Unstable Loyalties

Chapter 14

The flames danced on the surface of the water, illuminating the black waters. Few stars shone overhead, the air still and humid. Blood... blood spreading over the sea. Lightning looked around frantically, but all she saw were bodies. Even twisted, charred metal. The metallic tang of blood lingered in the air still as the curtain of fire grew taller around her. 

"Help!" Lightning screamed but no reply came from the empty night sky. Her breathing was ragged as she stepped through the bodies and piles of cracked metal. Yorktown, Enterprise, Bismarck, Essex, Yamato... she saw many familiar faces. Their eyes dull and unseeing, hands limp at their sides, lifeless. Choking back a sob, Lightning tried to keep her fear at bay as the fires raged around her. The flames crackled as a figure stepped out of the shadows. A ghostly black veil surrounding it. 

"Lightning... you see your friends?" the person spat out the last word, "Well, take a good look, because soon, all this will come true... and your life will be the first I take..." The figure reached out to her as Lightning stepped backwards, only to find herself cornered by the flames...

Lightning jolted awake, her hands trembling, sweat dripping down her face. It seemed so real... taking in a shuddering breath, she calmed her nerves, instinctively reaching out to grab her katana, assuring herself it was just a dream. Nothing more. Slipping on her combat boots, she stepped out of her room, heading to the flight deck.  The crisp wind blew around her as she set foot on the deck. It was so... peaceful and quiet here on Cybertron. 

Of course, it was expected, after all, not that long had passed since they restored it and some cybertronians were still deep in space. It would be morning, soon. Lightning headed into the kitchen, grabbing a few muffins and milk, setting up the table for the rest of the shipgirls, smiling slightly.

A few hours later...

Optimus and Lightning had headed out to patrol the borders, keeping an eye out for Unicron and his followers. However, a huge storm picked up and headed their way, forcing them to enter the only cave in sight for shelter. The entrance was incredibly unstable and mere seconds after they entered, rocks were dislodged, pilling up and blocking the entrance. 

"Looks like we'll be stuck in here for a while..." Lightning grumbled as Optimus nodded before adding, "I cannot contact Ratchet. It seems that the rocks have blocked the signal. "We should probably look for another exit," Lightning muttered, gazing into the inky darkness before grabbing her bow, picking up a flame arrow and creating a torch. 

"You seem to be troubled, Lightning, what bothers you?" Optimus questioned as they walked down the tunnel. 

Lightning just sighed softly, before admitting, "I am... very afraid of battle, of war. The constant danger, thrilling yet fatal. One single mistake could cost a life and I fear that I will make that mistake. I push myself very hard, to the limit, I know that, but I do it only to protect everyone. The responsibility is a huge burden, for anyone to get hurt because of me, the guilt will weigh me down. I cannot afford to make a single mistake, although it may seem impossible, I will try and try to do so." Lightning clenched her fingers, her hands visibly shaking. Activating his holoform, Optimus walked over to the shipgirl, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"No one is perfect, we make mistakes to learn. You should not think that everything is you fault, all you need to know is that you have done whatever you could," Optimus assured her.

Lightning just nodded slightly, relaxing just a little bit. Up ahead, she could see a bright orange light. They had reached a deep crevice, a magma-like substance bubbling below. The gap was small enough for Optimus to cross, but not Lightning. Glancing at the sides, Lightning discovered a series of ledges. Gripping tightly onto each handhold, she inched across the wall, leaping onto the other side once she was close enough. She shrieked as she lost her balance, her hands hanging onto the edge for dear life. The rocks were slippery and Lighting could feel her grip loosening, just as Optimus reached down and helped her up. 

"Do you think you are immortal? Don't try any tricks. I have saved you this time, I may not do that the next time," Optimus said, slight amusement in his optics as he looked at Lightning. Lightning just sighed before continuing on, her footsteps echoing in the tunnel. 

Soon enough, they arrived at a fork in the tunnel. Standing at the fork, Lightning closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Her eyes flashed when she opened them, pointing to the right path. 

"This way, the air smells fresher and feels cooler, a sign that this leads to the surface," Lightning spoke confidently, heading down the path, Optimus following her. 

"It seems that you and Bismarck are very good friends," Optimus said, glancing at Lightning. "Yes, that is very true. We both... understand each other, the scars of our past may never heal, but having each other helps dull the pain, knowing that we both went through identical scenarios," Lightning replied.

 "A friend like that is hard to come by. Make sure that you treasure you friendship," Optimus spoke. Hearing this, Lightning raised her hand ever so slightly, fingering the moonstone bracelet on her wrist. 

"I will," she whispered. 

Lightning was right, the path eventually opened up to the surfaced and she breathed a sigh of relief as Optimus contacted base, Ratchet activating a groundbridge for them to go through. However, just a few minutes later, they had to head out, Chaosbringers were on the move yet again. Lightning activated her wisdom cube, the midnight blue cubes surrounding her as her rigging formed. 

"Let's go kick some tailpipe!" Bulkhead cheered as they stepped through the portal. This time, the Sirens were not here, raising Lighting's suspicions. Quickly, she shrugged them off as she prepared herself for the battle.

Unsheathing her katana, Lightning headed for Eclipse, slicing deep into his armour. Taking advantage of his surprise, she shot a few arrows, turning them into planes and starting a bombing run. She swung her katana around, inflicting damage on Eclipse as he let out a pained cry. Jumping and twisting nimbly, she dodged all his shots,  commanding her fighters to launch their rockets at him. Energon dripped out of his wounds as Lightning pressed  on with her relentless attack. Her gaze flicked to where Unicron was battling Bumblebee, having caused Optimus many wounds. Dashing forward, Lightning brought her katana up, blocking a shot as she grabbed her arrow, spinning around and shooting multiple arrows, all of which headed straight for Unicron. Bumblebee, seeing that Lightning was here, went over to help Optimus. 

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she blocked hit after hit. I hate being on the defensive! She thought as a familiar blue aura surrounded her. Sprinting towards Unicron, she continued her onslaught, launching arrow after arrow, striking again and again. Preparing for the final blow, she was about to strike, the electric aura around her crackling, her eyes flashing with fury. Just then, he brought his scythe upwards, throwing Lightning off and teleporting away. Lightning's wound stung, but she did not care. She had missed the kill! Growling in frustration, she surveyed the battlefield, making sure everyone was fine before heading over to help Essex up. A swirling vortex appeared as the team walked through.

Meanwhile...

Tester #125 grinned as she held up the vial of coal black liquid. 

"With this, we will finally have the means to overpower and take down one of Azur Lane's best warriors. Ahahaha!" she cackled as she thought of what was to come...

There you have it! The next chapter which took forever! Wow that rhymes... Anyways, hope you like it!

~Lightningstar out