Damaged Parts

Chapter 21: Never Back Down

Sandra found herself lonely, despite the numerous efforts made by the other kids and autobots to cheer her up.

Her best friend left her.

And she didn't even know why.

All of her life, Sandra had been so focused on a goal that she'd pushed away everyone. Now she was no different. Pushing everyone away with her grief.

Back then she thought she didn't need anyone. Sandra had been so determined about using her second chance at life to make the world a better place. She hadn't even thought twice about the people around her or herself.

At least until she met Wheeljack. He'd been the light to her darkness. There was never a time in her life when Sandra had felt so complete.

Sandra only knew Wheeljack for a few weeks, but now she couldn't imagine a life without him.

A very short life, according to Ratchet.

Speaking of the autobot medic, Ratchet was searching for Wheeljack, who had deactivated his tracking device. With decepticon activity at a low, Optimus seemed worried, but the Prime was good at hiding such feelings from the others.

In Wheeljack's absence, Ultra Magnus had been assigned to Sandra, which proved to be an incredibly easy task, considering she was incapable of movement.

Everyone seemed to be walking on glass around her, wondering if and when she'd snap. Either emotionally or physically, nobody knew which would come first.

Ultra Magnus cleared his throat, drawing Sandra's attention out of her thoughts. The second in command had taken her on a drive, per Arcee's advice. Sandra found it... annoying. Magnus had to wrap a selt belt around her chin so Sandra's head wouldn't flop around.

"Is there anywhere you would like to go?" He asked uncomfortably.

Home.

Sandra tried to shake her head, before remembering that she no longer possessed that ability.

"No." She replied quietly.

"Do you want to go back to base?"

"No."

"Understood." Magnus was quiet again.

Sandra felt the urge to fiddle or do something. Anything. Her brained urged her to get up and do something productive, but Sandra just couldn't.

After the accident, Sandra would have nightmares where she would wake up and couldn't move. Everything was numb and she'd panic that her spine gave out.

Now it was like that again. She was stuck in the infinite divide between nightmares and reality.

There was a small rumbling sound and Sandra lifted her eyes from Magnus's dashboard to the hard sand ground ahead of them. Her brows furrowed as small cracks began to spread across it as they drove.

"Magn-"

Sandra's breath caught in her throat as the ground suddenly crumbled away beneath them. Without much time to react, Magnus transformed, holding Sandra protectively as they plummeted.

He slammed into the sloped wall roughly, the dangerous rocks slicing through him and causing the mech to cry out. Magnus tumbled downward more until he rolled to a stop.

"Ultra Magnus?" Sandra called, encased in the darkness of his hands. "Are you okay?"

He grunted out a confirmation and put Sandra down. She tried to look around, but was reminded once again that she couldn't move. But what she could make of the immediate area seemed strange.