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Deshi Basara

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She was coughing when she woke.

The girl felt her throat scream in pain with every dry hack her mouth uttered. She was covered in rough sheets that acted as poor imitations of blankets, and when she opened her eyes, she only perceived darkness. The only light was the cold, cheerless glow that shone through a worn grille in the ceiling, and she heard water dripping somewhere, into a container of some sort. The girl sat up, but her muscles suddenly shrieked in protest; a mind numbing pain that shot up her spine and slammed into her head so hard she thought her skull would split open and spit out her brains. She fell back onto the rickety bed with a pitiable moan. Wherever she was, it was most definitely a cell, and she was in great pain.

"Easy...don't move too much...," reassured a gentle voice. The girl, surprised, opened her mouth to articulate words, but the only thing she could manage, past chapped lips, was a hoarse croak. The owner of the voice was very close, and the girl could even hear him; the gentle whirring of motors, the quiet hiss of pneumatics, the soft grinding of gears. Whoever it was, he was definitely cybertronian.

She looked around, but her eyes seemed to be burning, an ache that was exacerbated the longer she held them open, and she shut them. She could hear the mech pottering around somewhere beside her however, and she listened closely. Whatever he was doing, he was working with some sort of liquid, pouring it into something, and she could tell he was handling solid components as well; she heard him crushing something papery that might have been leaves, and she heard the soft sigh of powders being added to some mixture.

"Here, drink," said the voice. She felt something like a tube on her lips, and realizing what she had to do, she sucked on the rubbery straw. A warm fluid tasting of something like vegetables flowed into her mouth, and down to her stomach. Realizing how hungry she was, she took hold of the straw with a shaky hand, and proceeded to drink more, like a milk-starved calf, allowing the mixture to fill the raw, gaping hole that hungered for nourishment.

Having had enough, she pushed the straw away, signalling that she was done. The mech complied, and he set the container down somewhere close by. With her strength slowly returning, and her throat no longer dry, the girl spoke. "Where...what happened?"

Her normally lively and loud voice was now a hoarse whisper. She made to sit up again, but her nurse seemed to have sensed what she was about to do, and he laid a gentle servo holding her back. "You have to rest," he said. "It isn't wise to strain your muscles, especially with the injuries you have. As for what has happened...You were brought here by the guards a few days ago, heavily injured and unconscious...If it hadn't been for Kickoff, you would have been killed by the others...I was tasked with your recovery..."

She coughed again, and finally opened her eyes. She turned her head slowly, not having the strength to do much else, and faced the mech who sat beside her. His outline was barely visible in the darkness but she could make out just enough. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the large wings that stretched wide, like a bird of prey, and for a second she thought it was a certain Seeker. But then she saw the dim glow of his blue optics, looking down at her, and she calmed down; this one was different. The Seeker shifted to a more comfortable position and spoke again. "Your injuries were terribly serious...Fortunately, I was able to apply my knowledge to benefit your healing..."

"Injuries...What kind of injuries?"

"You had six broken ribs, a fractured femur, your right forearm was broken in two seperate places, there was a substantial amount of shrapnel in your belly and internal organs which I managed to extricate, thank Primus, your hip was broken, and let's not forget the numerous cuts and scrapes you suffered...All in all, a rather huge mess...You were lucky I am well versed in organic medicine...Frankly, I'm disgusted that they threw you in here in such a condition..." He turned his helm to look at her better. "I have to admit, though, I am quiet surprised that you managed to hold out for so long...Despite your small size, you are surprisingly resilient..."

The girl swallowed, shocked by the amount of damage she had taken. "Where am I?" she asked, as she looked around again. The darkness was so thick, she couldn't even make out the exact dimensions of the chamber they were in. The cold light from the grille didn't help things any. "And why is it so dark?"

"I shut off the lights so your eyes will be able to adjust to the darkness," said the mech, gently. "As for where you are...This is Garrus-9..."

"Garrus-what?"

"Garrus-9...You are a human, yes?"

"Yes...," the girl said, uncertainly; the question had been spontaneous.

"Oh, dear...Well, then we have a problem...You are very, very far from home, young one. Very, very far indeed...I...I do not know how you will respond to this...but you are no longer on Earth..."

The girl felt her heart sink in despair, as she absorbed what the mech was saying. "Not...Not on...How?"

She felt a calming servo on her body, and the Seeker continued. "From what I have heard, you were brought here via a Space Bridge, one that was situated on Earth...Can you confirm this?"

The girl took calming breaths, to steady her nerves, and she nodded. "Yeah...yeah, there's a Space Bridge...Underground..." She swallowed again, the better to relieve the pain in her throat. "We were in a battle...Ground Bridge accident...Me and the others, we were running...got Bridged into Decepticon mine by accident, don't know how...there was a grenade..." She trailed off, and closed here eyes, as the after-images of the explosion and the memories of intense pain that followed came back to her. She shivered.

The Seeker nodded. "I see...You have my sympathies if any harm befell your companions..." He kept his gentle servo on her midsection, and his internal systems radiated heat that was transferred down to his palm. The girl welcomed it, allowing the warmth to wash over her. "You are fortunate Kickoff was sympathetic," murmured the mech, "There have been others who have fallen prey to the harsh life here, most smaller than you...And this place takes away so much, believe me..."

The girl opened her eyes again, and looked into the Seeker's optics. "What is this place? Garrus-whatever?"

"Garrus-9...A high security prison now in control of the Decepticons...I find myself wondering why they threw you in here...Normally, Megatron wouldn't bother with organic life such as you...Unless you have really riled him up..." He shook his helm. "But I digress...So, Garrus-9. It is basically a holding pen, not for criminals and low-lifes, but for experimental test subjects...You wouldn't have stood a chance without Kickoff, let me tell you, what with all the horrors that they've let breed down here..."

He trailed off, and they sat together in silence. The girl absorbed the information with a growing sense of horror, something she was not accustomed to feeling. But the Seeker's optics were a reassurance, and she drew strength from that. "Who are you, anyway?"

There was a flicker of amusement in those aqua optics. "Very direct, aren't you? Allow me introduce myself...I am called Skyfire...Of course, I can't really do much flying in this condition, and..." He shrugged. "Oh well, what's happened has happened...I can't fret about it, I suppose...best move on...And what about you? What is your name?"

The girl coughed. "Mikoto...but my friends call me Miko..."

"Miko...," said Skyfire, testing the word with his vocaliser. "That's a nice name...Well, Miko, I congratulate you on your resilience...For you are going to need that if you are to survive in Garrus-9. Or Shockwave's Pit as they're calling it nowadays..."