Transformers Prime: Merely a Whisper

Chapter Ten

"Well, Danielle," her father said, staring at the tank before them, which housed the family's new pet: a blue Australian lobster, "what are you gonna name your new friend?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged, staring intently at the rather exotic animal as it explored it's new home.

"You could name it a human name, or maybe after a TV or book character you really like," David suggested, looking at his daughter expectantly.

She was silent for a while, the gears in her mind turning. A hundred names made an appearance in her thoughts, but they weren't the perfect ones for the new addition to the Jamieson family. If she were to name it, it had to be the perfect title. She searched and searched her mind for an appropriate one.

Something that had sentimental value....

"Mark," she stated after a while, her tone certain and decided.

"Mark?" a sad pang hit the man's heart. He knew where that name was from, "That's a great choice, sweetheart."

--4 YEARS LATER--

ON THE NEMESIS...

Danielle walked into the training room- she remembered vividly her numerous, violent encounters with Megatron- falling in step with Hope, the two boys already a couple steps ahead of them. She was curious as to why Megatron had summoned them all together, but a pretty logical explanation had already formed in her mind.

They had been training for a majority of the last week. Danielle's sore muscles didn't let her forget that. Randomized private sessions with Megatron had taken up most of their time on the Nemesis, balanced with a couple 'soldier etiquette' sessions taught by Starscream. Each techno-organic shared a particular hatred for those educational hours of the day. The weaselly mech was horrendously arrogant in the girl's opinion, and was a cruel critic.

Each individual half-organic had heir share of training hours with the Decepticon leader, although they did not speak of them. Danielle knew she was not the only one who was granted this 'privilege', as the mech had worded it, because there would be times in the day each would disappear and return with treated injuries, and all of them spent time in the evening stretching out their stiff bodies.

"Today," the mech said once they were all assembled, and standing at casual attention, dressed in the training gear that they had been given the opportunity to retrieve themselves, choosing their own moveable outfits, their choices made with the ability to transform in mind, "you will be focusing on something crucial: working together, all of your powers combined into a flawless squadron. You all stand firm, strong alone, however, an army does not work by themselves. In order to defeat those that stand against us, you must become capable of working together. And this solar cycle, you will do so by completing this obstacle course together. All of you must cross. If one of you is injured, you all lose."

Danielle nodded in understanding, her eyes sweeping the faces of her 'squadron' as the warlord so put it. Lee held the same expression as her. Any apprehensiveness or indifference disguised. Drake's eyes, however, were gleaming slightly with an eagerness to start, matching Hope's expression well.

Megatron turned and strode away. "Oh yes, one more thing; there are no rules, however there is a time limit of one and a half earth minutes." And with that said, he stepped out and the door slid shut! The obstacle course whirred to life and over an intercom, his voice bellowed out,

"Begin!"

Danielle quickly scanned the environment before her, and as Drake rushed past her, she followed, her eyes peeled the entire time. She could hear the footsteps of Lee behind her, and felt Hope's presence beside her. Finding her way to the front, ensuring Drake was not merely working on his own, the black-haired girl lead them over the first obstacle, which was avoiding being sliced in half by swinging blades! The second one, plasma cannons were being periodically aimed and fired, then a third where all of them had to swing across an open pit full of spikes on a cable...