everyone but him?"
"Eventually, he was executed as well. Silverbolt had trouble with the she-spider, until Rattrap killed her. Primus." His eyes closed. "Those days are a nightmare that I will never be rid of."
I let my arms circle around his snout, and sighed, then closed my eyes. "In time, they’ll leave. I promise you."
My world then faded into a warm darkness . . .
I awoke slowly to hear voices. It was Rattrap and Dinobot. The Velociraptor had left my side, and was somewhere near the end of the bed. Rattrap was somewhere to my left, closer to the door. I left my eyes closed, as I listened. I had no idea of what time in the day it was, or even if it was the next day.
"Are ’ya sure dat ’ya ’re all right, Choppuhface? Her death hit you ’ya an’ da Kiddo da hardest."
"Rattrap, I am fine. You also managed to omit the fact that you were also hit hard with her death. You were slagging infatuated with her."
A sigh. "Eh, I ain’t gonna deny dat, Dinobot, but you were da one she loved."
There was an affirming growl, as Dinobot shifted his feet. "And what of you?"
"Huh?"
"What do you think she thought of you as, Vermin?"
There was a sigh, and Rattrap replied, "Prob’ly nuttin’ much."
Dinobot chuckled. "She admired you more than you could think of, and she wanted to protect you, as she would protect an older sibling. Wherever she is, she still protects you."
"Yeah . . . sure."
"You doubt me? I have seen things that have convinced me that she was watching over you."
Another sigh. "Don’ tell nobody, but . . . I miss ’er."
Dinobot was silent for a moment, then he sighed. "In one perspective, she is gone. Yet in others, she still lives."
"Memories an’ thoughts, eh?"
"Maybe more than those ways."
There was more silence. Rattrap shifted. "What’s da deal between you an’ dis girl? What’s her name again?"
"She’s named Rebta. And Primal specifically ordered me to protect her, while he sees to more general security measures."
"R-Rebta?"
"Yes."
"Sounds too much like . . ."
Dinobot sighed this time. "Yes. I know."
There was more silence from Rattrap’s end. Dinobot broke it, by saying, "You miss her as much as I did."
"Did?!"
Dinobot didn’t reply, but instead tugged on my foot. "You slagging eavesdropper. How long have you been awake, Rebta, hn?"
I rested my hands behind my head casually. "Heard Rattrap asking you about my pseudo-death, and wondering if you were dealing with it all right. That on."
The rodent walked over, and looked down at me. I smiled, and sat up, but said nothing. He immediately started spending his grief, his anger that he was helpless, his self-hatred for losing me, her, us, in that battle. He was grieving slowly, and wasn’t able to completely let go.
Ten minutes later, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and faced him. I reached over to rest my hand upon his cheek fondly. "I’m glad to see that you haven’t lost your temper, Rattrap."
He started to turn away, taking a chocked, sobbing breath. I sighed, and said, "Rattrap . . . I’ve missed talking with you. Even arguing with you."
He turned back towards me, his hand reaching out slightly. I took it in my own, and smiled. "I’ve missed you, big brother."
Rattrap’s head bowed, and I pulled him closer, to let him sob upon my shoulder. Dinobot dropped to his beast mode, and sat behind me, helping me sit straight. Before long, Rattrap breathed a deep sigh, and then stood on his own, not letting go of my hands. "’M sorry for all da things an’ pranks dat I put ’ya through, Raptor. Rebta."
I chuckled. "Whatever. I’ve forgiven you whenever you did them. I only gave you a hard time so that you wouldn’t do something like that again."
"’Ya don’t hate me?"
"Would I still be letting you hold my hands if I hated you? Gosh, no. How could I hate you? You’re a comrade, a friend, and you’ve acted like a big brother for most of the time I’ve known you."
He smiled, and let my hands go, to pick up a bag by the doorway. He handed to me. "Dis is from ’ya grandmother."
I opened it. "Real clothes!"
Dinobot laughed, as did Rattrap. "’Ya’re happier den a kid at Christmas!"
I grinned. "Well? What do you expect? I’ve been wearing scrubs for too long. And they’re a nasty color, too!"
They laughed again, and left the room. I struggled into the loose jeans, shirt, and a New Hibernian sweatshirt. With a final sigh, I reached down to pick the socks up. Someone knocked upon the door. Dinobot’s voice accompanied it. "Are you decent?"
"Yep!" I called, leaning backwards against the bed, as I pulled one sock on. Dinobot walked in alone, and closed the door after him. The Velociraptor’s snout nudged my cheek, sending me off whatever balance I had found. I fell back onto the bed with a tiny yelp, causing him to chuckle. "Clumsy beautiful eggchick."
I chuckled, an he curled around me, cradling my head in his arms gently. His face lowered to touch my cheek again. I reached up, and touched the tip of his snout. "Really now? Is one on the brink of twenty-one an eggchick?"
He helped me sit up again, then transformed to pick me up and hold me against him for a moment. Once both socks were on, he brought me out of the room, and to the rehab room. Grandmother and the other officials didn’t want me in a wheelchair since I seemed more vulnerable in that way. An attack could have been planned, but now that I had Cybertronian bodyguards . . . well, people nowadays don’t mess with the smaller Cybertronians, as they did when the first Maximals and Predacons came around.
Dinobot placed me at the bars, and as I leaned upon them, I looked around the room. Three other rehab patients were watching with interest. They realized that I was watching them as well, and returned to their exercises with a slight flush upon their cheeks.
I could already tell that it would be a long recovery period.
"Yo! Rebta da ’raptuh!"
I turned slowly and carefully, keeping my balance. It was a month later. Dinobot was beside me, ready to catch me if I fell. "Yes, Rattrap?"
"’Ya ’re goin’ home!" He paused, and blinked. "Wherever dat is. You an’ ’ya grandmothuh just blink whenever one o’ us asks dat question, and smiled kinda oddly at each other."
As I laughed, my knees buckled, and Dinobot caught me. He chuckled, and supported me, smiling a rare, warm smile. I smiled in return. "You knew about this, didn’t you."
He nodded, and I stood on my own again. "That’s great!"
Cheetor came up behind me, and picked me up gently in a sibling-like embrace. I laughed, and he set me down, holding onto me as I regained my balance. I was walking as much as I could, and then some.
Dinobot, right after I let go of Cheetor, swept me up in a swift embrace, then carried me back to the room, with Rattrap and Cheetor faithfully in tow.
It took a lot of convincing to get those my adoptive brother and younger friend to believe that I was the princess of a country, as well as the next in line for the throne. Dinobot already knew, and understood the way I acted, now. But those two . . . took some time getting used to it.