A/N: Wow guys! I feel really honored right now; I wasn't expecting this much feedback for this story, but I'm dearly glad ya'll are enjoying it. So by popular request, I'm extending this one just a bit. I won't say how long it'll be, but it will be longer than it was originally intended. Thanks for all those awesome reviews!
Chapter 2: The Reclaiming
"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." Master Ooguay
Her cooling fans hitched within her intakes, the steady thrum hesitating ever so slightly. Her periwinkle blue optics were still glimmering with the remnants of optical fluid and possibly hope. When she spoke only the slightest whisper of sound escaped her lip components.
"Don't you realize how cruel it is to play with a femme's spark?"
"Am I being cruel?" he said, stepping closer and tightening his grip just a little. He leaned his head down until they were almost optic to optic. She shrank back from his proximity, but not nearly as violently as he expected. She diverted her optics from his intense stare. With a surprisingly gentle touch, Thundercracker reached a black hand under her delicately built chin and lifted her face close to his. Oh, he was so close! Just millimeters from claiming those perfectly formed lips. His spark felt as if it were going to vibrate clean out of his chest compartment, its song was singing so plaintively, so longingly. Oh, it had been so long! Far too long since he had touched the curvature of a femme's derma plating, too long since he had ran his fingers over and through the delicate wiring on their chassis, far too long since he felt another's warmth spread across his armature as he held them close within his arms. But still he refused.
"Am I?" he repeated softly once more. "You do not deserve to be here and you especially do not deserve the treatment from my fellow soldiers…"
"I don't deserve to be here!?" she exclaimed suddenly, jerking from his touch and knocking his hand away. "I don't deserve to be here!? What about the other seventeen femmes who were yanked from their homes, from their loved ones!? What about my sister!? You say I don't deserve this, but did any of them deserve it as well!? Did any of the young mechs deserve to be forced to fight for an army they wanted nothing to do with!? We were neutrals, for Primus's sake! We didn't want any part of your war, any part of you period! But you came anyway. You came and you destroyed everything we have ever known and loved! Your right, I don't deserve to be here! None of us do!" She placed her comparatively tiny hands on his cockpit and shoved him away forcefully, jumping down from his berth and landing lithely on her thrusters. She stormed back over to the far corner and sank to the floor. He watched as she pulled her knee joints close to her chassis and rested her helm on the top.
Thundercracker stood stunned. Her outbreak had been completely and totally unexpected. He stared at her folded form for several astroseconds, allowing the depth of her words to fully sink into his processor. She was right. Her words rang as clear as an air siren during the approach of a solar windstorm. He had never been a mech good with words, as was Starscream, nor could he woo the opposite gender as silkily as Skywarp. But Thundercracker was a mech that had become especially attuned to reading the reactions of others and determining their true feelings and inner character. She was scared, frightened. That much was plainly evident. He knew her words were not directed at him per say, but all the fighting in general. In that short, violent outbreak of pure anguish she had shown him a small flicker of her inner self, a tiny spark of courage that, like a shooting star, he had caught a glimpse of it before it quickly disappeared. Had he been any other Decepticon, the femme flyer would have been a lifeless shell for speaking out in such a manner. But he wasn't just any Decepticon. Her words had cut deeply into his spark and only served to water the tiny seeds of doubt as to his place in this Primus-damned war.
He shuttered his optics. Then, refocusing them once more, he strode back over to the femme's corner. Her wings were visibly vibrating, in fact he was mildly surprised that her whole frame had not vibrated itself apart she was shaking and sobbing so badly. The air would catch in her vents, creating a tiny hic sound and Thundercracker could plainly hear the furious thrumming from her cooling fans. He stepped directly behind her, the hollow thwocks made by his thrusters echoing within his quarters.
"Please…if you're going to kill me…"
"I'm not going to kill you," he cut in. He reached down and pulled the crying femme from the floor. She squeaked in protest and began to struggle, beating her fists against his chest with all her might. It had about as much of an effect on him as a feather duster. He gripped her wrists, one in each hand, and then pinned her to the wall. He arms were stretched high above her helm; she was forced to stand on the very tips of her toes. Realizing her struggling was useless, Vortica resigned herself to tiny whimperings; she refused to beg, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid to die. She felt him press against her, felt the strength in his arms and hands as he pinned her to the wall. This was it. She had spoken her piece and now she was going to pay for it with her life. She had hoped he was different; she had hoped he wasn't the cruel, merciless flying terror everyone had made him out to be. It appeared she was wrong. She off-lined her optics and pressed her chin into her chest waiting for it all to end. But it never came.
Instead, she felt something brush her lips; a gentle, whispering tease of a touch that made her recoil, not from disgust or fear, but from surprise. It came again, this time lingering just a little longer. This time she didn't pull away, but hesitantly returned the favor, not entirely sure why her body was betraying her mind. He was the enemy! He was the reason her home had been destroyed, her separation from her sister; he was the reason that right now her body tingled from head to thrusters—a delightful, spine-tingling shiver that made all her worries and fears melt into a peaceful abyss. She felt him press closer, shoving her tightly against the wall. She also felt a deep, stirring warmth emanating from his cockpit. A warmth that only made her want to press against him in return, her body savoring its contagious touch. Finally, she broke down, her body going limp against him as she began to return Thundercracker's kiss with passion. She vaguely remembered him releasing her wrists. She faintly recalled his arms reaching around her back to pull her closely against him in a tight, almost possessive embrace and Vortica barely recollected his fingers brushing down her wings with a touch as soft as a polishing cloth.
Thundercracker had her right where he wanted. The waves of emotion washing over him had been too much to bear. He felt disgust for himself, longing, loathing, sadness, lust and determination all swell and boil within his spark like a cauldron of hot boiling water. He wanted to make her feel better, but he also wanted to satisfy his own desires as well. He had to attempt it; if she refused him, then he would not push her, but if she didn't…
When he had pulled her to her feet, she had struggled and fought as if her life depended on it. To her he supposed it did. Pinning her wrists above her head, Thundercracker now had access to the desire his spark had been longing for since they reached his quarters. He literally felt the fear wash over her chassis like a pelting rain; he felt her quivering violently as she waited for her end to begin. He wanted to make it stop, he wanted Vortica to know she wasn't alone in her suffering, that she had someone to rely on. Ever so gently, he brushed his lips against hers; he pulled back waiting to gauge her response. She jerked as if he had electrocuted her, but quite surprisingly, her whimperings died away and her shaking began to cease. Could it be? Was it too good to be true? He leaned down once more, lingering over her lips like a soft, summer cloud. At first, nothing happened and he was about to pull away and release her when he felt it-- a gentle, quivering pressure on his own lips. Ecstasy and passion raced through his fuel lines as realization struck the processor. She was willing! She was willing to let him comfort her! She was willing to let him hold her and kiss her, to relinquish all barriers and lose herself to his embrace. He pushed her into the wall and hungrily searched out her mouth for another kiss. His spark was flaring up within his chest, the heat and energy was sure to be equivalent to a gas-giant going supernova. Next, Thundercracker felt her body go limp against his, her will readily weakening in the wake of his lust. He released her wrists in order to draw her closer to him; he wanted to feel every inch of her plating. Hungry fingers brushed the smooth, silky finish on her beautiful indigo wings, black servos gingerly tracing the finely painted pinstripes on their surface.
Their kiss lasted several long moments, each receiving in turn what the other desired most. Vortica longed for a companion, someone who understood her plight and could provide a shoulder to lean on. Thundercracker desired companionship as well, although maybe not quite the same companionship as she desired. He wanted to satisfy the tortuous longing within his spark without offending the deeply rooted morality that his processor had been cursed with. In the stress of the current situation, both found what they desired and both were savoring every astrosecond.
Gently breaking away, Thundercracker once more was able to gaze into those blue depths. Never had he seen so much life, so much hope. There was also something else too. Something that had not been present, since he first laid optics on her—trust. Vortica reluctantly looked up into Thundercracker's crimson gaze. What she saw surprised her and made her spark hum with joy. Within those crimson eyes she saw understanding, understanding that she was not alone in this war, that she was not the only reluctant participant on this grand stage. She also saw the longing, but it did not make her fearful as it would have before…before she realized she could trust this blue demon of the sky. She gave him a soft, timid smile and then laid her helm just under his left intake, allowing a soft sigh to escape her own.
He smiled warmly down at her before scooping her up in his powerful arms and walking back towards his berth. An odd thought crossed his processor as he laid Vortica down on the far side of the massive, flat recharging station: perhaps he wasn't going to need Skywarp's help after all.
Vortica on-lined her optics very slowly the next cycle. She waited patiently as her processor ran the various programs to boot her bodily systems. In the meantime, she busied herself with shuffling through her memory files, reliving the events that occurred not quite half an orn ago. Were they not safely stored within her processor, Vortica could easily imagine her night with Thundercracker had been too good to be true, but the evidence was there, one wondrous memory file after another. She had been quite nervous at first; she had never bonded with another before. Her spark had still been pure and untouched. But Thundercracker's gentle, calming touch and his deep, soothing voice had swiftly allayed any fears that had clouded her processor.
She checked her diagnostics and saw that all her systems were functioning normally. Idly she glanced to the right to see if the blue Seeker were still resting by her side. He wasn't. Vortica bolted upright, her optics bright with concern. She scanned the room, but there was no sign of departure or any indication of return. Timidly she scooted to the edge of the berth in preparation to jump from its edge, but the sudden hiss from the doorway made her freeze in panic.
The door slid back to reveal Thundercracker's intimidating silhouette filling the frame. A small sigh of relief escaped her vents as he stepped through the portal, the door sealing shut behind him. So he hadn't abandoned her after all. He walked over to the small desk and placed two cubes of pink, viscous energon on its surface, casting Vortica an expectant glance as he passed. Hesitantly she slid off the berth and walked to the desk, taking the energon he offered her.
"I apologize for not being here when you woke. Commander Starscream required my reports early today," he said, taking a sip from his cube.
Vortica eyed her cube hungrily; it had been almost a two orns since she had refilled her tanks.
"Go on," she heard Thundercracker urge. He motioned with his own cube for her to drink. "You'll need every bit of strength you can muster. I was fortunate to sneak you a cube at all. It is not a common practice to fuel…prisoners." He spoke the last word with bitterness, as if the very word itself were hydraulic fluid in his mouth.
"Tha-Thank you," she replied, taking a small sip. She ran her glossa over her lips and savored the tart taste. Throwing manners to the wind, she began to guzzle the cube down, tilting her head back to retrieve every last drop. Thundercracker looked on with amusement twinkling in his coal fire optics, a slight smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth. He took another drought from his cube to hide the smirk threatening to break completely through on his normally-serious faceplates.
The previous night had been one like no other. Together, the two of them had shared a passion that few had experienced, especially consensually. His respect for the femme had only deepened, his resolve to free her from this wretched bondage only strengthened. As he had held her in his arms, allowing their sparks to caress each other in that indefinable state of passion, he vowed to himself that she would escape, that she would live through this nightmare from the Pit. But it would be a perilous vow to uphold in the coming cycles. At least this one act would have meaning over all the previous, empty and pointless acts he had committed throughout his career as a soldier.
When she had finished, Vortica placed the cube back onto the desk and watched Thundercracker expectantly. He continued to drink his cube in silence, although his optics never left her form. He watched amusedly as her optics began to turn a soft violet hue due to blushing. Finally she spoke, unable to keep the silence any longer.
"I wanted to thank you."
"You already have."
"No, I mean for…for last night. It…it was very…very…I can't describe it," she ended finally, turning her back to him as if she had said something offensive. Thundercracker placed his half-finished cube on the desk and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her torso and then leaned down between her wing and her neck, his lips just brushing her plating.
"You don't have to. I understand."
Vortica nodded her head. She sighed contently and leaned into his embrace, finding a deep comfort in his powerful arms. The fearsome cannons on his arms that glinted in the dim light would have once instilled fear within her, but now they were a silent comfort. She rested her helm against his turbines and slowly drank in his quiet, overpowering presence.
"I must leave you today," he said drawing away momentarily.
She nodded her head once again. It was pointless to ask why. "When will you return?"
"I can't give you a definite time, but it's only a scouting mission; it shouldn't take longer than a few joors. Stay in here until I return."
"Like I really would want to go anywhere else," she replied acerbically, earning her a tight squeeze before he released her. Their playful teasing was cut short however when a slight buzzing filled his helm. Thundercracker turned towards the door, a reluctant frown on his faceplates. Starscream was summoning him. He turned once more to Vortica.
"Do not open the door for anyone. Skywarp and Starscream are the only other ones allowed within my quarters. Skywarp will teleport in as he sees fit and Starscream, being my Commander, has my access codes. Seeing as they are flyers as well, they will not trouble you, besides, I'll be with them on this mission so you won't have to worry about that until I return." He directed his attention once more to the door. "I must leave you now." He had almost made it through the portal, when he felt a slight tug on his trailing arm. He turned one last time to look at the plaintive femme, a questioning look in his optics.
"Please, my sister…"
He placed one black finger across her lips, silencing any further words. His optics told her everything she needed to know, that he understood her unspoken request; she quietly backed back into the room, a woe-be-gone expression on her faceplates. As the door hissed to a close, Vortica walked back over to the recharge berth and lay upon its surface; she powered down her systems in an attempt to conserve her strength and then resigned herself to a very long wait.
Unfortunately for both of the newly-sparked lovers, a lone gargantuan figure had hidden himself at the end of one of the halls, patiently waiting for the Seeker's exodus. He watched the two flyers exchange a silent message; saw the reluctance on both of their faceplates. Anger and revulsion flashing across his countenance at such a disgusting display. As the Seeker lieutenant made his way down the opposite hall, no one saw the glint of pure malice flicker across the optics of the Stunticon leader. No one saw the massive semi make his way towards the Seeker's quarters, undetected, undeterred.
An evil, hateful smile pulled at his lip components as he whispered ever so silently, "Time to claim what was rightfully mine, Seeker," He then raised his mighty fists to beat down the door.