TFA: Together We Stand (Season 1)

Chapter 15: Mantis's Life Story; Run! ~4~

Run. Keep moving forward, just keep going and don't look back. Run. Keep moving forward, just keep going and don't look back. Run. Keep moving forward, just keep going and don't look back.

Those words repeated over and over again in her processor like a mantra as she put one pede in front of the other. Yeah, that's it left, right, left, right, left, right. How many steps has she taken? Should she run? Should she walk? Wait.....was she running or walking or....jogging? Running is kinda hard with the heavy rucksack on her after all. Would there be bobby traps down here? Where exactly is 'here'? Was she still under the dojo? Was she at the outskirts? Wait, how long has she been jogging? How long is this tunnel?

As important as these questions were, she knew that she was really just asking them to distract herself from how her spark currently felt like it was being twisted, ripped apart, stabbed and crushed over and over again.

How could this be happening?

The question once again brought tears to her optics and she hurriedly wiped them away from under her shades before they could mist over them.

She tried to keep the crushing reality at bay. The last thing she needed was having a breakdown here of all places.

But still, how? How could Yoketron just ask her to run like that? She knew he meant no ill will and it's not like he just ditched her or anything, heck he even gave her what she might need! The rucksack on her back was proof of that.

Still though, how could she just run away like that? She ran when they were being ambushed, when he needed her most and what did she do? What is she doing now?

Running.

She felt like she was betraying Yoketron and everything he taught her but........she promised.

Run. Keep moving forward, just keep going and don't look back.

That was the last thing she promised him. If she broke that promise after he sacrificed so much....won't she be disrespecting him even more? She bit her lip.

She didn't know what to do.

Her processor was screaming at her to skate back as fast as she can to the dojo and go help Yoketron and the other Cyber-ninjas. 'If there's anything I could even do.' She thought bitterly. For all she knew, the fighting was already over.

But she knew she couldn't get her hopes up. If the fight had truly been over and they had won, Yoketron would be getting her now.

Her spark however, told her firmly that she made a promise- almost a vow. Yoketron had sacrificed so much just to get her this far. She should make it worth something, right? She can't just let all his efforts go to vain, right? Besides, at least now she had a chance.

If she could get out of here, get outside and contact for help maybe reinforcements would arrive and they'd have a chance! The Elite Guard would beat the Decepticons and....and then Yoketron and Mantis would rebuild the dojo and move on with their lives! Yeah, they'd go back to training and meditating and maybe Mantis and Prowl would even get a proper graduation!

Prowl.........

Again, she paused as the name struck her and again, she felt like a glitch-head. How could she forget about her brother?!

'Maybe he's still on his optic quest.' She realized. They haven't heard from him recently and memory serves, optic quests take quite a long time. For once, she was grateful for that fact.