Interrupting Extinction

Interrupting Extinction - One

          Alice woke with a start, her back bending up and off the table. Looking around, she groaned as her most recent memories trickled in. This was a situation she would really rather she wasn't in. Alas, the glaringly (and also blurry) alien ceiling stopped all efforts of denial in their tracks. As a great anime character once said, troublesome. The sound of depressurizing air filled her ears, and the glass she faintly remembered covering her began to recede. The young woman struggled to sit up, her entire body sore. She rubbed at her eyes and blinked repeatedly so that her vision would clear. When it did she was, of course, still in the room. The only difference was the light streaming in through the mosaic walls. As well as the golden optics connecting with her own eyes when she turned her head.

"The Allspark has returned." A melodic but completely incomprehensible language came from the owner of the optics. Alice, for all of her time spent with the Autobots, had only heard it once or twice before, and even then only as she was falling asleep. So with no utter clue what the mech had just said, she cocked her head to the side in confusion. Temple guardian. Peace. The Allspark's word actually did very little to calm Alice's fraying nerves. Though it was enough to keep her from completely freaking out. She tried to assess her situation as quickly as she could. She was stuck on Cybertron, merged with an all-powerful ancient artifact, and had no idea how to get back to her family. She groaned internally.

...Whelp, nothing worked for nothing gained right? Ratchet would scold her black and blue if she just sat around waiting for someone to save her. Thusly Alice attempted to hop off the dias and make her what back out of the temple.  Keyword there being 'attempted'. Before her feet could hit the ground the mech with golden optics caught her in his servo.

"Your shell is much more fragile than before. Be careful, honoured one." The mech said something again, and though Alice loved the sounds she really wished that she could understand the hulking cybertronian. Agreed. Understand, cherished-one. As soon as the Allspark finished speaking, a head rush hit Alice roughly. Her thoughts zipped by in milliseconds and her throat felt oddly stretched and dry after a few minutes. When her eyes refocused, the mech was peering down at her with concern in his optics.

"Honoured one?" Though the voice was the same, it was as if the mech was speaking English. Except Alice could tell that it wasn't based on the faint harmonious tinge echoing the words.  even still, when Alice made to reply she felt her vocal cords bend and vibrate in unusual ways.

"I'm fine," she told the mech. She could only assume that he was talking to her, considering she was the only one around.  Alice sighed shallowly. She knew what she had to do-- she had to get back home, to her family and kids. But in the face of the insanity that she had just experienced, especially the whispered voice of probably-Primus... it was difficult to gather her thoughts together. You-are-not-alone, daughter. The Allspark whispered to her reassuringly. When Alice felt her panic recede, she knew that the Allspark was at fault. She couldn't bring herself to complain though. She needed to think clearly. It was more than obvious that she couldn't do so when her mind was flipping and flopping in a panic. Instead Alice whispered a quiet thanks, then turned her attention completely to the mech.

"I need to get out of here, at least outside." Alice informed the temple guardian, the mech nodding in understanding.

"Of course your Honour. We must wait, even so. Primus yet shifts now that you have returned home." The mech's baritone echoed as he carried her to one of the grandiose windows. Alice's eyes widened at the shifting land beyond the glass. They were no longer underground like she'd expected. Instead the temple was now surface-bound, the only solid ground in a sea of transforming metal. Alice gasped in awe at the rippling ground. What seemed to be buildings and streets appearing from the writhing mix of metal beams and plates. She noted the distinct lack of rust, well, at least significantly less rust. When she had first arrived planet-side the oxidized iron had been everywhere. A glowing haze drew her eyes to the horizon. There a sea of some sort lapped gently at a long-distant shore, a soft luminescent green. It was mesmerising. She couldn't forget her mission though, if she had any hope of ever getting home.

"It's beautiful." Alice breathed, leaning closer to the window. The temple guardian's chassis rumbled as he hummed in agreement.

"It was more, once. But that's why you have returned, have you not? To save our home and people." The mech-- Sunsprinter --stated wisely, as if the words were stone and true. Alice breathed deeply. How was she supposed to save a people so split? Physically and ideologically? Worse, it was the only way for her to return to her family. Another thought crossed the forefront of her mind. Cybertron seemed to be healing on its own... unless she had something to do with it? Sunsprinter seemed to sense her troubled thoughts, his shoulder plates rising and falling as his vents filled and emptied.

"You have already done much, honoured one. Though you lived a life separate from the original Allspark, they chose you. Moreover, you have already offered energy to Primus to heal. The dais you have lied on for the past deca-cycle aided in that." The mech praised her, his optics peering into her own eyes as she stared disbelievingly at him. The words registered one by one. A specific term standing out to her glaringly.

"Deca-cycle?" Alice whispered. She knew what it meant. Three weeks. Three whole weeks! She had already been gone so long and she didn't even realize it. She wanted to cry. Scratch that, she was crying. Sunsprinter immediately brought her close to his chest, the mech's spark humming in a lullaby she had once heard from Optimus.

"Peace, honoured one," Sunsprinter murmured to her, "Lightyears span between Cybertron and your homeworld I am sure. Time passes differently. It probably hasn't been more than a few joors there." The temple guardian comforted her, the Allspark supporting his words. Twelve-hours. Everything-will-be-fine, my-daughter. Alice couldn't stop the hiccuping sobs that erupted from her chest though, a soul-deep sadness echoing in her heart. Her eyelids fluttered.

She had passed her birthday long ago, though on Earth there were still three weeks to go. Ever quick-witted, it was not long until Alice realised that by the time she had fixed Cybertron and called the cybertronians home, she would be far older than Sam by maybe even years. Time would pass... but her family would stay all but stagnant, slowed by Earth's orbit around the sun. Her sorrow could not be tempered by either or both the Allspark's and Sunsprinter's words. It would have to run its course. Exhaustion nagged at Alice's flesh, a sight headache from all her crying forming. The Allspark seemed to sigh fondly. Sleep, my-daughter.

"It is time to rest." Alice heard Sunsprinter announce softly, already half asleep. She barely felt the temple guardian carry her back to the dais, only aware enough to settle comfortably on the cushions.

All the while, Cybertron's blue sun arose for the coming night.