Starscream lied to Thundercracker. He lied to the human siblings. He lied to those he met on The Pit. He lied so often and so much that telling the truth caused him more of a conundrum then twisting facts as he saw fit.
Megatron was known for collecting resources, both sentient and not, hoarding them when it suited whatever scheme he had come up with. But he'd never taken such a vast amount of creatures off their planet before, never gone to such an extent to manipulate and use. The Supreme Air Commander didn't think much of it, not at first, not until locating an error in one of the latest reports from The Pit.
But with the amount of humans he found on the rock of a planet, the report hadn't been an error but an accidentally included truth.
To say he was intrigued was an understatement.
Before he even had to consider how to get on the planet, another piece of information was found, a coincidence that was both frustrating and enticing.
Using the female's own problem to gain access was highly satisfying. But finding out why Megatron was keeping the activity, not hidden, but not fully disclosed was far more of a challenge than he had been prepared for, but it was also an opportunity he could not dismiss.
Megatron had saved over a billion humans, an effort that could not have been a small one. Starscream would find out what lie beneath such an action, believing that in his efforts he would find a gap in Megatron's armor, leverage or even collateral, anything that would lead him one step closer to the two things he craved more than anything in the galaxy: power and the overthrow of Megatron.
And if he happened to put the female human's life into disarray, and remind TC of where his loyalties were supposed to lie, all the better for it.
Starscream may have loathed Megatron, may have despised the human female, but what he was starting to learn was just as bad were a multitude of humans. He'd never seen so many in one place, not even on Earth, the crowds of the creatures creating a claustrophobia of sorts that made him irritable and far too aware of the weak flesh in which his consciousness resided.
They were easy to manipulate though, to fool, far easier to lie to when backed with incentives. And while his tactics had to change to get the information he was looking for, the Supreme Air Commander learned quickly enough while interacting with the organics that not all of them were as simple as they appeared.
His main priority for landing on the planet had been to find the central core processing unit, which really was proving an aggravation.
Led to one person than another, he was introduced to a male inside of a far too loud musical club who refused to speak to him until he inhaled on a small stick, an initiation ritual which wasn't as strange as some of the others he had encountered.
What Starscream hadn't expected was for the narcotic to do anything to his system, for the world to sharpen, for his meager human senses to widen, for the music, which had been thumping through the room, to pump the blood in his veins, an unusual silence capturing his systems before the staggering questions came that forced him to leave the loudness behind only to return when he heard the laughter from the table he had left behind.
By the time he left the club, the laughter had halted, his questions were answered, but not without the sticky remnants of blood on his hands.
Acting as a human was one thing. Being one was so much worse. He really shouldn't have copied the holo-form programming of Timothy, which made everything far too real, more real than he could have ever imagined. His legs racing along with his mind, Starscream found himself inside the common room, hovering above the sleeping female, strange compulsions assaulting his mind that were interrupted by TC.
Eight hours later he woke up to find himself curled up in the closet inside his small quarters, his mouth dry and his mind dulled, hardly aware of what had taken place in the time between. But he did remember one thing, where The Pit's CPU was located. Ignoring the craving inside his brain, the twitch in his fingers, he threw cold water on his face, startled by who stared back at him in the mirror.
For 1/10th of a second, the Seeker forgot who he was, believed himself to be stuck in the sack of flesh and bones with all its limitations, forgetting where he came from and what he was capable of.
He'd never been so terrified in a long while.
Humans knew how to keep busy, Starscream would give them that. And some could work hard when so inclined. But give them all they needed and they wanted more. Provide them with clothing, shelter, protection, everything beneficial to survive, including enough activities and entertainment to last lifetimes, and they sought other deadly, damaging, mind altering, self-destructive diversions. And as if that wasn't enough, they had a tendency of pulling others along for the ride.
Sitting outside one of the many dining facilities, isolated and off on his own, he continued to watch and observe the insects that were humanity. Watched them clamor and buzz and swarm, creating packs and looking for momentary companionship, eating quickly so they could talk even more, their conversations trivial and tedious.
His view was partially blocked when three males stepped in front of his table. Starscream ignored them completely. Thirty feet away, he observed Alexis enter the dining hall, searching for her brother, but not finding him anywhere.
The Seeker's attention was snapped away when a hand waved unwisely in front of his face.
"Are you Seth Star?" A diminutive man with bright orange hair asked, who had enough freckles on his face to contend with the amount of stars in the Breiu galaxy, and a voice that sounded more whiny than commanding.
He stood to his feet and scowled at the three, ready to punish them for interrupting him. The three puny men backed up and swallowed hard. The Seeker's intentions were clearly conveyed on his face.
But he had gained too much attention from his last altercation. And Starscream wasn't fully empowered although he could have taken them on easily. But they bored him and they were wasting his time.
Crashing back down on the bench, he went back to ignoring them after waving them off with a swipe of his hand. They stood there, stupid and lifeless until they became to prattle among themselves. Their vocal inflections were pitiful and complaining.
The minuscule human approached him again. This time he appeared more determined and far too bold.
"Are you Seth Star?" the male repeated his inquiry. "I'm just asking. Because if you are, you have been preventing group 3491 from getting passes to the rain room by not doing your assigned job." He leaned forward and crowded the Seeker's space, triggering a defensive measure that had him jumping up and pushing the fleshy violently back.
Starscream was grabbed from the back and hit from the front. He wobbled but stood his ground. Blood spilled from his mouth as the three surrounded him with the pitiful intentions to battle. That was when Alexis noticed him, one of the few that did, the other humans far too preoccupied with their small lives. She stepped in his direction and then seemed to think better of it. Her attention went to the food for two she was carrying than slowly drifting back to him.
Alexis sighed and put her food down. He lost sight of her in the dining hall.
"Why are you grinning, man?" One of the insignificant fleshies asked of him.
Starscream lifted his chin, licked the blood off his mouth and cringed from the unfamiliar flavor.
"Because I am Seth Star," he spoke quietly, dangerously. "And you will regret finding me."
Planning his attack took exactly .0078 seconds, being interrupted took half that.
"What are you doing to my brother?"
Alexis stepped in front of Starscream, taking his hand to needlessly steady him, not letting go after.
"We were just trying to talk to him. Your brother has some serious social issues."
Alexis scowled but didn't argue that fact. Her eyes remained on the three men to make sure they didn't try anything again. She ignored Starscream.
"What exactly do you want with him?" Alexis asked, giving the Seeker a quick sidelong glace that was hardly sympathetic.
One of the three explained, but Starscream hardly listened. His focus was on where Alexis' and his hand folded together, the tight pressure of her skin against his own. And even if she was more holding his wrist than his hand, the prolonged contact did not go unnoticed. His life organ pulsed harshly against his rib cage, a swallow he hadn't meant to instigate sticking in his throat. The female was close, almost as close as that night when he touched her as Timothy, no when she touched him. He took a step nearer and peered down at her silken hair and pale skin, following a wayward tendril of hair that curled around her delicate throat.
By the time he tuned in again, he realized Alexis was trying to defend him, talking for him as well, both which aggravated more than helped. There were some people you just couldn't reason with.
Pushing Alexis out of the way, he had the three males on the ground and bleeding before the female could protest. By then there was a sizable crowd. The three were already getting up, cursing and blustering loudly, trying to incite those around them.
That was when he felt Alexis clamp back down on his arm and then tightly grab his hand, leading him quickly away.
He didn't notice the first time, but her hand was decidedly smaller than his, her wrist slim and supple. Her hand fit perfectly within the folds of his own, her fingers curling around.
Alexis was trying to protect him, keep him safe. He found her actions bold, reckless, highly unnecessary, and a turn on.
Starscream pressed his hand tighter against her own. Alexis shot an unfavorable look at him that ignited something deep in the pit of his stomach, making the steps that followed spark with a bodily friction that nestled between his thighs and managed to strum his far distant spark.
Alexis continued to tug his vulnerable body forward.
He willingly let her.
The female didn't stop her quick pace for some time. Her head continually turned around as if someone was following, even though they had lost their pursuers a good ten minutes ago. Something he neglected to inform her of.
They ended up in the winding narrowing passageways near the processing district, the low thrum of large equipment winding through his bones.
"Let go of my hand," Starscream ordered before the female realized what she had been doing. The focused human stopped and turned around, eyes flashing to their still joined hands. She let go so quickly that he couldn't help but chuckle even as his flesh stung. "I didn't know you cared."
She shrugged her shoulders, looked past him and then looked behind her. Her eyes narrowed back on the Seeker.
"You would have hurt them, maybe even killed them. I couldn't allow that."
Her reasoning washed away the ludicrously satisfying feeling that had violated his senses. His mouth twisted into a scowl. Starscream grabbed to the female's shoulders, feeling vindictive.
"Brother?" he asked of her. His tongue wet his mouth slowly, with purpose. His eyes lewdly fixated on the female creature, wanting to make her uncomfortable.
Alexis' emerald eyes shone with malcontent. Her face flushed. She looked away. The female was close enough that Starscream could smell sweat and metal and something tangy that scented her hair. She was still in her work clothes, her hair was half loose from its holder, the tools inside her small bag jingling softly against her hip.
Bending her leg, she used what leverage she had to get his hands off. And then she walked away.
Oddly enough, Starscream felt compelled to follow.
"Admit you have no idea where you are, and I may help you," Starscream graciously offered Alexis.
There were no monitors or way stations to help in locating where they were, no computer consoles to seek help. They had been lost for more than thirty minutes, winding through the similar corridors only to end up near where they had entered. Alexis had remained quite calm at first, but her anxiety was beginning to show in the terse manner of her speech, the tightening of her muscles and the agitated manner in which she breathed.
She didn't like being alone with him. She had difficulties speaking to him. Alexis was desperate to get away.
"Admit you know the way out of here, and I may follow you," Alexis snapped back, glaring at him so forwardly that his chest constricted.
His mouth bent as he savored the prospect. "That I admit is an interesting proposition."
"Well?" she asked impatiently, her eyes narrowing at him, obviously not expecting anything good.
He smiled wide. Starscream was truly relishing all the attention he was getting from her. He wasn't one to linger in a female's presence beyond the need for his own pleasure. And he found she was a diversion indeed, despite the wicked things she hadn't done to him.
"I am considering it."
"Consider quicker." She slowed her pace, carefully watching him as she turned into a left corridor.
"Have somewhere to be?"
She nodded her head. Alexis didn't like when he walked beside her, and as she hadn't taken him up on his offer, the Supreme Air Commander was quite content with trailing behind. He'd had worse views.
"Yes. Anywhere but here."
"Anywhere but here with me," he corrected. Starscream continued to stare at her back. He watched her muscles twitch, watched her take a deep breath.
"What?" she asked tightly, still not wanting to converse with him. But she didn't dare ignore him.
He tilted his head, shrugged his shoulders and spoke to the back of her head. "You meant to say anywhere but here with me."
"I was trying to be polite."
"Why?"
She halted sharply at that. Alexis turned around and nearly crashed into him, unaware of just how close he had been. Chin lifting, the female's green eyes targeted his lavender ones. "Because even megalomaniac, narcissistic jerks deserve kindness," she told him spitefully, her words full of blame, of sorrow and something else he couldn't quite interpret that made her eyes shine brilliantly.
"That wasn't nice."
"That was the truth."
He took a step closer. "As you see it."
Alexis took two steps back. She huffed out loudly. And then she continued to walk, leaving him behind when she turned into another corridor on the left.
"Wrong way," he told the female.
"As you said last time. This time we are trying it anyway." She didn't spare him a look.
Grinning at her back, he caught up with her, keeping Alexis' pace as he easily strolled beside her. They made it out of the processing district three minutes later. Alexis made her way to a nearby monitor and found directions to her quarters. She returned to where the Seeker waited, arms latched across her body, her expression captivating in its vengefulness.
"I may have lied," he offered as a way as an explanation.
The female paled dramatically, cheeks infusing with color. A work shift must have ended for a crowd of humans filtered around them. Starscream stood his ground, forcing the humans to go around. He couldn't take his eyes off the female. Alexis was so complementing in her reactions. She steadied herself, pushed her hair behind her ear, her tiny fingers curling into fists as if preparing for attack, thoughts visibly racing. But instead of attacking as he had predicated, Alexis only met his stare, this time managing not to flinch. One word exhaled from her full mouth.
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Would you have killed those men?" she asked quietly so as not to be overheard, totally off the topic he had been wanting to head toward. Alexis moved out of the way when the next group came, looking uncomfortable and discomposed.
This time he found great satisfaction in telling the truth. "That wouldn't have served my purpose."
She bit her lip, looked furious and unsettled. Alexis unnecessarily moved out of the way of a group of teenage girls who slowed down as they looked Starscream over. Dressed in well-fitted slacks and a loose long sleeved shirt, which he had chosen carefully in order to enhance his frame and draw out the color of his eyes, he knew he looked tempting from the crown of his head to the bottom of his slick combat boots. And while he still felt discombobulated without the display of his impressive wings, the human male form he had crafted was as immaculate as he.
He let the femmes stare. They giggled and blushed when he spared them a look before finally moving on, one of the girls staring at Alexis and then at Starscream until she nearly tripped over her own feet.
"So I could have…"
"Left well enough alone."
"I will remember that," she told him in a tight voice, glaring at him one more time before turning around and walking away into the last of the dispersing crowd.
"Next time you want to spend time with me, you only have to make a request," he called out to her departing form.
Alexis gripped her small bag and sped up. "Wipe your mouth off. You're bleeding again," the female notified him, her tone tainted with an open disdain that made his blood pressure rise and his mouth curl.
Sure enough, he was. The cut stung as he wiped his mouth, reminding him that there were three males that were due a lesson in superiority, of the facets of pain.
He had told Alexis the truth when he said he didn't need to kill them. But as in every truth there was room for distortion. In every question there was a potential for not asking the right thing.
The female should have never revealed her reasons for taking him away from the three men. Her truth had been a slight, an insult, a trigger, a mistake.
Alexis ought to have lied.