Skywarp eagerly observed the rapidly passing ground beneath Starscream. They were so close now, just a little longer and with a little luck he'd have his body back. Soon enough, without having to leave the city limits they happened upon the Doctor himself, standing amidst smoking buildings and surrounded by four Autobots. Laser fire and the crash of metal on concrete burnt through the air. King was attempting to fight all four opponents on equal ground, not making use of his teleportation ability. Perhaps he didn't even know he had it, Skywarp surmised. The only thing Skywarp knew for sure though, was that they had to get him out of there before they damaged his body beyond repair.
"This should be easy enough." Starscream's confidence resounded in his voice. He adjusted his course and barrelled straight for the black Seeker. Starscream opened fire with a long stream from his null ray, which met its target in a matter of seconds. King cried out and froze on the spot, his beaten body then toppled and fell gracelessly to the concrete city street below. The Autobots looked bewildered as to why one Seeker would be attacking another, and ceased their assaults, perhaps believing one had switched allegiance. Starscream transformed in mid flight and dug his feet into the ground skidding to a gradual halt next to the disabled body of Doctor King. Sparks flew and concrete dust flew up into the air before he completely stopped, leaving a convenient smokescreen between him and the opposing Autobots.
"Wish I'd thought of using that move." Skywarp said, jealously.
"If only you had my finesse." Starscream replied.
"Starscream!" Came the startled realization from one of the nearby Autobots.
"Die, Autobots!" Starscream's voice screeched and he fired off a few brief shots from his null ray.
"Leave the Autobots!" Skywarp yelled frantically, "We need to get him back now!"
"Fine. I'll save this fun for another day." Starscream scooped up the unconscious body of Doctor King and slung it over his back. Starscream ran back through his smokescreen and transformed once again, the body of the black seeker hanging limp, but swaying as it was battered by the passing air currents.
Despite the accident that had taken place there, there was no sign of Autobot activity at the facility. It seemed that the government wanted to keep things under wraps after all. Starscream swooped down low dropping King inside the building via the whole he had made on his earlier exit. There were shouts and screams as humans went running in all directions, and military personnel armed their weapons and opened fire.
"Be careful not to damage the equipment." Skywarp noted from within the cockpit.
"Thank you for stating the obvious." Starscream replied angrily.
The white seeker swung his gigantic fist at the attacking humans, smashing them where they stood or knocking them to the ground or into nearby walls. It didn't take him long to put down all the human resistance.
Opening the canopy compartment in his chest, Starscream allowed Skywarp and Melissa into the building, before picking up King and placing him on the platform where Skywarp had been imprisoned.
"Just connect that machine to his head." Melissa pointed to the apparatus used to remove Skywarp's mind from his body. Starscream grudgingly obeyed, and placed the machine into its correct position on King.
Melissa took Skywarp to the control room situated above the main lab, and helped him inside the input tube King had occupied before the experiment.
"This is goodbye then." She smiled at him.
"Wait, we don't have to do this." Skywarp protested, "We could just remove him and be done with it." There was no self doubt now, he must have seriously lost his mind.
"No. We do have to do this. Thank you for everything." She locked him inside the tube and turned to the control panel facing the shattered window.
Skywarp hit the interior of the tube, trying to force his way out. But to no avail, his cries didn't make it through the abnormally thick glass.
In the lab below they could see Starscream suddenly look up, raise his arms and begin firing through the shattered ceiling. Skywarp assumed the Autobots had followed them here, and there were probably more on the way. He looked over at Melissa, who was working frantically to complete the procedure in time. Unknown to the two of them however, the black seeker below had started to stir. As the machinery hummed into life, King regained motor function throughout his body, and staggered away from the unfastened restraints. He could see Melissa inside the control room and his mouth twisted into a sadistic grin. As the machine reached the peak of its operating potential, Skywarp watched in abject horror as a matte purple fist was flung through the broken window, slamming the helpless human girl against the opposite wall. And then, all was black. He felt all the human sensations disappear as his mind pulled through an unknown void. But all too soon, his vision returned.
Diagnostic analyses filled his mind, he was a machine again, but he wasn't happy. Skywarp drew back his hand, to watch Melissa's broken form drop to the floor. He was too stunned to speak, what could he possibly say. He knew the emotion he should be feeling if he were human but his body just wasn't capable, but he wanted to feel it, he wanted to feel it so badly.
Melissa stirred, blood pouring from her mouth, nose and ears. Skywarp reached out and gently picked her up, cradling her in his outstretched palm. She looked up at him, her tears mixing with her blood. She coughed and spluttered with the effort of trying to breathe and trying to speak.
"Is- it- you?" She stammered between coughs.
"Yes. It's me. Hold on, I'll fly you to a human hospital. So don't die on me just yet."
"Forget it." She said, breathing a little easier as her body functions began to slow. "There is no chance for someone with my wounds to recover."
Skywarp looked over at the tubes inside the control room.
"D- Don't even think about it." She spluttered again. "I'd rather die than go inside that contraption."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" He asked.
"Stay with me until I'm gone." She replied. "I just wish it hadn't turned out this way. I wanted to study you a little more." She started to laugh, which turned into a painful hacking cough. "It- It may not have lasted long. But I'm glad I met you. Maybe I'm saying this only because I'm dying but I'll say it anyway.... I love you." She closed her eyes, and lay there with laboured breathing.
Skywarp didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to repeat that? That was the accepted standard amongst humans wasn't it, mutual expression of love? But there was just one problem, he didn't love her. He may have loved her had he still been in a human body but now his programming identified her merely as a target to protect, albeit a high priority target, but it was far from the emotional mess he had felt before.
'Ridiculous.' Skywarp thought. He simply stared at her, like she was babbling nonsense that meant nothing to anyone.
But all the same, Melissa smiled as she lay there. Her lips parted and she mouthed quietly. "Go. Don't let them get you."
Skywarp laid her down on the floor of the room, a bitter feeling of failure lingering in his mind. He turned his attention to the tube he had first emerged from, inside was a man resembling a younger Doctor King. He was laughing, admiring the human body he had gained in place of Skywarp's, one free of disability and old age. Skywarp couldn't accept this, and there was one emotion he had left that was in full effect. Pure unbridled rage.
Skywarp picked up the human whose elation turned into sudden horror as he realized his plight. He may have been protesting, Skywarp really wasn't listening though. His mind was blinded by one unstoppable compulsion. KILL.
Skywarp closed his fist around Doctor King, there was a short sharp yelp as his body was compressed and exploded, ending his brief rebirth for all eternity.
Melissa smiled, satisfaction spread across her paling face. "Thank you." She mouthed.
Skywarp touched her with his clean hand, she looked at him, her eyes sparkling with what may have been regret, affection, or any number of human emotions he didn't understand. All too soon however, those eyes lost their light, the blood stopped flowing from her damaged body, and she was quiet.
In that instant Skywarp thought he could feel a slight tingling sensation in the finger that was touching her tiny body. But he disregarded it, this body didn't process touch in that way, it was probably just a memory.
Skywarp stood, and turned away from the broken glass, he'd seen enough. The sound of laser fire grew quieter. Starscream must have been leading them away. There was no point in staying here then. Preparing himself for departure, Skywarp stole one last glance back at the shattered control room, before disappearing back into the dimensional gap.
