Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters - Ignition

16. Plummet

        “I’ve got a lock!” Angel shouted out, her eyes flickering across the screen rapidly. The coordinates of the Decepticon ship had been revealed, a trick the Autobots had never been able to pull off.

        “By the AllSpark . . .” Ratchet murmured, watching as the ship became visible on the screen. “How did you do that?”

        “A magic trick I’ve been perfecting for years,” Angel said vaguely. “It’s not important. And keep your distance, Mech, or you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of another trick. It’s not a pretty one, either.” Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Angel sent a glare the medic’s way, making it clear that she trusted no one inside this base.

        No one aside from JewelBlade, who quickly came to the girl’s side. “C’mon, Ang . . .” Blade insisted, holding out her hand, which Angel promptly bound into. Though she wouldn’t admit it, the green femme increased Angel’s comfort level tenfold. That femme was the only Cybertronian being Angel trusted, and for a very special, specific reason. That femme was the only one Angel trusted at all.

        ‘Nothing can break those chains!’

        ‘Watch me.’

        ‘Why would you help me?’

        ‘Because no one deserves to be held prisoner like that.’

        ‘Who the hell are you?’

        ‘Someone who believes in something more than hatred and scorn.’

        ‘. . . I like you . . . What’s your name?’

        ‘JewelBlade.’

        ‘I’m Angel . . .’

        That day had been months ago. And Angel had sworn loyalty to JewelBlade since. Not because the femme had freed her, but because she represented something Angel hadn’t been able to grasp before: loving despite the pain. Loving through the things that had happened. JewelBlade had given Angel a new hope. That despite what may have happened, things might turn out okay. More so, and even better, that maybe they could make things bright and beautiful.

        ‘This world is beautiful. Just as much so, it is deadly. But once you comb through the pain and come out with all the bright and beautiful pieces and lay them together, you can remember why it was okay to let them break a little in the first place. Because every time you break, the colors become brighter. Because you are still here, and you have survived.’

        Angel let her eyes drift around the room as JewelBlade held her. After so long in the darkness, she understood it so well. Whenever she thought about it, everything seemed more vibrant. It was a beautiful thing. The world pulsed with a tragic beauty.

        But that didn’t mean she trusted them.

        That didn’t mean she trusted them at all.

        “The nerve,” Ratchet scoffed, rolling his optics at Angel’s threat. “Foolish femme.”

        “Maiden,” Optimus called out gently. “Be careful in your journey. Do you wish for back-up?”

        “We need stealth and speed, Optimus,” JewelBlade insisted plainly. “Angel’s got a lock on the location, but it won’t last forever. We need to get going before we lose it.”

        “Understood,” the Prime told her with a curt nod. “I wish you the best of luck and hope for your swift return.”

        Blade vented and bit down a snappy remark. “Let’s go, Ang,” she muttered, taking the blonde with her as she strode out of the base, shaking her helm. Primus, she was bitter as hell. How had she let this happen? She’d sworn so many times it wouldn’t. ‘I am complete without him,’ Blade told herself. ‘I didn’t need him before, and I don’t need him now. I’m just fine. Just take a deep vent and keep moving. You’re fine.’ Following her own instructions, Blade vented, and a bit of pressure lifted from her spark. She knew she’d be all right, whether the Prime held her spark like he used to or not.