From the Bottom Up.
Chapter Ten-Blood and Energon.
The next day, Sam was taken by Starscream to perform his new duties with Tactical Officer Soundwave, although things got off to a bad start from the beginning for him.
Frenzy was there, which was not initially a problem for Sam. Sam's aid in fixing him and Frenzy reciprocating by helping the doctor after Swindle's attack, had resulted in a guarded friendship of sorts, or at least a civility to each other when they met. So when Starscream lowered Sam to the ground, and Frenzy leaped at Sam, chittering madly and ran a scan over him, Sam was unprepared, especially as whatever Frenzy had said was making Starscream scowl at Sam.
"An Autobot transmitting device? Where? How?" Starscream said, as Frenzy's scan stopped on a seam of Sam's Jeans.
It was Soundwave who answered.
"IT-IS-LOCATED-SOME-WHERE-ON-THE-HU-MAN." Soundwave said. "FRENZY-HAS-LO-CATED-IT."
Starscream switched his burning gaze to Sam, who cowered back: Starscream looked furious.
"After the way I have tried to make your stay here more comfortable, even given you status"- he began, but was interrupted by Soundwave.
"HE-HAS-NO-KNOW-LEDGE-OF-IT." He said "DO-NOT-BLAME-HIM."
Starscream stopped scowling and the intense glare of his optics receded back to its normal level.
"Did you see this in his mind, Soundwave?" he asked.
"I-DID." Soundwave stated.
"Very well. I shall obtain a new set of his lower body garments - which is where Frenzy says it is – from his supplies, and once he has changed, I shall dispose of the ones containing the device." Starscream said. He strode back out of the door as Sam remembered to breathe again.
"NOW, ONCE-YOU-HAVE-CHANGED, YOU-SHOULD-TELL ME-THE-IDEA-YOU-TOLD LORD-STAR-SCREAM-YES-TER-DAY." Soundwave said to Sam.
"Certainly." Sam said, skinning off the Jeans he wore and casting them aside. "That, and a few other ideas I've had."
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As Starscream headed for his quarters to do this, he sent a databurst to Skywarp.
Skywarp, go out on patrol, we may have nosy Autobots to deal with. If they are out in force, call me and I'll bring reinforcements. If there are only a few, we need you to subdue one – use whatever force you deem necessary to do so - and bring it back for questioning. You can destroy any that are surplus to our requirements. Go and do it now. he said.
With pleasure, Lord Starscream. Skywarp databurst back. A few minutes later, Skywarp's engines roared as he blasted up into the sky, then abruptly ceased as he warped to a different location.
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Bumblebee had hit the road: although he now knew that not only was Sam alive but likely to remain so, he still wanted to know where he had been taken, just in case Sam's situation took a turn for the worse and he needed rescuing.
He was moving from place to place, gauging the strength and direction of the signal location, using it to triangulate and locate the source. Once he heard that the device had been discovered, he upped his speed: he was running out of time, although he had narrowed the likely location down to two possibilities.
There was no warning before the attack: one moment, the sky was clear, and then the next, the sun was blotted out as Skywarp appeared directly above the Autobot scout. Before Bumblebee could react, Skywarp slapped at Bumblebee so hard that the yellow Camaro flipped over three times before coming to rest, four deep scratches inflicted by Skywarp's claws leaking energon and coolant from one side. Dazed, Bumblebee tried to collect his wits enough to transform and defend himself, but Skywarp didn't give him the chance: a matching set of scratches were gouged in his other side as Skywarp attacked again.
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Sam explained in as much detail as he could his ideas on how the Decepticons – both fliers and ground-travelling - could get fuel while drawing as little attention to themselves as possible. Soundwave had suggested some modifications, Sam had given his opinions, and then Sam and Soundwave had together approved of the final ideas.
Sam felt like a bit of a traitor for aiding the Decepticons like this, and suspected that some of his friends - both human and Autobot – might hold the same opinion, but Sam had his reasons. A shortage of essential materials drove people to desperate measures, with humans at least, Sam knew, and Sam was fairly certain that the Decepticons, nonhuman though they be, would be highly unlikely to differ. If he could help them with how to gain fuel, it might avoid a bloodbath. If he advised them of a better way, it might stop the Decepticons possibly attacking a fuel depot in desperation, or stop the Seekers from holding a human city to ransom for aircraft fuel. No, treacherous as this seemed, it really was a better option. His advice to these nonhuman entities could potentially save human lives.
Sam ate something once he had finished, and then Soundwave took him through to the medical bay. Sam reflected that someone else might object to being carried around like this, but he just saw it as an advantage. At ground level, there were sometimes too many big feet around - that could accidentally crush him - for comfort.
Sam had been told that the medic wanted to change his cast for a new one. The initial one had been put on when his arm had been swollen, and as the swelling had now gone down, it was loose on his arm and not keeping his arm as stable as it should be.
Dr Syn took off the cast carefully, using a sharp-bladed metal knife. Dr Syn had told Sam that although they did have laser tools, they were energy-hungry. There were some jobs that could be done equally as well – and sometimes better – by metal blades, and in this fuel crisis, Dr Syn was being called upon to use them in favour of the laser option more and more.
Dr Syn placed the knife down beside Sam on the work table, and used a cylindrical cage to put the stretchy bandage over Sam's arm without pulling or jarring it. He did this, using some plastic strips as splints to keep the arm straight, and was getting the fibreglass bandaging ready for the next cast when the doors opened to admit Starscream and Skywarp.
Starscream's arms were full of what at first looked like a twisted and dirty heap of yellow and silver scrap. The Decepticon leader. not noticing Sam, turned to his flying companion.
"Skywarp, I said subdue him, not almost kill him! We need the information he possesses before he dies!" Starscream turned to the doctor. "Fix him, so that he lives long enough to be questioned. If he's too stubborn to give me the information I require, I'll have to call Swindle back." Starscream said.
Starscream dropped his burden, which hit the floor with a dull clatter. It was then that Sam realised what he had at first thought was scrap was a badly damaged mech, with fluids of two colours oozing from numerous places on its body. With a shock, Sam realised that the mech was his Autobot friend, Bumblebee.
As this realisation hit Sam, combined with what Starscream was saying, Sam stepped back, flinging out his injured arm for support.
Unfortunately, his hand made contact with the blade of the knife Dr Syn had just put down. The part of the bandage around his palm was sliced cleanly through, and Sam gasped as he felt the blade slice into the sensitive flesh of his palm.
The gasp reminded Dr Syn that Sam was there, and drew the attention of Starscream and Skywarp. Starscream's optics widened as he realised that Sam had just heard the whole of his exchange with Skywarp and the doctor.
"Sam, I will have to put you on the floor as I need that surface so I can repair the Autobot." Dr Syn said, putting his hands out. Sam climbed into them, and Dr Syn put him down on the floor. It was then Dr Syn saw the red spatters on his own hands, and the spreading red stain on the bandage on Sam's wrist.
"You're bleeding!" he exclaimed.
"It's not serious, help Bumblebee, please!" Sam said. "This can wait!"
"Be careful, do not touch any of the fluids he's leaking. One of them is energon, and it is corrosive enough to harm you." The doctor stated.
"Please save him!" Sam begged the medic. Before Doctor Syn could reply, the other Seeker, Skywarp, spoke up.
"Our medic will only be patching up that Autobot so he can survive being interrogated for information, fleshling." He coldly stated. "You are Starscream's pet now, not the Autobot's and his life is irrelevant, even if our Leader judges yours to be important. If he survives being interrogated, I shall kill him myself. It is a long time since I've pulled the tubes and cabling from an Autobot's mangled frame, a long time since I've squeezed the life out of an Autobot with my own two hands, and watched its optics fade and die as its life ebbs away." the dark Seeker stated.
"No!" Sam cried, and threw Starscream a pleading gaze, but Starscream wasn't even looking at Sam, but had his optics fixed on Skywarp. Sam was sure his plea was helpless, for although Starscream was pledged to protect Sam, he had nothing to gain from saving Bumblebee.
Unless….
Sam recalled how Barricade had promised not to harm Mikaela as she was planned to be a major part of his future life. Was there any way he could confer a similar status on Bumblebee? He could not, of course, try and convince them that Bumblebee was his future life partner, they were the same gender and different species for a start. An idea came into Sam's head, about something he'd read about and thought of doing with Miles once – until he'd found out that Miles fainted if he saw blood.
Before any of the three Decepticons could react, Sam ran over to the stricken Autobot, and pressed the gash on his palm to one of Bumblebee's oozing wounds.
Pain exploded, both at the point of contact and further up his arm as the damaged bones shifted at the pressure. He cried out, his vision swam, and he almost fainted, but managed not to through sheer force of will alone. He had to do this, had to make Bumblebee his blood-brother, because it might save Bumblebee's life. If he fainted now, he'd not get another chance to do this. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Starscream start forwards as if to snatch him away, and saw Doctor Syn put a hand on Starscream's arm to stop him. Dimly, he realised the medic was scanning him. He concentrated on the job at hand.
"My-blood-to your-blood." He managed to get out. "My life-is your-life." He wanted something understandable to the Decepticons, to show how much he cared for Bumblebee, to get the message over to them. He could only think of one thing, something that seemed more Cybertronian, to say.
"My Spark-to your Spark." He managed to gasp out.
He was just in time: black spots were beginning to appear in his vision. They did not stop him seeing the optics of all three Decepticons widen, or the strange look Dr Syn was giving him. The black spots in his vision began to join up, and he saw Dr Syn release Starscream's arm and stoop towards him as the faint finally took hold.
As Sam toppled sideways, his hand falling away from the seeping injury to Bumblebee's chest armour, he felt the medic's gentle hands catch him just before oblivion took hold.
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Starscream turned furious, burning optics on his wing-brother. Skywarp took a step back from the look in those optics. Starscream was angry, angry at him, although Skywarp had no idea why.
"Skywarp, go and get Headfixer in here now." Starscream ordered. "Dr Syn can't treat them both at once. This is your fault, Skywarp, now do as I say and get out of my sight!"
Skywarp didn't know what he was being blamed for, but he knew that when Starscream was this torqued at him not to try asking lest he end up clawed.
"Yes, Lord Starscream." he said, and left the room to find Headfixer.
Starscream turned to Dr Syn.
"Did that human just do what I think he did?" Starscream asked the doctor. "Did he just Spark-bond with that Autobot?"
"Spark-bond and energon-bond, Lord Starscream, although I had warned him of the inimical effect it would have on his skin." He said, placing the inert human on another, smaller, work surface. "You do realise that you must now protect the Autobot for the duration of his stay here, now that their lives are linked together in this way?"
Starscream swore, quietly and virulently, as he stooped to gently pick up the semi-online Autobot he had dropped so roughly just five minutes earlier, carefully placing him on Dr Syn's table as the medic swept all the clutter off it. Starscream was beginning to regret the day he had, as a young, idealistic, and slightly over-energised scientist, taken that Code to impress his wing-brothers, who, back then, had been impressed.
Dr Syn was correct, Starscream reflected: to keep his human alive, he had to ensure that his Autobot bondmate was also kept alive. Spark-bonding had fallen out of favour when the war started, as the death of a bondmate often meant the death of the bonded partner too. Once bound together, generally two Sparks could not live if separated by the death of one bondmate. Except……
Starscream turned to the medic. "Do humans actually have Sparks?" he asked.
The medic sighed.
"Not usually, Lord Starscream, but this human seems to be an exception. I ran a scan while he initiated the Sparkbond. He doesn't have a Spark as we'd know it, but his organic heart seems to be alive with Spark energy." The doctor said. "I suspect it has something to do with his contact with the AllSpark."
"This human is full of surprises." said Starscream in confusion.