TFP: Shrouded... (Chapter XVII: Family Matters...)

Lauren had blown the shield generator, escaping Optimus's quarters, and sprinted to the bridge room, where Arcee was on guard duty, and did not see Lauren's fist coming. "Sorry, Arcee." She set the femme against the wall, and ran to the bridge controls, punching in the coordinates, and implanted a virus to erase the coordinates so no one could follow her, she was about to run through the bridge, when Rachet called to her.
"LAUREN!"
She looked back.
"What have you done?!"
Lauren grimaced, "I'm so sorry, Rachet! I had to-I'm sorry!" She then jumped through, and drew a cannon and a blade in each had, prepared for anything. Behind her was her grandparent's house, and before her stood Knockout, "Took you long enough."
"Sorry-I had a few distractions," Lauren muttered.
"Well, I'm certain it proved to be a challenge," Knockout chuckled, "It's a shame humans are your weakness, Prime!"
"Uh-forgetting something, Knockout?" Lauren asked.
"No-nothing in fact," Knockout grinned, "Everything is going as planned."
Lauren shouted, as a blade cut her across the back.
"So nice of you to join us, Prime."
Lauren shook her head, and shivered inside, "M-Megatron…" She hopped back up, in time to avoid his next move, and growled, seeing Knockout and Dreadwing watching for sport. She ducked under Megatron's boot, then  tried to stab at him, when he swatted her back, and kicked her away.
"What is with you, Optimus? You seem off your game!" Megatron growled.
Lauren stood back up, ready.
"Has your human's fear thrown you off guard?" Megatron questioned.
"No!" Lauren shouted, diving forward, when Megatron slipped to the side, tripping her, before pulling her back, and throwing her full-force into the ground.
Dazed, Lauren suddenly realized how inexperienced she was, and how much her fear was actually affecting her. But why was she so scared of losing her father?
Megatron decked her from multiple angles, then kicked her back again.
Lauren growled, standing back up, and fell again, when Megatron hit her across the head.
Megatron then dragged her over to a tree, and held her against the oak, "What has happened to you, Prime?"
Lauren glanced over to Knockout, and thought quickly, decking Megatron hard enough to give her time to charge Knockout and Dreadwing, grab her father, and transformed.
Megatron, watching the Prime drive off, growled, "Find out where Prime is going, now!"
On the rode, Lauren found herself being pursued. She yelped, dodging fire from above, and Knockout rolled up beside her, trying to run her off the road…

Optimus placed his hand over his heart, feeling the rate increase, "Lauren is supposed to be confined… why is my heart racing?"
Ryler looked at him, "Knowing Lauren she made an escape and is doing something very-very stupid."
Optimus sighed, "Unfortunately, you are very correct-why can she not simply remain where I ordered?"
"Because, Optimus… she feels like a prisoner, she has to do something about it. Instead of confining her, you should just give her some sort of job, y'know?" Ryler asked. "She'd be a lot less trouble."
Optimus thought about it, "If you say so-I will try… for now I am beginning to grow more and more concerned for Lauren."

Lauren reached for her father, who was stumbling away from her.
The decepticons stood over her, after the beating had ceased the two were debating, and Lauren could barely understand it, she just wanted all her family to be safe…
"You don't understand, Dreadwing-like with Breakdown and I, the human girl and Optimus Prime's bodies were switched, I just was seeing how she would react to Megatron showing up-it really threw her off, but now we can't just kill this body-lord Megatron would have both of our heads if he found out we killed the kid in Optimus Prime's body."
"You make a compelling argument, Knockout… hm-I'm sure lord Megatron will think of something to deal with her until we can find a way to return everyone to their natural bodies," Dreadwing sighed, "So strange… she even had me fooled."
"Ah!" Lauren shouted, being kicked onto her front, and looking up.
"Lights out, human," Dreadwing smiled, before bringing his fist down.

Optimus collapsed without notice.
Ryler caught him, "Optimus? Hey! Hey, what just happened, speak to me!"

Lauren hadn't been out for long…Dreadwing and Knockout were dragging her through a ground bridge… she kept fading in and out, in and out, catching glimpses of the trip to the brig. Whenever she was able, she pulled from them until Dreadwing hit her again. In the brig, Knockout held her on her knees, as Dreadwing activated the restraints which held her to the deck. She tried to resist, until Breakdown had appeared and shocked her with Knockout's staff. Lauren! What have you done?! You let the decepticons catch you, stupid idiot! You have to escape! Like you escaped autobot confinement over and over again!
Eventually, Megatron walked in, "By the allspark…"
"Please, lord Megatron… before you think we captured Optimus Prime-we didn't… the one you were fight was actually the human… just as Breakdown and I were switched, so was the human child and Optimus," Knockout explained.
"What?" Megatron growled.
Breakdown sighed, "Prime's body," he began, then tapped Knockout's staff on Lauren's head, "Human's mind."
Megatron paused, then grinned, "Really? Is that so, little-human?"
Lauren didn't look up at him, she didn't have it in her to verbally fight him.
"We weren't quite certain as to what you would have wanted us to do when we managed to capture her, so we brought her back here," Dreadwing explained.
"You did well, Dreadwing… after all, even if this isn't the human's body," Megatron began, raising Lauren's chin to meet his gaze, "It is still her mind, and that is a place where Shockwave to advance in his experiments."
Lauren's optics widened, with fear.
"What's the matter, human? Does that scare you?" Megatorn asked.
Lauren ripped her head away from him, defiantly, "Nothing scares me."
"Does Optimus know you are capable of lying?" Megatron taunted.
Lauren shrugged, "I don't care."
"Interesting, having troubles with my arch nemesis are we, human?" asked Megatron.
"Mind your own fragging business!" Lauren growled, head-butting Megatron.
Megatron scowled, before back-handing her, "I-will take that as a yes…" he wiped a bit of dark energon from the side of his mouth.
Lauren shook her head from the blow, still very disoriented.
"Knockout, Dreadwing, Breakdow-leave," Megatron ordered.
Without another word, they did so, and the door closed behind them… Lauren didn't like this, she knew she was a prisoner either way, but she didn't want to be alone with Megatron. She did admire his power, and she feared her own susceptibility to his manipulation.