Ghosts of the Present (Rescue Bots AU)

59. Attack on the Heart

"You sure about this, Chase?" Blades asked.

Chase nodded, opening the lid of the stasis pod. "An hour should be plenty of recharge to recover my lost energy levels. And I can't exactly fall out of the pod like I did my berth this morning."

"You could fry the pod's wiring with your electricity instead."
The copter winced as Chase's antenna drooped a bit, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I just... Be careful. Forcing yourself to stay asleep during these nightmares might not be the best idea."

"Well, neither is continuing to let them drain my energy reserves..."
Chase climbed into the pod, "I need that energy for rescues... and dealing with Blurr when we go to that party he's planning. Knowing him, there will be an excessive amount of noise and high chances of exceeding local speed limits."

Blades smiled a bit, "Okay... One hour, Mister. Then out."

Chase nodded, pulling the lid down and letting Blades close it entirely. The copter did have a point though, keeping himself in sleep had been one of the reasons they'd hardly used the stasis pods since building them. When merely resting in their berths, they could be awakened quickly in an emergency and wouldn't miss anything- and they'd already spent enough time missing out on important things... Like the majority of a centuries-long war.

As the cold air and mist penetrated his framing and lulled him into the darkness, he hoped that the darkness and silence would be all there was to it... But alas, even in true stasis sleep, the visions returned.

The cold air took on warmth, and the mist, a strange and yet alarming scent. Chase had encountered many types of smoke, smelling of different fuels: wood, fields of grass, chemicals, rubber, gasoline... but what was burning now, he wasn't certain. Sweet, sickeningly sweet, it seemed to cling to his vents like honey, dripping down and making him wheeze.

His eyes opened, finding hazy, towering walls all around him. He could hear distant rumbling, not like thunder, but more like... applause? Like a mighty crowd roaring in a stadium, it came and went in waves. The clinking of chains and lower-pitched, sadder-sounding rumblings came from either side of him. Ahead of him, he could make out a small, barred window in the wall, or perhaps it was a door... a cell door.

He tried to move forward, but heard the clinking grow louder and felt a weight on his wrists and ankles as he rested on all fours. He looked down and saw the heavy cuffs and thick chains holding him in place- he was a prisoner, and his eyes met with the talons and scales of a dragon. Dragons, what was so important about them? Why was he being shown them over and over?

There then came loud footsteps, and he turned back towards the door as it opened. A human appeared, though the smoke and sudden bright light behind them kept their distinctive features hidden. They appeared to be saying something to him, in a language he didn't understand, but tone was enough... They were mocking him.

They laughed and then closed the door again, and Chase coughed to try and rid the smoke from his throat. He had to figure this out, he had to figure out why dragons were so important... Hunted, captured... the crowds... the cages...

...Was the hunting just the humans collecting the dragons to be sold? Was this a trafficking ring? Was this real? Was some mysterious force calling out to him, begging for help from this place?

"Where are you...!?" He hissed, "What do you want me to do...!?"

Then he heard another voice, echoing through the dream.

Go, Chase! Get help!

Chase's optics opened and he found the lid of the capsule in front of him. Her energy levels had indeed stabilized, but now his processor was spinning. Had he... Had he just heard-