Of Man and Metal (Transformers Prime)

Chapter 5

I walked down the row of curtained rooms, blocking the radiating ache from my legs.  It wasn't from the walking - it was from the implanted pieces.  It was like I wasn't even moving my legs, but the metal that covered them.  I felt like I was on top of the world like a bird who was just given wings.  I continued, step after step.  When I made it to the tv area, no one was there. 

A bit of worry popped into my mind, for Kasey... and it grew when I heard her in one of the curtained rooms.  I stepped over, and carefully pulled the curtain back. Kasey was sitting next to the cot, where her brother lay.  Half of his head was covered in bandages, with bits of red bleeding through.  I slowly entered the room.  "...Hey..."

Kasey turned and saw me.  Her face was still puffy from crying, but she had run out of tears to cry.  She looked back at Kaden, not sure what to say.

I came closer and crouched down a bit beside her.  It was far easier to do this than expected... my legs now had all the strength in the world.  "What did they do?"

The girl shook her head.  "I don't know.  He's asleep.  I don't even know if he's okay."  She took her brother's hand in hers.  "I wish he'd wake up so I'd know.  But that's selfish.  He probably wants to be asleep rather than deal with... this." 

I could feel something rising in me.  My teeth clenched, and my blood began to boil.  I wanted to be here, but these siblings didn't.  I got my legs, but who knew when Kaden was going to wake up, or what they had done to him?  The injustice of it all really started to hit as I eyed the blood-stained bandage across the boy's face.  And the worst part of it all?

I can't do anything about it.

...

...but could I?

I'm on my feet now.  I can walk, so maybe I can run.  I can leave this place with what I had come for and call for help for the others.

Without a word, I stepped out of the curtained room.  I could see guards on either side of the section; I was being watched.  I walked slowly over to the tv area, but instead of sitting down to watch, I snuck to the back corner and began to sneak between the curtains and the wall of the hangar.  Each step was a crunch of metal against concrete.  I couldn't be as quiet as I wished, but I tried my best. 

I realized, then, that I could feel the concrete against my feet... maybe it was a mental thing?  I reached down and slid my finger over the metal softly, and my eyebrows shot up.  I could feel it?  It wasn't as strong as I would feel it normally, on my legs, but it was still there - a bit of sensation in what I had assumed to be regular metal.  I could feel the rocky concrete under the metal on my soles, and it didn't hurt. I simply knew it was there.

Soon, I was just feet away from the bunker door.  I bounced on my feet, glancing back and forth at the groups of engineers and soldiers working on the giant robot, and other various projects.  Some of them looked like weapons... man, I needed to get out of here.  I gathered the courage and darted for the entrance, and I was soon out of the bunker, under the bright, midday Nevada sun.  I'd missed it, as strange as it sounds.  It was a sign of freedom.

I started to run.

The pain spiked but I ignored it, growing faster and faster with every step.  Each clanking footfall was a beat of a drum that grew faster and faster until I could barely keep track of it.  The mechanics seemed to have an intelligence of their own as they repeatedly moved forward, pushing one after the other at a speed that I'd never known and couldn't keep track of.  Soon, the buildings and vehicles whizzed by as I headed for the treeline. 

I heard shouting.  MECH was coming after me, but I intended to leave them all in the dust.  I kicked up sand and dust as I went, but I didn't falter or trip up.  I had come too far to stop now.  The grind of humvees behind me grew closer and closer, but I was almost there.  I didn't bother looking back.