Chapter Text
WHAM!!!
Optimus' colossal fist crashed against the underside of the Legion's jaw, sending a shockwave rippling through the air that reverberated in Marissa's bones. With a sudden surge, she was freed from the creature's nightmarish grip, her heart racing as the exhilarating rush of adrenaline ignited her senses. But instead of finding solace, she was met with a new peril.
Plummeting several feet toward the ocean. The water below loomed like a solid wall, ready to greet her with a bone-jarring impact!
Time seemed to stretch as she hurtled downward, the world around her morphing into a dizzying blur of blue and white, her heart pounding in her chest as she braced for what felt like certain doom. However, fate intervened just in time. A moment later, she felt an unexpected yet gentle pressure beneath her, as her body softly settled into the enormous, blue palm of a metallic giant.
With its glistening armor reflecting the sunlight, the remarkable figure averted disaster with effortless grace, cradling her with strength and precision. She landed safely, without a single bone broken, in stark contrast to the terrifying plunge she had just endured.
“Marissa, are you all right?”
The warm, resonant voice sliced through the chaos, wrapping her in a cocoon of reassurance. It was a comforting reminder that even in the most harrowing moments, unexpected help could appear, transforming fear into gratitude. No, this was more than mere assistance.
He had come to her rescue.
He was her hero, her savior, her indomitable source of her strength.
The very reason she lived, both now and during those distant memories of a childhood overshadowed by uncertainty. In his presence, she felt a profound sense of safety that transcended the chaos surrounding them.
“Prime,” the blonde muttered in awe and admiration, his blue optics, brilliant and burning with soothing, gentle light from within, the very light of the Matrix within him. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to you.”
The light of Primus, burning bright for the protection and preservation of all life.
“It’s no problem, Marissa,” and, in this moment, especially her life. “I am just relieved you are safe.”
This brief distraction was all the sickening creature needed, launching a tendril forward and smacking the Autobot in the face with tremendous force, the human he had just rescued once again in free fall. Only she never reached the ocean, her “savior” in this case also proving to be her eventual killer.
Upon regaining his senses and standing back upward, Optimus Prime's optics scanned the monstrous form before him, realizing with a jolt that this was no ordinary creature. The Legion, a grotesque fusion of Parasitech and the remnants of a shipwreck, writhed and lashed out with its countless tentacles. Each movement was a deadly threat, and Marissa was still caught in its grasp.
And, just as with all the others, it bore the same face of Megatron.
D…
…no.
Not anymore.
With a surge of strength, Optimus lunged forward, his fist crashing against the creature's form, but the Legion barely flinched. It was as if the beast had been forged in the fires of a thousand battles, its resolve unbreakable.
It didn't take long for the Prime to discover why.
Marissa, while trapped within its tendrils and struggling to free herself, found her own form steadily growing weaker, the Legion’s hold seemingly robbing her of any semblance of energy she had.
It was feeding off her energy, literally feeding off of her, just in a slower method, but it proved to be enough to transfer her own sustenance to the sickening mutation.
If she didn't escape, if she didn't find some way out of its grasp, then not only would she be done for, but perhaps even Prime himself.
Focusing with every amount of mental fortitude, the blonde American woman held her hand outward, a shimmering plasma knife manifesting in her grip, the center of her chest emitting the same bright pink hue. Raiding it upward, its surface glinting in the pale moonlight and numerous stars, she began slashing at the tentacles with practiced precision.
Primus, even if you're not exactly MY God, a little help here would be nice!
"Marissa, hold on!" Optimus's voice boomed, echoing across the battlefield. He knew he had to act quickly. With a roar, he activated his energy axe, deflecting the Legion's retrospective blows and retaliations, all the while he searched for a weakness. Marissa, her face a mask of determination, managed to cut through the final tentacle, freeing herself just as Optimus's strikes and blows began to falter.
He struck down the mutated fusion of Megatron and the sunken vessel at the last second, catching the young woman in his grasp once again. Setting her atop her surfboard, he crept forward, searching for any further sign that the life form was still, somehow, living.
But the respite was short-lived. As Optimus moved to intercept the Legion, he felt a sudden, searing pain. His systems flickered, and he realized he was leaking vital fluids. The battle was taking a toll, and he knew he couldn't hold out much longer.
Marissa, seeing her hero's predicament, made a split-second decision. Leaping off her board and diving into the water, she rushed to his side, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and resolve as she tried to navigate through both the ocean water and the darkness. Without hesitation, upon being brought close enough, she reached up and kissed him, her lips pressing against his metallic mask, the gentle touch of her organic yet tender flesh meeting his unyielding exterior.
Their energies intertwined, fusing them into a single, formidable warrior. Optimus felt a surge of power, his wounds healing as Marissa's strength flowed through him. With renewed vigor, he grabbed the Surfblade, a weapon forged from Marissa's surfboard and his battle axe, charging at the Legion.
The newly formed Surfblade sliced through the creature with ease, severing its tentacles and exposing its core. With a final, mighty swing, Optimus drove the blade into the Legion's heart, vanquishing the beast once and for all. The battlefield fell silent, the only sound the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.
Marissa, her breath coming in ragged gasps, turned to Optimus, her eyes shimmering with a mix of gratitude and something deeper. "Thank you, Prime. You saved me yet again." Her voice was soft, carrying a note of affection that she couldn't hide. Becoming one with the Matrix was always disorienting, but the feeling of solid ground beneath her, the softness of the sand, grounded her in a way that made her heart ache with longing.
Optimus looked at her, his optics softening with a warmth that mirrored her own feelings. "And you saved me, Marissa. Yet again. We make quite the team, don't we?" His voice was gentle, laced with a tenderness that spoke volumes about the bond they shared. In that moment, the world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them, their connection as profound as the ocean stretching before them.
As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, they spotted an Autorooper in the distance. The vehicle was occupied, its driver's seat housing a sickly girl.
“Is it one of EDC’s guys?” Marissa quietly asked, all the while Prime was looking for any members of the aforementioned organization himself.
“I'm not entirely sure,” the Autobot confessed, transitioning into his convoy mode. “Regardless, I don't think we can afford to find out.”
Optimus, ever the protector, motioned for Marissa to climb in, and they calmly took their leave, leaving the Autorooper to tend to its passenger.
Marissa, her heart swelling with a symphony of gratitude and yearning, gazed at Optimus with eyes that held a world of unspoken emotions. "Will we ever play under the Sun again?" she asked, her voice a soft, melodic whisper that carried the weight of her dreams and desires. The question hung in the air, a delicate thread of hope and longing.
“Marissa…” Prime spoke, voice always a soothing baritone, yet there was clear uncertainty in his cadance.
As she spoke, a flicker of guilt crossed her face. "I know it's dangerous, and I should be focusing on keeping safe, but sometimes I just want to feel the board beneath my feet, the spray of the ocean, the freedom of it all." Her admission was raw, a confession of her deepest wishes.
Optimus, his headlights reflecting the dawning light, paused, allowing her words to settle within him. A gentle smile played at the corners of his mouth, a promise in itself. "Yes, Marissa," he replied, his voice a deep, resonant timbre that wrapped around her like a warm embrace. "Someday, when the world is safe and the sun shines bright, we will play again. Just you and I, under the vast, blue sky. And until then, I'll be here to protect you, whether you're surfing the waves or chasing the horizon."
And with that promise, a promise that felt as eternal as the ocean and as warm as the rising sun, they set off into the new day. The Autorooper hummed beneath them, a steady rhythm that matched the beating of their hearts. Together, they faced the horizon, ready to embrace whatever adventures lay ahead, their bond as unbreakable as the dawn itself.