The Virago: A Second Chance

File:01318a4d-d77f-478c-b4b8-2b4fc91d0f4a.png This is a story by Negora1. This involves a lot of canon characters & a couple of fanon. All of which are her original ideas. PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARIZE IN ANY WAY!!!

In the beginning, Trona finds out Megatron and his army have arrived on Earth. She goes to investigate and write her name into his history. Not long after, the Autobots arrive and Trona goes to write her name in their history as well. But as she develops closer to both the teams, she must decide which side she lies with. The Autobots or Decepticons?

Beep, Beep!

The locator on the base computer blinked as it picked up a signal. Cybertronian life had entered Earth's atmosphere, for the first time in centuries.

"Trona, we've got a hot one!" a female voice called.

"I thought I was the hot one," a male voice replied with annoying suave. The female only scoffed.

From out of the shadows, a dark figured human walked out with a midnight blue suit and a black glistening helmet on. Her arms were folded as she stepped out, looking up to the screen through her mask.

"Should we investigate?" a different male voice asked the human with concern.

"We can't leave, remember?" the female said.

The human jumped up to the keyboard to find the coordinates of the Cybertronians. They were flying to the center of North America.

"Not for this one, T," Trona said to the male.

"I'll deal with this one."

~ Part One: Nemesis Monster ~

The Nemesis had finally broke through Earth's atmosphere, steadying its position over a desert in Arizona. The inhabitants of Earth had no idea what danger just entered their world. Inside the shadow ship, Decepticon troopers stood in formation ready for orders. Megatron stood at the front of them with Soundwave and Starscream at his sides.

"Is everything in order, Starscream?" Megatron asked his second-in-command.

"Yes, my lord," Starscream answered.

"Soundwave, are the coordinates set?"

Soundwave only answered by displaying the coordinates on the computer screen.

"Good," Megatron turned to face his Decepticon troopers. "Decepticons! We have come to the planet called Earth. The inhabitants here are small, weak creatures known as humans. The Autobots have not come to this Earth, yet. They will find out about our whereabouts eventually, so we must prepare for their arrival. Since they care so much for helpless creatures such as these, they will come to protect them. Even though they are useless, humans have resources we can use, including contact with Autobots. You must disguise yourselves, but if you are seen by them, quietly eradicate them."

"For now, our main focus is to supply on energon that Earth contains in its soil. We have located a large quantity of energon. When the Autobots arrive, they will be no match against our forces. Decepticons, load up the drills and mining tools. To work!" Megatron finished giving orders.

Starscream shouted, "All hail Megatron!" and the Decepticons repeated.

The Nemesis flew down to a deep chasm of rock and lowered the elevating strip. The drills and Miners came down and began cutting up the blue crystalline minerals- energon -and loading back to the ship. Everything was going according to plan, then Soundwave approached Megatron. He caught a signal of a ground bridge opening near the mines.

"What is this?" Megatron asked, almost frustrated. "We scanned the planet for any Autobots and found nothing! Send a message down and tell the troops to be ready for anything that comes." Soundwave bowed his visor and went to do as commanded.

Meanwhile deep into the mountains tunnels, Trona walked out of her ground bridge and closed it behind her. She quickly leapt to the rock walls to be sure no one saw her. None of the Decepticons had ventured her way, yet. Thankfully it was dark, so she could camouflage in the shadows. She could not be seen, otherwise her plan would blow. 

Drilling noises went off further into the mountain, so Trona went towards it. Even though she sprinted, she treaded her steps on the solid rock ground, only running at the top of her feet. The darkness started fading and blue light appeared up ahead. A small sample of energon was seperated from the veins the Decepticons mined.

Trona pulled out a Norta knife and quickly checked that no one was in hearing distance of her before swinging her knife into the energon. A chunk of it fell off and she quickly grabbed it before it hit the ground. She then pulled out a cylinder of some kind and inserted the energon piece into it. Trona pressed a button and the energon was grinded into liquid, the form which Cybertronians needed to fuel themselves. She put a cap with a small metal tube on top of the cylinder and put it through a small opening of her mask, tipping her head back.

Trona repeated the process on another chunk of energon and continued down the dark tunnel. She finally came upon an opening where the light was brighter and the noises grew louder. She could even hear a conversation between two troopers as she stuck against the walls.

"Lord Megatron said that Autobots could be down here since Soundwave picked up a ground bridge signal," one of them said.

Scrap! They know I'm here, Trona thought. But they think it's an Autobot, so I have an advantage.

"Didn't Soundwave scan the planet for Autobots? He said there wasn't any," the other trooper said.

"It could be one of those humans Lord Megatron was talking about," the first suggested.

"Maybe. But he said that they are small and weak so they couldn't hurt us," the second said.

Trona smirked behind her helmet. No other human could hurt them. For a human, she was tall; a good six foot. Of course, compared to the Decepticons, she was small.

Time was passing by and Trona sat in the shadows, listening to the Decepticons chat. From listening to them, they didn't sound evil at all. Sure, they've done bad things, but none as bad as Megatron. They seemed almost like the humans on earth that followed religion they believed in.

After a few hours, the miners and troopers loaded as much energon they could onto carts and started to leave. This was her chance. The two troopers she listened to were pushing a full cart. Swiftly, Trona jumped from rock to rock, hiding herself from view before jumping into the cart while the troopers looked away.

They finally arrived on the Nemesis. Troopers unloaded the energon into a vault and closed it off. Trona hid tightly in the corner for a moment, scanning the blue-lit room for any vents.

Aha! There you are, Trona thought. There was a boxed lining on the high corner of the wall. Perfect size for a human to cut open and walk through. She smiled behind her mask. The vents would be weaved throughout the whole ship.

A stack of energon cubes aligned to make a good ramp to jump up to the vent. She flexed her fingers and claw gloves then bounced on her feet. Trona ran up the stack and jumped off with her hands out, clinging onto the door crack. She placed her feet on the wall to keep from falling. With all her strength, Trona used her hands to prop the door open. She swung her feet into the vent and quietly closed the door behind her.

The light vanished, gulfing the veins of the Nemesis back into darkness. Trona switched her helmet to night vision, her sight becoming green. She stood up with a small crouch, almost touching the top of the vent. Even though the vents were small for the Decepticons, and though Trona was tall for a female human, it was the perfect size to camp out in and sneak around the ship. If the vent walls were thin enough, she would be able to hear everything the Decepticons did.

But in order to know what she needed to know, Trona needed to know where every room was. With that in mind, she pulled out a small device and placed it against the wall. It lit up blue and spun to attach itself. It was an extraction port that would scan the ship and send her back a blueprint of the Nemesis. The process took a while, so Trona decided to spend the time walking through the ship without the map.

Trona softly walked through the ship, listening for any sound that might pass through the walls. Her heightened sense of hearing definitely helped. With that, she heard a hoarse voice up ahead.

“...blasted miners, can’t you load any faster?! Get the energon to the vault already!” the voice rashly commanded.

That voice was all too familiar. Megatron’s second-in-command, Starscream. Trona remembered the moment they met. He was a Decepticon before they even existed. They made quite an impression on each other long ago. Luckily, Starscream couldn’t remember her. That would’ve screwed her plan up. She had no interest in listening to him and walked back to where she left her extraction port.

The map was finally downloaded when she got back. Trona pulled the Cybertronian computer screen up to view it. All the major rooms had vents leading to them. A small bag full of miniature microphones and cameras hung from her belt. Old school maneuver, but effective for the size. She was going to bug the place.

After installing the map into her helmet, Trona followed the vent line throughout the ship. When she arrived at a room, she pressed the side of her head against the vent walls to listen for any movement or voices. Mostly she heard nothing, so she opened up the vent quietly and placed the camera and mic in the tiniest crevasse of the ceiling corner. Two cameras and mics she placed in the hallways as she went on bugging. She reached the last big room and stopped to listen. There was a voice booming through the walls.

“You detected no Cybertronians in the mines?” a commanding, tough voice came through the walls of the control room. No voice responded, only a pause. “Then you must've malfunctioned. Why would there be a groundbridge if nothing came through it?” The voice grew frustrated.

From the sound of his tone and position, the speaker sounded a lot like Megatron. He wouldn’t remember her, as much as she wished he could. Once again, there was a pause of silence. Megatron was either talking through a comm link or a voiceless trooper. That trooper had detected her groundbridge, but not her vitals. So many advantages as an unsuspecting beast.

“Send troops to scout for signs of any creature other than the Decepticons,” Megatron ordered. Sounds of metal footsteps faded out and the Cons were gone. Trona placed the last pair of tech in the room and shadowed back to her little base.

With a map of the ship and bugs planted for every room onboard, she turned on the mics and cameras and each one flashed onto the screen for her to monitor. Whichever one she selected, Trona could listen to the conversations in that room.

Her plan was beginning to swing into motion.

Illusions

As the next two weeks went on, Trona observed the Decepticons activity throughout the ship and on Earth. They hadn't disturbed any human areas yet and had flown all over the U.S in search of energon mines. The only time they ever mined was when she hitched a ride with them. They must've simply wanted to know where mines were in case they ever ran out in the plentiful one they first found. The troops Megatron sent to look for her found no sign of anything and dropped the matter, resulting it being nothing but a malfunction. Boy, were they dead wrong.

On the ship, the troops mostly marched around in the halls awaiting orders. Scouts were sent out now and then, but nothing happened. Autobots hadn't arrived yet. While watching through the cameras, Trona learned a few things. The Decepticon Megatron was talking to about detecting her was one named Soundwave. He remained silent but deadly as he could pick up signals and work out any problem the ship had. From what she saw, he was Megatron’s most loyal follower. Another thing she found out was that most troops passed a dark dead end of the hallway that had no rooms too near it. Megatron never walked down there and was on the other end of the ship from where he spent his time. It would be the perfect spot to play out her scene.

One other item Trona had brought was a secret device no one else knew about but her. She called it the MW-Fusion. It could be used to wipe memories, extract information from such memories, and make any Cybertronian see things that weren't real. It was similar to the cortical psychic patch, but it could scan instead if being plugged into their heads. As handy as it was, it could only be used a certain amount of times before it runs dead. She programmed it that way so it wouldn't be used too much and in case she ever lost it. The charger was left back at her base, so she could only use the feature she wanted four times. It was enough for her to use against the Decepticons.

Trona made her way through the vents down to the dark dead end. No one was there or on their way, so she set up. She took out a couple of the lights to cloak the hall in total darkness so they definitely couldn't see her.

Thud, Thud, Thud… “I wanna go squish a human to get those Bots over here!”

Someone was coming. Two troopers, maybe two minutes away based on their pace. The MW-Fusion was in her hand with caution, cocked and ready like a gun. Trona crawled into the black corner to vanish and pointed her tool at the entry where the troopers approached.

A pair of Vehicons slowly sauntered into the opening on the hall. The scanning-scope propped up on the MW-Fusion, targeting the two.

A small flicker of blue light caught the sight of the Decepticons. “Hey, what's that?” They turned toward the darkened hall. Shadows of a some kind of beast with blue eyes enticed their vision. It's head slowly rose to face them.

In a flash, the beast let out a roar and tossed its claws across the first trooper’s head. Both screamed in panic, the other beginning to run and the wounded Con staggering up while covering his face. Their terror echoed down the hall as they fell back.

Trona lifted her lips only slightly. She didn't like hurting them, but it was dang entertaining. Especially since she knew what they saw, and that it wasn't real. But the claws across the face were. It was her that jumped and injured him with her norta claws. It will all be a nightmare to them, but it will pay off, she thought. She popped back into the vents to go to her surveillance system. Soon they would investigate this attack of a beast onboard. And Trona couldn't wait to see their faces.

---

“What in the name of Cybertron happened?!” Megatron said in an unhappy tone. The two Vehicons were shaking in fear.

“W-We were on the other side of the ship- at where the hall ends -and we saw...saw something,” the unharmed one answered.

“Some kind of beast with... blue eyes and... sharp, silver claws. It attacked me,” the wounded one finished. Energon was dripping from four claw marks on his face. He only moaned once, but he didn't want to show his pain in front of his Lord.

“Where would a beast that makes marks like that come from?” Starscream questioned.

“Could it have a possible connection to the ground bridge opening before?” Megatron turned to Soundwave for assurance. He replied with a recording of Megatron’s remarks on his malfunctioning. Megatron gritted his teeth in slight anger of mockery, “Alright, so you were correct in your detection. Head to the medic and get that patched.” The injured trooper nodded and headed off.

“How did a beast even get on the ship?” Starscream put a claw to his head in confusion.

“It doesn't matter,” Megatron disregarded. “If there is such a creature, we must dispatch it. Starscream, send yourself and some troops to the other side of the ship to kill this Nemesis monster.”

Meanwhile, in the vents, Trona watched their discussion go on with a finger to her comm link, ready to contact someone. “Hey. Step 1 is done. Now onto Step 2.”

---

“What a ridiculous thing!” Starscream complained. “A monster on the ship? Ha! Nothing could’ve gotten past my security...unless they were the same fools who ran into this problem in the first place.” He grumpily marched down to the end of the ship with only four Vehicons. He had no concern for the supposed Nemesis monster. The story of the two troopers seemed to be just that: a story.

One more light had been damaged at the end of the hall. A light hiss echoed in the flickering purple. Instead of complete darkness, blue illuminated from the shadows. Starscream noticed and straightened his position. “Whoever you are, come out where I, Starscream- first lieutenant of the Decepticons -can see your ready corpse.” The troopers pulled out their blasters and slowly approached the blue shadows.

But there was more than blue. Streaks of white lightning sparked inside silver and black jaws. The hiss grew deeper, angrier. Out of the shadows came a pair of blue eyes and metal beast on all fours.

Starscream let out a high pitched gasp and pulled his blaster out. “A Preda- egh!” He stopped his guess before he could say it out loud. “Shoot it! Kill it before it attacks!” Red lasers flew at the beast, but its armor absorbed the fire with minimal damage. It marched forward, developing a sinister growl, and leapt for the closest trooper. The beast swung its tail around and whacked him out of the way. More blue and white electricity began developing at the end of the spear like tail. The powerful creature flipped its tail back to zap the next trooper. He jittered from the taze and fell to the ground, sizzling.

Only now did Starscream actually want to do something helpful. He aimed his missile at the head of the beast. Right as he pulled his trigger, something pushed his arm off course and hit the back wall instead. Starscream saw nothing appear to have shoved him. Smoke rose from the explosion, forming a cloud that covered the beast. All they could see was the electric flickers and the glowing eyes. The beast pounced forward, ready for Starscream to be its next meal. He quickly pulled the next trooper in as a shield, now squished by the snarling monster. But the beast released the trooper and gave Starscream a look of pure hatred. He was obviously the intended target, and the whimpering second in command knew it.

“Ah! Retreat!” Starscream commanded. He transformed and flew out of the area before the monster could touch him. The four Vehicons revived from their injuries and drove out of there. Each of them were haunted by the deadly roar the beast belted for them.

Trona switched off her invisibility and grinned at the thought of Starscream in fear. “Hm, too bad. Almost got you there, slaghead.”

Apologies

Because of that unfortunate incident, Trona knew there would be panic on board. And she wouldn't be able to fool the entire Decepticon army. She didn't need to watch from her cameras to know what Megatron and Starscream would undoubtedly be talking about. After a good 15 minutes to breathe, Trona turned her invisibility on and popped out of the vents and into the hallway. She stood right in front of the door to the main control room, where all Decepticons waited.

Time to say hello. Trona walked into the main room, the doors sliding open and closing behind her. All Decepticon optics shot to the entrance, but they saw nothing. Invisibility worked like a charm. Their mumbles grew louder.

"Starscream," Megatron said, slightly confused, "did the beast go anywhere near a fuel line?"

Here we go. "Your systems are working just fine, Lord Megatron." Trona said. Their attention came back to her, lost in midair. She turned off her invisibility. "I can assure you I did not hack the controls. Although, their are a few lights that should be repaired at the other side of the ship." They were slow to draw their blasters, simply from uncertainty. "Simmer down, Decepticons. I put my razor sharp teeth away." She raised her arms up to show her without weapons in display.

"What is that?!" Starscream questioned with a hint of disgust.

"Well, don't you recognize me?" Trona teased. "Oh, right. Almost forgot about out first encounter. Sorry about that." Of course, they looked to each other for answers. "Oh! But where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced." She extended her arms and dramatically bowed towards Megatron. "The name's Trona, but you might know me better as...the Nemesis monster." Every trooper shifted nervously. "Oh! I see my reputation precedes me ."

Megatron gave Starscream a look of disappointment. "This is the beast you were so afraid of?"

"N-No, Lord Megatron, this pest lies! We saw what looked like...possibly-"

"A Predacon?" Trona interrupted. She remembered what he almost slipped at the scene. Troopers muttered again. She chuckled. "Haven't they been extinct for...forever? No, what you saw was merely an illusion of my making."

"How is that possible?" Starscream argued. "I saw it myself! It attacked us! How could an illusion attack?"

Trona pulled out the MW-Fusion. "You're all Decepticons. You all know about the Cortical Psychic Patch. This tool works similarly, but instead of entering and extracting information from the mind it manipulates the mind. I simply select a target..." She aimed the scope at Starscream. "...and manipulate what they see." Starscream now saw her as the beast with glowing eyes and sharp claws. He gasped slightly and rubbed his optics to make the illsuion go away. She allowed it to and the beast vanished from his sight.

"As for the attacks, well, those nasty claws were mine." Trona presented her norta claws that glimmered in the dim light.

Starscream still was unable to accept the proof. "But h-how can you-"

"Come on, Starscream." Trona cut him off. Both he and Megatron were surprised to hear that she knew their names so well. "Your Cybertronian technology is quite advanced. I've simply taken advantage of it and gave it my own twist. It should be of no surprise to you. Although...I suppose a mere human who has knowledge of your kind should be surprising." She noticed Megatron's continuing silence. "Are you lost for words, my Lord. Or does Soundwave got your voicebox?"

Megatron glared at her, still seemingly surprised. "Whether it was an illusion or not, you claim responsibility for a direct assault on the Decepticons. A very foolish act. Starscream, kill this pest." He turned his back, expecting the deed to be easy. Starscream grinned and raised his arm, launching the missile at her.

Really? Trona sighed and then simply dodged the missile by an inch. It hit the door instead. Starscream exclaimed with shock and frustration. "You seem to be having a problem with hitting your targets today, Starscream," she mocked. Megatron turned back around, his optics raised with intrigue.

Trona finally began her pitch. "You don't want me dead, Lord Megatron. I'm far more useful to you alive; far more resourceful."

"How could such a weak creature be of any use to me?" Megatron said.

"Well, I may be small in size, but my mind and strength are gargantuan in contrast. I have knowledge of this world that you will need if you want to survive it. If you may grant me permission to live, I shall allow such information to be given to you. By your command, of course." Trona placed a closed fist across her chest and bowed slightly.

Megatron pondered for a moment. "You must be tested of your worth before I can strike a bargain with you, human."

"Wisely so, my Lord. I am grateful for an opportunity." She dramatically bowed again. "We must plan on a test, perhaps, tomorrow. I have a schedule to keep. As do you, I'm sure... I will be in touch." Trona began to leave and the door slowly opened, smoking from Starscream's missile. "This door will need to be fixed too."

---

I have to make them think I haven't relocated here. Trona opened a groundbridge to coordinates set in Colorado. She tossed the MW-Fusion through, shut the groundbridge, and turned invisible. Can't risk losing that tool. They may not know how to use it, but it's a powerful asset to have. Decepticons would abuse it. She turned her comm link on after she got back into the vents. "Are you there? Did you get it?...Good. Now get out of there. I don't want anyone to see you...And from here on out, only contact me in case of emergency... I can't say for certain. It could take years...Yes, I promise I'll do regular reports...I will...me too. Goodbye."

Trona sighed, trying to mentally prepare herselffor another ride, then darted back to her camera screens. She knew Megatron wouldn't welcome her into open arms just yet. He had suspicions about an advanced human with the knowledge of them, she could tell. So she popped up the main room screen and listened.

"...and if she ever comes back, any chance you get, terminate her!" Megatron commanded. "She's nothing but a harmless shadow. Don't make it difficult."

Shadow, huh? Trona thought. I kind of like that. Thanks for another nickname, Con man. Megatron was done giving orders, so the troops began exiting the room. From the corner of the screen, she saw a familiar looking trooper. Made identifiable by the claw marks across his face. He paired with another trooper, most likely the one that was with the scarred one when she attacked. Trona felt bad for the two, especially for the one she marked. Her guilt ate her up. With a deep breath, she began to trek down the vents again.

---

"Does it hurt anymore?" said the unharmed jet Vehicon.

"No, but it's a little blurry to see on my left side." The two Vehicon troopers conversed as they were stationed in another end of an empty hallway, unaware that they were being watched.

"Met at a bad time, didn't we?" Trona's voice echoed. The two troopers immediately pulled out their blasters, searching for their target. She perched on the walls, remain unseen until she knew she was safe. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you boys."

"Where are you?" the scarred trooper asked angrily.

Trona silently shifted into different spots to throw them off. "I understand you must be very upset with me. After all, I gave you quite the fright, and quite the scar..."

"How do we know if that was even you who attacked us?" the jet trooper questioned. Their heads turned in many directions in search of her.

"I can also understand why you don't believe me. It is very hard to believe that a tiny little human like me could inflict such damage on sentient beings like yourselves," Trona slightly flattered. "Yet, if I am not as I claim to be, then you would easily be able to find and kill me within the same second. Specifically you two."

"What...what do you mean?" the scarred trooper asked, almost lowering his blaster.

"Don't listen that thing!" the other snapped. "She doesn't know anything about us!"

"Well, maybe not personally, but I am very observant," Trona said optimistically. "The moment you heard my voice, you both immediately pulled out your blasters ready for action. That shows you are both eager and quick on your feet. You both have great reflexes, when you are prepared. When you are caught off guard, you tend to crumble. So, trooper, you are correct in terms of my knowledge of your personalities, but not of your actions."

This seemed to calm them down a bit. Both had their blasters lowered, but still out. They are curious, this is good! she thought.

"What do you want?" one asked. "And why are you here?" asked the other. Now, Trona felt a little safer. She jumped down and landed behind them, turning her invisibility off. They turned around and aimed their blasters at her, but didn't fire.

"I simply wanted to apologize."

The troopers looked to each other in confusion. "Apologize?"

"I did hurt you, as much as I wish I hadn't. It pained me to do, but the only sure way I knew how to get the Decepticons' attention is through violence. So I wanted to say that I am sorry for hurting you and I feel terrible for doing so."

At first, the troopers said nothing, only staring from each other to her. The scarred trooper lowered his blaster and his head. "We've...never been given any apologies...or mercy," he said softly.

For a moment, Trona felt great sorrow and empathy for the two Decepticons. They've never been shown any kind of compassion, until now. Megatron was incapable of showing gratitude or kindness to his followers. The only thing he gave them was his philosophy and his sense of discipline.

After a small silence, the crestfallen human spoke gently to the scarred trooper. "I am so sorry. You do not deserve cruelty."

Out of the blue, the scarred trooper put his blaster away and knelt down to look right at the small alien. "Can you fix it?" he asked.

Trona knew what he meant and examined his scars thoroughly. They were patched a little sloppy, but it was healed fully. Unless they had some sort of buffer, then the scars would always be there. "Well, I could, if I had the proper tools. But...I think you should keep 'em."

"What? Why? It makes me look terrible."

"I think it makes you look tough," Trona tried to bring out a positive. "Scars may be a reminder of a painful experience, but they are also marks of strength and survival. At least in my book. Underneath my suit, I've got tons of scars. All of which remind me of how strong I can be." She sighed and decided to point out the main reason to keep the scars. "...and to be honest it makes it easier for me to identify you."

"Wait, so you can recognize me?" he questioned.

"Yeeess. Sorry, but you all look the same, so I would like to identify at least you two."

The other trooper tuned in after some confusion. "You don't need to identify us when you're gonna die anyway." He lifted his blaster. "Lord Megatron ordered your termination."

"Gasp, how rude!" she sarcastically replied. "He hasn't even gotten to know me. Oh, but you two wouldn't kill me. Not after we've just become friends."

"Friends?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, of course. I would hate for us to be enemies forever, uh...wait, I don't even know your names. How can I address you two?"

"Uhh..." the scarred trooper didn't know how to sat it.

Trona was slightly dumbfounded. "Wait...you don't have names?" They were silent, almost ashamed. "How the frag do you tell each other apart then? You troopers don't all go by 'Decepticon trooper' or 'Vehicon' do ya?"

"Basically...we've never had need for any personalized titles," the scarred trooper admitted.

"Well, we're gonna have to fix that with you two. Let's see, what's a good name for you?" Trona tapped her finger on her helmet in thought. She was pretty good at coming up with Cybertronian names. They had to be names they could answer to, at least from her. Lights flashed in her head. "I got it! You-" she pointed at Scarface. "-I'll call you Smite."

"Smite? Why?" he asked, curious about his individual worth.

"Because you are always ready to smite your enemies, no matter how many hits you take."

"Hmmm...I like it," Smite accepted his new name.

"And for you..." she pointed to the other, his blaster still pointed at her. His uncertainty was very strong. "...I think I'll call you Blastlock."

He seemed a little irritated. "Any reason why?"

"For right now, it seems suitable for the fact you can't seem to decide whether or not to shoot me. But I'm sure you have pretty good aim." Trona got tense and wiggled her fingers in anticipation for a blast.

Blastlock didn't seem to object, so it was now officially stuck to him. He was still uncertain about her. "Lord Megatron ordered us to kill you," he said monotonously.

"I know, Blastlock...Why don't we keep this between the three of us? And if Megatron ever finds out you didn't kill me when you had the chance, then I'll turn myself in. And if he tries to hurt you again, I promise to protect you."

They considered the offer. "How could you possibly protect us from his punishments?" Smite asked. "He's Lord Megatron and you're a...human."

Trona nodded in understanding. "That's all true...but I am not just a harmless shadow. I can guarantee that I am the only human that can do what I can do."

Before they could answer, voices of other troopers began to echo towards them. "Scrap," Smite exclaimed. "What do we do?" He asked Blastlock directly. He seemed to be the brains of the duo, while Smite was the spark.

Blastlock looked down at Trona, contemplating his options. He growled almost. "Get out of here, you."

"Thank you. Smite, Blastlock." She placed her fist across her chest and bowed. When the two turned around to check for the approaching comrades, Trona pressed the button on her wrist and vanished. They turned back around and she was gone.

"But what was your name?" Smite asked in a slight whisper.

She climbed back onto the walls and near the vent door. "Don't you remember? I'm your little shadow, Smite. We'll meet again."

Two Vehicons turned the corner. "Hey!" one called out. "You seen any sign of that pest?!"

"No, no sign of her!" Smite called back.

Trona listened from inside the vents. She smiled. They've only known of my existence for a day and already my plan is working.

Regulation

The Nemesis continually drifted across Earth’s skies. They began to move up north to the Arctic, detecting some sort of energon spike. This peaked Trona’s curiosity and worry because if there was an signs of energon in the ice, then the Decepticons would definitely melt it down. She scuttled down the vents to meet up with Smite and Blastlock, who were on their way down to the main room.

Trona hung from the ceiling right in front of their faces. “Hey boys,” she said.

“What are you doing here?” Blastlock whispered angrily.

“Just checking on you,” she reassured. “Keep your pace slow and we may just have a good conversation before the next group of troopers comes around the corner.”

Trona hopped from Blastlock to Smite’s shoulder, placing something on them. “Why are you...sitting on me?” Smite said, slightly confused.

“So we can talk while we walk. Well, while you walk. Anyways, I heard Megatron picked up a spike in the Arctic. You’re all gonna go check it out?”

“Yes...hang on, how did you know about that?” Blastlock questioned.

“I’m a very good listener.” Trona smiled at the truth that applied to all kinds of situations. As well as in the moment where she could hear that group of troopers she referenced coming closer to the corner. “Oh, looks like your comrades have a quicker pace than I thought. Better be going.” She leapt onto the walls and ricocheted to the floor. “See you soon, boys.” Trona zipped away into another hall just as the Vehicons approached the two familiars.

I’m not sure they are going to find energon like they hope, Trona thought. It’s a small spike, so not big enough for a mine, but not too small to be considered worthless. Whatever they picked up could be another gift sent from their planet. It was irritating how much of Cybertron’s dangers always floated onto Atlas. That was most likely what it was, but a balance of probability can still be tipped over.

Trona made her way down to the main room where Megatron currently was. Even if her life was in threat from him, she had to get information on their target. And hopefully dissuade him from pursuing it. Highly unlikely, but not trying would definitely melt the ice. She turned her invisibility on and walk in right as Vehicons did, hiding her entrance. First, she wanted to listen in on the commands to see what was going to be done. Then she would have a little chat with the Decepticon leader.

“Decepticons,” Megatron began. “We have traced an energon spike here in this frozen wasteland. What a strange planet this is.” Trona nearly laughed out loud. She knew exactly what he meant. So many climates integrated within this world. “Our mission is to investigate this detection, and if it holds any value, bring it here.” Megatron dismissed the Decepticons to unload into the snow. Soundwave and Starscream remained with their lord. Trona softly jumped onto the middle of the walkway and, while their backs were turned, became visible again.

“I do hope for the sake of your army, Lord Megatron, that what you find isn’t an energon mine.” The three heads of the deceptive dragon turned around and glared at her. Or at least, Megatron and Starscream did. Soundwave poised like a trained assassin. Oh, I wonder what’s coming, Trona thought sarcastically.

“Ugh, it’s you,” Starscream said with disdain.

“Maybe try to have a little more enthusiasm next time, Starscream,” Trona joked.

“Soundwave,” Megatron simply said. As Trona suspected, Soundwave swung his blade-like arms down on her, but she back-flipped away before he cut her down. Suddenly, a small jet popped off of his chest, chirping like a bird and shooting her with small blasters. She stood where she was, changing positions to dodge its fire. That jet was only just bigger than her. As were many humans she tussled with. The metal bird flew straight at her. Trona closed her fist and whacked it away like a fly, causing it to crash against the wall.

“Were you listening, my lord? I’m giving you information regarding the conditions of this planet.” She treaded the thin ice lightly. “Would you like me to explain so you may understand?”

Now, Megatron was truly confused. He had ordered her termination and just had his top general attack her, yet she once again offered her allegiance. Not only that, but she took out Soundwave’s pet like it was nothing. There was something strange about this human pest, but Megatron wasn’t sure what.

After a moment of Starscream stuttering, Megatron finally spoke. “What makes these conditions so threatening to my troops, shadow?” He meant the ‘shadow’ as an insult, but Trona stood straighter now.

“You are correct in your observations of the planet; it is very strange. But strange can also prove deadly, especially with extreme weather,” Trona explained. “Each of you are living hunks of metal with great power. Metal can be damaged in freezing cold climates. So no matter how much power each of you have, it cannot prevent you from shutting down.”

“Is that how cold it is? Cold enough to kill us?” Starscream asked.

She nodded. “With prolonged exposure, yes it can. Which is why I placed sensors on a pair of troopers now down in the frozen waste.”

“You can track my troops?” Megatron seemed defensive.

“Not with the sensor, no. The sensor will alert me if the troopers are getting too cold and will need to retreat back into the Nemesis at once. Of course, that will only be by your call, Lord Megatron. Unless you want your troops to become statues of ice, regardless of the frozen treasure.”

Trona crossed her arms and tapped her finger. Megatron said nothing. He only stared in contemplation of her words. Then her tracker went off in her helmet, showing the coordinates on the screen in front of her eyes. “Oh, looks like your boys found the spike. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go check it out. They have at least 30 minutes before the cold starts to get to them.”

The little jet began to move again. Trona jumped down to it and carried it back up to Soundwave. Sneering, she said, “Sorry about your little bird.” She bowed low and dashed out of the room.

Starscream’s poker face broke. “Lord Megatron, are we just going to ignore the fact that she didn’t die like she was supposed to?!” he exclaimed. “And how would she know that our troops found the spike?”

Just then, the comm link signaled on the panel. “Lord Megatron, we’ve found it,” a Vehicon called. Megatron gave Starscream a stare, remarking his stupidity.

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