So. Um. I'm back. Without a really good reason for my long absence, other than that school once again swallowed me whole and only deigned to spit me back out about a week ago. My mind still aches from the experience, but the guilt of neglecting this story for so long has been gnawing at me and I couldn't ignore it any longer. So. New chapter ahead. I hope you enjoy it. Review if you like. Comments and criticism are welcome, and I've definitely earned any torches you've been waiting to light...
Thank you, as always, for adding alerts, faves, and for reviewing. I enjoy writing this story and I love to hear what your thoughts regarding it.
Corrected 6-25-2012 for slight malfunction in author's terminology
Chapter Ten
Yearning
"Starscream!" Skywarp's call over their trinebond was strong enough to drag the silver Seeker from his forced recharge.
Not bothering to open his optics – scans already told him he was alone in his room, and Skywarp would be shouting out loud were he present, judging by the strength of his message – Starscream let his systems start up properly before sending a reply. "What is it, Skywarp?" His processors, still slow from the interrupted recharge cycle, began to crank out possibilities for his trinemate's distress.
"Jasmine isn't Victoria! The humans were lying, and now she's been sent back to that orphanage place."
At least she is no longer in danger, Starscream thought, his brief feeling of relief immediately replaced with concern. "Calm down, Skywarp, it isn't the end of the world. So what if the human is someone else? She is with her own kind and much safer than she would be here." Now that she is away from the Sanderses, anyway, he added to himself.
"But she hates it there. We have to get her back, Screamer."
Starscream's response was firm. "She chose to leave. We hold no obligation to her and her presence here was a danger for us as well as herself. She is better off at the orphanage."
"Starscream is right," Thundercracker agreed, joining their conversation without waiting for an invitation. It wasn't as though the conversation was private, after all, not if it was being held over the trinebond they shared. "I care for the human as well, Skywarp, but we could not have kept her hidden forever. Eventually Megatron would have found out. He almost did during the short time she was with us. Could you bring her back here, knowing what her fate would be if our leader discovered her existence?"
"We can find better hiding places," Skywarp pleaded. "I swear, he'll never find out."
The longing his brothers felt was almost overwhelming. Starscream flinched at the intensity, hiding his own emotions behind heavy firewalls. No need for them to know he missed the human as well. It would only make matters worse.
"No," he said, almost gently. "That's final."
"Hey, look, it's the little princess!"
Jasmine flinched, keeping her head down as she followed the policeman to the door of the orphanage. She was tired from the long plane ride, which had been far less comfortable than flying with Skywarp, hungry, and most of all, emotionally exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with her fellow orphans, who had no doubt come up with new and better torments since she had left.
"What happened, Pet? Did your owners throw you out for not being housetrained?"
"That's enough." Sharp and to the point, the policeman's voice sliced through the rising murmur of taunts and scattered the gathering mob. "Petunia, where is the office of the head matron?"
"This way," she said, pointing down the hall. Too late she saw Miss Vale headed toward them.
"Don't point, Petunia, it's rude," the woman scolded before turning to the policeman. "I am terribly sorry you had to go through so much trouble."
"She was no trouble at all, ma'am. If you don't mind, I'll help Petunia bring her things to her room."
Miss Vale glanced at the bag Jasmine carried with a look of distaste – she hated when the orphans received gifts. They were supposed to be equals, she always said, and forced them to share what they had. Jasmine knew most of her things would disappear within a few days, but that was all right. Her drawings were the most important, and they were folded into small squares and tucked into her jacket pockets, along with the box of crayons.
"Please don't feel obliged," said the head matron, giving Jasmine a brief frown. "Off you go, child, and unpack. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Thank you," Jasmine told the policeman, not about to be shooed off before she could at least show her gratitude for everything he and the others had done.
"It's our duty," he replied, taking the bag from her before she could protest. "Now show me where your room is."
Miss Vale sputtered and almost argued, but something in the man's eyes must have warned her off because she relented and let them walk away, though not before she had given Jasmine a warning look. The girl quailed, a motion not unnoticed by the police officer, who frowned but did not comment. This orphanage was unfortunately far from his jurisdiction, but he already planned to stop by the local station before leaving. If necessary, he'd even call the chief, see if his friends among their superiors could do something about the situation. He didn't like having to leave the poor child in such a place, the only comfort – slight as it was – being that she had survived it before. That, and the fact he wasn't going to leave her in this building any longer than necessary. Even if he had to take her home himself.
Jasmine didn't know what her companion was thinking about, though she had a feeling he didn't like Miss Vale. His disapproving looks toward the building itself were also impossible to miss, and the girl felt a momentary desire to defend the bare grey walls and scuffed wood floors. It wasn't much of a home, but it had been she had ever known, and it was all she had left. Her mind knew, even if her heart still yearned, the Seekers did not want her back. Her presence at their home had been a momentary diversion, nothing more, no matter what Skywarp said. If it were anything else, surely he would have come to fetch her long before now.
A soft crackle of paper came from her jacket pockets as she reached out to open a bedroom door. Remembering the pictures she had drawn, Jasmine decided to get rid of them as soon as possible. They would only remind her of what she had lost and would probably get the trine in trouble, anyway, should the wrong people get their hands on the drawings.
Sighing, she pushed the door open, knowing what lay in the room beyond even before it came into sight. Three bunk beds against one wall, two more against its adjacent. A couple rickety old desks with chairs that looked even more unstable. Wooden crates packed with neatly folded clothes and lined up along the one otherwise empty wall. The small window, barred shut, with frosted glass that let in little light.
Fortunately, no one had moved into her bed during her absence, and most of her clothes appeared to be where they had been left. Her pillow was gone, but another of the beds held two, so retrieving it would be simple enough. Jasmine turned and held out her hand. "Thanks for everything," she said, hoping the man would take her hint and leave.
To her surprise, he pulled her into a quick hug. "You be careful now," he warned, releasing her a moment later and shoving the bag into her arms, along with a few folded bills pulled hastily from his pocket. "The chief gave you his number?"
She nodded, still stunned by his generosity.
"Good," he said. "If you have any trouble, with that woman or the other orphans or anyone else, call him at once and he'll send me over. Actually, here-" he relieved her of the bag again and rummaged in it until he found a piece of paper. "Where did those crayons go?"
Wordlessly, she pulled one from her pocket and held it out.
"Like purple?" he asked, noting how much of the crayon had been used.
Jasmine shrugged, not about to explain that she had used a lot in her drawings of Skywarp. Granted, the bright color wasn't quite the silvery-violet shade of the Seeker, but it was the closest she could come.
"This is my number," he said, folding the paper and handing it and the crayon to the girl. "Don't lose it and don't hesitate to call me. I'll be in town for a few days, got a couple things to look into." Glancing around, he lowered his voice and added, "Such as this place. I don't like the way things are being run around here."
"Good luck," Jasmine offered.
"You're a good kid," he told her in return, pattering her shoulder. "Take care now, and don't lose those numbers."
Watching her last connection to the kinder world outside the orphanage walk away, Jasmine felt something heavy settle on her shoulders. Despair. Having tasted freedom, she didn't want to return to her old life.
It wasn't like she had a choice, though, so the girl hoisted her bag and walked into the bedroom, planning to hide what she could under her clothes before the dinner bell rang. Everything that wouldn't fit on the bottom of the crate would be left in the paper bag as a diversion for the snoops interested in what she had brought back from her brief sojourn.
Skywarp had kept a steady stream of human broadcasts running through his lower processors since Jasmine had left, watching for any hint of news about her. New news, that is, there was plenty of the repetitive stories, all stating the same thing about her status as the possible heir to an enormous fortune. When it had turned to the related cases of her custody and her actual claim to the fortune, the Seeker had wanted desperately to snatch her away from the greedy humans, who didn't seem to care about what she felt, just what she was worth. Then the lab results returned and it was made clear Jasmine was not Victoria Sanders, which meant her leaving had been pointless in the first place.
Flying out on energon collection yet again, Skywarp had more than enough time alone to think about it all. His brothers didn't understand. Thundercracker did miss the human, but was too busy to worry about her current condition. Starscream simply didn't seem to care. It didn't help that Soundwave and Megatron kept poking around, as though they expected to find something incriminating, though the Seekers had been careful to erase all traces of Jasmine's presence. Well, almost all. Skywarp would never let his brothers find the camper, which he had buried in the same pile of scrap metal Jasmine had hidden within not all that long ago. Just in case, he had thought when placing it there, but it was beginning to look like they would never have need for it again.
To make matters even worse, Starscream's condition was slowly getting worse. Skywarp could already feel the sharp pangs of energon deprivation, but he and Thundercracker had agreed privately to give their trinemate all they could spare. If the silver mech did not begin to heal soon, they might even have to take more desperate measures. What kind, Skywarp did not want to consider.
Dinner was a quiet affair, thankfully, and though Jasmine knew it had to be because someone had been punished earlier, she could not feel too sorry for the victim of Miss Vale's temper. With no one wanting to get on the matron's bad side, everyone left the girl alone. For the most part, anyway. A few whispered comments, an elbow in the ribs when someone sat beside her, and one girl not-so-absently picking up Jasmine's dinner roll and taking a bite; it all was to be expected and she suffered through it in silence. After Andrea and Tyler, the other orphans weren't so horrible. If anything, they were better than the alternative.
Following dessert – a congealed white lump studded with shriveled raisins the kitchen staff claimed to be rice pudding – Jasmine made her way quickly to her room, taking her old route up the back stairs. She slipped under her covers and buried her face in her pillow, hoping her roommates would not cause any trouble.
Her wish was partly granted, that is, no one bothered her that night, but the next morning she entered the bathroom, the last in line, to find a note scrawled in the fading steam on the mirror. Tonight. Jasmine washed her face and scraped her hair back into something resembling order, then followed the others down the stairs to breakfast. Oatmeal was even less appetizing than usual, but she forced down every bite, knowing she would regret not eating later.
The note from that morning was almost forgotten until Jasmine entered her room after the evening meal. Then three dark shapes jumped her, covering her with a suffocating blanket and taking her down to the floor.
"Think you're better'n us?" growled someone's voice, too low of a whisper to place a name to.
Jasmine had no breath with which to reply. Struggling against her captors, she wondered what plans they had for her. Whatever they had thought to do, though, it never happened. Sirens and lights suddenly lit up the night, and with screams, the three girls holding her down released her and fled. Shaking, Jasmine fought her way out from under the blanket and ran downstairs. Was there a fire? What was going on? The stream of girls and boys, all different ages and of various stages of almost-sleep, stumbled out the front door, rubbing eyes and clutching blankets, pillows and well-loved stuffed animals.
Miss Vale was the last to exit, shooing the final few stragglers down the steps, her eyes dark with anger. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, marching toward the nearest uniformed man.
Jasmine recognized him suddenly, and she felt like cheering. But Miss Vale started to yell, and he began to raise his voice in return, and it was too much for the girl to handle, so she crept aside, trying to find the edge of the crowd slowly gathering. Suddenly something black was shoved into her face and a woman wearing bright clothes and wire-rimmed glasses peered at her.
"Mind answering a few questions, dear? Is this raid a surprise? Are you glad that Miss Vale is being taken into custody? What do you think will happen to you and your fellow orphans now? Is there anything you would like to say to the general public?"
Shaking her head, Jasmine took a step back. "I just...I just..."
"Yes?" the woman pressed, matching the girl step for step. "You can say it, child, don't worry about what that terrible woman will say. She's leaving for good."
"I just want my family back," Jasmine whimpered, then turned and fled into the night, not caring where she was headed, as long as it was away from the light, and sound, and madness.
"In a surprise raid, the orphanage matron has been taken into custody. The fate of the orphans is currently unknown, the police are currently keeping watch over the place. Although no statements have been made yet, we did hear a few words from one of the girls..."
Skywarp's spark skipped a pulse when Jasmine's tearful face played. "I just want my family back!" The purple mech cut his connection to the broadcast signal and force-started his cooling fans, which had been shut off due to lack of energon. Guilt, anger, frustration, all warred in his processors, heating them to the point that he snapped. "Starscream, I am going after her."
"...what?" The slow response warned Skywarp that he had woken his brother from a recharge cycle, but he could not quite bring himself to care right then, at least not much.
Sending the silver mech – and Thundercracker, inadvertently – a packet containing the transmission, Skywarp headed for the front door. He was already in the middle of transforming when the other two responded.
"You are to stay on base," Starscream ordered, without much force behind the words. "Skywarp, it is far too dangerous a situation to enter. You will be doing the human a disservice, bringing her back here, she is far safer than she ever was."
"Do you want backup?" Thundercracker asked, ignoring the angry response from Starscream at this statement. The blue mech knew there would be no arguing with Skywarp, not in his current state, and if Starscream's processors had been clearer, he would sense the same.
"Unnecessary. Make sure Screamer doesn't do anything foolish while I'm away." With that final parting remark, the purple Seeker cut his communications with his brothers and took off down their runway, headed straight for the building where it had all begun, not that long ago.
Getting inside was the difficult part, and Skywarp thought it over carefully before he landed in an abandoned lot, under the cover of darkness, and sent a hologram creeping through the night into the orphanae. After checking every single room, some of them more than once, he found himself confused. Jasmine was nowhere to be found. He began searching through the bags and boxes in the various rooms, making as little noise as possible, and finally discovered at the bottom of one crate a jacket with pockets filled with drawings unremarkable save for their heavy use of silver, blue and purple crayon and the fact that each drawing was painstakingly marked with recognizable Cybertronian characters.
Jasmine had been here, at one point, and Skywarp almost woke the other occupants in the room, to ask where she might be now, but then decided they might scream and that would cause even more issues for his search. Instead, he left the room, taking the drawings and coat with him, which he stored away in subspace before changing his search pattern. The only other place he could think of her being was the police station, but a quick scan of the building revealed no life signs similar to a child's.
Had she run away? The thought was enough to make his spark spin with worry. There were so many dangers out on the streets, and she could be anywhere by now, it could take weeks to find her. Like it or not, he was going to have to ask for help. Filing his pride away in some dark corner of his memory, Skywarp opened a channel to his brothers. "Starscream? Thundercracker? We have a problem."
"You have a problem," Starscream said, after hearing the facts. "Sounds like she ran. Considering the circumstances surrounding the takeover of the orphanage, I wouldn't be surprised if more than one orphan took flight. Knowing humans, she won't have gone far, though. They tend to stick to familiar places."
"But she's not in the orphanage, or the police station!"
"Scan for life signs around both buildings, especially the orphanage," suggested Starscream, impatience and annoyance heavy in his transmission.
Skywarp took to the air again and began to circle, running radar scans. Several heat signatures appeared, but as each one turned out to be a stray animal or a homeless person curled up in a doorway, he began to despair of ever finding one single human. Then something moved on his radar, a small, furtive jump as a spot he hadn't checked yet crept across the road toward the orphanage. Without waiting for confirmation from his visual sensors, the Seeker pounced, transforming even as he landed in the street nearby.
"Jasmine?" he called softly, and the movement stopped, then started again, headed in his direction fast. The running steps faltered only once, as they came to an abrupt stop in front of him, and the girl looked up, staring at him with wide eyes.
"You came back," she said, flinging her arms up, and he scooped her into his hand without any further pressing needed.
"You're coming home," he replied, and they flew off.
The trip back was a quiet one, with Jasmine dozing as she finally got the rest she had been longing for and Skywarp tried to reason with his brothers. Fortunately, Thundercracker didn't take long to switch sides, leaving Starscream to be the stubborn voice of reason.
"She can't stay with us," the silver mech protested. "Look how well things went last time."
"We can't take her back," Skywarp replied. "We're her family."
The argument went on for a little longer, then Starscream paused for a long moment before venting air, the sound somehow carrying over his next transmission. "Very well, but report to me as soon as you return. I want to ensure you picked up the right human."
"Of course I did!" Skywarp protested, but it was to an empty connection, and Thundercracker only chuckled before disconnecting himself.
Jasmine woke as Skywarp switched to bipedal mode. Yawning, the girl sat up, startled to find herself in Starscream's room. The mech was recharging, as usual, and she crept to the edge of Skywarp's hand to peer at the silver Seeker.
"Starscream?" she whispered, then looked up to Skywarp. "Is he sleeping?"
"Recharging," the mech replied, and set her down on the nearest chair arm. "He should wake soon. I need to go-"
"-collect energon," she finished for him with a sigh.
"Yes, but I'll be back as soon as I can, promise." Skywarp left, and Jasmine made her way down to the palm of Starscream's right hand, uncomfortable with sitting on the chair arm.
"Starscream?" she murmured again, patting his arm, but the Seeker didn't move, so she curled up and fell asleep again, feeling safer than she had in a long time.
Starscream waited until the human's breathing patterns had settled to a gentle rhythm before he allowed a smile to creep across his face. "Welcome home, human," he said, voice a barely above a whisper, then shuttered his own optics for another recharge cycle.