Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Skywarp strode down the service passage, chuckling to himself over the success of his latest practical joke. He had reversed Dirge's thrusters as he slept, meaning that when he tried to fly, he had shot himself backwards across one of the armoury yards, smashing into the wall. The howls of laughter from the assembled mechs still rang in his audios. Even Dirge had taken it in relatively good humour, insisting that Skywarp now owed him a free drink in the bar in exchange for the entertainment. Life was good!

He stopped abruptly as a small noise reached his audio receptors. A small, insistent, echoing tapping. He frowned, whirling about. What was it? He lifted some disused cannon rods, puzzled. Then he caught sight of the chest on the floor. He lifted the lid.

Incredulous, he lifted the human girl out, his thumb and forefinger securing her waist. "What in slag's name are you doing in there?" She was covered in grime from the old container, her face woeful and anxious. He began to laugh. "You look terrible!"

"Skywarp, it's an organism," she said urgently, wiping soot from her face. He peered at her, non-plussed. "Huh?"

"It's an organism, the Betagon is an organism! It's alive!"

"You what? What are you talking about?" He shook his head, wanting to move the conversation on to less strange topics. "Starscream's been looking for you. He needs you in the Main Hall. You have to go to your quarters, smarten up, do whatever it is human females do…"

"Listen to me! Starscream is out of control, there's something wrong with him! He's dangerous! We need to…"

"Out of control?" Skywarp frowned, bewildered. "I don't understand…"

"The Betagon has possessed him! Or done something to him… I don't know! We have to stop him!"

Skywarp gawped at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She snarled in frustration as he shifted his palm so that she could sit on it. "He … changed, his eyes… he went mad and then he put me in there… he said something about 'us', like there's more than one of them…"

"Okay, okay…" Skywarp said condescendingly, as if soothing a toddler that had fallen and cut its knee. He was carrying her up into the smarter area of the palace, patting her head with his fingertip. She ducked away irritably. "I'm telling the truth!"

They arrived at her quarters and he opened the doors, shooing her inside. "Come down to the Main Hall when you're ready. And hurry up. You're already late! Humans…" he tsked and strode back towards the Throne room.

Alexis stared after him helplessly. She wandered into the room, her feet sinking into the soft carpet, feeling lost. One hand ran listlessly through her hair. A glance at her watch revealed she had been in the container for over four hours.

In the shower she tried to soak in the warmth, inhaling the smell of the soap, her mind working furiously.

"Who told you of our origin?"

She shivered as she recalled those chilling words, the terrible chasm of black in his optics. She stepped out of the shower and stood, dripping wet, huddled in a towel, wanting to go home, in her flat in London with her dad or with Sari.

She was still in the towel twenty minutes later, curled up on the sofa, staring unseeing at a sitcom on the screen of her TV. The canned laughter was comforting, somehow, the sound earthly and safe. The doors to her quarters hissed apart and she flinched, terrified.

It was Frenzy. He trotted down the steps. "Heya! You're needed down in the…"

He dodged the flying remote, aghast, as she leapt off the sofa, backing away. "Can't you ever knock, you freak?"

"Hey! Woah there!" he held up his hands. "Sorry! I was told to come up and look for you!"

"Sorry Frenzy. I thought you were…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. He watched her, cautiously, as if she were incendiary and would go off at any moment.

"Uh… Starscream requires you down in the…"

"I know, I know." She stalked to her wardrobe, pulling on some clothes. She crossed to some drawers for her hairdryer. Her hands were shaking badly and she fumbled with the switch. After a few seconds Frenzy's metal hand covered her own, switching it on. He then turned to leave.

"No! Frenzy! Don't go!"

He turned around at the panic in her voice and came back. His optics widened as her face crumpled. She began to cry, helpless sobs that shook her body. After a moment's hesitation, he put his arms around her, letting her head rest on his chest. He had seen it done on television programmes when humans were upset. He patted her hair, awkwardly.

"There, there," he muttered nervously. "Uh…"

"Stay with me, please!" she sobbed. Frenzy was at a loss. He had never seen her like this before.

"Uh… what is wrong?"

She clung to him fiercely. "When did you last see Starscream?"

"Starscream?" He thought about it. "At the execution, I guess."

"So you haven't seen him recently?

"Uh… no, I've been staying away from him," he admitted. "'Cause of the Betagon in your room, and the fact that I'm a bad liar," he said, smiling sheepishly.

Alexis had forgotten about the hound. She hurried into the gym wiping her eyes, Frenzy close behind her. The creature was dozing in the cage, curled up contentedly. She carefully poured some more Betagon into the bowl, holding it at arm's length as if it were a poisonous snake, and slid it inside. That done, she closed the door once more, heading back into the living area. "Why am I needed downstairs?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Er… I don't know, I'm not invited," said Frenzy. "Only the bigger, more important guys are."

Alexis nodded stiffly. Dread filled her whole body. "I was hoping you could... keep me company."

She emerged into the Main Hall, which rang with gruff voices. She had put on tight, dark jeans and a loose navy top that covered her wounded arm. The red jewels that had been a present from Starscream some years back glinted round her neck. She swallowed hard, her heart beating a frantic rhythm.

The soaring hall had long tables set up, and hundreds of mechs were sat down at them, drinking energon, chatting and laughing. Down the far end was another long table on a dais. The effect was rather like a medieval feast. She began to walk towards it, her eyes raking the table for Starscream. But he wasn't there. She saw Skywarp and Thundercracker, talking earnestly to a tall, elegant mech, its armour shining silver. She had never seen him before, and something told her he wasn't from Cybertron. She drew nearer, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. In the middle of the table was an empty throne, presumably for Starscream.

Thundercracker caught sight of her. "There you are!" He got up, came round the table and lowered his palm. She stepped on, and he raised her carefully, allowing her to step down onto the table top. To her surprise she caught sight of a platter of human food, chicken, bread and cheeses, and a sudden pang of hunger gripped her, it had been ages since she had last eaten. The silver transformer leaned forward, fascinated. He opened his mouth to address her, but at that moment the room fell silent. A great scraping of giant chairs rang out as the assembled guests got to their feet and a voice heralded: "Lord Starscream."

Alexis kept her head down as he strode into the room. He moved up onto the dais and took his seat, his shadow falling across her. As he sat, the rest of the room followed suit, and the chatter resumed.

His hand moved forward and rested on the table, the fingers curled around Alexis possessively, without touching her. Still she did not dare turn her head to face him.

She heard the silver mech lean forward once more. "Lord Starscream, who is this delicate creature? Can I possibly be looking at a human?"

Alexis took a deep breath, and looked up.

Starscream's optics had returned to their normal colour, and the familiar raspy voice spoke as he lifted her hand with his forefinger.

"Argentum, this is my consort, Alexis, from planet Earth. Alexis, this is Argentum, the ambassador from the planet Lithone. He is here to discuss trade with me. This feast is to celebrate a new agreement between our worlds."

Alexis managed a smile, lifting her head up.

"Enchanting," Argentum breathed. "So very delicate, and the biological structure is so unusual. It's a wonder they survive! I would be most interested to conduct my own experiments… but forgive me Alexis, that is bad mannered of me." He let her hand drop, and pushed a platter of fruit towards her. "I heard a human resided here on Cybertron so I took the liberty of bringing you some gifts I think you will be familiar with."

Alexis looked at the heap of peaches, pineapples and melons on the plate, alongside gleaming strawberries and blueberries. In spite of herself she was curious. "Where did you get them?"

"Ah, my climate is rather similar to yours, little one. I took some samples from your planet long ago, before your kind had even evolved." He turned to Starscream. "You are ruler of planet Earth, are you not, Starscream?"

"I was, briefly," said Starscream. He picked up an ornate goblet, swirling the contents before taking a sip. Alexis tried to glimpse what they were, but form her angle it was impossible to see. "I gifted the planet back to its inhabitants after the fall of Megatron."

Alexis couldn't help but roll her eyes at how he had turned the treaty into some gracious gesture on his part. She looked up at him again out of the corner of her eye.

Starscream was talking to the Lithone ambassador, gesturing lazily to him as he leaned back on his throne. She took in his optics, his features. He seemed relaxed, the arrogant smile curling his lips, his armour gleaming, his movements fluid and loose. He gave off no signal that recalled the incident in the pit. She could not understand it. As she gazed at him, he caught her eye, his forefinger lowering to touch the heavy jewels laying on her throat. She swallowed and looked away as his fingers brushed her neck.

"I remember that. It is good to see you wear them. Why were you late? I sent for you but you were not in your quarters."

Alexis stared up at him. He doesn't remember.

"I… didn't feel well after the training session."

His finger curved round the back of her neck. She stiffened, trying not to flinch. He noticed, and frowned. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered.

"Don't lie to me."

"I said nothing," she repeated. She looked away, feeling his stare upon her. Just then, Argentum turned away from Thundercracker and gestured to Starscream. "My lord, may I congratulate you on restoring this planet, why, no one else could have done better. It is a work of genius."

Starscream kept his gaze on Alexis for a few more moments. Finally he looked away, withdrawing his hand.

Alexis reached for some cold chicken, chewing mechanically, fighting the urge to run away from the hall as fast as she could.

All she could think of was the Betagon, sitting smugly inside its powerful host, taunting her. Whatever it was, it had a voice, it could think, and it was now capable of controlling Starscream without his knowledge. How long before he had an episode like that again? And how long would it be before it possessed him completely? She had to get help. She would force the other decepticons to listen to her. And she would have to tell the autobots.

Alexis thought of Arcee, somewhere out there in the cold night, as determined to get to the bottom of this as she was. She had identified greatly with the female autobot. She knew what it was to work alone, to discover things for oneself, to rely only on your own wits. But right now she felt way out of her depth, drowning in a sinister mystery that threatened to destroy them all. And the worst part was, she couldn't tell Starscream. It could trigger another change in him and that was the last thing she wanted.

The terror she felt from when he had held her tight, hissed at her in that horrible voice that wasn't his, would not leave her. She felt trapped, unable to breathe. She couldn't look at him, felt frightened when he touched her. She knew he was puzzled and suspicious at her behaviour, and he would surely enquire about it again. Damn it! It was a vicious circle!

And what about Kickback? Had this happened to him? If it had, he probably wouldn't know. She looked up, vaguely aware that the ambassador had asked her a question. He and Starscream were watching her, waiting for her answer. She tossed her head, painting a radiant smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry, I was miles away," she said. She moved forward and selected a handful of strawberries. Popping one into her mouth she walked over to where Starscream's hand was resting, forcing herself to lean into the fingers affectionately. "This fruit is delicious, thank you so much, Argentum."

Argentum bowed his head graciously. "I was merely asking about seasons on your planet, Alexis. Tell me how exactly do they work?"

Alexis began chatting animatedly about the orbit of Earth around the sun, explaining the tilting of the axis, different types of air currents and weather patterns. She could see Starscream watching her still, and took care to appear happy and relaxed, laughing at Argentum's jokes and making a show of enjoying the strawberries. Eventually, he seemed to forget her strained demeanour from earlier, leaning back and taking another draught of his drink.

The night wore on, the mechs getting more and more raucous as they consumed more energon. Eventually Starscream rose to his feet, signalling for Argentum to follow him.

"I have laid on several matches for you to see in our main arena," he said. "I think you will be most impressed by the calibre of my finest warriors." He lay his palm down for Alexis to climb on, but she forced a smile, shaking her head.

"I'm quite tired," she said. "I think I will go to bed."

She felt a stab of guilt when genuine disappointment flashed in his optics. But he merely bowed his head. "Very well. I will see you tomorrow."

As she turned to descend the human-sized stairs, brought forward by a drone, he called after her. "Sleep well, Alexis."

She dreamt she was in lying back in Starscream's cockpit. Alexis reclined in the flight seat smiling sleepily, her head tilted to one side, hair spilling around her in a halo. One hand wandered to her throat, touching the red jewels. They were soaring through deep space, the billions of stars winking and shining in the night as they flew past. Her chest rose and fell slowly, every bone and muscle relaxed.

"Don't leave me", she whispered, tracing one finger along the dark leather.

His familiar voice reverberated around her, soft and low.

"I won't leave you. You're safe with me."

Something splatted onto her bare foot and she frowned, opening her eyes. Black liquid was dripping onto her foot – gushing into the footwell, oozing through the flight controls, she was scrambling up the seatback, yelling for Starscream, but he made no reply. The liquid rose and rose, crawling up her chest, her neck, she tried keep her head above it, but she was drowning, kicking, as it got into her eyes, her ears, her throat…

Alexis woke abruptly, her sheets kicked off the bed, damp with cold sweat.

A short time later, she stepped out into the night through one of the palaces service passages, wrapped up in a big, soft hoodie pulled up to cover her face. Taking Sureshock was too risky tonight, she would have to go on foot. She ran through side streets and narrow passages, only the mindless service droids tended to use them, so she was unlikely to be detected. Eventually she reached the edge of the city, climbing a smooth slope to emerge onto the plains, the wind whipping her hair, the starlight shining down faintly. Far behind her she heard the roar of the mechs gathered to watch the gladiators fighting in the arena – the spectacle must be continuing long into the night.

She walked and walked, until she recognised the area where she had encountered Arcee. She pulled the loose piece of paper from her pocket, and squatted down, weighing it firmly in place with rocks. On it in biro pen she had written:

RC. The Betagon is alive. Please contact me. Need help. Alexis.

Her phone number was scrawled underneath. Alexis had no idea if Arcee would even know what it was, but what else could she do? She tucked her hands into her sleeves, and after making sure the note was secure, she began the trek back into the city.

In her quarters she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, exhausted. A scrabbling noise alerted her and she walked into the gym area. The morph hound was circling its cage, agitated. The bowl was empty. At the sight of her it growled and whined, tail swishing rapidly. She crossed over to the bench, and with a cautious glance over her shoulder, reached for another canister of Betagon. She peeled back the lid, looking down into the inky black fluid.

"What are you?" she whispered.

Nothing happened.

She felt foolish, standing there talking to a liquid. "Tell me who you are," she said.

Still nothing. The pungent smell filled her nostrils and she backed off, grimacing. Carefully she tipped it into the bowl through the bars and the morph hound pounced on it greedily, slurping it up as if its life depended on it. She closed the doors and moved wearily into the round bed-chamber. Discarding her clothes she slumped back onto the mattress, pulling the covers over her. For the first time she wished her quarters could be locked, shivering as horrible dream played in her mind again and again. Although she was exhausted, sleep took a long time to return.