The Unknown (Transformers Book 1)

Stick It In Him

Lexi

My head cracks against metal, making me grunt. I roll onto my side, grabbing my bleeding stomach where the pain has been forgotten. Light from the giant fucking sun above blares down on me, making me squint. Something nudges against my stomach when I move and it feels more like a cold box rather than Optimus' chest.

I tuck the Cube tight against me, trying to keep it safe.

Brooke is beside me, passed out. I think she hit her head too hard during the fall. Every bit of me wants to rush to her and make sure she isn't dead or on the way to being dead. When I glance over my shoulder at her, her chest rises and falls in even motions.

Good, at least she's still breathing.

"Alexis," My eyes find Optimus' blue ones. He lays on his back, shielding me from any rubble that may fall onto me. His red and blue flamed paint is almost blinding underneath the sun.

"Y-yes?" I ask through the sound of people screaming and tires screeching against asphalt.

"You and your sister risked your life to protect the Cube." He begins, his voice low and weak, just a little bit above a whisper. Like my sister, his chest rises and falls in gentle motions. Gears whirl and hiss out air softly and maybe if Megatron wasn't just laying a few feet across from us, if people weren't shooting and killing each other, I might have actually found the noise soothing.

Immediately, I already know where this is going just by his tone of voice. What he is asking me to do. "No. You don't get to sacrifice yourself. Not today. We still need you."

Optimus proceeds like I haven't even said a thing. "If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the Cube into my chest. I will sacrifice myself to destroy it."

My eyes widen. I shake my head, slow at first, then speeding up. "No. You're not going to die, Optimus. Not today."

"Sacrifices are sometimes necessary for the good of others, Alexis." He says before snapping his battle mask into place. "Get behind me."

He moves to sit up, gently setting my sister and I down into a large trench running across the middle of the street. A water line has erupted and spills who-knows-what kind of water into the muddy trench. Bad if you want to keep infections out of open wounds.

My thoughts go to my sister having any unknown wounds, rather than my own. Black visions cloud my spot, but it's barely noticeable.

Optimus stands onto two feet and Megatron does the same. "It's you and me, Megatron." I try to watch the two from the trench, but my legs are too short or the trench is too tall. I go for the latter. Either way, I can only listen to the two while I drag my sister towards safety while also trying to hold the cube between my side and arm.

"No, it's just me, Prime!"

"At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall."

"You, Optimus Prime!"

Metal smacks against each other as Megatron and Optimus go flying over me. I gasp, bringing my arms over my head to shield me from any rubble, but none comes. The ground shakes with their steps and punches, it's terrifying.

"You still fight for the weak! That is why you will lose!" Megatron yells, slamming Optimus into something that sounds like cement.

Somehow I've managed to haul my sister's limp body up from the trench and to a nearby shop. My body aches as I lean her up against a cushioned wall and then run back out of safety to where Optimus is.

    The sun blares down on my once again right as missiles fly overhead, striking the grey con in the chest. He collapses onto his knees, ready to get back up when he sees me. "All Spark!"

    I wince, pushing my feet faster as he slams a fist down beside me. Startled, I jump, falling onto my rear and crawling back further under his chest where he can't get me. My heart has seemed to move behind my eyes.

    "Alexis!" Optimus yells from across me, trying to push himself onto his elbows. He slams his fist into the ground. "Push the Cube into my chest now!"

    The offer wasn't at all tempting, but it crossed my mind. If I stuck the Cube into his chest, he says it would kill him, leaving us with a furious Megatron to kill. My eyes flick upwards to Megatron's chest directly above me.

    Or...

    Clenching my teeth, I move onto my feet, standing on the tip-of-my-toes to shove the Cube into the Decepticons' chest. The grey on the cube ignites into a fire of red flames that burst into Megatron's chest. He staggered back in surprise, grappling at his chest before collapsing onto his back. Blue blood spurts from his mouth and his gurgling dies into silence.

    I stare openly, not realizing that my face has scrunched together while watching the death until Optimus calls my name. "Alexis." My head snaps to him, frowning for no reason. Already, I can feel my heart start to go back into equilibrium as my adrenaline lowers.

The bullets and shouts have stopped. People and bots all gather around, including my sister who is rubbing her head with an arm thrown around Sam's shoulders. She gives me a thumbs up and I smile, though it's not my usual full and cheeky grin. This one feels more driven through exhaustion as black spots begin to cloud my vision.

"You risked your life for mine." Optimus continues, drawing my attention back to him. I bring a hand to my stomach, just pressing against the knot of my sweatshirt where my wound is. "We are in your debt."

I wave a hand at him, "It's fine. You -- no one owes me a thing." My eyes narrow on my sister. "Except you -- I want my twenty bucks back."

She scoffs, pulling me into a hug that makes me wince. More black spots cloud my vision and pain slowly begins to creep its way back into my nervous system. All I can think is, come back adrenaline. "We were ten, that doesn't count."

"I've been stabbed," My voice is growing weaker and I blink longer than I wanted to. When I open my eyes, Jazz is making his way towards us, gaze fixated on me.

Brooke doesn't take me seriously as everything goes from pain to nothing, completely numb.  She chuckles lightly into my shoulder, patting me on the shoulder like an adult does with an amusing kid. "No you're fine. Stop being dramatic, it's just a hug."

"No, I'm not." I push away from her and look down at my hand holding my stomach. It comes back crimson red. My legs go weightless and I collapse, barely feeling my head crack against cement.

"Lexi!" People's voices are muffled together and it's hard to tell which voice belongs to who.

"Someone call a bus!" I think that's Lennox, but I'm not sure.

"No, call David!" Sam, Mikaela, and Brooke are all kneeling beside me with Jazz hovering behind them. I'm not quite sure what the other's say because the world grows darker and darker until everything is completely faded into black.

The End

:)