Hello everyone. Thanks for all the latest reviews.
Um, a really quick request though. If you are going to review please do so in English as I cannot speak any other language. Thank you.
This chapter is more of a filler. I have no idea what I'm gonna write about so please don't hurt me if it's really bad.
Let's do this!
P.S. This chapter shouldn't be too sad
Just a quick word for all you people who dream of flying in an F-22, it's amazing. The speed at which they go is awesome. And I'm not even a big fan of flying.
Starscream hadn't actually transformed into his jet mode (he said it was far easier to fly and carry me if he was in robot mode. I personally thought that it was because he had readier access to his weapons but I didn't say anything) but he still went remarkably fast.
I was wrapped in his palm, held up against his chest plates to protect me from the winds, as we swooped low over the town. I wasn't comfortable with him being so low but Starscream couldn't go to high because how the lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures would kill me.
"I didn't rescue you from a burning building just to kill you now" He had said jokingly when I objected to him flying so low.
Adjusting my position, I winced as I caught one of the slight burns I had suffered on my arms. I hadn't actually realized I was hurt until Starscream had pointed it out to me. I had been too busy thinking about my mum to notice the stinging in my arms and along my back where the flames had come in contact with my skin.
I pulled out the frame I had rescued from the fire and held it up so I could see it but being careful not to drop it. My fingers traced along the outline of my mum and myself and in the photo. It had been taken last holidays when we went skiing. Both of us were wearing bulky parkas, mine being bright green hers a dull red, carrying ski poles and had the most enormous grins plastered on our cold, flushed faces. It had taken about three months of constant nagging to get my mum to agree to that trip but once we arrived she had enjoyed herself about as much as me.
I sighed softly. Life had been so much simpler then. I had just been a normal kid trying to juggle school, swimming, friends and family. I had had a mum and a home and, most importantly, no All Spark and no giant robots from outer space trying to kill me.
The more I thought about it the more I thought that I should be feeling really upset about my mum dying and losing my home but in truth I felt nothing. It was almost like someone had flipped a switch inside shutting down all my human emotions, leaving me blank and empty. I wasn't objecting though. I would rather fell empty than have to bear the mind numbing grief that accompanied death again. I had already had to put up with one parent dying so I knew how horrible the grief was.
Another thought flitted into my conciseness. Was I an orphan now? I was certainly homeless but was I an orphan? If my prophecy was correct then my dad could very well, still be alive. But I had no idea if my vision was correct or not and even if it was would I want to be related to someone who was working with the Decepticons?
"I've contacted Prime and he said he'll meet us at Witbank oval. He hasn't had chance to drop off that Abbie girl yet so she will be there as well" Starscream's voice traveled over the wind to reach my ears.
"I don't know anyone called Prime" I called back "And how did you contact him?" I hadn't heard anything.
"Optimus Prime" Starscream replied "I contacted him via comlink, our internal radio system"
"Can Autobots and Decepticons communicate over the same system? I would have thought that you blocked each other" I had to yell quite loud so he could hear me over the rushing wind.
"It's harder than talking to someone from our branch but it is possible to communicate with the other side. Brace yourself thought Allison…"
"Ally" I said
"What?"
"Please don't call me Allison. That's what my mum call…used to call me" I had to correct myself. I was never going to get used to the fact that my mum was dead.
"Ally then. Anyway I'm descending now"
My ears popped as he began a rapid descent and my stomach churned. I had always hated the descent in any airplane and I was sure that, if I hadn't already emptied the contents of my stomach, I would have hurled.
Starscream's landing was surprisingly soft for something his size. I had expected it to be rough and noisy but there was barely a sound. Once he had shut off his thrusters he placed me down on the ground and stood up.
"Just be careful that nobody sees you" I warned him. The last thing I needed was for some innocent passerby to notice him. And even in his alt mode he would still attract attention. Oh yeah folks, there is an F-22 just randomly parked on the oval.
It was then that I heard my phone. Confused I dug it out of my pocket, amazed at the fact that I actually still had it. I would have thought that with the events of the past couple of days it would have long since disappeared. Checking the caller number I pressed talk and waited.
"Ally, why can't you answer your phone the first time round? And I swear that unless you change your bloody voicemail, I will burn you alive. A Jamaican dude talking and playing the bongos gets annoying after a while." I swallowed painfully at the second sentence trying to ignore the tightening in my chest. Talk about bad timing to say something like that. Fighting hard I managed to keep my voice steady as I spoke.
"On any other day I might actually find that funny" I held the phone away as I broke into, yet another, hoarse coughing fit.
"Dude, did you just cough up a lung or something?" Abbie was asking
"No" I rasped, swallowing and clearing my throat "But I do have two lungs full of smoke and dust"
"Huh?" Abbie always sounded so intelligent when she said that. "Oh hang on, we've just arrived. Tell me in a sec okay"
I cancelled the call and slid the phone back into my pocket. I turned around to face Starscream only to find him crouching down so he was eye level with me. His red optics scanned over me.
"Your friend, did she upset you?" He asked. I shook my head swiftly but didn't say anything not trusting my voice. She hadn't upset me as much as shaken me up. I was still in shock after the fire and having someone say that they would burn me alive was not very helpful in that respect.
The sound of moving parts made me look back at the car park. Optimus was transforming into his bot mode. He made his way over to us slowly and cautiously, one hand prepared to grab one of his guns if Starscream decided to fight.
"What is going on here?" He asked carefully optics going from me to Starscream. Abbie was seated on his shoulder, glaring at Starscream.
"If you have harmed my friend, I am gonna get the biggest chainsaw I can find and chop you into little pieces" She was so subtle with her death threats.
"I'm fine" I said quickly when I felt Starscream stiffen beside me then re-thought that sentence "Okay rephrase, Starscream hasn't harmed me and I'm fine physically, except for a few minor burns and smoke inhalation" Abbie looked down at me and her jaw dropped as she surveyed my sooty, singed clothes, blackened hair and dirty face.
"House fire" I raised my chin. The pleasant emptiness I had felt earlier had gone leaving me to feel the full force of the pain and guilt my mum's death had caused "Decepticons destroyed my house. My mum's dead as well. I would be to, if Starscream hadn't come" Tears welled up again and flowed over my cheeks.
"Oh, I so should not have said I would burn you alive. I'm sorry about that" Abbie refused to meet my eyes. Optimus was busy staring at Starscream.
"You saved her?" He asked not bothering to hide the amazement in his voice.
"A life for a life" Starscream grunted "I brought her to you because I knew she would be safe"
Abbie nudged Optimus "Could you out me down?"
Optimus shot Starscream an unsure glance and placed her on the ground beside me. Starscream backed up a little.
"Could you stop looking at him like he's going to shoot you next time he moves" I said "If he was going to kill me, why did he rescue me in the first place?"
Optimus was silent but he relaxed a little as he crouched down in front of me.
"You say the Decepticons did this?" He asked not quite believing me.
"Who else would it have been?" I snapped then burst out coughing again "Damn it, that hurts" I rubbed my sore throat.
"You need a drink" Abbie took my arm and dragged me over to a nearby bubbler. As I drank I listened to Optimus and Starscream.
"Why would they try to kill her? I thought the Decepticons needed her to bring back Megatron" Optimus stated
"So did I" I watched Starscream give a slight shrug from the corner of my eye "It may be that they found a way to resurrect Megatron without need of the All Spark. If that's the case we need to careful. Also, it will be known to them that they failed to kill her, which leads me to believe that they're going try this again"
"We'll keep watch over her" Optimus nodded slowly "I'll take her with me to my companions and we will take care of her"
"It might also be a good idea to take Abbie as well. If they know that she is close to Ally then…" He didn't need to finish his sentence.
"Abbie will also be taken care of" Optimus looked over at us as I straightened up and shut off the bubbler. "Thank you, for saving her and for bringing her to us"
Starscream shrugged lightly "I promised I would help her. I only regret not getting there sooner"
"My mum died as soon as the missiles hit. The impact broke her neck." I understood what he meant by getting there sooner. My throat began to close over as I spoke "There's absolutely nothing you could have done. And if anything this is my fault"
"Why?" Abbie asked
"I should have realized that going back to my mum would have put her in danger" I whipped at the tears streaming down my face "If I hadn't gone back, the Decepticons wouldn't have blown up my house and she would still be alive" I burst into an embarrassing fit of sobs.
One of the lights in the houses next to the oval went on suddenly. Optimus and Starscream ducked away from the light into the shadows.
"It is not safe here" Optimus reached out for Abbie and me. "We should get somewhere safe and out of sight of humans now"
"Are you coming?" I managed to stop crying long enough to ask Starscream.
He looked unsurely at Optimus and I could have sworn I felt the air ripple slightly as they communicated via comlink.
"I will come" Starscream said at last "But it would be best if you travel with Optimus. At least until the other Autobots know that I mean no harm"
00000
The firemen finished rolling up the hoses just as the police arrived. All that was left of the house was a pile of wet slush and couple of support beams. The fire had almost consumed the whole building by time the firemen had been alerted.
"Judging by the car in the driveway, I would say that whoever lives here was home when this fire started" One of the police said
"We have only found the remains of one body sir" A paramedic nodded over to a trolley which had a body covered over by sheet on it. "The remains are burnt beyond recognition but we think that the body is that of an adult"
"Does anyone have any idea who lived here?" A policewoman, Julie Sanders asked looking faintly disgusted as she stared at the body.
Her colleague checked the number on the letter box "42 Ashcourt. I'd have to get this checked"
Julie watched as he walked away with his phone then turned to the firemen.
"What caused this fire, do you know?" She asked
"Too early to tell, but the neighbor who called said they heard two explosions"
"It was looked up on the computer. This house belongs to the Shorecoats" Julie jumped when she heard the name. She had worked on that case four years ago, when Robert Shorecoat had died. She still remembered the mother, openly distraught about the death of her husband but it was the girl who stood out most in her memory. She had been silent and calm, as she regarded the dead body of her father. She had been what, thirteen at the time.
"You say it was an Adults body that was found?" Julie asked the paramedics, who nodded silently.
"We would have to run checks but we are pretty certain"
"Okay, well there was a seventeen year old girl living there as well" Julie looked over at the firemen. "Are you sure there is nothing else in there?"
"There was nothing. Just the one body"
Julie frowned to herself as she surveyed the burnt ruins. If Allison's body wasn't there then she was still alive. But where was she?
Whew done. Yes it's awful. I'm sorry but as I said before I had no idea what to write so I made it up as I went along.
Please review. Next chapter will be better.