"YOU KNOW, you're one of the main reasons I wanted you to retain your personalities. You always surprised me. LOVED DOING ANYTHING."

The instant Y/n stepped closer, everything went wrong.

A blast of energy seared through the air, striking the ground near her feet. The force of the explosion sent her stumbling back, barely able to keep her balance with her crutches.

She barely had time to register the pain shooting through her legs before she heard them—familiar voices.

Miko. Raf. Jack.

They were crouched behind a cluster of jagged rocks, wide-eyed and panicked as they watched the battle unfold. Y/n's glowing eyes narrowed, suspicion spiking in her mind.

They shouldn't be here.

They shouldn't even know about this.

"What are you doing here?!" Her voice cut through the noise, sharp and demanding.

The three of them turned toward her, eyes filled with something close to shock, but before they could respond, her outburst had already drawn unwanted attention.

The battlefield stilled for just a moment.

And then, the Decepticons noticed her.

A pair of glowing red optics locked onto her form, and Y/n felt a chill run through her.

Starscream was the first to react. His wings flared out in irritation, his talons curling as he studied her with a calculating gaze. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he sneered, his lips curling into a sharp smirk. "A little human in the crossfire? How unfortunate."

Y/n tensed, her grip tightening on her crutches.

Another voice, deeper and filled with authority, cut through the battlefield.

"Take her."

The order came from Megatron himself.

Starscream's optics widened for a fraction of a second before he recovered, his smugness returning in full force. "Ah—of course, my lord!"

Before Y/n could even react, Starscream moved.

She barely had time to raise a crutch before his sharp, clawed servos wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. Her body jerked from the sudden movement, her wings pinned awkwardly to her back as she struggled.

She didn't scream.

Didn't fight.

Just stared.

Even as the ground disappeared beneath her, even as the Autobots shouted in protest, even as Miko, Raf, and Jack cried out in horror—she simply watched, processing. Calculating.

And then the sky opened up as Starscream ascended toward the looming Decepticon warship.

The Nemesis.

10:56am

The moment she was placed on solid ground again, Y/n adjusted herself quickly, getting her bearings.

The metal flooring beneath her boots was cold, sterile, humming with barely restrained power. The Decepticon warship was vast, dark, filled with harsh lighting that cast jagged shadows against the walls.

She barely had time to take in her surroundings before heavy footfalls echoed through the chamber.

She didn't have to look to know who it was.

Megatron.

The air itself seemed to tighten around her, thick with authority and overwhelming presence. When she finally tilted her head up—her hand still supporting it—the warlord towered above her, his crimson optics burning into her.

There was no rage in his gaze.

No amusement.

Only cold, calculated interest.

He studied her, his expression unreadable.

And then, finally, he spoke.

"Tell me, little human... Who exactly are you?"

"Thanks for clearing the way on this planet, too."

"LET'S EAT."

END ACT

Words: 540