Soooooo... Yeah. Still working on the next chapter for Revealing Secrets. Took longer than expected for me to get back into the swing of that story... But that's what I get for neglecting it for over half a year.
This story, on the other hand, is coming along nicely. Chapter 12 is well on its way to completion and Chapter 13 is about halfway done, thanks to it consisting mainly of a scene I wrote back when this story first started, the scene that brought this tale into being. It needs a little altering now, but if all goes well, Chapter 12 should be up by the end of the this month (hopefully alongside Chapter 31 of RS) and Chapter 13 will pop up sometime in early August.
At least, that's the plan. Barring any personal catastrophes, natural disasters, major wars or writer's blocks that may spring up between now and then, of course.
Before I release you to read this latest chapter, I would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all you wonderful readers who have added this story as a favorite and/or added it to your alert list. I am always touched when such notifications arrive, as it tells me that you are truly enjoying my story, which makes me (and my muse) happy and feel better about banging our collective head against the mental wall of writer's block for hours on end.
An extra big THANK YOU to all you reviewers out there! I am grateful that you take a few minutes to let me know your thoughts, and your comments and criticism are always appreciated.
Now, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this latest installment of Human Experiment.
Chapter Eleven
Offer
Onlining to find a human recharging in his hand was not how Starscream usually expected to start his day, but he found himself minding less than he once had. Since her return over an orn ago, Jasmine had been beyond faithful in keeping him company during the day, leaving Thundercracker to work on his datapads in peace and allowing Skywarp to continue his increasingly desperate search for fresh, untouched energon sources.
Keeping still, the silver mech watched until the human began to move on her own accord, muttering to herself and yawning once or twice as she left her recharge cycle. Humans were so noisy. And yet, there was something endearing about the way she rubbed her optics and stretched, like the cats humans were so keen on keeping as pets. Starscream shuttered his optics for a moment, cursing himself for getting attached to the human, but there was no denying that she had become part of the trine. A smaller, squishier part, but a part all the same.
"Good morning." The short but cheerful phrase called his attention back to his companion, who beamed up at him as usual. "Breakfast, please?"
Since Megatron's visit, it had been agreed that keeping the camper around would create too many questions should some mech go snooping around. Instead, all three Seekers carried in subspace pockets the necessary items for their human's continued existence, from clothes to entertainment (books, crayons, paper, etc) to food. It had been Starscream's idea, though he had be resistant himself to the idea of wasting his precious space on frivolous things. Thundercracker, too, had devoted much of his own subspace area to datapads and such that were important either for his job or personal reasons.
It had fallen upon Skywarp to carry the majority of the human's things, then, though Jasmine insisted she did not need nearly all the stuff the purple mech had collected. The other two mechs kept only the basic supplies. In Starscream's case, that included food, a few changes of clothing, and a couple science books – the ghost of his former profession had raised its curious head long enough for him to allow that small concession. Jasmine obliged him by appearing interested in the subject matter the books contained, though she often requested his assistance in understanding some of the more complicated concepts.
Now he brought forth a small cardboard box, letting it fall to the palm of his hand. Grasping it with his claws would simply tear it to shreds, as he had discovered in earlier attempts. Humans did not package their fuel properly. Jasmine had no complaints about it, though, and she tore into one of the granola bars hungrily.
"Slow down," Starscream chided, knowing the girl couldn't be starving. She had eaten not long before falling into recharge the night before. He watched the human adjust her pace to suit him, and nodded, satisfied. "Much better."
In response, Jasmine stuck her tongue out at him, then polished off her second granola bar. Breakfast finished, the girl held up the cardboard box with one hand, using the other to stuff yet another bar into her jacket pocket for later.
Holding out one claw, Starscream let the human place the box on the very tip. He flicked it into subspace, then drew out the small, liquid-filled plastic container she called a water bottle. Humans were so complicated when it came to feeding habits.
After downing half the bottle, Jasmine screwed on the cap and let the mech send it back to subspace like the granola bars. Looking up with bright brown optics, the girl asked, "What are we doing today, Screamer?"
A snarl rumbled in Starscream's chest. "I told you not to call me that," he reminded the human, who simply laughed, shrugged, then hopped from his hand to his lap. She had long since figured a way to clamber up and down his leg using struts and armor joints to her advantage. Starscream had learned to hold still when the girl was climbing about, however annoying it was. The first time he had realized her intent the Seeker had grabbed for the human and she had almost fallen from his knee to the hard floor below. The scare had not fazed Jasmine for long – her former fear of heights seemed almost banished to oblivion – but Starscream's spark had almost stopped glowing for the long second when it seemed he would not catch her in time.
Now he simply watched, incensed by the knowledge that he was becoming the Cybertronian equivalent of a human climbing gym, but without the means to prevent it. Jasmine always ignored his suggestions that he lower her to the ground himself, so he no longer bothered to offer.
After jumping the last few feet, Jasmine patted her companion's foot, unaware of the thoughts flickering in his processor. "Ready?" She tilted her head back to look him in the optics, smiling.
How does she remain cheerful all the time? I was certain she would be depressed after returning, scarred by her time with those irresponsible humans, but instead she's as optimistic as a newborn sparkling. Which, Starscream had to admit as he followed the human out his bedroom door, she was similar to, being a human youngling after all.
It didn't take long for Jasmine to request a lift. Long corridors and short human legs that struggled to keep up with the slowest of mech strides easily tired the human. Starscream lifted her to his shoulder without protest, and she latched onto a support strut to keep her balance. He continued down the corridor in the direction the girl had been headed.
"Where are we going?" he asked her, knowing their path led toward the base's storage rooms. The Seeker doubted there was much down there to hold the human's interest, though she had proved him wrong before. A simple question about energon had once started the former scientist on a lengthy explanation about the collection and refinement of the precious fuel that also served as blood for the Cybertronians. Jasmine had sat through it patiently, and promised to avoid any spills when he explained the danger to humans it presented.
"Exploring," Jasmine said, breaking him from his thoughts. "And then to see Thundercracker?"
"If he is not too busy," Starscream amended. "Where did you want to explore?"
Shrugging, the girl made a vague gesture down the hall. "That way?"
"There is only storage in this direction," said the Seeker, but he continued walking, each step slow and cautious. A swifter pace jarred his injured wings. The damage had become worse after his short flight delivering the girl back into the hands of her own kind, a move he now regretted making. After all, in the end she had returned, the humans were no doubt suspicious of her second disappearance, and if the orphanage matron's ranting was taken seriously, Soundwave might take notice. The Decepticon intelligence officer already suspected the trine. The last thing Starscream wanted to deal with right then was Megatron coming by for an interrogation at the suggestion of his faithful lackey.
"Starscream?"
Jasmine's quiet murmur jolted the Seeker back into reality and he realized that he had stopped walking. Were his processors so fried he could not handle doing two things at once? Venting air, he turned on his heel and headed back the way they had come.
"Starscream?" the human repeated. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said, sharper than he meant to, and he winced a little when the girl flinched, her fingers tightening a little on the support strut. Nannites in the area sent a soft warning buzz of disturbance to his processor, though the pressure was not nearly enough to cause the mech pain. Softening his voice, Starscream added, "Nothing that concerns you directly. I just have some business to deal with, so you will need to stay with Thundercracker today."
Jasmine brightened, though he wasn't sure if it was because of his reassurance or the promise of seeing the blue Seeker, who spent far too much time in his office juggling datapads.
"You must not disturb him," Starscream warned, earning a vigorous nod from the human.
"I won't, I promise."
She wouldn't mean to, but the Seeker had a feeling his brother would not get much done for the next joor or so. "Thundercracker, I need you to watch the human for a bit."
"Why?" came the immediate reply, carrying an undercurrent of delight laced with concern. "Did you overexert yourself?"
"Of course not! I simply need some time alone. Give her a datapad to play with and don't let her presence disrupt your work."
Now the blue mech's transmission took on a hint of amusement. "Of course not. She is quite well-behaved, as you know full well."
Starscream didn't respond. Tapping a digit on the door console, he waited for it to slide open, then deposited the human on his brother's desk. Noting the large pile of disorganized datapads that covered said desk's surface, the silver Seeker wondered if it might be safer to keep the girl with him, but she would be an unneeded distraction. No, better to leave her where Thundercracker would not allow his work to prevent him from keeping one optic on the human.
"Everything all right?" Thundercracker asked, aloud this time.
"Yes, fine. Where is Skywarp?"
"Energon collection again. The last shipment we received arrived half-spoiled." Thundercracker made no accusations toward their fellow Decepticons, but Starscream knew who had to be responsible. Megatron had not forgotten his displeasure. Venting air, the silver mech gave a nod to acknowledge the information, then left, knowing as well as his trinemate did that they could not complain about the treatment. No doubt his leader expected exactly that, and Starscream refused to play into Megatron's hands, especially at a time when the wrong move could earn him a blast from the dreaded fusion cannon.
"I will be in my room," he told Thundercracker, then headed for the door. "Let me know if you need relief."
"Of course," said the blue mech, sending a message over their bond at the same time, "When have I ever needed to be relieved from the duty of watching one small human?"
"Oh, you have Jasmine?" Skywarp joined the conversation suddenly. "I wondered why Starscream's room was empty."
"Why didn't you contact me when you returned to base?" Starscream grumbled, not happy that his brother had been in his room unsupervised. Skywarp had seemed to mature quite a bit since the human came to stay – one of the few good things about her continued presence – but such an opportunity was one the purple mech might not ignore. The silver Seeker made a note to check his quarters thoroughly before dropping into recharge.
"I wanted to surprise you with something," Skywarp replied cheerfully.
Visions of everything from a dead animal – Starscream shunted that particular memory into the depths of his processor – to another kidnapped human danced through the Seeker's mind in the short moment it took to form a reply. "WHAT IS IT?"
"No need to scream at me, it's not alive." Skywarp attached an image to his transmission, and Starscream opened it after a brief moment of hesitation. His optics widened in shock as the picture of three glowing, full energon cubes stacked neatly in his chair pixilated itself into existence.
"Good work," the silver Seeker sent, earning a pleased response from his brother who was unused to praise. "Bring them to Thundercracker's office so we may celebrate." And so I don't have to worry about you two shorting yourselves for once, he added to himself.
The soft crack of air being displaced by a large object announced Skywarp's arrival a few scant seconds later. Jasmine looked up from her seat on Thundercracker's desk to see the purple Seeker headed her way with an armload of energon cubes.
"Skywarp!" she called, delighted to see her friend, who had been absent far too much in the past few days. "Where did you find all the energon?"
Bright red eyes met shining brown as Skywarp swept a pile of datapads from the desk, dumped his load, and scooped up the human in one smooth move marred only by the crash of the datapads against the hard floor. Ignoring his brothers' protests, the purple mech skipped around the room, his own rough laughter mixing with the lighter sound of his companion's mirth.
"Finally found a decent deposit that hasn't been claimed by either side," Skywarp explained between chuckles, dodging a blow from his blue brother. "Thundercracker, you should be happy! One of your little spots finally came through – not a single sign of Decepticon or Autobot interference anywhere near that sight."
"Wonderful," Thundercracker said, leaving his brother to caper about like an idiot while the other two mechs gathered up the datapads that had been spilled. "These will take forever to sort again."
"Make him do it," Starscream suggested with the faintest hint of a smile. "But later." He scooped the datapads from his brother's arms and dumped them onto the desk. "For the moment," he added, shoving one of the three energon cubes into Thundercracker's hands, "we can celebrate our new energon source."
"Save one for me," Skywarp cried, realizing that the cubes were being dispersed, and Jasmine was moved to his shoulder so he could grasp the last cube with both hands.
"To Cybertron!" Starscream cheered, raising his cube. He already felt reenergized, even without having had a sip yet.
Glad to hear his trinemate's voice sounding stronger than it had in a long time, Thundercracker raised his own cube. "To our trine!"
"To Jasmine!" Skywarp added, retrieving a can of soda from subspace for the human, who popped it open – spraying the sticky liquid everywhere in her haste – before chiming in with her own toast.
"To family!" Jasmine raised the can to her lips, about to take a sip of the sweet drink, when the office door caved in with a resounding crash. Startled, the girl dropped the can, which bounced down Skywarp's frame to splatter on the floor.
Three larger and far more devastating crashes covered the sound of the can's destruction as the energon cubes were dropped by the startled Seekers. Moving away from the door, they brought their hands up, weapons ready to deploy at the first sign of their attacker.
Red optics combed the room as the intruder entered, his large frame filling the new doorway with ease. Megatron surveyed the destruction he had caused with a pleased nod, then turned a less-than-pleased look upon Starscream. The silver Seeker's processor took in the situation and began calculating the chance of everyone's survival. Fortunately, Skywarp was on the other side of the room, one hand half-raised toward Jasmine in an attempt to hide the small human from sight. Still, the odds were not in the trine's favor.
"Starscream, do something!" Skywarp's frantic voice was heavy with terror as it shot over their trinebond. "If he sees her...!"
"I know." Starscream could sense how close his brother was to warping out, but that would only cause more trouble in the end. Not to mention the fact that there was no way to know how many reinforcements their leader had brought along. "Stay where you are and try not to draw attention to yourself. Thundercracker, if you get a chance, move between them."
"Understood." The blue mech radiated calmness into their trinebond, a calm he did not feel but forced out anyway. Starscream was in no condition to deal with this situation, but none of them had a choice. Thundercracker did not dare do more than offer emotional support at the moment, but the undercurrent of determination and anger that ran beneath his calm made it clear he would fight if it came to that.
Starscream hoped it would not. Bowing low, he greeted Megatron as though this were an ordinary visit. "Lord Megatron, my illustrious leader, what brings you to our base so soon after your last visit?"
"Soon?" There was no mirth in the dark chuckle the Decepticon leader released as he wrapped claws around the edge of the doorway. A little pressure and the metal crumpled. Retracting his claws, Megatron caught Starscream's pensive red optics with his own crimson glare. "It has been orns since your last decent report. Soundwave's records insist that you have had little to no contact with the Autobots, have made no new discoveries regarding energon or other resources, despite the abundance of such things on this dirtball of a planet, and have made little attempt to repair the damage from my last inspection. Nor have any of your trine been present on the Nemesis in orns."
"Lord Megatron, you have not requested our presence on the Nemesis. We thought it best to remain on this base until further orders arrived. As for the repairs-" Starscream almost shot a scowl toward Skywarp but caught himself just in time, remembering that he couldn't draw attention to the purple mech, "-I am afraid that we do not currently possess the resources for them. Unfortunately, when you assigned us to this base, it had only just been completed, and was not stocked properly during the transfer, and subsequent deliveries have been few and far between." Because of your orders, the silver Seeker added to himself, knowing that voicing that particular thought would only irritate Megatron further. Better to let him blow off some steam by smashing things and yelling, and maybe the Seeker trine would get out of the situation mostly unharmed. Their leader rarely raised a hand against Thundercracker or Skywarp – unless the latter mech had recently pranked the wrong mech – but Starscream knew that he for certain would not escape unscathed. He just hoped the damage would not be too severe.
"Why was I not informed of this before now?" Megatron snarled, apparently having forgotten that his own orders had caused the situation in the first place.
Once again, Starscream bit back the words to point this out, and instead bowed again, letting the movement hide the brief flash of annoyance that passed across his face. "Forgive me, Lord Megatron. I believed you were aware of the situation and it was simply part of our continued punishment."
"Your punishment," Megatron said, growling. "Those fools-" he gestured toward the other two Seekers, now backed in a corner of the room, "-are apparently still loyal to their fool of a trine leader."
Normally, Skywarp would have some stupid comeback for such a remark, but this time he kept his vocalizer silent. Drawing attention to himself was the last thing he wanted.
Unfortunately, the silence itself drew Megatron's gaze to the purple mech. "You are strangely quiet, Skywarp," he growled. "I am surprised you have not tried to run yet, or spoken out of turn as you usually do. It is possible you have matured? Or are you hiding something?" The Decepticon leader took a step toward the Seeker, then another.
Skywarp's wings quivered with tension, and his traitorous cooling fans kicked up a notch. Any closer and Megatron would definitely notice the small human huddled as close to the purple mech's shoulder as she could get without actually become part of his armor. "Starscream, DO SOMETHING!"
Intake vents open to full capacity to feed his own cooling system, Starscream began to speak even as his processor searched for a good excuse. "Lord Megatron-"
It was too late. Since the Witwicky boy had caused so much trouble, Megatron had more sensitive sensors for organics than most. Starscream was not aware of this, though later, while reviewing the following sequence of events, he would curse himself for not considering the possibility that his leader might view the humans as dangerously unpredictable and take precautions about them coming near him again.
Hindsight, however, only comes once a sequence has been run, and this instance was no exception. Megatron leapt forward with a roar and slammed Skywarp against the wall, claws wrapped around the Seeker's throat. "There is a fleshling nearby. Where is it? I can smell him!"
"Urk-kk," was all the purple mech could manage, vocalizer unable to move beneath the overwhelming force of the Decepticon leader's hand. Any more pressure and his throat would be crushed. Panicked, Skywarp considered warping, but his systems were frozen with fear. Jasmine was inches away from death and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "HELP!"
"Don't move!" Starscream ordered a second before he tackled Megatron to the floor, dislodging the other mech's death grip in the process. "Now, Skywarp, get her out of here!"
Skywarp vanished, his connection clicking back a nanosecond later. "Oh Primus Soundwave's got me pinned she isn't with me please Starscream Thundercracker find her save her don't let Megatron-"
Shutting out his brother's incoherent babbling was simple enough. Ignoring the sheer terror coming through their trinebond was not so easy. Cursing, Starscream struggled to hold his half-stunned leader down as his scanners ran across the nearby floor, searching for any sign of the errant organic. How had his brother misplaced the human? Maybe when Megatron had slammed the smaller mech against the wall, but Starscream could have sworn the purple Seeker still had the girl then. If Jasmine had fallen from her perch in the aftermath of his daring tackle, the likelihood of her surviving was not great, and if the human were dead, attacking Megatron would have been for nothing. And yet... And yet his spark still burned with anger at the thought of the other mech getting his claws on the girl's soft flesh. No, it was about time Megatron got what he deserved.
There. He caught sight of Jasmine, huddled against the wall, just before Megatron's frame tensed and heaved, throwing off the lighter Seeker. Starscream flew across the room and landed against the wall with a harsh cracking sound. Pain sensors in his wings sent so many signals that his optics whited out, then they switched off as basic survival programming set in. Struggling to his feet, the silver Seeker found himself confronted with a scene very similar to the one he had just interrupted. Only this time, Thundercracker was pressed against the wall and Megatron's claws were much closer to the energon line that fed the blue mech's processor. Digging those claws through the armor that protected said line could easily offline the Seeker, and the Decepticon leader did not look as though he very much cared whether this particular soldier of his died or not.
"Hand over the fleshling now and I will release you!" he growled, giving his captive a harsh shake. Thundercracker's cooling fans whined in their attempt to cool the mech's rapidly heating frame, but otherwise the blue Seeker was silent, hands cupped tight against his armor. Megatron refused to let this show of bravery deter him. "Give me that human before I resort to tearing it from your grey chassis. This is a direct order, Thundercracker, refuse and I will-"
"No," Thundercracker said, crimson eyes glowing bright with anger.
"Wrong answer." Megatron raised his free hand, preparing to plunge those claws deep into the obstinate mech's chest plates, but his wrist was caught in the strong grip of a mech who knew he had only one reason left to keep fighting, and that was his trine.
"Let. Him. Go." Starscream yanked his leader's arm back, twisting it into a position that was as painful as it was awkward, then pulled even further.
Megatron twisted around, releasing his grip on Thundercracker long enough to shake the silver Seeker off and shove him into the nearby desk. Leaving Starscream on the floor for the second time in as many minutes, the Decepticon leader turned back to Thundercracker with a growl and flung the mech across the room with a single blow of his claws.
Wincing, the blue mech curled into a protective position around his hands. A moment later Starscream crashed into him, and the two Seekers lay against each other, their pain shared over their trinebond as they tried to summon the strength to get up. Laughing, Megatron advanced, claws raised to inflict more damage upon his two victims.
"Take her," Thundercracker said, and rolled into Starscream, the movement concealing their furtive transfer of human from one pair of hands to another. Then the blue Seeker was on his feet again and lunging forward, meaning to distract Megatron.
Not fooled, the Decepticon leader dodged to one side and landed a sharp blow on the other mech's shoulder, sending Thundercracker tumbling to one side and into a wall, helm-first. With a rattling groan, the mech fell unconscious, leaving a sudden void in the bond.
"Thundercracker!" Skywarp was frantic, not knowing what was going on and unable to help as he stood outside, facing the weapons of not just Soundwave but several of the intelligence officer's symbiotes as well. "Starscream, what happened?"
Starscream did not acknowledge his brother's question, barely even heard it as his processor skipped several steps ahead, trying to solve the problem he faced. Thundercracker had only managed to distract Megatron for a few seconds. The silver Seeker could only hope that it was long enough.
"Starscream," Megatron growled, taking a step toward the fallen mech. "Hand over the fleshling and I will let you live."
Without bothering to waste time for words, Starscream stumbled to his feet and transformed, gears and struts and cables and damaged wings all twisting around each other in painful contortions as they struggled to fit themselves into the proper shape. Taking advantage of his leader's momentary confusion, Starscream blasted the nearest wall and sped out, grateful that the halls were just wide enough for his wing span. He made it to the front door in mere seconds and left the building with his guns blazing, tearing through the mechs that threatened Skywarp.
"Get Thundercracker and run," Starscream ordered his brother as he followed Soundwave and his symbiotes across the ground, keeping them distracted so his trinemates could escape.
"Jasmine-"
"No time, Skywarp, GO!" Starscream slammed down their communications, hoping his brother would follow orders. The sharp crack of air rushing to fill an empty space told him that, for once, Skywarp had actually listened. Now for the real trouble.
Megatron had left Thundercracker unconscious on the floor, not even bothering to offline the mech. He was completely focused on destroying Starscream in the most painful way possible, and tore through the building after the silver mech. Ignoring the halls, he blasted any wall in his way and upon entering the chaos outside, brought the Seeker down with a well-placed blast at one of Starscream's already injured wings.
It was not a pleasant landing, made even worse by the claws that dug into his chassis even as Starscream crashed into the unforgiving concrete of the runway. Several more systems warned of imminent failure and the Seeker shut them down, struggling to keep conscious as Megatron tried to forcibly find where he had hidden the human.
Two shots in perfect synchronization struck the Decepticon leader directly in the back, knocking him forward. He tripped over the prone form of his victim and landed hard. More cannon fire tore at his armor as he struggled to stand. Shaking his head, Megatron clambered to his feet and searched for those responsible, only to be hit directly in the chest plates. Stumbling back, he gave Soundwave orders to retreat and shifted himself. There were two Seekers standing in the rubble that had once been the base's front entrance, and while Megatron would normally never run from a fight, he had seen trines run amok before when one of their members had been injured. He would return to finish with Starscream later, once the mechs had succumbed to the wounds he had inflicted. Until then, he would plan how to deal with their pet human. Oh, yes, he would have it soon enough, and they would be forced to watch as he played with the little organic until it offlined. After which, he would take even greater pleasure in offlining each of them, with Starscream being last. How the Seeker would whine and beg, just as he always did, but Megatron would not show him any mercy. Not this time. This time, his former Second in Command had gone too far.
"Starscream! Are you all right?" Even as Skywarp spoke the words, he could tell the damage was extensive. Energon dripped steadily from the worst of his brother's wounds, and it took the silver mech several tries before he returned to bipedal form. It required both his brothers' support to stand, and even then Starscream felt like collapsing on the ground and never moving again. It just hurt too much.
"Hold on," Thundercracker murmured, nudging his brother forward one step at a time. "We need to get you inside."
"Hurts," Starscream whined, and shook his brothers off, letting himself fall forward without making any attempt to catch himself. Crashing on the ground sent pain shooting through his body, but after it came the blissful feeling of utter stillness. He didn't want to move anymore. "Just leave me here," he snarled, though, being facedown in the ground, the words came out more like a muffled mumble. "Just leave me here..."
"Not likely," Thundercracker said. "Get up, Screamer."
The surprise at having his normally sane brother use the awful nickname his insane brother had given him was enough to make Starscream unshutter one optic long enough to glare at the blue mech. "Let me rest."
"No," Skywarp growled, prodding his brother's side with a foot, ignoring the groan that came from the injured mech. "Not until you tell me where Jasmine is."
"She's fine," Starscream moaned. "Leave me alone to offline in peace, you slagger."
"If you can manage whining in that condition, you're going to be fine," snapped Thundercracker. "That is, if we get you inside for repairs immediately. Now where did you put the human?"
Starscream managed a pained chuckle, then pushed himself up enough to roll onto his back. His wings were beyond pain by then, the sensors shorted out until his nervous system could reboot from the overload. With a little struggling, he managed to open his chest plates, revealing his spark chamber.
"You didn't," Thundercracker said, almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "Even after warning Skywarp about all the risks it posed?"
Jasmine poked her head out, taking in the situation at once. With no sign of Megatron nearby, she relaxed visibly and struggled out of her hiding place. "Skywarp? Thundercracker?" Tipping her head back, the girl swept her gaze over their battered forms, her brown eyes full of concern. "Are you hurt?"
"Not too badly," Skywarp reassured her. "Starscream got a little more beat up, though."
Turning at once to her savior, Jasmine scrambled over his chest plates until she could see his face. "Starscream? How bad are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," he said, but the pain came through his voice and Jasmine's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, collapsing to her knees. "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have come back. I'm so sorry, Starscream, you're hurt and it's all my-"
"Stop it," Starscream snarled. "You wanted to be part of the trine, didn't you?"
Startled, the girl looked up, tears still running down her face as she nodded dumbly.
"Above all else, trines protect each other." Starscream touched the tip of his claw to the girl's cheek, feeling the hot sting of salt water against his armor. "Now stop leaking."
Sniffling, the girl wiped her eyes. "S-sorry."
"It's all right," Starscream said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
"Jasmine, you need to move," Skywarp said, holding out his hand. "We have to get Screamer inside."
"I can walk." Jasmine slid off Starscream's chest, then stepped to one side, waiting for the Seekers.
"Come on, Starscream, up you get," Thundercracker said, moving to help his trinemate to his feet again. Starscream only managed to sit up before his nervous system finished rebooting and the resulting wave of pain, coming from almost every sensor in his body, sent the mech crashing into stasis.
