Chapter Text
Jack couldn't shake the feeling that Miko was hiding something. Something much larger than she could handle.
///
There was nothing to think about. Bland chains, empty walls, and a mostly present silence. At least by now they had removed the concrete slab, allowing me to sit up. The lights weren’t turned off either, shining down on me as it hung from above, lighting up the room.
Not like there was anything interesting to look at within the dim light. The paint drops from my failed writing attempt had dried on the floor. I had stared at them so long that I had begun to memorize all of their shapes
A few were perfect little dots, other splashes, some had streaks coming off…
I tried not to think about how I really had lost the ability to write. I could hear the sounds of English in my mind, the syllables and consonants. The way some words were dragged out, the weird way vowels changed. Words with double pronunciation, read and read, data and data…
I bet my English teacher would just love to get the chance to re-teach me. I never finished that essay he assigned, but I guess it didn't matter though. It was far too late to turn it in anyways
Far too late.
The whirring of a fan started, a soft sound that hummed behind me. Somewhere, along within the small vents on the floor. Well, they were small to me. But if I was still what I was supposed to be, they'd be me-sized.
More miscellaneous sounds from the vent. The lights flickered a bit, one of the first interesting things to happen in a while. Another clang from the vent, did a rat get in? I turned and glared at it. Nothing.
Oh well-
Something stuck its hand out.
It's hand out.
Its hand out.
Small. Tiny. Five little fingers, nail painted pink.
“Hey! You awake, big guy?” A voice asked from behind the vent. She leaned closer to the vent, and from between the big gaps, I could see her face. A face! With eyes, nose, cheek. She reminded me of myself so much that it hurt - human.
“Remember me? From the cave?” She asked. I nodded my head quickly. She was the loud one. What was her name? Mi… Miku?
“Ima try and open this thing.” She said, and I shook my head quickly. “What? Why not?” She asked.
I looked at her, her little hands and face, her big brown eyes. I shook my head.
No, you should leave, I would tell her. If they catch you in here, I might get in trouble. You should leave.
But of course, all I could do was stare.
Well, maybe…
I tried to shake my hands, hard with the cuffs on them, like one would shoo away a fly, or animal near your food.
Go, go on now.
“Are you seriously shooing me away?” Miku asked, offended. I nodded my head, continuing to motion my hands.
“Listen, I want to help you.” She said, “The bots will listen to me! Maybe I can convince them that you aren't that bad!”
Her voice sounded hopeful, at least one of us was. I shook my head at her.
“I can get you out of here,” She paused, “but I need to know that you'll let me help you.”
I stood there, a tad confused. She knew I was a prisoner, right? They won't just let me go because Miku asked oh-so-nicely.
She leaned into the vent more, “You just gotta trust me,” She smiled. “My name's Miko, what about you?” Miko, not Miku, asked.
I stared at her, before shaking my head.
“You can tell me,” Miko sucked in a breath, “no, actually, you can't.” She paused.
“Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll go through the whole alphabet, a, b, c, you know? And when I get to the first letter of your name, you nod your head.” Miko explained, “And then I'll start over until we have your whole name. How about that?”
Good idea that would probably work if I could remember my name, but I don’t. I think I would know it if I heard someone say it, or read it if it was written. But when I tried to remember the letters and sounds myself, nothing came up. The letters a hazy blur, the sounds distant and mudded.
“A, B, C, D, E, F…” Miko began to list the alphabet bet off slowly. I tried with each letter to see them. A,,, it was around, right? Sometimes at least. D had a little bump, or something. F, a big swoop, all fancy.
“O, P, Q, R…” O, a big circle, I knew that one. R, there were a lot of lines with that one, or…
“X, Y, Z.”
I shook my head, nothing.
“You didn't do it.” Miko sounded disappointed, and I cringed. I looked at the floor, ashamed of my jaded memory. There had to be something there, right? If I could just focus, as painful as it was, maybe I could recall it? I seemed to be forgetting more and more of my previous life; friends, family, memories. The more I thought about them, the more it hurt. So I tucked them into the back of my mind, but now that they're fading, I want nothing more than to hold onto them.
Hold onto what little bit of myself I have left.
“Lets try again, maybe you'll get it this time” Miko’s enthusiastic tone pulled me back to the present. As Miko listed off the alphabet, I closed my eyes, focusing all my might on the letters.
Miko tried again and again, and each time, the letters became more familiar. But no matter what, I couldn't remember which ones were mine. I could picture their shape, and say them in my head, but as for my name. Nothing.
Miko sighed, “It’s alright, we don’t have to figure it out right now.” There was a small pause, I could see Miko from the slits in the vent. “Alright, I have to go back now before they realize I snuck off again.” Miko pulled her hands back away from the vent.
“See you soon.”
With that, Miko's small footsteps pittered away from the vent. The light in the room seemed to grow duller, and the weight of the chains seemed to multiply.
See you soon, Miko.
///
It was a few days before anyone else came to see me.
Hunger was weird in this body. When I was human, hunger made me tired and snappy. My stomach would twist and tighten uncomfortably, and my brain was slow and foggy, and my body slow and tired. Like a weight holding me down.
But, like this, it was completely different. It felt like my joints were frozen, unable to move much, if any bit at all. My vision was tinted a white color. Occasionally, these, boxes would show up within my mind.
As if it were stuck to my eyeball. Wherever I looked, there it was. I tried to wipe my eyes, but the cuffs made it nye-impossible. Closing my eyes had no effect either. After a short while, it would go away. Before coming back, and making my mind beep at me. I couldn't stop it, no matter what I did.
It scared me.
By the time they visited me, the boxes were consistently present. Small, red boxes, with writing in them I couldn't read. All of it is completely unhuman.
But perfect for a robot.
It was the same two as always, Optimus the stern and Ratchet the grumpy. Ratchet scanned me with a beam of light that had popped out of his arm. Optimus stood behind him, watching. Ratchet's frown was deep, and he didn't look me in the eyes. Small as always.
“Your levels are low enough to become a problem.” Ratchet stated, and I would glare at him if I could.
Tell me something new, doc-bot.
Ratchet put his arm-beam away, and glanced from me towards Optimus. Some unspoken words were said between them for a moment, before Ratchet sighed. Optimus handed him the less than half empty energon jar.
Ratchet hesitated for a moment, hand held in the air, before he grabbed the jar, pulled out the injector, and placed it against my forearm, starting the ‘feeding’ process. It made my body feel electric. Like I was humming, deep and grovel.
The boxes that clouded my vision disappeared. My joints didn't seem to fight against me attempting to move them, I moved my head a little, hearing some metal groan. I swang my tail side to side slightly, and Ratchet glared at it.
Calm down, Ratchet, I snipped.
“That's all for now.” Ratchet said like the amount I got this time was any less than usual. As he pulled the injector away from my arm, I could see his face twist, like a kid eating a sour lemon.
“Having a prisoner is not helping our energon problem, Optimus.” Ratchet spoke like I wasn't there, right besides him. Optimus didn't say anything, just continued to stare at me. I stared back, not like I had anything else to do anyways.
Optimus flicked his eyes to Ratchet, who was now standing besides him, then back at me. He didn't shuffle a foot, or twitch a finger. Just stared, with his bright blue eyes.
They said nothing as they turned and left the room.
Nice seeing you, too.
///
“Think she'll pass me on that test?”
“Considering how you did on the review… no.”
“Aww man!” Miko whined, “I worked so hard on that.” Jack and Raf looked at the girl, “I even studied!” Miko flung her hands up, sitting down on the beaten couch, “I don't ever study!”
“The teacher should be honored.” Jack joked, sitting down besides Miko, who opted to glare at him.
“She should pass you just on principle.” Raf sat in his small armchair, laptop in front of him.
The two laughed, and Miko crossed her arms. “You guys suck!” She groaned. Jack patted her shoulder, “It's just a joke, Miko. Besides, Mrs. Sumdac offers retakes, you just have to do the corrections packet.”
“But that's so boring.” Miko sighed, Jack looked at her, “Miko, you can't put off work forever, you have to start working on your grades.” Jack tried to consolidate Miko.
“No way! It's bad enough as is that she talks like a robot.” Miko glanced over her shoulder to Bulkhead, “No offense.”
“None taken.” Bulkhead chuckled, “But Jack's right, you should try for good grades, otherwise you won't be able to go to coll-call, cell…”
“College.” Miko said.
“Yeah, that.” Said Bulkhead.
“But Bulk, rockstars don't need college.” Miko jumped up off the couch, air guitaring with her arms while subtly looking around the base for anything that might relate to the predacon.
There-
Optimus and Ratchet exiting the blocked-off hall, the hall where the predacon was.
Miko could see Prime and Ratchet whispering to each other. She tried her best to eavesdrop, leaning onto the railing, trying to be subtle while watching them out of the corner of her eye.
It wouldn't seem weird how hard she saw staring at an empty wall, right?
“Hey Miko, we never finished our racing tournament.” Jack spoke up from the ouch, holding the two controllers up, offering one to her. Miko glanced at him, before going back to the wall.
“Nah, you know I'll win anyways.” Miko teased. There was some shuffling from the couch, before Jack was standing alongside the railing beside her. Jack eyed the girl, before turning his head in the same direction as hers.
“Miko, you never turn down a challenge.” He stated, and Miko let out a big, fake, exaggerated sigh.
“I know I'll win, what's the point? Test your metal against Raf.” Miko pointed a finger at the small boy, who only glanced up from his laptop.
“I'm good.” He smiled. Jack spun around to stand in front of Miko, and she leaned away from him. “Jeez Jack, personal space.” She joked.
“Miko, whatever you're trying to do, stop.” He whispered. Miko shuffled away from him, before scoffing a little.
“You think Im up to something, Jack-rabbit?” Miko frowned, “What if I just don’t wanna play games?” Miko’s curt tone made Jack sigh, before he turned and walked back over to the couch. Miko stared at him for a moment, before following suit to sit down beside him.
She picked up one of the controllers he had set down on the table, “I guess we can play a few games.” She handed Jack the controller.
Jack looked at it for a moment before grabbing it, “First to win five rounds in Pro-Pro Racer2000 is the new champion.”
Miko gapped, “No way! I earned that champion title, you can’t just take it away!”
Jack powered on the tv, “Try me.” He smiled.