Chapter 3

"Jazz-eeey!" The tiny seven year old sang, stomping through the muddy bank in her boots with excited squeals, "Jazzey girlie!"

Jasmine watched the younger carefully, never taking her eyes away. She watched her stop, spin on a heel, and hop in an out of the water, sending ripples through the lake's surface. Jasmine answered her, "What, girlie?"

"You should come play with me!" Boots called, now jumping in circles, "I bet I can jump higher than you can!"

"I bet you could, too," Jasmine gave a small, half-hearted smile. She ran her hands over her thin arms, feeling how cold her skin was, "I'm fine right here, kiddo. You have fun." She dropped her hands and popped her knuckles, something she only did when she was nervous.

Hell, why wouldn't she be?

Jasmine's eyes narrowed slightly as last night slammed through her mind again, sending a dead cold chill down her spine and putting a brick in the pit of her stomach. She tensed on impulse when she remembered those eyes...

Those massive, blood red, piercing, intelligent, cold eyes. The menacing red light they cast on the hard, smooth planes of it's body, whatever it was. There hadn't been enough light to actually see what it was. Only a big shape that seemed to ooze terror and evil. Something right out of a nightmare. In fact, that was what Jasmine had thought it was at first. Nothing but a nightmare. Telling herself that had been the only way she'd fallen asleep again.

But in the morning, when they'd uncurled in the parking lot, the massive cracks and holes in the concrete was still there, one spot at the foot of the incline that marked the end of the concrete, and another much larger in front of them where the beast had landed when he jumped over them.

What the hell was it? Her eyes shifted down real quick to check Boots' footing when the little girl stumbled. Boots caught herself, though, and was back to jumping around in seconds.

In all honesty, Jasmine was terrified.

She was much older than Boots, she'd been around the block and seen some ugly things, as both, an orphan and an human being. Things she had been forced to bury long ago in the darkest, deepest corners of her mind. Things that still haunted her to this day. But nothing compared to the thing she'd seen last night. There was no words that could describe it.

"Be careful, Boots!" Jasmine called when Boots got brave and journeyed another foot or so into the water.

She had wanted to take Boots and lock down somewhere safe for a few days, just in case that monster or whatever it was decided to come back. It was what her instincts told her to do, and not once had those instincts let her down. But she had promised Boots a trip to the lake today, so here they were.

"Come here little froggy!" Boots giggled, squatting down and hopping clumsily out of the water and back onto dry land to chase a little frog. Jasmine cut a quick look at a group of teenage boys not so far down the bank, catching a few of them sending her appreciating looks. Jasmine narrowed her eyes and turned back to Boots.

Boots was still chasing after the frog, completely focused on it. Jasmine found herself smiling despite her dark thoughts, "Careful, girl."

Again, Jasmine glanced at the group of teenagers as another car pulled up, packed with jocks and. They all piled out, pulling out an ice chest or two. When a pair of the teenagers stood up and started walking towards her, Jasmine turned back to Boots, "Alright, Boots. It's time to go back. It's a long walk, so we need to get going."

"Awww..." Boots sulked, "do we have to?"

"We'll come back, I promise." Jasmine stood up, dusting the dirt from the back of her thread-bare shorts. She walked over to the small girl, "Besides, we need to go score some french fries."

Boots' expression shifted into a beaming smile, "I bet I can get more than you!"

Jasmine laughed softly, "Is everything a competition to you?"

"Don't get mad because you stink at these kind of things, Jazz-ey!"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, taking the child's hand. They both straightened and started to walk away. They were well on their way when a beat up old yellow camaro rumbled past.

"Cerberus!" Starscream snapped over the com. link, "report, now!"

Cerberus growled deep in his chest, stalking through the trees once again. His fierce red optics were trained on the house, patiently waiting for the autobot to return. He easily ignored the snarled demands and threats the seeker was shouting at him, allowing his processor to wander.

He couldn't stop going back to the face of the human sparkling he'd nearly slaughtered the night before. The way how her organic optics had stared at him, wide and blue. She hadn't been afraid, she'd even spoken to him...

"CERBERUS!"

His lip plates pulled back as he tilted his head into the wind, searching for the scout's scent.

"You will answer when I speak, BEAST!"

Cerberus didn't understand. All his life as a predacon, he'd always been feared by something. As a sparkling, it was the regular non-predacon sparklings, wary of him for his claws and his sharp teeth. Oh, he and his brother had a field day terrorizing them, creating enemies early in life. As he matured, it was his brother who taught him how to hunt, how to kill and then eat his kill. They were in their second frames then, and already catching Megatron's optic. Once he and his twin had reached adulthood, they were feared by all. Their decepticon allies could not look them right in the optic, but it was the autobots that feared them the most. All living creatures, even the small, unintelligent ones, trembled at the sight of the predacon hounds.

"Blasted pit-spawned PET, I will CRUSH you! ANSWER ME!"

Cerberus had never met someone who wasn't afraid. The few times Megatron had summoned them directly to his throne, the big mech had been cautious, keeping Starscream on one side and another powerful mech on the other. But this organic, this human child...

"Cerberus!"

Why wasn't she afraid?

His spark tensed, his processor spun and worked to create some kind of solution. Logically, it made no sense. She should have been so frightened, she should have been screaming as loud as her little organic lungs could allow. But all she had said was...what was that human term for a greeting?

'Hi'.

That was what she had said, in a whisper that was more out of awe then spark-crushing fear. He figured that the human species was just moronic, that they didn't know danger when they saw it...but then that didn't make sense, either. The older human had known-she had been afraid. Frightened enough to scream and run.

The smaller must have been a malfunctioning sparkling. That was the only decent answer his processor could make out of this whole mess.

"CERBERUS!"

Cerberus flicked his ears at the utter rage in the seekers voice, turning his attention to the road when he sensed the yellow autobot approaching. He had cloaked his energon signal long ago, so the scout was completely oblivious.

He stood still now, optics watching as the beat up camaro shook and stuttered down the street to pull to a stop in front of the human's dwelling. He watched as the human slid out from the autobot's interior, snarling softly at the mere thought of such an invasion. He would rip out his spark and bow before Optimus Prime before he ever allowed an organic to sit on or inside him. Or any creature for that matter.

Starscream vented sharply on the other end, dangerously close to his limit. Obviously the little second in command wasn't used to being ignored so easily for so long. He'd probably try to cause some sort of trouble for him later on. Cerberus could care less-he'd grounded many seekers throughout his existence. Slaying one more wouldn't be difficult.

Just as Cerberus was entertaining the idea of switching targets from a camaro to a certain jet, the seeker spat out, "I WILL summon Osiris for the purpose of correcting your USELESSNESS!"

Cerberus froze.

His optics narrowed into lit crimson slits, reflecting the sudden rage that filled his spark. He felt a twitch in his spark as his twin reacted to his sudden anger. He didn't say anything, but he seemed to be paying closer attention to Cerberus now, listening.

Cerberus rumbled, finally responding to the soon-to-be wingless seeker, "Osiris has more pressing matters than listening to the demands of one weak, pathetic, useless little seeker. Be careful, Starscream, some of us 'pit-spawned pets' are not afraid to bite."

A moment of blissful quiet filled his side of the com link before, "It's about time you answered, Cerberus."

"I have the scout in sight," Cerberus said, "the human with the coordinates is with him."

"Excellent. Strike quickly, Cerberus. The rest of the autobots are in orbit and will be landing soon."

Cerberus tilted his head slightly to survey the neighborhood, more out of boredom than anything. "I will 'strike' when I please."

"Fragging twisted beast...I'm not asking you, I'm TELLING you."

"And I'm telling you," Cerberus snarled back, "I am not just one of your poor subjects to command as you wish. I am Cerberus, and I have no master. Remember that next time you threaten to 'crush' me."

Again, the seeker was silent.

"The scout won't survive long enough to see the sun rise tomorrow," Cerberus promised, "he dies tonight."

"Very good, Cerberus."

The link was cut shortly after his final message. Cerberus shook lightly. Something shifted against his spark once more, the chilling voice of his twin reaching through in a whisper, 'Well done, my brother.'

Cerberus sent nothing back in return, no emotions and no thoughts. He forced his processor to turn away from the curious case of the human child with the blue optics, and set his gaze firmly on the yellow scout below.

I love how Cerberus pretty much just ignored Starscream throughout the entire time he was trying to talk to him.

Hope you guys enjoyed.

Cerberus, Boots, Jasmine, Osiris, and the story belongs to me. TRansformers does not.