Shine

Lyrics transcribed on: 7 January 2004

Written on: 18 May 2004

Author’s Note: Even before I’ve started this one, I can feel that it’s gonna be a real boot in the pants. Again, my thanks to Hacker for letting me write about her, and I so don’t own her, Depth Charge, Beast Wars, Clay Aiken, or the song “Shine.” And I really like the ending of this one.

You can try to hide away

From every drop of rain

That’s hanging over you

Rampage was staring at the face of the Maximal in front of him, feeling his life start to slip away. Depth Charge held his hand to the wound, optics unwavering upon Rampage’s own. “Thank . . . thank you.”

With a snort, Rampage picked the Maximal up and started walking. “I hate you.”

Depth Charge didn’t answer. The clouds opened up over them, rain starting to pour down upon their metal bodies. Rampage was glad. The water was washing his face of his tears. “I hate you. Why did you let me do that? Why didn’t you stop me?”

“Because . . . old friend . . . my time had passed a long time ago,” Depth Charge wheezed out. “I should have died on one of those bases.”

“Knock it off. You’ll . . . you’d better live . . .” Shaking his head, Rampage activated his comm-link. “Rampage to the Maximal base. Get your sorry skidplates on the line. There’s no time to spare.”

And you can say it’s all a waste

Lost your time and space

There’s nothing left to lose

“This is Optimus. What do you want.”

“Depth Charge’s . . . slag, I’ll be there soon. He’s . . . he’s in bad shape. Tell the kid to get the girl.”

The large Transmetal shifted in Rampage’s arms ever-so-slightly. “No! Don’t let her see me like this . . .”

“Depth Charge . . . Matrix, you’re not lying, Rampage . . .” Optimus said, his voice trailing off. His mind raced. There was only one thing to do. He nodded to Cheetor, who ran off, then looked to Rhinox, who had already gotten a field kit ready. With a sigh, he said, “Get here soon.”

Like a broken angel on the ground

Like a symphony without a sound

Turn around

It was hard to wake Hacker up. Cheetor shook her shoulder, whispering for her to wake up. Before she did, however, there was a sound outside the door. A soft voice whispered Hacker’s name, and then a knock upon the door. Cheetor froze, then with one silent leap, was back on his side of the mirror, staying as still as he could manage. The door opened, and he jumped, seeing Silverbolt watching him. Once everything was quiet again, Cheetor asked, “What is it?”

“Rampage’s outside, and as you can see, Depth Charge is right here. They have reconciled their differences, it appears.”

“Slag. Look, you’re more silent and you’re lighter than I am. Could you get her? I was nearly seen.”

Silverbolt nodded once, then went through. After a few moments, Hacker walked through the mirror, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She blinked at Cheetor. “What is it?”

She saw a wheezing form on Depth Charge’s bed, then saw his face. “Oh . . . no, not now . . .”

Everything you are

Everywhere you’ve been

She rested her head upon his arm, clinging to him. “Who did this to you?”

“No, don’t ask that,” Depth Charge said softly. “Please, not yet. Once . . . once everything is settled, then ask.”

“But . . .”

“Hush. Not now.”

Sinner and the saint

That fight the battle within

They watched each other, and Hacker saw the mech-fluid still seeping from a nasty wound upon Depth Charge’s side. She knew that it was fatal. She had that feeling. It was that feeling of dread. Tears began falling, unaware to her. “Why did this have to happen?”

Optimus rested his hand upon her shoulder, but she pulled it free, glaring at him from under long hair. He backed off a step, and she rested her forehead upon Depth Charge’s forearm and sighed shakily. He grunted in pain and then replied, “Because I can’t care for you the way that I want to while I’m still like this.”

Every place you go

Everybody knows

“Depth Charge . . . I’ll tell the others, if you’d like,” Optimus said quietly.

“No, Primal. I . . . I need to see Rampage.”

“But he’s . . .”

“Predacon. He had been Maximal once, before Megatron got to him. He had been . . . before we had disowned each other, he had been my younger brother.”

“You’re brothers?” Hacker asked in a whisper, looking up at her life-companion’s pained optics.

Shadows fall across the sun sometimes shine

You’re gonna shine

Depth Charge nodded slowly, then gently guided Hacker up closer to his face, and rested his cheek against hers, deactivating his optics and resting his hand upon her back. In the darkness behind his optics, a different feeling came around. It was almost as if he could see the souls of all of those who were around him. And the brightest one was standing right next to him, clinging to his shoulders.

“You’re so bright . . .”

“Depth Charge?”

In the mirror of your soul

I know that you know

You are not forsaken

“You’re going to be all right, Hacker,” a different voice said hoarsely. “You’ll be seeing Depth Charge again. He’ll be living with you. You’ll . . . you’ll be happy together.”

Hacker looked over at Rampage, then said, “You’ll see him again, too, Rampage. And if you kill yourself before Lady Venom gets here, things aren’t going to be pretty. Please, please listen to me on that. You’re not forgotten.”

“There are others. I just talked with Terrorsaur, and he had been inspecting the mirrors around the base. One of them is starting to activate. Mine’s . . . I shattered mine long ago. There’s no hope.”

“From broken-ness and pain will come strength and fearlessness,” Hacker whispered. “And love.”

Hey butterfly open up your weary eyes

And realize

It’s a trip we’re taking

Depth Charge groaned and clutched at his chest. Rampage turned away from the sight, giving the two their privacy. He heard the words of his brother, however.

“I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”

“Rattrap took four days to get to Sapphire. I’ll . . . I’ll wait.”

“Please don’t . . . Matrix, girl. I can’t stand crying women. I’m useless around them.”

And the world will turn around again

And your shattered heart is gonna mend

In the end

Before Depth Charge could say anything more, Hacker said, “I’ll cry when I see you again. Please, just . . .”

Something shifted horribly in Depth Charge’s chest, lurching in a way that it wasn’t supposed to. With a cry of anguish, the Transmetal arched his back, and gripped at the plates covering his Spark and . . .

And then . . .

Everything you are

Everywhere you’ve been

Rampage shielded his face from the light that burst from between the human and the Cybertronian. When he looked again, Hacker was nowhere to be seen, and Depth Charge . . . Depth Charge . . .

“Matrix guard over you, brother.” He fell to his knees, hearing the impact rumble through the base. The door flew open a moment later, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Rhinox and Optimus looking into the room. Rampage bowed his head and then hid his face, before saying, “He’s gone.”

Sinner and the saint

That fight the battle within

Depth Charge was somewhere between the physical world, and . . . somewhere else. Somewhere where a voice was calling him. A maternal voice, telling him to follow her. There was also another voice, demanding that he should go where he really belongs . . . and that was to the Pit. The two voices argued for a while, until silently, Rampage found a way between them, to a small place that he knew only three others had been. Their marks were there, as he knew that his would be in a moment. He would help guide the others from the Beast Wars to the humans’ world.

There was another bright flash, and then . . . there he was.

Every place you go

Everybody knows

Her reflection in the mirror was the only thing that she saw. No room beyond that, no nothing. No Depth Charge. No Beast Wars.

There was only her own tears watching her, as Hacker sat there. Quietly, she climbed back into her bed, and then curled around her pillow, allowing her tears to come forth. She had to be strong for Depth Charge. She couldn’t let him see how hurt that she was about this. She couldn’t let him know that . . . that she couldn’t really believe that he would come to her.

And even now . . . as she felt her tears start to soak the pillow by her face, she still wasn’t sure.

Shadows fall across the sun sometimes shine

You’re gonna shine

Wandering would do Depth Charge no good. So he stayed in one place until he was able to see clearly where he was. Once the sky promised dawn to come in less than an hour, he stood and stretched, looking around him. Rubbing at his face, he looked at a backpack that he had found in his hand when he had come to. There were provisions in there that would last him about three days, and when he opened a smaller pocket some paper money peeked back out at him. In the larger pocket was a stuffed animal.

“Vinnie. Slag. How’d you get there?”

Baby let’s go ’round, no shootin’ stars

(You are gonna shine)

Hacker slept through her alarm and through her mother trying to wake her. With a sigh, her mother smiled at her sleeping form, kissed her forehead, and left a note by her alarm clock, in just the place where she knew that Hacker would find it. The high-schooler would get the day off from school. She looked like she had needed the rest.

With a sigh, she heard the next-door-neighbor’s son knock upon the door, calling for Hacker to come out and walk with him to school. “C’mon, lard-bottom! I’m waitin’!”

Her mother opened the door. “She’ll be home today. Could you get her assignments for her?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. See ’ya later!”

Watch the crescent moon smile to your heart

You’re gonna shine

Depth Charge blinked at the writing on a piece of paper. “I was never good at reading English. The Pit . . . oh. It’s an address . . . and directions . . . okay. Slagging language is all backwards. How the slag . . . aaah, better get started.”

Everything you are

Everywhere you’ve been

Hacker awoke to see the note, then read it without moving. Smells of a large breakfast filled her nose, and she felt around for her next-favorite stuffed animal, then walked down to the kitchen. Her mother smiled and said, “You still look bushed. I have to get going in a half-hour, so take your time today.”

“Dad’s off at work?”

“Yep. He’ll be late getting home, too. Here, eat up.”

Sinner and the saint

That fight the battle within

Depth Charge looked around, then saw the street sign, and then looked down at his directions. A shadow passed over him, and he turned swiftly to see a tall, dark-haired man looking to his other side, at a girl chatting away animatedly. She blinked, saw Depth Charge, and squeaked out, “Hi!”

“Uh . . . hi?” Depth Charge replied. “Um, look, I’m trying to find this address here, and the directions are kind of confusing–”

The man looked at him, his blue-purple-slightly-dark-red eyes frowning. “Who are you?”

“Uhm. I-I . . . uh . . .”

“Depth Charge!!!” the girl squealed, laughing, and embracing him. “I’m Starath, this is Megs, alias Micheal, and we’re making a surprise visit to Hacker!”

Every place you go

Everybody knows

The three crossed the street, Depth Charge telling them of the predicament, and they helped him find the right street, but they stopped at the start of it. Depth Charge looked over his shoulder at his once-enemy and the young woman beside him. “You’re not coming?”

“Nah,” Starath replied, smiling. “You and her have to meet on your own. We’d only get in the way.”

Micheal smiled down at the girl he loved and cared for, then added, “We’ll make that visit to her tomorrow. Get moving, Maximal. Don’t keep her waiting, otherwise I’ll have Sinead get Donovan and Ajax on your case.”

Shadows fall across the sun sometimes shine

You’re gonna shine

Depth Charge smiled and bowed his head, then turned and started walking towards the house. He turned back once more, but the two had already started moving again, and weren’t watching him anymore. With a contented sigh, he pulled Vinnie out of the backpack, walked up to the front door, and . . .