His Spark, Her Soul

Chapter 10

Níki stared out at the land around them. The desert was a vast place. It was like the land mirrored how she felt inside. Empty.
"That's quite a view." Knockout comments from the top of a cluster of rocks that formed into a sharp point that jabbed at the blue sky, hanging over the edge of the land. "Yes." Níki replied softly, standing underneath the rock, "It's almost time." On the other side of the rock stood rows and rows of Decepticons. This was going to be one hell of a fight.

The base was quiet until the computer pinged with a life form. Ratchet tapped on the computer and sighed softly to himself. The rest of the team was busy with the humans, off on some school trip. Prime had gone to have a meeting with Agent Fowler. "Hey Doc, what's going on?" Victoria asked him from her position on the couch. "There's a signal out in the desert but no one else is here." "Why don't we get check it out!" Victoria exclaims with excitement, "It could be fun!" "It could also be very dangerous for you." Ratchet turned his helm to look at the young woman. "Please!" She begged, "I haven't been out of the base today and I feel like I'm going stir crazy." Ratchet was quiet for a minute. Leaving Victoria alone in the base wouldn't help anyone as she didn't know how to contact the others in case of an emergency. "Okay, but on one condition."
"Yes!" She cheered, putting on her shoes and tying the strings. "If things get bad, you will run and hide and stay hidden no matter what." He looked at her as he spoke, making sure his words came across as completely serious. "Okay. Run and hide." She nodded and crawled over the railing and into Ratchet's awaiting servo; off they went.
The desert was such a vast land.
"Not too much color out here." Victoria sighed softly as she rested her arm on the door, her head laying there, sticking slightly out of the open window. "No, not here." Ratchet drove forward at a nice cruising pace. The drive had been wonderful and the warm sun on his paint job made the grumpy medic relax. They had been driving for about an hour when Victoria pointed at the large rock, "Look, it's Pride Rock!" "It's what?" Ratchet asked as he pulled over to get a better look at what she was pointing at. "It's a reference from a movie. There's a giant pointy rock, just like that one. Can we go to the top, please?" Ratchet wasn't sure climbing to the top of such a sharp rock was a good idea, especially when Victoria could easily fall off and hurt herself. "Come on," She pleaded, "It's not every day you get to reenact a scene from a movie." "Okay, but when I say it's time to come down..." Ratchet started before Victoria brushed off his words, "Okay, okay, okay." He changed direction and headed to the rock. Once at the base of the rock, Ratchet let Victoria out and then transformed. He looked up and down before looking at Victoria, "Alright-"
Surrounded by vechicons.
"Hold it right there Ratchet!"
Knockout stood in the front of the group and smiled smugly, "Been a while hasn't it?" Ratchet frowned at the red mech. "It has." He frowned as Victoria rushed to behind Ratchet's pede. Anyone could step on her and kill her. Her life was completely at risk.
"Oh, you have a new fleshy." Knockout glanced down at the woman. "You leave her out of this Knockout." Ratchet growled and Knockout just put up his servos in a surrender like motion, "She's not my concern. So why don't you just call the rest of your team here and we can let the fun begin." It was strange to hear Knockout speak in such a manner. "And if I don't?" Ratchet asked and turned at a scream coming from Victoria. A vechicon had grabbed her from behind his pede and held onto the girl nice and tight. "Things will have to get messy." Knockout just smiled. Ratchet didn't speak another word to Knockout but raised his servo to his comm and carefully pushed the button. Quietly giving out a distress signal as he began to count all of them. They were out numbered ten to one. "What do you want?" Ratchet looked at Knockout, maybe he could get him to explain why he had them completely surrounded. "What do I want?" The question was echoed and the red mech tapped his chin, pretending to think.
As he thought, a ground bridge had opened and out walked the rest of the Autobots. "One wrong move and the girl is crushed." A vechicon announced and showed them Victoria trapped in his servo. "What do you want, Knockout?" Optimus asked, his battle mask in place as he tried to come up with an immediate plan.
"Revenge."
As soon as the word left his mouth something fell from the top of the rock and landed behind Optimus. The character kicked Bulkhead over on top of Arcee and Bumblebee and held a gun to Optimus' helm. He turned around to face his enemy.
Shock did nothing to explain the way Optimus felt when he saw her. She looked better than when he last saw her. She wasn't dented or scratched and she was no longer that horrible grey color. And then he felt sorrow once his optics met hers. He realized what Knockout was talking about.
"It's good to see you again, Níki."
Everyone froze at the name.
Ratchet felt his spark freeze as he turned to see it was no other than Níki. Standing there in all of her beautiful glory. "Wha-? How?" He took a few steps forward, held back by the vehicons. "Níki, is that you?" The disbelief laced his words. At the sound of her name she glanced at Ratchet, "Do I know you?"
Those four words cut like a knife through his spark as he realized that she had absolutely no memory of him. "Knockout, why are you doing such a thing?"
"I'm done talking, fight!" Knockout screeched and Optimus ducked just as Níki pulled the trigger just barely missing him. He shifted his body and kicked her small body away from him as Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee got up, joining the battle against the Cons. Níki was small and swift. She easily got back behind Optimus and kicked him forward, stabbing at his leg with her own sword. Optimus stumbled forward and shifted enough to turn and face her, shooting a shot in her direction but tried to miss her on purpose unable to kill her again. The dark energon that pulsed through her body gave Níki more strength. Optimus hurried over to her as she had dodged his shot and tried to hold her down, maybe if he could get her to remember she'd stop fighting. Níki yelped at the weight on top of her and glared daggers into Optimus, "Get off!" Slamming her helm into his. He held firm, "Níki-!" She hit him again, "Get off!" Using more of her strength, she managed to kick him off of her and she rolled over, standing up. She drew her sword, "I will kill you." And charged at the mech.