Hello my lovelies. Wooo spring is finally here in England! I can stop shivering in big hoodies and get some SUN! So I'm happy. Thanks for the reviews and comments, I'm dead chuffed as ever. Enjoy the latest chapter. :-)

Chapter 11

Arcee stood from her discreet vantage point, watching Alexis and the slaves get hustled underground, into a gaping hole in the side of the slope. She had sped across Unicron's surface now for an entire orbital cycle. She knew she must have only covered a tiny portion of this vast planet, yet she could confidently sum it up in one word: chaotic. The planet was crowded with pits and refineries, markets, shanty towns, fighting arenas… there were vast canyons, rivers, underground caves, and sprawling cities that had been built in a hurry, crowded with thousands of species – even Arcee couldn't name them all. Already she had collected enough samples to start a new library on Cybertron. The thrill of exploration was coursing through her – not for eons had she encountered a planet like this. It was a neverland of resources and strange terrains.

Yet danger lurked here too. Twice she had been ambushed, in the space of only a few hours. The first time she had been approached by a shady group of Junkion pirates asking her to join their group. When she had refused they attacked – but most of them were overloaded on energon and she had left them twitching on the ground in pain. Piece of cake. The second attack had shaken even her: a towering mech had side-stepped out of a dark alley, flinging a foul-smelling liquid into her face – in all likelihood a drug. She had dodged most of it, luckily, and sped off, only managing to lose him after a rapid chase through a repair market. She suspected he'd had plans for her involving a 'spark den' – an underground brothel, where femmes were kept chained and constantly under-energised, in order to cater to the tastes of refinery workers or soldiers. She shuddered. She was going to need all her wits about her on this sphere.

The Portent, now transformed into a formidable fortress, lay on an adjacent slope to her, higher up. She cursed internally at allowing herself to get caught on board – she was relying on the Decepticons to get her home, and it would be much harder to sneak aboard now they knew of her presence.

On reflection, she would have been better submitting to them when she had been discovered – they may have thrown her in the brig and she would have had to have endured Starscream's gloating and insults, but she might have been able to negotiate something with the ill-tempered Decepticon leader, especially with Alexis as an ally.

But her pride and impulsivity had won out, so here she was, alone again. How she liked it, she reminded herself. The last thing she needed was for Starscream to be laying down conditions and restrictions on her. This way was better, and as for getting home… she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

She checked her energy shield, and began her approach towards the hulking Decepticon fortress. Most of her enemies had gone back inside. No harm in doing some snooping and seeing what the Decepticons were up to.

At the base of the towering structure she flattened herself to the black walls, her audios picking up a faint clicking sound behind the next corner. She frowned, readying her weapons. The energy signature was foreign, so not a Decepticon. Stealthily, she slid round, spotting a kneeling mech, grey and black, with a square, oversized head. He had his back to her, fussing and muttering over a set of wires and a slim duo-pod, the kind that attached to walls. Surveillance equipment.

'You do realize the Decepticons will never fail to notice such basic spy-tech?'

The mech wheeled round with a snarl, springing to his feet. Arcee leaned against the wall, an amused smile on her face as he looked her up and down. An ugly expression covered his face… but he mastered himself, replacing it with an oily smile, his optics flicking to her autobot insignia.

'Ah, an outsider,' he said, stepping towards her. 'My name is Pillage.'

'I know. I saw you toadying to Starscream.'

'Ah, so you know him?' Pillage took a step closer. His weapons were sheathed, but Arcee spotted his left hand behind his back, hiding a readied gun. 'A friend of yours, or foe? Hmm?'

She said nothing as he drew closer, invading her personal space, a lascivious leer on his ugly features. 'Foe, I'm guessing, by the way you sneak around here.'

'He does collect foes rather easily,' replied Arcee. 'If I were you, I'd avoid getting on his list. Not many bots who try to get one over on him live to tell the tale.' She gestured to his surveillance kit.

'So, you not only know him… you know plenty.' Pillage rubbed his chin, musingly. 'I tell you what, femme. How about an exchange of information? You tell me everything about these new Decepticons, and I'm sure there's something we can give you in return?'

Arcee looked up into his optics steadily. 'You promise much for a small timer.' He looked enraged, and she saw she had touched a sore spot. 'I don't think you have the authority to promise me anything. A herald who scrabbles around with inferior tech is not one who can guarantee me anything useful. Good luck with your spying. You're going to need it.' She made as if to step around him, but he grabbed her neck, slamming her back against the wall. She growled, momentarily stunned, unsheathing her gun and punching him under the chest plate, following it with a swift kick. He brought his left hand round, blasting the wall where her head was, but she had slid down the smooth surface, wheeling out from under him. A shot caught her side and she gasped, the sharp pain causing her to double up. Pillage crowed in triumph. 'Ha! Gotcha! You know, a minor piece of damage like that won't affect your usefulness down in the spark dens, pretty one…'

He advanced. She turned to run, bashing into a wall of metal, staggering back and rubbing her head. It was Thundercracker, looking amused, clutching a tiny black and silver mech by its neck. Arcee growled in exasperation. 'YOU!'

'Hi Arcee,' said Thundercracker casually, ignoring his diminutive captive who kicked uselessly, his high squeaky voice calling out in protest. Pillage stared, aghast, at the Decepticon second-in-command, making a leap towards retreat. Thundercracker was too quick, and shot at the back of his knee. He collapsed with an agonized yell. Arcee charged her guns as the blue jet stepped towards her, blowing the smoke from his cannon with a satisfied air.

'How's your jaw?' she snarled.

'Sore,' growled Thundercracker, his smile vanishing, and she straightened up with a grim, pleased smile.

'Good.'

Pillage tried to haul himself away, dragging his damaged leg, but Thundercracker placed his foot on the wrecked knee joint, shaking his head before looking back at Arcee, ignoring the pained bellows at his feet.

'Thought you could use some help down here.'

'Oh really? I had everything under control, thank you very much. You've got a spy here trying to snoop in on your ship.'

'So I see. We've met before. Starscream will be fascinated.' Thundercracker raised his eyebrows at the incriminating tangle of wires. 'A bit primitive.'

'That's what I said,' said Arcee, still aiming her weapons at the jet.

'You'd think he wanted to be caught.' At his feet, Pillage moaned again.

Arcee jerked her head towards the small robot still struggling in the jets grip. 'Who's this poor scrap?'

'A guest of Starscream,' replied Thundercracker, as the little bot writhed, trying to prise his head free.

'Poor thing. I should shoot him now, save him a world of pain,' said Arcee.

The jet grinned. 'Mmm. I've got a better idea.' He raised the small mech to his face, who squeaked in fright. 'It's your lucky day, runt!' he boomed, shaking him slightly. 'I've found someone willing to take your place.'

He dropped the mech, who scrambled to his feet, scuttling away from the huge Decepticon as fast as he could, raising a small cloud of dust. Thundercracker leaned down, hauling Pillage upright. 'Come on, time to meet Starscream again and talk to him about your toy spyware.' He turned to Arcee, who still had her weapons aimed at him.

'How's your lone mission going? Found out much yet? We could use any intel you have on the betagon.'

Arcee laughed bitterly. 'I've shared enough of my information and my skills with your kind, more than enough for a lifetime.'

'Yeah, I've been thinking about that.' Thundercracker regarded Arcee with a small, ambiguous smile. 'When you and I combined to fight off those Insecticons… wow. We were some team, don't you think?'

'We did what was necessary at the time,' replied Arcee coolly. 'I can't say I enjoyed it.'

'But the way we moved together! It was inspired! You'd think we'd have been training together for…'

'Save it, Thundercracker. Are you going to capture me, or let me go?'

Thundercracker took a step towards her, his optic moving over her frame the way they had done in the bar on Lithone. There was something in his gaze that stopped her meeting it. His bulk eclipsed her slimmer body. His free hand came up, as if to touch her arm, but he drew back, opening and shutting his fingers. At his side, Pillage squirmed and moaned, limping on his one good leg, the jet's fist clamped round his upper arm. 'Do you want to be captured?' His grin grew wider.

Arcee rolled her optics. She opened her mouth to shoot back a retort, when Pillage spoke with an agonized snarl.

'You… made a big mistake, injuring me! Ugh… I'll… be missed… Stormstrike will send his warriors to retrieve me! You just wait!'

'Excuse me a moment,' Thundercracker said politely. He swung Pillage round, mashing him against the wall with a derisive laugh.

'That's the best you can do? You know, I disliked you the moment I laid optics on you. You're a low-down, sniveling nobody who can't get in with the big boys. You sneak and snark, hoping for that promotion, but it never comes, does it, 'cos no one can trust you with anything important. The truth is, you're expendable. I can see, deep in your optics, that I'm right. No one will come looking for you. I would feel sorry for you if you weren't so obviously an odious little grease stain.'

Pillage stared at him, mouth opening and shutting like a fish, trying to splutter a response. Thundercracker nodded to Arcee.

'Well, I'd better get this slag-pipe to Starscream, see what else we can get out of him. You take care.' He turned to leave, but stopped, looking back at her. 'I got a feeling strength lies in numbers on this rock. You're no wimp, Arcee, but you're a long way from home, and I suspect we Decepticons will be the least of your worries.'

Arcee watched him march off, dragging the whimpering Pillage behind him, unfamiliar sensations battling in her spark. She shook her head with a snarl. 'Come on Arcee. Keep it together.'

She melted into the shadows, and a few kliks later the murmur of her engines moved away from the fortress. No one saw or heard her go.

The hollering procession ran underground, Alexis having to run fast to keep up. Running gave her an outlet for the agonising pain on her back and she concentrated on her moving feet, pounding the hard floor.

The gaggle emerged into an enormous space, bunching up and staring about them, Alexis hidden in the crowd of taller bodies. The underground cavern was like a dozen cathedrals all merged into one, though there was little about it that could be called heavenly. The walls were dark and streaked with the grime of industry. A black river flowed through the middle, the liquid dark and oozing, slicks of oil floating on top. The ceiling was held up with vast pillars, vanishing into the darkness when one looked up. Far above, rickety platforms were connected with bridges. Along one wall ran a series of pods, stretching up higher than the eye could see. There were smells in the air - oil, dust, energon... but no betagon, not that she could smell. As the group of new arrivals waited, Alexis began shivering violently and moving from side to side, wincing in pain, tears still leaking from her eyes. Her left shoulder blade felt like it was on fire, the pain making her whole back and left side ache. She twisted her neck, and could just make out the jagged Decepticon insignia. The skin was red and blistered, and in places the top layer was completely gone, exposing bloody flesh beneath. Her stomach churned and she swallowed back bile, looking away hurriedly, her head bowed.

All around her the Insecticons fidgeted and rustled. A hand came down onto her right shoulder and she flinched as a voice hissed in her ear. 'Are you alright, human girl?'

It was Dart, the elegant dragonfly Insecticon she had met on the ship. Her orb-like optics looked down concernedly. 'I sssee you are hurt. May I look?'

Alexis slowly turned to show her branded back, and Dart hissed. 'Aieee, that looksss nasty. I might be able to...'

Frenzy appeared at her side. 'Hey back off! I'm looking after her!'

'Oh, just let her look, Frenzy,' Alexis gasped, her words coming out in a rush. The pain made it hard to think, to speak, to do anything, and she continued moving from one foot to the other agitatedly. Dart gently pulled the fabric away from the burn as all around them the slaves clamoured and yelled. Frenzy glanced between Alexis and the Insecticon. 'We can't trust her!'

'We are all in thisss together,' replied Dart calmly. 'I have some experience of the pain this organic is feeling, being part organic myself. I only wish to help.'

Reluctantly, Frenzy watched as Dart 's hand hovered over the burn. 'Thisss may seem unpleasant, but my internal coolant is a very low temperature,' she said, dragging a talon across her palm. A pale goo dripped onto the burn and Alexis gasped as the cold made contact with the raw skin. 'Pleassse give it a moment, I believe it will help.'

'How do you know that won't infect her, or something?' said Frenzy, looking unconvinced. Dart turned to stare at him for a moment. 'Do you propose a better alternative?'

They were interrupted as a massive giant of a mech approached with slow, heavy strides. He held a nasty looking prod which fizzed and sparked, and surveyed the group of new slaves with cold, uncaring optics. Any feeling or sympathy for his fellow transformers looked to have died in him eons ago. He was almost as wide as he was tall, with heavy armour and two stubby horns on his head. He came to a stop, and the Insecticons stared at a point above his knees, roughly at their optic height. The giant chewed what looked like a thick energon cigar, and disinterestedly consulted a datapad in front of him.

'You lot - you're the Insect slaves, recently arrived, Decepticon-owned, yeah?'

The slaves muttered in the affirmative, cowed by this mech's menacing gaze and deep voice. He spoke again.

'My name is Fallout. Whilst you're here, I own you. I own what you do, I own what you eat and drink, I own when you rest and when you work. Your master has sent you to me because he's relying on me to make sure you dig enough energon to keep him happy. Any disobedience or laziness will be punished, on his behalf. That clear?'

He didn't elaborate on what punishment would entail, but somehow there was no need – all optics wandered to the prod clutched in his thick fist. Fallout was joined by a number of thuggish-looking underlings, regarding the Insecticons with vindictive grins. Fallout spoke to them without taking his optics from the new arrivals.

'Funny lookin' little slaggers, aren't they? These are Priority Two, so not too much handling, yeah? I'm being paid to make sure these work, so save your fun ideas for the less expensive ones. It says 'ere I got a Priority One somewhere here. Who's that? Step forward!'

'You're up,' muttered Frenzy, and he gently prodded Alexis' arm, but before she could step through the crowd, there was a commotion some way to the left, and Fallout turned as a girlish voice called to him. 'Fallout! Baby! You've got new toys?'

Alexis watched as another transformer entered the hall. She was definitely female - taller than Arcee, and with a broader top half. Something inside Alexis recoiled with instant dislike as the femme prowled into the cave, a sneer on her lips as she beheld the slaves. She came to a stop, draping herself over Fallout, who acknowledged her with a grunt, though it was clear he was pleased to see her. Her purple and gold hide was shiny, but superficial looking – Alexis had spent long enough around the Decepticons to become familiar with battle-grade armour. Hers was cheap and vestigial - for looks rather than protection, and Alexis found herself filled with contempt. Everything about this femme – from her expression, to her voice, to her stance – screamed Top-Grade Bitch.

'Hey, Thunderblast,' said Fallout gruffly, and despite her pain Alexis fought a smile as he straightened up, trying to suck in his substantial sagging abdomen armour. 'Haven't seen you round here for a while. What happened to your latest project?'

'Oh, he was boring,' she replied flippantly. 'Promised me a load of upgrades, but he was talking out of his aft-pipe, as they usually are. I came to see how my favourite overseer is doing, and thought I could play with his toys.'

The last few words she adopted a pouty, baby voice, and Fallout chuckled. 'Got these little fresh ones straight off the boat. Some foreigner, name of Starscream. Ever heard of him?'

Thunderblast looked interested, surveying the slaves with greedy, glittering optics. 'No. But he must be wealthy and powerful to own so many slaves. I must make his acquaintance. What does he look like?'

Fallout chuckled. 'I dunno. You gonna get your claws in him, sugar?'

Thunderblast laughed, ticking off an imaginary checklist on her fingers. 'Wealthy, powerful, and a foreigner probably looking for a girl in the know to show him around. He ticks every box.'

Fallout laughed again. 'Wanna help me process these?'

'It would be my pleasure,' she purred, flexing her fingers and narrowing her optics.

Fallout looked down. 'Where was I? Oh yeah. Priority One slave, step forward!'

Alexis emerged from the crowd, looking up at the two of them. Fallout frowned, and crouched down, one finger reaching out and poking her.

'What's this? A tiny flesh scrap! Is this a joke?'

He was joined by Thunderblast, who leaned down also, her optics glittering cruelly. 'Priority One. She doesn't look it.' She snorted. 'Looks like one swipe would splat her insides up the wall!'

Alexis was roughly turned on the spot, her head pinched between two fingers and pushed forward, exposing the back of her neck. Fallout peered at the livid Decepticon insignia on her back, scanning it. The rays of the scan caught the energy signature pod at the base of her skull, and he blinked once. 'That's what it says. "Priority One, property of Lord Starscream, Ruler of Lithone and the Decepticons. Do not damage." What is she, a pet?'

'If she's a pet, then she must have done something very naughty,' hissed Thunderblast gleefully '... to have ended up down here. No one of any value ends up down here. Priority One doesn't mean a thing, it just means we can't kill them.'

She straightened up, towering above the young woman. 'I think we're going to have a lot of fun together. Let's begin with de-contamination...'

Behind her, a mech had pushed a tall transparent tank on a wheeled cart. At the sight of it, the slaves muttered and fidgeted, drawing closer together. The clear liquid slopped against the sides, slapping onto the floor. Thunderblast's fingers closed around Alexis' chest and she was lifted up, her head spinning. Before she had time to think, she was plunged down into the liquid, the steely fingers holding her under.

She shut her eyes tight, instinctively squirming and kicking. The seconds ticked by endlessly. After a while her lungs screamed for air and she fought the fingers gripping her, trying to prise them apart. It was cold, which was blessedly pleasant on the burn, but as she flailed, some of it made its way into her mouth. It tasted foul and bitter, and as she was finally pulled out, she gasped and choked, her hair in her eyes, her ribs aching from the femme's tight grip. She caught a blurred glimpse of the huge hall, Fallout chuckling malevolently, Frenzy gaping at her from the floor... then she was plunged back under once more, the nasty stuff rushing up her nostrils and down her throat, burning her sinuses. Thunderblast watched her struggle, a look of immense, cruel satisfaction on her face, before pulling her out.

The soaked young woman was lowered to the floor, retching and gasping as the other mechs stepped forward, snatching up the squealing Insecticons and subjecting them to the same treatment. Alexis' eyes stung, and she gagged, coughing up some of the liquid onto the floor, She trembled all over, sinking to her knees. She had only been on Unicron half an hour, and already she felt half broken: the pain on her back, her ribs, and now the sick feeling in her stomach adding to her misery. She patted her tool-belt as she shivered: it was still there, and a quick check revealed nothing had fallen out. A clang beside her signalled Frenzy landing next to her, he got up, shaking himself like a dog, looking furious. 'Ugh! Fragging fraggers! You okay fleshie?'

He bent over her, looking worried. 'I didn't have time to warn you about that. That stuff is...'

He was interrupted by Fallout, stomping in front of them and flicking Frenzy back with one finger. 'No one said you could talk,' he snarled. He jerked Alexis' head up, and she was aware of a metal collar snapping shut around her throat. As he moved away, fixing collars to everyone else, she slowly groped at the heavy weight round her neck. Her teeth had started to chatter. 'Y... you've got...t...to be...f...fucking... k...kidding me...'

Fallout surveyed the gaggle of slaves, dripping onto the floor, collared and decontaminated, with a nod of satisfaction. 'Right then, kids,' he boomed. 'You start work straight away. This half...' he swept an arm towards the far side of the crowd. 'You're going down to the pits, start digging with the rest. And this lot -' he pointed to the side of the crowd Alexis and Frenzy were on. 'You're up here, hauling the shipments and cleaning the extraction rods. Now...' he pretended to think, tapping his chin, an unpleasant grin spreading across his face. 'Who would be small enough to climb into the refinement pipes for a spot of cleaning? Let me see…'

A shadow fell over Alexis and she looked up. Fallout grinned down at her, lowering a long rod that looked a bit like a chimney sweep, and a small spade. 'Here we are, fleshie. I'll be inspecting your work when you're done. Any part not cleaned to my satisfaction...' he lowered his prod, touching her collar, and Alexis yelled in pain, leaping back as a current shot through her. '...will mean more where that came from. Well, what are you all waiting for? That energon won't mine itself!'

He started walking away, gesturing to a couple of his lackeys to supervise them, when something occurred to him and he turned back. 'Oh, and welcome to Unicron!'

He bellowed with laughter at his own joke, clutching his sides and throwing his head back. Thunderblast smiled, draping an arm on his shoulder and leaning against him, surveying the slaves.

'Lord Starscream,' she said, tasting the name in her mouth, a calculating smile playing across her lips. She watched the small figure of the human girl hurry towards the refinement pipes, snaking along one wall. 'I think I'd like to get to know him better...'

Time wore on. Alexis got to work.

In her lifetime she had known true hunger, true fatigue. During the Decepticon Occupation she had survived harsh winters, buried bodies of people she knew, lived on one meal a day, learning to ignore the hunger pangs in her belly. She had been chased, beaten, threatened, and enslaved. Yes, even this experience wasn't totally new to her. Yet as she crawled on her hands and knees through sludgy dark pipes, scraping out the residue and throwing it into a tank, she reflected to herself that the years in between must have turned her soft.

She wasn't unfit, yet the work was backbreaking and after a few hours she was exhausted. Fumes stung her eyes and got into her nose. Her hands became filthy and greasy, and whatever she was scraping was making her skin itch. On her back, the Decepticon brand throbbed dully, and she winced every time it brushed against the inside of the pipe. Her hair dried in matted clumps around her face.

Hours later, she slid out of the pipe for what felt like the thousandth time, and tumbled onto the floor, slinging the waste into the tank, when she looked up at the sound of a horn blasting through the refinery. Slaves were trickling out of the entrance to the mines down the far end. Those with enough energy left leapt over the dark river, others simply waded through it, dragging themselves towards the pods.

Fallout stood, arms folded, glaring at them all. 'Come on, come on!' he roared, lashing at their legs with a whip. The young Insecticons were the slowest, squealing in pain as the barbed whip cut into them. Next to the pods were some energon cubes, containing misty low-grade. It was clear that there wasn't enough to go round, and a mad scramble soon ensued, all the slaves fighting over the pile. This amused Fallout, and he laughed unpleasantly as the starving hoards kicked and scrabbled to make sure they got a few precious sips of energon. Spotting Alexis wearily approaching, he tossed a couple of pouches onto the floor. They bounced at her feet, and she picked them up: one water pouch, one nutrition pouch. She tore them open with her teeth, pouring the sludge into her mouth, followed by cold water. At that moment it was the best, sweetest thing she had ever tasted.

Fallout was leaving, striding towards the door they had entered by. As he left, they clicked shut, and a heavy grille rattled down on top, shutting them all in. The entrance to the mines was similarly barred. The lights high above dimmed, shrouding the huge cavern in gloom.

Bed time then, or what passed for bed time in this place. All the energon gone, the slaves began climbing into the pods that lined the wall, skittering limbs echoing throughout the refinery. Alexis tilted her head back, but she couldn't see all the way to the top – the pods stretched on and on like a skyscraper. One thing was clear though: the lowest pods were all taken, slaves peering out at her owlishly. She sighed. Sleep would only come after a perilous climb.

She stood at the bottom, swaying slightly with exhaustion, covered from head to foot in grime, grimly contemplating the journey upwards.

'Oh, shit.'

She placed one hand on the bottom rung of a wide-set ladder that ran up between the pods, and started to climb, heaving herself up. The rungs were slippery. As she ascended, she passed slaves of all shapes, sizes, and species, staring in spite of herself. Some were laying on their back, staring at the ceiling, others had already powered down, mouths open and limbs splayed out. She couldn't see Frenzy. As she climbed, she kept an eye out for an empty pod. Pausing to look down, she could see she was already one storey up. No luck just yet. She sighed, and continued.

'What am I doing here?' she muttered through gritted teeth. The chattering and rustling of thousands of bodies sinking into grubby berths echoed throughout the slave quarters. She reached for another rung, her arm visibly shaking from fatigue. 'I must be… insane.'

'Other women my age…' she hauled herself higher, panting. '… have normal lives… Friends, boyfriends. Comfortable jobs… in clean offices. Going to baby showers and barbeques…'

She bit her lip, Jamie swimming to the front of her mind. They had been on a few dates, and things seemed good, but his busy schedule and moving back to Scotland hadn't exactly helped… and she'd been single for so long, it had been a bit of an adjustment… Coming to Unicron might not have been the best move either for a fledgling relationship… she hadn't even got round to telling him… what kind of woman did that?

She yelped in fright as one rung gave way, spinning to the floor below, and reached for the next with a tired groan, pushing her hair from her eyes. '…Yet here I am, millions of miles from home… enslaved to a giant psychopath, up to my armpits in dirt… hungry, mutilated…'

'Why do I do it?' she muttered, finally spotting an empty pod and climbing towards it determinedly. 'Why do I go off with him, every time?'

'Because I pay better than the Autobots,' growled a voice in her ear. 'And you are a glutton for punishment.'

She jumped a foot and yelled in alarm, losing her grip on the ladder, but strong fingers behind her pushed her gently onto the concave ledge. She spun round, heart pounding. 'Starscream!'

He tilted his head, the familiar arrogant smile filling her vision, his face close to the pod. She let out a sigh of relief and happiness. 'I've never been so happy to see you.'

'Those aren't the words I expected to hear from you.' He gestured to her back. 'Turn around. Let me look.'

'It's not that bad, she said valiantly, turning her back to him. He inspected the burn for a few moments in silence.

'I regret this, Alexis. I didn't forsee it. But it will give you an extra layer of protection. For that, we can be thankful.'

She shrugged, casually. 'I've known worse. It doesn't hurt that much.'

He knew she was lying, and lifted her chin with one finger, gazing at her with a proud smile. 'Brave, strong Alexis. Do you need anything else here?'

She lay down in the berth on her front, resting her chin on her hands. 'A bottle of wine. Or two. Hot shepherd's pie with buttery mash. A proper bed.'

He regarded her wryly. She managed to laugh. 'Worth a try.'

She peered out, tilting her head to see the far-off figure of Fallout, lurking near the entrance. 'Did he let you in?'

Starscream nodded. Alexis shuffled back in. 'I bet he was surprised. I don't suppose he's used to masters coming down here to chat to their slaves.'

'Well, he'll have to lump it,' replied Starscream imperiously. 'I'll do what I like.'

He leaned in closer, peering at her neck. 'What are you wearing?'

She blushed a dark red, scrambling up onto her knees, raising her arm to her neck to hide the ring of metal. 'An ID collar,' she muttered.

A smirk spread across his lips. 'A what?'

'A collar!' she bellowed. 'It's a collar, alright?'

He laughed loudly, an evil, rasping chuckle. 'Oh… how very cute. Why didn't I think of that when I held you captive?'

'It got put on right after I almost drowned in a de-contamination tank! These guys make you look like… Father Christmas in comparison!' she cried, the pain and misery of the last twelve hours suddenly bursting out in a torrent, her bravado slipping.

He chuckled, stroking her cheek with his forefinger. 'That's because when I was your master, I considered it a waste of energon to let lowly fleshlings know the full extent of my cruelty. Merely stepping into a room often had the desired effect on your kind. I did warn you, human.'

She knelt, leaning into his forefinger with her eyes closed, realizing how pathetic she must look to him – covered in dirt, her clothes already ragged from the first shift in the refinery. She fell back against the wall, then winced at the pain of the burn, and settled back onto her front. 'I'm afraid I haven't found much out yet. I'm so tired…'

'It may take time down here. I, on the other hand, have made some significant discoveries.'

'Really? Like what?'

Starscream glanced away from her, but Fallout was loitering far off out of earshot. 'Unicron has more than one layer, as I knew before, but each layer is accessible via a Core Key. There are only a limited number on the planet. Naturally there is a race to find them. Those that hold a Core Key are able to go deeper, mining more precious resources. The Core itself is a powerful energy source, more powerful than anything in the whole galaxy. Whoever reaches that would be… invincible.'

Starscream's optics glittered, smiling at the thought of such a source in his grasp.

'But the betagon is surely lurking somewhere on this planet, too,' said Alexis. 'It won't do to come this far, only to get distracted by the lure of more power, Starscream.'

'Hard to resist, when you're as greedy for power as I am,' he growled without a trace of irony. 'But yes, you are right.'

'Huh? I'm right? Wow! This is a big deal! You agree with me! I feel we've reached a special moment in our…'

She tailed off, as he fixed her with a smile of withering scorn. 'Or… not…'

'Still,' she rallied. 'What kind of planet has keys? Do you think someone built this place? Is that possible?'

'Anything is possible,' he replied. 'I also made enquiries about the other factions mining here. There are thousands of rag-tag bands on this planet trying to grab what they can, but few match the might of my army. I feel confident we could establish a stronghold here, and get to the bottom of this mystery without too much resistance.'

She looked up. 'And who did you kill to get hold of this information?'

He feigned offense. 'What makes you think I killed anyone?'

She waited, and he chuckled again, the low vibrations of his laughter running throughout her body. 'Oh, nobody important. Just that idiot Pillage we first met upon landing. Don't feel too sorry for him -' he raised an eyebrow and held up a hand when she tried to speak. 'Thundercracker caught him trying to spy on me with a laughable surveillance kit. He screamed most beautifully, submitted all the information I could have wanted. You'd better get used to it – it is, as you humans say, "dog eat dog" on this new world. And unfortunately for Pillage, I have a healthy appetite.'

She shivered as he continued:

'But I note your emphasis on caution. I am an impatient Decepticon, but I didn't get where I am today by blind pursuit of power alone. We need to find out where this betagon came from, and who put it on Cybertron. I am leaving you a sample…' he held out a sealed test tube, tiny-looking in between his finger and thumb. 'Keep that safe, and make enquiries if you encounter someone who may know more about it.'

'Got it,' she said, stowing it carefully into her tool belt. The waterproof pockets had survived the de-contamination bath, to her great relief, so her phone and other possessions were dry. 'Where are you going now?'

'I'm going to fly out, see what I can learn from the terrain. I will summon you soon. Keep your eyes and ears open, dear one.'

He turned to leave, and she was gripped by a huge desire to call him back, wanting to prolong his reassuring presence. 'Starscream! Wait!'

He turned back, looming over the pod once more. 'Yes?'

She bit her lip, searching desperately for something to say. 'Um… you've got a femme down here with her eyes on you. Just a warning.'

He blinked a few times. 'A femme?'

She nodded. 'Yeah, Thunderblast. She's a bitch. A gold-digger, by the sound of it. So, um… watch out,' she finished, somewhat lamely.

Starscream smiled, amused. 'How very interesting. Keep an eye on her for me.'

She huddled back into the pod, listening to his retreating footsteps. Down the far end, Fallout was saying something sycophantic to the jet as he swept out, before locking the refinery. Everything fell silent. But not for long.

As she was drifting into sleep, she heard faint noises down below, and looked out, to see groups of slaves emerging from their pods, to chat quietly on the floor below. She knew this was the sort of thing she ought to be investigating – if she got down there and circulated, she could establish herself, and perhaps start to find out more about Unicron, and the mysterious substance nestled in her tool belt. But exhaustion overtook her and she rolled onto her front, trying to ignore the throbbing burn as sleep claimed her. Tomorrow, she would do more, she assured herself. Tomorrow...