Work Text
Looming above her was Stark Tower. Its infamous history with weapons and, more importantly, infamous owner, had Skylar left with a certainty that this was the right move. She had looked into the past of Stark Industries. It was a bloody one, no doubt, but she believed in the recent change that had happened. As she walked, the click of her heels on the floors boomed in the busy room. Her aura of confidence caused many to turn their heads.She was in typical service dress: navy skirt, black pantyhose, black leather heels shined to perfection, and her coat with Major ranks sown on. In her left hand was a briefcase with important documents. It was critical to the success of her group that these documents stayed in her hands. In the event that something was to happen, the destruction of the documents was paramount. The Autobots must remain a secret. "Major Waters," Skylar gave her name as she approached the desk of the receptionist.
The receptionist plastered a pleasant smile to the Major, "Ms. Potts will be with you in a moment. Please take the elevator to the 78th floor. Happy will escort you there."Happy, a rather large man, stepped forward and gestured with his arm to the elevator. She read his badge: "Head of Security." At least they were taking this seriously. Reaching the elevator, the doors opened as several people walked out and even more walking in. She pushed her way through, pressing the correct button and starting the long ride up. The typical elevator music played as they rode up. Many people got off around the lower floors. She assumed that was the main headquarters for Stark Industries. Soon they reached the 78th floor, the elevator chiming and opening to reveal the lavish office floor.The office was decorated with a business glow but had included several not needed things such as a kitchen and several bathrooms. She had not explored much. Her training had taught her to keep her head on a swivel. Noting the couches, she sat, crossing her knees and setting her briefcase down. The case was tucked neatly under behind her legs in a protective manner. There was no one else there except Happy. However, she knew better than to leave such important documents out.The door opened not long after she sat, a woman, Skylar assuming Pepper Potts herself, becoming her in. Pepper Potts, as many knew, was the CEO of Stark Industries. Stark himself made the correct choice, in her opinion, to leave the corporation to his fiance, Pepper. She also knew that Pepper was more capable in running the business as her fiance saved the world. She breezed past Pepper and placed the briefcase on the ground, sitting. "Ms. Potts, a pleasure to meet with you." "The pleasure is mine, Major Waters. Now, what brings you to my office today?" Ms. Potts casually said as she sat in her chair. "Ah, before we continue, I must have you agree to have the microphones in your office be shut off during this meeting. I have sensitive information that must be kept in a safe space." "May I ask why this is? If information is that important, why do you seek out us?" Ms. Potts asked, referencing the company's past."Stark Industries is under new management, you. I trust that the changes that have happened and are soon to happen are positive, Ms. Potts." "Of course. I have tried hard to change the future of this company, but you still have not answered my question.""Yes, I will after the microphones are disabled."Not wanting to continue to argue, Pepper typed on the computer, disabling the microphones. "Now, tell me why?""I know of your company history, yet I also know that you would not break such a treaty as this. I work with an organization known as the Autobots. This company's information is included in the files. I ask that when you read them, they are read in a room with no cameras and no windows. So, as the Autobot Ambassador, I present to you files that Ratchet and Optimus have given me to present to the company I see fit in earning. These files include medical findings, biotechnology, and space exploration. If any of these files are used to make bioweapons, it would be against our treaty and will cause a galactic war between these two species. Am I clear?"Pepper smiled, "Crystal."Skylar nodded, "I am putting my faith in this company, and to know that you agree with our terms, I will have you sign a few papers. This includes protecting these files with your life. If given to the wrong hands, wars could be started."She opened the briefcase, noting the cameras and positioning her body so that the camera could not get a good angle of the documents inside. Inside was several hard drives with information in them, but also the documents that Ms. Potts needed to sign. Skylar pulled them out, placing them on the desk and closing the briefcase.Ms. Potts read over the files, easily agreeing to the terms, before she signed her name several times. Skylar picked up the papers, placing them in an envelope stamped with the NEST logo. She then locked the briefcase and signing over the briefcase to Ms. Potts."Protect them with your life," she ordered, standing. "Of course," Pepper said, shaking Skylar's hand. "Thank you for trusting us."Skylar only nodded with a tight smile before leaving the office. Once outside, she pulled her phone from her purse selecting an odd 12 digit number."Optimus, I have delivered the files," she spoke into the microphone. "We can trust this one."
The deep baritone voice came out the speaker, "Good, Skylar. When you get back to base, there is another mission that the government wants your approval on."Skylar only hummed in response before hanging up, not at all excited about the paperwork. As she left, Pepper phoned Stark and informed him of the deal. "Yes, Tony. I want these files in your safe."There was an angry statement over the line.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Skylar sat in the car, tapping her fingernails against her armrest. While driving, though not really, she was lost in her thoughts. Many people, who knew of the secret, did not trust Stark Industries. However, in her mind, it was the perfect option. Not only were their enemies more than likely going to trust she give it to a safer company, but Stark Industries had changed. In the past, their primary goal was weapon making, yet Stark later changed that.She had to get the files off of her hands quick. The Decepticons knew she had them and their location. Embedded in the notes was a hard drive that had information of Autobot secrets. She knew Ms. Potts wouldn't sell her out. Stark, fiance to Ms. Potts, was a savior of the world.That was her prime reason to trust them. She knew of their past well, yet, Stark saw the ways in which his weapons were used and saved the world in the process.Many hours later as well as a plane ride, she made it back to base. She waved to the Prime, who was in his vehicle form. He honked once, surprising a few of the soldiers that that were washing the dirt off of his metal. 'He must of gone on a mission' she mused. Entering her office, she took off her jacket and placed her officer cap on the desk. Once the door was closed, she hung her bag on the hook and leaned against the door. The worry was stressing her. Who wouldn't be? She felt as if she should have looked at all of her options, to not be so abrupt with her decision.She walked to her desk, sitting down and looking at her paperwork and mail. Gross. Her eyes barely glanced at the folder with the words "Top Secret" stamped in red ink on it. She ignored it and started to read. She was the one to explain things to the public, to protect the Autobots, to be the one in between them and the government. She had a tough job, not paid enough for it either. But quitting wasn't an option. She loved her Autobots too much.She sighed, hand in her hair. Her eyes had bags under them, her hair starting to grey. Hell, she didn't even have kids yet. Turning to the computer, she started it up. As she waited, she read the mail, most of them from news outlets requesting an interview. She finally got to a letter with no return address and her name written in black ink with the address to a base in a different state for the security of the Autobots. She frowned. Letters were typically written on a computer and printed.She read the hand written note, her frown slowly deepening."Major Skylar Waters...We know you have the Files. Those Files aren't yours. Return them to us or that tower will burn. We have allies. We have weapons.Do what's right."She ripped the letter, ripping it into several pieces. She threw it in the trash, looking down at the open folder. On the top read "MECH". She was certain this is where the letter came from.She shook her head, leaning back. That just made her job much harder. She pulled up her email, emailing Pepper Potts about the threat of MECH. She rubbed her head again after she sent it. ------ After a long day, Skylar sat in the car, her headache worsening. It had started when she arrived back to base. She always got car sick, the Autobots knew that yet she still felt horrible. She had to drive herself but they insisted to drive her back to her house. With not much to say, she allowed them to take her to and from the places needed be. "Skylar, the Autobots and I are being moved closer to the tower to better protect it. We won't be able to protect you until we get settled in. Are you okay with this?" the Prime said, concern lacing his voice. He had been the one who always took her home, if not one of the others. "Of course I'm fine with it! I'll appreciate the vacation, Optimus," the small female said, looking at the steering wheel and smiling. The old bot let out a sigh via the vents. "Good. It will take several weeks. I just wanted to be sure."She understood his concern. She wanted to tell him about the letter but considering they were headed to the tower to protect it, she didn't care. She waved at Optimus was she got to her front porch. She unlocked her door and walked in, not noticing the hand written note on the table in the entrance of her home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was a blessed Saturday. No work for her, just rest and recovery. The night before, she had unloaded herself into a tub to soak. The warm water and heavenly smell of lavender had almost caused her to pass out in it. However, before she could, she rose out of the tub and dressed for bed. She finished her nightly routine with brushing her teeth and taking her meds before crashing in the bed. She had not woke for another 11 hours.Pulling herself out of the table chair, she started her way to her bedroom when she noticed the letter on her table. 'When did that get there? Most of my mail is at the office,' she thought as she approached the letter. She saw her address with no return address. Immediately, she thought of MECH.This caused her to pause mid step. Her home was bugged, same with her phone. That is how they knew where the FIles were. 'Fuck,' she thought, immediately going to dial Optimus before stopping. No. They would then know she knew. Home phone? No. Possibly bugged as well. That begged the question of how? Her phone was always on her unless she was at work or asleep. The person responsible would not bug her home while she was in it either. Her address was not public knowledge and the supposed person who lived here is an alias. She frowned. There must be a mole in her office but who?She turned and hurried up the stairs, getting dressed in her uniform and grabbing her purse and keys. She had to assume everything was bugged. That included her car. She left her phone in her home, getting in her car and driving to the nearest convenience store. There she would buy a phone and give it enough minutes to get her by. Quickly driving to the nearest mall, she walked in, headed to the family restroom and dialed Optimus. A recorded message started to play as she dialed her code to be redirected to Optimus."Optimus, there is a situation," she immediately spoke."Due tell?""I'm compromised. The information is out. MECH had me bugged, somehow, some way. I have reason to believe we have a mole in our midst.""And do you have any leads?""None, but I am most definitely sure that I am bugged," Skylar paced the bathroom. "I need immediate pick up and we'll go from there.""I am unsure if we can evac you. Bee is with his charge and the others are on patrol.""I know you cannot come this far to me, however, I need to discuss this with you. I can meet you halfway and ditch my car?""I can see if some of the soldiers can pick you up. Send me your location once you are halfway here.""Understood," she clicked the phone off before washing her hands and walking out. She had bought new clothing before entering the bathroom to talk to Optimus. It was imperative that MECH did not know that she knew.So off she went, driving down the highway in her bugged car with Poppy playing loudly.------------The drop off area was a city within Ohio called Dayton. It was busy enough to seem like she had business there while susceptible for her to leave her followers hanging in finding her and the new base location. Her only problem is that the soldiers picking her up could be the imposter. It would be rather best if she had known who was coming to pick her up. But, she was not expecting confrontation.She had arrived at the parking deck, sitting in her car only a few spaces down from a police car. She had figured that was the safest option. The police car had backed into the spot, but she hadn't noticed how strange the cruiser looked. The cruiser was not far from her, but far from her attention. She was attempting to reach the base but her flip phone had no service while in the concrete deck. It was an easy place to get away with murder.Soon a car parked beside her, causing her to look up and over at them. The driver was a man with a buzz cut and a gun aimed right at her. That's all she saw when the glass of her passenger seat window shattered and a bullet hit her arm. Pain flooded her arm. Her immediate reaction was to grab her own gun. It was usually between the seat and the door, but it was not there. 'Fuck,' she thought as she laid her seat back to avoid more fire.The police cruiser had transformed into Barricade, a decepticon that usually took on the form of a police cruiser. How stupid could she be? But also, how stupid could she be not not realize that MECH and the Decepticons might work together?Her current objective was to get out of this alive and get to Optimus. Her arm would be a problem. The bullet hit right below her shoulder, into her muscle. That would cause months of rehabilitation if she got it treated. Fighting is a no go. She didn't have a weapon on top of a hurt shoulder. Her only option is fleeing. She had turned her car off while she had been waiting, and with her seat down, she couldn't see and, therefore, could not drive. Should she risk getting killed? Is that their objective? He had practically shot her point blank. How had the bullet hit her shoulder if shot at point blank? Was their objective not to kill her? 'Fuck. I don't know their objective. Things are already messy as is,' she frantically thought.The door of the car beside her closed and the man leaned down and put his arms. on the broken window. "That wound might get worse if not treated soon. I advise you not to struggle and come willingly." The man held the gun, Skylar quickly realizing it was her own gun, in his right hand. He swung the gun around as he talked, even pointing the barrel right at the wound.Barricade reached down and gently, or as gently as a massive titan can be, pulled the driver side door off the car. The driver side window cracked and shattered on her. She was frozen in fear. Never had she actually been in true combat. Sure, she had ran drills and been on bases, but never in a hot zone. The feeling of the cold metal of the titan grabbing her by the leg only caused her to freeze more. She was pulled from the car and lightly shaken to get the glass off of her. Skylar had to squeeze her eyes shut to avoid getting the glass in her eyes. Once he had finished, he grumbled and and transformed, leaving her in the back seat of the cruiser with seat belts keeping her snug in the seat. Only once he had finished did the MECH soldier get in the driver's seat."Don't think of us as the bad guys here Skylar. Remember what government you work for. And with that, remember who put you in the situation you are in now," the soldier said before closing the window between her and him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After bleeding quite profusely, Skylar found herself with a makeshift tourniquet around her shoulder to help stop the bleeding. It did not help with the symptoms of blood loss. She was hazy, hallucinating, and very tired. Her own thoughts were not clear in her mind. She tried to stay awake so that she could see where they were going, but it was slowly becoming more and more muddled in her mind. Soon she would pass out and die of blood loss if not given a transfusion soon.
The drive continued for sometime, getting them further into Dayton til they approached a building. She didn’t recognize the logo on the side, but it must be a front for MECH. Barricade rolled into the parking deck of the building and drove into the waiting hangar. Only once the hangar door was closed did she leave the Decepticon’s interior. Immediately she was placed on a stretcher and medical personnel were giving a synopsis.
“Signs of significant blood loss. I need an IV stat.”
“What are her vitals?”
“What is her blood type?”
“Just give O+.”
“I have 86/54 and dropping!”
“We need that transfusion now!”
“Placing IV.”
She felt a faint pinch in her arm as an IV was pushed into her vein. She felt a rush of drugs enter her body, hopefully lifesaving. However, it was not helping the fact that she was dying. Everything was hazy, her senses so messed up she couldn’t barely see. The doctors who were wheeling her via stretcher felt like they were going in slow motion. She felt so faint, even on the bed. No energy to move, none to ask where she was. All she knew was that she was going to die. At least the secretes die with her.
The man, who had shot her, stood by the cruiser, watching her be wheeled away. He had pulled a nurse to the side, ordering her that if Skylar died, the whole team who was working on her would die as well. Scurrying away, the nurse informed the Head Nurse of the man’s intentions. Of course, that was typical. Joab was known to be an ass when it came to his assets.
The man, known as Joab, spoke to the cruiser for a moment. “Inform your master that the Files will be back in their hands soon. We have their little friend, therefore, everything will be downhill from here.”
He stood and walked away. The hilt of Skylar’s gun glittered in the artificial light. He had it tucked into his waistband. The hilt had an inscription that he had yet to see. However, his shirt fell over the hilt and hid it from view. He continued to walk to his own office to file the report of his success. Of course, his boss would be the judge if he was successful or not.
----------
Skylar had woken from a successful surgery. The bullet had lodged itself in her muscle, therefore, surgery was required. As she woke, she noticed she was in a white room that had very bright lights. She had yet to realize this wasn’t her room. The second thing she noticed was the IV in her arm. ‘A hospital? Why?’ she thought to herself as she pushed herself up. That's when she noticed the last two important things: Her arm was bandaged and she was handcuffed to the bed.
“The fuck?” she cried, struggling to get to her senses. She was still groggy and had to make sure this wasn’t a hallucination. Her memory was failing her. She couldn’t remember what had happened. All she remembered was driving and getting to Dayton. Why was she in a hospital and is she still in Dayton?
She needed to contact Optimus. Or was she already back at NEST? Confusion rattled through her brain as she tried to think as logically as she could. Was she safe? What about MECH? MECH! She had been shot! It was coming back in waves. MECH had shot her, right, but why? When? How did she get here again? Is this MECH?
“Calm yourself Major Waters,” Joab spoke from the corner of the room. He had a cut lip. “If you get yourself worked up, the meds won’t work properly and you might not feel as great as you do now.”
“What happened? I can’t remember anything. Where am I?” She questioned.
“Calm your tits, sweetcheeks,” he repeated. “You’re in a high tech MECH medical prison. I am your personal warden.”
He had moved from the chair he was in, walking towards her before he was right in front of her. “As your warden, I am reliable and responsible for you. Your health and safety is my number one priority while you enjoy your stay with us. That being said, as long as you are cooperative, you will enjoy your stay here.”
Skylar wanted to scoot away from the weird-ass man. He was uncomfortably close. She could smell the mint on his breath. But in an attempt to show she was not scared, she forced herself to stay upright, even if it meant to be nose to nose with this man. A smirk of sorts formed on his lips. Failing to keep the gaze, she adverts her eyes, shame on her face. He had won just by primal dominance.
He pulled away, standing straight. “Rest and heal. Tomorrow is when we start the questioning. Only I and Nurse Julia are to see you. No one else will. Consider this a nice...vacation if you will.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Skylar spent most of the day sleeping in the bed. The wound in her arm only started to hurt when she woke for the second time. That’s when she got to meet Nurse Julia. The nurse was an older woman who had smile wrinkles around her eyes. She was kind as she readjusted the IV for Skylar. Skylar guessed that she was in her early 50s or may be late 40s. Even so, she was spirited, always entering with a smile and with pep in her step. Nurse Julia was the only one Skylar enjoyed seeing when the door opened. Nurse Julia delivered her meds, food, and even helped her out of bed to change or even just to use the restroom. Skylar only wanted to know why she was employed for such a bad organization. Was she forced to?
“No, baby,” Julia answered when Skylar finally asked. “I joined willingly a few years ago. An old woman like me can’t find a good job in these parts anymore. ‘I’m too old,’ they say and don’t even give me a chance to prove myself. That’s when MECH offered me a job as their senior Nurse. I accepted because the pay is good and the people here are nice.”
Skylar stopped asking questions after that and Nurse Julia stopped being sweet. To Skylar, Nurse Julia shouldn’t be trusted. For a second, Skylar thought that, just maybe, Julia was a captured victim like she was. How wrong Skylar was. She needed to focus on getting out of this facility, but she hadn’t even stepped outside her room other than her bathroom. The bathroom was attached to her room, and even in the bathroom there was no window. Skylar was practically always cuffed to the bed if she wasn’t showering or using the restroom. Somehow, some way, the cuff will be on.
The second day she was awake was when it started to get bad. Nurse Julia had come to help her to the bathroom before getting her in a wheelchair and strapping her down to it and cuffing her to the chair. She had explained to Skylar that today was when the interrogation would start. She also mentioned that when Skylar returned that evening, she was instructed not to feed her or give her any pain medications unless Skylar talked.
“I advise that you be good and tell the men what they want to hear. It will be for your best interest,” whispered Julia as they walked throughout the white hallways.
They approached the elevator and Julia pressed the down button, calling the elevator to them. The silence was thick and anticipation thicker. Her nerves were deafening. It was that feeling of butterflies and her stomach in shambles. She desperately tried to cling to the confidence she had, but she didn’t know what she was facing. The fact that her nurse said she wasn’t going to be able to get painkillers worried her. She assumed torture just for the Files she was tasked with as the ambassador of the Autobots. It was childish, and she was in the middle of a cat fight.
The elevator dinged and opened the doors, pulling Skylar out of her mental fear. She had to stay calm and show that she was confident. No reacting, no pain. That is how you survive. She had to prove that she wasn’t to be messed with and that she was strong. Nurse Julia wheeled her into the elevator, pushing the B on the elevator buttons. ‘Basement,’ Skylar thought as the doors closed and she was slowly being lowered by the elevator.
How would the Autobots or the US government find her? Surely, by now they have found her car? Or well the shambles of it. Did they assume she was dead? Did they even know she was missing? How many hours has it been?! This mental interrogation she was going through only made her even more nervous. She had to stop. Biting her lip, she convinced herself to think of what they would be asking her. She knew her immediate answer, one they had been taught in OCS, the Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct was a code that applied to everyone in the armed forces. She knew that since she was now a prisoner and being questioned, Article V applied. She would only give her name, rank, service number, and her date of birth to the interrogators. It was rehearsed in her mind as the elevator slowed to a stop. “I am Major Skylar Waters, Autobot Ambassador, born on March 17th, 1984. I am an American soldier and am only required to say my name, rank, service number, and date of birth.” It replayed over and over in her head as the doors opened and she was led down the grey hallway of the basement.
She reached an iron door, breathing in and out as Nurse Julia knocked to be let in. Her nerves were through the roof. She felt as if she was going to throw up any second now. How could she be here right now? Why hadn’t anyone noticed she was missing? Where was Optimus!?
The door opened and she was rolled in.
----------
When the news of Major Waters’ vehicle being destroyed came to Optimus, his first reaction was fear. He was worried as he overheard the General speaking to Major Lennox, transforming as he leaned down to face them both. “What of Major Waters?”
The General looked at the large bot with confusion on why he was so worried. He expected worry, but not to the extreme that Optimus was expressing. It was hard to read the metal faceplates of the overly large bot. However, it was very easy to see the worry in the optics of the titan. But way so? The General looked at the titan and sighed. “She wasn’t found at the scene of the accident. From what we know, there was a bit of a scuffle. The car was found parked in a parking garage. There were no other vehicles other than a stolen SUV. Her car had a shattered window on the front passenger side and was missing the driver side door. The way the car looked, we can assume that the Decepticons were a part of this matter, but it is not conclusive evidence. We have no true evidence that the Decepticons are in on this.”
Optimus looked at them seriously, “I can conclude it is MECH.”
“How so?” Major Lennox asked. The entire time he had been keeping quiet and catching up on the intel.
“She called me off of a prepaid phone,” Optimus dropped the crucial information like a bomb. “She told me she had been compromised and that it is possible that we have a mole in our midst.”
Optimus spoke so softly as he said the information. “She was bugged by MECH. Her car, her phone, her home, even her clothes all had bugs.”
“Which means…” The General spoke slowly and softly.
“Exactly. I did not wish to tell just anyone this info, which is why I am speaking to you like this.”
“Of course. So, what else can you tell us?” Major Lennox asked as he started to compile a list of possible moles.
“She is in the hands of MECH no doubt. If her car is bugged then she is most likely tracked as well. She was planning to ditch the car and throw them off the trail of the cargo.”
“Honorable till the end,” whispered the General. “I hope that she can keep the secret of the Files. I do not believe we will be able to rescue her either. She was a valuable asset, but reasonably, we do not know the motives of MECH and they are not tied to the scene at all. The wreckage has nothing we can trace back to MECH. Until we do, she is on her own.”
“I do not understand your human laws!” Optimus spoke, louder this time but also much more threatening. He stood up, looking down at the humans with a piercing blue gaze. He pointed at himself and the other Autobots around him. “Autobots protect their own, and as the Autobot Ambassador, she is one of us.”
“She is a citizen of the United States of America and an active duty member of the US Air Force. She has the code to follow. As of right now, we cannot do anything. It is not your decision to make and it is above my paygrade. Until we have distinctive evidence, this concludes this discussion, Optimus,” the General hissed. “Remember where you are Optimus Prime.”
Many people and bots looked over. Those who were running training drills with a few of the bots dropped to the floor, suddenly wary of the Autobots who were oozing anger. Ironhide looked at Optimus with a blank faceplate. He stepped forwards, noticing how the humans scurried out of his way.
“General, you are telling me that one of our own is captured and you will do nothing of it,” the black titan said venomously, “unless we have evidence? And if we get evidence of this matter, then we can proceed with getting our Ambassador back?”
Prowl also stepped forward. “And if we have permission to patrol the area in which our Ambassador went missing for a search party, but not pursuing anyone yet, we can?”
The General looked at the two titans. “I will need permission from the Chief, but certainly. As long as you are not pursuing MECH. If you find evidence, store it and bring it here as quickly as you can.”
Optimus’ baritone voice interrupted them. “We have reason to believe that the Decepticons are helping MECH. Be on guard. Prowl, I need you here. Ironhide, I want you to lead a scouting operation. Please have Bee and Arcee with you. Elita and Chromia will be here for the cargo. Moonracer will watch Bee’s charge while he is gone.”
“Of course,” the two responded before leaving to organize the two teams.
----------
Skylar sat in the cold chair. She was still dressed in the hospital gown, so, of course she would be shivering. There were three men in front of her. One that she knew, the man who shot her, and the two others were rather odd. One was young, of asian descent, and the other was middle eastern. She looked between all three as she was strapped in the wheelchair.
At first nothing happened. She believed it was a test to see how resilient she was. So she sat, staring at the man who shot her. Minutes went by before he finally slammed his hands on the table and leaned across into her face. Flinching was inevitable. With him so far in her face, she attempted to keep her eye contact. She could practically taste the mint on his breath as he was so close to her. He grabbed her chin and roughly held it.
“Tell me where the Files are?” he asked calmly as he inspected her face, down to her neck.
She kept her mouth closed as he dropped her chin and gripped her entire jaw. The pain from being jerked forwards caused her to yelp. With her arm still in the slink and her wound still relatively new, the jerk also hurt her arm. In her mind she kept telling herself to keep her mouth shut, to deal with the pain. At the moment, it was hard to ignore. He continued to stare down at her with malice and distaste. He looked disgusted by her.
Trying to keep up with her look of clam and strength, she refused to speak again. This only infuriated him, causing him to drop her jaw and slap her. The slap caused her to turn her head to the right. The sting was awful and without her hands to nurse it, the sting only continued. She could taste the blood from where she bit her tongue. However, she was in for a treat. He did not stop at simple slaps. He continued to berate her, using fear tactics and implementing simple thoughts into her head.
After having her lip split by a brutal punch to her left face, he stood looking at her, “They aren't looking for you,” he turned back to her with a washcloth to clean the blood on his fist and then to dab her lip. “We made sure to leave nothing at the crime scene. Not even you precious pistol.”
He pulled the Colt 1911 out of his holster, the black metal glistening in the light. He took aim, aiming right for her arm. In a tense minute, he finally pulled the trigger, but the sound of an empty clip was heard. However, that did not help her flinching. She clenched fists and expected the bullet to lodge back into her arm, but it did not. She opened her eyes to see the man grin from ear to ear like a mad man. Evil. He wanted to see her reaction. How evil.
“Even the bugs in your car were removed. Anything that was somehow in reference to us is gone. Even your notes,” he leaned down over her as she quivered. “The only possible connection is the Decepticons in reference to your car door being pulled off its hinges.”
He smiled, a horrible, snarky, smile. “They will never find you.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Skylar was left in the icy room till the next morning. The interrogators had continued to harm her, even causing her wound to reopen, in attempts to get her to spill the secrets of the documents. Even after she refused several times, they never did give up. She was truly stuck in that cave. However, if she had told a lie, how many people would be killed? ‘How long can I last?’ she asked herself. ‘No matter what I say, they will continue to hurt me. If I say a lie, that lie can hurt others. Giving away the location would only end in destruction.’
Frankly, she didn’t know what was on the FIles. She knew it was a number of secrets that the Autobots had kept for millennia, but why did MECH and the Decepticons want these secrets so bad? She continued to think as she drank the porridge that was given to her. It was only enough to keep her satisfied for the next few interrogations, but it was nutritional. At first, she did not eat it until her hunger took over. Now she was just sipping on the last of it’s remains as she thought to herself. Would they continue their interrogation?
Her question was not answered for a few good hours, if she had a perception of time. She had curled up in a corner to help conserve as much body heat as possible. Only when she finally felt comfortable did they storm in. The man from before, Joab as she now knew, approached her and kicked her back. The pain traveled through her spine and into her lower back as he roughly grabbed her hair to pick her up. His rough treatment shook her awake almost instantly. She tried to fight, but with her left arm out of commission and being held by her hair, she had already put herself in a bad spot. Flailing, she attempted to kick back at him and grip his arm to make him release her, but only when she felt the barrel of her gun against her back did she stop.
“Bitch,” he hissed in her ear, “I suggest you stop with your antics before I blow a hole through your stomach. The only reason you are alive is me.”
He dropped her to the ground and looked down at her. “Since you failed to give us the information we needed, you will spend your time here. No more nurses, no more friends. Most importantly, you are alone.”
She knew it was an intimidation tactic. She knew he was trying to get into her head. “You are here, so, technically, I am not alone.”
Joab frowned at that, narrowing his eyes at her sarcastic comment. He reached down, grabbing her by the neck and pushing her against the wall in anger. “I am not your friend. You are isolated from your government, from your teammates, and from the Autobots. They haven’t even started to search for you, how sad..”
Dropping her to the ground, he continued his speech. “Personally, I don’t see a need to keep you alive. From what our intel suggests, you aren’t the only one who has access to the FIles anymore. Your actions put numerous people in danger, Skylar. Don’t you think that is selfish of you? You could have saved a lot of lives by just telling us what we wanted. Now, we have to get the FIles ourselves, and cause trouble at the same time. Is that what you wanted, Skylar?”
Her eyes fell, only for a moment. She felt guilt, but tried to push past it. “I am not the enemy here. You are the one blaming what you have done on me. If I recall, MECH is the one with the blood on their hands!”
“Blood stains even the purest of hands, Skylar. Even yours has blood on them,” he continued to walk, grinning again as he walked to her left side and pushed her to the ground with his shoe. “You are MECH property now. In the belly of the beast, you will have your hands dipped into the wet red blood of your victims, This is your fault, Skylar. I’m afraid that your reluctance has only reduced us to the point of no return. If an Autobot comes near us, we will wipe this part of the city clean off the map, you hear?”
He had to be bluffing, he had to be! There was no way that MECH had stockpiled enough explosives to destroy a sector of this city! Dayton was huge! She looked at him with wide eyes and shock. “No...you can’t do that…” she watched his grin grow bigger. “Th-that is domestic terrorism…”
“And to pin the excitement right on the Autobots? Blame them for the explosion of a city? They would be hunted and destroyed! And then no one will come for you…” his sinister smile only broke for a laugh. He leaned down and lifted her chin. “And it will be all your fault.”
Her fear took over as she pushed herself into her corner, away from the man who was absolutely crazy! Her heart was going 100 beats per second, almost as if it was beating out of her chest. It was insane! How could he just kill innocents. Doesn’t he have any morals? She had to do something, she had to protect the people. If in all honesty, since she gave it to Ms. Potts, she did not know where it was. She could only guess New York City.
“New York…” she whispered. “Don’t kill anyone please...New York is my best guess to where it is…”
He stopped for a moment, approaching her in her corner. “Good girl…” is all he said before walking out.
----------
Tony Stark looked at his wife-to-be with a rather cocky smile. “You’re telling me that you scored a deal with an extraterrestrial ambassador for their secrets!? Fury will be off his rocker for this one!”
“Shush! Tony, that is exactly why they gave it to us,” Pepper hissed while also smiling under her pointer finger, “to protect their secrets. They said we can use them as long as they do not be used to make weapons of any sort.”
“Pepper! You are just brilliant, you know that?!” Tony lifted his fiance, kissing her as they spun around the livingspace of the Stark Tower. She laughed, hugging onto him as they enjoyed the small bit of time they had together. That small bit of time was soon to end though. It always was. Pepper’s phone rang only a few moments after Tony set her down. She walked over to the table, seeing the unknown number. It was odd and well over the typical 9 digit number. She answered it, placing the phone to her ear. “Hello,” a deep baritone voice came over the other end of the phone, “I am Optimus Prime, a friend of Major Skylar Waters. Is this Ms. Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries?”“Yes, this is she. May I ask what concerns you with Major Skylar Waters?” she asked as Tony walked over to investigate. “I would like to discuss that with you personally, Ms. Potts. If you do not mind, I have a car waiting outside the Stark Tower for you. It is a green Corvette, right Major Lennox? Yes a green Corvette Stingray. He will take you to our outpost. Please bring your fiance as well.”
“May I ask why I am needed?” she questioned.
“This is a matter of your safety and the safety of humanity as of this moment in time. I will ensure your safety for the duration of your travel.”
“I see. We will be out front shortly.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Potts,” Optimus then hung up, ending the call before comming Crosshairs that the two will be out in a few moments.
Pepper turned to Tony with a sigh. “Grab your things, hun. We have to go meet those Autobots I was telling you about.”
“Shit. Could they hear me?”